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Editors Note: Dubliner Eoin Brennan interned for the Irish Voice for a year in 2012, and returning home has been a shock to the system.
It's now a little over a year back in Dublin for me, since the end of a year living in New York. Initial feelings of emptiness and despair at having to say goodbye to a life, and place, I came to love have subsided, if not disappeared.
What has replaced it is a strange mixture of the permanent mixed with constant uncertainty. Ireland is stuck in a dark place, and we still have no idea where we're going.
Five months passed following my return to Ireland before I got the chance to go back to work. The work is interesting and provides me with excellent experience, and I feel lucky to be able to work in my chosen field in the current economic climate. I may be offered a permanent placement when my contract finishes, but it seems unlikely.
Should that reality come to pass, I imagine it's time for serious consideration of emigration. Off to London, perhaps, maybe Canada. Even Hong Kong has been considered.
Ideally my next destination would be New York, but the U.S. visa process remains a difficult barrier to negotiate, to put it mildly.
Sadly, if leaving Ireland does become a necessity, a return to America now seems the longest shot.
The Ireland I left two years ago was still in the grasp of a fever contracted from the most severe financial crisis in memory. It felt like those who didn't quickly make it to a plane or boat would be trapped beneath the falling rubble of a crumbling country.
The Ireland I'm in now feels calmer, in some senses. Or quieter, at least.
Maybe it's as simple as there being less people here. Maybe we're more at peace with our situation, on the surface. The anger has not abated, perhaps just internalized.
The fallout from the financial crisis is still on the air -- thick and wrapped around the threads of our lives. Lingering like stale smoke.
We're still broke, we're still living with a poor health service, and more than ever we are forcing teachers, police officers and all manner of public servants to take the hit and cover the nation's massive losses.
Unemployment is now higher, austerity measures cut deeper than ever before, while the gap between rich and poor continues to widen.
Meanwhile, last year saw the highest level of emigration since the Famine. People leaving school and college enter a job market bereft of prospects and face working long hours for free in the hope of eventual gains.
Countless families are still burdened with mounting debt and too many individuals are sliding into the darkness of depression. We're still cutting benefits for the weakest at every opportunity.
We're going against everything that feels right. That wears a society down, to see how we chip away at each other (or someone does it in our name) just to get by.
Even if we don't speak about it every day, even if we seem to be willing and able to carry on and smile – it still leaves a mark.
It makes us all complicit in the misery and hacks away at our collective self-esteem. It causes us to turn on each other as we play the circular rounds of a pointless blame game.
In real terms we're still drifting, gripping the crumbling debris of our country – sometimes feeling like the driftwood lingering off Europe's west coast. And, yet, it all feels less panicked, more at peace with our lot.
Is it shock? Is it acceptance? Is it determination and grit rising above the hardship? Or is it some form of mass depression, a great anger turned inwards?
We've lost a lot in the past five years. But it's not the money. It's not the houses. It's not the new cars. It's not the several holidays a year that people want back.
The absence created by their departure isn't the catalyst for how we feel. It's the injustice that permeates every level of our lives now, in one way or another.
It's the deep cuts to healthcare, education and emergency services and what they mean for people's lives. It's the long queues at the social welfare office that stretch down the street.
It's the forced emigration. It's the silent pain carried by those left behind. It's the final glance over a young shoulder at a weeping mother waving through a crowd in the airport departures hall.
It's the memories we know we won't be able to forget, and the people we know who probably won't return. This is the lasting legacy.
It's the rapidly climbing numbers of young people who choose to take their own lives. We've got one of the highest suicide rates in the EU, a rise directly linked with the economic situation.
It's what all of those things mean when they are more than words and statistics, when they are someone's life -- when they become Monday to Sunday until they can't face Monday ever again.
It's what stats and figures and debts and news stories are when they are reality. It's when all of that accumulates. It's what it does to us.
It's the toll all of those blows take on our self-respect as a nation, on our collective mentality. It's the lack of respect, both internal and external, for your country and for yourself.
These are things I often wonder if we can get past, if we can recover from.
In the summer of 1990 the Irish soccer team went to the World Cup for the first time. The qualification for the tournament and our participation didn't cause excitement among the population -- they engendered mass hysteria. A nation collectively lost its mind amid a sea of sporting escapism.
It left a legacy that carries on to this day. It is one of our fondest collective memories, and it came during the tail end of one of our bleakest periods.
An entire nation lost control of itself for a summer. It was a time when we were inclined to willingly lose our minds.
Somebody offered an escape, and every person who hadn't left the country went running towards the light.
In the summer of 2012 Ireland qualified for soccer's European Championship, our first visit to the competition since 1988. We dreamt of a repeat of the 1990 World Cup, when we had gone as underdogs and come back with the world's respect.
What we got was a global humiliation. Three games, three defeats.
Europe's best toyed with Ireland's best. We were made look like amateur oafs pitted against the superior master.
A nation quickly went into the mass grieving process, and pre-tournament elation evaporated with hoarse notes of "The Fields of Athenry" drifting into the skies above the Polish host city of Poznan.
Europe lauded the good nature and indomitable spirit of the Irish supporters; those plucky masses in green who turned up, drank plenty but never caused trouble and, even with a good humiliation in the back pocket, kept on singing their charming songs.
There was even a trophy for the best fans. Really.
It was utterly patronizing. What we wanted was to win. To be respected on merit. In the way we once were. What we got was a pat on the head while Europe's best kicked us up the arse.
It all felt very familiar. Like, maybe, this is just how it is now. It just is. This is our lot.
There was redemption -- or relief at least -- at the London Olympics. Katie Taylor, a young boxer from Co. Wicklow.
The hunger for an Irish victory, of any kind, became apparent when the crowd inside the Olympic boxing arena, almost entirely made up of Irish fans (despite Taylor facing a British boxer), set a record for decibel levels at the Olympic games.
Taylor won gold and we enjoyed a wonderful moment when, for the first time in a while, the world looked at us with fair eyes and saw something good. There would be no pat on the head this time.
It was an overdue reminder. We remembered what it was like to stand up and be proud of ourselves.
But there are only so many sporting moments into which we can escape as a nation, only so many ways we can live vicariously through the victories of others.
Ultimately, how we see ourselves, how we feel about ourselves, will be composed of how we live the rest of our lives, how Ireland is as a place to live.
And right now it feels like we are under a cloud where life gets harder and staying here gets harder to justify.
As much as it's a wonderful gift to explore the world, as many young Irish now do, you wish it didn't have to be for these reasons.
Personally, I have to consider myself lucky. Although that is, of course, all relative.
I have a job, albeit temporary, and have avoided the very worst of the effects of the economic collapse. I am prepared for the reality that I may have to leave Ireland again, but I know I'll survive. That's enough for me.
I'm always aware of how much worse it could have been. Many have not been so well insulated.
Those people who face debts they know they can't pay, and find themselves swallowed whole by a beast far bigger than them -- those thousands for whom the term recession feels like a tidy byword for disaster.
The longer we can't find pride in who we are, the deeper the scars will run.


text:
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General Description:
I am upgrading an SPI4.2 core from the evaluation version to the full-featured version and I am encountering an NGDBuild error stating that certain constraints are not found.
In general, when upgrading an SPI-4.2 core from the evaluation version to the full-featured version, or when migrating from one version to another, you should always use the new NCF and UCF wrapper files that accompany the new version of the core. These files are needed to avoid any mismatches in ports and component names defined in the constraints files.
If you are using 2v6000ff1517 with 64-bits FIFO interface and dynamic configuration, and have been using an evaluation version of the SPI4.2 v6.1 core, line 198 in the UCF file is different. In this section of the UCF file, the component name G_80 changes to G_81 (when upgrading from the evaluation core to the full-featured core).
|General Article

subset: commoncrawl


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Part 1: God and Jesus
Recent poll results indicate that a surprisingly large percentage of Americans are unaware of the fact that Judaism is older than both Christianity and Islam, and are also unable to identify which Islamic countries actually have the world's largest Muslim populations (to the surprise of many Americans, they're not even Middle Eastern countries).
Such gaps as these in our common religious knowledge (or in popular "religious literacy") are merely symptomatic of an even deeper and more widespread general unfamiliarity, on the part of many Americans, with some of the most basic characteristics of both Judaism and Islam (to say nothing of our similar widespread lack of familiarity with the basics of even more exotic yet equally prominent major world religions, such as Hinduism or Buddhism).
Many average Americans would therefore probably be very surprised to learn that Judaism and Islam actually share a pretty substantial amount of religious ground in common with each other.
Read more of Reed Hall's Religion 101 on Beliefnet.


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By Jack Perconte
Throwing a baseball with accuracy and speed is obviously a necessity for ballplayers to continue to move up the baseball ladder. It is almost incomprehensible that kids who are fourteen years old and in high school are expected to play at the same distances that major league baseball players do, but that is the case. High school dimensions are the same ninety feet between the bases and sixty feet between home and the pitcher's mound. Those are formidable distances for players, especially for those who have not had their growth spurt yet. The good news is that players can improve their arm strength and accuracy with good mechanics and practice. Players who want to improve their throwing should adhere to the following fundamentals and practice until perfecting them. It is also necessary to throw (correctly) for anywhere between six and nine months out of the year. Generally, as kids get closer to high school, more throwing is advised with at least a couple of days a week of quality throwing. Getting the proper amount of rest between throwing sessions is also important.
3 Absolutes of Throwing for Speed and Accuracy
1. Direction - most kids know how to stand at home plate so having them go to their hitting position before throwing should come easy. This complete turn of the body will point the front shoulder directly at the target with feet parallel to each other. Without this correct set-up position, the thrower's ability to reach maximum speed and accuracy are already compromised. A noted with hitting position, a complete ninety degree turn of the thrower's foot of the same side as his throwing arm is necessary to get to correct starting position.
2. Direction 2 - Players must step directly at the target. Without this direct step the thrower's hips will not function correctly causing a lack of accuracy and power. The length of the step will be determined by the distance of the throw and will come naturally, with the key being the direction. Drawing a direct line from the lead foot towards the target or setting down a couple of objects for the player to step in between are good practice drills to reinforce the correct step. An indirect step is the most common area of break down in a player's throwing fundamentals.
3. Follow through - it is necessary that throwers allow their arm to travel the complete path so the body can alleviate some of the stress of the arm action on the shoulder and to prevent aiming the ball. This is done by the players throwing arm finishing at his opposite side hip, thigh or knee and by having his rear leg come up and forward as they throw. Like hitting, this weight transfer puts power into the throw.
Sounds simple enough but like anything, "The difference between doing something totally correct and almost correct, is the difference between success and failure." (Author of quote is unknown.) Long distance throwing can also develop arm strength but the 3 above fundamentals must be followed for "long toss" to be beneficial.
Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball hitting lessons advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseballJack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his parenting blog can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Perconte
Thursday, September 10, 2009
3 Absolutes to Develop Arm Strength and Accuracy For Baseball
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New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI) Indias current account deficit (CAD) is expected to widen to 1.6 per cent of GDP this year from 0.5 per cent in 2016, owing to higher commodity prices and an expected strong domestic recovery, says a report.
According to the Japanese financial services major Nomura, stronger global demand and higher export prices are driving exports recovery, while the recovery in imports reflect higher commodity prices and likely improvement in domestic demand.
"In 2017, we expect the CAD to widen to 1.6 per cent of GDP from 0.5 per cent in 2016 owing to higher commodity prices and an expected strong domestic recovery in the second half of 2017," Nomura said in a research note.
The CAD -- the difference between the value of imports of goods, services and investment incomes, and that of exports -- increased to USD 7.9 billion, or 1.4 per cent of GDP, in October-December quarter of 2016.
According to official data, exports continued their uptrend in March with a growth of 27.6 per cent year-on-year from 17.5 per cent in February. Import growth rose even faster to 45.3 per cent in March from 21.8 per cent in February.
Since the start of this year, the Indian rupee has appreciated steadily in line with other emerging market currencies which is a reflection of the strength in Indian economy. The rupee is currently hovering around the 64-level mark against the dollar.
Overall, the trade data suggest that stronger global demand and higher export prices are driving the exports recovery. However, there are risks to this uptrend from protectionist policies in the US, a slowdown in China and fading price effects, Nomura said. PTI DRR JM


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Music video by New Found Glory performing Dressed To Kill. (C) 2000 Geffen Records
New Found Glory is the self-titled and second studio album by the American rock band of the same name, released on September 26, 2000 through Drive-Thru Records. Featuring breakthrough single "Hit or Miss", the album was later certified gold by the RIAA with sales in excess of 500,000 units. Many long-term fans consider the album as the band's "magnum opus". The record is often referred to as "Self Titled" as if that were the actual title of the record, the band has since done so as well.
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He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt.
He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.(Albert Einstein)


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Ghana's 2016 general elections are underway and the reports coming as at midday, were of easy smooth processes at most polling stations.
Witnessed an accident in your voting area? Share with via our Twitter, Twitter, Facebook or email at email@example.com!
While many have already cast their vote, there is a still a long queue of eager voters at various polling stations. Among the many proud patriotic voters are some of Ghana's favourite celebrities who have also exercised their franchise:
Kumawood star Emelia Brobbey feeling all patriotic and joining the #ShowYourPinkyChallenge
READ ALSO: Follow LIVE coverage of Ghana's crucial elections (Part 2)
Sandra Ankobiah proudly shows of her pinky after she voted earlier today.
Jeremie of Live FM also showed off her indelible-inked pinky after voting at her polling station.
ATTENTION: Get all the latest news updates from YEN.com.gh
Joselyn Dumas along with her friend took this proud selfie after they had performed their civic duty to the country, showing off their inked fingers.
Lydia Forson was not left out of the list of patriotic citizens as she too showed off proudly her inked pinky on Instagram.
Star songstress also did not fall behind and hit the polling station to vote, and proudly showed off her finger in her Instagram post with the caption 'And now the Lord will decide."
READ ALSO: President Mill's widow casts her vote in Ghana's 2016 elections
Reggie Rockstone feeling 'all fruity' after casting his vote, and given his recent endorsement, we know whom he voted for.
Ghana's king of comdey, DKB asks, have you voted?
Source: Yen.com.gh


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Sung by: Lowell Harness
Recorded in Pangburn, AR 7/29/63
Click here to listen to the original recording
I used to live and dwell.
I used to live in an Export town
And owned a flour mill.
There was a girl, an Export girl,
Had dark and rolling eyes.
I asked that girl to marry me,
To me she wouldn't deny.
I called at her sister's house,
'Bout nine o'clock one night.
Her sister, knowing not who I be,
She . . . a spite.
I says, "My love, let's take a walk
And view the meadows gay,
And pray that we will have a chat
And name our wedding day."
We walked along, we talked along,
'Til we came to level ground.
I picked a stick up off the ground,
And knocked that fair girl down.
She fell upon her bended knees.
"Oh, Lord, have mercy," she cried.
"Willy, dear, don't murder me here,
I'm not prepared to die."
I heeded not a word she said,
But beat her more and more,
Until the ground all around us both
Was in a bloody gore.
I called at my mother's house
'Bout twelve o'clock that night.
My mother, not knowing who I be,
She waked up in a fright.
"Darling son, what have you done,
To bloody your hands and clothes?"
The answer I gave to her
Was bleeding at the nose.
(Mr. Harness: "That's all I know if it now. That's as far as I know. I've tried to figure it out from there on, but I can't.")
Also found in Randolph, Vol. II, #150, "The Noel Girl"; Brown, Vol. II, #65, "The Lexington Murder"; Belden, p. 133, "The Oxford Girl."
All Songs Recorded by John Quincy Wolf, Jr., unless otherwise noted
The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection
Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas
Back to the Song Index
Back to the Wolf Collection Homepage
©Copyright 2002 Lyon College


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A report released earlier this morning, by a national non-profit organization on the Canadian collection industry, while well-intentioned, misses the mark. One of the reasons for the release of the report is the growing level of consumer debt among Canadians. The report fails to identify the silver bullet for substantially reducing the level of illegal and socially unacceptable behavior by bill collectors. Only one of the report's nine recommendations, if implemented, would be significant in terms of protecting consumers from abusive and overreaching behavior by debt collectors.
On March 30, 2015, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), an Ottawa-based, non-profit advocacy group for consumers, released a report titled "All Along The Watch Tower: A Review Of The Canadian Consumer Collection Industry". The report makes nine recommendations for improving the playing field between debtors and creditors and their collection agents most of which involve provincial governments enacting additional consumer protection laws. Only one of these nine recommendations—the mandatory recording of telephone calls by debt collectors– would have a substantial impact in terms of protecting the public from illegal and unprofessional conduct by bill collectors.
The 96-page report not only describes Mark Silverthorn as a "debt collection expert", refers to him by name 10 times, but also cites his book, The Wolf At The At The Door, 57 times as a source of information.
1. Advances national conversation on the Canadian collection industry
All Canadians should applaud the efforts and sincerity of The Public Interest Advocacy Centre in connection with the preparation of this report on the collection industry in Canada. One of the positive aspects of the PIAC report is that it provides an overview of the debt collection industry in Canada and it identifies some of the key concerns for both consumers and those engaged in the collection of consumer accounts. It also describes the amount of consumer debt in this country and the size and scope of the debt collection industry.
Accordingly, the report will play a very important role in advancing the national conversation about the debt collection industry in Canada. This report should also kickstart a national debate on how legislators in this country can better protect consumers who find themselves owing monies to creditors—balancing the legitimate interests of creditors seeking to recover unsecured consumer debt with reasonable protections afforded to those consumers who owe monies to creditors in a civilized society.
The report should receive its due for the following:
- Providing an overview of the life cycle of an unsecured consumer debt
- Describing the amount of unsecured consumer debt in Canada
- Describing the federal law regulating the conduct of those collecting monies owing to banks and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada's (FCAC) success, or lack thereof, enforcing these federal laws
- Describing the conflict between CRTC rules and provincial laws regulating collection agencies as relates to the use of automated dialers to phone consumers
- Offering two alternative narratives concering the conduct of large creditors and their collection agencies
Conflicting narratives of the conduct of large creditors and collection agencies
One of the highlights of the report is the comparison of two different narratives of the debt collection industry. The first narrative is referred to as "Maintaining a Healthy Image". According to Peter Sorrentino, President of General Credit Services Inc., collection agencies strive very hard to comply with the law because of potential adverse reaction from their creditor-clients. The competing narrative is described as "A Race For Cash" as described in the book, The Wolf At The Door: What To Do When Collection Agencies Come Calling (2010), published by McClelland & Stewart. Under this narrative, large creditors in Canada create competitive races between a number of collection agencies to see which can collect the most monies and their respective performances dictate the distribution of future business and market share—a model which places tremendous pressure on collection agencies, and everyone in the organization including front-line collectors to break the law.
2. The report is hamstrung by inadequate research
This report, however, does have a number of deficiencies. Anyone who is knowledgeable about the collection industry reading the report will notice a number of glaring factual errors. The report inaccurately lists the statute of limitations for simple contract debt in New Brunswick as six years—in fact the correct period is two years!
A paragraph which appears on page 22 of the report will illustrate the limitations of the report's understanding of the collection industry.
When debt collection agencies purchase the debt accounts themselves, they proceed to collect as much revenue as possible from the outstanding accounts that were purchased. The difference between what debt collection agencies collect from the outstanding accounts that were purchased and the amount collection agencies have paid representing the profit for debt collection agencies. Debt collection agencies acting under these "debt-buying" circumstances are sometimes referred to as third party collectors.
A third party collector is a collector employed by a collection agency that collects debts owned by others. If a collection agency purchases debt then this debt is referred to as "purchased debt". The last sentence in the excerpt from the report—and the reference to "third party collectors"– is not only factually incorrect it simply does not make any sense!
The report lacks understanding of the Canadian debt collection industry
The report fail to adequately identify the dynamics of the relationship between large creditors in this country vis-a-vis their existing collection agencies, as well as those agencies which seek to one day to provide collection services for them. It is a relationship based on something approaching serfdom. When these large creditors say jump, the response from collection agencies is invariably "how high?"
An example from the PIAC report illustrates a disturbing level of naivete when it comes to understanding the relationship between creditors and collection agencies. The PIAC report is critical of the industry practice among Canada's largest creditors involving competitive races among the various collection agencies doing work for them. The following sentence appears on page 53 of the report.
Secondly, we suggest debt collection agencies negotiate with large original creditors to adjust the manner in which debt collection efforts are analyzed and recorded in Canada.
Anyone working in the collection agency is going to have a hard time, upon reading this sentence in the report, to keep from falling off their chair. Collection agencies do not negotiate with large creditors. Collection agencies receive instructions from large creditors!
With few exceptions, traditional collection agencies are corporate entities where profitability is the number one factor motivating behavior. The following paragraph which can be found on page 53 of the report encourages collection agencies to voluntarily provide debtors with information about their rights—a suggestion, which if implemented—would result in substantial prejudice to their profitability.
We would also encourage debt collection agencies to provide information to their clients that is produced by provincial consumer affairs ministries or an agency such as the FCAC. This government-produced information, perhaps a 1-2 page document, would advise consumers what their rights are when involved in a debt collector-debtor relationship. Armed with this knowledge, consumers may be able to manage this relationship in a manner that will eventually benefit both themselves and the debt collection agency.
Make no mistake about it. The better informed consumers are about their rights in the context of debt collection—and their options for dealing with their debts, will have only one result—a massive loss in revenues for collection agencies. This suggestion in the report that collection agencies voluntarily provide debtors with information about their rights is from the realm of fantasy.
The report fails to adequately address the issue of enforcement of existing consumer protection laws in Canada in the context of debt collection
With one exception, the report fails to address the issue of the level of enforcement of existing laws in Canada designed to protect Canadian consumers dealing with illegal behavior by debt collectors. On January 1, 2010, the Federal Government enacted regulations under the federal Bank Act that applied to federally regulated financial institutions—Canada's banks—creating a list of prohibited collection practices for those collecting monies owing to Canada's banks, original creditors and their authorized collection agents, which might include collection agencies, lawyers or possibly paralegals.
According to the PIAC report between April 2011 and July 2013, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), an agency of Industry Canada, received 776 complaints involving debt collection and 73 investigations were opened in 2013-2014. According to the PIAC report—which received financial support from Industry Canada—the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada would not appear to have disciplined any firm in connection with these 73 investigations. Some intrepid reporter might want to ask both the federal Industry Minister as well as senior management at FCAC for details regarding the enforcement of section 7 of the Credit Business Practices Regulations enacted pursuant to the federal Bank Act.
The report's criticism of provincial law societies misses the point
The report is very critical of the role of provincial law societies concerning the regulation of lawyers engaged in debt collection. One of the report's recommendations is that provincial laws regulating collection agencies be amended to strip lawyers of their exemption under these laws. In 2010 I wrote a 300-page book, The Wolf At The Door. Nowhere in that book did I criticize a provincial law society nor did I question the merits of having lawyers being regulated by self-governing law societies.
The report's recommendation to eliminate the exemption in existing provincial statutes regulating collection agencies misses the point. From the consumer's perspective, if they are the subject of abusive behavior by someone attempting to collect a debt it doesn't matter if the collection efforts are made by persons employed by a third party collection agency, the original creditor, a debt buyer, or a law firm. In the context of consumer debt collection, consumers should be entitled to same level of protection regardless of who is attempting to collect the monies from them.
The report fails to make a distinction between two distinct regulatory regimes which are found in provincial and territorial statutes regulating collection agencies. Each of these laws has a licensing regime for licensing collection agencies—and in some cases, branch offices and even individual collectors employed by collection agencies. It would be silly to require lawyers to obtain a collection agency license to collect an outstanding account on behalf of a client.
The second part of provincial and territorial laws regulating collection agencies are what I would describe as a list of prohibited collection practices. I submit that these prohibited collection practices should apply to not only third party collection agencies, but also to original creditors, debt buyers, law firms, and their employees.
The report's analysis of the regulation of U.S. debt collection industry is inadequate
The report contains a 2-page analysis of the regulation of debt collectors in the U.S. This section, which is very cursory in nature, contains a number of factual errors and is simply inadequate. It fails to identify the tremendous impact that the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) has had in moderating the behavior of collection agencies and collection law firms in the U.S. Collection agencies and collection lawyers are better behaved in the U.S. than in Canada because of FDCPA lawsuits and the threat of FDCPA lawsuits!
The report fails to identify the silver bullet to eliminating abusive behavior by debt collectors
In its report on the Canadian collection industry the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) fails to identify the silver bullet for eliminating abusive behavior by debt collectors in Canada. Debt collectors in Canada engage in abusive and overreaching behavior because it is profitable to do so. In order to stop abusive debt collection practices it is necessary for provincial governments, and to a limited extent the federal government, to effectively deter bad behavior using financial penalties for non-compliance—and lawsuits brought by consumers are much more effective than the actions of any government regulator!
The way to properly supervise the debt collection marketplace in Canada is not—as suggested in this report—by enacting a series of more laws, and then relying upon the efforts of government regulators to enforce them. The key to ensuring that debt collectors behave properly is passing laws that facilitate consumers—regardless of their financial situation—to successfully sue debt collectors in the courts where debt collectors have broken consumer protection laws in the context of debt collection.
This solution has been incredibly effective in the United States where there is a cottage industry of lawyers who routinely sue collection agencies and their creditor-clients for virtually any and all violations of U.S. law regulating the conduct of debt collectors. In the United States these lawsuits are often settled out of court after a collection agency receives a single letter from a consumer lawyer threatening a lawsuit on behalf of a consumer.
In order to eliminate overreaching and abusive behavior by debt collectors provincial governments in Canada need to take a page from the playbook of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) in the U.S. and provide consumers—regardless of their financial situation—with the ability to successfully sue "debt collectors" and their creditor-clients for violations of consumer protection laws.
3. The report's nine recommendations
The PIAC's report contains nine recommendations, virtually all of which call for provincial governments' to amend existing laws regulations regulating collection agencies. The following table summarizes not only these recommendations but also my comments regarding the value of these recommendations.
|PIAC report Recommendations
|Mark Silverthorn's Reaction to Recommendations
|Amending provincial laws to ensure a collection agency includes a 1-2 page memo to explain consumers their rights in the context of debt collection.
|Preferable to require require mandatory language on all collection notices with a link to provincial regulator's website containing information about debtor's rights
|Amending provincial laws so collection agencies must provide written notice before collection calls commence in every Canadian jurisdiction
|Many, but not all, provincial laws regulating collection agencies, currently contain such a provision
|Amending provincial laws so that once collection agency learns a consumer is not the debtor all collection efforts must stop
|Most, if not all, provincial laws regulating collection agencies, contain a law to this effect
|Amending provincial laws so consumers in every province have the right to stop collection calls and request communications by some other means
|Some, but not all, provinces have laws, granting this right to consumers
|Every call between debt collector and creditor should be recorded
|Preferable if provincial laws were amended to require that all calls from a debt collector (1) to a consumer, or (2) for a purpose in furtherance of collecting a debt must be recorded by debt collector and be available to both government regulators and consumers upon request
|Provincial and territorial regulators should do "spot checks" on collection agency telephone conversations by obtaining recordings from agencies. Any tampering would result in large administrative monetary penalties up to an immediate license suspension.
|This recommendation would be a postitve step.
|Provincial governments should consider amending debt collection laws and regulations to amend or remove the exemption now enjoyed by lawyers
|Provincial governments should enact laws imposing a code of conduct on all those engaged in the collection of debts.
|Provincial governments should amend provincial law to require annual transparency reports related to debt collector complaints
|This would be a waste of time and money. It is based on the unstated assumption that complaints are a good yardstick for measuring collection agency misconduct.
|Provincial government's should consider permitting collection agencies to contact debtor's via e-mail
|Might not be practical because it is contrary to the internal policies of Canada's major banks—and their unsecured consumer debt comprises more than 50 percent of Canada's total unsecured debt
The problem with the PIAC report's recommendations is that none of them—with the exception of the requirement to record collection calls—would be particularly effective in terms of reducing illegal behavior by debt collectors. Even that recommendation is flawed. Not only should calls between a debt collector and the debtor be recorded but also phone calls between a debt collector and anyone other than the debtor made in furtherance of the collection of a debt. Collectors often break the law when they speak to a member of the debtor's household, a family member, or someone at the debtor's workplace. Finally, consumers should be able to access these recorded phone calls—not just government regulators!
4. Mark Silverthorn's recommendations for improving debt collection industry
The following three recommendations would go a long way towards reducing or eliminating illegal and social unacceptable behavior by debtor collectors in Canada.
(i) Statutory right to sue debt collectors for violation of debt collection laws
Governments should enact laws which give consumers the statutory right to sue debt collectors for violations of federal or provincial law in the context of debt collection.
This initiative would take advantage of the success American society has enjoyed moderating the behavior of debt collectors under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
(ii) All debt collectors should be subject to uniform conduct of behavior
Provincial laws regulating the conduct of collection agencies should be amended to provide a code of prohibited practices for all debt collectors.
As noted earlier, debt collectors come in four flavours—original creditors, debt buyers, third party collection agencies and lawyers. A consumer who is subject to collection efforts should be entitled to the same rights and protections regardless of which of category of debt collector is attempting to collect the debt.
At the present time provincial laws regulating the conduct of collection agencies have two distinct components, a licensing regime, and a list of prohibited collection practices and/or mandatory obligations—which are often a mirror image of one another. Provincial governments across Canada should enact laws requiring that anyone engaged in the collection of a debt be subject to a uniform set of prohibited collection practices in that jurisdiction.
(iii) Mandatory for "collection calls" to be recorded
Each province should pass a law requiring that debt collectors be required to record all their collection calls (1) with debtors, and (2) those calls with persons other than debtors made for the purpose of collecting a specific debt. It should be possible for not only government regulators but also individual consumers to access audio recordings with respect to their particular account.


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DCCB Result 2015
DCCB Result 2015 released officially on 25th November 2015. It is the latest news regarding Telangana DCCB Result in 2015. The DCCB Bank released the DCCB Bank Result 2015. Many candidates have written the DCCB Bank Exam on 8th Nov & 15th Nov 2015. The DCCB Bank Exam has released the DCCB Staff Asst Result 2015 for the DCCB Bank Exam Applicants. Now on 25/11/2015, the DCCB declared the DCCB Result 2015. That is, the DCCB Bank officially released the DCCB Asst Manager 2015.
The DCCB Bank Exam written candidates can also refer the DCCB Cut Off Marks 2015 from our website. We are giving all necessary information regarding the DCCB Result 2015 on this page. The DCCB Shortlisted aspirants can attend the Interview conducting by DCCB Bank. So, you can verify your DCCB Staff Asst Result 2015 here. Also, check the DCCB Asst Manager Result 2015 and DCCB Bank Clerk Merit List 2015.
About DCCB Bank
District Cooperative Central Bank shortened as DCCB. DCCB established in the year 1921 and affiliated to A.P. State Coop. Bank Ltd., Hyderabad. The NDCC Bank headquarters are at Hyderabad, Telangana. The DCCB bank provides a loan to the farming community for Agricultural production for mainly Groundnut, Sugarcane. Refer DCCB Bank Official Website for DCCB Recruitment, DCCB Result. The DCCB Official Website – www.tscab.org.
Recently, DCC Bank has released the DCCB Staff Asst, Asst Manager & Clerk Exam notification 2015. Many candidates who are interested in Telangana Government Jobs have applied for this DCCB Bank Recruitment Exam 2015. The aspirants who have applied for the DCCB written exam on 8th Nov & 15th Nov 2015. The DCCB Bank Exam written candidates can now download the DCCB Result 2015 from our website.
Telangana DCCB Staff Assistant Result 2015
The DCCB Bank Exam Applicants had attended the DCCB Exam on 15th Nov 2015. Now, the DCCB Exam Written aspirants can quickly check the DCCB Asst Manager Result 2015 on our website. The DCCB Staff Assistant Result 2015 already declared in the official website of DCC Bank. The Candidates can refer the DCC Bank Clerk Result 2015 on our website provided below. You can know the DCCB Telangana Result 2015 just by visiting the PDF given below. It shows the complete list of DCCB Shortlisted Candidates. The Merit list of DCCB Bank 8th Nov Exam enclosed here. So, refer the DCCB Clerk Result 2015 for within few seconds without visiting the official website.
DCCB Bank Clerk Result 2015 – More Info
Name of the Bank: District Cooperative Central Bank [DCCB].
Name of Posts: Clerk, Assistant Manager, Staff Assistant.
DCCB Bank Official Website: www.tscab.org
Job Location: Telangana, India.
Exam Dates:
- 08/11/2015.
- 15/11/2015.
Category: DCCB Result.
Status: Released by DCCB Bank.
DCCB Bank Asst Manager Result & DCCB Interview Dates 2015
The DCCB Shortlist of DCC Bank Selected Candidates in the DCCB Recruitment Exam held on 08.11.2015 and 15.11.2015 attached below. In this, you can check the Telangana DCCB Result 2015 roll number wise. Download the DCCB Staff Asst Result 2015 from the links provided below. The Merit lists of DCCB Bank given Roll Number wise. In the DCCB Asst Manager Result & DCCB Interview Dates 2015 PDF, you can find the DCCB Interview time, Venue of DCCB Bank Interview.
Download the PDF provided below to get the DCCB Asst Manager Result 2015. Check your Hall ticket number in the given list of DCCB Bank Selected Candidates. The DCCB Staff Asst Result 2015 provided in the form of List of qualified candidates for DCCB Result 2015. The DCC Bank Officially released the Telangana DCCB Clerk Result 2015. Also allowed to download the DCCB Interview Call Letters from our website.
DCCB Bank Result 2015
|District Name
|Click on DCCB Result
|DCCB Adilabad Result 2015
|DCCB Hyderabad Result 2015
|DCCB Karimnagar Result 2015
|Khammam DCCB Clerk Result
|DCCB Mahabubnagar Result 2015
|Medak DCCB Staff Asst Result 2015
|DCCB Nalgonda Asst Manager Result 2015
|Nizamabad DCCB Staff Asst / Clerk Result 2015
|DCCB Warangal Staff Assistant Manager Result 2015


text: Whenever i get a message there will be two notifications, I uninstalled chompsms and now just have the default messaging app and there are still two notifications. Also whenever i press the messaging icon it takes about 3-5 seconds to do anything, even longer to actually display the message. Does anyone have any ideas/fixes? Much appreciated.


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Clarksville Dentist - Dr. Katherine Ham and Dr. Matt Avrit
Your Dentist in Clarksville, Tennessee!
Welcome to Tiny Town Dental, where you will find a caring dental team that provides quality dentistry in a fun environment with the personalized dental care you deserve.
As lifelong residents of Hendersonville and Nashville, Clarksville dentists, Dr. Katherine Ham and Dr. Matt Avrit, know that you have many options when searching for the perfect dentist. Therefore we strive to offer the most comprehensive dental care for the entire family by teaching strong oral health habits that will last a lifetime. Some of our preferred dental services include crowns, bridges, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, smile makeovers, and emergency dental services.
We also offer Invisalign, clear plastic aligners that straighten teeth without metal bands or wires. Clear aligners are comfortable, non-irritating, and most of all, nearly invisible!
So whether you are looking for a pediatric dentist or cosmetic dentist in Clarksville, Tennessee that provides exceptional care, or you need a routine cleaning, call us today and see the difference a our dental clinic can make!
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Toll Brothers at Inspiration! The only new construction active-adult community in the South Metro Denver area. Join a resident club, attend a community event and enjoy all of the resort-style amenities available to you at the world-class 20 Mile House! This 8,000 square-foot clubhouse features a Cafe, Fitness Center, Library, Banquet Room, Outdoor Pool, Hot Tub & Courts for Tennis, Bocce & Pickleball. Conveniently located between Southlands and Parker, for quick access to shopping and restaurants. This Antero Traditional comes with two bedrooms; two and a half baths; 10' ceilings throughout; a master suite with walk-in-closet; gourmet kitchen with large island, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops; expansive 12' sliding doors; gas fireplace; foyer tray ceiling; butler pantry; covered back patio and walkout basement with rough-in plumbing.
The content relating to real estate for sale in this Web site comes in part from the Internet Data eXchange (IDX) program of METROLIST, INC., DBA RECOLORADO®. Real estate listings held by brokers other than RE/MAX Alliance are marked with the IDX Logo. This information is being provided for the consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any other purpose. All information subject to change and should be independently verified. [more]
Copyright © 2018 IDX. All rights reserved. Information deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.


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Having trouble with UPS and PowerStore 3
I'm having trubble with UPS and powerstore3
When I turn on shipping the transaction fials and I get this responce. "Transaction Not Completed" we're sorry Your transaction could not be compleated. Either your credit card information or billing address has problems and cannot be processed.Please return to checkout and try again.
If I turn off shipping thr transaction goes through (kind of ), but the next screen has No Paypal Express checkout Info, Shipping info and it ask for New account info. When I try it as a regestered user I the screen "Transaction failed" your Paypal transaction could not be completed. Please return to checkout and try again.
I'm sending some screen shots,I hope they help. I'm not sure of the code used for finding out the exact error. PayPal worked when I first set it up, but after setting up shipping it stopped working to I guess.
The first scerrn shot is when the UPS failed, The seconed is showing the page with no PayPal Express info or shipping info.
I do have to say you guy at webassist have wonderfull products, always a little tweeking to get it to work for the differnt sites, differnt hosts. But you have always got them working for me.
Thanks in advance for your help
Ron Mc


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Dale Gaming Interactive was founded on April 9th, 2013 to develop a new series of Football Manager based fantasy leagues featuring micronations. The series proved popular and is now in development of its 3rd release of the series.
Dale Gaming Interactive have in the past worked with Jarokn Games to develop the M-League 2015 mod for Football Manager 2015.