text:
RCMP Senate inquiry looms over Harper government as return to Parliament nears
Senators and staff prepare for RCMP probe into inappropriate spending.
Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That's the mood on the Hill as both the RCMP and the Auditor General poke and prod around the Senate spending scandal.
Since the first Information To Obtain Production Orders (ITO) landed like a ton of bricks in November, the Conservative Government has been nervously silent on the next round of evidence that will come out from the federal investigators.
Senators and their staff, meanwhile, are preparing for what promises to be a deeply intrusive probe into any inappropriate spending on their behalf.
When it comes to the next round of ITOs, Corporal Greg Horton, the RCMP officer tasked with the sensitive investigation, is digging around for evidence supporting charges against suspended Senator Mike Duffy and former chief of staff Nigel Wright.
Horton's original findings, which led him to believe that there was a credible criminal case to be made, uncovered a huge email trail that connected the plan to pay off Senator Duffy's supposedly fraudulent expenses with Conservative Party money, initially, and later with Wright's own cash.
When he submitted those documents, Horton made a second request for more documents. Those promise to piece together the final missing pieces of who knew what, and what, in the Senate scandal.
Half of the documents requested -- proof of the paper trial from a line of credit that Duffy took out to cover the cheque repayment, and the actual payment of the $90,000 itself -- were later forked over by Duffy's lawyer.
The balance of the documents still to be released are what's worrying the Conservatives.
As the return to Parliament looms, few, if any, political staffers know when to expect the next round of documents from the investigators. Conservatives staffers acknowledge that it could be anytime, and that they won't be good for the Prime Minister, as he tries to maintain that he knew nothing of his Chief of Staff's deal, and that he did not orchestrate a cover-up to stop the public from finding out.
Though it seems unlikely that the next round of emails will directly implicate the Prime Minister, as correspondence from several staffers in his office already came to light when the first ITO was released, with only vague allusions to what Harper was informed of.
This time around, the RCMP are collecting emails from the big four -- Senators David Tkachuk, chair of the Board of Internal Economy tasked with conducting audits of the Senators' expenses; Carolyn Stewart Olsen, who sat on that committee; Majory LeBreton, then Leader of the Government in the Senate; and, of course, Mike Duffy.
While those emails promise to reveal to what extent Stewart Olsen and Tkachuk may have edited the final report on Duffy's expenses -- "whitewashed" as NDP leader Thomas Mulcair puts it -- it could also reveal exactly what hand, if any, Duffy played in his disgrace. To this point, Duffy has adamantly maintained that he has done nothing wrong and that he is the victim of some imprecise rules and a Prime Minister with no stomach for the air of misdeeds.
The one PMO staffer that we didn't hear from in Horton's ITO, however, is former legal adviser Benjamin Perrin. When the RCMP originally asked, the PMO said that, as Perrin was no longer an employee, his emails had been deleted.
By the beginning of December, however, that story changed -- the PMO learned that its sister body, the Privacy Council Office, had actually retained the emails. There was a mea culpa, and an assurance that those emails would be provided.
So whenever this next round of documents does hit the table, we'll know more of what role the Prime Minister's special legal adviser played in orchestrating the deal -- one he says he had no hand in, but which Wright's emails suggest he did.
Meanwhile, those in the Senate IT department are becoming increasingly nervous as the investigation continues to drag on, one Senate staffer told the Vancouver Observer. The RCMP's request for documents have them terrified that they're turning over the missing piece in what has becoming an increasingly dragged-out affair.
And it's not just Duffy on the hook. In December, RCMP investigators seized calendars from the Senate that detailed Senator Pamela Wallin's daily schedule on days when she may have claimed Senate expenses for private or political travel. No charges have yet been laid against Wallin.
And as those criminal investigation plays out, a second, parallel, investigation is ongoing from the Auditor General in the Senate.
A draft of the audit plan, obtained by the Vancouver Observer, says the auditors will be making the rounds through the entire Senate -- except those singled out by the RCMP for investigation.
The report hints at just how intrusive and intense this process may be, nothing that "in certain circumstances, interviews may be conducted under oath," and that they "may access information held by third parties," in effect opening the doors for a Parliamentary audit of little precedent in Canadian history.
A letter to staff and Senators, accompanying the audit plan, informed them that they will be interviewed by the auditors -- "either together or separately" -- and instructed them to hand over any relevant documents within five business days. Attached was a draft response, where those in the Red Chamber were expected to sign off that "I, as a Senator for the Senate of Canada, will comply with any requests that you or your staff make for access to relevant documents."
A follow-up presentation to Senators and their staff was conducted by the auditors.
Some Senate staffers have their backs up over the process, noting that the Auditor General is responsible to the House of Commons, not the Senate, and that the terms of the audit are onerous and bordering on unconstitutional.
One staffer says not to expect much when the audit eventually comes down at the end of 2014. The Auditor General has an obligation to identify systemic mismanagement of public dollars, and to identify failures of regulation -- it does not have the responsibility to identify specific Parliamentarians like a forensic audit would.
Nevertheless, the three investigations -- into Duffy and Wright, Wallin, and the other Senators -- promise to deliver further aftershocks, further destabilizing already-shaken faith in this government and the institution of the Senate.


text:
Why have you been given this information?
Your GP has diagnosed you with a common shoulder problem which causes a type of shoulder pain called subacromial shoulder pain.
Research has demonstrated that if people suffering with this common problem do the right type of rehabilitation exercises then they can successfully treat themselves.
If you follow the instructions and exercises in the booklet and below, there is an excellent chance you will improve your shoulder pain and not need any more treatments or referral to the hospital.
You can download the below information as a PDF if you prefer.
What is subacromial pain?
Subacromial pain is very common and causes pain in the shoulder and upper arm.It can spread further down the arm and up towards the neck and shoulder blade. It can feel worse when the arm is moved away from the body such as reaching up or when placing the hand behind the back.
Pain can come on slowly over time or quite quickly if the shoulder has been used for an activity that is much more demanding than it is used to doing each day.
What is the exercise treatment?
What is the exercise treatment?
Your shoulder should start to feel better within 6 to 12 weeks if you do the simple exercises on the following pages. These have been recommended by the UK's leading shoulder physiotherapists and proven to reduce pain and improve your shoulder.This booklet will show you how to do them within the comfort of your home. You can also watch videos of how to do these daily exercises on the following website. (www.bess.org.uk).
You may only be able to move your arm a small amount at the start but this will improve over time. A small increase in pain while exercising is ok as long as it goes away within 30 minutes and is not worse the next day. If this happens, don't worry, do less repetitions the next time and then gradually build up again.
It may take 6 weeks before you start to see improvement.
If your shoulder does not improve over 6-12 weeks, or gets worse despite the exercises, you will need to visit your doctor again.
Getting the most from your exercise
Getting the most from your exercise
The key to success and getting the most from your exercises are:
- Build the exercises into your daily routine so you can do them regularly.
- Find time when you are not under pressure and can give the exercises your full attention.
- Try to do the exercises on six days each week with one day off. If you want to get better, you will need to do them on at least four days of the week.
- You don't have to do all three exercises straight away – you can start with two and build in the third when you get confident.
- It helps to keep an exercise diary to record how many repetitions you have done and see how you are progressing.
- If one particular movement causes more pain, then use it each week to test if you are improving and getting better.
Exercise 01
Exercise 01: Wall Slides
Find a smooth wall or wall mirror and a cloth that will slide easily on the wall (or put clean socks on your hands). Stand facing the wall. Place the edges of your hands against the wall with your thumbs facing you.
Now step forward as you gently push into the wall and slide your hands up as far as you can. Relax and return to start position.
• Repeat 8 times
• Rest for a minute
• Repeat 8 times
• Rest for a minute
• Repeat 8 times.
When you can do this exercise easily you can progress by doing it without the support of the wall and adding a light weight.
Exercise 02
Exercise 02: Push-ups against the wall
Now put your hands on the wall as if you are going to do a push-up. Make sure your hands are placed a little wider than the width of your shoulders, your hands are turned out slightly and your elbows are below your shoulders.
Now lower your body towards the wall keeping your body nice and tall.
• Repeat this 8 times
• Rest for a minute
• Repeat 8 times
• Rest for a minute
• Repeat 8 times.
When you can do this exercise easily you can progress and increase load by moving your feet further from the wall.
Exercise 03
Exercise 03: Shoulder rotation
Sit next to a table with your elbow supported just below shoulder height on a rolled up towel.
Now make a gentle fist, keep your elbow bent and then rotate your forearm to point upwards.
Return to the start position and relax. Make sure you sit up tall whilst you do this.
When it is easy for you to do this you can add a light weight – start with half kilo or a small 500ml water bottle.
As the exercise gets easier you can increase the weight:
• First to 1 kilo
• Then to 1 and a half kilos
• Then to 2 kilos.
Other top tips
Other top tips
- Be patient! It may be 6 -12 weeks before you see a big change in your pain so you need to stick with it.
- Don't stop moving your shoulder – muscles need movement to keep them healthy.
- If your sleep is poor, try supporting your arm on a pillow and roll a pillow up behind your back to stop you rolling on to your painful shoulder.
- Step towards things rather than stretch for them to make movement easier for your shoulder.
- General exercise can really help your recovery so try to keep going with other activities you enjoy to keep fit.
- If you don't exercise regularly try and build something in – even a brisk 20 minute walk 3 times a week will help.
This information has been published by BESS with support from:
Written and produced in 2018 by Jonathan Rees, Ro Kulkarni, Jo Gibson, Clare Connor. Supported by Matthew Barker and Rachel Yates.
© British Elbow and Shoulder Society. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the copyright owner. The British Elbow and Shoulder Society should be acknowledged in any such reproduction as the author and copyright holder, and the reproduction should not be used for commercial exploitation unless the permission of the copyright owner has been explicitly granted.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Several Tri Star students competed at the Southwest Ohio SkillsUSA Championships over the course of the month of March. Individuals who medaled included: Cole Froning in CNC machining – first place/gold medal, and Madison Rose in Medical Terminology - second place/silver medal. A team of Med Prep students, Michaela Siefring, Katelyn Goettemoeller, Madison Ginter and Shelby Kanorr, competed in the Health Knowledge Bowl earning a bronze medal for their third place finish. All medal winners proceed to the Ohio SkillsUSA Championship in Columbus April 14th and15th.
Other individuals who competed were Jason Homan in Technical Drafting; Jay Gruss in Welding, and Brent Bohman, Dillon Lininger and Jason Will in Welding Fabrication. Instructors and SkillsUSA Advisors are: Janet Nelson – Med Prep, Rob Menker – Precision Machining, Todd Smith – Welding and Jon Clouse – Engineering Technology.
Pictured are the health knowledge bowl team and Madison Rose as they compete.


text:
One could say that if you build anything upon the blocks of a previous success, it is guaranteed to have greatness. Nintendo for example are always building, and their blocks of success in which they choose to build upon never really change. But this does not seem to worry anyone with the release in Australia of Super Smash Bros. Brawl delivering yet another step in their smashing saga. Super Smash Bros. Brawl exclusively for the Nintendo Wii is yet again delivering its Side-on fighting style which has seen its predecessors to be blockbusters. Bringing many of the Nintendo favorites along with some guest characters this little gem, seems to be living up to it's hyped up name. All in all, 35 characters (that's including those to be unlocked) can fight head-to-head in up to a 4 player Free for all or team game.
The Objective is trouble-free; knock your opponent off the edge of the map. Each of the 35 characters are in some way unique, but there are a few characters who are almost complete clones and just a skin swap. There are many stages to play on with mates on the sofa or over Wii-Net, and there is enough content and fun to be had just within the multiplayer that you could almost forget that there is a solo mode. Along with the solo/co-op Sub Space Emissary which plays as a story line as an amalgamation of Nintendo characters thrown into one storyline. This lasts for around 12 of solid game play (Normal – Hard Mode), so is not a truly worth your hard-earned unless you have people to play with, or are happy playing the Sub Space Emissary mode and playing Brawl games with bots. There is the good 'ol line up of the original characters from the Nintendo 64's Super Smash Bros. game and some of the favourites from Melee but it has a healthy new array of new characters. Not to say that the old fighters are tiresome, but a new look onto the gameplay with its new members is refreshing. While upon the topic of old fighters, this addictive piece plays like the old ones, and I had no troubles with finding the type of Wii-Mote combo that worked for me. You may use the Wii-Mote, a Wii-Mote with the Nunchuck, the Classic Controler, or a Gamecube controller. There a unique few character that is worth your time unlocking such as Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid saga and Sonic, along with many more such as our old time punching buddy, Captain Falcon. Naturally, Nintendo made some minor modifications to the gameplay speed compared to Melee and chose to place some interesting new ideas to the fighting style such as the Smash-Orb which allows the fighter to unleash a overwhelming attack which can overall have a great outcome to the final score.
I find the collection of Stickers and trophies to be a slightly trivial function for a game, but apart from this minor personal bias I cannot find any true flaws. There is nothing really to be said for the graphics, it is a Wii game so nothing extraordinary is to be expected but it is pleasant on the eyes as well as its soundtrack being the very rounded a well suited to the game. I have played countless hours on the original Smash Bros. and find the combat to be somewhat too familiar but with all the new features, characters, maps and the countless other goodies, there is nothing stopping me from brawling till I drop. This is designed for sitting around the TV with some mates and rotating the controller around (Wonderful Nintendo tell you who is next to swap the controller). Though upon that tone, there is no doubt in the minds of this games development team that it is also a delivery for the hardcore fans. This is what was expected of the hype, thankfully it lived up to it. This is more than just another solid Nintendo game, this is probably your best buy for the Wii for this year and will have you playing it for longer than that.
Speed review/Summary: Following the footsteps of its two older brothers, this lives up to both of them. Plenty of content, exciting new fighters, many new maps and very well balanced. Works with all variations of controllers for Wii. It is worth your money and if you could only afford one Wii game this year, this is the one folks. Will keep you busy no matter what type of gamer you are.
4.5 / 5 Stars
Dan Byron
Sunday, July 6, 2008
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text: The 2019 Acura TLX is a head-turning and sporty family sedan. Starting at $33,995 (including a $995 destination charge), this four-door is offered in four packages (trims), is available with two engine combinations, and a choice of either front- or all-wheel drive. Consumers can customize this daily driver with a plethora of standalone upgrades to suit almost any taste.


text:
Lifetime's Army Wives series has announced a fifth season to air in 2011 and they've just released season four on DVD. Check out this gag reel from the new DVD set.
Related TopicsUnder the Radar - Entertainment News
© Copyright 2020 Military.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Re: Kyrie Irving
The Celtics and Cavs are in discussions about IT's hip, if Cleveland determines that that it's too risky a trade, I don't know what happens. Usually when there's a trade and one of the players fails a physical, he can be replaced by someone else, but in this case, the C's can't replace IT and give Cleveland another player I don't think, so it's entirely possible the trade doesn't happen. If that's the case it's a mess for both teams, hopefully things get worked out
SHIT! I want that Brooklyn PK so they can flip it.


text:
This fall, we are learning four Practices For The Suburban Stronghold: Centering Prayer, Sabbath, Solitude, and Advent. Our little community is trying to follow Jesus' invitation of "Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace."
God stirred us deeply through Centering Prayer in September, and continues to meet us in surprising ways. We're learning that God is always speaking, the only thing that changes is whether we're listening or not. We don't do these practices to convince God to speak to us – as if we could somehow earn God's attention – but we're learning to slow down and get quiet enough to hear The Voice that is constantly with us. It's all grace. Amen.
Many thanks to Phileena and Father Keating for guiding so wisely and humbly. But more than that, many thanks to all of you who were willing to jump into such a difficult and often terrifying practice. I'm so ridiculously grateful to get to be a part of this community.
In this spirit, let's dive into October and see what God has for us through the practice of Sabbath.
I'm not sure what you think of when you hear the word "Sabbath", but I'm guessing it has something to do with Jesus breaking the Sabbath, and/or the joy-crushing rules your grandma had about "not doing anything fun on Sundays". Or maybe, like many of us, you've never given it much thought. But what if Sabbath is one of God's greatest gifts to humanity? And not just to the ancient Israelites…but also to worn out, over-worked, and exhausted you and me?
Friends, let's dive deeply into this. October 5th will offer a big invitation and vision, October 12th will teach the tangible steps and practices, and October 19th will be a group experience of Sabbath. And all along, we'll continue to ask our Creator to teach us the best way to live. Life to the full. An eternal kind of life. Unforced rhythms of Grace…
Please join us!


text:
July 2016 Housing Report
July 2016 Housing Report Sales Down & Prices Up!
The Lamacchia Housing Report presents overall home sale statistics and highlights the average sale prices for single-family homes, condominiums, and multi-family homes in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. The comparison is for the month of July in 2016 compared to July of 2015. It also looks at other metrics like Homes Listed and Pending, as they are often the best indicators for predicting future trends in the market.
Massachusetts Home Sales Down 13%
For the first time in an impressive run of thirteen months, the number of total Massachusetts home sales is down. We will start with the exact numbers and then explain why this has occurred.
Home sales were down across all categories, falling 12% in single families, 16% in condos, and 6% in multi-families – a 13% decrease overall. There were 10,699 homes sold with an average sale price of $387,964 in July of 2015, and 9,337 homes with an average sale price of $406,916 in July of 2016.
The category that saw the largest increase in average sale price in July was single-family homes, which rose 7% from 2015. The average sale price for single family homes rose from $425,857 in July 2015 to $453,756 in July 2016.
Condos, as mentioned above, saw the biggest decrease in sales – falling from 2,794 condos sold in 2015 to 2,357 in 2016. Condos also saw the smallest increase in average price (which was positive across all categories) rising 1% from $314,657 in July 2015 to $317,831 in July 2016. Multi-families also saw a decrease in sales by 6% and a just under a 5% increase in price.
Southern New Hampshire Home Sales Down 16%
Total sales in Southern New Hampshire were down 16% over July of 2015, with the percentage decrease in the double digits across all categories. Multi-families had the biggest decrease – falling 29% from 66 in July 2015 to 47 in July 2015. Single families saw the smallest decrease at just under 12%, falling from 1,136 to 1,005.
Unlike Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire did see decreases in average sale prices. Total average price across all categories fell a little over 2%. The greatest decrease was in condos, which fell from $228,421 to $213,466 – a change of -7%. The only category to have an increase in price was single family homes, though the increase was less than 1%.
Homes Listed for Sale:
Homes listed for sale across Massachusetts fell 13%. There were 9,017 homes listed for sale in Massachusetts in July 2016 compared to 10,325 in July 2015.
Pending Home Sales:
There were 8,848 homes that went pending in July 2016 in MLSPIN compared to 9,525 in July 2015, which represents a 7% decrease year-to-year.
Why are home sales down?
After a strong 13 months of growth in homes sales, are home sales suddenly falling? The reason for this is due to the excessive snow during the winter of 2015, which drove sales down in February, March, April, and May, and pushed the typical spring peak out through the entire summer of 2015. Therefore, Summer 2015 sales were artificially inflated. This is the same reason that homes listed was down as well. Many home owners delayed listing into the summer last year due to the snow.
*Data provided by Warren Group & MLS PIN and compared to prior year.


text:
Recent advocacy and protest efforts in Hollywood such as #OscarsSoWhite and #MeToo have led to an Academy that recognizes more diverse stories and highlights traditionally marginalized communities. We applaud the inclusion of films like Get Out, Lady Bird, and The Florida Project in this year's Oscar field.
However, behind the scenes, Hollywood still has a long way to go.
Exploitation of all kinds is alive and well in the entertainment industry. In a business where employees are told time and again that they are replaceable, that there is always someone else willing to do the job for lower wages and fewer benefits, true equality feels nearly impossible. This is why we have to fight injustice and root out exploitation wherever it occurs.
In the case of the film, Dunkirk, this means prison labor. Christopher Nolan's film, up for eight Academy Awards on Sunday night, not only used the labor of inmates in the production of the film, but included that fact as an anecdote in a companion book for the film. In Dunkirk: The History Behind the Major Motion Picture, set decorator Gary Fettis is quoted celebrating the exploitation of incarcerated people in the making of the film:
"The amount of work needed led to some interesting collaboration. The big fenders on the ships, they use giant rubber balls nowadays, but back then they were made out of rope woven in thick hemp. We had to make about ten of them. He knew how to weave these bumpers. And he employed prison labour to make them. First time offenders, kids, they weren't hard-core criminals...I hope the producers know, because we saved a lot of money that way."
Incarcerated offenders make between 16-93 cents an hour for their labor, according to a recent report by the Prison Policy Initiative.
The film has taken in $525 million so far on a $100 million budget.
In the view of DSA-LA's Labor Committee and the Hollywood Labor Project, this brings up two vital issues in the modern labor struggle. First, prison labor is unacceptable in any form. It is a human rights abuse. Human rights organizations across the world agree on that point. Second, every position on a Hollywood film crew should be unionized. Not only were union employees denied these jobs, prison labor was additionally exploited while producers and investors enjoyed a $400 million profit.
Every job is important and every worker deserves a union.
Dunkirk is not an anomaly, but a particularly egregious example of a systemic problem. In the entertainment industry, profits are too often put above people, and the creation of art is used as an all too convenient excuse for exploitation.
The Hollywood Labor Project will continue to work for an equitable world both in front of and behind the camera. Exploiting workers on a major motion picture is not a promotional achievement, but rather, a mark of shame. The Academy should disqualify Dunkirk from award consideration and set a precedent for similar future transgressions against entertainment workers.
A film that cannot be produced while respecting the humanity of everyone involved does not deserve to be made.
The Hollywood Labor Project is a collective of entertainment workers that understand that while the industry had some hard conversations in 2017, there's so much more that needs to be addressed to make a truly inclusive, equitable Hollywood. Namely, that the transformation that we want in the industry can't come from a high-level producer or studio, but from the workers themselves, demanding and fighting for it.
Join us and help create the Hollywood we deserve. Email email@example.com to get involved.


text:
The Federal Absentee Write-in Ballot (FWAB) is for use when your official ballot did not arrive in time.
Our FWAB offers you a Vote-Print-Mail Ballot System. It presents you with federal level candidate lists associated with your election jurisdiction. Just point, click and choose your candidate,or choose to leave the selection blank for you to write-in your candidate or party choice. Minnesota voters may also write in names of state and local level candidates for whom they want to vote.
For the November General Election, we suggest that if you sent in your registration/ballot request form already and haven't received your official ballot from your local election office by October 17th that you complete and send in the FWAB.Â
FedEx Express is offering special rates for returning ballots from 89 countries through the Election 2008: Express Your Vote program. Visit http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp?page=1026 for more information or click the Express Your Vote banner on our website.
If you have a Voter Account, you can simply login and click to print your FWAB. The system will take you through the data-entry process with your information pre-filled into the fields. You can update/edit your information or just click "Continue" if it is accurate. As an extra security measure, personal ID and birthdate information is not kept on file. Therefore you will have to re-enter these pieces of personal information.
If you do not have a Voter Account then you can generate an FWAB by clicking on the associated item on the left sidebar page.
The registration system will assist you in generating a complete and accurate cover page that is identical to your registration/ballot request form -- as per the federal requirements. The FWAB must be printed. You will see that several pages follow with instructions and a page for you to write-in the candidates of your choice. The instructions pages will include the address for mailing your FWAB.


text:
The Noosa Forest Retreat Permaculture course on Australia's beautiful Sunshine Coast will include the standard Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) curriculum study as created by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, plus valuable hands on practical exercises and experience with permaculture principles and systems.
This includes: animal systems, super compost making, swale design and implementation for water harvesting and food forest establishment. Permaculture design course (PDC) study at Noosa Forest retreat is well suited to anyone interested in sustainability, organic food growing, natural farming, community living, holisitic + healthy living or self sufficiency.
This course is a globally recognised education course in sustainable living design. The Noosa Forest Retreat course is unique not only for its best value price, but also in that students will get to live for 12 days in the normally private community - Noosa Forest Retreat - where they are able to directly contribute to greater permacultue projects while gaining a permaculture education themselves in return.
dditionally, the course donates 5% of fees to a permaculture charity and in last 12 months alone has donated over $3000.
Noosa Forest Retreat is a beautiful lush 160 acre property with 4 houses in the Noosa Hinterland on the Sunshine Coast Australia. The property is home to 9 full time residents backs onto the Woondum national Park and rises to an elevation of 420 meters with the highest house site on the Sunshine Coast.
Noosa Forest Retreat is one of the largest and longest running permaculture demonstration and education centres in Queensland, Australia. The Noosa Bioregion is recognised by the United Nations for excellence in local governance addressing environmental and social sustainability.
On-site accomodation & meals are offered at a cheap rate - full organic & vegetarian catered meals.
Contact website: http://www.permaculturecourseaustralia.com.au/
"Permaculture Design Certificate" course
4 November to 16 November
Noosa Forest Retreat 143 Golden Gully Road, Kin Kin Queesland
Student/pensioner....$1295 | Full price....$1390
Privately Submitted Article or Event, Sunshine Coast Wide
All Sunshine Coast events, gigs, functions etc... onsite are correct as per information provided at time of uploading, please always verify times or dates directly with the venues to avoid disappointment.
This property has been added to your save list now.
Don't have registration yet ? "Create Account"
If you have lost / forgotten your password click: "Lost Password"
NOTE: This login is to manage your real estate alerts/preferences and not to register your business details for the directory. To submit Sunshine Coast Business data please visit here.


text:
Doorway To Africa is the inbound travel team, offering all the members of the family in the diaspora who wish to learn more about Ghana (our motherland) to explore Ghanaian Culture, History & Heritage. The aim is not just to go on holiday, relax and get a sun tan, but also to be educated about the region or country, find out what makes it special and for those visiting for the first time, return with memories that will be with them for a lifetime.
On 6th March 2018, Ghana celebrated it's 61st Independence from British Colonial Rule and that is our Country of feature… where the WEKU story begins.
The word Ghana means Warrior King and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval West African Ghana Empire. Geographically, the Ghana Empire was approximately
500 miles (800 km) north and west of modern Ghana, and it ruled territories in the area of the Sénégal River and east towards the Niger River, in modern Senegal, Mauritania and Mali.
Ghana was adopted as the legal name for the Gold Coast combined with British Togoland upon gaining Independence on 6 March 1957.
Ghana (former Gold Coast) sits in the West Coast of Africa with Côte D'Ivoire on the west, Burkina Faso on the north, Togo on the East and the Gulf of Guinea to the south (coastline spanning the full south of Ghana. Ghana is divided into 10 regions, and further split into a total of 170 districts. The regions and their capitals are: Ashanti (Kumasi), Brong Ahafo (Sunyani), Central (Cape Coast), Eastern (Koforidua), Greater Accra (Accra), Northern (Tamale), Upper East (Bolgatanga), Upper West (Wa), Volta (Ho) and Western (Sekondi-Takoradi 'Twin cities').
Ghana has Kotoka International Airport as it's aeroplane port and Tema (eastern part of Greater Accra) as it's main sea port. On average, a flight to Ghana ranges from £395 – £950 depending on the airline, direct or stop-over flights and the time of the year that you make the trip.
Wekumei Enterprises have developed relationships with Hotels and Resorts in Greater Accra and are in negotiations with other Regions to allow us to plan a trip that will give you the opportunity to tour around the whole country at the best possible price. We will let you know as soon as the Ghana trip information is available to allow for a fully planned and action packed trip.


text:
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Dear Santa....
I used a Bugaboo digi coloured with Promakers and cut with Die-namics to made a frame....the papers is from American Crafts.....red card Papermill....holly corner die is from Cheery Lyn and a few red gems...
Thank you for taking time to leave a comment and I hope you have a lovely Sunday and the weather is kind to you......Joolsx
My challenges are
12 comments:
Great card Jools, I love Bugaboo digis....and you always make great cards with them.ReplyDelete
hi julieanne ... just loving your little funny "c" card ... just hopping about ... hope you are having a great weekend ... happy crafting and love sandy xxReplyDelete
ha ha brilliant image and super card :-)ReplyDelete
A very funny card for Christmas. I've not seen this image before. BarbxxReplyDelete
I love Bugaboo images, love your card xReplyDelete
Hi Jools this is a fun Christmas card I love the image and the sentiment made me smile. Have a great week. Hugs JackieReplyDelete
Hi Jools, fantastic Christmas card, love this image and funny sentiment. Brilliant.ReplyDelete
Hugs Pam x
brilliant I love the fun image and even funnier sentimentReplyDelete
Carol x
Fabulous card, love the sentiment :o)ReplyDelete
Jackie xx
Fabulous card and a brilliant image . love the layout and sentimentReplyDelete
A Beautiful and fun card. Thank you for joining us at Digitally Sweet!ReplyDelete
Such a fun card LOVE the sentiment and the design is awesome. Thanks for sharing with us at Crafting for all Seasons. BarbReplyDelete


text:
Search for help on enabling JavaScript
Recently featured in Vogue Magazine, Justin Gaffrey is an artist who challenges himself in vast mediums. Although, his primary body of works is executed in heavy acrylic impastos often 1-6 inches thick. Justin works in his studio located in 30a, outfitted with a full metal and wood working shop creating free standing sculptural works and sculptural paintings. Justin's work can be an emotional landscape of his home in
For more than a 100 years, The American Cancer Society has been leading the fight to end cancer. With your support, we have helped usher in an era where more people survive cancer than ever before. By translating our research findings into action, we've seen a 20% decline in US ca cancer death rates since the early 1990s.
2745 Bob Wallace Avenue Suite A
Huntsville, AL 35805


text:
Sorry, nothing in cart.
Is it your friend's birthday? Or your parent's wedding anniversary? And you are still thinking of what to do? Well, if it is so, you are in the right place, and we at Flower Delivery Beverly Hills can come up with the best solution to your problem. A flower bouquet of your choice from our shop will compliment every occasion of your life that you want to celebrate. The flowers that we offer for your perfect flower bouquet are something you will fall in love with. Beverly Hills Flower Delivery is handpicked and crafted together in a way so that it matches with the feelings you want to convey.
Flower Delivery Beverly Hills is known as the best flower shop in the area, and our customers keep coming back to us every time. You don't even have to visit us and can order flowers from different places in Beverly Hills by calling us at our registered number. Let our flower bouquet convey your feelings to your loved ones, and we assure you that you will be able to see that smile and happiness on their face.
All of us have friends, family members and that someone special in our lives with whom we want to spend every moment until our last breath. Beverly Hills Florist cares for them and wants their happiness to last forever. We celebrate their birthdays, anniversaries, or sometimes try to make them feel special without any occasion. We at Beverly Hills Flower Delivery understand it, and that is why we deliver our customers the best services and offers in the area.
Flower delivery Beverly Hills is confident that you can find one of the best flower bouquets for your loved ones with us. We understand the significance of every occasion in your life, which is why our every bouquet delineates to impress the person receiving it. Ours is a local flower delivery shop, and that is the reason you will find our flowers as fresh and full of aroma. So, Contact us, if you are looking for new flower delivery from one of the best florist in the area. We are best at delivering your desired bouquet at the right time and to a place of your choice.
Flower Delivery Beverly Hills CA provides its customers with a range of flower bouquet varieties to choose from. So, if you want to convey your feelings to someone, but don't know how to say it, then Flower Delivery Beverly Hills is the place for you. We have different types of flower bouquet for separate occasions. We also bestow you with the option to create a new flower bouquet of your choice or do changes in the existing bouquet designs. Our employees are hardworking and well-trained to do their work correctly. We are also the best choice in the area if you are looking for same day flower delivery in Beverly Hills.
Flower Delivery Beverly Hills CA also provides its customers with the option to choose from a range of gifts and cards that compliment the bouquets of their choice, if given along with the flower bouquet.


text:
Roman Kolger (Thomas Schubert) has a problem. He's been in prison since the age of 14 and now, at age 19, needs to find work in order to gain parole. He's not terribly animated, motivated or skilled, so it seems awfully befitting when he falls into a job as an undertaker. Breathing (Atmen) is a slow-moving, Austrian character piece that hovers warily over its protagonist, rarely offering hope but, patiently, revealing small details and slight grace notes that allow for insight into Roman's plight.
At first, there is only one thing we know about Roman; he's alone in this world. The only advocate he has is a social worker who drives him around town, prepping him for an upcoming parole hearing. The film is predominantly built upon extended moments of observation that yield small reveals, most of which occur in the spare moments when Roman risks interaction with others. There is a fleeting encounter with a girl on the train back to his holding cell. A failed attempt to reach out to a co-worker. And another involving an older woman...but I don't want offer up too much, especially since this is a film that hinges so delicately on little details.
Austrian actor-turned-director Karl Markovics understands that explanations aren't of primary concern to his story. Instead, he sticks with small events and repeated passages, like the indignities that Roman must endure each night as he returns to prison, to draw in the viewer. It's a particularly strong directorial debut for Markovics, who has spent much of his prior career on television and in the theater. Likewise, Schubert's turn as Roman, his first film role, has an appropriately affectless feel to it. He plays Roman as someone who has been abandoned by society; a truth that only deepens as the evidence of his life unfolds.
Breathing (Atmen) will screen for the public at the Lloyd Mall 6 on Feb. 10th at 6:15pm and, again, at Cinemagic on Feb. 12th at 8pm. A final screening will occur on Feb. 14th at the Lake Twin Cinema at 6pm.
Remember to find and "like" us on our Facebook page.
Subscribe to the blog's feed here.


text:
The account dashboard is your tool for keeping up to date on how much data you're storing in your Trial Cloud, Discovery Cloud and Preservation Cloud repositories. Each product dashboard provides an overview of the data used by each of your repositories as well as a product-wide gigabyte sum.
The numbers shown for each repository are the averages of all the records for the time period you are viewing. We run our storage calculations twice daily – once in the morning and once in the evening. You can view a repository's daily usage by clicking on the repository name. The daily usage records shown are the maximum of the two storage numbers for that day in gigabytes.
The Cloud Preservation dashboard includes feed counts as well as storage numbers and presents these in the same fashion.
A note on document deletion: We wait a full day after a document has been deleted to fully purge it from the system. This gives us the ability to restore the document quickly if it was incorrectly deleted. This may cause some lag in the reduction of gigabytes used per day, but have no fear the reduction will be recorded.
Managing storage can be a daunting task and we strive to be transparent about the amount of data you are storing in any of our products.


text:
How to Use Parcel Wizard & Why I love Chemist Direct!!!
So I use Parcel Wizard fairly regularly as I shop online a bit…… cough cough a lot!!!
Basically it's giving you a UK Address like Parcel Motel or Address Pal however I find it much better!!!
So when you come across a site like Chemist Direct, TKmax or Amazon who only offer UK delivery on Selected Items you can use this service. Or sometimes on Ebay An Item is free UK Delivery but about €11 to Ireland so in this instance I use my Parcel Wizard UK address and it only costs me €3.85 instead of €11.
So here's how it works !!
• You go to The Parcel Wizard website and make an Account (it takes approx 5 minutes)
• They then provide you with a UK address and your own Unique Parcel Wizard Locator Number which is always to be used as the 1st line of the Address.
• When checking out of whatever website you are on you use this address for shipping.
• When Parcel Wizard Receive the item in their depot they text you to notify you.
• You then Log into your Parcel Wizard account top up by €3.85 (paypal or card)
• And then they will deliver it to your door!
• On the morning of Delivery you will receive a text to say what time to expect them and if it doesn't suit you, you can log in and reschedule or another option if you think you might not be home is to have it delivered to one of their Pick up points they have 100's around the Country.
•Some companies Like amazon Split Deliveries so If you order two things beware you could be charged the Parcel Wizard cost twice but I believe you can ask for them not to Split with Amazon.
•There is weight & dimension restrictions for the charge of €3.85 and additional costs if it's over these measurements. But to be fair they are generous sizes and It's never happened to me yet. This is the link to their Faq with the Measurements.
As a parent this is probably the best website I was ever told about! I use my parcel Wizard Account for my order as a lot of stuff they won't ship to the Republic. You need to scroll to the bottom of the page and change the Flag to the UK.
You can order children's Generic Calpol & Nurofen for Literally a few Euro, I'm talking under €4 a bottle!
Generic Calpol: https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/paracetamol-infant-sugar-free-suspension-3-months/prd-hsm
Generic Nurofen: https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/ibuprofen-100mg-5ml-suspension-for-children/prd-1io
Paracetamol Tablets for feck all https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/paracetamol-500mg-tablets/prd-o38
And then Stuff we can't get here like
Metanium nappy rash cream: https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/metanium-nappy-rash-ointment/prd-4ad
Calgel: https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/calgel-teething-gel/prd-55
Even cheaper Durex 😂😂
I use my uk parcel wizard address for shipping!
As it's buying medicine online and not in person you could be sent an email after ordering asking who the products are Intended for (as in age). It only takes a min to fill in or for some stuff you'll be asked while ordering. I have saved a fortune using them and recommended them to everyone!
*I'm sure you know already but I have zero affiliation with either of these companies I'm just passing on the info as I use them and mention them a lot.
Facebook – Frilly Flossy
Instagram – @frillyflossy


text:
Wonder how you can have a fun-filled April? Participate in these events!
Moonpools and Caterpillars Concert
WHERE: Outpost Bar & Resto, Lahug, Cebu City
WHEN: April 9
DETAILS: This event is brought to you by Pinoytuner, and tickets are sold at PHP1,200, which includes 2 free drinks. Contact (+632) 8876838 for more info.
Jars of Clay Live
WHERE: The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu
WHEN: April 12, 7PM
DETAILS: Premium seats are available. Visit the mall's Privileges Desk or call them at 232-0380 or visit Ayala Cebu's official Facebook page for more info.
1st Canso Multi-Sport Festival
WHERE: Brgy. Cansomoroy, Balamban, Cebu
WHEN: April 11 & 12
DETAILS: This event is in connection with Canso X's Mountain Adventure Park's Grand Opening. Registration is 250 pesos at The Brick Multi Sport Store, JCentre Mall Aboitiz Sales Office, SM City Cebu, Aboitiz Main Office Banilad, and CIPDI Office Balamban. Highlights are camping, hiking, biking, trail running, duathlon, kiddie run, sunset yoga, BBQ, chill out grooves, live bands, MTB Clinic and Downhill Demo, Ice Cold Beer, Cook Out, and other outdoor activities.
Sundown Beer Run
WHERE: Lapu-lapu City
WHEN: April 26, 4PM
DETAILS: Categories for this race are 3k and 6k, and both require a registration fee of 250 pesos, which is inclusive of race bib, pulutan, and drinks. Go to Runnr in Ayala Center Cebu to register and make inquiries. First 500 registrants will get exclusive Beer Run shirts.
Takbo Alay sa Kalikasan
WHERE: Plaza Independencia, Cebu City
WHEN: April 27, 5:30AM
DETAILS: Categories are 3k, 5k, and 10k with registration fees PHP300, PHP350, and PHP400 respectively, inclusive of race bib, singlet, finishers medal, and refreshments. To register, go to Runnr-Ayala or Cebu City Sports Center. Contact 0925-888-1797 for more info.
Diary ng Panget Mall Tour
WHERE: Event Centre, SM City Cebu
WHEN: April 11, 6PM
DETAILS: Purchase an SM Cinema Ticket or Movie Edition Book or Official Soundtrack CD or fan magazine to enter. Visit SM-City-Cebu-Official for more info.
Outdoor Movie Nights
WHERE: The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu
WHEN: 6PM, all Fridays of April and May
DETAILS: Movie screening schedule for April is as follows: April 4 – Jack the Giant Slayer, April 11 – Prince of Egypt, April 25 – High School Musical. For more info, contact Ayala Center Cebu Concierge at (032) 232-0380 or visit Ayala Cebu's official Facebook page.


text:
Compared with residents of other states, New Jerseyans are not as aware of a new federal mandate requiring them to purchase individual health insurance, a central provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
Only 56 percent of New Jersey residents know that that they have to buy insurance or pay a fine starting in 2014, according to a new poll released by the Monmouth University Polling Institute and the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. That compares with the 74 percent of Americans who said they were aware of the mandate in a March Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.
"They really don't know what's going to happen," said polling institute Director Patrick Murray, regarding the public mandate.
The ACA mandates that residents have insurance or pay a penalty beginning in 2014. The size of the penalty will grow over the next three years.
Of those polled, 11 percent said they were uninsured. When informed of the mandate, 62 percent of these uninsured respondents said they planned to get health coverage, while 24 percent said they planned to remain uninsured despite the penalty and 13 percent said they were uncertain what they would do.
In 2014, the penalty will be $95 per adult and $47.50 per child, or 1 percent of family income, whichever is greater. In 2015, the penalty will be $325 per adult and $162.50 per child or 2 percent of family income, whichever is greater. In 2016, the penalty will be $695 per adult and $347.50 per child or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater.
"We're speculating here, but obviously there hasn't been a statewide awareness campaign," Murray said. "That seems to be the most likely culprit" in the lack of knowledge about the mandate.
Gov. Chris Christie opted for a federally operated marketplace, rather than a state-run exchange, citing the potential cost to the state and a lack of information from federal officials. Healthcare advocates have pointed out that the decision has left New Jersey with tens of millions of dollars less in federal funding to publicize the marketplace.
Maryland, despite a smaller population than New Jersey, has received $24 million for public outreach, compared with $2.02 million that New Jersey received for nonprofit organizations that will help residents enroll for insurance. Federal officials have said that public outreach will increase in the coming weeks, adding that they decided against a publicity campaign before insurance was actually available through the marketplace.
New Jerseyans have a somewhat more positive view of the law than has been recorded in national polls. Of those polled, 45 percent said they had a favorable view of the ACA, while 40 percent had an unfavorable view, and 16 percent had no opinion. A Kaiser national poll in August found that 37 percent of Americans had a favorable view and 42 percent had an unfavorable one.
New Jersey residents had a similar view as those in national polls about how the law will affect their own healthcare. Just under half, or 49 percent, feel the quality of their healthcare won't be affected by the ACA, while 30 percent think it will worsen, and 13 percent said it would improve. That compares with national figures of 48 percent believing they won't be affected, 34 percent saying their healthcare would be worse, and 15 percent saying it would be better.
The mandate is a key provision of the ACA. If healthier people don't pay for insurance, healthcare costs are borne by the less healthy, pushing the price of insurance up, and causing fewer people to buy it.
Without having all Americans — including younger and healthier citizens — paying into the healthcare system, it becomes more difficult for the other parts of the ACA to function. Those include the provision that all residents have access to health insurance regardless of any pre-existing illnesses or conditions that they may have.
Murray said the lack of awareness of the mandate "is going to put a lot of New Jerseyans behind the eight-ball," when they have to pay the penalty.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of open enrollment for the new health insurance marketplace or exchange for individuals to purchase insurance that will be effective beginning on January 1. This marketplace is intended to serve as a one-stop shop for residents to buy insurance and learn whether they are eligible for federal tax credits to subsidize it.
Subsidies will be targeted toward those with incomes between 138 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty line, which currently amounts to between $15,856 and $45,960 for a single resident and between $32,499 and $94,200 for a family of four. The open enrollment period will last until March 31, 2014.
The open enrollment period in coming years is expected to be the same as open enrollment for making changes to Medicare, which is October 15 through December 7.
Residents won't feel the pinch of the federal mandate until they file their 2014 income taxes. The deadline for filing — and for paying the penalty — won't be until mid-April 2015, more than four months after the end of the marketplace open enrollment period for 2015. Murray said residents who choose to pay the relatively low penalty for 2014 may be in for a rude awakening when the penalty goes up in 2015, which they may not learn until they file their tax returns in 2016.
"Public officials want to get the word out," Murray said, noting that they may face upset constituents.
The mandate is one of several pieces of the law that state residents are not yet familiar with, according to the poll. Of those surveyed, 18 percent feel they understand the ACA healthcare reforms very well, while 49 percent said they understand them somewhat well. That's in contrast to 19 percent who said they don't understand them too well and 12 percent who said they don't understand them well at all. Just 34 percent said they heard a lot or something about the marketplace/exchange, similar to national surveys.
The new poll is the first in a new partnership between the Monmouth University Polling Institute and the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, a nonprofit dedicated toward linking healthcare delivery with quality, safety, accountability, and cost containment. The poll, named the Health Matters Poll, will be done on a quarterly basis. Some questions will be asked repeatedly, while new subjects will also be introduced.
Institute President and Chief Executive Officer David L. Knowlton said the survey "will take much of the guesswork out of understanding" what the public thinks about healthcare concerns.
Knowlton likened public interest in the ACA to interest in elections.
"As we get closer and closer to the date that people will have to be concerned with this historic new law, they will pay more attention and gain and better and more accurate understanding of it," he said. "I am not at all surprised by the level of understanding at this point."
Institute chief of staff Jeff Brown said it would be important to watch state residents' attitudes toward the law evolve as they begin to see and feel its effects.
"New Jerseyans are clearly divided about the ACA but remain uninformed," about key provisions like the mandate, Brown said. He noted poll findings that 27 percent of self-insured and uninsured residents said they were very interested in shopping for insurance on the exchange, while 19 percent said they were somewhat interested and 14 percent said they were a little interested.
"Even with the lack of knowledge about the exchange, it seems that people are interested" in checking it out, Brown said.
"I think the debate has been so politicized and there's really just been talking points flying at people from both sides," Brown said. "It's been really hard for people to cut through that debate and that noise to get at what actually is in the law."
Brown noted that public opinion in Massachusetts — the first state to mandate insurance and a model for the national law — improved after its law went into effect.
He added that the message from the federal government hasn't reached residents yet.
"I don't think they've done a good job so far at disseminating easily digestible information to consumers," Brown said.
The Republican-majority U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term government funding bill yesterday that would delay implementation of the mandate, the marketplace. and other ACA features. That could lead to a shutdown of the federal government tomorrow, since the Senate's Democratic majority supports the long-scheduled implementation of the healthcare law.


text:
Be the first to review this product
Natural Plant-Based Ingredients
Premium SPA QualityMade in USA
Benefits:Head-to-toe All-In-One Cleanser | Strengthens Skin Barrier | Retains Moisture for Longer | Safe for Children and Baby | Appropriate for Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis
Description:This All-In-One Liquid Soap is all about building your daily shower into a pampered home spa experience. Lightweight and silky in texture, this soap can be used to cleanse from your head down to your toes. Appropriate for both face and body. This mild cleansing gel provides rich and intense moisture. Formulated with Ceramides, the wash strengthens the skin barrier and helps your skin retain moisture for longer, so you can walk out of the shower with radiant, hydrated skin. Specially, good for dry skin. Essential oils blend (Eucalyptus).
Formulated WITHOUT:Sulfate | Paraben | Silicone | Betaine | Wheat | DEA/MEA | Urea | Artificial Color | Artificial Fragrance
No Animal Testing
Packaging Details:Phthalate Free | Recyclable Materials
How to use:In a warm shower, apply to wet skin on face and body lather up your hands or a puff and massage into skin. Rinse clean and enjoy the soft and natural fragrance.
Ingredients:Aqua (Deionized Water), Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Coco Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Guar Hydroxypropyl trimonium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract, Anacyclus Pyrethrum Root Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Essential Oils Blend
* This ingredient list is subject to change, customers should refer to the product packaging for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Warnings:For external use only.Keep away from reach of children.
Availability: In stock
Email to a Friend
With this product, you earn 100 loyalty point(s).


text:
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new toddler and children's football club in February 2016! Our toddler and kids football activity classes are like no other! Built around a bespoke curriculum that is designed to teach children football skills from 18 months and lay the foundation for technical development in our football club.
Our Player Pathway curriculum allows coaches, parents and children to monitor progress and practice football skills at home too! Regular family events and a community club atmosphere means that new comers are always welcomed with open arms and invited to get involved as much as possible.
For our S4K football groups, this meant that our classes were due to be held outside on the all weather pitch. Unfortunately, this space is now no longer available due to the sheer number of alumni attending and the grass pitch that has been offered as an alternative would be too wet for our children. For this reason, we will be moving our classes to the St John Beaumont Prepartory School in Old Windsor (SL4 2JN), where the classes will take place in the furthest section of the Sports Hall. The class times will remain the same - S4K Tots (9-9.45am), S4K Kickers 1 (9.50-10.35am), S4K Kickers 2 (10.40-11.25am) and S4K Strikers (11.30-12.30pm). The S4K Academy (12.30-1.30pm) will take place outside on the top pitches (directions below).
To find us, you can park your car in the car park by the tennis courts. The sports centre is a short walk up the hill towards the main school building and then follow the road around to the left. The sports centre has glass automatic doors, but we gain access through the side door to the left of the building. For S4K Academy classes take place on the top field in all weather, so studs and shin pads are required. There is a path that leads up to this area through the back of the car park and the woods. The path will take you down hill and then around to the left. The path then bears around and up to the right before opening out onto the playing field pavilion. Please be aware that this walk can take 5-7 minutes.
The camps are back! February half term is fast approaching and Woking and Windsor will be opening their doors to all of our S4K Families for high energy fun!
Families can expect to save 10% on their booking by booking spaces before Monday 1st February at 10pm. Please note this discount will not be extended past this date so book today!
Our team are working extremely hard to prepare a non-stop, fun-filled program of sports and activities for children from 5 years onwards. Our families will be treated to multi-activity camps featuring such as hockey, football, rugby and basketball as well as themes such as International Games Day and Movie Friday!
Click here to view the camp timetables (just click on the camp you would like to view).
Space are selling fast, so take a look at your closest camp below for booking information or reply to this email and we will give you a call to assist.
We are creeping closer to our toddler rugby and kids rugby taster session, which will take place at St John Beaumont Prep School in Old Windsor (SL4 2JN) this Saturday between 9.30-11.30am - click here to register to pop along and see us. Our toddlers and pre-school children will be treated to rugby fun and games, designed to build on basic motor skills to develop precision in rugby play.
There are a number of toddler and pre-school rugby providers around, so we caught up with Head Coach Dr Mark Gould to find out what is so unique about S4K Rugby.
How is S4K Rugby Different?
"Well, as with everything at Sport4Kids, we like to make waves in how we teach sport by sampling the best methods from around the globe and designing our curriculum around it. With football, we spent a lot of time researching the Dutch Coerver method and the Spanish "tiki-taka", which shaped the development of our Player Pathway curriculum. The same process was undertaken for rugby, but this time we had to spend significantly more time researching the methods of the southern hemisphere – namely the All Blacks Rugby Union side and the Australian Rugby League team."
Do S4K teach Rugby League or Rugby Union?
"At pre-school level, it isn't too important. What we believe is important however, is to teach precision and ball handling from an early age."
How can you teach precision to a toddler?
"The unique thing here is that we actually use a small ball. Not only is the ball small, but it is also weighted foam, rather than the usual squidgy foam. By doing this, we can teach our toddlers good habits, such as holding the ball using the "W" shape from an early age. The weighted nature of the ball also gives them a good idea about the ball moves through the air."
That sounds pretty technical for toddlers?
Haha don't worry – S4K Rugby is all about fun while developing skills. We use our psychologically famed
"analogous learning" approach – meaning that our children think they are flying around the moon on a rocket ship or running riot on a pirate ship while they learn their new sport.
When do the classes start?
We have a launch date for the first classes on 13th February 2016 at Charter's Leisure Centre in Sunningdale, but we have a free taster introduction running in Windsor on Saturday 23rd January 2016. Open to all – so come and have a go!
© 2020 Sport4Kids
Developed by Francis Doody


text:
|This article is about a/an episode in Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger.
|WARNING: This episode contains scenes of blood and gun violence. Viewer discretion is advised!
Ep. 5: Monarch of the Jungle (ジャングルの王者 Jyanguru no Ōja) is the fifth episode of Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger. It features the full appearance of Larry and the debut of Zyuoh Gorilla, Zyuoh Eagle's Visor Up mode.
The Deathgalien's newest player, Gaburio, has appeared. The Zyuohgers appear but he escapes. While chasing him, they encounter Larry, a gorilla Zyuman living in the mountains who is very happy to see fellow Zyumen again, but the moment he sees Yamato, he runs in fear. Meanwhile, Deathgalien team leader Azald has come personally, and his power is incomparably higher than that of the players.
A fleet of Triangular descend from the sky to attack Earth with one ship carrying Gaburio, the latest player of the Blood Game. Despite his intent to cause a ruckus, his forces are quickly destroyed by the Zyuohgers in ZyuohKing and by Cube Elephant and Tiger. Gaburio abandons his ship before it explodes, but falls head first into the ground and gets stuck, this somehow causes the Zyumen to not be able to detect Gaburio. Yamato and company come across a suspicious figure in the bushes while searching (not noticing that Gaburio is three feet away from them) and jump it. They discover that it was a Gorilla Zyuman, who at first freaks out about being captured by humans. When the other Zyumen reveal they are like him, he greets them in an overjoyed and friendly manner.
Seeing Gaburio stuck in the ground, a frustrated Azald fumes in rage and then goes down to help him get out and supervise his bumbling Player subordinate. The Gorilla Zyuman, Larry, takes the Zyuohgers back to his hut and Amu and the others show him the King's Credentials in their active form. He is intrigued by this and they show him how it can make them into humans. Leo tries to give his to Larry to see if it makes him human, but it does not work. Larry speculates that the King's Credentials only work for specific people and not just anyone. Tusk asks why Larry is in the Human World and Larry replies he is a scientist studying humans. When he tried to get back home to Zyuland, the portal would not open due to the missing King's Credential and he was stuck on Earth. The other Zyumen feel sad, but Larry cheers them up and says he has new Zyuman friends so he isn't lonely anymore and offers them Wild Tea. Yamato asks if this tea is famous as he has never tried it before. Larry is amused by this and wonders why a Zyuman would not know what Wild Tea is. Yamato corrects him and states that he is a human. This causes Larry to panic and run away, with Leo and Sela chasing after him. Amu scolds Yamato for doing something to upset Larry, but Yamato says he didn't do anything wrong.
At a waterfall, Larry explains to Leo and Sela he is done trying to interact with humans and that he tried to get along with them. But, every time he tried to talk to them they would get scared and run away. Things got so bad that a police officer started shooting at him and a bullet hit his arm when he was fleeing from the officer. Larry says that humans scare him because of that incident. Leo tries to explain that Yamato is a nice guy and would never hurt Larry, but the gorilla Zyuman won't hear him out.
Leo and Sela return to the Mori residence and explain to Yamato why Larry is scared of humans. Leo realizes if they had not met Yamato they would probably have been in a similar situation. Mario is outside and scares Leo by standing outside a window holding an ax, who then reminds him that he asked Leo to chop firewood for tonight. Yamato feels guilty about scaring Larry, but Tusk and Sela can understand why humans would be scared of the gorilla Zyuman, as they were originally afraid of Yamato when they first saw him as he was an alien creature to them. Thus it is only natural to fear the unknown. Amu suggests they try to help Larry overcome his fear of humans.
Amu and Sela find Larry picking herbs for dinner and offer to help him, which he graciously accepts and offers them to come and have dinner. The ladies accept and Yamato is seen with them trying to help, but Larry realizes it is him and then flees in terror. Back at his hut, Larry is trying to lift heavy pails on a pole to get fresh water and Tusk and Leo try to help. The two compliment Larry's strength as they struggle to carry their end of the pole. Yamato tries once again to sneak in and help but this causes Larry to get angry and hurl him into a tree, Yamato is then knocked over the head with one of the metal buckets after getting splashed with water. Larry is shocked at what he has done while the others are upset as Yamato is hurt. He then tells the Zyumen if they do not stop bringing Yamato to his place, he will not want anything to do with them and they must stop coming over.
Yamato recovers and sulks, saying that it is his fault as he was too persistent. Larry goes for a walk and then sees Yamato talking to a deer asking him how to make Larry like him. Yamato sees him and after an awkward moment, Larry asks if he likes animals. Yamato says he is a zoologist, it is his passion to study and understand animals. Yamato realizes that if Larry once studied humans, that means he liked humans once and despite the fact he hates them now, he is not afraid of him and will not hurt him. Yamato then shakes Larry's hand, only for the Gorilla Zyuman to sense the presence of a powerful Deathgalien. Azald is searching for Gaburio when the Zyuohgers spot him and try to fight him, but Azurudo's armor is too thick for their weapons to even scratch. Yamato comes to help but even Zyuoh Eagle is no match for the Team Leader as Azald effortlessly swats away the Zyuohger's attacks even in their Instinct Awakened modes and fires energy blades back at them. Larry, who is observing from a distance, wonders why an Eagle Zyuman's power is able to be used by a human. Azald uses a swordbeam to critically damage Zyuoh Lion, Elephant, Shark and Tiger and force them to de-morph.
Zyuoh Eagle tries to hold on and fight using the EagRiser but is quickly overpowered and forced back into civilian form. He is then hit by one of Azald's swordbeams and knocked off a cliff. Larry finds Yamato badly hurt and remembers his kind words and promise to never hurt him, Larry then infuses him with his Zyuman Power to save his life after praying to the King's Credentials to give him the power to do so. Yamato wakes up and the two acknowledge each other as friends. Azald attacks and Yamato quickly morphs into Zyuoh Eagle, only to realize he is now strong enough to block Azald's sword and feels a surge of power within him. Yamato flips up the visor on his mask and transforms into Zyuoh Gorilla. He then pulverizes Azald using his new strength as Larry cheers him on, only to suddenly get tired. Zyuoh Gorilla damages Azald's arm and then uses a powerful uppercut to critically damage the Team Leader and destroy him. The Deathgalien are shocked by the loss of another Team Leader to the Zyuohgers but Ginis tells Nalia not to give Azald a Continue. The team celebrates Yamato's victory, only to discover that Larry has disappeared and they can't find him.
- Yamato Kazakiri (風切 大和 Kazakiri Yamato): Masaki Nakao (中尾 暢樹 Nakao Masaki)
- Sela (セラ): Miki Yanagi (柳 美稀 Yanagi Miki)
- Leo (レオ): Shouhei Nanba (南羽 翔平 Nanba Shōhei)
- Tusk (タスク): Tsurugi Watanabe (渡邉 剣 Watanabe Tsurugi)
- Amu (アム): Haruka Tateishi (立石 晴香 Tateishi Haruka)
- Mario Mori (森 真理夫 Mori Mario): Susumu Terajima (寺島 進 Terajima Susumu)
- Ginis (ジニス Jinisu, Voice): Kazuhiko Inoue (井上 和彦 Inoue Kazuhiko)
- Azald (アザルド Azarudo, Voice): Jouji Nakata (中田 譲治 Nakata Jōji)
- Quval (クバル Kubaru, Voice): Mitsuo Iwata (岩田 光央 Iwata Mitsuo)
- Naria (ナリア Naria, Voice): Minako Kotobuki (寿 美菜子 Kotobuki Minako)
Guest Casts
- Larry (ラリー Rarī, Voice): Unshō Ishizuka (石塚 運昇 Ishizuka Unshō)
- Gaburio (ガブリオ Gaburio, Voice): Wataru Takagi (高木 涉 Takagi Wataru)
Suit Actors
- Zyuoh Eagle: Kosuke Asai (浅井 宏輔 Asai Kōsuke)
- Sela, Zyuoh Shark: Ryoko Gomi (五味 涼子 Gomi Ryōko)
- Leo, Zyuoh Lion: Yasuhiro Takeuchi (竹内 康博 Takeuchi Yasuhiro)
- Tusk, Zyuoh Elephant: Yuji Nakata (中田 裕士 Nakata Yuji)
- Amu, Zyuoh Tiger: Ayumi Shimozono (下園 愛弓 Shimozono Ayumi)
- Doubutsu Gattai ZyuohKing, Larry: Hideaki Kusaka (日下 秀昭 Kusaka Hideaki)
- Ginis: Naoko Kamio (神尾 直子 Kamio Naoko)
- Naria: Yuichi Hachisuka (蜂須賀 祐一 Hachisuka Yūichi)
- Azald: Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎 Okamoto Jirō)
- Quval: Riichi Seike (清家 利一 Seike Riichi)
- Larry: Hideaki Kusaka (日下 秀昭 Kusaka Hideaki)
- Gaburio: Shinsuke Kusano (草野 伸介 Kusano Shinsuke)
- Moeba: Various
Zyuoh Cubes
- Zyuoh Eagle - Cube Eagle, Cube Kirin
- Zyuoh Shark - Cube Shark
- Zyuoh Lion - Cube Lion
- Zyuoh Elephant - Cube Elephant
- Zyuoh Tiger - Cube Tiger
- Combinations used: ZyuohKing, ZyuohKing Kirin Bazooka
Forms Used
- Zyuoh Eagle - Instinct Awakened, Zyuoh Gorilla
- Zyuoh Shark - Instinct Awakened
- Zyuoh Lion - Instinct Awakened
- Zyuoh Elephant - Instinct Awakened
- Zyuoh Tiger - Instinct Awakened
- to be added
- As part of Super Hero Time, this episode aired alongside Kamen Rider Ghost episode 22, Conspiracy! Adel's Trap!.
- Viewership: 4.3%
- Hide-and-Seek in closing credits
- Animal: Western Lowland Gorilla (ニシローランドゴリラ Nishirōrandogorira)
- Cube: Blue
DVD/Blu-ray Releases
Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger Volume 2 features episodes 4-7: Ep. 4: Howl in the Ring, Ep. 5: Monarch of the Jungle, Ep. 6: Wild Present and Ep. 7: Gho-Gho-Gho-Ghost Appears.
Blu-ray Collection 1 comes with 11 episodes.


text:
The first of several United States service members whose remains were returned earlier this year from North Korea have been identified.
President Trump secured the remains of soldiers who had been in North Korea while he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un continued peace negotiations.
The U.S. Army identified the remains of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country as Private First Class William H. Jones and Master Sergeant Charles H. McDaniel.
As American Military News reports, McDaniel hailed from Vernon, Indiana and was 32 years old during his service and Jones, 19, was from Nash Country, North Carolina.
General Mark A. Milley, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, and Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper announced the identities of the remains in a post on social media.
"The Army is grateful that two U.S. Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice have been identified and will be returned to their families," the post read.
It continued: "Pfc. William H. Jones and Master Sgt. Charles H. McDaniel served our nation bravely; and, today, we remember their service and honor their sacrifice. As our nation observes National POW/MIA Recognition Day, it is especially fitting that Soldiers reported missing in action in North Korea have been accounted for and will be properly laid to rest in the weeks ahead."
The Army is grateful that two U.S. Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice have been identified and will be returned to…
Posted by U.S. Army on Friday, September 21, 2018
— Advertisement —
According to American Military News, the soldiers were reported missing in November 1950 and were easily able to be identified due to dental materials. This information matched dental records, X-rays, and DNA samples which were on file. Also returned in McDaniels' remains were his dog tags, which were given to his sons.
Here's more:
Their families were notified earlier in the week, and were expected to be present at a National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony on Friday, to be held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
The two service members were among remains in 55 cases transferred from North Korea to the U.S. a few weeks ago.
Each box is said to contain multiple remains, between "three and 18 sets of remains" per box.
The repatriation of remains was a show of good faith by Kim Jong-Un and the North Korean government as the two countries continue to negotiate an agreement of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
Here's even more on McDaniels and Jones:
McDaniel was an 8th Cavalry Regiment Medical Company medic who assisted the 3rd Battalion of the same regiment. His unit encountered Chinese forces while fighting in a North Korean village. He was reported missing in action shortly after on Nov. 2, 1950.
Jones served in the 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. His unit battled Chinese forces in the area of Pakchon, North Korea, and he was reported missing Nov. 26, 1950.
According to the report, some 7,600 U.S. military and civilian personnel continue to be unaccounted following the Korean War. Most of these people, approximately 5,300, are believed to still be in North Korea.


text:
Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Apollo 10. On 18 May 1969, Thomas Stafford (cmdr), John Young (CMP) and Gene Cernan (LMP) launched from the Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39B. Young and Cernan would later return to the Moon – Young as commander of Apollo 16 and Cernan as commander of Apollo 17.
Apollo 10 was a dry-run for the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The Apollo spacecraft made it all the way to the Moon without a hitch. The Lunar Module Snoopy flew to within 15.6 km of the lunar surface, before returning to lunar orbit and docking with the CSM Charlie Brown.
Here's a photo from the NASA web site, showing the Apollo 10 Command/Service Module in lunar orbit, as seen from the Lunar module after separation.
For more information:
Apollo 10: The NASA Mission Reports (2000, Apogee Books, ISBN 1-896522-68-8)
We Have Capture, Tom Stafford (2002, Smithsonian Institute Press, ISBN 1-58834-070-8) Reviewed here.
The Last Man on the Moon, Gene Cernan (1999, St Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-19906-6)


text:
Publication Date
Short version published in: Proceedings of the NEW New Paradigms for the New Millennium Conference, Caserta, Italy, September 13-15, 2001; full paper published in International Journal of Intelligent Systems, 2003, Vol. 18, No. 10, pp. 1057-1064.
In fuzzy logic, every word or phrase describing uncertainty is represented by a real number from the interval [0,1]. There are only denumerable many words and phrases, and continuum many real numbers; thus, not every real number corresponds to some commonsense degree of uncertainty. In this paper, for several fuzzy logic, we describe which numbers are describing such degrees, i.e., in mathematical terms, which real numbers are definable in the corresponding fuzzy logic.


text:
NJCSI Outreach
NJCSI works in collaboration with non-profit and community-based organizations, and provides specialized educational outreach programs to child support professionals. We also use communication strategies such as the LMS, direct marketing, e-mail, e-news, brochures, and multimedia technologies to promote and publicize training activities.
Community-based Outreach
- Operation Fatherhood
- Fatherhood workshops at New Brunswick Public Library
- New Jersey Hispanic Outreach at Montclair State University
- Celebrating Fatherhood, an annual event featuring speakers, workshops and resources related to engaging fathers in the well-being of their children
Educational Outreach and Support
In order to provide participants with additional resources and support after completion of a training program, NJCSI offers two training support services: Training Site Drop-in Days and Leadership Coaching.
Conferences and Meetings
NJCSI regularly participates in regional and national child support and human services conferences. We also support local and state-wide training events that address topics related to the field of social work, child support training programs, professional development, and adult learning such as the:
- National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) Leadership Symposium
- National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA) Professional Development Conference
- Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association (ERICSA) Annual Conference
- National Association of Social Workers Annual Conference
- Western Interstate Child Support Enforcement Council (WICES) Annual Conference
- National Network of Social Work Managers Annual Conference


text:
OGP Government Champions Award Semi-Finalists Announced: Time To Vote!
After receiving several compelling nominations, the judges for the OGP Government Champions Award have selected three semi-finalists for public voting. They are:
- Georgia: The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) nomination for the Inter-Factional Group of the Parliament of Georgia
- Sierra Leone: The Civil Society Representatives on the OGP Steering Committee (Sierra Leone) nomination of The Office of the President of Sierra Leone.
- Costa Rica: Abriendo Datos nomination of the Ministry of the Presidency: Vice Minister for Political Affairs and Citizen Dialogue, Ana Gabriel Zuniga and his advisor, Francela Valerín.
All of these semi-finalists are solid examples of government teams and leaders going the extra mile to accommodate and invite civil society into the OGP process, often embracing a genuine co-creation methodology. Congratulations to our three semi-finalists and to all of our applicants!
The public will now decide the winner: time to vote! Please take 10 minutes to review the three semi-finalist videos, read their written nominations below, and use the awards website to cast your vote here: https://review.wizehive.com/voting/ogp-champions. The winner will be announced and presented with the OGP Government Champions Award during the Civil Society Day on Tuesday, October 27th at the Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Mexico City. (Note: we were unable to obtain a version of the video from Sierra Leone with sufficient audio voice over. Please review the written nomination from Sierra Leone below, and also see this much lengthier and interesting video of the President of Sierra Leone participating in a local OGP steering committee meeting.)
Please spread the word to friends and family in the open government community and encourage them to review the nominations and vote. Fair warning: we have ways of tracking ghost/robot voting, so please use good judgment and avoid overloading the system with repetitive or phantom votes. This is OGP after all; no cheating!
Questions? OGP Government Champions Award czar Nathaniel Heller can be harassed on Twitter or email (nheller [at] r4d [dot] org).
*** Written Nominations (unedited) ***
On 12 February 2015, the Parliament of Georgia officially announced its readiness to engage in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative and by the Order of the Speaker of the Parliament formed an Inter-Factional Group. Consisting of 11 Members of Parliament from majority and minority factions, the Group was tasked to develop the Open Parliament Georgia action plan.
To ensure close collaboration with the civil society, leading local and international organizations were invited to participate in the process through signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the Parliament on 30 April 2015. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), Transparency International Georgia, Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA), Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF), Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), Civil Society Institute (CSI), Eastern Partnership Civil Society Platform, CiDA, JumpStart Georgia, as well as the EU, UNDP, NDI, GIZ, CoE and World Bank joined the Parliament in this intensive and innovative exercise.
On the same day, the Members of the Parliament of Georgia signed the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness.
The Parliament Inter-Factional Working Group and the Civil Society Working Group held six joint meetings while drafting the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan. One of the most significant meetings took place in Kazbegi, Georgia, on May 23rd, when the final commitments were agreed among the MPs and the civil society representatives after 11 hours of discussion.
It should be noted that the administration and staff of the Parliament worked alongside the MPs and were actively engaged in the process.
Intensive work of the Parliament and the civil society on the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan lasted about half a year and on July 17th, the Bureau of the Parliament of Georgia adopted the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan 2015-2016. The main purpose of the Action Plan is to ensure the openness of the Parliament in accordance with the OGP principles and Declaration on Parliamentary Openness, promote transparency, access to information and increased citizen engagement in legislative activities.
It is also worth mentioning that prior to intensive work of the Working Groups, a thorough research of international practice was conducted that carefully studied and took into account the recommendations of the OpenGovGuide and the international practice.
The Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan 2015-2016 consists of 18 commitments which focus on four main challenges:
- Citizen Engagement
- Access to Information
- Technologies and Innovation
- Accountability
Among the commitments included in the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan 2015-2016 are:
Submitting Legislative Proposals and Initiatives Electronically to the Parliament of Georgia; Ensuring Physical Access into the Parliament; Easing Access to the Parliamentary Information for Persons with Disabilities; Publishing Documents on the Website of the Parliament in Machine-readable Format; Increasing Level of Involvement of Youth, Ethnic Minorities and Other Stakeholders in Parliamentary Work; Establishing Permanent Parliamentary Council on Openand Transparent Governance; Conducting Annual Meeting of the Parliament of Georgia and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Developing Code of Ethics for Members of the Parliament; etc.
As the final step, OGP's Legislative Openness Working Group (LOWG) Conference was held in the Palace of the Parliament of Georgia in Tbilisi, on September 14-15, 2015. The two day conference – "Committing to Openness: Parliamentary Action Plans, Standards, and Data" was a part of the OGP Global Legislative Openness Week (GLOW). Participants of the conference gathered from 32 OGP member states. They were joined by the officials of the Georgian Parliament and Government, representatives of international organizations and local NGOs.
The Conference gave possibility to present the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan and its commitments and share with the partner parliaments the Georgian experience in this regard.
Remarkably, the Parliament of Georgia has started to work on the implementation of the Action Plan. One of the commitments included in the Action Plan calls for the establishment of the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Open and Transparent Governance, a sustainability mechanism included in the Action Plan to secure its coordinated and effective implementation.
The process of the development of the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan has been facilitated by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) supported by the European Union and United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP).
Sierra Leone
What today is an ambitious and well-deserving OGP Process in Sierra Leone started with doubts and intense pressure between Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and government. CSOs working on Governance and economic reforms were determined to push the age old reforms agenda around extractive transparency, access to information and public integrity in governance among others. CSOs saw the OGP process as a welcoming opportunity for accelerating such reforms and making the government more responsive to the needs of its people. The government of Sierra Leone also saw it as an entry point for constructive collaboration between Government and civil society.
The President in a public meeting declared the Open Government Initiative (OGI) and the Millennium Challenge Coordinating Unit (MCCU) to take the OGP process forward a twin approach which was germane, as both agencies under the Office of the President. The Steering Committee established is quite inclusive and participatory.
The NAP development was completed in recorded time with implementation underway on the 30th April 2014. A framework for implementation was established in a highly consultative manner. Engagement has been through clusters set up within the four grand challenges of the OGP and each grand challenge has a civil society and government lead. There was also civil society parallel monitoring of the commitments and a completion of 65 percent of the NAP by September 30th 2015, despite the Ebola Viral Disease which dictates no contacts during the epidemic.
The OGP in Sierra Leone has thrived on a highly consultative process inclusive of religious and traditional leaders, Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAS), CSOs, media and community groups. A group of 17 government and 17 CSOs were in the Steering Committee. The committee is headed by a civil society representative from the interreligious council.
The process of creating the NAP has been intensive; the Steering Committee held weekly meetings since the beginning of March 2014 to April 2014. The process started with sensitization before consultation, an approach which became an innovation in the OGP process. The Steering Committee agreed that the NAP should address three of the OGP's grand challenges: increasing public integrity, more effective management of public resources, and improving corporate accountability. Nationwide consultations were held in all 14 districts, the challenge of improving service delivery was demanded for by citizens and eventually included. Diaspora Consultations were also done in US, Belgium and UK taking cognisance of the migration nature of Sierra Leoneans and recognising their keen interests in the development of the country. The first NAP in Sierra Leone speaks to 11 bold commitments. Among the core commitments our NAP makes are: developing a public integrity policy; increasing visibility of performance contracts; performing subsequent assessments of key government institutions; and operationalizing the single treasury account by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to improve accountability and management of government accounts. Instituting a culture of delivery and meeting stipulated timelines helped in producing a draft NAP in eight weeks. Sierra Leone endorsed a draft National Action Plan (NAP) for OGP in a ceremony led by President Ernest Bai Koroma having the political buy-in from the highest authority of the state. More than 300 government officials, paramount chiefs, civil society leaders, women and youth groups, attended the ceremony.
It was agreed that a Permanent consultation forum between Government and Civil Society be established taking the form of a hybrid approach. First, the general forum through Monthly Meetings held on the 26th of every month. Next the smaller forum in which a government and CS focal point was to lead each cluster of the grand Challenge covering the commitments of the NAP. Through this model key actors keep the dialogue going and follow-ups made through sectoral interests. The media is also represented at each Steering Committee meeting to report on outcomes.
Sierra Leone recognizes the value inherent in Peer Exchange and Learning. The OGP process also subscribed to this as evident by three study visits tours undertaken namely: the European Regional Meeting in Dublin Ireland, London in Britain and Manila in Philippines. The aim was to ensure preparedness of the OGP management team in Sierra Leone and the Steering Committee as a way of benchmarking best practices in the OGP process.
Despite funding challenges the OGI has been instrumental in coordination and the MCCU has helped in technical backstopping with the Steering committee executing major decisions. The Sierra Leone model could best be described as a multi-stakeholders Consultation Platform for dialogue scrutiny and action. The OGP Process in the first year in Sierra Leone has been a good example of Government Civil Society complementarity backed by checks and balances for appropriate decisions and action. Sierra Leone CSOs therefore nominates the Office of the president for this award for the innovation of a twin leadership of the OGP and how government has worked with CS.
Costa Rica
In the path to an open government, Costa Rica has this year the challenge of presenting its second national action plan. This had to be presented on June 30, but is currently in the final stage of its creation.
This delay, which at first glance looks like a breach of the commitments made within the Open Government Partnership, has become a great opportunity for learning, in which government, civil society, business and academy had been involved.
Faced with the challenge of conducting a true co-creation, civil society and government leaders have developed a process of consultation and building consensus. This has been possible thanks to the decided and real support of two key figures of the Ministry of the Presidency: Vice Minister for Political Affairs and Citizen Dialogue, Ana Gabriel Zuniga and his advisor, Francela Valerin.
They, with a group of collaborators in the ministry, have been the government counterpart in a process characterized by mutual respect and openness to reach consensus. All this with the aim that the plan, which will begin the public consultation final process, reflects the proposals, not only from the government but also from civil society.
When our organization assumed the challenge of leading the construction from civil society of the proposals of commitment for the national action plan, we thought that placing our proposals before government was to be a very complicated task. Being used to traditional forms of participation, in which, citizen's voice is taken into account only for the consultation, we had low positive expectations that our proposals were to be taken into account and respected.
Although it has not been easy and has required enormous effort to keep a permanent and effective communication, we want to acknowledge that this two government officials have devoted to open and defend the necessary spaces for the proposals to be analyzed and evaluated in equal conditions with the government ones, and defending this before superiors and colleagues.
At this time, we can say with pride and happiness that the plan to be consulted integrates, fully or partially, 13 out of the 15 commitments presented by civil society.
Not satisfied with the fact that the commitments have been originated in a citizen process, this ministry office has made an effort to validate through its own calls the proposals presented, so they would have more strength and representativity, and have opened roads for the civil society organizations that have participated in this process, to establish links with the institutions for the seeking of future collaboration relations.
The list of actions is long and they begin from the joint construction of the working methodology to the execution of workshops, meetings, forums and the approval of a decree to make reality the beginning of the work of the National Commission for an Open Government, with the participation of government officials, civil society, business and academy representatives.
We are learning and we have a lot to do before us, but there is certainly the political will to do this together.
This is why we are pleased to formally nominate the Ministry of Political Affairs and Citizen Dialogue, represented by the figure of these two government officials, for the OGP Government Champions Award.


text:
Most of Carabar's early hip-hop years involved the HYPERLINK "http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/07/11/locals-hip-hop-duo-greenhouse-aims-to-make-carabar-an-incubator-for-local-artists.html"pioneering efforts of Greenhouse Effect and a transition away from the Bernie's scene of the late '90s and early 2000s.
Most of Carabar�s early hip-hop years involved the pioneering efforts of Greenhouse Effect and a transition away from the Bernie�s scene of the late �90s and early 2000s. Most of Carabar�s early hip-hop years involved the and a transition away from the Bernie�s scene of the late �90s and early 2000s.
The Olde Towne East hideout became a purveyor of local acts, while Skully�s mainly stuck to larger, more wide-scale hip-hop outfits. While local MCs and DJs perform at both venues, Carabar and its bi-monthly series, Buggin� Out, have made a mark by mixing a little of the national with familiar acts from down the street.
Show creators/promoters Karrio �Zerostar� Ballard and Derrick Hill aka DJ Pos2 created the series to showcase some of Columbus� best and also create a transition from the capital city�s earlier hip-hop days.
�We try to reach out to everybody, and that�s one of the things we talked about when we created it,� Ballard said. �We didn�t want it to be � the same five [performers] and have the same 50 people � come out for them. We wanted to expand beyond that.�
Hitting its three-year anniversary Friday, the event brings out a mix of performers to its stage. Buggin� Out #19 will feature headliner and former Little Brother member Rapper Big Pooh � one of the largest acts the budding show series has showcased so far.
�This show has the potential of being my favorite even among all the shows we�ve done in the past �cause it�s a great line-up,� Hill said. �It�s a free Rapper Big Pooh show. What more could you ask for?�
Rapper Big Pooh is currently working on a collaborative project with Virginia producer Nottz entitled Home Sweet Home. And while Pooh said the project is almost finished, it�ll most likely be the classics coming from his mic Friday for what is expected to be a very �hip-hoppity� atmosphere.
�I expect a real live hip-hop crowd, one that wants to see a good show and see a good performance,� Rapper Big Pooh said. �I�ve heard nothing but good things about Columbus anyway so I�m definitely looking forward to it.�