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Badges received
My comments
... it's your last chance for access to all areas without guests being everywhere. Make sure EVERYTHING is as it should be. Have a hyper detailed check list for every tiny little thing.
Everything functions correctly and is in good condition.
All nooks and crannies are spotless after a detailed, deep clean.
Hinges, sliders, knobs, catches, locks, curtain rails are all spot on.
Any extra equipment is correctly set and fully functional.
Don't forget light bulbs!
Check linen for imperfections.
Don't worry, that answer was placed after already finding the setting.
The system has changed a little since then as well.
In extranet first go to Rates & Availability
Then Calendar
At the top of your page is the select dates box and also a tick box for Restrictions, check that and the available restrictions will appear. For the minimum stay setting there is usually a default maximum of 7 days, if you want longer you'll need to request BDC to increase the limit.
"I treat my guests the way I would like to be treated!!!"
Most definitely THE golden rule.
It can be easy to forget this, especially when faced with a less than happy or surly guest. Always remember guests have just completed a journey to arrive at your door and are probably tired and weary, they are not in their best spirits.
The amount of guests that arrive like this but are then full-on friendly the next morning because they are grateful of your warm, understanding welcome they received, even if they didn't show it at the time.
It costs nothing to smile and be friendly and the trade is called "hospitality" after all.
No seriously, we do decorate the reception and general ground floor areas. Unfortunately none of us are very good at it so definitely no photos!
There used to be a back to front way of doing it but BDC removed the feature.
1) Yes, it is only a problem on BDC. They do very little vetting of cards that come through the system, leaving that to us hosts.
Not all countries have the Payments by Booking system available, as we don't.
2) This is an annoyance and happens from time to time, the Invalid Card reporting system seems erratic on this. Sometimes a last-minute, invalid card will only be given one hour to re-present a valid card, other times 24 hours which is obviously plain daft.
We also receive bookings within 24 hours of check-in that are not marked as last minute at all, confused.....yup!
3) Not at all, as long as you use the correct procedure i.e. use the report card as invalid button on the booking page, wait 24 hours and then cancel (assuming no valid is presented) the reservation at no cost to yourself.
I personally believe that us hosts should be allowed to enter the amount of hours the booker has to re-present a valid card before cancellation. You get a sixth sense for scammers and time wasters and it would be nice to clear them off the system much quicker.
Yes, it would be very sensible.
In the meantime here is the main list again.
By message is not an acceptable method.
Customer must actually make the cancellation first. According to your cancellation policies you may then grant, refuse, charge or whatever.


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ASTRA and AFTRS have today announced the four recipients of the 2017 ASTRA Graduate Program.
This industry partnership between ASTRA and AFTRS, Australia's leading screen and broadcast school, provides the selected graduates with a significant career development opportunity in the highly competitive screen industry.
This on-going commitment by ASTRA and its subscription TV member broadcasters to fostering creativity and nurturing talent will see four 2017 graduates of the AFTRS Bachelor of Arts: Screen degree offered paid three-month internships with the Disney, Discovery, Foxtel and TVSN channels.
Juliette Beck will join Disney, Michail Mathioudakis will join Discovery, Archie Oxenbould will join Foxtel and Lachlan Brennan will join TVSN.
Raymond Padora, ASTRA Graduate Program Manager, said: "This highly sought-after program ensures emerging talent continues to access Australia's dynamic subscription television industry. The difficulty of deciding who to award graduate positions to is a testament to AFTRS, its teachers and staff and its modern approach to education."
Dr Ian Lang, AFTRS Director of Curriculum and Registrar, said: "AFTRS is keenly focussed on ensuring our graduates are 'job ready'. We work closely with industry to ensure our curriculum meets the needs of an ever-changing screen and broadcast sector and with partners such as ASTRA to provide a graduate program for our students that creates genuine professional development and employment opportunities."
Starting in February 2018, each graduate will work for 13 weeks with the specified channel, the positions are across a variety of areas including marketing, programming, acquisitions, production and broadcasting.

subset: commoncrawl


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I've been touting the fact, i.e., as I understand it, that this new US/Mex NAFTA agreement just struck yesterday largely gets rid of investor dispute rules (investor state dispute settlement, or ISDS) that many progressive have long complained about. (To be clear, whether this deal is going anywhere is a whole other story; I'm skeptical.)
I'm working on a piece about how the new deal looks a lot better for workers on both sides of the border than prior agreements, but re ISDS, the very knowledgeable Lori Wallach tell me it "ends the possibility of any future U.S.-Canada ISDS cases. This is huge given major US-Canada cross investment." For Mexico, where domestic courts are less reliable, investors who want to bring a case must first exhaust domestic court and administrative remedies, before turning to new procedures that significantly raise the bar to investor compensation (the fact that the Business Roundtable is already complaining about this part of the deal is revealing in this regard). There is apparently a carve out for investments in Mexican energy production that would allow a small group of U.S. investors the same protections as in earlier agreements, but this looks to have been the negotiating price for the larger advances just noted.
My friend Jay Shambaugh, presumably implying that ISDS ain't so bad, asks the reasonable, though rhetorical (if not snarky: surely Jay, a former Obama-admin economists who's one of my go-to peeps on international trade, knows the answer). Has a company used ISDS under NAFTA to overturn a US law or regulation?
No, meaning fears about the process overriding US sovereign laws have not been realized. If that's Jay's point, it's a relevant one with which I agree.
But their are still at least two big, existing problems. First, ISDS has been used by corporate bullies of rich countries to extract millions in fines and fees from poorer countries, and not for investor takings (which would be legit) but for protections prohibited by trade deals (examples here and here). What I want to see much more in U.S. trade agreements–and Jay might agree–is less protectionism of the advanced countries' investor class and its IP and drug patents, and more lifting of standards in poor countries.
The second problem with ISDS is broader:
Through the backdoor of trade agreements, the ISDS process imposes extreme property rights' concepts rejected repeatedly by Congress and U.S. courts, such as the notion that governments should pay "regulatory takings" compensation to property owners for the right to enforce environmental, health and other safeguards that could undermine the value of their property or investment. We must not solve the problem of weak rule of law among our trading partners by having the broad public bear investment risk or by changing fundamental principles of U.S. law. Instead, investment risk must be borne by the investors themselves; it is their skin, not ours, that should be in the game.
Final point. While the US hasn't lost a case, a country is only really exposed to ISDS risk when partner countries have substantial investments in the other countries in the deal. That's why, according to Lori, "54 of the 56 NAFTA ISDS cases to date attacking U.S. or Canadian laws were brought by investors from the Canada or the U.S., not from Mexico."
Surely, this makes no sense. ISDS isn't in place–or at least it shouldn't be–to be invoked in advanced countries with mature legal systems. Let the nationally-sanctioned, highly functional court systems work it out! (Jay: agree or disagree?.)
In fact, recent journalistic research reveals speculation by financial investors in ISDS cases, wherein investors either purchase companies with the express purpose of filing an ISDS claim or directly bankrolling the cases in order to claim a share of the fine. (Investors refer to this practice as "third-party funding of international arbitration against foreign sovereigns".) Gus van Harten, a law professor who has studied these activities, finds that investors "…can get an award for billions of dollars when that award would never come out in domestic law. It's just a jackpot for speculators."
End of the day, the fact that ISDS hasn't overridden any U.S. laws is comforting and Jay's right to "ask" about it. But that doesn't mean it's non-evil!
-- via my feedly newsfeed


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Welcome to the Wordpoppy website
I'm a writer based in Bristol. I organise Novel Nights, a live literature event for writers. I teach creative writing at the Folk House
Thanks for visiting my site.
Poppies spring up in unexpected places, they're undimmed and perky, refuse to lie dormant, a little like words and stories which have to be told.
When I was very young I used to go to riding school every Saturday – the pony I loved was called Poppy. Every week she'd canter down the field and throw me off, at the same spot. I kept getting back on. As a writer you have to keep going, you have to believe in yourself; you do it because you can't stop.
Poppies are communal – so I want this site to be a place to share experiences of writing.
My grandmother was a great gardener – my favourite photograph of her is with a backdrop of large oriental poppies.
This website at wordpoppy is a place where I want to share my work and my writing adventures, as well as what it means to be creative.


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913 Lytton road
Murarrie QLD 4173
Contact: Steve Henderson
Phone: 07 3890 2637
Website: United Scrap Metal Traders P/L
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Service description: We purchase scrap metal and EWaste from industrial, trade and the public in the Brisbane area, we place bins for industrial quantities including one of collections or permanent placement for regular collections.
Accreditation: Waste Recycling industry association QLD
Fees do not apply
Pick-up available
Pick-up details: Pick up service provided depends on quantity and distance from home base.
Dropoff available
DISCLAIMER - All of the information on this page has been provided by the listed company or organisation. Read More.
We need your feedback! Please complete our Business Recycling User Survey. Go to survey.


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The Silly and the Serious - The Rational versus the Irrational - Creationism & Intelligent Design versus Science and Reason in the UK
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters… by Matt Ridley
A tour of various lines of evidence in the now huge subject of genetics and evolutionary biology. The book uses the human genome and our chromosome structure as scaffolding and hangs a wide range of fascinating anecdotes from it.
Written for the layman in a clear and witty tone. Eloquent and simple, not an easy trick to pull off.
Find out more about yourself. This book dispels many of the over-hyped scare-mongering myths in a simple and easy to understand way.
A great first read from this author for me - he is now on my "read all this guy's books" list.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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New Beers
Keeper of Deee-Lite – Lemon Verbena Golden Ale
Mike Floyd is a photographer friend who loved Temptress of Light for its photographic allusion. Obsessed with Light, he told me I had to name one Keeper of Deee-Lite. I could not resist.
Sno-Fo (Snørgentaas the Foeniculum Whisperer) - Brown Fennel Licorice Abby Ale
Snørgentaas is a wild field gnome. He captures and dances with Foeniculum's (Fennel's) spirit as he runs through the fields in twilight dream-time - you know that special time late in the day in nature when you can feel all the earth and plants pulsating - like the gentle peristaltic contractions of intestines moving you forward into the other world. This is his gift to you.
Honeysuckle Hazy IPA
Every year the summer gnomes talk to me through the Honeysuckle. This year they made a deal with Uncle Humulus. We are glad they spoke.
Leepa – Linden Flower Lager
In 2018 this beer got made as a collaboration beer at Moravia Brewery in Brno, Czech Republic and also in Portland, Oregon. The national tree of the Czech Republic, Linden is your cure-all when you're feeling hysterical. It turns out SE Portland's Laurelhurst Park has a whole grove of them!
Hawt of Darkness – Tart Dark Hawthorne Berry Belgian Ale aged in Pinot Barrel on Cherries and Figs
Hawthorne Berries picked from Mt Tabor went into this dark (but light!) Abby ale, then it got aged in a Pinot Noir barrel with backyard figs and local cherries. The herbal tradition holds Hawthorne berries close to its heart - And so do I with all the Hawthorne trees in our neighborhood and the name-sake of our street - Hawthorne Boulevard.
To-Mo Arigato Give me the Nitro (Tørgenkaas le Mõgicianne Africainne)
-North African Spice Dark French Ale on Nitro
A secret North African spice was used in the making of this beer. It has magical alchemical transformative properties, just a hint. Tørgenkaas, himself, is a North African Swahili-French speaking Alchemist Gnome. He can tell you the secrets of his old secret world.
HopBucha - Flower Kombucha
Made with local spring wildflower honey and herbs (no caffeine)
The below ales are included for historical reasons,
they may come back later
Temptress of Light
ale blonde of the violet quince
A refreshing blonde made with 25 pounds of quince from friend and neighbor Ben's tree in SE Portland, violet flowers sent in from Ted's organic flower farm in Bothell, WA - Herbco, and some secret gnome magic.
Bringer of Dreams
fennel mugwort brown ale
Night magic is the stuff of mugwort - delicious brown belgian fennelophillic substrate takes taking your medicine to the H-N-L (Hole-Nutha-Level).
Seducer of Virility
belgian pale with orange and cardamom
Cardamom, besides being a favorite flavor and medicine, holds a special place in my ...heart. Amu Jon, my grandfather's younger brother, was a Vetrinarian who made an herbal horse medicine containing cardamom -with intended purposes of, let's just say "Virility". It turns out horse medicine really is "Strong Like Horse"! Fruity floral notes balance the spice -layered with belgian esters. Shtroombah! (apparently Gnomish for Cheers!)
Saver of Lives - GF
honeysuckle heather golden ale - gluten free (<20 ppm)
Auntie Tracy's neighbor used to curse her honeysuckle, then she fell off her roof and it saved her life. She pays homage by planting honeysuckle everywhere she lives - and we are glad she did! This honeysuckle just kept producing despitie many delays in getting the brew started. It's also been a dream of mine to brew a beer with fresh heather flowers - this dream finally came through with this magical dance of flavors. Since Auntie is gluten free, I used the Ohmission enzyme to make this delicious barley ale gluten free <20 ppm on batch testing performed. It's now her and Mark's favorite beer!


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ISTQB Software Testing Foundation
Gain a fundamental base of knowledge in the field of software testing.
- Exam(s) / assessment(s) not included in price & must be purchased separately
Add to basket or enquire
Are you in search of a basic understanding of software testing? Perhaps you're already part of this exciting world and you're looking for a way to validate your skills. The ISTQB Software Testing Foundation course follows the syllabus specified by the International Software Testing Qualification Board (ISTQB). Anyone who is already involved in software testing or would like to be in a testing role will benefit from this certification.
Our ISTQB Software Testing Foundation course is aimed at professionals who need to demonstrate practical knowledge of the fundamental concepts of software testing.
This includes people in roles such as Test Designers, Test Analysts, Test Engineers, Test Consultants, Test Managers, User Acceptance Testers and IT professionals.
What is Software Testing?
Software testing is the process of executing a program or application with the intent of searching for software faults or bugs. It is a method which can be used to assess the functionality of a software program.
The ISTQB Software Testing Foundation course covers:
- The process of testing
- Ensuring effective testing
- Test design techniques as well as test management
- Choosing test techniques
- Test development process
Junior software testing roles pay around £20-25k, rising to an average of £41k for more experienced Software Testers. With these numbers, it's hard not to want to be in the software testing industry.
Some Software Testing skills you will learn:
- Keeping software under control
- Debugging
- Static testing
- Dynamic testing
- The seven testing principles
Why study Software Testing online?
Technological improvements and advances in educational design mean that studying online is no longer just a low-cost alternative to traditional training methods. In many respects, our online courses offer training which is superior to the majority of available "classroom" options.
Not only is the effectiveness of the training process enhanced, but also the convenience and overall cost efficiency of studying online makes it a compelling option for training. You can learn at your own pace and can repeat each section as many times as required unlike in a classroom environment.
Studying at your own pace, rewinding and going over the material as often as you need improves your long-term memory retention and makes studying more rewarding.
Curriculum for the Software Testing Foundation course:
You will gain access to the following modules:
Module 1:
Chapter 1: The Fundamentals
Chapter 2: Reasons for Failure
Chapter 3: Keeping Software Under Control
Chapter 4: Introduction to Debugging
Chapter 5: Static & Dynamic Testing
Chapter 6: The Process of Testing
Chapter 7: How to Ensure Effective Testing
Chapter 8 Part 1: The Seven Testing Principals
Chapter 8 Part 2: The Seven Testing Principles
Chapter 9 Part 1: The Fundamental Test Process
Chapter 9 Part 2: The Fundamental Test Process
Chapter 9 Part 3: The Fundamental Test Process
Chapter 9 Part 4: The Fundamental Test Process
Chapter 9 Part 5: The Fundamental Test Process
Chapter 9 Part 6: The Fundamental Test Process
Module 2:
Chapter 1: Testing Throughout The Software Life Cycle
Chapter 2: Testing Throughout The Software Life Cycle: Software Development Models
Chapter 3: Testing Throughout The Software Life Cycle: Test Levels
Chapter 4: Testing Throughout The Software Life Cycle: Test types
Module 3:
Chapter 1: Static Testing: Introduction
Chapter 2: Static testing: Background to Static Techniques
Chapter 3: Static Testing: Reviews and the Test Process
Chapter 4: Static Testing: Static Analysis by Tools
Module 4:
Chapter 1: Test Development Process
Chapter 2: Test Design Techniques: Categories of Test Design Technique
Chapter 3: Test Design Techniques: Specification-Based or Black-box Technique
Chapter 4: Test Design Techniques: Structure-Based or White-Box Techniques
Chapter 5: Test Design Techniques: Experience-Based Techniques
Chapter 6: Test Design Techniques: Choosing Test Techniques
Module 5:
Chapter 1: Test Management: Introduction
Chapter 2: Test Management: Risks and Testing
Chapter 3: Test Management: Test Organisation and Independence
Chapter 4: Test Management: Test Approach Of Test Strategies
Chapter 5: Test Management: Test Planning and Estimation
Chapter 6: Test Management: Test Progress Monitoring and Control
Chapter 7: Test Management: Incident Management
Chapter 8: Test Management: Configuration Management
Module 6:
Chapter 1: What is a Test Tool?
Chapter 2: Test Tools
Chapter 3: Tool Support For Testing: Introducing a Test Tool into an Organisation
Please note that the official exam is not included, however for those who complete the course, they will receive a completion certificate upon request.
Who is this course for?
Anyone with an interest in beginning a career as a Software Tester.
There are no formal educational requirement for studying this course.
Career path
- Software Tester
- Software Test Engineer
- Software Release Manager
- IT Business Systems Analyst
- Software Test Analyst
Questions and answers
No questions or answers found containing ''.
J asked:
How does this course work? Does it actually teach how to test like a test analyst would, or does it just provide a raw syllabus on software testing?
It cover the sylubus of the ISTQB Software Testing FoundationThis was helpful. Thank you for your feedback.
Thomas asked:
Is this course in high demand in my home country, Norway and what are the chances of getting a job in Switzerland?
Unfortunatlely, as we are based in England I am unable to provide a definitive answer to that questionThis was helpful. Thank you for your feedback.
Joanna asked:
Is a tutor available for this course? Where can I do the exam after the course?
Not at this price point, noThis was helpful. Thank you for your feedback.
Rating and reviews
There haven't been any reviews for this course yet.Leave a review
Legal information
This course is advertised on reed.co.uk by the Course Provider, whose terms and conditions apply. Purchases are made directly from the Course Provider, and as such, content and materials are supplied by the Course Provider directly. Reed is acting as agent and not reseller in relation to this course. Reed's only responsibility is to facilitate your payment for the course. It is your responsibility to review and agree to the Course Provider's terms and conditions and satisfy yourself as to the suitability of the course you intend to purchase. Reed will not have any responsibility for the content of the course and/or associated materials.


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Crondall Weather
Here's the latest weather headlines and news from the Met Office and various other Weather sites from around the world:
© 2006-14 Neil Dockar. Please do not rely on the accuracy of any data on this site in making critical decisions. The site should be up to date and accurate, but gremlins can (and no doubt will) creep in from time to time


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Annual Rise to the Challenge Pitch Competition
The Rise to the Challenge Pitch Competition offers over $20,000 in cash and professional services up for grabs. The Competition promises to be UB's most exciting competition of the year. This could be just the vehicle to breathe life into your unique idea or give your existing business a boost.
Application Deadline: March 7, 2019
Final "Live" Competition: May 1, 2019
To apply for the 2019 Rise to the Challenge, please follow these 4 simple steps:


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Mint condition
Made in Mexico
Telecaster in Arctic White with mint tweed hardshell case.
I bought this four months ago but want to sell it and several other guitars for another purchase
$475 plus $50 shipping
Standard Telecaster Electric Guitar
Body: Alder
Neck: 1-Piece Maple, Modern "C" Shape, (gloss finish)
Fingerboard: Maple,
Fingerboard radius: 9.5" Radius (241mm)
No. of Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo
Pickups: 2 Hot Standard Tele Single-Coil Pickups (Neck & Bridge)
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Pickup Switching:
3-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups
Position 3. Neck Pickup
Bridge: Standard 6-Saddle String-Thru-Body Bridge
Machine Heads: Fender/Ping Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
Hardware: Chrome
Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment
Scale Length: 25.5" (648mm)
Width at Nut: 1.650" (42mm)
Unique Features: Vintage Styling, Fender Transition Logo, Parchment Plastic Parts
Strings: Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel, Gauges: (.009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042),
Here is the only photo I have of the
actual guitar:
Here are photos of a similar guitar:


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How Agile ALM tools shape business agility
Learn how Agile ALM tools can increase agility in businesses. Continue Reading
Agile business: Stand-up meetings for success
Learn why CEOs are doing daily stand-up meetings for project success. Continue Reading
Identifying user personas for software quality strategies
User personas help define your most valuable users so you can better understand them and direct the path of your projects accordingly. Continue Reading
Remote wiping: Tools and practices to protect corporate data
Mobile connectivity increases productivity but threatens corporate data. John Overbaugh discusses the advantages and limitations of remote wiping. Continue Reading
A secure development lifecycle protects software from vulnerabilities
Security professional John Overbaugh explains how designing a secure development lifecycle can help teams implement more secure code. Continue Reading
Developing mobile applications meets a new kind of application testing
Testers need new skills when developing mobile applications that are both effective and secure. Continue Reading
Getting started with application performance management and Method-R
Matt Heusser explains how to use application performance management and Method-R measurement to monitor the entire customer experience, end to end. Continue Reading
Agile development practices: Three predictions for 2014
Agile expert Yvette Francino predicts that Agile development practices will gain momentum in 2014. Continue Reading
Find the project metrics you need to track your Agile team's performance
Project metrics are a useful method to determine if an initiative is on track or off the rails. Expert Johanna Rothman shows you how to get started. Continue Reading
Boost mobile app performance without cellular network control
Today's mobile apps have to work with the network signal they can get. Shaky connections hurt performance, but proper testing can mitigate problems. Continue Reading
Software requirements: Why the term 'nonfunctional requirements' misleads
Requirements expert Robin Goldsmith explores the problems with common nonfunctional requirements scenarios and offers more useful alternatives. Continue Reading
Using a nonfunctional requirements template, plus examples
Requirements expert Robin Goldsmith explains how and why to use a nonfunctional requirements template. Continue Reading
How application performance metrics keep healthcare software healthy
Learn why application performance metrics are a critical aspect of the healthcare industry. Continue Reading
Agile teamwork: When collaboration becomes groupthink
Quality assurance consultant Gerie Owen discusses how Agile teamwork can lead to groupthink if it's not tempered. Continue Reading
Good software design and development starts with customers' needs
Discovering customer needs isn't a simple query and response. It takes some work to get the information your design and development efforts rely on. Continue Reading


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About Us
Department stores carry a wider variety of merchandise than most stores but offer these items in separate departments within the store. These usually include ready-to-wear apparel and accessories for adults and children, yard goods and household textiles, small household wares, kitchen wares, electrical appliances and accessories, foods and many more. Gorakha Department is now one of the most trending store with large number of customers in Eastern parts of Nepal.
Gorakha Department Store (GDS) has been operating since 2nd of Ashad, 2056 BS. Located at the heart of Itahari, it has gained almost all centralized controls of its regular customers in comparison to other local markets. GDS serves us with 5 different branches situated differently within eastern Nepal. i.e.: Itahari, Damak, Pathari, Biratchowk and recently in Dharan. GDS is a store that claims to offer everything you could ever want.
The company offers some of the most exclusive designed products but there is also a superbrands section, helping customers get their hands on some of the most stylish names at a more reasonable price. This is a place where fashionable people love to shop. When it comes to high end fashion, GDS is the place to be but there is also a great range of cosmetics, electronics, sports, clothes, toys, liquors and even groceries from quality sectors.
Now, Online shopping has been easy than ever and is just a footstep away. We, Gorakha Department Store, has made it possible for the customers even in the remote areas to have access to branded products at low prices online. We are constantly expanding our product range with recent fashionable and trending categories. We offer the best selection of quality products you'll find anywhere all at your fingertips. As a wide platform, we continue to develop services, easy business and discover new opportunities anywhere.
If you are looking for glorious retail options, Here, Gorakha Department Stores, is the place to take it easy. Remember, everyday is a shopping day in GDS Online Shopping.


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By B15m1lah. Chair. At Monday, June 25th 2018, 13:25:05 PM.
Having the right back height for your office chair can be of particular importance for those who suffer from back pain and even for those who want to avoid back pain. A good way to determine the back height that will be needed for your chair is to look at your current office chair. If you currently suffer from upper back you will want to look for a chair that's back will come up high enough to support your shoulder blades. Have a friend measure your back in its entirety from the top of the seat on your current office chair up to your shoulder blades to calculate how tall you will need your back rest to be.
Like computer chairs, task chairs typically deceptively simple modern designs. However, these are some of the most versatile chairs on the planet! Task chairs have been known to contribute wonderfully to multiple office applications, including desks, cubicles, conference rooms, and even home offices. They often feature a comfortable compact design perfect for bedrooms, schools, and libraries. While they can be found boasting a host of upholsteries, often the most popular are mesh task chairs. If you're in search of a chair to meet any of these criteria, it will please you to know that the best feature of most task chairs is the incredibly affordable price.
A church chair is then finally a chair that works for your church in the worship space it is placed in. For example, there are churches that because of a limited amount of square footage in their worship area desire to squeeze as many chairs as possible into that area. It may be that a worship chair a bit narrower than the standard 20" wide chair is the one that works for them. Another church that may be holding their worship service in a room that also serves as a space for other purposes throughout the week has a need to stack their chairs at least once each week. It may be that a worship chair that is lighter in weight, handles easier and stores compactly is the chair that works for them. And yet another church needs chairs that will work both in auditorium style seating in rows and around tables. It may be that a "hybrid" chair is the chair that needs to be purchased. Please know the reality once again is this has little with the appearance of your church chair. Instead it simply has to do with what chair can serve multiple purposes for your church.


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School Survey Data for Non-State Schools - Qld 2019
Download the Instructions for completing School Survey for Non-State Schools - Queensland 2019 [PDF 1.36MB].
Census Feedback
The Board is interested in your feedback in relation to the administration and collection of the Census data. The feedback submitted will be used to improve and refine the process of how the Census is maintained and performed from the user's perspective. Following submission of the Census form, please take a few minutes to complete the Census 2019 - Feedback Survey.All responses are anonymous.
Recent/current weather events and the enrolment census of non-State schools (Qld)Any schools adversely affected by recent/current weather events, that need extra time to submit their enrolment census returns for the prescribed Census Day (i.e. Friday, 22 February 2019), are advised to contact the NSSAB Secretariat by phone 3034 5257, or email: email@example.com. Forms are due to be submitted by Friday, 1 March 2019. Please note that students enrolled at a school as at Census Day, may be included in the school's census return if they were prohibited from attending the school up to and including the Census Day because of the weather event.
To be clear, this includes students for whom a school is eligible for recurrent grants.
Video Help Files (Vodcasts)
The Board has developed a number of vodcasts to assist users with the completion of the School Survey Data for Non-State Schools – Queensland 2019. Please click on a link below to view the vodcast.
- the application of the minimum attendance requirements and applying the 'Beyond the control of' test
- English as a Second Language tuition (updated for 2019)
- full-time attendance - not eligible, even though exemption from attendance is granted by principal, further explained
- boarding students
- students from isolated zones (updated for 2019)
- overseas students
- indigenous students (new in 2019)
- students with disability (new in 2019)
Data provided in the School Survey Data for Non-State Schools – Queensland 2019 (the 'Census form') are used by the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (the 'Board') in connection with its statutory functions. The data are also used by the Queensland Department of Education (the 'Department') in assessing the entitlement to allowances distributed to governing bodies of non-State schools on behalf of the Queensland Minister for Education.
Overseas students, who are responsible for the cost of their own education, do not receive state recurrent funding. These students are to be excluded from all sections of the Census form, except the section titled Overseas students.
Census Day
The Census Day is the last Friday of February of each year.
Complete the Census form using data as at Friday, 22 February 2019, except for Boarding fee concessions, which refers to 2018 data.
Return date
The completed Census form is to be submitted to the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board Secretariat ('NSSAB Secretariat') via NSSAB Online Services no later than Friday, 1 March 2019 (Friday following Census Day).
Census form
Census form [PDF 2.2MB]
Further instructions regarding the download of the Census 2019 form can be found on the Download the Census form page.
Information collected
The Census form collects data on:
- School/site details
- Overseas students
- 'No visa' students
- Full-time students
- Part-time students
- English as a Second Language (ESL) students
- Indigenous students
- Students with disability (SWD)
- Students from isolated zones
- Boarding students and Boarding fee concessions
Retention of Documentation
Legislative changes require that all enrolment, attendance and related documentation used in completing the Census form is to be retained by the school/governing body for a period of five years from Census Day, and in a way that ensures the integrity and security of the data and documents.
Last updated 22 February, 2019


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Country Score
Country Rankings - Japan
Feb 15, 2018 Japan: pushJapan is also in the process of making corporate tax cuts, although it has taken a different approach to the United States. While the TCJA contains various nudges intended to influence corporate behavior in certain ways that will, it is hoped, ultimately benefit the US economy, companies have largely been given scope to spend the extra cash generated by tax cuts as they see fit. Japan, on the other hand, has tied the awarding of corporate tax cuts to wage rises and productivity gains. This is not so much a nudge as a push. On the face of it, there are all sorts of problems with this policy. For starters, it could be difficult to enforce, as companies could struggle to demonstrate that they have raised wages and productivity by the required amounts. Will penalties await those companies which fall just under the required thresholds? What's more, by tying corporate tax cuts to pay rises, companies could be prevented from investing in other ways that may produce a benefit to the Japanese economy. Ultimately, companies in Japan will have to decide whether the benefit of the corporate tax cut being offered is outweighed by the extra costs and administrative hassle of qualifying for it. By contrast, this is an equation that employers in the US won't have to face, at least not to the same extent, yet many have already announced pay rises as a result of the tax reforms.
Source: https://www.tax-news.com/news/Japans_Cabinet_Endorses_Tax_Reform_Plans____76349.html
Nov 03, 2017 Japan: sureYou know the world's gone a bit topsy-turvy when the Japanese Government is determined to go ahead with a consumption tax increase and the International Monetary Fund is urging it not to be so gung-ho. Normally it's the other way around; it's the IMF, along with other rich nation quangos like the OECD, telling Japan, the world's most-indebted country, to hike consumption tax or face fiscal and economic crisis, while Japan itself demurs, petrified at the thought of another recession. But following the recent snap election in Japan, which gave Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a fresh mandate, it is Japan itself that seems prepared to bite the bullet and hike consumption tax in two years' time, with the IMF worrying about the consequences of such a move on the economy, according to its most recent country report for Japan. In a sense, the news that Abe's Government is sticking to its consumption tax plans is good news. Few people relish a tax increase, but at least taxpayers now know well in advance that a consumption tax rise is coming down the track. Then again, if a week is a long time in politics, then two years must be an epoch. A lot can change between now and the scheduled consumption tax rise in October 2019. And the relevant legislation does give the Government of the day a certain amount of wiggle room to further postpone the measure, should economic conditions deteriorate, so this is far from set in stone. But things are about as certain as the can be.
Source: https://www.tax-news.com/news/Japanese_Election_Result_Cements_Future_Sales_Tax_Hike____75560.html
Jul 18, 2017 Japan: consumedOn a similar theme, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got the news he probably least wanted to hear from an economic point of view recently – that tax revenues have fallen . Famously (or infamously), Japan's fiscal situation is even more dire than South Africa's. Its public debt has grown to a level that is difficult to comprehend, and it can't even begin to start paying it down until the Government's budget is balanced, which won't happen until 2020 – a target that is looking increasingly optimistic. And this is before we consider the fiscal impact of an aging society, which is expected to drive up social security expenditure markedly in the coming years. So where does Abe go from here? The same place that Japan always goes in a fiscal crisis – the consumption tax. Inevitably, a debate about it has already begun in Japan following the recent revenue development. To raise, or not to raise, is usually the question. But, believe it or not, this time around, there is a group of lawmakers in parliament arguing for a consumption tax cut on the grounds that it would help stimulate the economy, and in turn restore tax revenues to growth. They might be right. Or they might be way off the mark with this. But that there is such a dichotomy of opinion on wider fiscal policy in Japan is something of a worry, and is an indication perhaps that nobody in Japan knows what the answer is any more. After all, how do you repay a debt of one quadrillion yen (that's about USD10.5 trillion) when you're living beyond your means? It certainly is a most consuming predicament.
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/Japanese_Tax_Collections_Fall_For_First_Time_Since_2009____74724.html
Apr 20, 2017 Japan: filtersThere must be some sort of saying along the lines of: if you repeat the same advice often enough, eventually the recipient will stop hearing it. Perhaps somebody kept saying it to me once and I filtered it out. Anyway, if there were such a proverb then it would apply very aptly to Japan and the interminable debate about its consumption tax. Indeed, there's barely a month that goes by these days without one international economic institution or another, such as the OECD, recommending that Japan raise the rate of its consumption tax. The trouble is Japan appears to have filtered the recommendations out. And perhaps it's all the better for doing so. Certainly, Japan is going to have to make some tough decisions in the years ahead as it deals with the effect of a rapidly aging population whilst already saddled with a mountain of debt and very possibly a stagnating economy. But hiking sales tax by a few percentage points surely isn't going to be the panacea that makes the problem go away. What's more, we know what happens when consumption tax does go up in Japan � prime ministers are kicked out, and people stop going to the shops. Hardly an ideal mix to promote economic health and fiscal stability. Perhaps it's time more imaginative solutions to Japan's fiscal crisis were found, but I don't see much evidence of that happening anytime soon. Economists need to shed their fixation with Japan's consumption tax first.
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/OECD_Urges_Japan_To_Hike_Sales_Tax____73984.html
Jun 20, 2016 Japan: hesitantBack to the real world now, and I can't think of any country in recent history which has had such a singular focus on one tax than Japan has had with its consumption tax. The reason for this is that, as many inside Japan, and economists and analysts outside it, have come to conclude, a consumption tax hike is the only thing likely to rescue Japan from future fiscal oblivion. And there are some compelling reasons for increasing the tax. One of them is that, according to the International Monetary Fund, in dollar terms each percentage point increase in consumption tax generates almost USD20bn in revenue. That's some chunk of change for a relatively minor increase in tax, and would obviously go some way towards budget deficit alleviation and public debt reduction. And at eight percent, the tax is lower than equivalent levies in most other countries, so there is some scope for an increase. However, while consumers in other countries, particularly in Europe, take consumption taxes of 20 percent or more for granted now, such a prospect would send the Japanese fleeing from the country's shopping malls en masse. But this isn't just a highly sensitive economic issue; it's a political poison for most who touch it. This, I suspect, might have figured prominently in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's thinking when he postponed the next scheduled rise to 10 percent. Predictably, the international ratings agencies were quick to condemn the decision as credit-negative. But the near-constant uncertainty about the tax can't be helping the situation either. Indeed, I'd be more likely to offer an encomium if Abe were prepared to jump off the fence, put his career on the line, and decide once and for all about the consumption tax. Indecisiveness is rarely the precursor to successful outcomes.
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/Japanese_Sales_Tax_Delay_Bad_For_Credit_Rating_Fitch____71459.html
Apr 04, 2016 Japan: the long gameDebt���some have an aversion to it, others live their life by it. Either way, it is clear that debt makes the world go round, at least economically speaking (before all you astrophysicist start writing in!). Try running a successful business without a line of credit from a bank or other lender. Try buying a house without a mortgage (unless of course, you're one of the lucky few fortunate enough to be able to buy your home with hard cash). What's more, national tax codes tend to favor debt funding over equity funding, so it's hardly surprising that many businesses are highly leveraged. However, as we experienced almost a decade ago � and are still experiencing now � debt can be a very bad thing if not managed responsibly, and unfortunately many banks, companies, and governments have been very irresponsible with how much debt is created in the recent past, with fatal consequences. Are we really expecting Greece, which has lost about one-third of the value of its economy through the debt crisis, to pay back all the money it has been lent by the troika of lenders? Let alone the debt it had already racked up before the crisis struck? Yet, Greece isn't even the most indebted government. That dubious honor falls to Japan, the first of this week's subjects, which has sovereign debt equivalent to approximately 230 percent of GDP. That's a mind boggling amount. Despite its recent economic travails, Japan is still the world's third-largest economy, and GDP was estimated at over USD4.6 trillion in 2015. So that makes Japan's debt worth about JPY1 quadrillion. That's 15 zeroes. If you're struggling to comprehend that, in dollar terms it's USD10.5 trillion. Or to put it in a more easy-to-visualize way, it's roughly the same amount that China's entire economy produced in 2014. Japan is more fortunate than Greece in that most of this debt is owed to domestic creditors, including financial institutions, insurers, companies, and individuals, at minuscule rates of interest, rather than to interfering foreigners wanting their pound of flesh (no names, no pack drill). Still does any politician seriously expect Japan to even make a dent in this debt mountain, let alone pay it down substantially, given its well-documented economic weaknesses and rapidly aging population? In public maybe they do, but in private I suspect they don't. To be fair to the Japanese Government, there's little it really can do in the short- to medium-term to make a difference without snuffing out a fragile economic recovery. That's why I'm going to give it an encomium this week for continuing its policy of corporate tax cuts in the recently approved 2016 Budget. There really is no point in having such a high and complex corporate tax rate if the goal is to foster a private-sector recovery. And even if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's three arrows of recovery haven't quite hit their mark yet, his policies are showing some signs of working. The one cloud over a fairly good week for Japan is the interminable speculation about the second consumption tax rise, which is due to take place in a year's time. Abe has yet to decide whether the economy has recovered enough to withstand the likely fall in consumption that will follow the tax rise. But surely any impact on the economy is going to be short-lived, as it was with the first consumption tax rise in 2014. However, the decision is as much political as it is economic and will no doubt depend on Abe's political standing, which he is attempting to strengthen by seeking to hold lower house elections alongside a vote of the upper house later this year. Still, if I were a betting person I'd put money on another delay (although I wouldn't stake my mortgage on it).
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/Japanese_2016_Budget_Approved_By_Diet____70844.html
Apr 21, 2015 Japan: consumed by taxIt's a rare occasion that I agree with something the OECD says. So when it does happen, mostly begrudgingly, it's probably worth a mention. In this instance, there are some qualifications, and while I concur with the broad thrust of the OECD's report on Japan, I don't necessarily agree with all its proposed remedies. It's an inescapable reality that Japan is going to need to collect a lot more tax revenue if it is going to face the future with confidence about its ability to pay its way. And it will be a delicate balancing act between growth and austerity-type policies. But perhaps it's time to end the world's fixation on Japan's consumption tax. We've seen in the past how the Japanese economy responds to tax hikes – not very well as it turns out – and we were given more evidence of this just last year, when consumption tax increased from five percent to eight percent and economic growth took a worrying dive into the red in the subsequent quarter. Given that the consumption tax is a political toxin in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to have got away lightly as a result of last year's hike. But there is no doubt he is handling the issue with kid gloves, as demonstrated by the decision to postpone the next hike to 10 percent, which had been due in October 2015. Given that previous consumption tax hikes, or just the mere suggestion of an increase in this tax, has ended the career of more than one prime minister early, it is perhaps unrealistic for the OECD to suggest that there is scope to raise consumption tax to the average OECD consumption tax rate of nearly 20 percent. That just isn't going to happen. Even in an age when the tax burden is shifting from direct to indirect taxation, as numerous tax studies tells us, it could be very counterproductive in Japan, with the country's notoriously price-sensitive consumers likely to clasp shut their wallets and purses after a sales tax increase of such magnitude. A more holistic approach to Japan's fiscal problem, and one that will encourage growth rather than throttle the economy, is surely needed. Looking in from the outside at least, it seems that measures far more radical than the modest corporate tax cuts currently in the pipeline (which are actually going to be canceled out by changes to loss carry backs) are required. That's easier said than done though.
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/OECD_Calls_For_LargeScale_Japanese_Revenue_Increases____67822.html
Jan 08, 2015 Japan: one step forward...It would be carping not to acknowledge Japan's reduction of its corporate tax rate, although it is no great shakes, and still leaves Japan towards the top end of the rates table, currently and ignominiously headed by the USA. It's difficult to believe though that it will be enough to inject real life into the moribund Japanese economy. So one has to ask: what will? And the question can be asked just as well of those European countries which are bidding fair to join Japan in its deflationary stasis. The answer is not to be found in macro-economic nostrums: economic growth happens because individuals make decisions to hire workers, take an entrepreneurial risk, or get a job, if one is available, and not because government pulls a lever. Governments like to think they can influence economies by taking macro-economic decisions, but they are wrong. What Japanese businessperson is going to alter their behaviour even one jot because corporation tax has been reduced by a measly two percent? Ten percent, perhaps, but two percent? And any benefit gained from the reduction is more than wiped out by the reduction in loss offsets from 80 percent to 50 percent. Actually that is a swingeing tax increase of 10 percent for any profitable company with past losses. How can that possibly influence business investment? It is a tax rise, pure and simple. In Europe, of course, there is no question of lowering taxes; they need every penny they can find just to avoid looming default. So we need to look at the reality of animal spirits at the individual level. Our Japanese hero, Shinzo Abe (no relation) is at breakfast with his wife Yuna. He operates a small sandwich bar, and has nearly finished paying off the loan he took from a local cooperative bank to buy the sandwich stand after losing his salarimen job. He is busy out of sight with corporate lunch orders. "It'is getting you down," says Yuna, "You never laugh any more. And I never see you nowadays. Why don't you take on a helper?" "You know why," says Shinzo. "I would have to instal a toilet, and rest facilities. There is a minimum wage, there is payroll tax, there are social security payments. And there is consumption tax; we already have to charge a high price because of the cost of beef. What if the market gets weaker? If it all goes wrong and the worker is no good, it will cost a fortune to get rid of them, and I might not survive. Then our home would be in danger. It's just too risky." "But can't you take on a freeter? What about that young lad from the next street, the one who cleans our windows? He wouldn't ask much." "He's not trained," said Shinzo. "I did ask him, actually, but he lives with his parents and he wants a real job with a corporation. He's not too interested in hard work making sandwiches! If I took him and if he was willing, he would have to be a real employee, with insurance and all the other issues. There are apprenticeship programs, it's true, but he is already quite old. I'm sure he wouldn't want five years as a catering apprentice, and I am not qualified to be his master, anyway." Very little has been done in Japan to encourage job formation in such situations: no subsidized loans; no entrepreneurial incentives; no tax breaks; no employment subsidies for individual entrepreneurs; no bankruptcy forgiveness or halfway-house insolvency legislation. Of course Shinzo will battle on, on his own, and of course he won't take on an employee. Yuna offers assistance from her aunt, who has recently been widowed, has a substantial pension, and is quite keen to have something to do to take her mind off her problems. She's a dab hand at sandwich-making after a lifetime of putting together her hubbie's lunch-boxes. Yuna will give her aunt small sums of money from her own quite handsome salary as a teacher, and they will get by. It will all be strictly unofficial, and completely outside the recorded economy, and of course no tax will be paid. But a small business with the capacity to become a larger business will be stultified, to no-one's benefit at all. With minor differences, we could have been talking about almost any Eurozone economy. Until Governments get down and dirty with the reality of life as it is lived in the tenements of Naples, the banlieus of Marseilles and even the back streets of Dusseldorf, there won't be any answer to the problem. There has to be a bonfire of regulations, and widespread abandonment of taxation for start-ups; then, and only then will animal spirits ignite into a blaze of creativity and new jobs. Unfortunately, they are not capable of thinking that way in the Treasuries of Europe, and if they were, the unions and the lawyers would soon stop them.
Source: www.tax-news.com/news/Japans_Coalition_Parties_Agree_Corporate_Tax_Rate_Cut____66856.html
Nov 25, 2014 Japan: meekIndia's economy has yet to peak, but most observers would agree that in the main, the country will be looking up at the summit, rather than down at the base, in the coming decades. One really does wonder whether the opposite is true of Japan, which perhaps reached its economic peak over 20 years ago and is now staring up at a debt mountain, wondering when the summit will appear. After some pretty disastrous economic data this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, perhaps the most dynamic Japanese leader in recent history for his economic polices at least, got the frights and decided to cancel a consumption tax rise from five percent to eight percent, not due to take effect until next October; the first stage of the phased increase, from three percent to five percent, which took place last April, was widely blamed for tipping the country into recession. I can absolutely understand why Abe has done this. Politicians trade in the currency of popularity, so canceling what is a highly unpopular policy is a logical move. And by calling a snap election, he can resume his political career without worrying whether sliding popularity will cast him into the political wilderness prematurely. But what is good for Abe personally might not be good for the nation of Japan. Nobody likes to see taxes rise, least of all myself. But the scale of Japan's fiscal problems really is frightening. True, a good chunk of the Government's mountainous debt, worth about 230 percent of the economy and rising, is owned by the Japanese public. But unless some radical solutions are found, the problems will only compound as fewer working people attempt to support an ageing and non-working population that is increasing. Certainly, hiking consumption tax by a few percent isn't radical. But it has to be better than taking more tax from incomes, and it's a start. Abe's decision smacks of kicking the can down the road, which might be expedient in the short-term. But who knows how much tarmac is left? And this consumption tax phobia seems to be a peculiarly Japanese phenomenon. It's like a force that brings death to anyone who dares to mention it. Few other Governments are so meek when it comes to raising taxes, and the Japanese should try living in Europe, where consumers pay rates of VAT of 20 percent or more. Anyway, I have some quite controversial suggestions for Japan's age-induced fiscal crisis, which I'm just going to throw out there. The Japanese tend to live quite long and healthy lives, so a radical solution might be to abolish retirement altogether. Perhaps this could be combined with the elimination of so-called "sin taxes" on alcohol, tobacco, sugar and fatty foods to let the people work and/or drink themselves into an early grave, thus diffusing the demographic timebomb in one fell swoop. I am of course joking. Wouldn't want to give Governments any ideas...
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/Japan_Pulls_Sales_Tax_Hike_Plans_As_Economy_Sputters____66440.html
Nov 20, 2014 Japan: all the right noisesIf foreign direct investment figures are anything to go by as an indicator of a country's competitiveness, or an economy's potential, then Japan looks to be in pretty poor shape at the moment. According to one official estimate, Japan lies 25th in the table of received Foreign Direct Investment stock, the level of accumulated FDI in a country, with USD231.2bn invested there by the end of 2013. This is less than Poland, which is positioned in 23rd place, and which has been playing two decades of catch-up after suffering years of stagnation under Communist rule. Japan, famously, entered a long period of economic deflation in the 1990s, and successive Governments, shying away from unpopular, but potentially effective, measures have struggled to find the right formula to turn this particular economic tanker around. Even so, for one of the richest and most advanced nations on earth, this figure is quite striking, and is indicative of a country that remains mistrustful of foreign participation in its economy. Perhaps this has to change. And to a certain extent it is under the premiership of Shinzo Abe and his brand of growth-orientated economic policies dubbed Abenomics. He has taken Japan into the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, and a trilateral free trade agreement with China and South Korea is inching ahead. Just how serious Japan is about opening up highly protected and nationally-sensitive parts of its economy is open to debate, however. The country is at long last taking action on the tax front though. For a long time, legislators in the United States, unable to pass much needed tax cuts, could at least look to Japan and thank them for having the highest rate of corporate tax in the OECD. But after cutting the tax a couple of years ago, this unwanted baton was eventually passed to the US. Now Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry wants to cut corporate tax again next year. A 2.5 percent reduction doesn't sound like much, and it probably won't have a great deal of effect considering that less than a third of companies in Japan pay the tax anyway because of previous losses, but it's a positive signal, and at the very least shows investors the Government's preferred direction of travel. Investors don't look solely at corporate tax rates when deciding where to risk their money; there are other considerations too numerous to mention here influencing such a decision. But corporate tax rates are in effect a country's shop window, and the more attractive the display, the more like the customer will enter.
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/Japanese_Minister_Seeks_Corporate_Tax_Cut_In_2015____66391.html
Oct 02, 2014 Japan: stonewallingMaybe it's time for negotiating teams attempting to expand the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement to say "sayonara" to the Japanese delegation, with Tokyo seemingly refusing to budge from its entrenched position on protections for its agricultural and automotive sectors. Of all the world's major economies, Japan remains something of an enigma. It achieved phenomenal growth in the decades succeeding World War Two, but it remains distrustful of foreign participation in its economy, and barriers to entry to Japan's market for foreign investors are still high, despite free trade being the global norm rather than the exception these days. Indeed, foreign direct investment inflows as a percentage of the Japanese economy stand at a meager 4 percent, while the percentages for other advanced economies are in double-digits. Even North Korea manages an FDI-to-GDP ratio of 12.5 percent. As we know though, Japan has lost its way somewhat economically-speaking over the last 20 years, and the emergence of China, South Korea and other Asian economic powerhouses is providing ever-stronger competition for its exports. One sign of a doctrinal change within the Government is the morphing of Japan's External Trade Organization (JETRO) from an export promotion body to an inward investment promotional agency. So it was presumed that Japan's momentous decision to join the TPP negotiations was a part of a process to open up Japan's economy to foreign investment, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was widely praised as a result. But since Japan joined the talks last year, it has seemed unwilling to give an inch on these sensitive items, which rather begs the question of why it joined in the first place. Perhaps it's all part of a plan by Abe to play both sides of the fence. Taking Japan into the TPP was a natural extension to the expansionary economic vision dubbed "Abenomics." Contrariwise, by standing up to America on behalf of Japan's powerful agricultural and auto lobbies, perhaps he is strengthening his political hand at home. Whether this is by accident or by design is a moot point at the moment. Either way, after considerable progress was made in the early rounds, the negotiations have more or less come to a complete standstill, and there can be few doubts that the obstacle is Japan-shaped.
Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/No_Progress_For_US_Japan_In_TPP_Crunch_Talks____65942.html
Jul 03, 2014 Japan: winning the sprintIf Japan sees itself as being in some sort of international competition to attract business investment, the confirmation from Shinzo Abe that the corporate tax rate will fall below 30 percent from its current level of 36 percent puts it securely ahead of the USA, which still charges around 40 percent if local taxes are factored in, and there is no sign whatever of any consensus legislation to lower the rate. Japan will also be ahead of France, whose 33.33 percent is unlikely to fall any time soon (they can't afford it), and of India, where the Government seems unable to get a long-planned reduction in its 33.99 percent rate through Congress (although Narendra Modi's new broom may change matters). Other countries on 30 percent or above include Belgium, Australia, Italy, Morocco, Nigeria, Spain, Costa Rica and Argentina. So Japan may find itself in the middle of the pack, just a few years after heading the field. Headline rates are not everything, though: reportedly, few Japanese companies pay corporate tax, either because of accumulated past losses or because of extensive tax breaks. A headline rate reduction would probably be accompanied by abolition of many of the tax breaks. But I started this paragraph with the word "if." It is not at all clear that Japan is about to compete with other major industrial powers, at least not domestically. Many of its largest sectors shelter behind high tariff walls or restrictive trading rules, as witness the soon-to-be-aborted TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) negotiations, in which Japan is steadfastly refusing to open itself up to US automotive competition, and seems utterly unwilling to dismantle its absurdly high agricultural tariffs (777 percent for rice, anyone?). Making all possible allowances for Mr Abe's domestic political difficulties, the corporate rate reduction seems to stack up more as a fillip for home-grown businesses than as a move towards genuine international opening.
Source: www.tax-news.com/news/Japan_Plans_Sub30_Percent_Corporate_Tax_Rate____65085.html
Jun 12, 2014 Japan: living dangerouslyWe are seeing a series of improbable developments in Japan, as previously unthinkable changes seem to be swallowed wholesale by an economy which was thought to be on terminal life-support. There now seems to be wide acceptance that it will be possible to make further cuts in corporate tax rates while continuing to beef up sales taxes. Even the IMF agrees that this is the correct strategy, while of course continuing to insist on the need for measures to address the country's indebtedness: 240 percent of GDP and rising. Due to the fact that a very high proportion of the debt is held by domestic savers, who have historically been prepared to accept low interest rates, the average rate paid by the Government is a mere 1 percent. But the budget deficit this year is likely to be 11 percent of GDP, far above a sustainable level, and debt service mops up nearly a quarter of current government spending. Given that Japanese tax revenue amounts to only 28 percent of GDP (ten points less than in the US and twenty points less than in Europe), the bargain between citizens and Government seems clear: we'll lend you money as long as you don't tax us too much. What happens though if savers break ranks, and refuse to continue to support the debt burden at today's low rates? The answer given by Abenomics seems to be that a dash for growth will pull the country out of its current economic malaise before the worm turns. A deeper question perhaps is to ask whether Japan can continue to be that immune to global pressures. Low interest rates are a worldwide phenomenon at present, as witness this week's rate-chopping exercise by Mario Draghi. There is not much temptation for a Japanese saver to betray her Government's national interest when the alternative is so unattractive. But the era of low interest rates will soon come to an end – it is already remarkable that so much printing of money and quantitative easing has not led to higher inflation, perhaps only because of lack of private demand for money during the debt crisis – and when it does, rates will shoot up. Japan is on a tight-rope, therefore, and you have to hope that Shinzo Abe will be able to get to the other side before the illusion shatters. From that perspective, the IMF, for once, is right, and the overriding need is for the Government to take more money from its citizens, rather than continuing to borrow it. I never thought I would say such a thing, but: "Diseases desperate grown by desperate appliance are relieved."
Source: www.tax-news.com/news/Japanese_Corporate_Tax_Cut_Increasingly_Likely____64886.html
Dec 19, 2013 Japan: slams the doorAs an ardent free-trader, it gives me no pleasure at all to have been right over the extension of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal to include Japan. What I can't understand is why Japan agreed to put everything on the table, and then just a few months later refuses to negotiate over its agricultural tariffs, including the crazy 777 percent levy on imported rice. Well, I do understand that in apparently changing his mind Shinzo Abe is making a carefully orchestrated domestic gesture, probably because he thinks that the American administration will be unable to get a TPP treaty through Congress without a TPA (Trade Promotion Authority), and there is no point in spending his precious, and limited, political capital and getting nothing in return. In fact, Abe has already gone a long way towards dismantling the agricultural regime that supports high rice prices, although it will be 2018 before there is much market impact. The TPA is the bigger problem, in reality: nobody supposes that Congress in its current factionalized state is going to wave through a TPP treaty that includes Japan without mauling it half to death over labor issues. There is a chance however that with a TPA in place, a majority might be obtained. The problem is that the price of a TPA is the inclusion of a "currency manipulator" clause in future trade agreements, and Japan will not wear this. Nor should it: that countries manipulate their currencies is beyond doubt – what is quantitative easing if it is not currency manipulation? It doesn't have much effect, because it's not just the Fed: the Japanese are doing it, the ECB is doing it, the Brits are doing it, and we'd probably find out that the Chinese are doing it if their monetary policy wasn't so inscrutable. So it's a zero-sum game in terms of currency values, at present. Its impact is to keep interest rates down, which is a Good Thing, short term at least. The problem with a currency manipulation clause is that it gets used, or rather, misused as a protectionist tactic by anti-trade lobbies, and this is not even a left/right issue. There are plenty of well-funded Luddites and backwoodsmen on both sides of the aisle in legislatures around the world, and it is devilishly hard to keep them at bay even when there is a level playing field. If you give them a currency manipulator weapon, it becomes impossible. So the inclusion of Japan in the TPP negotiations was a fatal error. The best thing to do is to say thanks but no thanks, get an 11-country TPP through, and then in 2017, when the dust has settled, start all over with Japan.
Source: www.tax-news.com/news/TPP_Misses_EndYear_Deadline____62985.html
Oct 10, 2013 Japan: making senseIt's rare event that I find myself agreeing with Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the OECD, but I have to join the chorus of plaudits for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to go ahead with an increase in the country's consumption tax from five percent to eight percent from April 2014. Actually, it's the accompanying support measures for business that are more praiseworthy, including accelerated depreciation for companies spending on high-technology plant and machinery from April 1 next year and – less admirably – a payroll subsidy (remember the "lump of labor" fallacy). Japan's problem is debt, oceans of it, much the highest of any significant nation at 230 percent of GDP – next comes Greece at 161 percent and Italy with 130 percent. Greece is on life-support, while Italy is being kept afloat only thanks to the printing presses of the European Central Bank and Chancellor Merkel's good offices. So how does Japan manage it? With a 10-year bond yield of 0.64 percent, that's how, and a program of quantitative easing (that's printing money, in plain English) that makes the Fed look miserly. Also, the patriotic Japanese lap up their country's bonds for their savings. Perhaps that's got more to do with Japan's relative cultural isolation than clear-headed calculation; but either way the result is a kind of zombie economy – the lost decades, as they are called. It's a very hard trap to clamber out of, once you are in it. The Tea Party is coming in for a lot of flak this week for trying to stop an increase in America's debt ceiling (a mere 80 percent of GDP), which most people take for granted should happen; but just take a look at Japan, folks.
Source: www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/OECD_Lauds_Japanese_VAT_Hike_Decision____62267.html
Sep 19, 2013 Japan: to cut tax?In Japan's case, Abenomics seems to be succeeding, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has the political space to proceed with the consumption tax hike due in April next year. He has to decide on October 1, and appears likely to bite the bullet, although accompanying it with a fiscal stimulus for business to replace some of the lost consumer purchasing power, which may either take the form of a rate cut (Japan's rate hovers around 38 percent, putting it up there with the USA at the top of the table) or equivalent incentives.
Source: www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/Japan_Prepares_Corporate_Tax_Relief_Against_Consumption_Tax_Hike____62048.html
May 02, 2013 Japan: trading with CanadaIt seems as if the Canada/Japan Economic Partnership Agreement is being Fast-tracked (must be the weather for puns), and it's probably easier for Canada to do a deal with Japan than it would be for other countries to the south - too cold to grow rice, and the automotive industry consists mostly of assembly plants and component manufacturing, with the Japanese already well entrenched. For all the complaints that regional or bilateral trade deals have the effect of weakening Doha, I am not sure that's true. Every deal that's done is another piece of Doha that doesn't need to be fought over; and it's interesting that Canada and Japan are both negotiating members of the TPP (Trade Partnership of the Pacific), so that the same understandings, deals and compromises can presumably be carried over from the one to the other; it will be the same people each time, and they can scarcely pretend never to have met before. Wouldn't you imagine, in reality, that the various putative treaties merge seamlessly into one another? Nobody actually sits down to write these 1,000-page documents. "OK, Ed," says Jun Yokota (Japanese chief negotiator), "We did all this last week in Alm-Aty, didn't we? Shall we get in a round of golf before lunch? The boys and girls can pull something together for us to look at later on." Actually there is far more recycling of texts in international diplomacy than you might imagine: I've never sat at an international trade negotiation, but I was in at the birth of the Cook Islands constitution - a girl-friend of mine knew a New Zealand lawyer who had been sent to London to write it. We'll call him John -he's quite senior now - and we had lunch together. John was laughing: "I went to the Colonial Office for help," he said, "and this old geezer in pinstripe trousers said he'd have a look. So he riffled through a filing cabinet. 'Aha,' he said, 'Just the thing, it's the XYZ islands. I'll have the names changed, get it re-printed, and send a copy round to your hotel in the morning.' Here it is," said John, having another gulp of champagne and plonking the document on the table. "Job done! and it was supposed to take me two weeks."
Source: www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/Canada_Promotes_Japanese_Trade_Talks____60568.html
Apr 18, 2013 Japan: get trade medalsThe Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) had a good week, with Mexico agreeing to allow Japan into the negotiations, and the US administration reaching an agreement over automobile tariffs with Japan, albeit accompanied by howls of anguish from Detroit, and ritual protestations from the usual suspects among protectionist politicians. This will clear the way for the President to give Congress 90 days' notice of his intention to begin actual TPP negotiations. It's thought that this step may happen towards the end of the month when some other existing members overcome their reservations about the inclusion of Japan. All twelve actual and prospective members of the TPP are also members of APEC, and there is an APEC meeting in Indonesia next week, which would be an opportunity for remaining issues to be ironed out, meaning presumably that Japan will have to make the right noises about opening up its agricultural sector to Australia and New Zealand. That is immediately followed by a Canada/Japan meeting in Ottawa, which may provide the final trigger for the US to go ahead.
Source: www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/Mexico_Backs_Japans_Bid_To_Join_TPP_Talks_____60416.html
Apr 04, 2013 Japan: planning a communal rice bowlHow seriously should we take the free trade agreement negotiations between China, Japan and South Korea? Stick two pins in a map of the world, and you'll probably find that the two countries concerned are involved in one or more trade agreements, either in place or being negotiated. There are only a few hold-outs from the secular process of minimizing or abolishing cross-border obstacles to free trade; North Korea springs to mind. The WTO has 159 members and there are 24 countries in the waiting room (observer status), while the United Nations has 193 members, leaving only ten nations which aren't aspiring to belong to both. Then there is a bewildering number of regional trade groupings, amongst which the EU, NAFTA, MERCOSUR, ASEAN and CARICOM are obvious examples; but there are lots of others. Recently the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been in the news; Japan has applied to join it, but neither China nor South Korea has yet applied to join. None of the three countries is a full member of ASEAN, but in "ASEAN + 3" the "3" are China, Japana and South Korea. All three are members of the WTO, of course. All three are also members of APEC, whose members are negotiating the FTAAP (Free Trade Agreement of Asia Pacific); at least they look as if they are, but there may be more heat than light. South Korea has free trade agreements with a number of major countries, most famously with the USA (KORUS) and the EU; one with Canada is under negotiation. Japan's negotiations with Australia for an FTA have been dragging on since 2007; but just last week Japan opened negotiations with the EU for an FTA. China meanwhile has FTAs with a scattering of smaller nations including New Zealand, and has an FTA with ASEAN. Ten years ago, apart from WTO involvements, none of our three countries seemed that interested in pursuing more thorough-going trade agreements; but based on their recent behaviour you have to allow that they have apparently changed their spots, and are giving at least lip-service to the idea of extensive free trade, even in so-called "sensitive" areas like agriculture. Are they serious? Japan's import tariff on rice is – wait for it – 778%!
Source: www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/China_South_Korea_Japan_Make_Tripartite_FTA_Progress____60276.html
Jan 24, 2013 Japan: on the primrose pathNormally I would be complimenting any country that reduces taxes, but things aren't normal in Japan, with national debt heading for 220% and a newly-elected government which has a cavalier attitude towards economic rectitude. It's throwing a Keynesian pile of trillions of yen at infrastructure in an attempt to light a fire under the economy, and it may work in the short-term, but if history is any guide, won't be of any long-term help at all. Now, after years of inter-party struggle, the consumption tax rises which everybody (except most Japanese) agree to be critical to reforming the economy are to be negated by populist spending. Japan has had more than its fair share of disasters lately; it didn't need such a government. Obviously, not knowing the language, and at such a distance from the country, I don't understand the political dynamic. In fact I am baffled. But I know a mistake when I see one.
Source: http://www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/Japan_To_Extend_Housing_Loan_Tax_Credit____59237.html
Nov 29, 2012 Japan: can they be serious?As suggested in our news round-up, the FTA negotiations just starting between China, Japan and South Korea can be seen as a riposte to the American-led Trans-Pacific Partnership; but hey!, there are no bad FTAs, and this competition, if that is what it is, creates a virtuous circle of progress towards a tariff-free region. The TPP already has whiskers: originally (2005) it was a local affair between New Zealand and some of its Pacific neighbours, but for the last five years it has been much grander. China is staying aloof from the TPP, but South Korea is joining the fun, and Japan has said it wants to take part as well. But the TPP has just held its fifteenth round of negotiations, and the bigger it gets the further off seems any outcome. A touch of the Dohas, you might say. Perhaps the Japanese are just being cunning and are intent on spoiling the party? But when you look at how long it took the US Congress to ratify KORUS they probably needn't worry. The tripartite grouping is more real though: South Korea has some of the best free-trade credentials around, and will drive the negotiations hard. The sticking point will surely be the Japanese agricultural lobby? Presumably they have thought of that, so you have to assume that they are aiming for a limited agreement covering a number of industrial and perhaps financial sectors, with agriculture, fishing and other 'sensitive' sectors to follow along later. Fishing, gulp: they'll have to sort out the Spratlys and the rest before there's much chance of ratification in the Diet. It's trade that drives progress in human affairs, you see. If South Korea and China encircle North Korea in trade terms, how long could even that rogue state hold out in its ruinous anti-capitalist obsession?
Source: http://www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/China_Japan_South_Korea_To_Start_Trilateral_FTA_Talks____58395.html
Jun 21, 2012 Japan: believes something impossible before breakfastI hate to support tax rises, but Japan is an exception: its public spending and tax take are both low by international comparison, it has more than 200% of debt, and is drowning under the weight of its social policies. It's a no-brainer that the 3% consumption tax should be increased. At least, it is to the OECD, the IMF, the G20 and almost anyone who has been in a position to comment on Japan's economic situation over the last 10 years. But it isn't to Japanese politicians, and seems as tasty as strychnine to Japanese prime ministers, who have fallen like ninepins in recent years as a result of mentioning it. So full marks to Mr Noda, who has been clever, determined and flexible enough to get the Opposition to talk about it and even agree with it. So far. But don't hold your breath.
Source: http://www.lowtax.net/asp/story/front/UK_Creative_Industries_Tax_Breaks_To_Be_Worlds_Best____55961.html


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Play hide and seek with these masters of camouflage
The animal world never fails to amaze – particularly when it comes to hiding in plain sight. Belinda Smith uncovers six concealed creatures.
We may marvel at the brilliantly changing hues of an octopus and the subtleties of the stick insect, but camouflage in the animal world is millions of years old.
Last week researchers from Ireland, the UK and Spain reported a 10-million-year-old fossilised snake preserved in such a way they could reconstruct different types of pigment cells. The snake, they say, could have produced yellows, greens, blacks, browns and iridescence.
And some of the oldest evidence for camouflage was published in 2014 and comes from the Cretaceous period, with ancient turtle and dinosaur fossils (including the vicious ichthyosaur) showing traces of dark eumelanin pigment in their soft tissue.
Unfortunately (or, in the case of dinosaurs, fortunately), these species are no longer around today. So let's take a look at some of the animal kingdom's lesser-known hide-and-seek experts.
Coralline citizens
Some of the smallest seahorses in the world, pygmy seahorses dwell in the waters around Southeast Asia. Their bodies are covered in fringed and knobbled "tubercles" that perfectly meld with their soft-coral or seagrass homes.
These little creatures feed by sucking water, and filtering it, through their fused jaws.
Walking leaves
Insects in the family Phylliidae are, unsurprisingly, nicknamed "walking leaves". They were first described by Italian scholar Antonio Pigafetta on Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation from 1519-1522:
In this island are also found certain trees, the leaves of which, when they fall, are animated, and walk. They are like the leaves of the mulberry tree, but not so long; they have the leaf stalk short and pointed, and near the leaf stalk they have on each side two feet.
Found from Australia up to South Asia, they're an ancient family – a fossilised 47-million-year-old relative looked incredibly similar to those living today.
Eye spy
The eyes give it away. This leaf-tailed gecko in the genus Uroplatus ("ourá" meaning "tail" and "platys" meaning "flat") is found in Madagascar. Being a nocturnal creature, it emerges to hunt under the cover of darkness.
Leaf-tailed geckos are also found in Australia, with a new species Saltuarius eximius described in 2013 by Queensland zoologists.
Lurking danger
This is one nasty fish. Not only is it the master of disguise – the reef stonefish is also the most venomous fish in the world.
Found patrolling coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and feeding on small fish and crustaceans, Synanceia verrucosa has 13 spikes fed by two venom-filled sacs. If you're unlucky enough to get injected, the venom causes agonising pain and, in some cases, death.
Found across Australia, the tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) spends its nights hunting. But its days aren't tucked away in the nook of a tree trunk. They prefer to hide in plain sight, perched on a branch with beak aloft and eyes closed, looking all the world like a woody stump.
In winter months, they slip into torpor – bursts of hibernation that last only a few hours.
Clear as day
First described in 1885, the Carribean velvet shrimp (Metapenaeopsis goodei) is only a couple of centimetres long. But rather than colouring its surface to blend into its surroundings, the little crustacean goes a step further.
Here its semi-transparent body and bright red organs blend in with the moss animal "bleeding teeth" bryozoan (Trematooecia aviculifera).
This article appeared in Cosmos 61 - Feb-Mar 2015 under the headline "Hide and seek"
- http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(16)30120-8
- https://cosmosmagazine.com/life-sciences/what-killed-vicious-ichthyosaur
- http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v506/n7489/full/nature12899.html
- http://www.pnas.org/content/104/2/565.abstract
- http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3717.4.6


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The Insider: London-Bred Designer Gives Classic Prospect Heights Brownstone a Dose of British Chic
Ask interior designer Louisa G. Roeder to describe her style, and she'll probably reel off something like "Eclectic, layered, high-low, from family heirlooms to West Elm." In sum: "Anything goes, as long as I like it."
Decorating Victorian row houses, it would seem, comes naturally to Roeder after a childhood spent in London's coveted Chelsea neighborhood. The level of assuredness in the decor of the classic Prospect Heights brownstone she bought in 2014 is remarkable for one who has been a practicing designer for only a few years, with no professional training.
Roeder came to the States to study art history at Penn, then spent a few years at Sotheby's auction house and a few more as a fashion entrepreneur. At some point, friends began asking her for help decorating their apartments, and "it snowballed from there."
Also remarkable is the beauty of the 1870 building: the elaborate plasterwork on the ceiling of the parlor floor, and the general intactness of original details throughout, from arched doors and moldings to marble mantels.
The house was in near-pristine condition when Roeder bought it, requiring little in the way of major renovation. Her main moves were creating a bay window in the kitchen, adding a new wood deck and a new half bath in a closet off the master bedroom, and installing Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning units. Floors were stripped and refinished throughout.
Though Roeder shops for clients at the D&D Building and other trade resources, she prefers to trawl Craigslist, Etsy and eBay for her own home. Her look is "definitely not minimalist." She ties together disparate furnishings with a disciplined neutral palette. "All the different objects in contrasting colors might feel too busy, so I keep the colors muted," the designer said.
Painting doors, moldings and stair treads white gave the house a lighter, more up-to-date look.
Layered kilims and other area rugs over sisal carpet — this one cut to size by A-1 Interior Carpets — is a signature of Roeder's style.
The upholstered seating that anchors the parlor, which has three separate sitting areas, are mostly secondhand or antique pieces found online and recovered. "It's a grand space but I wanted it to feel cozy," Roeder said, so she chose to furnish generously rather than keep things spare.
The Art Deco-era armchairs were found on eBay and shipped from Hungary.
Roeder met lighting designer Paul Pisanelli of New York Vintage Lighting at Brooklyn Flea and together they created most of the hanging light fixtures in the house. The quirky chandelier in the front parlor repurposes wooden elements once used to support tin ceiling cornices.
The framed black-and-white abstracts are by Brooklyn-based artist Eugene Constan.
A framed construction by multi-disciplinary artist David Alekhuogie hangs above vintage furnishings found online.
A "before" shot of the rear parlor, above, gives a sense of the condition in which the house was purchased. Roeder removed the cabinet between the windows, which only looks vintage, and found a buyer for it. In its place, she inserted a bay window overlooking the garden.
Roeder streamlined the existing kitchen counter for a more modern look. The dining table is a discontinued style from Jayson Home, the chairs from IKEA. The white bar stools were sourced from Blu Dot.
Roeder added some additional IKEA cabinetry in the dining area.
The custom headboard in the master bedroom, which Roeder designed, has upholstered channels covered in fabric from Duralee.
The swimming pool painting over the mantel in the master bedroom's sitting area is by artist Michael Sherman.
An upstairs den/TV room is shared by the occupants of the house, a successful experiment in communal living. Roeder rented out bedrooms to friends early on, and there's been "no turnover," she said.
A paint job and Moroccan rug were about all this bathroom needed. The West Elm shower curtain conceals a claw foot tub original to the house.
A new deck of Trex composite, with a railing of steel cable, replaced a worn existing deck.
Bright pink chairs with wicker seats came from Industry West.
[Photos by Claire Esparros for Homepolish]
Check out 'The Insider' mini-site: brownstoner.com/the-insider
The Insider is Brownstoner's weekly in-depth look at a notable interior design/renovation project, by design journalist Cara Greenberg. Find it here every Thursday morning. Got a project to propose for The Insider? Contact Cara at caramia447 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Related Stories
- The Insider: Brownstoner's In-Depth Look at Notable Renovation and Design Projects
- The Insider: Architects Carve Two Lofts Out of Old Williamsburg Paper Doily Factory
- The Insider: Designer Evokes Dusky Glamour and Bright Modernity in Park Slope Townhouse


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Erin Howard along with his wife Patricia, are the founders of BrainRenu, LLC, where they have proven to be successful in providing empowering solutions for clients dealing with Anxiety Issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, Self-Esteem Issues and all Addiction. Because of Erin's diverse background and 10 plus years experience in providing Alternative Therapy options to clients, it confirmed in his mind that the physical condition in the body was always linked to a person's emotional state to one degree or another. So although attention to various physical conditions in the body is imperative, it repeatedly became evident that there was also a great need in the field to aid individuals in reaching an emotionally balanced state which in turn would work hand in hand with reaching wellness to an optimum degree. Hence the need to become certified in various modalities of Professional Emotional Wellness Coaching became a priority for Erin.
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Search results
It's important to pay close attention to what children see in the news because studies have shown that kids are more afraid of violence in news coverage than in any other media content. By creating a proper perspective and context for news and current events programs, we can help kids develop the critical thinking skills they need to understand news stories and the news industry.
The intense media coverage that accompanies traumatic events, such as war, acts of terrorism and natural disasters, can be very disturbing for children and teens. Certain young people are particularly vulnerable and some can be seriously distressed simply by watching TV replays of such events.
Parents, educators, health practitioners and others who work with kids can help to lessen anxieties arising from the coverage of catastrophic events.
Having a family agreement or set of ground rules for using social networks is a good idea. It's a great way for parents and kids to work together on how to be safe, wise and responsible online. Here are some ideas:
Like it or not, if you use the Internet you have an online identity. Some people call this your "brand." What's a brand? Think about a brand of soft drink, or computer, or jeans, or a band or a sports team. You probably have a certain idea about each one – what it's like, who buys it, and so on.
We always hear that sharing is a good thing. And thanks to technology, we can share our ideas, opinions, pictures and videos with our friends and other people we choose to share it with. Most of the time, sharing is good. But if we aren't thoughtful about how we share, we run the risk of hurting ourselves or someone else. Also, remember that the things you share with your friends can end up being shared with others. That's why it's important to think before you share.
Sexting is most likely to have negative consequences when the person sending the sext has been pressured into doing it.
It is natural for adolescents to be curious about sex: MediaSmarts' research suggests that one in ten grades 7- 11 students use the Internet to look for information about sexuality. Forty percent of boys look for pornography online, with 28% looking for it daily or weekly. The problem with pornography is that it is an unhealthy response to a healthy concern.
Making Your Voice Heard: A Media Toolkit for Youth is designed to help young people understand how the news industry works, why youth stereotyping happens and how they can access media to get positive youth voices and stories heard.
For most youth, the Internet is all about socializing and while most of these social interactions are positive, increasing numbers of kids are using the technology to intimidate and harass others – a phenomenon known as cyberbullying.
Media and communications technology play an important role in a student's health and physical education, for better or for worse. The new Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum provides a spring board to start discussions related to health and media literacy.