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Dark Souls is "Too Young" to go the F2P Route: "Pay Per Death? That Would be Terrible"
It may have taken some time, but the original Dark Souls did receive some DLC with Artorias of the Abyss. When it comes to Dark Souls 2 though, Producer Takeshi Miyazoe revealed to Edge that they aren't expecting to do any DLC for the upcoming title:
For Dark Souls 2, we don't even expect any additional downloadable content because we want to deliver a full game, the full experience, to fans who purchase the package from day one.
We did do additional content for Dark Souls, but generally downloadable content for Dark Souls 2 is not really being considered. Buy the package and you'll get the full experience, and you'll have as much fun as anybody else. Spending a couple dollars on certain items does not help the experience. So no free-to-play yet!
Speaking about F2P, Miyazoe said he thinks "it's too young" to go that route, "and with Dark Souls I think it would be hard to monetize in that way. Pay per death? That would be terrible. From Software especially don't want to allow players to pay for an advantage."
As well, if you were hoping to see a Wii U version of Dark Souls 2, Miyazoe shot that down, with a Vita version also ruled out as "it's not a handheld game, because of the network functionality."
Dark Souls 2 releases for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on March 11th in North America and March 14th in Europe.


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Jersey inflation rate slows slightly to 1.7%
Jersey's rate of inflation has slowed slightly according to figures released by the island government.
The annual rate of inflation measured in March was 1.7%. The year to June measurement was 1.6%.
Figures from the statistics unit show that while food and leisure goods went up in price, they went up by less than the year before.
Household services, such as phone and postage costs, had increased the most, up by about 6% over a year.
The Retail Prices Index (RPI) is the main measure of inflation in Jersey.
Duncan Gibault, from the States of Jersey statistics unit, said they measure the change from quarter to quarter in the price of the goods and services purchased by an "average household".
He said: "The RPI is compiled using a large and representative selection of over 500 separate goods and services.
"The price movements for each of these are measured at a representative range of outlets.
"About 2,500 separate price quotations are used each quarter in compiling the index. Prices are measured on or around the 15th day of March, June, September and December."

subset: commoncrawl


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- AndysCraftsNmore
- 5 years ago
- Wedding: October 2014
Help bees,
im working on the wedding invitations and need some input. We are using the 5×7 card pocket with four inserts. I have the Invitation, Reception,Ceremony done. The RSVP is finished I just have to add guest names. For the forth insert I wanted to do an "additional information" with our wedding website and a few other tid bits.
I have the basic outline of that like this:
Things to remember:
- You may have a short distance to walk in grass and gravel at the eremony location.
- Ceremony's Phone Number
- Receptions Phone Number
- For your convenience, more information can be found on our website (link)
is this good enough? Should I have the ceremony and receptions numbers on it, or just have that on the website?
— the ceremony site is non-smoking i have that written on the "ceremony" insert do i need that again on the "aditional information" insert or is that over kill?


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The question from Michael A. Collins sounded relatively simple: What mustard was served with hot dogs at Lincoln Park Zoo's Café Brauer in the 1950s and 1960s?
"Try as I might, I have been unable to find who made it,'' wrote the resident of Cary, Ill. "Would you be able to find out who that was? Are they still around?"
My first attempt to answer this failed as outlined in a recent Daley Question, which ended with a plea to readers to weigh in on the mustard mystery. And readers certainly did, with e-mails, letters and telephone calls offering both suggestions and nostalgic memories of zoo visits.
Many were absolutely certain they could unlock the secret but their answer, "Dusseldorf," was only partially correct. Dusseldorf is a mustard style, like Dijon, not a brand.
A big break in the mystery came when Les Fisher, the zoo's iconic former director, remembered that a Paul Hecker, now deceased, held the zoo's concessions contract. His daughter, Jean Skrak of Winnetka, and grandchildren, Barbara Shields of Wilmette, and Paul Hecker of Roswell, Ga., all contacted me after the article ran. The Dusseldorf-style mustard was made by Monarch Foods, they said.
Trouble is, Monarch, now part of US Foods of Rosemont, is a food line sold to restaurants and businesses. Consumers wouldn't find that mustard on their supermarket shelf, according to Lisa Lecas, a US Foods spokeswoman.
Could there be a mustard available in supermarkets that comes close to that Monarch mustard? I held an informal blind taste test of various brands suggested by readers.
I invited Fisher, Skrak and Shields, who also had worked at Cafe Brauer, along with Betsy Benoit, who worked as an elephant keeper at the zoo. Collins got an invite, too, but couldn't make it.
Just for kicks, I asked various food-centric members of the Chicago Tribune staff to sample the brands, but reporter Monica Eng was the only colleague who got to vote on the mustard mystery question because she had chowed down at the zoo as a kid.
Panelists were asked to sample five mustards on their own — a rather interesting taste exercise — and paired with slices of Vienna Beef hot dogs. The mustards tasted were: Bertman Original Ballpark, French's Spicy Brown, Gulden's Spicy Brown, Koops' Dusseldorf and White Castle Dusseldorf.
All of the tasters dismissed the spicy brown mustards immediately — they were way too yellowish. The Bertman intrigued them but the Cleveland brand wasn't it, either. That left Koops' and White Castle in the running.
The winner? White Castle, by a 3-2 vote. Fisher, Benoit and Eng thought the White Castle tasted most like the way they remembered Cafe Brauer's mustard to be. Skrak and Shields chose Koops'.
White Castle? Yes. Even for those of us rating the mustard on taste alone and no Cafe Brauer memories, the White Castle Dusseldorf stood out with a tangy assertiveness capped by a peppery clove note. It was terrific on a hot dog.
I later learned White Castle allows a certain degree of regionalism when it comes to its menu. While restaurants in other areas of the country use regular yellow mustard, Chicago and some other Midwest markets get a Dusseldorf-style instead.
No need to rush in and swipe handful of packets if you want to try this mustard. Bill Thompson, White Castle's regional director, said restaurants in and around Chicago began selling the Dusseldorf mustard in 10-ounce bottles about a year or so ago. The price is $2.99.
White Castle may have eked out a first-place finish in our tasting session but the company is not a customer of the Monarch mustard maker, US Foods, according to Lecas.
That leaves Koops' Dusseldorf mustard, which is available, of course, in stores and supermarkets. The brand is now owned by Olds Products Co. of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Tim McAvoy, Olds vice president, said Olds also made mustard for Monarch.
"Olds made the store brands and Koops' made the retail,'' he said. "We believe the mustard was our Dusseldorf."
While confident today's Koops' mustard is the one Collins is after, McAvoy admits the proof can be difficult to pin down all these years later.
"This is as close as anyone is going to get to Cafe Brauer mustard,'' he said of Koops'.
Skrak needed little convincing. "This is it!" she wrote on her testing score card.
How could this group of tasters be so split on which brand really was "it"? Easily. Products and tastes can change with time. So, too, can memory — especially taste memory. Perceptions shift, certain flavors seem to dull, others sharpen.
Sorry to say this, Mr. Collins, but there's no proverbial smoking gun to solve the mustard mystery — at this point at least.
My advice? Go out and buy a number of different Dusseldorf mustards and a big box of hot dogs and throw a mustard tasting party of your own. You'll find the mustard that matches memory best and your guests will have a memorable time sampling the various types.
For as McAvoy says, "people are not remembering the 'hot dog' as much as they are remembering the 'mustard' on the hot dog."
Do you have a question about food or drink? E-mail Bill Daley at: firstname.lastname@example.com. Snail mail inquiries should be sent to: Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611. Twitter @billdaley.


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Born in Cheshire in 1902, James Allan Cash had a passion for travelling from a young age. Allan Cash was a trained radio engineer and, at the age of 23, he moved to Canada to work for the Northern Electric Company's broadcasting station. After the Great Depression took hold in 1929, Allan Cash worked on a freelance basis. In the 1930s, he travelled the world, recording his adventures in a travel journal, which he illustrated with photographs taken on his Leica camera.
In 1937, the Hampstead Photographic Society was established and Allan Cash became a founding member. He went on to serve as president from 1944 to 1945.
In 1939, Allan Cash met and married a fellow photographer and travel writer called Betty. Together the established a commercial picture gallery, which specialised in travel photography, in their office on Parkway in Camden Town.


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What sort of spaces come to mind when you think of a typical school? I think of things like the classroom (often labeled by grade level, content area, or the teacher's name), the gymnasium, the cafeteria, teacher's lounge, principal's office, auditorium, nurse's office, library or media center, computer lab, science lab, bathrooms, hallways…
And yet, the possibilities are endless when it comes to imagining learning spaces. Consider a school that has some of the following spaces as the centers for learning throughout the day. Of course, many schools contain several of the spaces below, but imagine the possibility of such spaces being the central and dominant learning spaces. In such a school, there really is no need for the traditional classroom.
- Hall of History
- Exhibition Area
- "Town" Hall
- Hackerspace or Makerspace
- Center for Research & Innovation (for student's to do research and development)
- Arcade or Center for Games and Learning (not only do they play games, but they create them)
- Design Center
- Art Studio
- Production Studio
- Center for Social Entrepreneurship
- Think Spaces
- Informal Cooperation and Collaboration Spaces
- Community Outreach Center (for the student's to explore and plan the outreach)
- Global Communications Headquarters
- Center for Health and Well-being
- Dance Studio
- Coffee Shop / Cafe
- Kitchen (where learner's can cook and prepare)
- Writing Laboratory
- Theater
- Chapel
- Greenhouse
- Community Garden
- Community Park (yes, managed by the learners)
- The Forest (yes, a real one)
- The Community (yes, getting out of the building often and for extended periods of time)
What sort spaces can you imagine or have you seen that can serve as powerful hubs for learning in schools? Consider adding ideas in the comment section.
This is not a new idea. There are plenty of schools without classrooms. If you want to explore the topic further, here are a couple of resources to get you started.
New Schools Without Classrooms in Sweden
Larry Cuban on the Open Classroom / Schools (a good and balanced perspective)
Schools Without Walls Project


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This is actually an enhancement request with a reference implementation rather than a bug. I mentioned the solution in a question thread yesterday, so I apologize if I'm being annoying by posting this here as well.
Ext version tested:
- Sencha Touch 2.0 PR3
Browser versions tested against:
- FF3 (firebug 188.8.131.52 installed)
- Safari 4
- There is no predefined way to pop multiple views from an Ext.navigation.View in one operation.
Steps to reproduce the problem:
- Create an Ext.navigation.View
- Add multiple views to it
- Try to pop to the top view in one operation
The result that was expected:
- Should be able to pop to the root view or to any view in-between directly rather than just one view at a time.
The result that occurs instead:
- Under the current code a user would have to press the back button for each view on the navigation view. In some circumstances it could be desired / required to move directly to a specific view on the stack or to the root view.
Possible fix:
- The following code is a reference implementation of a pop to root. A similar routine could be developed to pop to a specific view in the stack. I recommend adding something like this to the navigation view implementation -- I think many people would find it useful.
Code:popToRoot: function(destroy) { var navBar = this.getNavigationBar(), stackLn = this.stack.length, stackRm; //just return if we're at root if(stackLn <= 1) return; //just return if we're already animating if(navBar && navBar.animating) return; //splice the stack to get rid of items between top and root stackRm = this.stack.splice(1, stackLn-2); //remove views that were removed from the stack if required if(destroy) { stackRm.forEach(function(val, idx, arr) { this.remove(val, true); }); } //clear out back button stack navBar.backButtonStack = []; //now we can do a normal pop this.pop(); }


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Showing 61–72 of 77 results
Showing 61–72 of 77 results
Pioneers in MENASA contemporary art
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The Republicans cannot but feel somewhat uncomfortable for having passed the largest tax boost in the nation's history (in inflated dollars). Indeed there is a certain wry humor in the situation which will not be lost on Americans: what the government giveth in tax cuts it now taketh away in tax increases. Still, Senator Bob Dole and his fellow Republicans are to be commended for meeting the congressional bipartisan mandate to raise new revenue. With budget deficits climbing to stratospheric levels, the national interest demands legislative action.
Will the Democratic-controlled House now have the courage to come up with its own tax bill or support the Senate effort? The Democrats clearly are weighing the political cost come this November. They would prefer to let the GOP take responsibility for the still shaky state of the economy and for any tax hikes. Some therefore want to avoid fashioning a ''Democratic'' tax bill and to simply vote the Senate bill up or down. That may seem good politics, but the Democrats open themselves to loss of credibility if they stoop to criticizing the Republican plan and refuse to come up with an alternative of their own.
The Senate bill is fairly reasonable. Consumers will have to pay more for cigarettes, phone calls, and airline tickets (though, regrettably, not liquor) and will be allowed smaller deductions for medical expenses. But, if this hits the middle and lower-income groups hardest, there will be some compensation in knowing that corporate firms can no longer take such generous deductions for those notorious three-martini lunches.
Perhaps most controversial will be the provision for withholding income taxes on stock dividends and interest payments - a measure that runs counter to the administration's policy of spurring savings and investment. Yet it is hard to quarrel with the effort to catch tax evaders, i.e. making sure that all those who receive dividend and interest income pay tax on it. This provision alone is expected to bring in $12 billion over three years. If the Democrats consider the measure unfair, they could find some other way to stimulate savings - again raising the limit on deductions of interest income, for instance.
As needed as the Senate-adopted tax raises are, it has to be recognized that the three-year $99 billion program will make only a small dent in closing what are expected by some to be deficits totalling over $300 billion in the next three fiscal years. The Republican goal of a balanced budget is as elusive as ever, and it is clear that fundamental progress on reducing federal deficits will not be made until Congress and the administration find the fortitude to cut back on the major budget items - defense spending and entitlements.
While Congress wrestles with its conscience - and the political season - the American people can perhaps take some comfort in the fact that the economy is on a path of recovery. It is a tepid recovery, to be sure, and it is distressing to live with such a high rate of bankruptcies and such high unemployment, conditions which demand attention. But the public needs to bear in mind that an important battle is being won - the battle against inflation. The Morgan Guaranty Survey notes that the inflationary trend of the past 20 years ''appears to have been broken'' (despite the increase in the Consumer Price Index announced last week).
This progress, combined with the new pattern of decline in wage increases and the Federal Reserve Board's determination to keep the money supply under control , means that the US economy should be able to begin its slow emergence from recession without spurring another round of inflation. That has been the pattern in the past. The recovery will take more time, however, and the challenge will be not to undo the gains made so far.
What could set things back is failure to make the corrections in the Reagan economic program which Republicans themselves acknowledge must be made. Tax increases may become the butt of jokes after all the administration's fuss about giving the American people a multiyear tax cut. But there is no escaping those soaring deficits - and the damage they do to interest rates and business confidence.
Senator Dole and his fellow lawmakers are on the right track. They must keep going down it.


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Manipur group raises voice against violence
Read more below
- Published 12.05.14
|A jawan keeps vigil at a relief camp at Narayanguri in Baksa district. (PTI)
Imphal, May 11: Minorities Development Forum, Manipur, today called for strong and firm steps by the Centre and Assam government to end attacks on minorities in Assam and also to check spread of massacres in other states.
The Forum, which is working for protection of rights and welfare of the minorities in Manipur, is "deeply concerned" with the increasing incidents of violence targeting minorities in Assam.
At least 43 people have died and many reported still missing after the mayhem in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) on May 1 and 2. The national agency NIA has moved in to investigate the incident.
The Forum is concerned over the "failure" of the Assam government and the Centre to restore complete normality in the trouble-torn areas of Assam and also instill a sense of security in the minds of the minority community after the incident.
"We strongly condemn the killing of people in Assam," H. Khan, president of the Forum, said.
Khan demanded that the Centre and the Assam government should initiate all possible measures to bring a complete stop to such violence and prevent such incidences in the future. "We have the apprehension that such violence may spread to other states, where minorities are in large numbers," Khan said.
He also demanded that the Centre should take effective measures to reassure the minority community in the country that Assam-like violence would not be repeated in other states. The Forum is closely monitoring the developments in Assam in the aftermath of the recent violence and also measures taken by the Centre and Assam government to protect the minorities.
"We will raise our voice from time to time depending upon the response of the Assam government in the incident. We also fully support the movement launched by Assam Sangkhyalaghu Sangram Parishad under the aegis of the North East Minorities Organisation to protect the rights of the minorities," Khan said.


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Tomorrow's opening of Sainsbury's most environmentally friendly, zero carbon, waste and water neutral store in Leicester, sourcing 70 per cent of its water demand through rainwater harvesting presents an interesting model. Is it enough of an example to persuade Mr & Mrs Jones to adopt a similar approach at home?
In a large national survey of water use in and around the home, published in a Report for Consumer Council for Water in Associate with WRc, residents were asked what would be the most likely reason to make you conserve water. The results revealed the following influences:
- If water companies conserved water 21%
- If water-efficient devices were cheaper 20%
- If it was easy to get information on how to conserve water 13%
- If someone came round to my house to install water-efficient devices 11%
- If it was easier to buy water-efficient devices from a local shop 7%
- If I was reminded of water efficiency when I was deciding on an appliance 6%
- If I had a better understanding of the impact on the local environment 6%
- If children were educated about water conservation 6%
- If someone talked to me to make it clear that water conservation is important 5%
- If I understood and had confidence in a water-efficiency label on a water appliance 3%
- Other 1%
Source: Report for Consumer Council for Water in Association with WRc
Other items that respondents identified included: compulsory water meters, if businesses conserved water; if my bill got higher and if I thought it would make a difference.
The majority of reasons listed above are not insurmountable, and most could be achieved without the need for any legislation. The immediate hurdle seems to be the reluctance on the part of individuals and households to adopt a more water efficient mentality.
Not surprisingly, most felt that water companies do not do enough to save water, stating that they would definitely/maybe do more to save water if they perceived that the water companies were doing their bit as well.
Some of the UK's Water companies are now beginning to address their widely reported leakage problems, which hopefully will unlock the door and encourage more individual involvement at residential level.
It would seem from the survey that most people would not need to be forced to conserve water. People need to be encouraged to make savings, through education, with Water Companies setting an example for us to be more water conscious and use water efficiently.
Whatever the solution, it will be a carefully coordinated and collective effort that needs to be encouraged and will win the day. Certainly more action such as the Sainsbury's initiative can open the door through which others will follow.


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Auction Finale!
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members from more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels.
Keep in touch, or reach out to us from via our social media websites!
All materials and photos, unless otherwise specified, copyright of Rotary Club of Avon.
All Rotary marks, logos, and copyrighted content is owned by Rotary International, used with permission.


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In our most recent post, we showed you how to easily transform your mantel décor from Fall to Winter. Today, we're going to show you exactly how to make two items on our Christmas mantel: a Golden Magnolia Wreath and a Cinnamon Stick Votive Holder.
Plug in your hot glue gun and let's get going!
Golden Magnolia Wreath
Our golden magnolia wreath is a great twist on a traditional Christmas wreath—more modern and minimalist than an evergreen and super-simple to achieve.
Materials you will need:
- magnolia leaves
- grapevine wreath from any craft store
- gold spray paint
- hot glue gun
Spread your leaves out on an open space and spray a very light, even coat of gold spray paint over all of them.
We stopped there. The green showing through gave the leaves a shimmery quality and we wanted to bring in that natural element throughout our mantel design. If you'd like your leaves to be more metallic, keep going until they are well-covered.
Next, lay out all your leaves BEFORE you start gluing to make sure you've got the right fit.
Start hot gluing. Keep the leaves pointing in the same direction and overlap them slightly. We fit in two rows by keeping the first circle toward the inside of the form.
As a finishing touch before we hung our wreath, we tied wire on the back and hot glued a piece of burlap ribbon over it to hide the wire. Then it's easy to loop it over a door or mirror and hook it on with sturdy wire.
Cinnamon Stick Votive Holder
This is a great way to repurpose an old candle holder that you're tired of or want to dress up for the holidays. And the cinnamon smell is certainly an added benefit.
- cinnamon sticks
- any glass votive holder shorter than your cinnamon sticks.
- burlap ribbon
- decorative string/ribbon
Step one: a small dot or line of hot glue will hold your cinnamon sticks together easily.
We recommend gluing your cinnamon sticks on two at a time. Don't try too hard to keep things neat and even—you get a more natural look when you let some gaps and height variety through.
Once the glue dries, dress up your cinnamon stick votive holder for Fall, Winter, or Christmas. We went with a neutral burlap and gold for a seamless transition between seasons/holidays. A festive plaid or bright ribbon could make it a match for your existing winter décor theme.
There's no need to hot glue your bigger ribbon on if you tie the smaller string around it tightly.
Here's our completed holiday mantel:
We have more holiday mantel dressing ideas coming up. Keep an eye on Rich's Facebook page for more holiday themes.
Other tutorials in this series:
- Easy Steps to Transform Your Mantel Décor from Fall to Winter
- Tutorial: 3 Easy DIY Fall Mantel Projects
- How to Create a Simple, Festive Fall Mantel
- Gothic Glam-Inspired Halloween Mantel Décor
Follow Rich's


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Canisius Students Spend Winter Break Serving
BUFFALO, NY – More than 75 Canisius College students participated in the college's Winter Service Week, during the month of January. Organized by the Canisius Office of Campus Ministry, Winter Service Week provides students with opportunities to serve, work and learn in some of the poorest communities across the country. All trips are centered around service, reflection and prayer, community and simple living. This year's Winter Service Week sent students to different locations in New Orleans, LA; New York City, NY; Erie, PA, Syracuse, NY; and Buffalo, NY.
"The most important parts of our trips are forming relationships and beginning a transformative process," explains Sarah Signorino, associate campus minister. "We want Canisius students to engage in the gritty reality of the world during their formation, analyze reasons of why communities they are serving in remain marginalized and reflect on how they can transform their experiences into positive change."
Members of the Undergraduate Student Association participated in the Buffalo project for Winter Service Week. These students worked and served at various organizations established to assist the city's growing refugee population.
Twenty-five students traveled to New York City, where they served at five different locations including two Jesuit Nativity-Miguel Middle Schools, a soup kitchen, a food pantry and hospitals.
Students who traveled to New Orleans for Winter Service Week helped rebuild homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. They partnered with the St. Bernard Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that disaster-impacted communities recover.
In Erie, PA, Canisius students worked and served alongside the sisters of the St. Benedictine Community in a variety of ministries throughout the inner city and within the monastery, itself. They served at education centers for adults and children, at a community center for disabled adults, at after-school programs for underprivileged children, and at a children's art house, a soup kitchen and a food bank.
Students who participated in Winter Service Week in Syracuse partnered with the Catholic Charities Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). They assisted in pre-k classrooms and took part in an evening respite program for disabled teens and refugees. Students also served alongside Jesuit Volunteer and Canisius alumna Mary Mietlicki '12 at the Cathedral Academy at Pompei.
One of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York.


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Spyware Doctor with Antivirus is a powerful mechanism for two rapid detection and removal of unknown threats. Anti-Virus protects your computer from malicious software. Protection Unit of spyware helps prevent theft of your own data. The program protects your PC in various ways, including proactive, reactive and automated technology, scanning all the points of possible contamination.
Now includes a memory scanning, profiles and behavior report card that provides reliable protection and constant monitoring of the PC.
Spyware Doctor with Antivirus allows you to work safely on the Internet. ThreatFire ™ technology blocks new threats faster than traditional methods based on signatures. The system keeps track of suspicious activity IntelliGuard programs, finding viruses, spyware, tracking files cookie, suspicious objects ActiveX ®, programs, browser hijackers, key loggers, Trojan horses, etc.
IMPROVED! Detection System, block and remove malicious files, which received the highest awards and recommendations of independent experts from around the world.
• Based on the award-winning technology to protect against spyware Spyware Doctor.
• Powerful search technology removes rootkits hidden threats from your PC.
• NEW! Module Memory Scanner eliminates more threats.
• NEW! Download Guard protects against new threats by checking downloaded files on a distributed (cloud) network.
Multilevel protection of the browser on a variety of types of attacks, including phishing attempts, scare tactics and hidden automatically download malicious software.
• Use a combination of black lists and predictive analysis of content.
• Site Guard blocks potentially dangerous "phishing" websites and downloading dangerous files through a browser, instant messaging or e-mail.
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• Browser Guard blocks the automatic download, fake anti-virus and malicious files entering your computer via infected websites.
IntelliGuard technology keeps track of suspicious activity programs, finding viruses, spyware, tracking files cookie, suspicious objects ActiveX, software, browser hijackers, key loggers, Trojan horses, etc.
• IntelliGuard block potential threats before they reach your PC.
Safe box in the world of the Internet
• ThreatFire ™ blocks new threats faster than traditional methods based on signatures.
• Module Behavior Guard, based on patented technology ThreatFire ActiveDefense, scans and analyzes computer processes, pinpointing and blocking any malicious action.
• Smart Updates provide automatic updating of protection in the background, allowing you to detect and block even the newest threats.
• International Centre for Research Malware is malicious activity round the clock monitoring and rapid introduction of new technologies to combat the latest malicious designs.
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• Basic protection, do not obscure the complicated functions.
• Set and forget with the default settings that provide optimum protection.
• IMPROVED! The small size of the initial load can quickly set up and run defense.
• PC Health Profiles accounting program can adapt to the features of a PC, and minimal impact on its speed.
• Game Mode automatically detects the launch of the game in full screen mode and does not interrupt the computer at this time.
• Energy saving mode puts intensive tasks until the laptop is plugged in, helping to save battery power.
• IMPROVED! More control over the scanning speed for optimum PC performance and protection without unnecessary features.
• NEW! Ability to disable background scanning for optimal PC performance.
• Advanced IntelliGuard ™, system logs, etc.
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Welcome The Karavel House, Sriracha
Karavel House's wealth of first class amenities and services allow it to deliver an incomparable lifestyle for international executives and locals alike. Much sought after in the area, the property offers stylish and contempoary studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments.
Rooms are designed with separate living room & bedroom, dining area and private balcony and spilt type air conditioning, bathroom with bathtub and toiletries, color T.V. with cable, satellite & NHK, stereo with CD, DVD player. An in-room high speed internet line access is also available.
Like our other serviced apartments, Karavel House offers a distinctive standard of refined living that you would expect from a five star hotel or luxury housing project. We give you all the advantages of these types of properties but with genuine warmth and a commitment to making you feel right at home.
Karavel House is also within easy walking distance the downtown area, many local restaurants and bars and local parks along the waterfront.


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The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by EagleRising.com
My Honest Feelings on Homosexuality
So, I'm Honest About How I Feel About Gay Sex
A lot of my black friends get ticked off when gays pretend that they've suffered as much prejudice as blacks. As I Jew, I get pissed off when blacks pretend that American slavery was as murderous as Nazism. Two thousand blacks were hung in the south. More Jews were killed in an hour in Treblinka.
We all have our sufferings. However, most Jews and blacks aren't perverted. Not that that is reason to be prejudiced against gays. But it does make them different. And if their idiosyncratic sexual behavior makes them different and makes me uncomfortable around them it doesn't mean that I am prejudiced against them and single them out for harmful treatment. It means that I am honest about how I feel about gay sex. I am not just talking about same sex marriage. I have trouble with gay demonstrations of affection. I am so politically incorrect that I could be a photo on a liberal dart board.
Perversion is perversion. Calling it the new normal does not make it normal. It makes it habitual perversion. Repetition is not sanctioning.
If I see a man picking his boogers and eating them, it does not mean that I am biased against boogers. It means that he disgusts me visually and internally. I don't hate him for it. I just don't want to look at the pickings. To pretend that I liked eating boogers would do a disservice to the reality of my impressions.
What is the sudden impulsive need for gays to be appreciated by the masses? Why do they have to be appreciated and loved? I don't love them as a group. I like some of them. Does that make me a bad person? Does your speaking up for all gays indiscriminately make you a good person? Or does it make you a fool and a liar?
If I were gay I wouldn't want to be accepted. I would enjoy my separateness from society. I would like the sadness of being ostracized. I would feel special as I do as a poet. I would never want to be part of the mainstream. I wouldn't want to marry another man. That would be too corny, too domesticated. Back in the sixties most gays didn't want to get married. They thought it was nerdy.
I got a B.A. and a Masters from Hunter College. My Ph.D. at CUNY. The other day I am walking past Hunter on Lexington Avenue at 68th when I see two chunky gays in threadbare overcoats holding hands. I hate male closeness. I hate that I'm hated for hating male hand -holding. I mean it's alright for you to accept gayness but why should I? I can't accept your self-satisfied acceptance of homosexuality and your belief that because I am homophobic that I am less intellectual and less bathed in rightness than you?
I like many gays. But I do not like them because of their gayness. I like them in spite of it.
Bill de Blasio won't attend the St. Patrick's Day Parade because they won't let gays march as a self-identified group. Who would want to march in a corny parade.? I hate parades. Why must gays be so joining, cloying and girlish?
Guinness Stout has even pulled out of the parade. Is that their new image? Men in skirts speaking in high voices and gossiping about fashion? Guinness is no longer a man's stout. And since when was Guinness so moral and accepting. They manufacture beer. They specialize in making people drunks and alcoholics.
I see the mysterious beauty of women. I am touched on the fringes of my coat by their light. I am sorry for you if you are cut off from their penumbra.
Liberals are proud of accepting gays. They still wouldn't go to bed with one. They are pretend homosexual acceptors. They are misleaders. They don't even know what they want. Katy Perry sang, "I Kissed a Girl." She didn't like it. I know. How? I don't know but I know. It's instinctual. Truth is internal. It is not rational. Belief is in the gut. It is not a fiction of correctness, of political rightness.
When I get close to the two gays walking in front of Hunter CollegeI realize that it's a father and son. They're not fags. They're just familial and close. I'm relieved. I love family. Perversion makes me twitch.
At Sixty-Ninth Street I see a black and a white guy in their twenties holding hands. This time they are not father and son. They are homosexuals. I don't like their public displays of affection. I am allergic to their overt behaviors. I don't judge them except for their shoving their odd behavior in my face. I don't relate to them. They are what they are. I don't see why they have to display it in a way that's obviously viscerally offensive to heterosexuals.
They may be nice but to me they are offensive. My body reacts to sh.t like it's sh.t. It is sh.t. I'm not sanctioning this sh.t. Why do they want my approval when they hate my attitude? They don't have to befriend the world. I am not their court room. I am not their judge. Let it go. Let me discount them like a sale of perversions in a self-justifying discount store.
At Seventieth Street I am walking behind two girls in jeans who are holding arms. They have snuggly, girlish walks. They are not gay. They are the beauty of girls wandering. They are comfortable rather than sexual in their closeness. They are in another place when they are together.
So, I don't like gay demonstrations of affection. Shoot me. Don't. We should accept each other like distant cousins. We don't have to like what we are but we can like who we be without parading it like a flag.
Acceptance not affirmation. When I was in jail with degenerates I liked them regardless of the crimes that they committed outside. I didn't have to approve of them. I just had to pass the time with them.
When gays came out of the closet, they insisted that everyone celebrate them. Why? I wouldn't interfere with them but I don't have to approve of them. I don't care if they approve of me.
What's this mad desire for acceptance? Are gays crybabies seeking the love of strangers? Why do gays act so feminine towards rejection? And if the liberals think that the gays are such mature happy people why are they trying to shove their two cents of support into their pockets?


text: Mitch Battese, began his artistic career early, often competing in local shows and competitions in Oklahoma. Mitch attended boarding school at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A Pine Ridge South Dakota High School graduate, he attended Bacone College in Oklahoma and studied under noted Native Artist "Chief" Terry Saul, a former leader in the Choctaw tribe of Oklahoma. Mitch received his Bachelors of Arts degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and a Master's degree from the University of Utah. He has shown and entered art competitions in the Annual National Parks Service Art Competition, the Santa Fe Indian Art Market, and the wholesale Indian Art Market in Mesa, Arizona which is sponsored by the Indian Arts and Crafts Association. He has also exhibited his work at the Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In 2008 Mitch provided the art work for the U.S. Indian Health Service Elders Conference.


text: In conjunction with the introduction of QuarkXPress 7, Extensis announced that it has updated its XTensions so that its products are compatible with the new version of the page layout application. Updated XTensions are available for Suitcase Fusion and Font Reserve Server 1.7.4. A new version of the Suitcase Server X1 XTension will be available at the end of May. The XTension updates are free to registered users, and are available for download at the Extensis Web site.


text:
Slovenia Plane Engine Explodes
December 23, 2001
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) _ An engine of an airliner with 147 people on board exploded while taxiing down the runway for takeoff Sunday. Nobody was hurt, officials said.
The Adria Airways Airbus A-320 was en route to Ohrid, in Macedonia, said airline spokesman Brane Lucovnik. Adria is a Slovenian carrier.
Lucovnik said the explosion in the left engine occurred shortly after the aircraft began gathering speed for takeoff. Authorities were investigating.


text:
It is claimed that Yuhchyau Ping Chen, the mother of Gary Gene Roloff, has in the past, and continues to do so, damaged the son's relationship to his father. This is proven by Gary's current attitude towards his father.
The father forgives his son for his attitude and behavior towards him since it is primarily a result of teaching and behavior of his mother.
Furthermore, the father prays that God will not punish Gary according to the Holy Scripture as it is said in Matthew 15:4 NIV "For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.'"
2016-01-12 Grievances against Yuhchyau Ping Chen


text: How many Fanpages should you create per Facebook Account? Fanpages are tied to Facebook Accounts, if you were to lose your account, you lose your fanpage as well. So the best way around this is to have some redundancy right? Have two accounts connected to the one fanpage. One of the connected accounts has to be low spam. The account that Facebook has no reason to ban. The other account is where you promote and add friends, etc. Here's a quick diagram of what I mean. So from your experience, is this the best way to manage multiple fanpages? What's your arrangement at the moment? Also, has anyone any experience with getting multiple fanpages shut down at the same time?


text: Issue 6 | Summer 2016 CMS_LawTax_CMYK_28-100.eps 2 | The Antidote Register now for the 2016 series: 23 June Personalised drugs 25 August Trade secrets 8 September Medical device regulation 20 October Smart health 17 November Public tenders in the Lifesciences industry 15 December Clinical trial regulations The webinars are designed to give you an interactive overview, from your desk, of the key legal issues affecting the sector. To register for the sessions go to: http://www.cms-cmck.com/Webinar-series-Lifesciences-2016-03-17-2016 CMS Lifesciences webinars Contents Market abuse regulations 4 European Court decides on generic market entry relative to orphan medicinal products 6 Diligence obligations in licence agreements 8 Influencing government procurements in a time of austerity 10 3 The Antidote Sarah Hanson Partner, Head of UK Lifesciences T +44 (0)20 7367 2559 E email@example.com Welcome to our latest edition of The Antidote. Our newsletter begins with a look at the new Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) which comes in to effect on 3 July. We look at the changes the regulation brings to how quoted companies deal with inside information, such as confidential drug trial results, and how senior employees in possession of inside information can deal in company shares. We also examine the European General Court's judgement in an important appeal case between Teva Pharmaceuticals and the European Medicines Agency on generic entry into the EU orphan medicines market. We then look at the out-licensing of technology in the lifesciences sector and how licensors can use diligence obligations to effectively protect their position by imposing performance requirements on licensees. Finally we consider the impact of new procurement rules on lifesciences organisations and how companies in the sector can engage with public health authorities in order to influence how the rules and procedures should be applied. If you would like to discuss any of these topics in more detail, please get in touch with me or the authors of the articles. 4 | The Antidote 23 June may be the key day that is in most people's minds over the next few weeks, but quoted companies and their company secretaries, brokers and NOMADs are equally focussed on 3 July, which is when the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) comes into effect. Nicholas Stretch Partner T +44 (0)20 7367 2862 E email@example.com For more information, contact: MAR makes major changes to the way in which all quoted companies (both Main Market and Alternative Investment Market (AIM)) deal with inside information, for example, confidential drug trial results. It also makes changes to rules governing when directors and other senior employees (known as PDMRs), who often have inside information, can deal in company shares and how those transactions are reported. MAR is an EU-wide regulatory framework and, because it is a regulation, takes direct effect in the UK. This has led to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and AIM having to remove many existing UK provisions in these areas from their rulebooks (including the Model Code), although in many cases the underlying law will remain the same. Inside information Both Main Market and AIM already have a general rule that inside information must be publicly announced by companies without delay. Although there are subtleties, MAR continues this requirement but requires all companies to keep all announcements of inside information on their website in chronological order, in a clearly identifiable section and for five years. Both Main Market and AIM companies have, however, always been able to delay announcing information in certain cases. The MAR rules are not significantly different and allow a delay where immediate disclosure is likely to prejuduce the legitimate interests of the issuer, the delay is not likely to mislead the public and the issuer is able to ensure that the inside information remains confidential. A change though is that the FCA must also be told of any delay, once the announcement has later been made, using a FCAprescribed form. Extensive new company record-keeping requirements are also being introduced on the process of identifying and controlling the delay of the release of the information over the course of the project eg a large licensing deal being negotiated. New rules are also being introduced on insider lists, which are lists of those people working for a company with access to inside information either on a permanent or project basis. This is a big change for AIM companies who have not to date been required to keep insider lists. However, all companies should use the introduction of new rules as a reason for an overall review of their compliance and procedures in this area. More than many other companies, life science companies are particularly subject to sudden developments, whether it is raising money, related to science or regulatory approval, or licensing deals or M&A activity and so these rules are particuarly important to them. Market abuse regulations Gary Green Partner T +44 (0)20 7367 2111 E firstname.lastname@example.com 5 PDMR transactions All Main List companies will have been used to announcing transactions in their own shares by PDMRs, but AIM companies must now also announce dealings not just by their directors but also other senior employees. Moreover, all companies must now make the announcements not just to the market via a Regulatory Information Service announcement but also to the FCA itself, and notifications must be made on a prescribed electronic form. Periods when PDMRs cannot deal These are known as black-out periods in the US. The Model Code currently requires Main Market companies to make sure all PDMRs obtain clearance to deal from someone at the company, and generally blocks deals completely in the two months before annual and half-yearly results or at other times when the company has inside information. Deals also include the grant of most employee share plan awards and the receipt of shares under them. AIM companies normally have similar rules. The pre-results periods can be predicted in advance, but the inside information periods can crop up at any time, without warning. The law is being liberalised going forward. There will be no requirement for PDMRs to obtain clearance (other than in certain limited respects). PDMR dealings are just restricted in the 30 days before results (as opposed to two months beforehand as currently) and the only PDMR restriction outside those pre-results periods is to stop actual trading on the basis of inside information (which is unlikely in the case of receiving pre-arranged share awards or vestings, or selling shares to pay tax liabilities, where there is little choice other than to sell shares to meet tax liabilities). However, whether the market is ready for these changes still remains to be seen. From our discussions with companies, many of them do not seem ready to let their PDMRs deal without clearance (and AIM is still proposing at the time of writing to have some kind of dealing and clearance code), sell shares say 31 days before results or sell shares when the board is considering a major contract but that particular PDMR does not know about it. It is hoped some codes may emerge which set out the market views of new best practice, but until then companies will need to consider what their own dealing rules will be after 3 July. In conclusion, AIM companies are most affected by these new changes and have most to do to make changes to their procedures: their position is made more complicated by AIM still consulting on its proposed post-3 July 2016 rulebook. However, all quoted companies are likely to need to make some changes to their systems – whatever the result of the vote on 23 June! 'AIM companies are most affected by these new changes and have most to do to make changes to their procedures'. 6 | The Antidote The European General Court gave judgment in March 2016 in an important appeal case on generic entry into the EU orphan medicines market. The judgment came a day after the Commission published the responses to a public consultation on a proposed replacement for its 2003 Communication on orphan medicines (2003/C 178/02) which provides guidance on certain aspects of the legislation and a possible revision of its implementing regulation 847/2000, which defines many of the key terms for the EU regulation of orphan medicines. The EU orphan medicines regulation (EC Reg 141/2000) was of course introduced to incentivise development of innovative medicines for treatment of rare but severe conditions, or which, when sold on the market, would not generate sufficient returns to justify investment in their development and which in either case would provide a significant benefit over other existing available treatments. The appeal focussed on the key incentive, which is a 10-year market exclusivity period for the product with the orphan indication and the circumstances in which a marketing authorisation (MA) may nonetheless also be granted for the same therapeutic indication to a similar medicinal product (similar product). The Teva appeal case The appeal concerned a dispute between Teva Pharma (Teva) and the European Medicines Agency1 (EMA) concerning the EMA's refusal to grant a MA to its generic version of Novartis' then orphan medicine, Glivec (imatinib). Glivec was one of the first designated orphan medicines after the introduction of the EU orphans legislation and had been granted a MA as an orphan product for several chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) indications as well as certain non-CML cancer indications from 12 January 2001 onwards. Teva's MA application, for authorisation of a generic version (imatinib mesylate), for certain of the CML indications and for Glivec's non-CML cancer indications, was made on 5 January 2011, shortly prior to the expiry of Glivec's 10-year market exclusivity period for the original CML indications. European Court decides on generic market entry relative to orphan medicinal products Shuna Mason Partner, Head of Regulatory T +44 (0)20 7367 2300 E email@example.com For more information, contact: Justyna Ostrowska Trainee Solicitor T +44 (0)20 7367 3205 E email@example.com 7 Teva's MA application had been rejected by the EMA, to the extent that the indications of its generic imatinib overlapped with those of Novartis' own similar orphan product, Tasigna (nilotinib). Tasigna was designed to address imanitib resistance in some CML patients and, like Glivec, is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor and is itself a similar product to Glivec within the meaning of the orphans legislation. Tasigna was authorised between November 2007 and December 2010 for certain CML-related orphan indications and its 10-year orphan market exclusivity period for the CML indications was therefore still current at the date of Teva's MA application. The EMA also argued that the non-cancer indications for Glivec were also still protected by market exclusivity, having been authorised later than January 2001. The MA for Tasigna had been granted under the consent-based derogation from the general rule in the EU orphan medicines legislation prohibiting the granting or consideration of any MA (or extension) for a similar product in respect of an existing orphan indication for the duration of the 10-year orphan market exclusivity period. As Novartis was the holder of the MA for Glivec and also the MA applicant for Tasigna, it had been able to consent to its own Tasigna MA application. Teva's application to annul the EMA's refusal decision failed at first instance (see judgment in Care T-14/12 dated 22 January 2015). Teva then appealed on grounds of misinterpretation of the legislation and distortion by the court of Teva's first instance arguments on the basis that: a. a similar product, which is granted an MA under the derogation provisions, cannot benefit from the 10-year market exclusivity in the same way as the original orphan, because this would contradict the very notion of market exclusivity, which implies a status enjoyed by a single product only. It would moreover frustrate the objective of the EU orphans legislation which, Teva argued, was intended to provide a reward for the first orphan authorised for a particular indication (a concept developed in the Commission' Communication of 2003 which foresaw latecomer similar products merely sharing the remaining period of original 10-year market exclusivity in what was referred to colloquially as the 'race for exclusivity'); and b. granting the full 10-year period of market exclusivity to a similar product by consent of the MA holder for the original orphan product, who also owns the similar product in question, would perversely incentivise companies to develop a series of slightly different, but nevertheless similar, orphan products, thereby benefiting from a prolongation of the normal 10-year market exclusivity period. The appeal judgment of 3 March 2016 accepted the first instance court's assessment of the objectives of the EU orphan legislation, namely as the encouragement of investment in the research, development and marketing of orphan medicinal products. The court pointed out that although the 10-years market exclusivity is reserved for orphan products, the derogations (including consent) apply to any similar products, irrespective of whether those products are orphan products or not. The appeal court also endorsed the conclusion of the first instance court that the EU orphans legislation does not contain any provision to justify not granting a full 10-year market exclusivity to an orphan product which has been designated an orphan and subsequently granted a MA, provided it continues to meets the criteria for orphan status. Consequently, a similar product, which is also an orphan and which receives a MA will automatically enjoy its own full 10-year market exclusivity period. It is interesting that the notion of 'global marketing authorisation' and the associated data exclusivity rules for non-orphan medicines (essentially allowing a single period of protection per manufacturer, per active substance) do not translate into the orphan medicines area. Rather, the judgments underline the point that the key market exclusivity incentive is there to provide the pharmaceutical industry with an incentive to sponsor research, development and marketing of these orphan products and that those efforts will be rewarded, also where they result in similar products. 1 Teva Pharma BV and another v European Medicines Agency, C-138/15 P - Court of Justice of the European Union (Sixth Chamber) 'The appeal focussed on the key incentive, which is a 10-year market exclusivity period'. 8 | The Antidote In out-licensing technology within the lifesciences sector there is the potential for the original rights' holder to relinquish control (at least in part and in some cases absolutely) of the development and commercialisation of a key asset. Hannah Curtis Senior Associate T +44 (0)20 7367 3726 E firstname.lastname@example.com For more information, contact: Consequently, it is imperative (particularly where technology is licensed exclusively), that the licence agreement sets out the diligence obligations that are expected of the licensee. Without a contractual commitment the licensee could refrain from exploiting the licensed rights sufficiently and the licensor may be left without a remedy. The licensor will want to protect its position by imposing performance obligations and the licensee will want to ensure that such obligations are reasonable and not unduly onerous. For example, the licensee will not want to be forced to continue investing in the development of a pharmaceutical product or medical device if unanticipated hurdles or barriers to development arise which make further development commercially unviable. General obligation Acknowledging that it is unreasonable for a licensee to be bound by an absolute commitment to develop and commercialise in-licensed technology, the parties to a licence agreement may agree to qualify the extent to which a licensee is required to do so by reference to an 'endeavours' obligation. Whilst often used and, on the face of it, a sensible approach, the recognised meanings of the terms 'reasonable endeavours', 'all reasonable endeavours' and 'best endeavours' are far from certain and often debated. Although generally the phrases are to be assessed at the date the agreement was entered into, the circumstances in existence at the time the obligation was, or ought to have been performed, are to be taken into account when deciding whether or not the obligation has been fulfilled. In the context of a licence agreement, this means that the phrases will need to be applied to a broad range of activities that arise during the lifecycle of a product, exacerbating the potential for disagreement between the parties as to their meaning. Consequently, the parties to a licence agreement will often define exactly what they mean by 'Commercially Reasonable Efforts'. Diligence obligations in licence agreements 9 Commercially reasonable efforts In defining 'Commercially Reasonable Efforts' the parties can either look to the licensee's own activities (an 'Inward Facing' definition) or to the activities of the industry in which the licensee operates (an 'Outward Facing' definition). An 'Inward Facing' definition is generally viewed as more favourable to the licensee; it applies the licensee's own standards for carrying out research, development and commercialisation and in evidencing performance the licensee would be able to refer to its internal decision processes, risk appetite and investment thresholds. In applying industry-standard requirements an 'Outward Facing' definition, on the other hand, is generally considered to be more favourable to a licensor since its construction draws on the activities of other industry players, some of which may have taken steps beyond those taken by the licensee in developing or commercialising the licensed technology. Additional measurable objectives An alternative, or additional, solution is to establish objective, numerical obligations with the licensor such as making a minimum financial investment or achieving key milestones by determined dates. The licensee's obligations can be combined with a means for the licensor to monitor performance (for example, by the licensee providing detailed disclosure) and exercise a right to recourse in the event that the objectives are not met, for example the reversion of an exclusive licence to non-exclusive, grant-backs of rights, or liquidated damages. Whilst not removing the possibility of dispute in relation to the licensee's diligence entirely, including clearly defined milestones will mean that there can be no subsequent argument about their meaning. Examples of typical regulatory, development or commercial milestones include: — committing an agreed amount of financial resource to the development of the licensed technology; — initiation of Phase I, II or III clinical trials regarding the licensed technology with respect to specified jurisdiction(s) within an agreed time after the effective date of the licence; — securing all required regulatory approvals, pricing and reimbursement approvals in specified jurisdiction(s) within an agreed time after following completion of all appropriate trials; and — making the first commercial sale of a licensed product in specified jurisdiction(s) within an agreed time following the issuance of the regulatory approvals and pricing and reimbursement approvals. '…it is imperative (particularly where technology is licensed exclusively), that the licence agreement sets out the diligence obligations that are expected of the licensee'. 10 | The Antidote The procurement of effective healthcare solutions is one of the most pressing public policy issues in the EU and globally, yet the procurement of healthcare products and services in many countries faces a stark dilemma in a climate of austerity. On the one hand, rapidly evolving innovation has raised societal expectations, given aging populations and an increasing demand for high-calibre healthcare services. On the other, health and finance ministries must achieve sustainable health systems against a background of limited budgets and dwindling public resources. John Markham Senior Associate T +44 (0)20 7367 3109 E firstname.lastname@example.com For more information, contact: Procurement law regulates how public health authorities purchase products from the lifesciences sector, whether medicines, medical devices, diagnostic or other medical equipment, or the services linked to any of these products. In this article, we set out how lifesciences companies can engage with public health authorities in order to influence how the rules and procedures should be applied, with a particular focus on the importance of maintaining a dialogue with the authorities outside the context of a tender process. In addition, recent critical developments in EU procurement law are highly relevant to how governments might achieve a balance between procuring valuable products whilst spending wisely and procuring smartly. A new Public Procurement Directive came into force on 17 April 2014, requiring national implementation by 18 April 2016. A number of EU Member States failed to implement by the set date, but most are expected to do so shortly. The UK (without Scotland) was the first to introduce new national legislation with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, in force since February 2015. The UK therefore already has active experience of operating under these new rules, although all issues are likely to be relevant to current and future practice in other Member States. Before the tender: the critical importance of explaining market needs to healthcare authorities The procurement reforms introduce new rules which explicitly allow contracting authorities to consult with industry to assist in the preparation of tenders on condition that the authorities ensure that the outcomes of specific tenders are not distorted by such consultations. Pre-tender engagement is the most important stage of procurements. Informed prior research is now actively encouraged in many jurisdictions as an essential tool in the allocation of public resources to healthcare procurement: — Market testing allows both the health authorities and the supplier base to understand how market offerings, including product pipelines, can be aligned to healthcare requirements. Influencing government procurements in a time of austerity 11 — In advance, officials can be better assured that companies asked to provide products and services can meet the stated needs within appropriate timescales and to a suitable level of quality. — For pharmaceuticals, pre-tender engagement represents an opportunity to ensure the procurement of a suitably broad range of safe and effective medicines; for devices, there is the added dimension of how to structure a managed service model where the hospital may be able to achieve efficiencies through the appointment of a supplier to manage a particular commercial function within a hospital. — Consultation with the marketplace allows both private and public sectors a forum in which they can discuss lessons learnt from previous procurements and create a virtuous circle for future procurements. Suppliers should beware of unduly influencing the conduct of specific, ongoing tenders, but should not hesitate to provide authorities with their general views on what has previously failed to work in tenders. Procuring for value In a time of austerity, there is a temptation for government procurement teams to opt for lower-cost products, which may lead to a focus on short-term commodity purchasing without due regard to the long-term value of medicines or devices which, even if they are priced higher, may be safer and ultimately more effective. The new EU regime requires a value-based approach, in that awards must be based on the "most economically advantageous tender" or "MEAT". On the face of it, this removes the option for price as a definitive award criterion. Yet, price is still one of the permitted factors in determining a MEAT award, so a price-based award remains a possibility. It may therefore be advisable to consider arguing to contracting authorities that procuring for value means looking at all aspects of relevant products. Even where the acquisition price seems high, the effect on health outcomes and general cost-effectiveness may yield net gains in broad value terms. An expanded range of available procedures The rules now allow for a competitive procedure with negotiation, which entails a staged and more sophisticated assessment of bids and therefore has some similarities to the existing competitive dialogue procedure (although the latter still applies where the authority is unable to state its needs from the outset). There is also a wholly new procedure, innovation partnerships, which contemplate the award of a phased contract to cover all stages of product development, including R&D. An innovation partnership may cover R&D only or both R&D and the commercialisation stage. Going by the UK experience so far, take-up of these new procedures has been limited. However, it may in some cases be helpful to make representations to government about the relevance of staged or dialoguebased procedures. A further significant point regarding procedure under the new regime is that procuring authorities are now encouraged to split contracts into smaller contracts or "lots" to stimulate greater competition from smaller or new market players. A lotting structure may be particularly appropriate in a managed service context where many services are provided. Conclusion: an increasing awareness of procurement issues The procedure for challenging tender outcomes, and the remedies available, are unchanged in the new regime. However, there is an increasing tendency for lifesciences companies to take a proactive stance against perceived bad procurement practice in the implementation of all the rules described in this article. It is critical to remember that, in addition to launching formal challenges, companies may raise issues with healthcare authorities through informal approaches, such as pre-tender engagement. 'There is an increasing tendency for lifesciences companies to take a proactive stance against perceived bad procurement practice'. 1606-0088-5 CMS Cameron McKenna LLP Cannon Place 78 Cannon Street London EC4N 6AF T +44 (0)20 7367 3000 F +44 (0)20 7367 2000 The information held in this publication is for general purposes and guidance only and does not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. CMS Cameron McKenna LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registration number OC310335. It is a body corporate which uses the word "partner" to refer to a member, or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifi cations. It is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales with SRA number 423370 and by the Law Society of Scotland with registered number 47313. It is able to provide international legal services to clients utilising, where appropriate, the services of its associated international offi ces. The associated international offi ces of CMS Cameron McKenna LLP are separate and distinct from it. A list of members and their professional qualifi cations is open to inspection at the registered offi ce, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6HL. Members are either solicitors or registered foreign lawyers. VAT registration number: 974 899 925. Further information about the fi rm can be found at www.cms-cmck.com © CMS Cameron McKenna LLP CMS Cameron McKenna LLP is a member of CMS Legal Services EEIG (CMS EEIG), a European Economic Interest Grouping that coordinates an organisation of independent law fi rms. CMS EEIG provides no client services. Such services are solely provided by CMS EEIG's member fi rms in their respective jurisdictions. CMS EEIG and each of its member fi rms are separate and legally distinct entities, and no such entity has any authority to bind any other. CMS EEIG and each member fi rm are liable only for their own acts or omissions and not those of each other. The brand name "CMS" and the term © CMS Cameron McKenna LLP 2016 "fi rm" are used to refer to some or all of the member fi rms or their offi ces. Further information can be found at www.cmslegal.com Your expert legal publications online. In-depth international legal research and insights that can be personalised. eguides.cmslegal.com Your free online legal information service. A subscription service for legal articles on a variety of topics delivered by email. www.cms-lawnow.com


text:
Chemical Propellant Linked to Exploding Airbags Used by Takata
Airbags in motor vehicles use a propellant to inflate the airbags in the event of a motor vehicle crash, but Takata airbags has been using a chemical propellant, to inflate their airbags, that has been the cause for a recall of nearly 8 million vehicles. The problem with the Takata airbags is that to make their airbags inflate, they are using a dangerous chemical, aluminum nitrate, which can cause injury and death. When the airbags inflate and explode, they, cause shrapnel and other debris to enter the vehicle and can cause injury and death to the driver and passengers. To date, the use of Aluminum nitrate in the Takata airbags has been linked to at least four deaths and a number of injuries.
Takata airbags are mostly used by the automobile manufacturer Honda, and so far all the deaths associated with these airbags have been linked to Honda vehicles. Other vehicle manufacturers have had to make recalls, as well, but Honda has had the majority of the recalls associated with the use of Takata airbags.
To date, Takata is the only company that uses Aluminum nitrate as an airbag propellant. This chemical, though efficient at inflating the airbags in the speed needed to respond to a vehicle collision or impact, reacts negatively to moisture. This negative reaction to moisture, in turn, increases the power of the chemical reaction, and therefore; causes the airbags to explode. The explosion causes debris and other particles to enter the vehicle cabin and can hurt the driver and passengers in the vehicle. As stated, previously; four people have died as a result of using Takata airbags, to date.
The chairman of Takata Corporation, which was founded in 1930, is Mr. Shigehisa Takada. Earlier this week, Mr. Takada publicly apologized for the defective airbags. He said the company has put aside about $28 million dollars to pay for the recalls, in addition to the almost $70 million already spent.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the risk of the Takata airbags, specifically in areas with warmer climates, such as Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico. The NHTSA has urged owners of vehicles with Takata airbags to seek immediate repairs. Therefore; all vehicle owners with Takata airbags need to have their vehicles repaired, especially those in warmer climates, as they are more seriously affected, due to higher moisture levels and the reaction that causes with the chemical Aluminum nitrate used by Takata airbags.


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CORAL SPRINGS — Describing obstacles she met as she rose to the status of America`s most popular opera star, Beverly Sills said Tuesday that society must work to make the way easier for today`s young artists.
``We must insist that government recognize the artist as an important part of our existence,`` Sills told 250 people at a Nova University symposium at the Holiday Inn in Coral Springs.
Sills, now the general director of the New York City Opera, said that while government plays a major role in funding the arts, individuals and corporations hold the key to financing local cultural programs.
``We have begun to think about our community life. Businesses have become aware that they have to put something back into the community,`` Sills said.
She told several humorous anecdotes as she described how a ``fat, blond child`` from Brooklyn who memorized arias at the age of 5 achieved stardom in an art once reserved for European performers.
``I had to struggle to make my way in my own country. I was always advised to go abroad first, and I resented that,`` she said.
Sills, who made her first national tour when she was 16, appeared on nearly every major stage in the United States and Europe before retiring to a career as an opera administrator and frequent television commentator.
In her position with the New York City Opera, Sills has created a company intended to be a showplace for American artists.


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Hey SD fam,
I am building up my new startup, and I would like to start producing more products for us on here like I did for these spool sliders.
I would like to brainstorm what products do we feel are missing or could be refined to work better? This doesn't have to be limited to simple parts like the spools, so let me know what you guys feel has value.
I would need some idea of what you are looking for, features, price point, etc. then based on how much interest I can see what kind of build size I can organize to meet the goals.
Hope everyone has a great night.


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Biofilm S.A.: Paper and Packaging - Company Profile & SWOT Report
Product Synopsis
Canadean's Biofilm S.A.: Paper and Packaging - Company Profile & SWOT Report contains in depth information and data about the company and its operations. The profile contains a company overview, key facts, major products and services, SWOT analysis, business description, company history, key employees as well as company locations and subsidiaries.
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Examines and identifies key information and issues about Biofilm S.A. for business intelligence requirements.
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Biofilm S.A. (Biofilm) manufactures and distributes BOPP (biaxially- oriented polypropylene) films. Its product categories include plain, heat sealable coextruded, metalized, opaque, and labels. These products are used in various packaging applications such as snacks, bakery, nuts and seeds, candy, confectionary, pasta, soaps, paper and board lamination, adhesive tapes, and powdered drink mixes. It operates through two manufacturing facilities located in Cartagena, Colombia; and Altamira, Mexico. These facilities have an annual combined production capacity of 20,000 tons per year. Furthermore, the company markets its products in 19 countries spread across North, Central, and South America, and Europe. Biofilm is headquartered in Bogota, Colombia.
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Somali rebels undoubtedly regard the heavy military attacks against Somalia along the Ethiopian border this month as a coup de grace against President Siad Barre's 13-year rule.
The attacks come at a time when the Somali President is involved in a deep internal crisis within his own ruling Somalia Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP). A few weeks ago he ordered the arrest of seven of his more prominent supporters, including a vice-president, Brig. Gen. Ismail Ali Abokor, and former Foreign Minister Umar Arteh Ghalib.
President Barre has complained to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) that his country is being invaded by Ethiopian troops, backed up by Cubans. Radio Mogadishu has broadcast claims that thousands of Ethiopians and a number of Cubans have been killed since the attacks began on July 1.
But it will be as difficult to prove the Somali allegation as it was to rebut the similar Ethiopian charge against Somalis during the 1977-78 fighting in the Ogaden, a contested border region ruled by Ethiopia.
At that time, President Barre at first insisted that all the fighting in the Ogaden was being carried on by the Somalis. In the end he had to admit that his Army was engaged in support of the Western Somali Liberation Front, a group that in fact is comprised of Ogadeni Somalis.
In the current situation, Ethiopians are deriding Somali allegations that Ethiopian troops and Cubans are engaged in attacks against Somalia. Ethiopia insist that the raids are conducted by Somali ''liberation fighters'' organized by the Democratic Front for Somalia.
Only two facts can be stated with certainty.
First, that it is undoubtedly true that rebel Somalis are spearheading the military attack. Second, that these forces are trained and armed by the Ethiopian Army, and that their exile leadership is based in Addis Ababa.
This means that there is an undeniable link between the Ethiopians and those seeking to overthrow President Barre.
No military action of this kind would be remotely possible without the active collaboration between the Ethiopian regime of Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam and the Somali ''liberation'' forces.
Mengistu's regime makes no secret of its wish to see the overthrow of the present Somali regime, an objective they share clearly with Barre's Somali opponents.
Besides the Ethiopians, there are other forces actively hostile to Barre regime. These include Libya, South Yemen, and the Soviet Union.
Ethiopian hostility is explained by Barre's role in seeking to bring about the secession of Ogaden from Ethiopia. The Soviets are unforgiving of Barre's decision to expel them from Somalia.
All Barre's opponents, domestic and foreign, are united in their determination to see the scrapping of a treaty Somali-US treaty that provides the Americans with military facilities at Berbera.
In the Ogaden, it was virtually impossible to differentiate between the Somalis who live in that province and the Somali intruders. They are indistinguishable.
A similar difficulty arises in the fighting in Somalia, since, Somali rebels no doubt have the support of many disgruntled and disillusioned Ogadeni Somalis.
It is possible to prove the Somali allegation of Ethiopian and Cuban involvement only if the Barre government can produce casualties of the actual fighting. So far no such identification has been established.
It would indeed be remarkable if the Ethiopians or Cubans were directly involved in the front-line engagements.
However, what seems more likely is that the Ethiopians and Cubans play a vicarious one in the Somali border fighting.
They provide the weapons and back-up support to sustain the Somali opposition , while remaining in the rear of fighting.
Thus, while Ethiopia is undoubtedly involved in the military attack against Somalia, it is less certain that they are engaged in the actual fighting.
It seems unlikely the OAU will be able to intervene actively to put an end to the fighting since the organization is in the final stages of preparing for its summit Aug. 5.
It is likely, therefore, that the Somali complaint of aggression against Ethiopia will be fully discussed when the OAU ministers at summit preparatory meeting July 26.
By that time the situation in Somalia likely will have changed - but it is difficult to predict whether the result will be defeat of the attackers or the downfall of President Barre.


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UK design studio making paper goods and beautiful thoughtful gifts with the personal touch online, for special 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays. Personalised cards for her: Mum, Sister, Daughter, Wife, Fiancee. Personalised cards for him: Husband, Son, Dad, Uncle, Boyfriend, Fiance. For occasions where a personalised gift is the only gift to give: personalised wedding gift, anniversary gift, engagement gift, new baby gift all with the personal touch
PERSONALISED GREETINGS CARDS with the luxury touch including Personalised Mothers Day Cards, Personalised New Baby Cards, Congratulations personalised Graduation cards, Personalised Birthday cards, Personalised Anniversary Cards, luxury personalised Wedding Cards & Personalised Engagement cards! Cards are handmade to order from our UK studio. Personalise your card with your own wording printed for personalised cards that aren't like anything on the high street. Buy personalised cards online
LUXURY PARTY STATIONERY, invitations that are a little bit different to the norm. For the hostess with the most-est, invitations for special birthday parties, luxury christenings invitations, proud parents wanting to announce their little ones in style & invites for stylish soirées & glamorous gatherings. Buy luxury events invitations online
PERSONALISED GIFTS available to order on the online. You will find unique gifts for the home , valentines day, birthday gifts including pretty lanterns, special gifts for weddings, guest books, & anniversaries, christmas gift ideas. Gifts for the home with the luxury touch... Lots of unique gifts not like anything you can find on the high street. We have worked with many restaurants, businesses with their re-furb/re-style projects too. Buy personalised gifts online. Coming soon: personalised baubles, personalised apron + bags
WALL ART + PERSONALISED PRINTS for gifts and the home. Most can be personalised and all are handmade from our design studio. Wall art is perfect as a gift and we have wall art with astrology star prints, typography quotes and gold foil supplied for you to frame or we can frame for you. Buy personalised wall art online
LUXURY WEDDING STATIONERY click to view the luxury wedding invitation collections, from lace and crystals to sleek gold foiled luxury wedding invitations, RSVP cards, invitations boxes and finishing touches for wedding invitations. See our matching luxury wedding stationery items to match invitations including place cards, luxury seating plans for up to 16 tables, table numbers, wedding signs. Vogue Magaizine's recommendation for wedding invitations with the luxury touch. Buy luxury wedding invitations online
FINISHING TOUCHES FOR WEDDINGS Including Custom wedding signs, luxury wedding guest books, personalised wedding photo albums, venue decorations: LED carnival letter lights, candles & lanterns for wedding tables, decor and general wedding pretty for your wedding day. Buy luxury wedding stationery online
Made With Love Designs are UK based design studio up North - based just outside Manchester, in Stalybridge, Cheshire. An online paperie selling their handmade luxury wedding invitations with a matching collection of luxury stationery; personalised greetings cards with the luxury touch for the most special occasions in life; luxury event / party / Christening invitations and personalised gifts and home accessories. All housed in their own sections on this website.
Established in 2004, Made With Love has grown into one of the UK's luxury stationery company's for customers specifically looking for special cards for their special occasions. Selling their personalised cards to a few celebrity clients & wedding invitations for celebrity weddings too. They deliver their invitations & stationery throughout the UK and Ireland and ship worldwide to America, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Africa to name a few.
Their cards + invitations are available in 100's of different colours to suit your special occasion or a wedding theme. Cards can be personalised with your message printed front and inside. Samples of most of their wedding invitation designs can be purchased before placing an order to help choose the perfect invite. Not just luxury invitations… they offer the full range of luxury wedding stationery to match including luxury evening invitations, gold foiled invitations, R.S.V.P. cards, luxury seating plans, wedding favors, order of service booklets, wedding breakfast menus, wedding signs, thank you cards, place cards, personalised wedding guest books, and wedding gifts & Accessories for weddings too.
They don't do your ordinary everyday kind of stuff


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On August 6th CIVICUS published a letter, co-signed by organisations and individuals from leading civil society organisations, calling for a debate about the structure, and indeed the very nature of formal, professionalised civil society.
The letter asks whether large, professionalised not-for-profit organisations are alienating the public through bureaucracy and their failure to engage with informal community networks. It questions whether large organisations have become too integrated into the political economy to be able to effectively challenge it and whether increased scale brings reduced appetite for risk. The letter considers whether courting funders in order to pursue a charitable mission means a transfer of accountability from beneficiaries and communities to donors and grant makers.
I, like the CIVICUS general secretary, Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah in an article he wrote for the Guardian, recognise the irony in my debating issues of detachment in a policy blog for a large global and highly professionalised not-for-profit organisation. Nevertheless, for Charities Aid Foundation to ignore such questions would be negligent of our duty to engage in debates that concern the development of civil society.
The first thing to note in this discussion, as Mr Sriskandarajah does in his article, is that the number of not-for-profit organisations has increased radically in recent years. There are thought to be around 81,000 international NGOs and networks, 90% of them launched since 1975. With so many international organisations – often large, professional bodies with complex governance structures – it is understandable that many feel that the sector has become detached from its beneficiaries. However, I think we need to segment these international organisations rather than see them as a homogenous group.
The remoteness of international operational organisations
For operational organisations, i.e. those who deliver projects and services on the ground, any sense that the management and governance of the organisation is out of touch with the communities in which they operate should be the source of grave concern. In CAFs report, Building Trust in Charitable Giving, which is part of the Future World Giving series, we suggest that international not-for-profit organisations have a responsibility to engage the communities in which they work, not merely to improve their operations, but to leave people with a positive impression of the experience of participating in civil society. Indeed, we have suggested that governments should issue guidance to not-for-profits with headquarters in their jurisdiction, establishing the expectation that they engage local communities in the foreign countries in which they operate.
"With massive long term growth forecast for many developing economies, governments should be holding international not-for-profits to account for the extent to which they are engaging beneficiaries – who may one day be donors themselves – in civil society. Not-for-profits are currently encouraged to engage beneficiaries to aid impact measurement and to identify improvements in service delivery. However, by making not-for-profits understand that by engaging beneficiaries fully, they can hasten the development of domestic philanthropy, governments could 'nudge' not-for- profits into more collaborative approaches."
Building Trust in Charitable Giving, Charities Aid Foundation
Though many international organisations are now committed to building trust in local communities and designing services around their input, many are still failing to do so. However, to blame the influence of donors for this failure to focus accountability downwards oversimplifies the issue. According to a 2006 survey by Keystone – admittedly a rather old source – 89 per cent of donors felt that it was 'critically important' (58 per cent) or 'important' (31 per cent) to factor the voices of beneficiaries into assessing the quality of performance. However, only 26 per cent of donors regularly asked for performance indicators to be designed with beneficiaries in mind. Donors then, are concerned with the need to engage beneficiaries and communities, but not enough to demand it. As such, it is the responsibility of not-for-profits, or possibly even governments, to establish the expectation that such information is forthcoming to donors.
Appetite for risk and transnational advocacy networks
The concern expressed in the letter published by CIVICUS; that the size and professionalization of large (and small) not-for-profit organisations, and the extent to which they have become integrated into the political economy, reduces their appetite for risk, merits more scrutiny. Clearly, for many not-for-profit organisations that is a real concern. Indeed, there has been a clear trend for many organisations to be funded through corporate commissioning processes to deliver projects and services on a contract basis. This financial dependence on funders can diminish an organisation's appetite to speak out in criticism of their funders, especially when those funders are agents of the state.
But whilst this is a concern for many operational organisations, we should note that, for international organisations at least, the trend has been for many such organisations to become funders of, rather than delivers of projects and services on the ground. In many ways, these global organisations have a larger appetite for risk than organisations with a presence on the ground. The success of this model can be measured by the recent trend of governments attempting to suppress the advocacy of not-for-profits through regressive legislation and the subsequent development of transnational advocacy networks that can internationalise issues and transfer legal risk away from domestic organisations – as detailed in our publication, Enabling an Independent Not-for-profit Sector.
In the past 3 decades a growing civic space and infrastructure improvements in many developing nations has led to more domestically-founded not-for-profit organisations displacing international organisations as the channels for aid. In addition, the number of small, local advocacy organisations has boomed. A 2008 University of Oslo study found that the number of not-for-profit advocacy groups devoted to public interest causes such as the environment, human rights, women's issues and anti-corruption has been "multiplying exponentially in recent years, particularly in countries undertaking democratic transitions".
This new environment, in which domestic organisations are growing in number and influence and global organisations are increasingly focusing on advocacy, is creating a transnational advocacy web in which small, local movements can be passed up to large international organisations who, due to their lack of domestic presence, can speak freely without fear of reprisal from government. In this way, large international organisations can increase the agency of local movements by up-scaling advocacy.
"The advancement of democracy and political pluralism in emerging economies has thus created a double opportunity for not-for-profit advocacy with domestic organisations having greater resources and an improved civic mandate to campaign. At the same time international organisations are increasingly engaging in international advocacy work as their role as implementers of aid diminishes."
Enabling an Independent Not-for-profit Sector, Charities Aid Foundation
Part of the system, subject to its failings
There is a simple truth to one element of the letter published last week; the larger an not-for-profit is, the more beholden it is to the political economy. Large, formal organisations are regulated by governments, are accountable to donors and funders, have to be responsive to political machinations and are to some extent driven by staff with a vested interest in perpetuating their existence. As organisations grow they require more complex and interdependent relationships with others sectors. With every connecting thread, not-for-profits become more securely stitched into the fabric of the very system that they seek to influence. Good governance is the only way to address this inevitable problem and trustees should be encouraged to challenge strategies which prioritise stability above charitable mission.
But even where not-for-profits are able to resist succumbing to the emasculating systemic forces, all formally recognised organisations are reliant on financial resources and as such sacrifice a certain amount of sovereignty to funders, regulators and financial institutions such as banks. The extent to which formal civil society is subject to the financial sector is being made increasingly apparent in the wake of the financial crisis and the post 9/11 environment in which banks, in response to the threat of legal challenge and guidance by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), have a reduced appetite for risk in funding not-for-profits which operate in conflict zones. The effect has been crippling for those seeking to aid the people of Somalia for example.
But there is an alternative reading of the relationship between not-for-profits and the political economy. Though the odds are stacked against us, we have a strong history of affecting the system rather than merely being subject to it. Looking back at the Somalia example, we see how the tail is attempting to wag the dog. Oxfam America and Adeso have been applying mounting pressure on the US Treasury to relax restrictions on fund transfers to Somalia through writing letters, creating viral videos and creating petitions. This brings us to an alternative understanding of large international not-for-profits. Whilst on one hand size brings dangers for organisations, it also brings increased reach and the ability to influence.
The initiative started by CIVICUS should be welcomed and the opportunity for introspection should be grasped by large not-for-profits. We should all be able to step outside of our short-term operational mindset and view our organisations from the perspective of the man, or woman on the street. In an increasingly globalised world many people feel that the forces which affect their lives are increasingly remote. Not-for-profit organisations cannot afford to allow that perception, even if it is false, to diminish public trust in civil society.
Adam Pickering