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Strict nationwide lockdown is not practicable in Ghana largely because the economy is too weak to cater for the vulnerable beyond three months sustainably. The trend of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world suggests that it is not likely to die out soon.
There will certainly be catastrophic consequences to Ghana if we adopt strict nationwide lockdown policies adopted by European countries.
This means we need to have a strategic plan and approach to dealing with the pandemic unique to Ghana.
As the situation evolves, the focus of the country should be on sustainability and effectiveness of the adopted measures to contain and stamp out COVID-19.
Ghana is not ready for strict nationwide lockdown due to the following reasons:
First, informal employment is the main source of employment in Ghana, accounting for 89.2 percent of all employment (ILO, 2018). What is peculiar about informal workers is that they lack benefits such as health insurance, unemployment insurance and paid leave. Worse still, particularly the self-employed need to work every day to earn their living and pay for their basic household necessities. A prolonged lockdown will put the lives of these people in danger.
Second, SMEs are the key drivers of the growth of Ghana's economy accounting for about 38 percent of the country's GDP (IFC, 2018).
Total nationwide lockdown will mean a hefty blow to employers and employees in these sectors as well as generation of revenue for government.
Third, government is certainly not ready to support millions of people especially in the informal sectors of the economy in sustainably. Ghana doesn't have the wherewithal to shoulder the responsibility of providing adequately for five to ten million people across the country.
Third, there is likely to be a sharp decline in remittance inflow as countries especially the USA, Asian and European countries have locked down and these are the countries where Ghana receives huge volumes of remittances from.
Four, government is losing billions in tax revenue this year due to COVID-19 and its attendant disruption in economic activities even with the partial lockdown should it go beyond a month. Oil revenue is also likely to suffer as world market price of crude oil tumbles.
Five, nationwide lockdown will result in shortage of agricultural goods including soya beans, maize, rice, poultry products and other essentials since Ghana is a net importer of basic food and services from China, USA and others. Farmers would not be able farm, let alone increase their production.
In fact, government should immediately retool the agricultural industry, supply large scale inputs and seedlings to farmers. We should even consider plantation farms to produce enough rice, cassava, plantain, yam and other foodstuffs to feed Ghanaians beyond the next three months. Self sufficiency in agricultural production is indispensable to our survival amidst the pandemic.
As a solution, I would recommend regional lockdown or targeted lockdowns as a more pragmatic approach to stifle and contain the spread of the pandemic as opposed to strict nationwide lockdown. In that case, a particular region or municipality could be cut off for rigorous testing and treatment within a given period of time.
Furthermore, government may gradually allow the informal sectors to operate under strict social distancing protocols monitored by the security agencies and local government agencies. The state can institute shift system for the operations of the informal sector.
Moreover, wearing of nose masks should be made compulsory for every Ghanaian in the public place. This would help to minimize the spread of the pandemic since the cost of shutting down the economy would be too devastating in the long run.
Finally, citizens should be educated in a language they understand and not how we want them to understand the situation. Citizens should be educated and not just informed about the pandemic to elicit attitudinal changes. Each Ghanaian must take responsibility for his own health and welfare. This maybe a more sustainable way forward for our country. Let's walk the talk of "Ghana Beyond Aid" mantra.
Source; leakynews.net


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Berkeley Group tempers profit update with inflation and Brexit impact warning
Homebuilder Berkeley Group (BKG.L) has had a good year so far and with the economy now reopened it is expecting a healthy profit going forward.
The group reported that reservations are back at their pre-pandemic level and it is confident of earning profits of at least £518m ($716m).
The pace of reservations has left Berkeley expecting forward sales of properties of around £1.7bn by the time the group reaches its half-year end on 31 October.
"The first four months of this new financial year have seen a continuation of the resilient market conditions reported with our full-year results in June," it said.
Read more: UK regions with most rental growth
It added that underlying reservations at this stage are in line with those achieved in the two years prior to the pandemic.
Sales pricing has remained above business plan levels, which is so far offsetting building materials cost inflation.
The company's shares ticked up 0.5% on Friday morning.
However, it said the operating environment remains challenging: it has continued to experience inflationary pressure in build costs and is concerned about ongoing issues in the supply chain and labour market resulting from Brexit and the pandemic.
"Right now, conditions are good. Yes, there are cost pressures out there, especially for building materials. But selling prices are rising, leaving profitability strong," said Steve Clayton, Hargreaves Lansdown Select fund manager.
Meanwhile, a pending return of capital will see Berkeley pay £451m to shareholders and it intends to allocate a further £228m of surplus capital to increasing its land buying, to capitalise on current, favourable market conditions.
"We hold Berkeley in our HL Select UK Growth Shares fund because of its strong cash generation," said Clayton.
"Berkeley takes on the big, complex projects that rivals find daunting. That means it can buy land cheaply, because it can be the only one that turns up to the auction," he added.
Watch: The £2bn Green Home Grants scheme explained

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sacred Heart
Sale price
Regular price
Unit price
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Festive crowns are here just in time for those Back to School days. Students, teachers, and parents, can wear these with pride to support their team! This one sports a glittery red and white look for the Academy of Sacred Heart. Can switch out the signature Sacred Heart logo for the word ASH or CARDINALS spelled out! Just let me know in the comments!
Extremely light weight, hand made, and AFFORDABLE! Get yours today!
Because of the custom hand crafted nature of this product, each one will be ever so slightly different.


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This mistress is as cruel as they come. And she prides in her cruelty. When she was told of this slave who was rude and disrespectful, she knew she had to meet him. She looked for him and when she finally found him, she punished him as cruelly as she could. She started with her facesitting fetish and nearly choked him as she facesat on him and she farted on him. He peed his pants.
This mistress knew what to do to her slave to get him to learn a lesson. She had tried to tell him what to do but he did not seem to understand her. She had to change tact and she used her ass to send the message. She facesat on him and she had him smell her ass as well as smell her farts. That did the trick and he did what she wanted.
Madame Marissa was not happy with her boyfriend. He had come home earlier than her but he did not do anything in the house. He waited for her to get home so that she could do everything for him. She was pissed so she called him to the kitchen and she showed him all the things he could have done. And when she was done, she facesat on him as punishment.
Goddess Liana wanted to make sure that her slave was not going to mess with her again. He had to learn his manners and she was not going to negotiate about it. She knew where the problem was and she had to nip it in the bud. She did it by facesitting on the slave using her jeans. She crushed his head and pump some sense into him and he cried in pain.
This mistress wanted her loser to lick her dirty thong. It had her discharge on it and she forced him to lick it She also facesat on him and farted on his face. She humiliated him a great deal and laughed at him as he was choking and as he was begging for her to forgive him. She did not even tell him what he had done. He was just apologizing because he did not know what else to do.
Madame Marissa summoned her slave and she had him explain what he had done. He had messed up and she wanted to understand why he had done what he had done before she made a decision to punish him or forgive him. She is a fair mistress and after she had heard him, she knew she had to punish him because he was was wrong. She used her facesitting fetish to do it and she choked him with her ass to send a message.
Princess Serena wanted to humiliate her boyfriend without him knowing. So she used her ass because she knew he had a thing for her ass. She facesat on him and as he enjoyed licking and smelling her ass, she covered his face with it and she wiggled her ass on it and made him feel some pain. She also farted on him and pretended she was doing it for fun and not to humiliate him.
When it comes to humiliating guys, this mistress is one of the best in the game. She loves it and she does it for the fun of it and not because she is mad or she is punishing anyone. Today she had this guy endure her facesitting just because she wanted to test his breath retention skills. She also wanted to test how his face would look like if she farted on it.
Madame Marissa has a nice ass and she enjoys using it to have fun. She is one of the mistresses who enjoy having fun while humiliating. For her, the humiliation is not tied to punishments or trying to control anyone. All she does is to make sure that she has tricked them into getting humiliated and she gets a kick out of it. The fun side of it is what she likes.
This mistress wanted to try something different. She had always used other ways to humiliate guys and punish them but she had never tried facesitting. It looked straightforward to her so she got a loser and she humiliated him for fun. She enjoyed how he struggled to breathe as she covered his entire face with her ass. She made him pee his pants as she choked and humiliated him with her facesitting.


text:
Charlotte Premises Liability Lawyers
37+ Years' Experience in Complex Property Owner Negligence Claims
Being injured on someone else's property can be a confusing ordeal. Is the property owner responsible? While there is no strict, or automatic, liability for all injuries on one's property, if the injury was preventable by the property owner then you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries. Unsafe conditions, poor property maintenance or other negligence in the operation of a business, for example, could make the owner liable for what's happened to you.
If you suffered an injury or—worse—if your loved one died as a result of injuries sustained on another's property, we are truly sorry for your loss. We want to help. Call us to discuss whether you may be entitled to compensation for what you've endured.
How Charles G. Monnett III & Associates Can Help
Before you discuss your concerns about an incident like this with anyone else, such as the property owner's insurance company, you are encouraged to speak with an attorney. At our firm, we can answer all your questions and help you determine the best way to move on with your life.
At Charles G. Monnett III & Associates, we understand what you are dealing with right now. Seeking legal advice may be the last thing on your mind—but please keep in mind how it could significantly help with medical costs, missed wages, and other injury-related expenses that you and your family have incurred. Most important, we are here to provide you with answers and help you seek the justice you deserve.
We are available today to help you. Contact us and you will receive trusted legal advice for free, with no obligation to retain us for your case if you have one. The premises liability attorneys at Charles G. Monnett III & Associates can help you decide what is most beneficial for you.
Contact Charles G. Monnett III & Associates to discuss your case with an experienced premises liability lawyer in Charlotte. Call us at (704) 859-2003 for a free consultation.
TestimonialsWhat Our Clients Say About Us
Charles was always available and informative on this process.- Susan Z.
Without their help, I would probably have lost everything that I owned.- Rick M.
Lauren Newton exceeded all of my expectations and she genuinely cares about her clients.- Jade B.
The experience I had was exactly what I wanted.- Jacob G.
I was very satisfied.- Raven B.
Proven Record of Success
$13 Million Medical Negligence Verdict
An infant suffered an undiagnosed case of bacterial meningitis that caused severe neurological damage.
$10 Million Car Accident Verdict
Verdict for a child who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident.
$9.075 Million Car Accident Verdict
Confidential settlement for a family struck by an underage impaired driver.
$8 Million Confidential Settlement
Confidential settlement for an infant with bilateral leg amputations following improper placement of the femoral line.
$4.75 Million Defective Automobile
Settlement for a woman severely injured as a result of a defective automobile.
$3.375 Million Failure to Diagnose
Confidential settlement on behalf of a child with severe visual impairments resulting from the failure to properly diagnose retinopathy of prematurity in a newborn child.
$3 Million Negligent Administration of Nerve Block
Confidential settlement for a woman with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury as a result of negligent administration of nerve block for headache.
$3 Million Cerebral Palsy
Confidential settlement for a child with cerebral palsy as a result of birth-related brain injury.
$2.5 Million Traumatic Brain Injury
Workers' compensation settlement for a man who sustained a traumatic brain injury while employed by a logging company.
$2.5 Million Traumatic Brain Injury
Recovery for a woman who sustained a traumatic brain injury after her vehicle was struck by a commercial truck while stopped for traffic in a construction zone.
Statute of Limitations on Premises Liability Claims
If you've recently been injured on someone's property, it is important to act quickly. Taking legal action as soon as possible is as simple as calling a qualified premises liability attorney today.
The state of North Carolina has a three-year statute of limitations, meaning you have three years from the date of injury or accident to file a lawsuit, or you will lose your chance to collect damages.
If you have more questions about the law and what your rights are, help is a simple phone call away. Speak with the Charlotte premises liability attorneys at Charles G. Monnett III & Associates and let us do the legal work while you focus on regaining your health, happiness, and stability.
Contact our office online or by phone at (704) 859-2003 today for a free, no-obligation, confidential consultation.
What Sets Us Apart
Compassionate Legal Professionals
Personalized Attention
You Won't See Us On TV
Committed to the Community
Experienced Trial Lawyers
Free Consultation for Injury Victims


text:
Coronavirus – Covid-19 Latest Updates & Information
We would like to keep all our friends and valued customers up-to-date with all the latest information and Government resources
- COVID-19 Corona Virus – South African Resource Portal
- Emergency Hotline: 0800 029 999
- WhatsApp Support Line: 0600-123456
- World Health Organization – W.H.O Updates on Africa
- Mobile Version W.H.O Updates on Africa
- Worldometer for South Africa Coronavirus Updates
- Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
Government Resources & Information:
- COVID-19 / Novel Coronavirus Main Gov Page
- South African Lockdown Extension
- Education
- Travel
- Fake news
- Social grants
- Hospitals and Centres of Disease Control
- Posters and infographics – Coronavirus / COVID-19
- Regulations and Guidelines
- Support to business
- Essential services
- Frequently Asked Questions: Answers to all your questions like:
- When is the lockdown taking place?
- Can a funeral take place?
- Can I travel to another province or district?
- Will shops remain open?
- Which goods are essential?
- Which services are essential?
- Is the selling of liquor allowed?
- Can I claim Unemployment Insurance?
Remember: Stay Home & Stay Safe. We look forward to welcoming all our customers soon!
Team GS Africa


text:
HAMPTON ROADS, Va - In Virginia, a child is abused or neglected every 80 minutes and every 8 days a child dies from maltreatment. We talk with the folks from Champions for Children about the effort to reduce that and about one man's work to help prevent child abuse in our region.
The 2017 Champions For Children Breakfast is October 11 at the Main in Norfolk. For more information visit www.championsforchildrenhr.org.


text:
In stock
FurReal Peealots Lil' Wags Tabby
• Brand: FurReal
• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 3 x 5.5 x 8.25 inches
• Age Range: 4Y+
• FEISTY LITTLE KITTY who likes to walk and needs to urinate
• Connect and walk around the nearest table
• Feed PET with his bottle
• Help pet pee by lifting its tail
• The attachable leash system lets you walk one or walk a lot, and it's compatible with Walkalots pets and Poopalots pets, too (Each pet sold separately. Subject to availability.)
FurReal Peealots Lil' Wags Tabby
There are no reviews yet.


text:
Why Is 'The Good Doctor' Star Antonia Thomas Leaving the Series?
Antonia Thomas, who portrays Dr. Claire Browne, is leaving 'The Good Doctor' after starring on the show for all four seasons.
Fans of ABC's The Good Doctor were first introduced to Antonia Thomas, who portrays surgery resident Dr. Claire Browne, in 2017 when the show debuted. Antonia quickly arose as a female lead opposite Freddie Highmore (who plays Dr. Shaun Murphy) on the hit medical drama. Her compassionate and kind character became a fan favorite pretty quickly, and she was one of the first doctors at St. Bonaventure to embrace Shaun.
Over the past four seasons, audiences have seen Claire continue to be a close friend and confidante of Shaun's. She's given him advice on everything from medical quandaries to problems in the romance department. Viewers have also seen Claire go through a lot of heartache throughout the past two seasons. In Season 3, her abusive mother comes back into her life, and just as the two are reconciled, her mother is killed in a drunk driving accident.
In the premiere of Season 4, Claire is devastated when Dr. Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) dies not long after he and Claire finally professed their love for one another. Thankfully, as Season 4 comes to a close, things have started to look up for her Claire. She recently connected and made amends with her estranged father. Fans have been wondering if a star was leaving The Good Doctor, and unfortunately, Antonia is. Keep reading to see what fans had to say about the shocking news.
Why is Antonia Thomas leaving 'The Good Doctor'?
When The Good Doctor returns for Season 5, it will be without Antonia. After four seasons, the actress has announced that she will be exiting the series. Antonia recently sat down with Deadline and spoke about leaving the show before the end of her contract. She shared, "I think, ultimately, for me, it's about coming to the point where I think we've really run the gamut of different things that Claire can have gone through, and I'm now really excited to explore different creative opportunities."
She also added, "I feel so lucky and basically indebted to [creator] David Shore and the writers for having the experience to play Claire, who has just been a wonderful, wonderful character to explore, so layered and complicated and flawed, the kind of character that I think an actress dreams to be able to play."
Fans of The Good Doctor were shocked about the news of Dr. Browne leaving the show and have taken to social media to express their feelings.
One fan tweeted, "Thank you, Antonia. We will never forget the wonderful and brave Claire. You have left an imprint in all of us watching the show. We wish you only the best." Another tweeted, "Opening Twitter, expecting nothing and then reading that … I'm so sad and also of course happy for her. Thank you, Antonia! It has been an amazing four seasons with you. I loved your character and your acting pretty much."
It will be interesting to see how Dr. Browne's story will end on The Good Doctor. Will she stay in Guatemala? She and the rest of the team from St. Bonaventure Hospital are there on a surgical mission. Her beloved character will totally be missed, but hopefully, it won't be goodbye forever since Antonia did say in her Deadline interview that she would like to reprise her role in the future.
You can catch the Season 4 finale of The Good Doctor on June 7 at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.


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Strategies for managing your revenue cycle during COVID-19 and beyond
5.20.2020 By Availity
COVID-19 has forced most healthcare organizations to restructure the ways they operate. Practices and hospitals not on the frontlines of fighting the pandemic have seen reduced—or non-existent—in-person patient visits, and perhaps an increase in telehealth visits. As we head into summer, many states have started loosening shelter-at-home restrictions, and patient volume is beginning to increase for non-urgent and elective procedures. But it's possible that many organizations won't see a return to pre-COVID levels for some time.
Whatever happens over the next few months, revenue cycle staff must stay focused on cash flow. How can your organization optimize operations to reduce claim errors, manage denials, file timely appeals, and maintain patient satisfaction? Here are some strategies to consider:
- Submit transactions electronically
The pandemic has demonstrated how much we still rely on printers, faxes, and postage meters to process paper-based claims. When staff is at home without access to that equipment, it can delay timely processing. One of the most impactful things you can do to streamline operations and reduce costs is to make sure your organization is leveraging all the ways it can submit electronic transactions.
Availity RCM users can use the Drop-to-Paper Claims Report/Unmapped Payer Report to see if there are any payers marked as drop to paper that can be set to electronic. You can also ask your account manager to run an ERA gap analysis to identify all remits that are being sent via paper. Check to see if those payers now offer electronic ERA enrollment and take the time to complete the enrollment process. And it may be time to finally upgrade to one of Availity's paper-to-electronic solutions, such as Workers' Compensation and Automobile Liability, Drop-to-Paper for Secondary Claims, or All-Payer Attachments for Medical Claims.
- Clean up claim errors
Whether your organization has been holding COVID claims to ensure they are as clean as possible before submitting, or you're seeing reduced volume because of fewer visits, now is a good time to focus on cleaning up all outstanding claim submission errors and getting them out the door. Availity RCM users can check the Edit/Error queue, which allows you to sort and filter claims to determine what to prioritize. You can also use the Edit/Error Management Report to track errors and identify trends. Consider implementing new edits to stay on top of these trends.
- Follow up on account receivables
How many times have you wished you had a few extra hours in the day to get ahead of your account receivables? With patient volume down, this is your chance to focus staff on critical follow-up activities and get cash flow moving. Start by reviewing your oldest claims and your high-dollar claims. Are there claims waiting for supporting medical documentation? Are you filing appeals wherever possible? Availity RCM users can leverage the Remit Delivery Report to track remits and monitor any delays in payments and the Remit Adjustment Detail Report to better understand denial reasons.
As you complete this work, consider what processes can be put in place to prevent denials in the future. Can you address common coding errors with targeted staff training? Are there adjustments to the check-in process that will reduce eligibility issues? Investing the time now to identify the root cause of problems can pay off when the office gets busier.
- Review your organization's financial policies
The unemployment rate is rising as a result of the economic slowdown, so you should expect to see more patients without health insurance coverage. As you prepare for questions from patients and staff, your organization may want to reevaluate its financial policies as they relate to charity care, bad debt, and patient payments.
If you decide to make changes, be sure to communicate the new policies to the entire organization. Too often, financial decisions are made and disseminated among back-office staff, but the information is not effectively rolled out to the individuals answering patient questions at check in. Also, if you have financial scripts integrated into your pre-service workflow, make sure those are updated with the revised talking points.
- Reassign responsibilities with staff strengths in mind
Many organizations have had to reduce staff hours or temporarily reassign employees to other roles. In making decisions about how best to deploy resources, consider leveraging overlooked skills. For example, do you have an employee who is a Medicare expert who can focus on working those denials? Or are there experienced patient account representatives who can temporarily handle patient registration and intake? This may also be an opportunity for less experienced employees to shadow seasoned staff members. Cross-training staff in different roles can help your organization build capacity for when operations return to normal. Don't forget: Availity RCM has several reports that provide insight into staff productivity.


text:
Send the command 'Skip Trace [address of the property] to SendFuse and receive the best phone number for the property owner if available.
Using the command: Skip Trace
No number? No problem… use the Skip Trace command to get a number of a property owner.
- Skip Trace (address of the property).
- Is address (address of property?) Respond with "yes" and we will check the information.
- Responding with Yes
- We will research the number to skip trace or the address and get back to you soon.
- Responding with No
- The system will ask you for a new address to Skip Trace.
To upgrade to the full version of SendFuse call 800-341-9918 or email email@example.com
Any Questions? Email firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
In sepsis, excessive inflammation may lead to organ injury or a paradoxical immunosuppressed state where the host is unable to clear preexisting infection. Resolution of inflammation is the process which restores tissue homeostasis and ensures that a chronic cycle of infection/inflammation does not occur. Lipoxin A4 (LXA4) is one of a family of lipid mediators with novel inflammation resolution activity. We compared the actions of LXA4 to the stable 15-epi-16-(para-fluorophenoxy)-lipoxin A4 methyl ester (LXA4 analog) in the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of sepsis. Both LXA4 compounds (at 7μg/kg; i.v.) reduced plasma TNFα and IL-6 concentrations compared to rats given vehicle saline. Neither treatment altered plasma IL-10 compared to CLP given saline, but LXA4 analog, increased plasma IL-10 concentrations compared to rats given LXA4. LXA4 reduced blood bacterial load but the LXA4 analog did not. LXA4 increased 8 day survival and the LXA4 analog did not have a significant effect. To examine possible mechanisms for the differences, we investigated peritoneal leukocyte gene expression of iNOS and macrophage phagocytic ability. Only LXA4 increased the percentage of phagocytic peritoneal macrophages. LXA4 reduced neutrophil gene expression of iNOS compared to CLP rats given vehicle, while the LXA4 analog did not. Our results suggest that at doses which reduced systemic inflammation, only LXA4 inhibited bacterial spread and increased survival. This difference may be due to the shorter-lived compound being able to increase macrophage phagocytosis and reduce neutrophil iNOS expression.
|Original language
|English (US)
|Pages (from-to)
|Number of pages
|Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids
|Issue number
|Published - Jul 2013
|Externally published
- Bacteria
- Macrophage
- Neutrophil
- Phagocytosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Cell Biology


text:
December 4, 2002 - Carmen
Electra, Jaime Pressly, Jessica Alba, Kylie Bax, No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani,
Bush singer Gavin Rossdale, Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath, and Jane's Addiction's
Dave Navarro were amongst the stars who attended the Maxim Magazine Heats
Up Los Angeles With The Pussycat Dolls event held at Henry Fonda Theater
on Tuesday (December 3) in Hollywood.
out pictures from WireImage.com (arrivals
/ inside).
November 8, 2002 - Erin,
the Jaime Pressly look-a-like on Survivor was voted off the show last night.
So no more attractive women are left on the hit show.
September 24, 2002 - The
Enquirer reports Jaime Pressly attended the September 14 Oscar De La Hoya
fight in Las Vegas with Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband Cris Judd, who was
looking to mend his broken heart. "Jennifer cheated on him with Ben Affleck
during their marriage, so Cris shouldn't feel guilty looking at other women
now," a friend declared. The pal added, "Cris was very reluctant to get
back on the dating scene. He cried to his closest friends that he didn't
think he could ever trust a woman again, no less go out with women. But
we told him he had to dust himself off and go on with his life. And now
he's doing just that."
here for May thru August news headlines and links


text: The tradition of January 1st being the beginning of the new year is derived from the Ancient Romans. The feast of the Roman god Janus, for whom the month is named, falls upon January 9th of the Julian calendar. Ancient Roman Emperor Julius Caesar felt January to be the perfect month to celebrate the beginning of the new year as it paid tribute to the deity who was responsible for new beginnings as well as doors and gates, personified as a dual faced god that can see both the past and the future


text:
JS777 is a high-alloy, fully austenitic stainless steel developed for applications where corrosive conditions are too severe for the standard grades of stainless steel. It also provides a cost-effective alternative to more expensive nickel-base and titanium-base alloys. It has relatively high resistance to stress-corrosion cracking and to intergranular corrosion. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, elasticity, and tensile properties. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, joining, and surface treatment. Filing Code: SS-377. Producer or source: Jessop Steel Company.
This content is only available as a PDF.
Copyright © ASM International® 1996
ASM International


text:
There are several similar ways to remember the criteria for evaluating websites. Click on the Title of each for more explanation and a PDF handout.
CRAAP (Cal State Universiy-Chico)
5 Questions (Univ. of California, Berkeley
Click here for a checklist.
Check out these other sites with tutorials on website evaluation. There are many other good tutorials and websites available.
For evaluating Medical and Health information, see also:
"The Truth is Out There...Question EVERYTHING you FIND!!!"
Florida Atlantic University Libraries
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 297-6911


text:
Weissman writes: "A growing progressive movement could beat back the beast and push the country in a more positive direction. We could, that is, if we focus less on why we can't and more on how we can."
Weissman: 'It's going to get a lot worse here before it gets better.' (photo: Phillippe Arbez)
Fascism Comes in Many Shades
17 January 14
ome of the best writers on the American left openly worry that the country is "on the brink of totalitarianism" and careening toward fascism, however they choose to define that very slippery word. The danger certainly exists, but a growing progressive movement could beat back the beast and push the country in a more positive direction. We could, that is, if we focus less on why we can't and more on how we can.
Optimism, cautious rather than cockeyed, goes a long way, but it is harder to keep alive here in France, where fascism, past and present, has a far greater reality. Ever since 2001, my wife Anna and I have lived in rural Dordogne, which still celebrates the World War II exploits of its anti-fascist French Resistance. It's all very romantic. But early in our first year I was walking in the nearby village, when I had to question whether we had made a frightful mistake. On the old stone walls of a deserted building, someone had crudely scrawled in white paint several six-pointed Stars of David, the ancient symbol now turned into a sign of racial hatred against Jews, whether pro-Zionist or not.
Anna is British, not Jewish, and was raised on stories of how her father, then an army officer, helped liberate the German concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen. Fearing for my safety, she wanted to pack up and leave. I was not about to let graffiti drive me away, but continued to wonder why the mayor never found it disturbing enough to remove. I should have asked him, but never did.
Soon after, I interviewed a Resistance hero, a lively gentleman in his 80s who had been honored, along with his mother and wife, for saving endangered Jews, many thousands of whom had fled to the Dordogne from German-occupied Alsace. He quickly cut through my illusions. A large majority of his neighbors, he said, had actively collaborated with the Nazis or passively went along with them. Nothing I have found disputes his judgment.
My next jolt came in the first round of the April 2002 presidential elections. Winning nearly 5 million votes, the National Front's Jean-Marie Le Pen beat out the flaccid Socialists for a place in the run-offs. Thuggish and charismatic, Le Pen was easily satirized as "Super-Facho," short for Super-Fascist, a name he well deserved. With support from the left, the center-right incumbent Jacques Chirac overwhelmed Le Pen, winning more than 80% of the second-round ballots.
Times have changed. Super-Facho's daughter Marine now runs the National Front and has rebranded it as an old-fashioned nationalist party, still right-wing and populist, but closer to the mainstream. She proudly proclaims her support for Israel. She insists she is not anti-Islam, but only opposed to what her father called "the Islamization of French Society." And, in her first run for the presidency in 2012, as Christopher Dickey reminds us, she "made a knowledgeable attack on neoliberal economics and finance-dominated capitalism, which many voters found more credible than Hollande's badly compromised social democratic critique or Jean-Luc Melénchon's far-left update of Karl Marx." All this has made the new Le Pen "the rising power in French politics," especially as the current Socialist president François Hollande had tanked in the polls even before the scandal of his romance with actress Juliet Gayet.
In local election this March, the National Front will field some 500 candidates, far more than in the past, and polls suggest that they will make a strong showing. Their platform remains much as it was. They want strict curbs on immigration, a crackdown on crime, and a return to protective tariffs. Le Pen has specifically targeted proposals for a trans-Atlantic trade accord, but offers no alternative beyond the dead-end of economic nationalism.
For the European parliamentary elections in late May, she sings the same siren song, playing on well-deserved criticisms of the undemocratic, bureaucratic, and far too neo-liberal European Union. She is allying herself with the anti-Islamic Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and other right-wing Euro-Sceptics to block any further integration of the European Union – and possibly to break it up entirely.
"I don't expect anything from the European system except that it explodes," she told Anglo-American journalists last week. If, as the polls suggest, the National Front does well in both elections, Super-Facho's daughter could in time do what he never could – win the presidency. Would she then remain bound by the rules of French democracy? Or would she swing back to her father's fascist ways?
No one knows. But I cannot get out of my mind the way he once characterized the Nazis in their rise to power. They were, he wrote, "a powerful mass movement, altogether popular and democratic, that triumphed through elections."
A timelier clue will be how Marine deals with the openly anti-Semitic comic Dieudonné M'bala M'bala. Performing under his first name, which translates as "God-given," the mixed-race Dieudonné gives a decidedly un-Aryan, third world cast to racial hatred, making himself the darling of disaffected young people of all races.
Brilliant onstage, he uses social media to spread his Holocaust "humor." Last month, French television – and YouTube – showed him attacking a Jewish journalist who is one of his fiercest critics. "When I hear talk of Patrick Cohen, I say to myself, you know, the gas chambers." Dieudonné pauses and raises an eyebrow. "A pity."
He also ridiculed the Holocaust in song. He explained that he was against Israel but not against Jews "yet." And he declared that in the conflict between Nazis and Jews, he did not know who started it and would not take sides.
One does not have to be Jewish for this to sound sick, but Dieudonné's audience lapped it up. Young people and sports figures also love to give his trademark gesture, the quenelle, holding one arm down at an angle and reaching upward across the chest with the other. Critics see it as a stiff-arm Nazi salute in reverse. Dieudonné insists that, as The New Yorker put it, it is "simply a defiant 'up yours' to the establishment."
How have the big shots responded? Exactly as expected. First they convicted him eight times for violating French speech laws that make it a crime to deny the Holocaust or spread racial and religious hatred. Having put all his assets in his wife's name, he never paid a single Sou.
Upping the stakes, Interior Minister Manuel Valls, officials in several cities, and the Council of State then banned his "Le Mur," The Wall, the performance in which he attacks Patrick Cohen. In turn, Dieudonné cleaned up his act a bit and now performs it as "Asu Zoa" – "The Face of the Elephant" in Ewondo, the Cameroonian language his father speaks. To Jewish observers, the new title looks like a clever anagram for USA ZOA, the Zionist Organization of America, which is probably the elephant he has in mind.
And so the show goes on, making officials appear ridiculous whatever they choose to do. If only Dieudonné were not such a hateful thug, his endless provocations would look like the best political jujitsu of non-violent civil disobedience, using the government's heavy-handed attack on what should be his right to free speech, no matter how vile, to makes himself even more of a hero to his growing base of fans.
Now the interior minister wants to censor YouTube, while Dieudonné threatens to go to the European Court of Human Rights. As for Marine, the public knows that her father befriended Dieudonné and god-fathered one his daughters, which makes them all family. What can she do? Just as she zigs toward the center right, at least publicly, Dieudo zags back to her father's worst hate-mongering, taking increasing numbers of young people with him. Her response so far has been lawyerly, which is how she used to earn her living.
"What he said against Patrick Cohen is against the law, and Mr. Dieudonné knows that perfectly well," she told the foreign journalists. "So he must assume the consequences, and he should be sanctioned."
Defending free speech, she sounded like a card-carrying member of the ACLU. "If political authorities start to ban shows in advance, because statements could be made during the event that would be outside the law, that makes me very afraid," she said. "It would be a totalitarian excess."
Too true. Yet Marine never slammed the anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial that Dieudonné and her father share with so many National Front supporters. Her approach seems too pitch perfect. Never bait Jews, Muslims, or blacks in public, but hold back from alienating those who would once they get the chance. Optimistic or not, it's going to get a lot worse here before it gets better.
A veteran of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement and the New Left monthly Ramparts, Steve Weissman lived for many years in London, working as a magazine writer and television producer. He now lives and works in France, where he is researching a new book, "Big Money: How Global Banks, Corporations, and Speculators Rule and How To Break Their Hold."
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
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|start date
|end date
|Jan 01 2024
|information:Tenant may extend - Electric, Gas, Cable & WiFi internet included
New York Furnished Rental Deals *
This 2 bedroom apartment is located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn (New York City). The apartment is on the top floor of a 4-story walk-up historic landmark building. There is a intercom/buzzer system to provide security.
The apartment features hardwood floors and decorative fireplaces, adding classic charm to this rental. Enjoy the luxury of a jacuzzi bathtub and the convenience of a washer and dryer in the apartment.
The living room is furnished with a queen size sofa bed and a flat screen television with cable channels and a DVD player, as well as a dining table. There is a telephone with basic access and a wireless internet connection. Air conditioning units cool the living room and master bedroom (Bedroom1 ).
Across the street from this building there is a large supermarket and on the corner there is a French style coffee shop. There are shops and restaurants all around this area.
Clinton Hill is an historic neighborhood of Brooklyn and its near the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Long Island University, the Pratt Institute and Fort Green Park. The famed photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe, and other artists such as Patti Smith, frequented this area in the 1970s, attesting to its strong cultural roots. There are many gothic-style churches in this neighborhood, adding Brooklyn charm.
The G train station is 2 blocks away.
Apartment floor plans in this site are not drawn to scale. They are an indication of the general layout and are intended as a guide only. Nothing contained in them should be considered to be an exact blueprint or statement of fact or warranty.
Review by: Alison E.,
Jan 13 2013
From: United States,
Apartment Rental: 3 months
The apartment and owner were fantastic. I had a really great experience. The apartment was as pictured and ready to go. The owner was available by phone anytime I needed anything. I highly recommended renting the apartment.


text:
Some say lot of money is spent on these festivals. Hindu
nation is not a nation of slaves. It is utter foolishness to tell human
beings to live as prisoners do. Pomp and Splendour are parts of any festival
and every work requires money. Instead of spending on vices, it is better
to spend on righteous purposes. In such festival everyone spends money
according to his own choice. There is no compulsion. If people cannot
spend eight or ten days with enthusiasm and fervour and if they are not
capable of spending some amount of money, that nation should be considered
as good as dead. Some may call it as extravaganza but it is necessary
for making this journey of life happy and peaceful. Suggestions are made
to spend this amount for setting up industries. These people should have
thought how many mills could be set up from the amount spent on boot,
stockings, dress and fashion. Are not lakhs spent just to attend the National
Congress? Who can call it unnecessary expenditure? To decide which type
of expenditure is good for the nation, you must find out if the programme
creates enthusiasm. People should bring to our notice if money is wasted
on a particular case. But when a general attack is made on Ganesh festival
it only indicates malafide. It is said that children's study time is wasted.
It is surprising that these lunatics have not complained that housewives
do not cook rice properly due to haste because they have to rush to visit
Ganesh pandal. If schools are closed frequently for two days no objection.
But time is wasted in chanting names of Ganesh. Governor sahib attends
cricket matches but at our festival there are no big sahibs. Therefore
childish allegation are thrown at us. If governor sahib starts visiting
this festival, newspapers will shower praise on us. Some people are afraid
that more candidates will fail this year. This fear is imaginary, they
should know. After the results are declared the picture will be clear.
The impressions that the students will have during these ten days are
certainly more valuable than the school education. The intellect tempered
by religious thought will be useful to them for rest of their life. Noble
thought and firmness of mind are nurtured here. This will give meaning
to your life. Festivals are schools to teach these things. The school
education is rarely useful in facing with stark realities in day to day
Designed, Developed, Maintained and Hosted by India Web Services, Inc.


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1st Lt. Frank Joseph Lonetti was born July 25, 1936 in Vintondale, Pennsylvania to Jean and Frank Lonetti. He was the youngest of five children and is preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ralph, Dominick and Rick, and sister, Virginia (Dolly).
In 1954 he began his career with the United States Marine Corps where he served two tours in Vietnam and was commissioned as an officer. He retired in 1978 and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona with his four boys, Keven, Steven, Frank and Rich where he managed the Roller Palace and attended Northern Arizona University. In 1981 Frank married Marcia Jones Lonetti of Redding, Iowa. In 1987 their daughter, Trenae, was born.
Frank went to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Veterans Day, November 11, 2012. He died peacefully in his sleep at their home in Anthem, Arizona of cardiac arrest. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. This hero, husband and father will be greatly missed. Semper Fi.


text:
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Bottevile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Bottevile is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bottevile family lived in Shropshire. The name, however, is a strange contraction of the phrase of the Inn, resulting from the fact that an early member of the family was the proprietor of such an establishment. "The name is derived from the mansion or inn at Stretton, in the county of Salop, (Shropshire) to which the freehold lands of the family, with various detached copyholds, were attached. " [1]
Early Origins of the Bottevile family
The surname Bottevile was first found in Shropshire where they were Lords of the Manor of Church Stretton. Traditionally, the name was originally Botfield or Botville, and Geoffrey and Oliver Bouteville came into England from a distinguished family in Pictou in France about 1180. [1] [2]
"The appearance of this name on the Abbey Roll seems sadly at variance with the statement of Matthew Paris, who records that the first of the Botevilles who came to England were two brothers, both of knightly rank, Geoffrey and Oliver Boteville, who brought a body of foreign auxiliaries from Poitou and Gascone, to assist King John against his rebellious barons. Sir Geoffrey, the elder brother, appears to have received a grant of the lands of William D'Albini, Earl of Arundel, at Shelton, in Shropshire, and was constituted Governor of Belvoir Castle. From his grandson, John Botevile, recorded among the knights of Shropshire, present at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle, derived John Botevile, who, from his residence in one of the Inns of Court, acquired the soubriquet of "John of th' Inne," and thence came the surname of Thynne, as now borne by John's descendant, the Marquee of Bath. The Botfeilds, of Hopton Court. co. Salop, and Norton Hall, co. Northampton, who formerly spelt their name Botevile, deduce their line from the old knightly race." [3]
Another source confirms the Boteville, Thynne relationship noted above. [2] Ironically the two names which are not phonetically similar which is usually the case became interchangeable, bearing the same history.
Early History of the Bottevile family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bottevile research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1546, 1578, 1639, 1601, 1629, 1605, 1670, 1640, 1670, 1610, 1669, 1660, 1640, 1714, 1544 and 1608 are included under the topic Early Bottevile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bottevile Spelling Variations
Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Bottevile were recorded, including Botfield, Botville, Boteville, Botfeld, Botevile, Thynne, Tyne, Tine, Tynes, O'Tyne, Thinn, O'Thinn, Thin, Then, Them and many more.
Early Notables of the Bottevile family (pre 1700)
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Thynne (d. 1546), editor of Chaucer's works who claimed to have been younger son of John de la Inne. "His family bore the alternative surname of Botfield or Boteville, and he is often called 'Thynne alias Boteville.' " [4]
Sir Thomas Thynne (ca. 1578-1639), of Longleat, Wiltshire, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1629; Sir James...
Migration of the Bottevile family to Ireland
Some of the Bottevile family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Migration of the Bottevile family
The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Bottevile arrived in North America very early: John and Anton Them who settled in Ohio in 1890; G. Than who settled in New York in 1849; John Tine, his wife Margaret, and daughter Elizabeth, who settled in Barbados in 1679.
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: J'ai bonne cause
Motto Translation: I have good reason.


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Parish InformationParish History
Constituted in 1608Parish Notes
Office Hours:
Monday & Friday, 9.15am to 12.30pm / Tues, Wed & Thurs 2.00-4.00pmParish Address
Office Address: Parochial House, Seatown Road, Swords, Co Dublin.
Parish Phone
01 8407277
Email Address
Reverend Desmond Doyle,
Phone: 01 8447283
Co-Parish Priest
Reverend John Collins
Phone: 01 8405948
Churches & Mass Times
St. Colmcille`s, Swords
Church Information
*Mass times are subject to change – please always check the parish website or phone the parish directly.Church Accessibility
Mass TimesMonday: 10.00 am
Tuesday: 10.00 am
Wednesday: 10.00 am
Thursday: 10.00 am
Friday: 10.00 am
Saturday: 6.30pm Vigil
Sunday: 8.30am | 11.15am (Parish Choir)
Holy Days: 10.00 am
Holy Day Vigil Mass at 6.30pm
Chapel of Ease: Our Lady Queen of Heaven (Dublin Airport)
Mass TimesMonday: 1.00pm
Tuesday: 1.00pm
Wednesday: 1.00pm
Thursday: 1.00pm
Friday: 1.00pm
Saturday: 1.00pm
Sunday: 11.00am
Holy Days:
Chapel of Ease: Church of the Visitation, Drynam
Church Information
*Mass times are subject to change – please always check the parish website or phone the parish directly.
Mass TimesMonday:
Sunday: 10.00am | 11.00am Irish Mass (except during July & August)
Holy Days:


text:
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Arch : 1,8 cm
Construction :blake welt
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12 pair in this size pairs in this size
Warning: Last items in stock!
Availability date:


text:
Shark Tank Success Story see's rapid growth with new ownership.
Habib Bakshi, known throughout the fashion and luxury e-commerce community as an expert in revenue growth, recently finalised the purchase of the healthy living focused DTC company 'The Kombucha Shop'. In an episode of NBC's Shark Tank in 2018, The Kombucha Shop received worldwide acclaim when all four sharks tried to acquire an ownership stake in the company. Even without the help of the sharks, the company saw incredible growth of the past 2 years.
The multi-million dollar acquisition highlights the incredible efforts of forward thinking entrepreneurs who see opportunity in light of the financial struggles that many companies are facing. When asked why Habib thought this was an acquisition worthwhile during a global pandemic, he responded:"Our health means everything, perhaps now more than ever. The effects of superior brewed kombucha are clear and backed by numerous health experts.We live in a culture that is valuing personal health at the highest levels ever. I saw an opportunity to purchase and expand upon this growing health trend by using my digital marketing prowess to better reach those desperate to make an easy, affordable, and delicious lifestyle change."
For a majority of Americans embracing a healthy lifestyle, Kombucha is a critical element to their daily healthy living. One needs only to look at the endless shelves of USD 5+ bottles of kombucha in their local grocery store chain to witness its growing influence and demand on the marketplace. The Kombucha Shop specializes in kombucha home brewing kits that include premium all-organic ingredients. This is spearheaded by their own brewery that uses a proprietary blend of ingredients to create a superior SCOBY, the main catalyst to brewing consistently delicious kombucha.
Within 8 months of new ownership, Habib Bakshi has taken the #1 selling kombucha home brewing kit both online and via Amazon, to new heights. The Kombucha Shop has become a burgeoning enterprise that has seen 3x sales thanks to the digital prowess behind its new ownership.
Habib Bakshi is the CEO of a digital marketing agency focused on elevating ecommerce revenue for the fashion and luxury segment. Their expertise in brand amplification strengthens a brands digital footprint and deepens engagement fueling robust revenue growth. They manage over USD 1.8 billion in digitally driven revenue while maintaining a 97 % client retention rate. Habib and his executive team create partner loyalty by consistently delivering wins through operational excellence via C-Suite level talent.
The Kombucha Shop is a kombucha home brewing supply company whose mission is to help people brew incredible kombucha at home. They design innovative and one-of-a-kind home brewing supplies to make brewing kombucha at home easy, affordable, and fun. TKS remains steadfast in their commitment to using organic ingredients and partnering with local U.S. businesses and manufacturers to build thriving local communities.


text:
Maple Bacon Popcorn
preparation time
00:05 5min
Cooking time
00:10 10min
- 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp
- ¼ cup (60 g) popping corn
- ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- Salt, to taste
- Break up the bacon into bits. Set aside.
- Heat the maple syrup for 15 seconds in the microwave. Set aside.
- Place the popping corn in a paper bag, folding down the top twice and leaving plenty of space inside for the expanding kernels.
- Place the bag in the microwave and run the popcorn setting.
- Transfer the popped corn into a large bowl, add the bacon bits, salt lightly and toss well.
- Pour over the maple syrup and stir well using a wooden spoon so as to coat the popcorn evenly.
- Serve immediately or, for a crunchier texture, spread out the popcorn on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 200°F (95°C) for 30 minutes.


text:
Mostly numb, voices bubbling from crow beaks. Arguments. Shouting.
The common area for Prime-Nest was a floor below the high rise entry; in a room that had once been a ball area. The remnants of a stage was shoved to one side, but the long tables, aged, cracked, repainted dozens of times, took up the most of the room. The open windows had stained glass in them, delicate patterns of past triumphs, heralded moments. Open as they were, birds flittered in and out of them, dissolving or reforming as needed.
"The nests are able to be moved," Tane said, addressing the Elder. The Elder sat next to me, idly poking at meat.
If I didn't look at it, I could pretend I knew they weren't eating the bug I'd killed. Or possibly the bug Jay killed.
She remained quiet. More birds streamed in, their pitter pattern and warking only breaking when they smoothly changed into being Crows instead of just crows.
"Where are the nests?" I asked.
"Rooms up above," Tane gestured. "Defensible locations, you understand."
"Has Lani reformed?" I asked.
Tani's eyes closed. "She's… picking new crows. I think what remains of her murder is favoring a guy or two this time."
I opened my mouth. "Does that matter?"
Tane looked confused. "Why would that matter?
I clicked my teeth together. "Is there an advantage to that?"
"It means she can donate her crows to the nests when it's her turn to donate."
I clicked my teeth together. "So you raise nests? Are they all from the Crow?"
"It's good policy to have a few normal crows around," Tane said. "Though we can go without." Her eyes closed. "Not that I should be explaining everything to you… but I suppose that humans have always been curious, Warden."
Teeth clicked together. Couldn't look at what most of the birds were looking at; but I couldn't blame them either. At the end of the day, they were still birds.
They ate bugs and whatever else they could find. I slowly chewed through another Vidalia and stared out through one of the windows.
"You look like you've been through hell," Tane said. "Something happen with Jay?"
"I…" My teeth clicked together. Jay wasn't around, which was strange, considering how omnipresent he'd been since I'd woken up.
He swung back inside, carrying a box with him.
"Well, Jay?" Tane asked.
"She was looking for some of her old supplies," Jay lied, smoothly. "We encountered a Queen's Guard in the wreckage, and we got into a brief firefight."
"A Queen's Guard?" Morrigan asked, slowly standing up. "This close?" She paused, looking at me. "They're Elites. They were fed some of the best crows we had. They tend to have a certain strangeness to them."
A certain strangeness like being able to predict bullets? A certain strangeness like layering their voices with commands?
"Was she following a queen or…?" Tane asked.
Jay flicked his gaze over to me. "Jess can explain."
"The Warden," Tane corrected, automatically.
"She spoke of an organization looking to pick up Wardens," I said.
Morrigan closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair. Crossed legs, balanced by her taloned feet on the painted surface of the table.
"There are bounties up for those who are willing to trade Wardens over to the Fey," Morrigan said. "It only stands to reason they're hunting Wardens; and whatever the reason, it's probably bad."
Tane clicked her beak. "And one of the Queen's Guard was… just over at Warden's Grave?" She shook her head. "That's far too close… and with our guards the way they are…"
In sum and total, only twelve Crows had arrived for lunch.
Morrigan clicked.
Tane sighed. "The nests are ready to be moved, Morrigan," she repeated. "We can make a move towards the capital. They'll keep you safe there."
"It's not a matter of keeping me safe, Tane," The Elder snapped. "If we leave now, where will the Wardens go? This is where Wardens first meet Crows."
I looked away. "No Wardens left in that building, I'm afraid."
"With us," Tane said. "We'll bring her to the capital, too."
The elder cut in, shaking her head, irritably. "You can't just make decisions for her. She'll want to go chasing after the fifth warden, I suspect."
Tane and Jay stopped and looked at me, dropping their argument. "It's of utmost importance that we get the Warden to safety. Sacred place or not," Tane said. "The First Memories are important, and…"
"I don't think taking the elder to the Capital is that good of an idea," Jay said. "They're apart for a reason."
The elder looked annoyed, and I stared at her.
"Oh, hell," Tane sighed. "The capital could use some reminding of the vows we took, anyway. Fine. We can move out of Prime-Nest. We don't need to stay here; they're clearly not interested in sending anymore troops here."
"Tane," Jay said. "This is Prime-nest. We can't just leave."
"Prime-Nest was only important to guide Wardens, after everyone else moved," The Elder said, grimly. "Tane's right, Outcast. And… the Warden's input is important. If there's no more Wardens to guide… perhaps…"
"Perhaps…?" Tane pried.
"I'll need a few days to think it over. This is our home," Morrigan said. "Being chased off of it this easily… it isn't what I want."
Tane clicked her beak in quiet victory.
"What of the graves?" Jay asked. "What of all the things we've built here? What about them?"
"We can build more things," Tane said. "You can watch."
Jay hissed at her.
"Enough, Tane," Morrigan said, shooting her a sharp glare. "Give me time to decide, and cease this stupid argument."
The elder snatched up her section of bug and scattered into a hoard of crows, leaving the room.
Tane stood up and then stalked over to a window. She streamed into birds, fleeing the room.
Jay took a deep breath and walked through one of the ill used rooms. Silence left in the room, apart from the steady clicking of beaks. One by one, the Crows dispersed into regular crows, took their food, and fled the meeting room. Leaving me alone.
The food wasn't bad, though it cooled rapidly from the wind rustling in and out of the old building. I ate slowly, picking at the fruits and vegetables in front of me, then dabbled, staring at the meat left behind in front of me. If I closed my eyes, it smelled like nothing I'd ever tasted.
I wasn't quite there yet, so I sat my plate down, and set off after Jay.
I found him kneeling in front of a small shrine. Dark lines scattered across dimly lit walls, his eyes closed, his clothes loose on his body. At the sound of my footsteps, his head jerked to look at me.
"They're hard on you," I said.
"It's deserved, trust me," Jay said, not looking up. He made a gesture with his talons, then pressed his talons, uniting the lines into a USEC symbol I'd mostly only seen when anchoring regions into normalized reality.
"It's not," I said. "You saved my life."
Jay flicked his eyes up towards me. "I don't want to leave here." He stood up, ruffling his feathers. "This is our place." He turned away from the shrine and sighed. "This is a lot to put on you, I understand."
"Train me," I said.
Jay blinked. "/Train/ you?" His feathers puffed up, beak slowly sliding open. "Why on earth…"
"You saved me," I said. My heart fluttered. What would Trellis have done if… if it had continued. She'd been offering me a place.
In another time, I took that offer quicker. Didn't hesitate so long. Didn't stare evil in the face and wondered how easy it would be to fall to their caress.
Didn't take as long to wonder if this was evil, soft, jagged. Deadly. Didn't know what would happen if I'd taken it. If Omoi hadn't told me I was being zapped. If I hadn't moved out of the way.
If Jay hadn't made sure I was alright.
"So I want to be able to save myself next time."
Jay's eyes closed. Then he shrugged. "It'll give us something to do while we wait for the elder's decision."
The scout target range was a mess on the bottom floor. Ordinarily, one simply scattered into birds and flew from place to place, but considering Jay and I, what took merely a minute extended into several hours of walking there.
An open concept lobby lay littered with scarecrows and various other bright objects. Jars. Pots. Glass bottles. Tin cans. Some splintered beyond recognition. Some put up properly.
As we slipped inside, the single scout practicing exploded into a cloud of birds, leaving us alone.
I slipped through Omoi's help logs and dragged out the tutorial for firearms again, slowly nodding my head as I looked through. General notes. Strategies.
None of it compared to panic pulling the trigger and killing a little girl subsumed by bugs. My skin shuddered. Goosebumps.
Jay slid over to one side, and gestured for me to follow him. I did, and he slowly slid the long rifle off of his back and presented it to me.
"Are bullets scarce?"
"Not as scarce as Wardens," Jay said, dry. "And I'd rather waste bullets than see you wasted."
I took the gun. Omoi pinged various points on it where to hold it, and I swallowed, sliding my fingers over there. Jay reached over and adjusted my grip, and Omoi chirped as his press and her guide lined up properly.
"There's a lot of that going around. What's so important about Wardens?"
Jay's beak clicked. "You were untainted, unknowing… you didn't have this world to show you how awful it was to fight the unknown," Jay gestured vaguely at the destruction. How the glass on the bottom floor had been taken out by impacts too many years ago. How the city streets were still covered in ash, despite efforts taken to clean them. How many birds had given their lives to try and tug this place back together.
Only to be defeated, now. There weren't many birds left here, despite being their founding city.
"And you fought anyway. Without that reminder."
I could remember the first time I'd met the unknown.
The rifle felt heavy in my hands.
Grad school; three beers and an energy drink into my gut. Curled up against a wall, numbers dancing at my finger tips. Omoi wasn't there yet. Describing theoretical constants that didn't exist yet, missing numerals, missing ideas; a framework contagious.
Woke up with thoughts in my head that weren't mine, of ideas of a universe long lost, that had never existed. That could never exist, but internally sound. Discussed with my advisor, frantic, tears running down my eyes, disturbed, unsure. Wondering at the face of a caring god somewhere in the universe, watching us from afar.
Put a halt to my classes, she did, and I curled up in a drunken haze for a weekend before the agents arrived at my front door.
Testing. Endless testing.
A pinprick of knowledge erupting into the whole of the universe, from some place far beyond. It wasn't I who was anomalous, simply that…
There were holes in human cognition where dangerous things could slip through. Nature had given us the capacity for abstract thought; and there were things that could only exist when thought of, in a deep tangle in a lonely grad student's mind.
And while mine had simply been benign; a mention of a world that USEC had known about, something they'd visited in the dark of the night, flirting with drones across massive distances, there were many that weren't benign.
And they needed cataloging.
Jay carefully guided the gun into my hangs again, pointing at the scare crow along the far wall.
"See that?" Jay asked. "That's not too far away, I hope."
I stared at the scarecrow and wished it didn't look quite so human. And it didn't look human, not at all, but…
My mind flashed back to Trellis, whose arms moved almost as fast as I could dart away.
My finger rubbed against the trigger. Cold as ice. Hands shook.
"Pull," Jay said, clicking his beak.
And I did.
The gun went off, and wide as I jerked, taking out a chunk of crumbling wall, breaking a brick in half.
"You've got a bit of a jerk," Jay said. He sighed, then carefully adjusted my grip again, holding the rifle in place. "You need to be careful if you plan on doing anything other than hunting."
Bullets were dangerous. I knew that already. But he had a point. If people were going to come after me…
People with anomalous powers. People that USEC would've kept caged. Locked up. For being so dangerous.
I needed to be able to at least shoot a gun. Needed to not freeze up at the slightest hint of danger. Omoi gave me a crutch to lean on, but it meant nothing if I just fell over again and again.
Swallowed. Focused myself. Lined up the shot.
"I had this weird idea that when the next warden would wake up," Jay said, keeping his hands on the rifle, helping me line the shot.
"What?" I asked.
"That you'd be some sort of agent. Some unkillable mad creature that'd save us all." He continued. "Rid the world of evil. Defeat that which we've been fighting for years."
I laughed, but it was bitter. "You're not going to get that from me."
"I know," Jay said. "And I wasn't okay with that at first."
I paused, finger on the trigger.
Pulled it.
Bullet went astray.
"But I think I'm going to be okay with that now," Jay said. "It's… pleasant to have someone willing to talk to me."
"Is that so?" I asked, looking up from the rifle.
He gently put my head back to the sights. Looked away from me for a moment.
I took a breath.
Pulled the trigger.


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The Supreme Court is one step closer to resolving a long-running civil liberties debate: do police need a warrant to search your cellphone? This morning, the court is hearing arguments on two cases, both of which involve evidence gathered from mobile phones after an arrest. They were contentious enough to reach the Supreme Court because of the quickly changing nature of phones, which have gone from a simple communication tool to a centralized hub for our daily lives. And the final decisions, expected early this summer, will determine how much weight these technological changes are given when interpreting the Fourth Amendment's proscription of unreasonable searches.
"Cellphones and other portable electronic devices are, in effect, our new homes."
The two cases, Riley v. California and United States v. Wurie, have spent years running through appeals courts. The first stems from a 2009 gang shooting. While separately investigating the case, police stopped David Leon Riley for expired registration tags and found guns and other "gang paraphernalia" in his car, leading to his arrest. By searching his cellphone, they found more evidence of affiliation, including contact names, photos, and videos. Riley was subsequently linked to the shooting, convicted of attempted murder, and sentenced to 15 years in prison. His counsel argued that this conviction relied on evidence, including the cellphone contents, that had been gathered in an invasive and illegal search. So far, this argument hasn't been successful.
The same can't be said for US v. Wurie. The case involves the 2007 arrest of Boston man Brima Wurie, who was arrested for buying crack cocaine. Later, police noticed that his confiscated flip phone was receiving calls from a number labeled "my house," and by opening the phone, they were able to find the number and link it to what turned out to be Wurie's address, which they confirmed partly by looking at the phone's wallpaper. A search turned up guns, ammunition, and more drugs, and Wurie was sentenced to over 20 years in prison. But an appeals court vacated the decision, saying that police weren't justified in looking through his phone. "The Court, more than thirty-five years ago, could not have envisioned a world in which the vast majority of arrestees would be carrying on their person an item containing not physical evidence but a vast store of intangible data," wrote Judge Norman Stahl. Without the threat of harm or destruction of evidence, phone searches could become "a convenient way for the police to obtain information related to a defendant's crime of arrest — or other, as yet undiscovered crimes — without having to secure a warrant."
The details of the cases differ, and they hinge partly on factors like how long the police waited after the arrest and what information they drew from the phone. But the Supreme Court's decision will also need to clarify whether a cellphone should be treated like a wallet or address book — as the police contend — or like a computer whose contents can be expansive and deeply personal. After an arrest, police are allowed to search items "immediately associated" with the person involved. As cellphones have become smarter, civil liberties advocates have tested how far that doctrine reaches, and that largely means defining what exactly a phone is.
"At the touch of a button a cellphone search becomes a house search."
A 1969 case established that arresting someone in their home didn't justify searching the entire house, although police could search the area within the person's immediate reach (to find, for example, a weapon.) In a supporting brief, the ACLU argued that these protections should be extended. "Cellphones and other portable electronic devices are, in effect, our new homes," reads the filing. "They can contain voluminous quantities of information about the most intimate details of our lives ... Especially for younger generations, the importance of the worlds of their portable electronic devices rivals the importance of their physical dwellings." In an unrelated 2012 ruling on cellphone searches, United States v. Flores-Lopez, Judge Richard Posner referred to the large stores of information that "even the dumbest of modern cellphones" contained. On more advanced phones, apps could grant police access to things like home security cameras. "At the touch of a button a cellphone search becomes a house search," he said.
But the actual history of phone search rulings is checkered and incomplete. Posner ultimately concluded that the court didn't need to clarify broad rules for cellphone searches, since the one in question only yielded the phone's own number. The Wurie and Riley decisions both involve more extensive searches, but judges came to opposite conclusions. A widely cited California case from 2011, People v. Diaz, found that police could search a confiscated phone for text messages even after the arrest was made. The nature of the object, the ruling said, didn't affect the right to search it after an arrest, and the simple cellphone in question didn't have features or storage capacity that might raise larger questions. It's possible that the Supreme Court will issue a limited ruling that still leaves these larger questions unanswered — and we'll still be debating what rules apply in special cases like border searches. But today's arguments will help it decide whether an increasingly connected and technologically mediated world deserves a new legal framework.


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Multi-Flo Wastewater Treatment Systems
Multi-Flo Wastewater Treatment Systems
Multi-Flo is a convenient American-Made alternative to a central sewage system or the septic tank and is ideal for the renovation of a failing on-site sewage system. And thanks to its durable, lightweight construction, Multi-Flo can be installed quickly and easily in any location, even those with limiting factors.
But most of all, Multi-Flo offers the highest quality of any wastewater treatment system in its class… it's simply the best.
The Highest Quality Wastewater Treatment System
Clean, Odorless Effluent
Unique to the Multi-Flo System is the quiet, water-cooled, energy-efficient submersible aerator and the no by-pass positive filtration design. The Multi-Flo contains 132 square feet of 100 micron fixed film media, which filters the wastewater before it, can be discharged from the system.
The Multi-Flo has been Tested and Certified under ANSI/NSF Standard 40 as a Class I System – the Highest Rating. Because of the high degree of treatment, the Multi-Flo effluent is allowed for surface discharge as well as recycle and irrigation use.
Founded in 1970, Multi-Flo has set the standard in wastewater treatment. From the day of its inception, Multi-Flo was developed with the highest efficiency—consequently, we have never had to change to meet the standards required by NSF International (NSF). The Multi-Flo was one of the first systems tested by NSF and has been in continuous production since. We have always maintained those high standards to guarantee a Class I rating.
Multi-Flo has sold thousands of units across the country. This success is due not only to the outstanding product but also to people involved with Multi-Flo. We take pride in our product and stand behind it. Multi-Flo is a company built on reputation. We are committed to our product, our customers, and the environment.


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We always reply to emails within 24 hours. If for some reason youre not getting response from us, the reason might be messages getting lost in Spam folders etc. Last but not least is the issue of feedback.
When you receive the product, please leave a feedback for us. Your feedback is always important to us. If there is a problem, we will help you to solve it. Come to my store to see other lots. The item "Leitz Elmar lens 3.5/50 mm RF M39 LEICA Zeiss Eleitz Wetzlar Silver" is in sale since Wednesday, March 25, 2020.
This item is in the category "Cameras & Photography\Lenses & Filters\Lenses". The seller is "watch_mechanisms_steampunk" and is located in Zaporizhzhya. This item can be shipped worldwide.


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New Book on Death and Survival in Glacier is Most Complete, Up to Date
Since 1910 when Glacier National Park was established as our seventh national park, 296 people have perished within the park's boundaries. As it turns out, survival in Glacier isn't always guaranteed. "People fall off cliffs, drown in cold rivers, get buried by avalanches, and succumb to exposure," says co-author Carol Guthrie. "In wild places like Glacier," she says, "there's no shortage of ways to meet your maker."
These natural hazards—as well as human foibles—loom large in Farcountry Press' newest release, Death & Survival in Glacier National Park: True Tales of Tragedy, Courage, & Misadventure. "As one reviewer noted, we cover every threat, from grizzly bears to lemon extract," says co-author Ann Fagre.
Ann and her husband Dan Fagre know first-hand the risks of recreating in Glacier's terrain, having lived in West Glacier and worked in the park for twenty-six years. As Ann says, "So many of the stories we uncovered felt personal because the circumstances were eerily familiar to us." As Dan explains, "We've hiked that trail, slipped on those wet rocks, and scrambled for cover when blue skies suddenly turned black with storm clouds."
To unearth all the stories in Death & Survival in Glacier, Guthrie and the Fagres spent more than a year combing park incident reports and news media archives. The result is the most comprehensive chronology of deaths within the park, from 1910 to the present.
They also interviewed survivors and rescuers and discovered oral histories, some from the pioneer era before the land became a national park. "Today's visitors need to be aware of Glacier's natural hazards," Guthrie says, "but imagine how risk-filled life was for the native people who lived here, and early settlers, before modern medical care and long before life-saving technologies like bear pepper spray, two-way radios, and rescue helicopters." One chapter in the book, "When Life Hung by a Hair," focuses on those early years, including the story of James "Scotty" Findlay who tried to swim across Lake McDonald's ice-cold outlet stream in June 1892 while his best friend watched from the other shore.
"Many of these tales are tragic, even heartbreaking," says Guthrie, "but this isn't a morbid book or a list of human follies. We explain the circumstances behind these incidents to help readers understand how normal people like you and me sometimes stroll smack into trouble when visiting Glacier."
Guthrie points out that the survival stories add suspense as well as valuable insights on the right steps to take when things go wrong. "Being lucky doesn't hurt," Dan Fagre says, "but even better—be prepared, tell someone your travel plan before heading out, carry bear spray, pack a jacket and a flashlight, and don't take unnecessary risks."
All three authors agree: "We don't want any of our readers to end up in a future edition of this book!"
Death and Survival in Glacier National Park is available at local bookstores and gift shops, through online retailers, or from Farcountry Press at 1.800.821.3874, www.farcountrypress.com.
Take a look inside Death and Survival in Glacier:
About the Authors
W. (Carol) Guthrie's love affair with Glacier began when she and her dad drove the Going-to-the-Sun Road when she was nine years old. For the past twenty-five years, following a career working for the Air Force, she has explored the park and its history and authored five books about the park, including Farcountry Press titles All Aboard for Glacier: The Great Northern Railway and Glacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun Road: Glacier National Park's Highway to the Sky, and Glacier National Park: The First 100 Years.
Dan and Ann Fagre have been backpacking, climbing, skiing, and exploring mountains and national parks since the early 1970s. Over these decades, they've been wilderness rangers, fire lookouts, firefighters, and outdoor trip leaders in various western landscapes. For the past twenty-six years, they've made their home in West Glacier, Montana, and Glacier National Park, where they've worked, played, and raised their daughters who are following in their footsteps.


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Big Pharma's traditional R&D approach isn't paying off anymore. Alongside traditional M&A deals – strategic alliances are a promising game changer. However, to avoid the pitfalls, alliances must be a top priority on the CEO's agenda.
The life science industry faces big R&D challenges
Large life science companies are currently facing daunting challenges. On the cost side, research and development (R&D) costs have grown significantly as research shifts to diseases that were once considered intractable and as medicines are custom-tailored to smaller patient populations. Pressures also abound on the revenue side. We're seeing expiring blockbuster patents open doors to competitors – like Sanofi when its diabetes blockbuster Lantus took a 16 percent sales hit in Q1 2018 as it lost exclusivity in the US.
Meanwhile public and political pressure on drug pricing is growing, especially in the US, where the Trump Administration has vocalized their goal to lower drug prices.
Not surprisingly, the return on investment in Pharma R&D has fallen consistently over time (see Figure 1).
Increasing costs per R&D project and falling margins have also resulted in ever-growing scale requirements. Yet, unfortunately for the big players, there is growing evidence that small firms tend to be more innovative in the R&D space – according to IQVIA, 72 percent of the late-stage R&D pipeline in 2018 belonged to emerging biopharma companies, up from 61 percent in 2008. For Switzerland, these challenges bear particular relevance, as the chemicals and pharmaceutical industry is the country's export leader - over 30 percent of total Swiss exports (source: Swiss Federal Customs Administration).
Benefits of adding strategic alliances alongside M&A
Against this background, life science companies are extraordinarily active in the area of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Typical deals usually involve a large company acquiring a smaller company or a development-stage drug asset to utilize its experience in commercializing the drug to its full potential. Novartis is a Swiss example of such a continuous "pipeline deal maker" with its acquisition of Advance Accelerator Applications (AAA) in January 2018; AveXis, Inc. in May 2019; and Xiidra® in July 2019.
On the sell-side, several Big Pharma players have actively divested multiple businesses in an effort to re-focus on their core competencies. Examples include Bayer's announcement to divest the animal health division in November 2018 and Novartis' recent spin-off of Alcon in April 2019.
Many large life science companies can therefore be considered "M&A veterans", with well-established M&A departments, people and processes. Yet, there's reason to believe traditional M&A alone may be insufficient as a corporate development tool in the face of the industry's current challenges. M&A may be particularly insufficient in dealing with the imminent transformation in the R&D space.
We believe that strategic alliances should be a top priority on the CEO's agenda.
In a previous KPMG study, we argued that strategic alliances have several key benefits compared to traditional M&A:
- Less upfront investment required: As such, alliances are a lower-risk option for a business combination. Investment can be tested and phased without the full financial commitment required for an acquisition.
- Increased flexibility: Compared to M&A, most alliances are easier to unwind or adjust. If a change of direction is required, it can be done faster and less painfully.
- Ability to create an ecosystem of relationships: Alliances allow an organization to form relationships with multiple important partners concurrently, which is difficult to achieve at the same pace via M&A.
- Access to important partners that cannot be acquired: Some interesting counterparts are simply not up for sale – in this case, alliances are the only viable alternative for cooperation.
Alliances with technology partners are already emerging
In our previous KPMG study R&D 2030, we argued that technology players will play a major role in transforming Big Pharma's R&D landscape. Dassault's announcement in June 2019 to acquire Medidata for a whopping USD5.7 billion is a recent example of how significant data and tech players have become. Medidata's software is used to analyse trial data of some of the world's largest pharma companies.
It's precisely at this nexus of traditional R&D and new technology players where we believe that strategic alliances have their greatest potential for life science companies.
In fact, in the shadow of larger M&A deals, partnering with tech players has already started:
- Partnering for real-world data: GSK has invested USD300 million in 23andMe. And signed an exclusive four-year deal focusing on the discovery of new cures based on 23andMe's genetic and phenotypic data (23andMe has over five million customers – over 80 percent of which consent to sharing their data).
- Partnering for drug discovery: Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies have teamed up with more than half a dozen big pharma companies in an attempt to discover new molecules faster than through traditional methods. Examples include: Scotland's Exscientia (partnering with Celgene, Roche, GSK, Sanofi); Canada's Cyclica (partnering with Merck, Bayer, and others); and, US-based Insitro (partnering with Gilead).
- Partnering for improved diagnostics: Both Novartis and GE Healthcare have announced partnerships to improve diagnostics for cancer – Novartis and PathAI are jointly training an algorithm to improve cancer diagnostics, while GE Healthcare teamed up with Vanderbilt University to build various tools to predict effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.
In these examples, we can see many of the benefits of strategic alliances at work – namely, the ability to partner with several partners at once, gaining access to companies that may not be currently up for sale, as well as the ability to tinker with a technology without fully committing to it when outcomes of that technology are still uncertain.


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DEBT DEFENSE ATTORNEYS | J.P. Ward & Associates
Debt Defense Lawyers Serving Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania
Debt Defense Attorneys
Are you being sued by a debt collector?
If you're being sued for debt, don't worry. You're not alone. Thousands of people in Pennsylvania are sued each year for old debt. Many are sued by debt buyers such as Midland Funding LLC, Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC, Cavalry SPV I LLC, Discover Bank, Capital One Bank, LVNV Funding LLC, and Americredit Finance, Inc. J.P. Ward & Associates is a debt defense law firm and consumer protection agency. We're here to help.
The J.P. Ward & Associates defends Pennsylvania consumers against debt collection lawsuits, and works on debt solutions for people who are struggling with debt problems.
Practice Areas
If you're facing a debt collection lawsuit, please call us at (432) 426-4878.
To win debt collection lawsuits, debt collectors must produce a wealth of documents and testimony. They often don't intend to produce this evidence, and sometimes don't have it at all. In order to win a debt collection lawsuit in Pennsylvania, debt collectors have to produce:
- Debt assignments and other documents proving they own the debt.
- Contracts like a credit card agreement that describe the terms and conditions related to the debt.
- Account statements which detail all debits, credits, interest, fees, and other charges that make up the debt.
- Witnesses to testify about the above documentation and explain how it all applies to the debt in your case.
Some debt companies will hire an "appearance attorney" to show up in court with limited documentation. They won't know much about the case, and cannot testify against you. They are simply hired to present whatever documentation the debt collection agency has regarding your case.
If a debt collector attempts to prove their case without the proper documentation, you have a good chance of winning the case.
In some cases, people sued by debt collectors have legal claims or defenses they can assert—which could lead to a dismissal of the lawsuit and sometimes monetary compensation. These claims and defenses include:
- You already paid the debt.
- The debt isn't yours.
- You were harassed or deceived by the debt collector.
- The terms of the original debt were unlawful.
- The debt collector sues in the wrong court.
- The debt is time-barred, meaning it has an "expiration date."
Awards & Memberships
Should You hire an Attorney for your Debt Collection Lawsuit?
It's true, you can win and have a debt collection lawsuit dismissed on your own. But your chance of success increases markedly if you hire a debt defense attorney from the Law Firm of J.P. Ward & Associates. There are several benefits to hiring an attorney.
First, if you hire a lawyer, you may not have to appear in court. This forces the debt collector to prove its case using its own documents and witnesses. As we explained before, it is often too difficult or costly for a debt collector to do this.
Second, a debt defense attorney understands what type of argument to make and has experience dealing with the intricacies of debt law. We also know what types of arguments to avoid, like an appeal to emotion that may disregard the law. Courts care about the rule of law and are often dismissive of pleas to emotion.
If you fail to respond to a debt collection lawsuit, a default judgement will be issued against you. This means the debt collector wins automatically, without having to prove its case. A study of more than 1400 debt collection lawsuits found that in 90% of cases, the debt collector did not have enough evidence to successfully win the case. Many times a default judgement is issued to simply close the case and move on to more important court matters.
Ignoring a debt collection lawsuit doesn't make the issue go away. And a default judgement when you stand a 90% chance of winning the case doesn't make financial sense. Allow us to help you.
How Are Debt Collectors Regulated?
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that limits the behavior of third-party debt collectors who are attempting to collect debts on behalf of a credit card company, bank, or individual.
In Pennsylvania, there is a law called the Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act (FCEUA) prohibits deception, harassment, and unfair debt collection practices. It also allows you to sue a debt collector if they've violated any provision of the FCEUA.
What Qualifies as Debt Collection
- Unlawful Communication.
- Using obscene, harassing, or threatening language.
- Excessive phone calls, text messages, and emails.
- Contacting you after hours, between 8pm and 9am.
- Contacting third parties such as family, employers, and associates about your debt.
- Threatening you with arrest or jail time.
- Threatening to seize property or assets unrelated to the debt.
- Threatening to disclose private information.
- Threatening actions they do not intend to take.
- Trying to add unauthorized or unlawful charges to your debt.
- Attempting to collect a debt that you do not owe.
- Misrepresenting the legal status of the debt.
- Making false settlement offers, or filing a lawsuit on time-barred debt.
- Misrepresenting the amount of debt owed.
What Rights Do You Have Under the FDCPA?
The FDCPA not only limits debt collector harassment, it also outlines several valuable rights you can exercise. These include payment protections for disputed debts, debt verification, and the right to modify how you're contacted about the debt.
Payment Protections for Disputed Debts
If a debt collector is collecting multiple debts, and you make a payment on one of those accounts, the debt collector cannot apply the payment to any disputed debt. They must also apply the payment in accordance with your instructions.
Debt Verification
You have the right under the FDCPA to verify your debt. Debt collectors must disclose this right to you within 5 days of contact.
Debt verification requests must be written, and sent within 30 days after initial contact with a debt collector. After 30 days, the debt collector has the right to assume that you see the debt as valid. The FDCPA also prohibits debt collectors from continuing to collect debts until verified.
Contact Modification
You can tell debt collectors to stop calling, and also dictate what times are convenient to contact you. If you request the calls to stop, then debt collection agencies must stop contacting you. But this doesn't mean the problem goes away. It just means if you tell debt collectors how to contact you, they must follow your wishes.
Our law firm has successfully represented hundreds of clients in Pittsburgh, Westmoreland, Butler, Armstrong and surrounding counties in these types of lawsuits. We have had hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt extinguished. Do not let these debt-buyers and credit card companies bully you with a lawsuit. They want you to believe that you have no options, but at J.P. Ward & Associates we can turn a lawsuit into a money-saving opportunity and protect your credit score.
You do not have to fall victim to this lawsuit. Visit our web page for more information on Consumer Debt Defense. We are so confident in our attorney's ability to win that we always offer a money-back guarantee. That's right, we win your case or there is no fee. That's the J.P. Ward promise. Call one of our experienced attorneys and let us win the fight!