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§ 8.8 p.m.
§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Peter Thomas)
I beg to move,
That the Welsh National Water Development Authority (Establishment and Constitution) Order 1973, a draft of which was laid before this House on 19th July, be approved.
Section 2 of the Water Act 1973 provides for the establishment of the Welsh National Water Development Authority to carry out the functions conferred upon it by Part II of the Act.
Section 2(4) of the Act provides that the Welsh Authority shall be established by order, and Section 3(10) that the constitution of the Welsh Authority shall be prescribed in that order, which shall be laid in draft before, and approved by resolution of, each House. That section also requires me to lay the draft of the order not later than one month after the passing of the Act.
As right hon. and hon. Members are aware, the Water Act 1973 received Royal Assent on 18th July, and the draft of the order was laid on 19th July.
The Welsh Authority has a great deal of preparatory work to do before assuming responsibility for its functions on 1st April 1974. I have therefore provided that it shall come into existence on 6th August 1973. Its constitution is prescribed in Article 4 of the draft order. This is an interim constitution. The constitution will not be finally determined until the Government have given full consideration to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Constitution.
Accordingly I have provided in Article 4(1) that the constitution specified shall have effect only until 31st May 1977. Before that date a further draft order prescribing a substantive constitution will be laid.
During the passage of the Bill I undertook, in formulating an interim constitution, to have regard to Parliament's decisions about the constitution of the English regional water authorities. In particular I undertook to provide for a majority of local authority membership if this was so decided for the regional water authorities. The Act provides that there shall be such a majority.
1511 This undertaking is fulfilled by the provisions of Article 4(1). I have borne in mind the feelings expressed during debate that it should be a workable majority, and the draft order provides this.
Article 4(1) also requires that 1 shall appoint the chairman of the authority and that there shall be 34 other members. As I have already told the House, it is my intention to appoint Lord Brecon as chairman. His wide experience will be a great asset to the authority. Of the 34 members, 20 will be appointed by local authorities and 14 by Ministers
I am sure that with the constitution provided the Welsh authority will be able to carry out, with proper regard to all the interests concerned, the efficient management of water in Wales. Therefore, I ask the House to approve that the order as drafted be made.
§ 8.10 p.m.
§ Mr. George Thomas (Cardiff, West)
I want, first, to register a very strong protest at the fact that we are discussing this order in reference to an Act that is not yet in print and available for the House. The Government have been in such a stampeding hurry in this matter that we had to try to remember the amendments proposed in another place which have a bearing on the order.
I want, secondly, to register a protest at the fact that a major order of this sort, in which all Wales is deeply interested, has been brought forward at such a stage in the business of the House. There ought to have been opportunity for a full day's debate on this major topic which causes considerable feeling throughout the Principality.
We do not like the order. It will not last for long. The order undermines local government in the Principality. It takes away responsibilities from elected local government and hands them over to 14 people nominated by Ministers and another 18 from Wales in local government and four from outside.
Responsibility for sewerage and water has been undertaken for a long period in the Principality by our local authorities. It is a very sad commentary on the Government's attitude to local government that at a time when we are creating larger local government units 1512 the Government seek to take away from local government powers that it has hitherto carried out very effectively.
This order is another contribution by the Government to the inflation that is persecuting our country at present. Not content with forcing up the cost of our food and our homes, now even the water that we drink is to cost more for the Welsh people. Already the people of Montgomeryshire, according to a report in the Western Mail, have been told that they can look forward to a sharp increase in the cost of their water supply. This order creates a bureaucracy that will be highly expensive for the people of Wales.
On an earlier occasion the Minister for Local Government and Development told us that the Government soughtnot to bind the authorities with unnecessary statutory obligations but merely to lay down general guide lines and general rules"— [OFFICIAL REPORT. 2nd May 1973, Vol. 855. c. 1261.]The Secretary of State will have no other control over the price of the water that this national board can charge. On 2nd May the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment saidThe cost of water, even if it were to be charged by volume, is infinitesimally small compared with the cost of heating it before it is used or buying and running a washing machine in which it is processed.—[OFFICIAL REPORT. 2nd May 1973. Vol. 855, c. 1279.]But the people of Wales have only to wait. The cost of our water will escalate rapidly.
Perhaps the Secretary of State will be able to give us an estimate of what this order will cost the people of Wales in, first, the bureaucratic machinery that he is setting up and, secondly, the replacement of voluntary service by the payment that has to be made. What estimate has the Secretary of State made of the likely increase when the Welsh National Water Development Authority goes ahead with the metering of water supplies in Wales? Am I right in assuming that under the order the Secretary of State is giving the all-clear to the authority to introduce a meter charge at a time to suit itself? Is he telling the families in Wales that they will have to pay much more through a metering system and that the authority will decide when that will be introduced and how much it shall charge?
1513 Water charges in Wales today fall on the water rate. People are able to talk to their elected representatives who serve on the joint water boards. But this monstrosity which the Secretary of State is creating is beyond the reach of the people. We shall have bureaucrats able to impose charges on people without the people being able to shift them if they dislike them or feel that they are not conducting their business properly.
Hitherto, water, like the air we breathe. has been treated differently from any other commodity. Under this order the Secretary of State reverses everything that has gone before.
In Committee it was decided that the chairman of the water authority should be elected by his fellow members. The Government were agitated about that. They brought the matter to the Floor of the House. Right hon. and hon. Members who had not heard a word of the argument trooped through the Lobbies to reverse the decision and to ensure that the chairman should be a creature of the Secretary of State, his nominee, paid by him—I beg his pardon—paid by the people of Wales. who have to pay through their charges for water, but answerable to the Secretary of State.
We wondered on this side why the Government were so fiercely resisting the right of their own board to appoint its own chairman. There was obviously good reason why the Government could not trust the board to choose a responsible person, and they reversed the decision. Now we know why the Government were so agitated.
The Secretary of State paid high tribute to his noble Friend Lord Brecon. The Secretary of State has resolved to give this lucrative appointment to a safe place-man. No one would be less likely to put up a fight for Welsh interests against the Secretary of State than his noble Friend the former Minister for Welsh Affairs. There will be no tough resistance from that quarter. He has top job. All the main influence will be in the hands of Lord Brecon who is known to be a loyal and dedicated supporter of the Government and the Conservative Party.
The order, if it is approved, will ensure that the Secretary of State will always be able to rely on getting his own way so far as the Water Authority in Wales 1514 is concerned. The Welsh National Water Development Authority will be no more than a ventriloquist's doll. It should be renamed. It should not be called the Welsh National Water Development Authority. It ought to be called the Welsh Office Water Authority, for the Secretary of State might as well have taken the chair himself as appoint a former Minister who everyone knows is entirely loyal to the Conservative Party. In any case this is not a Welsh National Water Development Authority. It is a hybrid authority, for Cheshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire are all members of it. This makes a nonsense of the title.
Does the Secretary of State realise that in defining, in the order, the area which the water authority will cover he is cutting out a very important part of the water supplying areas of Wales? Mid-Wales, as the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows, produces a major proportion of our water, but I gather that as it is not included in the order, as far as I can see, as being the responsibility of the Welsh national authority, it comes under the Severn Authority, and will be controlled from Lincolnshire. The Secretary of State knows as well as I do that there is deep feeling about this.
The Secretary of State has set about this in the wrong way. We do not like the idea of these bureaucrats nominated by the Minister, these faceless creatures whom the Welsh people will be unable to move, even if they do not like them.
As the Government are able to get their own way and to establish this authority, I would have thought that the Secretary of State would lean over backwards to ensure that the authority has a good beginning. But it cannot have a good beginning with the way he has set about it. He referred to the Kilbrandon Commission, which we used to call the Crowther Commission until the unfortunate early death of Lord Crowther. No matter what that Commission reports, the Oppositon are determined to establish an elected council for Wales. Water will be one of the responsibilites of that elected council, so we shall restore to the Welsh people the right to control one of the major resources with which the Almighty has blessed that country.
§ 8.25 p.m.
§ Mr. Peter Thomas
The right hon. Gentleman has asked me one or two questions and made one or two points which I should try to answer.
First, I appreciate that it is inconvenient, when an Act of Parliament is referred to in an order, if that Act is not in print. I am happy to say, however, knowing the right hon. Gentleman's interest in this subject, that he was well versed in the Bill which came out of the Committee, and all the relevant sections of the Act which I referred to are the same as they were in the Bill as amended by the Committee, and the Bill is in the Vote Office.
The right hon. Gentleman suggested that one was stampeding this order through in a hurry. I agree that the Welsh Water Authority will not assume responsibility for its functions before 1st April 1974, but it will need to undertake a great deal of preparatory work as a matter of some urgency. For instance, it will need to get on with the important task of appointing its chief officers. I am sure that it would not be the wish that we should lag behind the regional water authorities in England. That is why it is provided in Article I of the order that the authority shall come into operation on 6th August.
§ Mr. George Thomas
Since it is to come into operation within a forthnight the right hon. and learned Gentleman has, clearly, appointed the people. He knows the names of those who will serve. I realise that they have received letters from him. That is common knowledge in Wales. Will he be kind enough to tell the House the people whom he has appointed to start their duties on 6th August? Or is he waiting till the House goes down for the recess before he announces the names?
§ Mr. Peter Thomas
It surprises me that this is common knowledge in Wales because, I can assure the right hon. Gentleman, I have written no letters asking anyone. The right hon. Gentleman will see that by Article 4(1) of the order there will be 34 members apart from the chairman. Of those, 20 will be appointed by the local authorities: 14 will be appointed by Ministers, 10 by me and four jointly by me and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Therefore, there will be 20 local authority 1516 members and 14 members appointed by Ministers.
I have asked the local authorities to send in their nominations. Some of them have, but many have not yet.
I have not written, neither has my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture jointly with me, to any nominated members.
I shall appoint 10 members who appear to me to have had experience of or shown capacity in some matter relevant to the functions of water authorities. I would hope to include people with experience in manufacturing industry, management and finance, labour relations, recreation and amenity, applied science, and consumer affairs. To get the right people for the job I have asked various bodies, including the TUC and CBI, to suggest to me the names of people they would consider to be suitable, and I have no doubt from the way they have responded—this is probably where the confusion lies, since they have responded to my request that I shall be able to appoint people who can make a very useful contribution to the management of water in Wales.
My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and I acting jointly will appoint four members who appear to us to have had experience of and shown capacity in agriculture, land drainage, or fisheries.
I cannot understand why the right hon. Gentleman referred to this as bureaucratic machinery when there is a working majority of local authority representatives, which was what in committee was asked for and which I promised I would have in Wales in order to follow the regional water authorities in England.
As to the election of the chairman I think I would be out of order if I were to engage in either condoning or criticising, as the right hon. Gentleman did, the provisions of the parent Act out of which this order comes. All I can say is that the right hon. Gentleman is about the only person in Wales who has ever suggested that Lord Brecon who will be appointed chairman is other than admirable for the job. When I announced my intention to appoint him the announcement received widespread acclamation throughout Wales.
The right hon. Gentleman also mentioned metering. He knows that the 1517 authority when it is set up, together with the regional water authorities for England, has the discretionary power to introduce metering. Whether it can be democratically introduced depends on the views of the majority of the local authority members on the authority. I am sure that with the constitution provided in this order the Welsh authority established by it will be able to carry out efficiently and with proper regard to all concerned the management of water in Wales. I hope that the House will approve the order.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Resolved.
§ That the Welsh National Water Development Authority (Establishment and Constitution) Order 1973, a draft of which was laid before this House on 19th July, be approved.


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Pauline Michael was born on October 13, 1898 in Portland, Indiana. Along with her parents, Otto and Ella Michael, she settled in Stockton, CA. Her mother, Ella was a musician and played the piano and organ. When Pauline's mother was unable to make it to a funeral service to play the organ, she sent Pauline, and that was her first experience of playing for the public. At age 12, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and received 3 gifts…the Word of Wisdom, a Shepherd's heart, and the gift of Music. She then became a pianist for local churches. Pauline played organ at street meetings. She and her mother were very active in Street Meetings, and Missions. Her mother was very musical and has written several Sacred Songs. She has also written many poems.
In 1920, Pauline was healed by the prayers of Smith-Wigglesworth.
In 1915 she was married to Louis Mills. She had 6 children and lived in Stockton. In 1944 she moved to Los Angeles with her 3 younger daughters, and attended and graduated from L.I.F.E. Bible College with her son, Dick Mills, who was just out of the Air Force.
In 1940 she began to set the scriptures to music, 25 years before the body of Christ accepted them.
In 1975, she was ordained a minister in Los Angeles by L.I.F.E. Bible College. Pauline has ministered by song and speaking across the United States, Australia, and England.
Pauline felt that she was born before her time because the Lord had given her the gift of writing music to scriptures long before it became received in the churches.
The way "Thou Art Worthy" came about was when Pauline was traveling with her son on an Evangelistic tour. He asked the congregation to send up their favorite scripture and that his mother would write music to the song before the service was over. She did not know that he was going to do this. By the end of the service, she had chosen the scripture from Rev. 4:11, "Thou Art Worthy" and the Lord gave her the music, and she sang it before the service was over. Later the Lord gave her the verse. This song is written in 16 languages.
At the age of 94, on December 18, 1991 she went to join the Heavenly Band.

subset: commoncrawl


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Last weekend's Formula E season-opener in Hong Kong kicked off Season 4 in style.
The action certainly kept the 3SixtyWraps team busy. We were right there in the heart of the action providing support and repair work to several top teams, including Renault eDams, DS Virgin Racing and Panasonic Jaguar.
With Season 4 underway, our thoughts have turned to what lies ahead for Formula E fans in Season 5. With a number of changes planned, including the introduction of a new chassis, we're facing up to the fact that this season will be the last time we'll wrap a four-car team from scratch.
In this post 3SixtyWrap's owner, Nick Kenway, shares his thoughts on what we can expect from next Season 5's design.
Q: Do you know if 3SixtyWraps will be wrapping the redesigned Formula E car in 2018?
"Assuming we don't do anything bad this year then yes!" Nick says with a chuckle. "I retain a lot of the customers I have from season to season. I assume I'll be wrapping for the customers I work for – fingers crossed. We are very fortunate and proud to have such a loyal customer base within the Formula E community who love the work we do."
Q: What are you expecting from Season 5's car design?
"Nobody will see it until the early part of next year. Not even the teams have seen it yet. It's proper hush hush. The renders are online and if it looks anything like them it will look awesome. It's very different to the current car – it's more Le Mans style bodywork as opposed to single-seater bodywork.
"It has been designed by Bugatti, so we think it will be pretty futuristic. We can't wait to see the final design unveiled next year. Watch this space – whatever Bugatti come up with will be amazing, that's for sure.
"What it's like to wrap will be another story! Until I see it it's hard to tell what it will be like to wrap and, even then, it's hard to know until you see it in the flesh and get your hands on it."
Q: This year you got to work with graphic designer Sean Ball for the Dragon team. What was that like?
"He's a really well-known designer and it was great to have the chance to work with him. He does a lot of cool stuff and a lot of renders of retro liveries which we love. This year he worked with Dragon and designed their cars and all their branding.
"We liaised with him for the wrap and design of the car.
"He was very complimentary about what we have done and our working processes too which was great. He was a really nice guy to work for and we would be honoured to work with him again."
At 3SixtyWraps, we're experts in motorsport graphics. From motorsport graphics to commercial wraps and customised vehicle wraps – we do it all. For information about any of our services, get in touch with our team today.
With only days left until Formula E Season 3 gets underway in Hong Kong, we thought we'd take a closer look at some of the exciting new developments for this year. From new drivers to the amazingly futuristic Roborace – we have all the details for you here.
Each team is still limited to one new set of tires per car for each race weekend, but Michelin has introduced a more energy efficient version of its treaded 18-inch Formula E types. Not only will they come up to temperature faster, they'll have less rolling resistance and reduced weight.
This change will be hard to miss. A new front wing has been introduced to help differentiate the championship from other motorsports. This bold alteration is certain to help carve out a strong visual identity for the sport.
The decision has been made to reduce the number of points given for the fastest lap from two point to one. This follows the epic battle in the season finale of season two between Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi to claim the two points and ultimately secure the title. Many expressed the view that it could be seen as unsporting that an entire season could be decided by just one lap.
The opening practice session will now begin at 8am, instead of 8:15. Don't forget to set your alarms!
Panasonic Jaguar Racing confirmed their entry early last month, signalling that global brands are placing a great deal of importance in the world's first fully-electric racing series and electrification.
TECHEETAH, a Chinese-owned team have stepped forward to take over Team Aguri. Early indications in pre-season testing point towards a promising performance this season.
In addition to the new team entries above, Dragon Racing have partnered with American-based technology company Faraday Future.
We are all very excited to watch Roborace get underway. As the first ever autonomous racing car series, Roborace will form part of the Foruma E support package.
Formula E welcomes five new drivers this season:
Adam Carroll – Panasonic Jaguar Racing
Former A1GP champion, Carroll's career has seen him race in IndyCar, DTM and for Porsche in the GT-Am class of the World Endurance Championship.
Maro Engel – Venturi
Mercedes-AMG works driver Engel has previously competed in British F3 and spent three years racing in the DTM. He also spent a year competing in the V8 Supercar series in Australia.
Mitch Evans – Panasonic Jaguar Racing
Has competed in the GP2 with a variety of teams and was the 2012 GP3 champion.
Jose Maria Lopez – DS Virgin Racing
Reigning World Touring Car Champion, Argentinian Lopez was a contemporary of Lewis Hamilton in single-seaters.
Felix Rosenqvist – Mahindra Racing
Rosenqvist defended his Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix title last season in supreme style, showing incredible skill and ability on one of the toughest street racing tracks around.
Five new cities have been added to the calendar this year, including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Brussels, Montreal and New York. Be sure to tune in and watch every race to catch a glimpse of the fantastic skylines and cityscapes on offer in these incredible locations.
At 3SixtyWraps, motorsport graphics are our speciality. That's why some of the leading teams in Formula E turn to us for pin-point precision and incredibly tight turnaround times. If you're looking for reliable, flawless, lightning-quick vehicle wraps, make 3SixtyWraps your co-driver. For more information, give our team a call on 01604 645 826 or complete an online enquiry form and we'll get right back to you with details of how we can help.
Image Credit: Motori Italia via Flickr Creative Commons.


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Welcome to Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
But Easter Island is much more than an open-air museum. Diving, snorkeling and surfing are fabulous. On land, there's no better ecofriendly way to experience the island's savage beauty than on foot, from a bike saddle or on horseback. But if all you want to do is recharge the batteries, a couple of superb expanses of white sand beckon.
Although Easter Island is world famous and visitors are on the increase, everything remains small and personable – it's all about ecotravel.
Top experiences in Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
Recent articles
Easter Island (Rapa Nui) activities
Easter Island Tour: Ahu Tongarik, Rano Raraku, Anakena Beach
On your sightseeing adventure, you'll come across moai, stone giants that on average stand 13 feet (4 meters) tall and weigh 14 tons (13 metric tons). Said to represent ancestral spirits or preeminent tribal figures, some moai are placed upon ahu, or ceremonial sites. After hotel pickup, your guide takes you to Ahu Akahanga, located on the southeastern coast of the island. Unlike most ahu, Akahanga has not been restored, allowing you to stumble upon the area as European explorers first did. The platform, about 59 feet (18 meters) long, originally contained about a dozen moai and is believed to be the burial site of Polynesian king Hoto Matu'a. Walk about the grounds sprawled with overturned moai that have pukao, decorative head topknots, with tribal fighting providing one explanation for this curious scene. Next, head north up the coastline to Ahu Tongariki, the largest ceremonial site with an impressive row of 15 upright moai. Learn how a tsunami in 1960 sent these statues, some weighing 30 tons (27 metric tons), flying several hundred feet inland. Restoration of this site took five years and was completed in 1992.Then travel inland to Rano Raraku, where on its volcanic slopes Rapa Nui sculptors had carved moai from volcanic stone before moving about one third of them to various ahu. Many of the island's 800-plus moai remain in the quarry and close by; as you trek with your guide toward the stone pit, you'll see poking up from the grassy earth hundreds of moai heads or partially buried torsos.Enjoy a barbecue lunch (provided) at a nearby camping area, which includes chicken and other meats, fish, salad, rice, fruit and water. A vegetarian option can be arranged upon request. You'll spend about 2.5 hours in total at Rano Raraku with lunch time. Along the northern coast, reach your final stop at Anakena and explore the extremely well-preserved seven moai of Ahu Nau Nau, four of them wearing pukao. At this site, archaeologists located one nearly complete coral eye, inlaid with red volcanic scoria stone.Your sightseeing complete, swim or stroll along Anakena, one of the few white sand beaches on the island, for about 30 minutes before being transported back to your hotel. Or feel free to stay longer, and your guide will arrange a cab ride for you (own expense) when you're ready to return to your accommodation. Changing rooms with showers are available on site for a small fee.
Easter Island 4-Day Tour: Moai Statues, Ahu Akivi, Akahanga
This four-day tour of Easter Island takes you to the island's most famous archaeological sites, moai statues, temple ruins and volcanoes. With airport pickup and drop-off included, you have a choice of three-star, 3.5-star or four-star accommodation; breakfast is included, as are a few other meals.Itinerary:Day 1: Easter IslandAfter arriving at Mataveri Airport, you'll be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel for your evening's accommodation. Once here, the rest of the day and night is yours to explore on your own.Accommodation: O'tai Hotel (three-star), Taha Tai Hotel (3.5-star) or Hotel Altiplanico (four-star)Day 2: Easter Island (B)After breakfast at your hotel, your tour of Easter Island begins with a visit to see the Manutara bird paintings of Ana Kai Tangata cave, sacred to the warriors of Easter Island. Next, see the huge lagoon crater of Ranu Kau volcano and visit the ceremonial city of Orongo at its base. Here, admire the island's greatest concentration of petroglyphs, depictions of the Tangata manu birdman creator god. In the afternoon, visit the Ahu Akivi archaeological site in the island's heart, and hear the legends of Ahu's seven moai (head statues). On the way back to your hotel, visit the small town of Hanga Roa, where the statues' signature red stone hats, or topknots, were quarried and sculpted.Accommodation: your same hotelDay 3: Easter Island (B, L)Breakfast at your hotel is followed by a full-day excursion to the ruins of the temple of Akahanga, where you'll see the moais' topknots lying tumbled on the ground. Next, visit the Rano Raraku volcano, whose rock was used to carve the island's moai statues. If you climb to the edge of the crater and peer within, you'll see the volcano's lake and see moai in various stages of construction scattered around. Continuing to Ahu Tongariki, you'll see where many moai were toppled by a large sea quake in 1960. In the afternoon, go for a swim at Anakena beach before revisiting the town of Hanga Roa and returning to your hotel.Accommodation: your same hotelDay 4: Easter Island (B)After breakfast at your hotel, you'll be transferred to Mataveri Airport for your departing flight. Depending on the time of your flight, you might have free time for you to explore Easter Island further on your own.
Ahu Akivi, Ahu Vinapu and Puna Pau Tour
Rapa Nui National Park, a wildlife sanctuary spread across most of Easter Island and a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains about 900 moai sculptures as well as 300 ahu, or ceremonial platforms, on which the carved figures stand. Sculpted from solidified volcanic ash, these statues are believed to represent the spirits of ancestors and high-ranking members of each tribe. After hotel pickup from Hanga Roa, travel south with your guide into the park to Ahu Tahai, a ceremonial platform that has a unique moai, a stone giant that stands alone, but which is protected by its more than 4 meters high and its imposing figure. Continue north to Puna Pau to see how some moai sport a different look. You'll notice they have pukao, or topknots made out of red scoria on their heads. It's believed the volcanic rock was used to impress rival tribes. Roughly 30 pukao are located in or near the Puna Pau quarry, the source of the red scoria. Then head to Ahu Akivi, where you'll see a line of seven moai looking out toward the ocean. The moai here each stand 16 feet (5 meters) tall and weigh about 18 tons (16 metric tons). What's mysterious about these sea-facing figures? It's an unusual sight considering the other ahu moai stand with their backs against the water. One theory behind their unusual position: These moai symbolize the seven explorers from the Polynesian homeland of Hiva sent by the chief to find the island of Rapa Nui. According to this hypothesis, these statues face the ocean in the direction they came from. Our last point will be The -Ahu Huri a Urenga- one of the 25 platforms that are not on the coast, but in the interior of the island and corresponds to an agricultural area, human settlements. After your engaging exploration of ahu moai, you'll be taken back to your hotel.
Tahai, Orongo and Rano Kau Half-Day Easter Island Tour
After hotel pickup in Hanga Roa, you're driven to the Ahu Vinapu ceremonial complex. The ceremonial center of Vinapú includes one of the largest ahu in Rapa Nui. This ceremonial center has an extraordinary platform, which stands out for having an architectural structure composed of large slabs carefully wedged, similar to the Inca constructions of Cusco. Then re-board the minivan and travel south to Ana Kai Tangata, a cave along the coast.The only cave on the island to contain ancient pictures, many believe this location served as the starting point of the annual Tangata Manu ritual practiced until around 1800. As you listen to the rhythmic crashing of the surf against the cliffs and hear ancient legends, imagine the men selected from each tribe leaping from the cave and swimming toward the islet of Motu Nui to collect the first egg laid by a sooty tern. Many drowned or were killed by sharks. The first man to return with the egg was rewarded with riches for his tribe for the rest of the year. Leave the cave and set sights on the Rano Kau volcano and its crater lake. Capture this dramatic landscape from three different vantage points before your guide takes you to the village of Orongo at the southern tip of the island. Orongo contains 54 restored oval-shaped houses constructed out of slabs of shale, each with a small square entryway overlooking the ocean. Note the abundance of birdmen petroglyphs here, and learn about the site's use as a ceremonial center for birdmen rites between 1600 and 1866. After your guide's introduction to village lore and legend, spend a little over an hour exploring the site on your own before transport back to your hotel.
Easter Island Highlights: North and West with Small Group
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Anakena Beach, Easter IslandAt the most beautiful beach of the island, the capital of the ancient society was located. In the sand stands a monument with the best preserved restored moais of the entire island. Quite recently they were dug up after centuries of having been buried in the sand. If interested in having a swim or enjoying some beach time, we suggest coming back on your own, as the tour will mainly focus on the archaeological and historical aspect of this area.Duration: 30 minutesStop At: Ahu Te Pito Kura, Easter IslandThe tallest moai that was ever successfully transported to its ahu can be found in this area. It was an amazing 9.9 m tall. Just like all other statues it was toppled in ancient times, and today it is still unrestored.There is also a round magnetic rock in this area that some say has magical properties.Duration: 30 minutesStop At: Puna Pau, Hanga Roa, Easter IslandSmall volcano where the red scoria stone was quarried for the moai statue topknots - the so called pukao. All of the moai statue pukaos come from this place.Duration: 20 minutesStop At: Ahu Akivi, Easter IslandThe only monument with moais that are looking out towards the sea.Duration: 20 minutesStop At: Ahu Tahai, Easter IslandThe tribesmen of this village were remarkably ambitious and hard-working. They raised several statues at three different ahu platforms. A ramp was made to enter the ocean from within the area.Duration: 30 minutesStop At: Rano Kau, Easter IslandThe crater of volcano Rano Kau is one of the most stunning views of the whole island. Its crater lake was one of the most important sources of drinking water in ancient times.Duration: 20 minutesStop At: Orongo, Easter IslandCeremonial stone village dedicated to the birdman competition, located at the ridge of volcano Rano Kau. From within Orongo we will have a fantastic view of the crater of this volcano.Duration: 45 minutes
Full-Day Easter Island Highlights South and East
You will be picked up at your hotel between 9:15am and 9:40am. The following sites will be visited:1) Ahu Huri A Urenga: This single statue has a remarkably strange characteristic - it has four hands. It has been dubbed "The Astronomer" for being aligned to the sunrise at winter solstice - June 21st.2) Vinapu: The most perfectly fit rock wall, Ahu Tahira, is found in this area. It was engineered with such skill that many draw conclusions on contact with the Inca Empire.3) Hanga Poukura: This is a beautiful coastal area of interesting, rough lava rock formations has several unique features. Several statues are in a strange and mysterious manner buried in a line, with only the backs being visible. The ahu is one of the most well-made ever with blocks that are cut for a better fit. Hanga Poukura area also has an amazing natural phenomena that has been occurring constantly since this these areas were created by lava flows almost a million years ago - a blowhole. The blowhole of Hanga Poukura is one of the best ones of Rapa Nui, and when the ocean is right, water will spurt up into the air as waves come in.Lunch (not included): Please bring some cash (US$10 - US$40 per person) during the tour to get the lunch you prefer.4) Rano Raraku: The volcano that was converted into a mass production factory of gigantic megaliths. Virtually all statues were carved here. One day the workers stopped, and the hundreds of statues that were left behind haven't moved since.5) Ahu Tongariki: The biggest and most impressive monument of Rapa Nui with its 15 mighty moais.Please have your national park ticket ready for your tour, and bring it with you at all times. National park tickets are bought upon arrival at the airport and are 80 USD in cash per person. This is required by all visitors to Easter Island. Approximate ending time is 4pm, and you will be returned to your hotel.


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House: The Daily 10
To coincide with the final sprint to Election Day, here's POLITICO's tracker of the day's 10 hottest House races.
The Daily 10, drawn from news events in the most competitive contests in the nation, is designed to provide a daily guide to the key developments in the top House races
Story Continued Below
Ohio 1st District
Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus won his day in federal court: The Ohio Elections Commission is allowed to go forward with his complaint against the Susan B. Anthony List. The SBA List wants to put up billboards that say Driehaus voted "FOR taxpayer funded abortion" when he backed health reform, a claim he says is wrong and therefore illegal under state law. At this point, it's so late in the game that it's unlikely SBA List's billboards, not yet erected, will see daylight before Nov. 2.
Mississippi 4th District
Rep. Gene Taylor may have backed Nancy Pelosi for speaker, but he's in such reelection trouble that he's telling his hometown paper that he voted for John McCain for president in 2008. He told the Biloxi Sun Herald that he wouldn't support Pelosi for speaker this time around and would vote for moderate Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton instead. Assuming Skelton makes it through his own tough reelection fight.
Washington 2nd District
Rep. Rick Larsen's campaign dug up a gem on Monday: Turns out his Republican challenger, John Koster, told KSER radio on Oct. 8 that it would be perfectly OK if Boeing didn't get a coveted Defense Department contract to build the Air Force's new tanker. "We need that tanker built in this country...whether it's built at this plant or somewhere else," Koster told the station. Alabama-based Northrup Grumman had also been vying for the contract. Larsen's campaign slammed Koster, saying he "just flunked Snohomish County 101."
Arizona's 1st DistrictDemocrats are accusing Republican Paul Gosar of birther tendencies. In an Oct. 12 interview with a Flagstaff radio show, Gosar couldn't say whether he believed President Obama is a citizen of the United States. "Eh, I think that's for everybody else to tell," he said. "It seems like he's passed the first test, but you know, I'm sure that will come up and it's for the courts and for other people to decide."


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Generals in civilian posts were toughest critics of surge, Woodward writes
Thursday, September 23, 2010; 2:37 AM
A new book by Bob Woodward on the Obama administration's Afghan war deliberations presents three generals in the White House and State Department as the military's toughest, most persistent and most skeptical critics.
President Obama, who took office with relatively little experience with the military, tapped the generals for key positions that are traditionally filled by civilians.
The selections led some critics to complain that the appointments amounted to the militarization of the administration's foreign policy. The Woodward book, however, consistently shows the three officers - retired Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry, retired Gen. James L. Jones and Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute - embroiled in heated disputes with the brass.
Lute, the National Security Council's unofficial "war czar" and the sole active-duty general among the group, is portrayed as among the biggest skeptics of the military's strategy to send a surge of more than 30,000 additional troops into Afghanistan in an effort to shift the momentum away from the Taliban.
In late November, as the president made the decision to escalate the U.S. commitment to the war, Lute warned him that the approach was unlikely to succeed.
"Mr. President, you don't have to do this," Woodward quotes Lute as saying.
The Army general maintained that the Taliban's ability to exploit Pakistani safe havens, the persistent corruption within the Afghan government and the poor state of the Afghan security forces made it unlikely that the surge of forces would produce major changes in Afghanistan by July 2011.
Lute's strident questioning of the military's preferred strategy drew a stern rebuke from Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the military's top officer.
"The secretary and I believe you weren't always helpful in the course of the review," Mullen is quoted as telling Lute.
"I hope the president doesn't have the same view," Lute responded.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the revelations in Woodward's book. "We're not in the business of offering literary criticism, and we are not going to start now," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. "Our focus is on the mission moving forward in Afghanistan."
Senior White House officials didn't dispute Woodward's depiction of last fall's policy review as an emotional and often contentious process. They said the president is depicted in the account as decisive, willing to challenge the military brass and deeply engaged in the war effort.


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Yes I was.
It was literally the darkest day ever. I had to rely mainly on tactile feedbacks and cues from around me to be mobile because my eyelids just won't open. I couldn't see a thing. My eyeballs would hurt 10/10 everytime I tried to move them. I would compress my eyes with rolled towel to see if gate theory would work -- sadly in my case it didn't. The pain of a papercut in your eye, or the pain-ala-Final-Destination-5, that's more like it. I would pray for the pain to be gone when I wake up in the morning but sadly it was still there in the morning, even worse.
I thought of asking my sister to bring me to the ER because I seriously couldn't bear anything anymore, but the best part was she already had gone to work, and when I tried calling her, great cos my phone line's been cut. I was crying, whether the tears were a physiologic response for the dryness of my eyes, or because of the pain, or the frustration of not having someone with me, or the fact that I felt completely helpless, I do not know. The tears were literally pouring out of my hurting, hyperemic, inflamed eyes.
But as they say, everything you need, the internet has it. I tried with all my might to open my facebook account in my ipod, peeking once in a while with my left eye (which by the way hurts less), and send a message to my sister to call me. And in no time she called me. I told her what was happening and soon she was home to bring me to the hospital.
Ate guided me all the time we were on our way. We were referred to the eye center and then they checked what's with my eyes. My doctor kept on saying sorry everytime she asked me to open my eyes so she can check them, and it was way too obvious that at that time, that was the hardest thing to do. She had to put several drops of whatever-that-is just so I can open my eyes for assessment. After several minutes, doing so became a bit easier. She confirmed that both my corneas have abrasion, which relatively is huge (2x5mm on each, two on the (R)), and it needed constant close follow up. Gave me some eye drops for lubrication and antibacterial drops as well.
After the encounter with the ophthalmologist, my eyes still hurt. I just slept the whole night away so I can rest my eyes, my sister being so kind reminding and helping me with my medications. Morning came and my eyes felt better. I had to see the ophthalmologist again and good thing she said the abrasions are starting to heal, though I still need to continue with my meds until the scars are all okay. As of the moment, my eyes feel almost normal, the right one still feels a bit uncomfortable, and both are way more blurred than before, but still, better than last time.
So my point in this comeback entry for Isang Minuto is that we all should take a minute to stop and just thank Him for all that we have -- in my case, my sight and my Ate.
Blind for a day
Yes I was.
Haven't had a minute in a while.
I Couldn't Think of Any Better Title. I Just Couldn't
Job for Sale
Today is the month of September. In just a few days, I'll be celebrating my 1st anniversary working in this institution. Many things had happened since the day I started here. Things have been rewarding – financial, personal and social investments, I should say. Life has become generous to me. And I'm very thankful for that.
And then I saw this: "If you just won a million pesos, would you quit your job?"
To tell you, I am not practicing what I took in college. I am a medical professional (physical therapist) but my job is more focused on doing administrative works and oversee the daily operation of the hospital. Occasionally, I get treatment schedule with patients but admin work is still my first priority. Plus, in the hospital where I work, seldom do they have patients referred for PT. Most of the time I stay on my desk, doing some reports and computing budget allocations. Workload is just fine. I can meet the deadlines and demands. In terms of salary, it is above the minimum but not high enough to make you buy everything you want. It is just enough for everyday living. Working atmosphere is just average. People, as much as possible, try to get along with each other. And I think that is good.
Knowing that I'm not practicing my profession, it is easy to conclude that I'll just quit my job, right? But that is not the case. Yes, physical therapy profession in our country is not as financially rewarding unlike working abroad. Physical therapists share the same fate with the nurses except that the latter's demand for employment has declined. There's no other way to be financially wealthy, as a clinician, other than going abroad. But I don't want to work there. I can settle here, and find a PT-related job that economically satisfies me and my family. As I kept mentioning to my friends, I want to see my house being built here, drive my car around the streets where I learned to ride my bike and see my children being raised on the land where I grew up.
Going back, another thing present in my job is corruption. It is blatant and everyone in the office just seems to neglect it. My boss keeps it but everyone knows about. An open secret in short. This is actually my greatest challenge. Like everyone who's idealistic and dreams of a society functioning as a whole, I am determined to get rid of it even just on my workplace. All my school life, I have been living the idealistic system of democratic governance - being transparent to funds, being able to question and all. Then when I get to the real world this is what it's going to be? And even tell me to just accept the fact as it has been the practice of everyone and everywhere? It's very ironic. Para saan pa ang pinaggagawa naming sa eskwela kung gano'n din lang pala? I have been obvious in the office that I don't (and will ever) tolerate it, questioning reports and pointing out wrong and erroneous doings of my boss. These things, at the time when I was aggressive in doing so, made my office life difficult and quitting. Even my colleagues in the office are telling me that that has been the practice so I can't do anything. I was really about to quit. But an advice from a good mentor told me to just dance as my boss says so, wait for my turn to become the one in-charge and then I'll do what is best. And so I wait.
Considering all, will I quit my job for 1 million pesos?
Today, I'm saying no. There are still things I want to experience in this field – dealing with seniors and subordinates, analyzing how such system works (including those that make things complicated) and broadening my views to the working environment. Diversity - of ideas, attitudes and cultures – has its own way of brilliance. Making life hard to deal with but you still win because you discover so many things around it.
But from the moment I received the million pesos, I will start investing and build my livestock/ poultry business. I would start getting short courses on business and those related to my profession. Nothing still beats the feeling of seeing how great your patient has been from the moment you met her. If things work out well with the business, I might just start my own clinic. And as my leisure, I'll be a photographer, immortalizing moments that would somehow remind people how excellent life can be.
By that time, I'll be in-charge of my own business, of my own clinic, of my own society. By then, I'll be appreciating all the great lessons about work – the diversity of people, the possibilities for change, and the pleasures of challenge – and then I'll quit this job.


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11 Dec 1896, Goshen
9 Jul 1983, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake co.
son of James Burraston and Esther Ruth Ercanbrack
married 12 Oct 1921, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake co.
7 Oct 1902, Goshen
1 Jan 1960, Goshen
dau of James Julian Jasperson and Mary Alice Lewis
Contributed on 7/4/06 by dsam52
Email This Contributor
Record #: 11973
Thank you for visiting the Utah Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Utah, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 7/4/06 • Approved: 7/4/06 • Last Updated: 10/24/12 • R11973-G11973


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As the nation celebrates Presidents' Day, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the traditions that a seated president partakes in.
Green Means Go!
So, we are up and running with our new site (davenportlaw.com), new Twitter handle (@thedavenportlaw) and new Facebook page (facebook.com/davenportlaw). Thanks to Squarespace for making it so easy to create our site from scratch. Well, really from a nice template, but you know what I mean. Look for frequent blog posts (good ones), tweets & fb postings, and be sure to follow and like us wherever and whenever possible.
Thanks, Brandon
The Lincoln Lawyer
It has always made me feel good to know that Honest Abe was a practicing lawyer before serving as President. Lincoln was dedicated to his legal practice and was known to be a "jack of all trades" in that regard. He represented all comers, from farmers arguing over cows to large corporate railroad companies fighting over taxation issues, earning fees ranging from $5 all the way up to $5,000 (a hefty sum in those days -- and these). In all, he and his partners (he always had one) represented more than 5,000 clients prior to his presidency.
So dedicated to the practice of law was Lincoln that prior to departing Springfield, Illinois, for the White House, he pointed to the sign hanging from his law office that read, "Lincoln and Herndon," and told his law partner, William Herndon to "let it hang there undisturbed," promising to return to their practice after his term "as if nothing had ever happened."
There is so much more I could write about Lincoln, but I have been told that blog posts are meant to be short, so I will honor custom and end this one now, but don't be surprised to see more black & whites of The President mixed in amongst my future posts right here on the DL Blog.


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Viewport units are great, but, sadly, Edge doesn't support
vmax yet. However, CSS variables are listed as "in development" and should land soon. This is a future solution for then. Resize! 😺
This Pen is a fork of Ana Tudor's Pen square edge length depending on max viewport dimension (no vmax!).


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Online Day 2014
Online Day is an annual event hosted by my fan-site, Gadv.com (formerly Great Adventure Online). The fan-site features a forum and community of people who love our local amusement park, Six Flags Great Adventure. The purpose of Online Day is to bring all of our member into the park on the same day with some great activities. Our latest event in 2014 was outstanding with almost 50 people in attendance.
2014 Event Website
View it here: http://gadv.com/onlineday/
To promote our annual event, I made a quick static website with information. It is just some basic CSS and HTML. To go with a fun, amusement park inspired theme, I used some very vibrant colors.
The first Online Day was in 2009, and was planned by Gadv.com's owner at the time. We started off pretty simple with just our members spending the day together. Also our first year, we were lucky enough to have a Q&A session with the park president and public relations director.
Year after year, we've added more perks to our event. We've been very fortunate to have built great connections within the park, and have a great relationship with people in many departments. Since 2012, we've featured a backstage tour at our events where we are led into restricted zones underneath roller coasters. This amazing experience is unique since not many people outside of employees get to view and take pictures of rides from these great views. We toured Kingda Ka, the world's tallest and North America's fastest roller coaster, in 2012. In 2013, we toured Nitro and Batman: The Ride. Lastly, in 2014, we had a very special tour in addition to Nitro and Batman: The Ride again. We were given a look inside the remains of the station of Batman & Robin: The Chiller, a roller coaster that was removed 7 years prior. To finish off our amazing 2014 tour lineup, we were surprised with a look inside Houdini's Great Escape, a Vekoma Madhouse ride which gives riders the illusion that they are being flipped upside down.
For our 2014 event, we really put in a lot of effort to promote it to the next level. To accomplish this, we teamed up with Coaster Crew, a large coaster enthusiast club. With Coaster Crew providing some financial support, we began charging for the event and in turn, could afford ERT (Exclusive Ride Time). ERT allows our attendees to enter the park early and ride a coaster by themselves for an entire hour. Our 2014 event featured morning ERT on Nitro.
That's not even all we had to offer in 2014. We were given a skip-the-line pass for a private truck on Safari Off-road Adventure. We had many exit passes and up-charge attractions passes to give away. The park even generously donated a bunch of old merchandise to our attendees! When all was said and done, I believe the almost 50 attendees agreed it was a success. And don't worry, we're already planning Online Day 2015.← Return to Projects


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OSD! Obsessive Sneaker Disorder!
We want to thank Dee, Sean, and the whole crew at Obsessive Sneaker Disorder for all the tshirts and gift cards for the raffle. They have been a HUGE supporter of the show and without them all of this would not have been possible. These guys have the ONLY online radio show all about sneakers. Make sure to read below where and when to check them out! Thanks again to Dee, Sean, and the crew at Obsessive Sneaker Disorder!!
Obsessive Sneaker Disorder
Check out the online radio show every Wednesday night from 9:30-11:30!!
Obsessive Sneaker Disorder Online Radio Show
Also check out their 2 OSD TV stations that run 24/7/365!
OSD TV Channel 1
OSD TV Channel 2


text: How Much Is My Home Worth in Lincoln City, Oregon Posted on April 23, 2018 - 02:38 PM by Dennis Regen How Much is your home worth in Lincoln City, Oregon? If you are planning on selling your home, that is a question you need answered. As your Local Lincoln City Real Estate Expert, I can help you to learn the answer to that question. I will personally d... Read more


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Out of the numbness now, increasing number of people are turning out at the terror-hit spots and paying tributes to the victims and the damaged iconic buildings in Mumbai.
Here is a scene near the Gateway of India, where people lit candles in tribute. Let the candles radiate peace.
Text and photographs: Nitya Ramani


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New Delhi: Tension is brewing at the Gurgaon plant of the country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp with casual workers in the spare parts division of the factory resisting move by the firm to shift them to a new facility at Neemrana in Rajasthan.
According to sources, they have rejected offer from the company to transfer them to the new Neemrana facility at a lesser wage as compared to the Gurgaon plant.
"The casual workers at the spare parts division here have been asked to either accept transfer to Neemrana plant at much lower wage compared to what we are getting here or take compensation and quit the company," said an affected worker, who asked not to be identified.
The worker claimed that the average salary of the casual workers in the division is around Rs 11,000 per month and they were "being offered around Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 a month" on transfer to the Neemrana facility.
There are close to about 500 workers in the division.
Last evening, police had to intervene to disperse the casual workers in the division who were protesting against the company's move.
When contacted, a Hero MotoCorp spokesperson said: "We are currently in discussion with the workers at our Parts Center, Gurgaon for a smooth transition from the existing facility to the new state-of-the-art Global Parts Center (GPC) at Neemrana. We are hopeful of reaching an amicable solutionat the earliest."
Hero MotoCorp had made an initial investment of Rs 160 crore in setting up a global parts centre spread over 35 acres at Neemrana.
The company is also set to commission its fourth manufacturing plant at Neemrana where it has invested around Rs 400 crore. Its total installed production capacity will reach over 7.65 million units per annum with the commencement of the plant.
At present, Hero MotoCorp has three manufacturing facilities -- at Gurgaon and Daruhera in Haryana and Haridwar in Uttarakhand -- with a total capacity of 6.9 million units annually.
Updated Date: Aug 12, 2014 15:53:31 IST