text:
The government and Telstra have defended NBN Co's suspension of its rollout of the HFC network. About 250,000 households that were to receive the NBN over the next six months will now have to wait after the company halted the rollout of services through pay TV cables.
The news sparked complaints from Australians who were scheduled to get the new service, and commiserations from people who already had it but weren't that impressed anyway.
On Monday the company said it was suspending the rollout of the hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network, to "improve customer service", conceding that "too many were not having the experience they deserve when connected".
Five paragraphs into the press release, headed "NBN Co takes customer experience improvement program to new levels", the company said all new orders for NBN over the HFC network would be paused while incremental field work was done to improve the service for current users.
Labor claimed the delay would cost between $240m and $790m, loosely based on figures from NBN Co's 2016 corporate plan.
Telstra welcomed the announcement, despite it appearing to send its share price to a five-year low on Tuesday, the Australian reported. There is also a yet-to-be-calculated impact on Telstra's compensation receipts for customers who transfer to the NBN.
"The NBN are putting the customer experience ahead of the rollout schedule," Telstra's chief executive, Andrew Penn, said. "And that is the most important thing because clearly there has been some pain with the HFC technology."
About 370,000 of the 1m households ready to receive the NBN through HFC connections have done so.
The HFC cables were laid in the 1990s for pay TV services, and formed a key part of Malcolm Turnbull's reworked NBN plan, to replace that of the Labor government.
The federal communications minister, Mitch Fifield, defended the NBN Co delay as a "teething problem". On Sky News this week he conceded there were issues to work through in the early rollout period of any NBN technology, but they were "very fixable".
Fifield said customers could still get 100Mbps on current services, and could "potentially" get gigabits per second on the HFC.
Earlier this month, Telstra announced it would refund up to 42,000 customers who had signed up for extra-speedy services the company conceded it was never able to deliver.
Telstra had self-reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which confirmed the undeliverable service promise through its own investigation.
When asked about recent complaints of slow speeds, Fifield said there were issues with interference on the spectrum shared by Telstra and Foxtel, but NBN had a fix for it, and that some joints between the street and house cables needed to be replaced.
Fifield told the ABC people affected by the delay were still able to get fast non-NBN broadband through HFC cables.
He joined the NBN Co chief executive, Bill Morrow, in maintaining the NBN network would be completed and 8 million Australians connected by 2020 – 3 million of which are expected to be through HFC.
Those who were scheduled to receive the NBN through HFC will now have to wait until the NBN Co updates its map. They have been assured that other services will not be withdrawn in the interim.
In response to the news many noted NBN Co's attempt at spinning the delay as "new … rollout initiatives". A number of people said the delay would affect their business or personal finances as they were forced to rely on 4G because of a lack of local service. Some who already had NBN took the chance to reiterate their complaints.
"What do you expect when you try and roll out HFC NBN on 20-year-old cable technology purchased from Optus/Telstra?" said Rob Nicol on the NBN Co's Facebook page.
"The lack of emergency NBN has for its customers is beyond me," wrote Maree Giust, who said she'd had four appointments cancelled by the NBN provider.
Even before the HFC-related delay, complaints about the NBN had skyrocketed and were expected to increase further.
The most recent annual report form the telecommunications ombudsman revealed complaints about the service had risen to more than 27,100 from 10,400.
On Monday a technical glitch reportedly caused an NBN outage for Optus customers in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.


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Arrangement of Sections
1. Short title
2. Application
3. Interpretation
4. Establishment of Council
5. Functions of Council
6. Powers of Council
7. Power to appoint committee to inquire into activities of registered body
8. Power to order suspension of activities of registered body
9. Power to order suspension of office bearer
10. Provincial arts advisory committee
11. District arts advisory committees
12. Conditions applicable to members of committees
13. Prohibition of publication or disclosure of information to unauthorised persons.
14. General matters relating to committees
15. Associate bodies
16. Registrar
17. Registration of national arts associations
18. Effect of non-registration
19. Application for registration
20. Grounds for refusing to register national arts association
21. Notification of grounds
22. Cancellation of registration
23. Notification of intended cancellation
24. Appeal against refusal to register association or cancellation of registration
25. Affiliation to Council of registered body
26. Independence of registered and associate bodies
27. Appeals to Minister
28. Directions by the Minister
29. Dissolution of registered body
30. Rules
31. Regulations
to establish and define the functions and powers of the National Arts Council of Zambia; to provide for the registration of, and affiliation to, the National Arts Council of Zambia of all national arts associations; to provide for the establishment of the Arts Development Fund; and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.
[21st October, 1994]
Act 31 of 1994,
Act 13 of 1994.
This Act may be cited as the National Arts Council of Zambia Act.
(1) The Societies Act shall not apply to an association or a body registered under this Act.
(2) An association or a body registered under the Societies Act shall register under this Act within six months of the coming into force of this Act.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—
"associate body" means an associate body referred to in section 15;
"Chairperson" means the person elected as Chairperson of the Council under sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 2 of Part I of the Schedule;
"Council" means the National Arts Council of Zambia established by section 4;
"Director" means the person appointed as Director of the Council in accordance with sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 9 of Part II of the Schedule;
"member" means a member of the Council;
"Registrar" means the Registrar of national arts associations appointed under section16;
"registered body" means a national arts association registered under section17;
"Vice-Chairperson" means the person elected as Vice-Chairperson of the Council under sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 2 of Part I of the Schedule.
(1) There is hereby established the National Arts Council of Zambia which shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal, capable of suing and of being sued in its corporate name, and with power, subject to the other provisions of this Act, to do all such acts and things as a body corporate may by law do or perform.
(2) The provisions of the Schedule shall apply as to the composition of the Council and otherwise in relation thereto.
Subject to the other provisions of this Act the functions of the Council shall be to—
(a) keep itself fully appraised of the policy of the Government in matters concerning arts and to disseminate that policy;
(b) serve as the supreme advisory body at national level on policy and decisions on all forms of arts in the country;
(c) provide quality artistic leadership in performing and visual arts;
(d) develop, promote, regulate and encourage all forms of amateur and professional arts on a national basis in conjunction with the associations and the Government;
(e) assist the formation of associations or organisations and encourage them to register as national arts associations so as to represent different groups of associations in Zambia and to encourage the affiliation of those associations to the appropriate international organisations;
(f) assist, financially or otherwise, any group or individual in representing Zambia in any artistic activity within or outside Zambia;
(g) assist, financially or otherwise, in conjunction with the Government, any citizen of Zambia in obtaining relevant training within or outside Zambia;
(h) raise and maintain a fund from such sources and by such means as the Minister may approve to enable the Council to carry out its functions;
(i) stimulate, through the registered bodies, the provision, development and maintenance of equipment, instruments and facilities for all kinds of arts and ensure their equitable distribution and proper use;
(j) ensure that arts groups at all levels maintain proper accounts and, where considered necessary, to supervise and direct the maintenance of these accounts;
(k) regulate and provide modalities for the award of national honours for artistic merit;
(l) exercise disciplinary powers in cases of breach of the provisions of this Act;
(m) regulate and monitor all national arts programmes presented in Zambia;
(n) promote the development and organisation of the arts; and
(o) do and perform such other functions as may be conducive to the development and promotion of the arts and to the enforcement of this Act.
Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the powers of the Council shall be—
(a) to employ, control and direct such staff as it may consider necessary;
(b) to investigate the accounts and affairs of a registered body; and
(c) to make such orders as the Council considers necessary where a report on a matter relating to the affairs of the Council is made to it.
7. Power to appoint committee to inquire into activities of registered body
{mprestriction ids="1,2,3,5"}
The Council shall have power to appoint a committee to inquire into the activities of a registered body or into the conduct of an office-bearer or a member, as the case may be.
8. Power to order suspension of activities of registered body
Where the Council has reason to believe that the activities of a registered body are prejudicial to the interests of the arts or to the public interest, the Council has power to order the suspension of the activities of that body.
9. Power to order suspension of office-bearer
Where the Council has reason to believe that any office-bearer or a member of a registered body is or has been acting in a manner, or his further continuance as an office-bearer or member is, likely to be prejudicial to the interests of the arts or the public interest, the Council has power to order the suspension of that office-bearer or member.
10. Provincial arts advisory committee
(1) The Council shall appoint a provincial arts advisory committee in each province to advise and assist the Council in matters concerning the promotion, development and organisation of the arts within the province.
(2) Each committee shall consist of a chairperson elected by the committee and not more than one member from each registered body.
11. District arts advisory committees
(1) The provincial arts advisory committee in each province shall appoint members of district arts advisory committees which shall consist of a chairperson and not more than one member from each registered body.
(2) The functions of a district arts advisory committee shall be to advise the provincial arts advisory committee on matters concerning the promotion, development and organisation of the arts within the district.
12. Conditions applicable to members of committees
The Council shall determine, with the prior approval of the Minister—
(a) the tenure of office of the members of a committee of the Council, a provincial arts advisory committee and a district arts advisory committee;
(b) the allowances payable, and other terms and conditions applicable, to committee members; and
(c) the frequency of meetings of provincial arts advisory committees and district arts advisory committees, their procedure and all other matters affecting or incidental to the functioning of those committees.
13. Prohibition of publication or disclosure of information to unauthorised persons
(1) A person shall not, without the consent in writing given by or on behalf of, the Council, publish or disclose to any other person, otherwise than in the course of that person's duties, the contents of any document, communication or information whatsoever, which relates to, and which has come to that person's knowledge in the course of, that person's duties under this Act.
(2) A person who knowingly contravenes sub-section (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding thirty thousand penalty units or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or to both.
(3) If any person having information which to that person's knowledge has been published in contravention of sub-section (1) unlawfully publishes or communicates the information to any other person, that person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding thirty thousand penalty units or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or to both.
[S 13 am by Act 13 of 1994.]
14. General matters relating to committees
The Council shall, with the approval of the Minister, determine—
(a) the tenure of office of the members of a provincial arts advisory committee, a district arts advisory committee and a committee that may be appointed under paragraph 8 of Part I of the Schedule;
(b) the allowances payable to the members of the committees;
(c) the conditions applicable to the committees;
(d) the procedure at a meeting of a committee; and
(e) all other matters affecting the committees.
The following shall be associate bodies of the Council—
(a) all institutional arts associations; and
(b) all provincial arts advisory committees.
There shall be a Registrar of National Arts Associations who shall be a public officer and appointed by the Minister.
17. Registration of national arts associations
(1) The Registrar shall establish and maintain in the prescribed form a register where he shall register an association or organisation as a national arts association.
(2) An association or organisation shall be registered as a national arts association under this section within thirty days of its formation.
18. Effect of non-registration
(1) An association or organisation which is not registered under section 17 shall not be recognised as a national arts association.
19. Application for registration
(1) An application for registration as a national arts association shall be submitted to the Registrar in the prescribed form.
(2) On receipt of an application under sub-section (1), the Registrar may, within thirty days, carry out any investigation, or require any further information to be submitted to him, as he considers necessary.
(3) An application for registration as a national arts association shall be accompanied by—
(a) a registration fee;
(b) a copy of the constitution of the association or organisation which shall contain among other particulars—
(i) the objectives and functions of the association or organisation;
(ii) the names and address of its office-bearers;
(iii) the funds available to it and its sources of revenue; and
(iv) its principal and other places of operation.
(4) Upon registration, the Registrar shall issue an association or organisation with a certificate of registration.
20. Grounds for refusing to register national arts association
(1) The Registrar shall refuse to register any association or organisation as a national arts association if he is satisfied—
(a) that the association or organisation does not exist;
(b) that the registration of the association or organisation would be against the public interest;
(c) that the name under which the association or organisation wishes to be registered is identical, or similar, to the name of any existing national arts association or any society or body registered, or exempted from registration, under the Societies Act; or
(d) the constitution or rules of the association or organisation are in his opinion repugnant to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of any law for the time being in force in Zambia.
(1) Where the Registrar refuses to register an association or organisation as a national arts association the Registrar shall make and furnish to the association or organisation concerned a notice giving the reasons for such refusal.
22. Cancellation of registration
Subject to section 23 the Registrar may, at any time, cancel the registration of any registered body if the Registrar is satisfied that it is expedient to do so on the ground that—
(a) the constitution or rules of the registered body are, in the opinion of the Registrar repugnant to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of any law for the time being in force in Zambia;
(b) the registered body is operating in a manner contrary to the public interest;
(c) the Registrar has reason to believe that the registered body has ceased to exist as a national arts association; or
(d) the registered body has changed its name and the new name it has adopted—
(i) is identical to that of any other existing national arts association;
(ii) so nearly resembles the name of the registered body as, in the opinion of the Registrar, is likely to deceive the public or the members of either association; or
(iii) is, in the opinion of the Registrar, repugnant to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of any law in force in Zambia or is otherwise undesirable.
23. Notification of intended cancellation
(1) Before the Registrar cancels the registration of a registered body, the Registrar shall make and furnish the registered body concerned with a notice giving reasons for the intended cancellation and require the association to show cause as to why the registration should not be cancelled.
(2) If the Registrar is not satisfied with the explanation given by the affected registered body he shall cancel the registration.
24. Appeal against refusal to register association or cancellation of registration
(1) An association or organisation which has been served with the notice referred to in section 21 or a registered body whose registration is cancelled under section 22 may appeal to the Minister within thirty days of the receipt of the notice against the refusal or cancellation, and the Minister shall hear the appeal within thirty days.
(2) Where an appeal is made under sub-section (1), the Minister may give such directions to the Registrar as the Minister considers necessary to enable him to determine the appeal.
(3) Where an appeal is made under sub-section (1), the Minister may confirm, set aside or vary the decision of the Registrar.
(4) Any association or organisation which is aggrieved by the decision of the Minister may appeal to the High Court.
25. Affiliation to Council of registered body
(1) A registered body may be affiliated to the Council through such procedure as may be prescribed by the Council.
(2) A registered body may form subsidiary bodies in provinces and these bodies shall be affiliated to the Council by virtue of the affiliation of the registered body.
26. Independence of registered and associate bodies
Except as provided in this Act, the Council shall not interfere with the day-to-day administration or internal affairs of a registered body or an associate body.
(1) A registered body or any person aggrieved by a decision of the Council may, not later than thirty days from the receipt of that decision, appeal to the Minister.
(2) Where a registered body or a person appeals to the Minister under sub-section (1), the Minister may confirm, reverse or vary the decision, or make such other order as the Minister considers fit, and the Minister shall decide within thirty days.
28. Directions by the Minister
Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the Minister may give directions to the Council in matters of policy to be followed in pursuance of its objects and the performance of its functions.
29. Dissolution of registered body
(1) In order to allow orderly dissolution, a registered body shall not dissolve itself except with the written approval of the Registrar.
(2) A registered body shall apply to the Registrar for approval to dissolve the association and shall—
(a) state in the application the reason for the proposed dissolution; and
(b) submit to the Council the application together with the agenda and minutes of the meeting of the body at which the decision to dissolve the body was taken.
(3) Where a registered body is dissolved, the assets and liabilities of the body shall be disposed of in accordance with the direction of the Council.
The Council may after the approval of the Minister, and in consultation with the relevant registered body, make rules concerning—
(a) the activities of the registered bodies;
(b) the conduct of the members and office bearers of the registered bodies;
(c) the maintenance of proper accounts and records by the registered bodies;
(d) the annual subscription fees to be paid to the Council by the registered bodies;
(e) the standards to be attained and the method and procedure to be followed by a body of persons desirous of entering a competition in Zambia; or
(f) the procedure to be followed by a registered body or individual from outside Zambia for entering a competition or undertaking any artistic activity in Zambia.
The Minister may, by statutory instrument, and in consultation with the Council, make Regulations for the better carrying into effect of the provisions of this Act, and, in particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such Regulations may—
(a) prescribe the fees, allowances or remuneration to be paid under any provision of this Act;
(b) prescribe the role of cultural officers and the relationship between those officers and the Director;
(c) provide for the management of the affairs of a registered body when it is under suspension;
(d) prescribe the forms to be used for the purpose of this Act;
(e) prescribe the books, registers, accounts and other documents to be kept by a registered body, and provide for the inspection of the books, registers, accounts and other documents;
(f) prescribe the particulars to be included in the contracts of service of professional artistes;
(g) provide for the status of national and representative groups;
(h) prescribe the manner and form in which application for the award of national artistic honours shall be made; and
(i) provide for the procedure for becoming an associate body of the Council.
[Section 4 (2)]
1. Seal of Council
(1) The seal of the Council shall be such device as may be determined by the Council and shall be kept by the Registrar.
(2) The affixing of the seal shall be authenticated by the Chairperson or the Vice-Chairperson and one other person authorised in that behalf by the Council.
(3) Any contract or instrument which, if entered into or executed by a person not being a body corporate, would not be required to be under seal may be entered into or executed without seal on behalf of the Council by the Registrar or any other person authorised in that behalf by the Council.
(4) Any document purporting to be a document under the seal of the Council or issued on behalf of the Council shall be received in evidence and shall be deemed to be a document so executed or issued, as the case may be, without further proof, unless the contrary is proved.
2. Composition of Council
(1) The Council shall consist of—
(a) two members appointed by the Minister;
(b) the Director of Cultural Services;
(c) one member to be appointed by each registered body; and
(d) one member appointed by the Ministry responsible for—
(i) education;
(ii) information and broadcasting;
(iii) science, technology and vocational training; and
(iv) tourism.
(2) The Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson shall be elected by members of the Council from amongst themselves, subject to ratification by the Minister.
3. Tenure of office and vacancies
(1) A member shall hold the office of member for a period of four years from the date of appointment, but shall be eligible for reappointment.
(2) Notwithstanding sub-section (1) the office of member shall become vacant—
(a) upon the death of a member;
(b) if a member is adjudged or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind;
(c) if a member is adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt;
(d) if a member is lawfully detained or the member's freedom of movement is restricted under any law in force in Zambia;
(e) if a member is sentenced to a term of imprisonment exceeding six months;
(f) if a member is absent from three consecutive meetings of the Council without reasonable cause; or
(g) upon the expiry of not less than one month's notice in writing of that member's intention to resign given by the member to the Chairman.
(3) Notwithstanding sub-section (1) the Minister may, at any time, remove a person from the office of member if the Minister is satisfied that the continuance of that person in the office of member will be prejudicial to the interests of the arts.
4. Filling of casual vacancy
(1) Subject to sub-section (2), whenever the office of a member becomes vacant before the expiry of the term of office specified in paragraph 3, the Minister, or, if the member who vacated the office was appointed by any of the bodies referred to in paragraph 2, that body, may appoint another person to be a member in place of the member who vacates the office.
(2) The person appointed under sub-section (1) shall hold office only for the unexpired term of office of the person who vacated that office.
5. Proceedings of Council
(1) Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the Council may regulate its own procedure.
(2) The Council shall, for the transaction of business, meet at least twice in every calendar year at such places and times as the Chairperson may determine.
(3) One half of the total number of members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Council.
(4) Subject to paragraph 5 the Chairperson shall, upon giving notice of not less than fourteen days, call a special meeting of the Council if not less than five members so request in writing.
(5) If the urgency of any particular matter does not permit the giving of the notice referred to in sub-paragraph (4), a special meeting may be called upon giving shorter notice.
(6) There shall preside at a meeting of the Council the Chairperson or, in the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson or, in the absence of both the Chairperson and the Vice- Chairperson, such member as the members present may elect for the purpose of that meeting.
(7) A decision of the Council on any question shall be by a majority of the members present and voting at the meeting and in the event of an equality of votes the person presiding at the meeting shall have a casting vote in addition to that person's deliberative vote.
(8) Where any member referred to in paragraph (a) to (d) of paragraph 2 is unable to attend any meeting of the Council, the Ministry or organisation, as the case may be, which that member represents may, in writing, nominate another person to attend that meeting in that member's stead and that person shall be deemed to be a member for the purpose of that meeting.
(9) The Council may invite any person whose presence is in its opinion desirable, to attend and to participate in the deliberations of a meeting of the Council, but such a person shall have no vote.
(10) The validity of any proceedings, act or decision of the Council shall not be affected by any vacancy in the membership of the Council or by any defect in the appointment of any member.
(11) The Council shall cause minutes to be kept of the proceedings of every meeting of the Council and of every meeting of any committee established by the Council.
6. Committees of Council
The Council may appoint such committees as it may consider necessary for the performance of its functions.
7. Disclosure of interest
(1) If any person is present at a meeting of the Council at which any matter in which that person or that person's spouse is directly or indirectly interested in a private capacity is the subject of consideration, he shall, as soon as practicable after the commencement of the meeting, disclose that interest and shall not, unless the Council otherwise directs, take part in any consideration or discussion of, or vote on, any question touching that matter.
(2) A disclosure of interest made under subparagraph (1) shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting at which it is made.
8. Immunity of members and staff
An action or other proceeding shall not lie or be instituted against any member, member of a committee of the Council or of the Board or member of staff of the Council for, or in respect of, any act or thing done or omitted to be done in good faith in the exercise or purported exercise of his duties under this Act.
9. Director and Deputy Director
(1) There shall be a Director of the Council who shall be appointed by the Council after the approval of the Minister.
(2) The Director shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Council and shall be responsible for the administration of the affairs of the Council.
(3) The Council may appoint a Deputy Director to assist the Director.
(4) The Director may, by directions in writing and subject to such terms and conditions as the Director thinks fit, delegate to the Deputy Director any of the functions of the Director under this Act.
(5) The Director, or in his absence the Deputy Director, shall attend meetings of the Council and the Board and may address such meetings, but shall not vote on any matter:
Provided that the person presiding at any meeting of the Council may, for good cause, require the Director or Deputy Director, as the case may be, to withdraw from the meeting.
10. Staff
The Council may appoint, on such terms and conditions as it may determine, such other staff and agents as it considers necessary for the performance of the functions of the Council.
11. Funds of Council
(1) The funds of the Council shall consist of—
(a) such sums as may be appropriated by Parliament for the purpose of the Council;
(b) such sums as may be paid to the Council as donations, contributions, subscriptions, fees or gifts, but the Council shall not raise money from outside Zambia without the prior approval of the Minister; or
(c) such other moneys or assets as may accrue to, or vest in, the Council as a result of the investments made, or transactions entered into, in the course of its operations.
(2) The Council—
(a) shall cause to be kept full and correct books of account of all moneys received and expended by it;
(b) may invest its funds in such manner and to such extent as the Council may consider fit;
(c) shall after the approval of the Minister and subject to such conditions as the Minister may impose, borrow money from any source within Zambia.
12. Arts development fund
The Council shall establish and administer a fund to be known as the Arts Development Fund from which it may lend funds to any registered body.
13. Financial year
The financial year of the Council shall be the period of twelve months ending on 31st December in each year.
14. Accounts
The Council shall cause to be kept proper books of account and other records relating to its accounts.
15. Power to call for accounts
(1) The Council may, at any time, by notice of the Director, order a registered body to submit to the Council, within such time as the Council may specify in the order, duly audited accounts of the body.
(2) The notice referred to in sub-section (1) shall be for a period of not less than thirty days from the date on which the notice is served on the registered body.
(3) Where a registered body fails to comply with the notice referred to in sub-section (1), or the Council discovers any irregularities in the accounts of the body, the Council may take such action against the body as the Council may consider fit.
16. Annual report
(1) The Council shall, after 31st December in each year, but not later than six months from that date, submit to the Minister a report of its activities during the previous year and containing such other information as the Minister may direct.
(2) The annual report of the Council shall, among other things, include a report on the financial affairs of the Council.
(3) There shall be appended to the report referred to in sub-section (2)—
(a) an audited balance sheet;
(b) an audited statement of income and expenditure during the year; and
(c) a report of the auditors on the accounts.
(4) The Minister shall, not later than seven days after the first sitting of the National Assembly next after the receipt of the report referred to in sub-section (1), lay it before the National Assembly.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
My Basket
Posted by CS on September 21, 2017
As we continue to make improvements to our website for our customers we recently updated our Meet The Team page. As a bit of fun we ran a competition to match the team member to their dog and the winners are below. The Total ID team would like to thank everyone who entered (more to come!) - and to also thank all our loyal customers for their continued business.
1st Prize - Cadbury Combination Hamper: Katie W (company name supplied)
2nd Prize - Cadbury Treasure Box: Helena A (company name supplied)
Marketing Department


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For further information please apply to this vacancy and we will endeavour to contact you within forty-eight hours. All applications are treated confidentially and your CV would never be sent to any potential employer or third party without your prior permission.
For more information contact Josh and quote reference DEN-49197
Call us on 01332 609318
Email us at [email protected]
View more information at http://www.medicruit.co.uk/dental-position-information/49197


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Officials at the San Angelo Independent School District said there is no threat of a shooting at Lincoln Middle School. On Tuesday, the SAISD received information that a letter had been posted on social media containing threats regarding a "Lincoln school".
The district contacted the San Angelo Police Department and the letter has been traced to a school in another state.
SAISD officials said the letter "poses no threat to our own Lincoln students or employees."
Attached is an image of the alleged threat sent:


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Central Michigan University: Quick facts about the Mt. Pleasant school
Police and school officials discuss a shooting that took place at one of CMU's residential halls. Sarah Lehr / Lansing State Journal
Central Michigan University, where a manhunt is under way to find 19-year-old student who police said killed his parents on campus, is a four-year public university in Mt. Pleasant, a city in mid-Michigan.
Central Michigan has 40 satellite locations, including in Canada, China and Mexico. The school was established in 1892 and has 22 residence halls and apartments.
[James Eric Davis Jr.: Tap to read what we know about CMU shooting suspect]
Where is CMU?
Mount Pleasant is about a 155 mile drive northwest from Detroit. It is about 80 miles northeast of Grand Rapids.
Student body
CMU has an undergraduate population of about 20,000 at their Mt. Pleasant campus and more than 27,000 CMU "Chippewas" (the school mascot) in total. Of the student population, 79% is white, 8% is black and 4% is Hispanic.
5 most popular programs
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
- Education
- Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
- Psychology
Sources: Central Michigan University, U.S. Department of Education.
More: CMU shooting: Student fatally shot parents in dorm
More: Central Michigan University shooting: The latest social images
Contact Omar Abdel-Baqui: 313-222-8850 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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by Francis Heaney
Solution: CHANGE EACH TO TWENTY
The clues are meaningless except for each of their words' first letters. Each answer is comprised of the initial letters of one word from its own clue, one from the next clue, and so on (wrapping around from the end of the Down clues back to the beginning of the Across clues). The words for each answer are shown in a single color in the clues below. After the grid is filled, the two long entries spell READ CENTERS OF TOP MIDDLE AND LAST ROW. The middle six letters of each spell CHANGE EACH TO TWENTY.
1Susan, in Rocky Horror
6 E. Y. Harburg song
10 Slippery as an eel
15 Green, blue, and navy
16 German city east of Augsburg
17 Ronald Reagan's last movie
18 The biggest island on Earth
19 One of the rational numbers
20 Beau ideal, in English
23 e. e. cummings's "one regret"
24 East African nation renamed Ethiopia
25 Not as slow as
28 Chief executive of Dell
30 "Don't ___ your temper!"
35 Makes some repairs
37 Emulate Hank Aaron
39 It's small and round
40 Mexican labor union chief Ernesto
41 Tom of Message in a Bottle
42 Constructor of air-to-air missiles
43 East Coast hip-hop rivalry
44 Person that's down to earth
45 Ex-Velvet Underground lyricist
46 Rhode Island-New York expressway
48 Yearly summit in Austria
50 They may not understand anything
51 Done playing NFL exhibition games?
52 Middle-earth's oldest hobbit
64 Ringing in the ears
65 Sporting no bikini top
66 In the second estate
67 Cat on a ___ Roof
68 Elisha Otis's most-used invention
69 Finds a new girlfriend
70 Needing a lot of help
71 Grey Squadron's Star Wars episode
72 Yo-yo expert Ryan
1 International New Year's Eve event
2 Gets to the second stage
3 Absence of any empathy
4 A no-star restaurant review
5 Essayist born in Chicago
6 Out of Africa heroine
7 "Not on a dare!"
8 National Lampoon's Class Reunion extra
9 Gay rights issue in Nevada
10 Eats everything on the counter?
11 The Believer magazine's executive editor
12 Role established by Erik Estrada
13 On the red-eye
14 Satchmo and Elvis, for two
21 Roman emperor that succeeded Nero Claudius
22 Acting under one's own steam
25 Avoids real estate property taxes
26 Rock and roll "Doctor"
27 "Did you ever ___ love me?"
29 It's after Easter Sunday
30 You need these to hear
31 A mantra you might utter
32 Like motorcycles or mobile homes
33 The agony and the ecstasy?
34 Didn't come to bed
36 An Icelandic Eurovision Song contestant
38 It has a narrow rim
42 Character in Gates of Discord
44 Prosecuted vice president of Enron
47 Exiled emperor Haile Selassie's nation
49 Element used during radiation therapy
53 Street abutting Manhattan's Lower East Side
54 Marx, Lenin, and Mao Tse-Tung
55 "Et in Arcadia ego" is one
56 Yellow bird native to Dominican Republic
57 Adam and Eve's indecent exposure?
58 Sunday Night Football network
59 "I didn't expect you!"
60 Cindy Lou Who's nickname
61 Running out of energy
62 Not still of use
63 What George Gamow taught


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Finding the Right Remedy/
Homeopathic Materia Medica are filled with thousands of remedies and there are new remedies being discovered, documented and used in practice on a regular basis. Each remedy is coded with hundreds and even thousands of different symptoms that uniquely identify it apart from one remedy picture to the next. This unique information is what characterises a remedy in terms of using it in homeopathic practice. And that is why it is so important to understand your experience of being unwell as an individual, so that a remedy which has the same sorts of coded characteristic symptoms can be matched to the way you experience being sick.
When you visit a homeopath the aim is to find out how your experience of being unwell is different from everybody else's. Homeopathy is based on the idea of individualisation because the way in which we experience being unwell differs from one person to the next. Although your isolated pathology is taken into consideration and highlighted with importance, the true aim of homeopathy is to understand how this relates to a more complete and deeper picture of your whole self. The way you think, feel and experience everything that you do in relation to being sick, provides your homeopath with the most important, defining and useful information.
It is important to highlight that although there are common remedies that suit many general 1st aid situations, like Arnica for bruising or say Apis for stings and bites, more complex acute and chronic cases require strategic case taking, thorough case analysis and the prescription knowledge of a qualified homeopathic practitioner. As you can see, finding the right remedy has many different components but essentially it all boils down to understanding you, the person.
Tony Fox DSH
Appointments available in Blackheath, South East London or via Skype, FaceTime and telephone.
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash


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Two Washtenaw Community College students interacted with automotive industry experts at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminars held July 30-August 2 in Traverse City.
Zachyre Van Buren and Rosa Lechartier were hand-selected by WCC faculty to represent the college at the annual event, which draws more than 1,000 attendees for high-level sessions on the technology opportunities and strategic challenges facing the automobile industry during the new mobility transformation. Along with automotive experts, the Students@MBS program participants are exposed to leaders from finance, labor, government and academia.
Van Buren, 28, will complete an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Automotive Powertrain Development in early 2019 and plans to continue at WCC to pursue the college's Pre-Engineering Science Transfer degree, which sets the groundwork for a transfer to a four-year engineering program. A Los Alamitos, Calif., native now living in Ann Arbor, Van Buren wants to work in research and development for autonomous and connected vehicles, with a focus on emergency service and law enforcement vehicles.
Lechartier, 22, is following one of WCC's business transfer agreements with Eastern Michigan University, where she plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in International Business-Marketing. The Ann Arbor resident is particularly interested in working for an automobile manufacturer when she completes her studies.
The students were accompanied by WCC Dean of Advanced Technologies and Public Service Careers Brandon Tucker, Dean of Business & Computer Technologies Eva Samulski, Dean of Economic and Community Development Niko Dawson, Advanced Transportation Center Director Al Lecz and Computer Information Systems faculty member Michael Galea. Undergraduate students from other Midwest institutions were also in attendance.
The Students@MBS program is designed to allow students to learn about the industry in a personal way while beginning to build a professional network before they graduate.
WCC is a sponsor of the Students@MBS program and exhibited its Advanced Transportation Center at the CAR MBS event.
We asked the WCC students to take a moment to share some thoughts on their trip to Traverse City for the CAR Management Briefing Seminars:
Q. What were your overall impressions of the CAR Management Briefing Seminars?
ZVB: "They are formally informative and casually approachable. There is a wealth of knowledge and people eager and excited to go over the current and upcoming issues in the field and what we need to do to not only prepare and counter, but to go on the offensive."
RL: "Nothing but positive. I capitalized on this incredible networking opportunity, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and getting to know students and professionals who share a passion for cars and the automotive industry.."
Q. How did it feel to be a student representative attending an event full of executive management?
ZVB: "I didn't see myself as a student. I saw myself as another industry professional who was excited and eager to learn, share and connect. To that end, it was great to be there and I can't wait to do it next year."
RL: "Many executives from leading automotive companies were in attendance, and I felt honored to represent my college at this conference."
Q. What were you most impressed with?
ZVB: "I was impressed with how the presenters were all able to deliver the information given in a way that was a nice balance between being entertaining and informative."
RL: "I was most impressed with the speakers who were presenting the seminars. They were not only experts, but leaders and pioneers."
Q. What was your primary takeaway or the best thing you learned?
ZVB: "My primary takeaway really reinforced the reality that the automotive world is very broad and the marriage of other industries – such as the network security field – will only broaden it. With that, the potential is limitless in the ways to get involved and create impact."
RL: "My primary takeaway from this conference was the automotive industry is vast, ever so dependent on a variety of factors, and most importantly, the future of this industry could drastically change in the years to come."


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Derby Hat at The Hat Shop NYC SOHOのおしゃれなハット屋さん/
hey are my favorite derby hats from The Hat Shop NYC! So beautiful!
SOHOにあるThe Hat Shop NYCは、数々の著名人の方々がやって来てオーダーメイドのダービーハットを製作する事でも有名なお店ですRead More
Rock Mama NYC is a New York City based lifestyle blog that aims to encourage, inspire, and lift people up through fashion, beauty, hair and lifestyle.
hey are my favorite derby hats from The Hat Shop NYC! So beautiful!
SOHOにあるThe Hat Shop NYCは、数々の著名人の方々がやって来てオーダーメイドのダービーハットを製作する事でも有名なお店ですRead More
一年365日のうち、300日以上は帽子をかぶっていると言っても過言ではない私。帽子は私のライフの一部。帽子って身体の一番上にくるファッションアイテムだから、帽子一つでファッションスタイリングの印象を物凄く変えると私は思っています。Read More
...One of the reasons I love Cha-Cha's house of Ill Repute is the fact that all hats are handmade in NYC, they use very high-quality materials, and are very unique and special designs. I can feel a lot of the Rock spirit in the hats...
デザイナーの方のお名前はDina Pisaniさん。愛称はCha Cha:)彼女は1994年ごろから帽子を, Anne Allbrizzioの元で学び、2001年に Cha Cha's House of Ill Reputeをスタートしました。彼女の帽子はやっぱりとても魅力的で個性的だから、世界中の有名ミュージシャンが愛用しています。Read More
Hello! Today, I would like to show how to make this cute fringe bag from a T-shirt. . こんにちわ。今日はこの上の写真のような可愛いフリンジバックを、あなたのいらなくなったT−シャツから作る方法を紹介するね。Read More
I attended a very interesting fashion show presented by Goods of Conscience. The founder and designer is Fr. Andrew O'Connor. who is a priest in NYC! 先日、とても、興味深いファッションショウにご招待いただきました。デザイナーさんの名前は、Fr. Andrew O'Connor なんと彼は、神父さんです。ファッションラインの名前は、Goods Of Conscience 非営利団体です。Read More
Do you like fashion? If you do, what do you like about it? I love fashion but, I don't mind breaking the rules. To me, fashion is how I express myself. ファッションが好き?おしゃれが好き?私は、ファッションが好きだけど、流行とか、ブランドとか全然気にしない。着たいものを着たい時に着てるだけ。ファッションは、私にとって自己表現の一つRead More
...One of the reasons I love Cha-Cha's house of Ill Repute is the fact that all hats are handmade in NYC, they use very high-quality materials, and are very unique and special designs. I can feel a lot of the Rock spirit in the hats...Read More
Hello, I love fall fashion. I'm enjoying layering clothes, hat and scarves. I love feminine sexy dresses, and I like to mix it up a little bit...Read More
I love fall fashion because I can wear my favorite jacket! My favorite type of jacket is a Motorcycle Jacket. My 5 years old son got his first motorcycle jacket this year...Read More
Hello! Today, I would like to show how to make this cute fringe bag from a T-shirt. . You need a T-shirt. (Thicker fabric is better) Scissors, Washable marker, Ruler (if you have)...Read More
I love fashion! My lifestyle is being a mom and hair stylist. I hardly ever go to a night clubs, and I don't wear dresses and high heels anymore. I enjoy thinking about what styles to wear. I choose comfortable, easy to wash and original fashion items...Read More
Happy summer! How is your summer going so far? I visited japan this summer. I introduced cool Kyoto Machiya style buildings in my last blog. Today, I would like to share my favorite Machiya style building in Kyoto Japan...Read More
I introduced my custom made Adidas Stan Smith in my past blog. I really love the sneaker. Just a simple white sneaker that makes my styling cool. I wanted to wear white Stan Smith sneakers together with my son...Read More
Hello! How is your summer so far? Did you get something new for the summer?Read More
The hot summer has arrived in the City. T-shirts and shorts are a must to wear everyday for my son. I just found out about a really unique and cool T-shirts. They are from a company called Sierra Julian...Read More
Before I became a mother, I didn't wear sneakers much. Now, I'm a mother of a 5 year old boy and sneakers are a part of my life. I was looking for a simple and cool sneaker. I found that I can customize some of Adidas' sneaker online easily...Read More
Summer is almost here. When I go to the playground during summer time, I see many kids wearing temporary tattoos. This metallic temporary tattoo will be trendy this summer! Kid's can get excited and happy from these little things...Read More
I was wearing skinny jeans a lot few years ago. This year I am definitely interested in more relaxed pants. The pants shape and width will show the era of the style. I started this blog Rock Mama NYC December 2014, which is not too long ago. My first fashion post was with skinny pants. My son and I both love harem type of pants now.Read More
I love to wear matching T-shirts with my son. I'm only 5 ft. I buy the same T-shirt as my son in a 12-14 years old boys size and I cut around the neck of the T-shirt to make it more soft and feminine looking. My son is 5 years old now. Soon, I think he will not want to wear matching T-shirts with me. I will enjoy this while I can :) I I picked some fun T-shirts for Mom and Child. Please check it out.Read More
Rock Mama NYC is a lifestyle blog about a working mom in the beauty industry in New York City. She aims to encourage and inspire others by sharing ideas about fashion, beauty, hair, and lifestyle.
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All text © Copyright 2016 Chinatsu Ohtsu/Rock Mama NYC unless otherwise noted. All photography © Copyright 2016 Masashi Ohtsu/Rock Mama NYC unless otherwise noted.


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Classic Steampunk :: Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
"An innate trust was an element of my nature that had been dissolved through harsh experience."
The sepia tone-inspired cover of Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter typifies the sub-genre of science fiction to which it belongs. The image of a man, mouth made of metal, face half covered in leather, wearing a top hat and tux, the background a layering of gears, industrial-sized screws, shiny pipes, and a pressure gauge all scream steampunk.
Steampunk, as it's often described, takes elements of Victorian-era Britain—its fashion, culture, architecture, art, and the advent of steam-powered technology—and combines them with elements from science fiction and fantasy. Authors, filmmakers, and other artists find inspiration in what was the historic rise of communication and travel and infuse world domination, mass destruction, and conspiracy.
Early influences are Jule Vernes' Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, published in 1870, and H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, published in 1895. Steampunk novels, as we think of them today, were published as early as the late 1960s but ascended to popularity in the 1980s and 90s with authors such as Tim Powers and James Blaylock—in addition to Jeter who published his first steampunk novel, Morlock Night, in 1979.
In an attempt to explain what he and his fellow writers were doing, Jeter coined the term "steampunk" in a letter to the editor of Locus magazine, printed in their April 1987 issue. In it he says, "Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like 'steampunks', perhaps…".
Jeter's second steampunk novel, Infernal Devices, published in 1987, is a surrealist mystery set in Victorian London. The story begins with George Dower, the son of a deceased watchmaker left in charge of the family business. One night, George is visited by an unknown creature who he names, because of his deep brown skin, Brown Leather Man. Having been a client of his father's, the man brings with him a mechanical regulator in need of repair. Though George protests, having been estranged from his father and never trained in the ways of the trade, Brown Leather Man insists on leaving it with him. As partial payment he hands George a silver coin embossed with the face of a Saint Monkfish, a holy man previously unknown to the unwitting heir. The object is met with mixed results throughout the story: at one point leading George directly to the person he's looking for and yet at another nearly causing his death.
By accepting the device, George enters into a clandestine conflict between warring factions—the Royal Anti-Society, the Godly Army, and the Ladies Union for the Suppression of Carnal Vice—finding himself in murky waters, often not knowing which of these questionable characters is friend and which is foe. As intentions unfold so does the depth of George's father's skills and the story grow darker.
Full of fantastical elements, gear-driven gadgets, elegant language, and rich descriptions, Infernal Devices is a twisting tale that reads like classic literature.
The gentleman ignored my forays towards his name, and produced a paper-wrapped parcel from the crook of one arm. Placing it on the counter between us, the Brown Leather Man (as I had already begun to identify him in my thoughts) undid the knotted cord and pushed aside the paper with his dark hands. "I was a client of your late father," he said. "For me he built this, upon my commission. Some elements of disorder has entered its workings, and I seek to employ you in the setting right of it."
The last of the wrappings fell away. "What is it?" I asked. My eyes turned upward at the Brown Leather Man's silence, and found the narrow slits studying me with an unnerving intensity.
In relief I looked back down to what lay before me. A mahogany box a little over a foot in length, half that in its other dimensions; a pair of brass hinges faced me. With one finger I attempted to swivel the box around, but the surprising weight of it kept it motionless upon the counter. I was forced to grasp it with both hands in order to turn it about.
I unlatched the simple brass hasp and tilted the box's lid open. My heart sank within me as I looked down at the intricate anatomy of the device.
This feeling of despair was not unfamiliar to me; it often welled up at the sight of one of my father's creations. His genius had not been limited to the production of the packet watches and larger time-pieces whose subtlety of design and intricacy of execution had established his name among admirers of the horological art. Since his death and my inadequate assumption of his place, I had become acquainted with facets of his work that are still little known, having been undertaken at the behest of a select arid discreet clientele. Scientific and astronomical apparatus of every description, ranging from simple barometers, though of a fineness of calibration rarely if ever equalled, to elaborate astrolabes and orreries, the latter distinguished by a set of reciprocating eccentric cams in the clockwork drive mechanism capable of showing the true elliptical orbits of heavenly bodies rather than the simplified circular motions employed in other such mechanical representations of the universe — all of these and more were my father's children. More so than my own self, I would often think as I gazed at some intricate intermeshing of gears and cogs such as the one revealed inside the Brown Leather Man's mahogany casket. The bits of finely turned and crafted brass showed the care and attention that had been absent in the creation and assembly of my own personal manhood.
The purpose and function of some of the devices brought to me were unfathomable, and an odd secretiveness prevailed among my father's former clients. Amateur scientific pursuits had long been a preoccupation with serious-minded gentlemen of property and leisure, but the ones who came to me were often as uncommunicative as the devices they wished to be repaired. Sextants that devided the sky into angles not found in the usual geometries, microscopes whose hermetically sealed lenses distorted the viewed object into shimmering rainbow images, other instruments whose complexity and manifold adjustments quite overwhelmed my powers of speculation as to their use — all of these had in time been brought into the shop.
—copyright: K.W. Jeter / 1979
Infernal Devices on the Angry Robot website


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GRATA International Law Firm has opened Temirtau Office.
Opening a Branch in Temirtau is a logical step for GRATA International, which is a leading law firm in the Central Asian region with offices in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.
The name 'Temirtau' is 'Iron Mountain' in Kazakh. Another popular name of the city is 'Kazakhstani Magnitka'. Temirtau is a large industrial center of Kazakhstan, has a developed transport infrastructure, as well as a status of high culture city. A city-forming enterprise is the largest iron and steel production in Kazakhstan – Arcelor Mittal Temirtau Steel JSC.
Having a reputation of the most reliable partner in the region, GRATA International is proud of it outstanding experience in working successfully on important regional projects implemented jointly with various international law firms. Moreover, our reputation is based on the perfect combination of rendering legal services of the highest level by professional and qualified lawyers with a flexible payment system.
+7 701 532 9472
Since its establishment in April 1992, GRATA has gained experience in the following areas of practice:
GRATA lawyers have been recognised by international experts including The Legal 500, Chambers Global, Chambers Asia Pacific, IFLR1000, Who's Who legal, Asialaw Profiles.
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