text:
1. The Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (the Office) was established on 6 November 2000 under Part VII of the Police (NI) Act 1998. It did not emerge from the Report of the Independent Commission on Policing (Patten Report) or the Good Friday Agreement. It was the product of a Report compiled by Dr Maurice Hayes on "A New Police Complaints System for Northern Ireland." The primary statutory duty of the Police Ombudsman is to establish an efficient, effective and independent complaints system, and secure the confidence of the public and of the police in that system. The remit of the Police Ombudsman covers the PSNI, and 4 other minor policing services. This Statement provides a brief outline of the work of the Office, and the published documents referred to have been provided simultaneously to the Commission.
2. The Police Ombudsman, Mrs Nuala O'Loan took up Office in designate role in April 2000. Appointed by Royal Warrant she led a Project Team which secured premises, recruited and trained staff, developed transitional processes from the old to the new, consulted with the public and police and their needs of the system and agreed a financial structure.
3. Prior to the establishment of the Office, public complaints had been investigated by police, supervised in some 10% of cases, by the Independent Commission for Police Complaints (ICPC). The ICPC ceased to exist on 6 November 2000. 14 staff were transferred to the Office, along with liabilities, assets and a caseload of 2124 cases.
4. On 6 November 2000, the legislation creating the Office came into effect with all its consequential duties and responsibilities.
The Police Ombudsman's Office
5. The Office is in Belfast, in a central and neutral location with on street car-parking. For security, efficiency and financial reasons it was decided to have only one base. A 24 hour, 365 days a year "on call" investigation and public information facility is provided. The Office is open during normal working hours and complainants are seen with or without appointment. To facilitate maximum outreach, arrangements were made with a number of organisations, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Chinese Welfare Association and Northern Ireland Women's Aid Federation for the use of rooms in their premises across Northern Ireland. This meant that the Police Ombudsman could meet complainants in a variety of locations throughout Northern Ireland. In addition to this, these arrangements provide for the needs of vulnerable complainants in places in which they feel safe and in which their special needs can be accommodated.
6. The budget is provided by HM Government through the Northern Ireland Office and in
the current year it amounts to £7,370,000. Two Annual Reports have been published to date – the first covers the period from November 2000 to March 2002, the second covers the period from April 2002 to March 2003. These Reports contain detailed financial information.
Staffing and Processes
7. There are currently 123 staff in the Office. A census of staff in May 2003 established that 42% were Protestant, 34% were Catholic, 16% were no religion and 8% other. All staff are required to disclose any membership of any organisation which may be perceived to impact on their ability to deliver an independent and impartial service. They are also required to report immediately any conflict of interest which may arise during the course of their employment.
8. The Office has a Corporate Management Team, consisting of the Police Ombudsman, the Chief Executive and the Executive Director of Investigations. There is then a Senior Management Team which also includes the Directors of the four Directorates – Corporate Services, Investigations, Legal Services and Policy and Practice. Approximately 75% of the staff work directly on complaints and investigations. The remainder provide corporate and other support in terms of finance, administration, personnel and procurement; provide the media and information service, deliver legal advice, carry out quality assurance, conduct policy and practice research and development work. The research work also embraces all forms of statistical analysis of trends and patterns in complaints.
9. Among the 123 staff are 16 seconded police officers working as Investigators from various Police Services in England and Wales. Among the other Investigators are those who served formerly with police services such as the Hong Kong Police, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the South African Police Service, The Metropolitan Police Service, London and other investigative agencies such as HM Customs and Excise. The Office has also recruited Assistant Investigators from a variety of backgrounds. The directly appointed staff work alongside the experienced investigators, gaining valuable experience to meet the needs of the Office for the future. The seconding of officers from outside Northern Ireland also recognises the need to import best practice, and the need to acquire special investigative expertise as required.
10. Training for staff has been regarded as of the utmost importance since the Office opened. An extensive range of training opportunities has been provided. Most recently, in partnership with the University of Portsmouth, the Office has introduced an extensive university-provided Accredited Training Programme for its investigative staff.
11. The Office established and adapted its working processes over the period, to accommodate legislative and other changes. These have included the important area of financial rectitude and world-wide best practice in complaint handling and investigation. During the three years of its existence the Office has been the subject of some fifteen legislative changes.
12. The Police Ombudsman observes all relevant international principles and standards on policing and human rights. Most recently a draft Code of Ethics for all Office staff, to augment the existing Code of Conduct has been made available for consultation. As required by law an Equality Scheme was produced to the Equality Commission and the first Impact Assessment on two Office policies (equal opportunities and fairness) has been carried out. An extremely encouraging response was received from staff about their experience of working in the Office.
13. The Office has developed a programme of quality assurance in respect of the work of the Investigation Directorate and 10 further quality assurance exercises are planned for 2004-2005.
14. The independence of the Office is crucial to confidence in the new system. It has been demonstrated consistently by the Police Ombudsman and her staff. The Police Ombudsman's budget is not part of the PSNI budget. Staff are recruited, employed and managed only by the Office. Investigations are evidence driven and the Police Ombudsman has been open and transparent in publicly reporting outcomes of investigation. The Police Ombudsman is demonstrably apolitical. For the past two years, in independent survey, 86% of the public have stated that they believe the Office is independent.
15. Investigations are normally conducted entirely independently of the PSNI, but there are circumstances in which both organisations must work together or in parallel. A joint forensic strategy is formulated in such cases, and the results of the forensic recovery are shared as necessary. In a protocol with the PSNI it has been agreed that the agency investigating the most serious incident takes precedence. This protocol has been invoked regularly and has worked well. For example, a recent police car pursuit of a vehicle ended in a fatal accident between the car being followed and another vehicle, in which three innocent people were killed. The Police Ombudsman had to investigate whether the police had contributed to the fatal road traffic accident, and the police had to investigate causing death by dangerous driving. On that occasion the PSNI took precedence. More recently following two shootings, one of them fatal, by police, the Police Ombudsman had priority and the police took the secondary role in their investigation of alleged crime. Investigators of the Office also work very closely with Internal Investigations Branch (IIB) of the PSNI. The working relationship is very good.
Engaging with the Public
16. The new police complaints service exists for the people and the police. Great care has been taken from the very beginning to engage the public in the development of the Office, and to try and ensure that the service provided met, and continues to meet, their needs.
17. It is vital too that people would know that the service is there for them when they need to complain about the police. Great effort has been made by all staff to contribute to public understanding of the Office. The Public Information Department manage the process. A step-by-step guide to the new police complaints process was produced in a booklet in "Plain English" form which is available across Northern Ireland. Other similar documents have also been developed. Details of the complaints system are available for people with disabilities through the web site www.policeombudsman.org, which conforms to the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and are available on audio-tape for people with sight difficulties. The web site also carries translations of the complaints process in Mandarin, Irish and Ulster Scots.
18. In Spring 2001 a magazine entitled "Early Days" was published. This gave details of the office, its structures, work and processes and explained what would happen on receipt of a complaint. It was distributed to the public and to advice giving agencies.
19. Annual Reports were published in July 2002 and July 2003. Corporate Plans and Annual Business Plans were published in 2001, 2002 and 2003. In November 2003, a summary of the Second Annual Report was produced in a magazine format and distributed as a supplement in Northern Ireland's evening newspaper, which has a circulation of 110,000.
20. Also available on the web site are Statements, under Section 62 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, reporting on major investigations, including those into circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Samuel Devenny and of Mr Sean Brown. Mr Samuel Devenny died in Derry in 1969, three months after police pursuing rioters entered his home and carried out a terrible attack on Mr Devenny and some of his children. Mr Sean Brown was murdered by Loyalists in 1997 and his family complained in 2001 that there had not been a proper investigation into his murder. The results of those investigations are reported on the web site. There are also reports of many investigations carried out after a referral from the Chief Constable or the Policing Board. Press releases and published documents are all available on the web site. The Office is determined to put as much information as possible into the public domain, so as to secure maximum transparency. More information on the police complaints system and the outcomes of its work is available on the Office web site than has previously been made available across the world.
21. Regional information about the police complaints process, and statistics applicable to particular areas, have been made available in a simple format on the web site. This initiative attracted more than 5,000 visitors to the site following its launch in January 2004.
22. Between 2002-2004 staff have visited more than 70 community groups and organisations. This has involved visits to areas in which there is interface conflict across the political divide, including 'Short Strand' and 'Tigers Bay' in Belfast, Ardoyne and Glenbryn in Belfast, and the Creggan and Waterside areas of Derry/ Londonderry.
23. Good working relationships have been formed with Government and Non Governmental Organisations, including the Equality Commission, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, the NIO Community Safety Unit, The Committee for the Administration of Justice and the Pat Finucane Centre, and with victims organisations such as FAIR, FACT and WAVE.
24. During 2003, the Office gave presentations to 15 of the newly formed District Policing Partnerships, whose role is to monitor police delivery of services in their area and to consult with the police in relation to matters arising.
25. Increasing awareness and understanding among young people is a constant priority. 29 schools across the state, maintained and integrated sectors have been visited during 2003. The Office has also joined PSNI in several youth-related projects, a number of conferences, and the provision of information about the police complaints process for the 'Citizenship and Safety Key Stage Four' textbook. In conjunction with the Children's Law Centre, a leaflet on 'Young People and The Police' has been developed.
26. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has carried out independent research, measuring the awareness and confidence of the public in this new institution over the three years. The most recent research demonstrates that 88% of Protestants and 82% of Catholics felt the Police Ombudsman was independent of police. 79% of Catholics and 70% of Protestants were either confident or fairly confident about the impartial nature of the Office when investigating complaints against police. 85% of Catholics and 73% of Protestants thought that the Police Ombudsman would "help the police do a good job". 65% of Catholics and 63% of Protestants thought that the complainant and the police officer would be treated equally. These figures have continued to rise over the three years from 2000-2003. Awareness levels are now at 86%. Belief in the independence of the office is also at 86%.
27. An interesting example of growing acceptance of the independence and impartiality of the Police Ombudsman occurred in March 2002. A dead baby girl was found in Carryduff near Belfast. The baby was named Baby Carrie and police were anxious to find her mother as there were concerns about her. Police wanted to conduct DNA sampling of women in the area to compare with Baby Carrie's DNA. Suspicion and resistance emerged in the community about what might be done with the DNA samples. The Police Ombudsman was asked by the PSNI to oversee the destruction of the samples and all associated documentation, and provide reassurance to the public. She agreed to do so, and staff ensured that every sample and record was destroyed. Women then co-operated with the process and when it was completed a statement was issued by the Police Ombudsman confirming that every sample taken and all associated records had been destroyed.
Engaging with the Police
28. Significant effort has gone into developing constructive operational arrangements with the PSNI. Processes have evolved covering a very wide range of issues, all of which have been designed to allow maximum operational efficiency for the PSNI and effective independent impartial investigation by the Office.
29. The Police Staff Associations were consulted extensively and were engaged in the creation of the Office. The Office must, in so far as it is possible, ensure that officer needs are recognised and cared for. This, with professional investigation, is vital to secure the confidence of the police in the system.
30. All of the publications referred to in the previous section are available to police officers. A special booklet has been published explaining officers' rights, duties and responsibilities under the police complaints system. A copy has been sent to each serving officer. Recognising, from the earliest days, the need to communicate effectively with PSNI and in particular with IIB of PSNI, and also with the Police Staff Associations, staff of the Office have made hundreds of presentations, for training and information purposes, to PSNI officers and recruits. Meetings with all parties take place on a regular basis. On the one hand the Police Ombudsman needed to articulate clearly the independence of her Office, yet on the other hand, close working relationships have been and remain vital to the effective functioning of both organisations.
31. Arrangements have been made with the Chief Constable with regard to mandatory immediate referral of deaths which may have resulted from the conduct of a police officer, and also in relation to immediate referral of other serious matters, in particular the firing of baton rounds, or live fire, and any situation involving a serious injury or allegation of a sexual offence.
Working within the Criminal Justice System
32. The Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) was established on 4 November 2002. The Office has sought to work constructively with the NIPB, and has carried out one investigation referred by the NIPB, involving an allegation that the current Chief Constable acted under the influence of the Security Service (MI5) in taking action against an officer alleged to have acted wrongly. That rigorous investigation found no misconduct by the Chief Constable and clarified misinformation which had been placed in the public domain.
33. The Police Ombudsman has also forged good working relationships with the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Forensic Science Agency, HM Coroners, the Criminal Justice Inspector, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, the Surveillance Commissioner, the Justice Oversight Commissioner, the Social Services Boards and Trusts and more recently with the Commissioner for Children and Young People. This has ensured that obligations are complied with, whilst the independence of the Police Ombudsman is preserved in the interactions with the relevant agencies. In addition, the Office has provided training for a number of these bodies.
34. The Office has worked in close co-operation with the Patten Oversight Commissioner ensuring that accountability and governance mechanisms for Policing in Northern Ireland were strengthened as required by the Patten Report. The Reports of the Oversight Commissioner acknowledged and commended the Police Ombudsman for the contribution made in this central area of policing oversight.
Accountability Mechanisms
35. The Office is subject to an extensive range of reporting, review and stringent accountability mechanisms. These include accountability to Parliament from which 47 Parliamentary Questions have been received in two years. The Office was recently advised by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of Parliament that that Committee is conducting a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Office this year. In addition to this there is provision for inspection by the Criminal Justice Inspector and the Surveillance Commissioner, audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Judicial Review and other legal challenge, and investigation by the Commissioner for Children and Young People. The Information Commissioner has approved and oversees adherence to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
36. In the first three years the Police Ombudsman has been subject to 20 Judicial Reviews, testing the new law and covering a wide spectrum of issues raised by both police officers and the public. These have included an action by the Police Association to quash a report, and an action to challenge a decision of the Police Ombudsman that three police officers under investigation must be interviewed simultaneously. The officers wanted to use the same lawyer, which would have made simultaneous interview impossible and threatened to compromise the investigation. In another case a member of the public wanted access to sensitive documents which the Police Ombudsman had obtained during an investigation. To date the Police Ombudsman has not been found by the Court to have made a wrong decision. The report relating to the Police Ombudsman investigation into allegations that the police failed to deal appropriately with threats to the life of Rosemary Nelson cannot be published pending the receipt of judgement deciding whether the Police Ombudsman was correct not to disclose sensitive documentation to the complainant.
37. There has been one civil action, in which the Court found in favour of the Police Ombudsman with costs awarded. Two further civil actions have yet to come to court. There have been 13 industrial tribunal applications to date. Nine were dismissed, one was settled without admission of liability, three are ongoing.
Developing an International Reputation
38. In terms of its resources, powers and role, the Police Ombudsman's Office is unique in the world. The establishment and initial work of the Office, as a means of providing independent investigation of police complaints, has attracted international attention. Between 2001-2003 the Office played host to 23 international delegations, many of whom are seeking to improve their own system of police accountability. In November 2003, more than 300 delegates from 20 countries visited Belfast to attend a conference on 'Policing the Police' organised by the Office. Members of staff have also spoken at major international forums on police accountability including in 2001 the 'Second Global Forum against Corruption' in the Hague, in 2000 and 2001 at the Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement Conference, and in 2002 at America's National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement Conference. Most recently the Police Ombudsman addressed the African Police Accountability Conference in South Africa. During 2003 the Police Ombudsman visited and worked with the Governments of Brazil and Portugal. The Office has also been asked to assist the Governments of Macedonia and Argentina with similar matters.
39. In the United Kingdom, the Office has been closely involved in assisting the development of the new Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for England and Wales, which will start work in April 2004. At the invitation of the Home Office, the Police Ombudsman and her staff have made a significant contribution to the establishment of the IPCC. In addition to this, the Office has been consulted in relation to possible changes to the police complaints system in Scotland. There have also been contacts from the Republic of Ireland, which is proposing to introduce a similar system.
40. When developing the Office the Police Ombudsman was determined to make the complaints process as simple as possible. Members of the public can make a complaint in writing, fax, email or by telephoning the Office. They can call at the Office with or without an appointment. They can complain through their local police station. They can also contact the Office through their solicitor or other representative. The percentage made directly to the Office rose, in 2003, to 48%. 40% are made via the police. Many of these are complaints arising during the course of detention and arrest. 12% are made through public representatives and solicitors. Complaints must normally be made within a year of the incident complained about.
41. The Office is becoming more efficient. For example, in 2002 the average time taken to deal with complaints was 142 days; by 2003 the average time was 99 days. Improved systems of investigation have been developed. Staff, on average, interview members of the public calling at the Office within four minutes of their arrival. 96% of complaints are acknowledged and action is taken within three working days. 77% of complainants are contacted by an Investigating Officer within three working days of complaints being referred for investigation.
42. On 6 November 2000 the Police Ombudsman took responsibility from the ICPC for 2124 "active" case files. With the exception of 29 case files, these files have now been processed and closed. Among these cases was the ICPC supervised investigation into the death of Robert Hamill. Since the Police Ombudsman assumed responsibility for the matter from the ICPC two people have been convicted of perverting the course of justice and three more people are to stand trial for perverting the course of justice.
43. The Office has received over 10,700 complaints and has also dealt with a total of 2425 files in respect of miscellaneous matters, civil claims and Compensation Agency queries. General enquiries on policing outside the remit of the Office also place a significant demand on the Office. All enquiries are responded to sympathetically.
44. Under Section 55 of the Police (NI) Act 1998 the Chief Constable, Policing Board and Secretary of State may refer matters, in the public interest, for investigation. This Section also empowers the Police Ombudsman to call matters in for investigation without complaint. This enables investigation in circumstances in which people are too afraid or reluctant to be seen to make a complaint.
45. The Chief Constable must refer to the Police Ombudsman, under Section 55, all deaths which may have resulted from the conduct of a police officer. The Office has investigated deaths by hanging, shooting, road traffic accidents, and all deaths occurring in police custody. In addition to this the Chief Constable refers every discharge of any firearm, including baton guns, to the office for investigation, because it is in the public interest that the use of lethal or potentially lethal force is independently investigated.
46. At the end of each Section 55 investigation, a report is sent, to the Chief Constable, the Secretary of State and Policing Board.
47. The Police Ombudsman has received 126 Section 55 Referrals. Many recommendations for improvements in policing have been made in the Reports submitted following the investigation of these referred matters. Summaries of many of these can be found on the web-site.
48. Legislation also requires that grave or exceptional allegations, not previously investigated (or where new evidence is forthcoming) shall be investigated, irrespective of when the incident occurred, if it is in the public interest to do so. The Office has received many of these historic allegations. They have come from ordinary people and from families of security force members who have been murdered. Some of them involve allegations that police officers were involved in murder by act or omission, or colluded by not investigating properly murders which had occurred. Some are deemed out of remit for a variety of reasons, or are resolved to the complainant's satisfaction after preliminary enquiries. Some have been investigated and have resulted in either a referral back to the police for further investigation of a murder in which there was no police involvement, or a recommendation for disciplinary action against a police officer. Others, by law, do require investigation, but must be retained and prioritised to be dealt with as resources permit. These enquiries tend to be resource intensive and time consuming, made all the more difficult by the passage of time.
Although the results of such investigations may prove negative for the PSNI, experience has shown that for the families involved the opportunity to engage with the Office has proved positive. Closure and healing of distress and suspicion suffered for decades has proved to be an unexpected outcome of the Police Ombudsman's work. Such closure has emerged across the community, both in cases in which it has been established that the investigation was not properly carried out, and also in cases where long held suspicion is finally laid to rest, to the relief of the family concerned.
49. The Secretary of State has a power to request the Police Ombudsman to report under Section 61(1) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998. The NIPB has a power to request the Police Ombudsman to conduct an enquiry (as distinct from an investigation) under Section 60 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000. Neither of these powers have been exercised.
50. The Police Ombudsman has a new power to conduct an investigation into any current practice or policy by virtue of Section 60A Police (NI) Act 1998 (as amended by Section 13 Police (NI) Act 2003). The legislation is quite recent and to date only one such investigation has been conducted. This is an investigation instigated after several complaints were received concerning officers not displaying personal identification numerals at public order incidents. Previously the Police Ombudsman conducted research into policy and practice issues. Details of these can be found at Paragraph 65 et seq.
51. Once a complaint has been received further enquiries are conducted, or the complaint is referred for formal investigation. The Office also manages an Informal Resolution process. Informal Resolution provides an opportunity, in those matters which are considered less serious, for the complaint to be referred to the police for a senior officer to speak to the complainant and to the police officer separately in an effort to resolve the matter informally. This process can only occur with the consent of the complainant.
52. Where possible and appropriate every effort is made to resolve complaints without formal investigation.
Carrying out Formal Investigations
53. Some complaints can be closed following initial investigation where, for example, it is possible to provide clarification about a matter, or to satisfy the complainant as to the circumstances which gave rise to the complaint which was made. An example of this would be where the conduct complained of was found to be lawful and authorised. The outcome will then be communicated to the complainant and any relevant police officer, and also to the PSNI.
54. Allegations requiring investigation range from incivility to collusion or involvement in murder. This presents a significant challenge for a small office. Some of the investigations are extremely complex. A fatal shooting by the police last year provides an example of the demands that can be placed on the Office - the complexity of the situation led to 38 staff being recalled to duty that evening. They worked through most of the night. Considerable resources were to be required for an extended period to investigate the incident. Another example is a current sensitive enquiry commenced by this Office in June last year which involves 19 investigative and 3 support staff. It is likely that the investigation will not conclude for another 12 months.
55. Two important changes of culture in the police service have become evident over the past three years. In the first instance there is greater openness and a willingness to apologise where necessary. The leadership of the Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, has been important in this context. When the Police Ombudsman reported on the multiple failings in the investigation into the murder of Sean Brown (see paragraph 20 above), the Chief Constable immediately accepted the findings, and apologised to the Brown family.
In addition to this, officers are now coming forward to inform the Police Ombudsman about wrongdoing, and to give evidence against their fellow officers. Recently a police officer was convicted of perverting the course of justice and sent to jail following an investigation during which three of his colleagues came forward to give evidence against him. This is the true face of modern policing. There is a minority of corrupt and violent police officers in most forces, but there are also those who act justly and with integrity and courage, and who are prepared to do what is right. Giving evidence against a colleague is never easy, and those that take that course display personal courage.
56. The investigation procedure is as follows:
i. Investigations are conducted thoroughly in a 'search for the truth'.
ii. Each investigator has full legal powers necessary to conduct investigations. This means that an Investigator has, for example, powers to arrest police officers, search premises, and to seize any property, including police equipment such as uniforms, boots, batons, firearms, notebooks, police logs, vehicles for the purposes of an investigation.
iii. These law enforcement powers are used necessarily, proportionately, legally and sparingly. The overwhelming majority of investigations are completed with the co-operation of police officers and others involved. On 3 occasions in over 3 years, arrests have been executed without prior notice, and on other occasions, a total of 13 further officers have been arrested 'by appointment' as they had refused to co-operate and voluntarily attend a criminal interview. Whilst the powers are infrequently used, they are essential to ensure that investigations can be carried out effectively.
iv. The Police (NI) Act 2000 and Regulations provide an unqualified right of access to any material held by the police which is required for investigations. Some of the material required is extremely sensitive and secure arrangements have been made to ensure its safe handling within the Office. The Security and Law Enforcement Community have expressed confidence in the way such information has been handled by the Office.
v. The Investigator will carry out the necessary search for witnesses and seek to explore each evidential opportunity whether it supports the officer or the complainant.
vi. The PSNI are now moving towards real community based policing. Many of the investigations involve occasions of public disorder which are foreseeable and are the subject of pre-event planning. On those occasions, therefore, the Investigator will ask what community consultation was carried out and will write to all elected representatives to seek any assistance they might be able to give. In other cases where public disorder is protracted the Investigator will enquire whether efforts were made to involve community leaders in conflict resolution so as to obviate any necessity to use force.
vii. The final recommendation for criminal or misconduct proceedings is based on available and admissible evidence. Investigation processes are based on best practice, and utilise relevant forensic, medical, technological and other expertise.
viii. If an investigation indicates that a police officer may have committed a criminal offence the Police Ombudsman must make a recommendation to the Director of Public Prosecutions under s. 58 of the Police (NI) Act 1998. A recommendation may be that an officer should not be prosecuted, or that he/she should be prosecuted.
ix. The Director of Public Prosecutions decides whether a police officer should be prosecuted. The Police Ombudsman does not make this decision.
x. If the Director of Public Prosecutions does decide to prosecute then the officer will be prosecuted by the Crown and the evidence will be judged by a court. An officer facing prosecution is entitled to all the normal protection accorded by the law to those being investigated for criminal offences. If the officer is found guilty s/he has the normal rights of appeal.
xi. If there is evidence to suggest that a police officer, from the rank of Constable to the rank of Chief Superintendent, may have acted in breach of the Code of Ethics (formerly the Code of Conduct) the Police Ombudsman must present a file to the Chief Constable containing recommendations as to whether the officer should face disciplinary charge. The Chief Constable then decides if he accepts the recommendations. If they are rejected the Police Ombudsman can direct that disciplinary proceedings take place.
xii. The Police Ombudsman may recommend no charge. The Chief Constable may decide to charge.
xiii. Disciplinary charges are heard by a Disciplinary Tribunal. The Police Ombudsman has no function in the tribunal. It comprises either police officers or independent members and hears and decides upon the culpability of the officer.
xiv. An officer facing serious misconduct charges, where dismissal or reduction in rank is an option for the tribunal, is entitled to legal representation and to a colleague to assist him. The tribunal operates formally under the RUC (Conduct) Regulations 2000. There is a right of appeal under the RUC (Appeals) Regulations 2000. The Police Ombudsman has no role in this process.
xv. If the Police Ombudsman recommends charges against a Senior Officer that recommendation will be made to the Policing Board. The Policing Board will then decide whether or not to accept the Police Ombudsman's recommendations. The Police Ombudsman has no further function once the recommendation is made. Any tribunal will be constituted by the Policing Board under the RUC (Conduct) (Senior Officers) Regulations 2000.
xvi. Any senior officer has the normal right of appeal from a tribunal's decision under the RUC (Appeals) (Senior Officers) Regulations 2000.
57. Some investigation reports are, of necessity, critical of individual police officers whether retired or serving. In cases where public statements (see Paragraph 14) are being made which affect police officers, a protocol between Police Staff Associations, the PSNI and the Police Ombudsman defines the process by which individuals may comment on the draft text. Those comments are taken into account in formulating a final report. Individuals have not been named in such reports.
Complaint Outcomes
58. There can be many different outcomes to complaints. In the majority of cases there is no recommendation that an officer be prosecuted or disciplined. In many cases however there will be an indication that police policy or practice could be improved. Recommendations are then made to the Chief Constable. In some cases it is clear that there has been police misconduct, but it is not possible to identify the officer responsible. This will be reported to the complainant and the police. Yet other cases indicate a need for officer training or re-training. Some cases are resolved by explaining why the police acted as they did (for example, where there has been a justified delay in responding to a call which was less urgent than the matter being dealt with).
Criminal Prosecutions
59. Statistics for referrals to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) over the first three years reveal that:
374 cases of complaint have been referred to the DPP for direction.
40 criminal charges have been recommended by the Police Ombudsman in respect of 28 investigations.
To date the DPP has directed 19 criminal charges, directions are awaited in 17 cases
In 3 cases where Police Ombudsman did not recommend prosecution, DPP directed charges
The DPP has directed that officers be prosecuted for: assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, careless driving, dangerous driving, causing death by dangerous driving, and perverting the course of justice.
10 officers have been found not guilty, 1 officer was the subject of a police caution and 2 officers subject of criminal conviction. The other cases have not yet been heard.
Disciplinary Action
60. If an investigation by the Office demonstrates that a police officer has acted improperly, the Police Ombudsman may recommend that the Chief Constable should bring disciplinary proceedings against the officers involved. If the Police Ombudsman believes there are mitigating circumstances, or the relevant misconduct was not serious, she may recommend informal proceedings. Formal disciplinary sanctions range from dismissal to a reprimand. Informal sanctions include 'Advice and Guidance' and additional training.
Disciplinary action in varying formats has been recommended against 119 officers. In a further 23 cases it has been recommended that officers receive a management discussion.
Improving Police Policy and Practice
61. In every investigation there is a review of whether policy, practice or training issues were a factor in the incident. This has led to numerous recommendations to the PSNI (see paragraph 58). These have been welcomed by the Chief Constable. Such recommendations are made in Reports and, where an urgent matter is identified, the Chief Constable is notified forthwith.
62. Poor compliance by police officers with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, 2000 was recently identified. This is being corrected following recommendations to the Chief Constable. There are many other examples of recommendations leading to improvements, including recommendations in relation to baton use, firearm use, the length of time on which officers remain on duty, first aid training of Custody Officers, safety features of custody suites and the display of personal identification numerals.
63. When weapons of any kind are utilised there may be an adverse response from the public. In Northern Ireland, with a routinely armed police service, and community difficulties in relation to the police, independent accountability for firearm use is a vital tool in maintaining and preserving public confidence in the police. Experience across the world has shown that public confidence in the police is eroded by disproportionate use of force and firearms.
64. There has been a significant reduction in the percentage of allegations of use of force (assault, intimidation and harassment) since the Office opened from 50% to 34% of all allegations. There has also been a noticeable reduction in the number of allegations of misuse of batons (truncheons) from 419 in 2001, to 240 in 2002, and to 148 in 2003. In 2001, on becoming aware of the very high levels of allegation of misuse of batons, the Police Ombudsman notified the Chief Constable and began a research project which led to a number of recommendations.
65. Most importantly, there has been a reduction in the number of occasions on which live fire has been used by police officers in Northern Ireland from 21 in 2001, to 11 in 2002, and to 5 in 2003. The number of complaints about other use of firearms (such as assault by firearm) has reduced from 40 in 2001, to 25 in 2002 and to 12 in 2003. These reductions have been achieved through working with the PSNI on identifying problems during investigation. There has been no corresponding increase in injuries caused to police officers and no corresponding increase in the use of firearms by criminals against the police during this period. Combined with the fact that there has been an overall drop in the volume of complaints from 3590 in 2001 to 3340 in 2002, and to 2954 in 2003, this constitutes a major shift in the pattern and nature of complaints. In the past year there has also been a noticeable decrease in reported crime and an increase in detected crime.
Providing Management Information
66. The Office must compile statistical information on trends and patterns in complaints against the police, and supply this to the PSNI and the NIPB. Protocols which are under constant review, have been agreed with the PSNI and the NIPB as to the statistical and other information to be supplied and the frequency of its delivery.
67. On a quarterly basis detailed statistical information as to trends and patterns in complaints is published on the Office web-site.
68. Data on incoming complaints, including summary information on volume of complaints trends and patterns in complaints and on complaint outcomes, are supplied to the PSNI on a monthly basis so that District Commanders can access this information at a local level and carry out their own analysis.
69. Information on multiple complaints recorded against individual officers is provided to the PSNI as recommended by the Patten Commission. District Commanders and IIB are able to use this information to identify officers of potential concern, and to deal with them through management intervention.
Carrying out Research to Inform and Improve Policing Policy and Practice
70. The Office is committed to carrying out research and consultation in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of the police complaints system, to inform the public about its powers of independent investigation, and to contribute to the improvement of policing in Northern Ireland. The following research reports have been produced.
Public and Police Attitude Surveys
71. The Office has commissioned a series of questions in the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) Omnibus Survey on five occasions since October 2000. Findings from these surveys are published, and have shown a considerable growth in public awareness of and confidence in the Office. The information obtained helps target outreach activities towards groups within the community in which awareness or confidence levels are lowest.
72. To assess police attitudes towards the Office, survey questionnaires were distributed to all members (9000) of the PSNI in January 2003. The forms were collated and the data analysed independently by NISRA. A summary report of the findings is being produced, whilst some issues have already been addressed. A Joint Working Committee of PSNI, the Police Staff Associations and the Police Ombudsman is to be set up in order to address other issues coming from the study.
Study of Attitudes of Young People to the Police
73. This project, carried out by the Institute for Conflict Research, was jointly funded by the Office and the NIPB. Over 1,100 young people were interviewed and 31 focus groups of young people were convened during the course of the study, making it the most extensive and authoritative study of its kind, as well as the first to explore the attitudes of young people to the reformed policing arrangements in Northern Ireland. A full report of the work was published independently by the Institute for Conflict Research in April 2003.
Study of the Treatment of Solicitors and Barristers by the Police
74. Following reports of intimidation, harassment and/or threats made towards solicitors and barristers by police officers, the Police Ombudsman initiated a research study of the treatment of solicitors and barristers by the police. This project was supported by both the Law Society for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Bar Council. The research found that 55 solicitors and barristers had experienced intimidation, harassment or threats from the police. A full Report was published in March 2003 detailing the findings of this research.
Study of Complaints involving the use of Batons by the Police
75. A study was carried out of complaints involving baton use by the police. It looked at the number and nature of these complaints and the circumstances in which they arose, and then compared the frequency of these complaints in Northern Ireland with figures for other police forces in England and Wales. Officers in Northern Ireland were 40 times more likely to be the subject of baton complaints than officers in England and Wales. They were 6 times more likely to be injured. Multiple recommendations for change in policy and practice emerged from this Report.
Study of Baton Round use by the PSNI
76. A Report published in May 2002 summarised the Regulation 20 Reports provided to the Secretary of State, the PBNI and the Chief Constable concerning the discharge of baton rounds by police officers during 2001 and 2002. The Report summarises graphically the context of each discharge. Situation in which baton rounds were used involved the use of force threatening to life against civilians and the police. That use of force took the form of gunfire, petrol bombs, blast bombs, acid bombs and missiles of varying kinds. In all the incidents examined the Police Ombudsman concluded that the discharge of the baton rounds was fully justified and proportionate, to save or protect life, as were the authorisation and directions given. However, a number of recommendations were made about police policy and practice.
The purpose of this short paper is to demonstrate, briefly, the nature and importance of the independent accountability mechanism for complaints against the police which has now existed in Northern Ireland for three years.
The vision of the Police Ombudsman and her staff is that they will "strive for excellence in providing an independent impartial police complaints system in which the public and the police have confidence". The final part of the Mission of the Office is "to improve and inform the policy and practice of policing". The Office is used by all sections of society. In the last Annual Report the community background of complainants was recorded as follows: 38% Catholic, 49% Protestant, and 13% other religion or none. Complainants come from every part of Northern Ireland. There is no postcode area which is unrepresented. Confidence figures in the independence, impartiality and fairness of the Office are high across both Catholic and Protestant communities. Working relationships with the PSNI are good. There is inevitably constructive tension. Many recommendations have been made and implemented by the PSNI. Confidence in the independent police complaints service can only contribute to a sense that the police are accountable, and that therefore there is justification for increasing levels of confidence in the police themselves. It is hoped that the Office has made, and will continue to make a contribution to the Peace Process by the work it does.


text:
Date: 12/01/2012
A piano. A bass. A guitar. That's all you really need for an afternoon of fun although you might want to include the guys who play the instruments, too. The George Maurer Trio knows how to jazz up a library with a big sound. Take a guided tour through the legacy left by great American jazz musicians while learning how their works have impacted American culture and music.
"Music is an excellent reflection of our history, whether it's our societal norms or technological advances," said Anoka County Commissioner Robyn West. "Jazz came about at a time of great transition in our country so this program is certain to be entertaining and educational."
Live at the Library will feature the George Mauer Trio at Northtown Library, Saturday, December 1st at 2:00 pm. This program is free and open to the public, but seating may be limited.
"Jazz is a uniquely American type of music," said Library Board Vice President Cathy Montain. "Listen to where the music takes you and learn all about jazz along the way."
The George Mauer Trio is presented by GL Berg and Anoka County Library in partnership with MELSA (Metropolitan Library Service Agency). This program funded with money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Northtown Library is located at 711 County Road 10 in Blaine. For more information call 763-717-3267.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
FanFest: Silent Auction Items and Floor Plan
With FanFest less than a week away, expect A LOT of info and updates this week. There is basically something new to report about this event every day.
So, on that note…here are the list of items that will be available during the silent auctions at FanFest:
- SIGNED JERSEYS: Gil Meche, David DeJesus, Mark Grudzielanek, Joey Gathright, Esteban German, Brandon Duckworth, Billy Butler, Emil Brown's No. 42 jersey from the Jackie Robinson 2007 tribute game, Joel Peralta, Mark Teahen, Alex Gordon, Shane Costa and Jimmy Gobble.
- BROKEN BATS (NOT SIGNED): Mark Teahen, Ross Gload and Ryan Shealy
- SIGNED BATS: Mark Teahen, Alex Gordon, George Brett, Ryan Shealy, John Buck and David DeJesus
- SIGNED GAMEDAY MAGAZINE: Mark Gubicza, Joe Randa and George Brett
- LINE-UP CARDS: Aug. 29 vs. DET and Aug. 10 vs. TOR
- BROKEN BATS (SIGNED): David DeJesus, Shane Costa, Joey Gathright and Tony Pena, Jr.
- SIGNED BASEBALLS: Brian Bannister, Ross Gload, Billy Butler, Ryan Shealy,
Zack Greinke, Mark Grudzielanek, Luke Hochevar, Frank White and Tony Pena Jr., John Buck, Mark Teahen and David DeJesus
Royals Charities will hold three separate silent auctions – which will be set up outside the Royals Charities Store – throughout FanFest: Friday evening, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon.
EVENT FLOOR PLAN: On royals.com, we posted a design of the floor plan for the event. Hopefully it will give you some sort of idea of what to expect when you head out to the Overland Park Convention Center on Friday and/or Saturday. By the way, tickets are still available if you want to avoid ticket lines on the days of the event.


text:
myAfrica is a part of allAfrica.com, the largest site for news and information from and about Africa. We are building the most comprehensive and easily searchable archive of films made about and from Africa. Create new listings of African films and find existing listings of films that you have seen to review them. Join us!
There are no posts of this type available to list here. Create one!


text:
- Formación
- Media
- Blogs
- Publicaciones
- Alumni Agenda
Alumni Agenda
Quantify your business opportunity
IE Entrepreneurship Club 21 de noviembre 2012
Interested in understanding how to estimate business potential? Want to know how much you can sell?
Nitesh Mulchandani, (a specialist from Nielsen) will be conducting a session on understanding the volumetric potential of new start-ups. The focus of this session would be on understanding the Basic Building Blocks to generate volumes using a Bottom Up approach. He would be covering
- What are the variables, after creating the product, that one needs to think before entering the market?
- What elemenets are needed, to calcúlate volumes?
- How to calcúlate expected volumes (technical).
- Optimizing marketing plans and budget spends.
- What kind of data does one need to capture? How to effectively use it.
- What are the typical contents that one needs to communicate.
Nitesh has several years of experience with Nielsen BASES. He has been forecasting sales for FMCG majors in various categories across the globe and is a current IMBA student from the April 2012 intake.
This event is useful for all early stage (soon to be) entrepreneurs, as investors value your knowledge about the market you are addressing.
There is no need to sign up - just show up


text:
Thanks for posting your baby steps It will give us a good idea how easy or difficult this program is.
City Engine ('CE') is a powerful procedural city generator. It makes 3 dimensional cities according to rules that you give it. It has a high level of 'editability' meaning that if you don't like something that has been generated it is possible to tweak it to your own specifications (or indeed draw it from scratch). Generally you will make and texture your city models in CE and then export the result to a 3d graphics program to render it, tweak materials etc.
This thread are my baby steps using CE.
In the first image I have auto generated a street network. Lot of sliders that you can play with here such as street lengths, how you want the streets to split, how straight or curvy you want them to be etc. You will see that where an area is enclosed by streets, CE generates Lots, those are foot prints on which you 'grow' your buildings. There are commands you can give to make the lots bigger or smaller, or forbid building on a lot or number of lots or you can paint them in yourself.
The second image is a look at the programming language to make houses, you can either do this by writing code in the traditional way or use a node based interface (which is easier for me). Here I have set two variables (called attributes in CE) of height min and height max. This very simple code extrudes buildings from the lots to a random height between height min and height max. Again, the user can go to any particular lot and set the height manually if required.
The last image shows the buildings generated from this very simple code. CE allows you to import your own building objects either to place as is, or as elements to which you add code to add bits onto..but I haven't got to that bit yet!
More later,
Thanks for posting your baby steps It will give us a good idea how easy or difficult this program is.
lol believe me if I can use it, anyone can. I have virtually no programming experience at all. Here is the next step (getting fancy for me, lol!)
So the instructions here are:
a. scale the buildings sizes by 50% along x,y and z axes (so they are not butted up right next to each other).
b. split the houses along the y axis by exactly 3m starting from the bottom and keep splitting until you run out of house (this makes the floors, or put another way, makes new faces each of which can be textured differently).
c. make a gabled roof with a pitch of 22.5 degrees with the eaves overhanging by 1m along x and y.
that's starting to look cool already! thanks for posting this, cheers DJ
My portfolio site (fantasy-maps.com) | My work on deviantART | Fantasy maps on Google+
Work posted by me can be used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 licence, unless stated otherwise.
Cheers DJ....it's starting to get complicated now. Trying to split the buildings so that there are faces which can be used to put window textures on them. I ended up following the tutorial for this bit and don't really understand what I'm doing, so I'm going to have to sit down and try to analyse it properly before I move on.
Okay, this is looking great....but WHERE do you get this prog???
Can you apply a base height to the buildings? and if you can can it be done by building or area? ......okay I need to look into this.....
Art Critic = Someone with the Eye of an Artist, Words of a Bard, and the Talent of a Rock.
Please take my critiques as someone who Wishes he had the Talent
Hi Korash, you can get it here: http://www.procedural.com/
Not sure what you mean by a 'base height', you can extrude a building from a lot by however much you want. So for example you can extrude all buildings by 3m giving you a 'base height' of 3 m. Then you can extrude again by variable amounts if you want buildings of different heights.
Been struggling a bit but getting there.
Being able to procedurally split your building walls into component facets is very important for texturing. Splitting operations can get very complex (for me) when you have to apply splits within splits. For example you split the building horizontally to make floors, you then split the building vertically to make 'tiles' i.e. places where the windows go. You might then want to split the tiles again so that you have some wall on either side of the window. The ground floor of a building usually looks quite different from the other floors, so it needs its own splitting and texturing rules.
Texturing was also a bit difficult to grasp at first, but now I think I've got it, it's not as tough as I first thought.
So here is are some buildings which all use the same construction and texture rules. If I wanted to make a building higher or lower, I can just adjust the height slider for that building and it will automatically add or subtract floors. I've just used some horrid random textures here, but obviously in a final product you would want the textures to tile properly.
The next step is to learn how to insert pre-made 3d assets, like window frames, doorways, ornaments, dormers and ledges to make the the building look properly 3d. That's going to be a toughie, but I'm probably going to spend this week just making sure that the splitting and texturing commands become second nature by doing lots more of these types of operation. After I learn how to insert 3d assets, the next step is doing mass modelling, that is bringing in instances of buildings, like balconies, turrets etc and getting the software to randomly generate buildings out of these components.
Gosh the program is cool. Which version did you buy?
And if ever you manage to get the gist of it, please create a tutorial!
Now that the warm fuzzy part is over we can get back to the ritual dismemberments. Oh wait, it's not Tuesday is it?


text:
Out of Stock
Item # MAV0222
Don't worry though, we have a lot more Clincher Wheels in stock than that.View Similar Products
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Clincher Wheels $0.00
The Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL probably looks familiar. Top racers routinely ride at the head of affairs on these, showing the fastest packs in the world this clean set of wheels. Victories at the World Championships, at the Olympics, and so on. Spring Classics, Fall Classics, stage races. The whoosh you just felt was a pro blasting by you on Cosmic Carbone SL Wheels.
The Cosmic Carbone SL has gone on a diet. Even though the wheels look pretty much unchanged, they've been improved. The heart of the improvement is the new, lighter rim, almost identical to the Cosmic Carbone SLR. The rims are a carbon-aluminum hybrid. You start with an aluminum rim, giving you both the strength and braking advantages of aluminum, and then the rim is put through Mavic's well-known processes. The outer walls are thinned to their minimum via Mavic's Inter Spoke Milling (ISM) process. The aluminum rim employs Mavic's UB Control finish, meaning the surface is flat and grooved for smooth, fast, consistent braking. The result of these processes are that the rims that are 40g lighter each.
Once the machine work is done to the rim, the carbon-fiber shell is bonded in place. The elliptical sidewalls slice through the wind. The total rim depth is 52mm, which is deep enough to be very fast.
The spokes are straight-pull, bladed steel, anodized black to match the hubs. They're radially laced in front and on the non-drive side. The drive side of the rear has a cross-two pattern for greater strength and efficient power transmission.
The hubs are Mavic's "typical" low flange aluminum hub bodies, running on QRM+ bearings and held in place via a 9mm aluminum axle. Their Force Transfer System-Light (FTS-L) is a lightweight aluminum freehub body that sits directly over a hub "nub" that boasts centrally-located pawls and stainless steel inserts for durability. The result is less flex, less friction, and faster engagement.
This wheelset is part of Mavic's MP3 extended warranty program. The acronym stands for Mavic Product Protection Plan, and it provides you with two years of almost unlimited no-fault protection from Mavic. More details can be found on the MP3 website. Please note that MP3 coverage must be purchased within 5 days of the date that you receive your wheels. Contact one of our customer service representatives for the retailer and product codes that you'll need to register your wheels on the Mavic MP3 site. You'll also need the serial numbers that you'll find on your wheels. The cost for this coverage is approximately 8% of the retail cost of the wheels.
The Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheels have 16 spokes in front and 20 in the rear. The freehub body is available either as Campagnolo-compatible (ED10) or Shimano/SRAM compatible (M10). The wheelset comes with a bearing adjustment tool, spoke wrench, BR301 quick releases, rim tape, wheel magnet, valve extender, user guide, and warranty card. The Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheels are available as a clincher only. The front wheel weight is 780g, rear 960g, for a total wheel weight of 1740g per pair (excluding skewers).
- Aluminum braking surface allows the use of standard brake pads—no swapping and readjusting for race day
- 52-millimeter depth is a nice balance of stability and aerodynamic advantage
- Steel spokes and brass nipples offer long-term durability at a minimal weight penalty
- Includes quick releases, rim strips, and valve extenders for both wheels, and a spoke wrench and bladed spoke holder for the rear wheel
Tech Specs
View more Clincher Wheels
Reviews & Community
What is the maximum rider weight of Cosmic...
What is the maximum rider weight of Cosmic Carbone SLs
I don't see any info on the weight limit for these wheels either - most manufacturers that do not post a "max weight limit" - do not have a max weight limit for their wheels. Most Mavic wheels should be good to 225 pounds without any issues; these wheels have extra strength due to the large carbon fairing. The aluminium brake track should work best for larger riders. Should be a good daily driver for 90% of peeps out there. :)
I?m converting a 26? mountain bike to a...
Im converting a 26 mountain bike to a hybrid road unit. Going for aluminum/carbon wheels, clinchers, carbon cranks, Handlebars, stem, pedals and front fork. Will also try to find a compatible changeout for my gear system and deraileur and lightweight chain. The bike is a Mongoose series D that Im happy with. Id like some input, assistance or any suggestions to convert the bike, as Im a novice heart patient and loving the sport.
Howdy brent lilly,
I would say that is not recommended. You would be better off spending the money on a new bike to cruise around on than trying to upgrade your current set-up. You could get a decent commuter/cruiser for the cost of these wheels.
Is this a listing for both wheels or just...
Is this a listing for both wheels or just for the one?
Hey WIlliam,
Unfortunately the product sold out. It was offered as a pair and individually.


text: Want to work at Google? Answer these questions Google 11 April 12 by Madhumita Venkataramanan This article was taken from the March 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.It's famously tough getting through the Google interview process. But now we can reveal just how strenuous are the mental acrobatics demanded from prospective employees. Job-seekers can expect to face open-ended riddles, seemingly impossible mathematical challenges and mind-boggling estimation puzzles. William Poundstone, who deconstructed The Wolseley's menu for us, has collected examples in his latest book, Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? (Oneworld).1. You are shrunk to the height of a 2p coin and thrown into a blender. Your mass is reduced so that your density is the same as usual. The blades start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?Those who were paying attention in rocket-science class will recall the formula for the energy of a projectile: E = mgh. E is energy (of a bottle rocket, let's say), m is its mass, g is the acceleration of gravity, and h is the height the bottle rocket attains. The height increases in direct proportion with energy (as long as mass stays the same). Suppose you tape two bottle rockets together and light them simultaneously. Will the double rocket go any higher? No; it's got twice the fuel energy but also twice the mass to lift against gravity. That leaves the height, h, unchanged. The same principle applies to shrunken humans jumping. As long as muscle energy and mass shrink in proportion, jump height should stay the same.2. There's a latency problem in South Africa. Diagnose it"Latency problem in South Africa" is an inside joke at Google. The phrase is intentionally equivocal techspeak, like a line in science fiction. ("We're losing potency in our antimatter pods!") The candidate should be able to figure out what it might mean, though, and say something sensible. "Latency" means a delay. That could apply to almost anything, from getting a marriage licence to using public transit. It's a reasonable guess that a Google interviewer is thinking about the internet. The interviewer could mean either of the following:• The internet is running slowly in South Africa. • Google searches (only) are running slowly.The ping operation measures latency on the Internet. A ping is a dummy message sent from point A to point B and back. The time interval is a measure of how fast information is flowing. By pinging from many computers and stations in South Africa, you can tell whether the Internet infrastructure is slow there. If not, the problem may be with Google. Are there enough servers for the South African traffic? Try a set of search terms from many points in South Africa, to see whether all are slow or just some. This would allow you to map the (imaginary) problem, and that generally satisfies the interviewer.3. Design an evacuation plan for San FranciscoThe 2006 Emergency Evacuation Report Card of the American Highway Users Alliance gave Kansas City an A grade. New Orleans, reeling from Katrina, got a D. San Francisco's grade? F. New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles failed, too. The failing grades are due to these cities' size, hemmed-in geography, and dependence on public transportation. At such an environmentally conscious place as Google, some interviewees instinctively talk up San Francisco's public transit network. But most public transit runs within the urban area. (BART, the San Francisco underground, can get people to Oakland. Is that good enough? Or are we evacuating Oakland, too?) Amtrak doesn't even stop in San Francisco proper. For the foreseeable future, there's no such thing as a green evacuation. Emptying a city on short notice means internal combustion engines on public roads. Here are some bullet points to incorporate into your plan:• Make use of the fact that everyone wants to get out of the city as fast as possible. Allow a marketplace of transportation options. The biggest hitch in the Katrina evacuation was that New Orleans authorities couldn't issue timely traffic advisories: they simply didn't know which roads were jammed. Katrina hit the year before Twitter and a couple of years before ubiquitous smart-phones. Your plan should encourage people to tweet or text about traffic conditions (but not while driving!) and should devise a way to swiftly incorporate this information into social networks, mapping applications, broadcast media, and so forth.• Use school buses. The US's school buses have greater capacity than all the modes of adult "mass transit" combined. Organise free school bus shuttle service for those who don't have cars.• Divert petrol to the region's petrol stations. There were fuel shortages in the Katrina evacuation.• In an authentic emergency, most people can't leave fast enough, but you have to worry about three classes of stragglers: those who refuse to go; those who can't evacuate without help (they're disabled or in hospitals); and those so off the grid that they won't hear about the evacuation (probably, many of them homeless or elderly). As a legal and practical matter, there's not much that can be done when a resident chooses to stay behind. Efforts are better spent canvassing neighborhoods for people who want to evacuate but need help. Put into service all the existing dial-a-ride vans and ambulances, as they have special facilities for the frail and disabled.• Make sure some of the buses and trains allow pets and suitcases. One reason people insist on staying behind is concern for their pets and valuables.• Designate all lanes of traffic arteries outbound. This allows twice as much traffic and prevents the clueless from enter-ing the city. Known as contraflow, this idea will be familiar to Bay Area commuters. Since 1963, the Golden Gate Bridge has had reversible lanes. In the mornings, four of the six lanes are inbound to San Francisco. The rest of the time, there are three lanes each way, to the city and the Marin County suburbs.4. Using only a four-minute hourglass and seven-minute hourglass, measure exactly nine minutes.With a four-minute hourglass, it's a cinch to measure four minutes, eight minutes, 12 minutes, and so forth. The seven-minute hourglass readily gives multiples of seven. You can measure still other times by "adding" the two hourglasses -- starting one the instant the other finishes. Let the four-minute glass run out, then start the seven-minute glass. This gives 11 minutes total. Similar strategies measure 15 minutes (4 + 4 + 7), 18 minutes (4 + 7 + 7), and so on.This method won't measure 9 minutes. But there's another trick, "subtraction." Start both hourglasses simultaneously. The instant the four-minute glass runs out, turn the seven-minute glass on its side to stop the sand. There is then three minutes' worth of sand in one bulb. That sounds promising. Nine is 3 X 3. But notice that once you "use" the three minutes of sand, it's gone. You end up with all seven minutes of sand back in one bulb. You could repeat the whole process twice, but that doesn't permit measuring a continuous nine minutes.The way to remedy this is a third trick that might be called "cloning." Start both glasses at zero minutes. When the nine-minute glass runs out, flip it over. When the seven-minute glass runs out, flip both glasses over. The four-minute glass, which had one minute left to run, now has three minutes after the flip. When those three minutes run out, flip over the seven-minute glass again. It will then have three minutes of sand. (You've "cloned" the three minutes that were in the small glass.) This gives a continuous nine minutes.The above is a good answer, just not the best one. Its defect is that it requires 4 minutes of preparation time (to get 3 minutes of sand in one bulb of the 7-minute glass). The scheme therefore takes 13 minutes total, in order to measure 9 minutes. Would you buy an egg-timer that tool 4 minutes to warm up?There is a solution that allows the timing to begin immediately. Begin with the safe assumption that we're going to start both hourglasses at 0 minutes. Then fast-forward to 7 minutes later. The 7-minute hourglass has just run out. The 4-minute glass has already run out once and (presumably) has been flipped over. It should have just 1 minute of sand remaining in its upper bulb.All that's needed is to clone that 1 minute. At 7 minutes, flip over the 7-minute glass. Let it run 1 minute, as measured by the remaining sand in the 4-minute glass. That brings us up to the time 8 minutes. The 7-minute glass will have 1 minute of sand in its lower bulb. Flip the 7-minute glass over again and let the minute of sand run back. When the last grain falls, that will be 9 minutes.5. Imagine a country where all the parents want to have a boy. Every family keeps having children until they have a boy; then they stop. What is the proportion of boys to girls in this country?Ignore multiple births, infertile couples, and couples who die before having a boy. The first thing to realize is that every family in the country has, or will have, exactly one boy when they're done procreating. Why? Because every couple has children until they have a boy, and then they stop. Barring multiple births, "a boy" means one boy exactly. There are as many boys as completed families.A family can have any number of girls, though. A good way to proceed is to take an imaginary census of girl children. Invite every mother in the country to one big room and ask on the public-address system: "Will everyone whose first child was a girl please raise her hand?"Naturally, one-half of the women will raise a hand. With N mothers, N/2 would raise their hands, representing that many firstborn girls. Mark that on the imaginary tote board: N/2.Then ask: "Will everyone whose second child was a girl please raise -- or keep raised -- her hand?" Half the hands will go down, and no new hands will go up. (The mothers whose hands were down for the first question, because their first child was a boy, would not have had a second child.) This leaves N/4 hands in the air, meaning there are N/4 second-born girls. Put that on the tote board. "Will everyone whose third child was a girl raise or keep raised her hand?" You get the idea. Keep this up until finally there are no hands still up. The number of hands will halve with each question. This produces the familiar series(1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + . . .) xNThe infinite series sums to 1 (x N). The number of girls equals the number of families (N) equals the number of boys (or very close to it). The requested proportion of boys to girls is therefore 1 to 1. It's an even split after all.6. Use a programming language to describe a chickenIn 1968, the French writer and prankster Noël Arnaud published a slim volume of poems in the computer language ALGOL (now obsolete, it was a precursor of C). Arnaud restricted himself to ALGOL's short dictionary of twenty-four predefined words. The poems were not valid code. Describing a chicken in ALGOL, or C++, could be an exercise in the same quixotic spirit.Interviewers usually intend for you to describe an individual chicken so that it might be distinguished from other members of its species. Pretend you're starting a social network site for poultry. "The chicken named Blinky is female, friendly, and dead."They want something like that, in legal code or pseudocode.One example that would satisfy most interviewers:class Chicken { public: bool isfemale, isfriendly, isfryer, isconceptualart, isdead; }; int main() { Chicken Blinky; Blinky.isfemale = true; Blinky.isfriendly = true; Blinky.isfryer = true; Blinky.isconceptualart = true; Blinky.isdead = true;}7. What is the most beautiful equation you have ever seen?Asked of Google engineers, this question prompts you to analyse how an equation can be "beautiful" and then to give a suitable example. The one certain thing about beauty is that it's subjective. Even so, most conclude that a beautiful equation is concise and of universal significance. Note, however, that you're not just trying to think of a beautiful equation; you're trying to impress the interviewer with your originality. It helps to give an equation that the interviewer doesn't hear every day.Most would agree this is a lame answer:E = MC2It's like a politician saying his favorite movie is Titanic.You want Einstein? A better reply is:G = 8πTThis packs the general theory of relativity into five characters. G is the Einstein tensor, representing the curvature of space-time. T is the stress-energy tensor, measuring the density of mass and energy. The equation says that mass-energy curves space and time (which curvature we experience as gravity).Another five characters express much of quantum physics.HΨ = EΨThis is Schrödinger's equation, read as "the Hamiltonian of the wave function equals its energy." The canonical Google answer is Euler's equation. It connects five numbers central to mathematics: e, pi, the imaginary number i -- and of course 1 and 0, which are pretty important in the information business.Eπi + 1 = 0Euler's equation is regularly voted the "most beautiful equation" or something of the kind. It was tied for first (with all four Maxwell's equations!) in a 2004 Physics World poll for the "greatest equations ever." As one reader put it, "What could be more mystical than an imaginary number interacting with real numbers to produce nothing?""Like a Shakespearean sonnet that captures the very essence of love, or a painting that brings out the beauty of the human form that is far more than just skin deep, Euler's equation reaches down into the very depths of existence," the Stanford mathematician Keith Devlin wrote. The best-known commentary of all is probably that of Carl Friedrich Gauss, who said that unless this formula was immediately obvious to a student, that student would never be a first-rate mathematician.You won't gain any points for originality by answering with Euler's equation, though. It's like saying your favorite film is Citizen Kane. The Gaussian integral has some of the same mystic appeal, connecting e, pi, and infinity. One point in its favor: Gauss didn't find it completely obvious.The Gaussian integral also has something that Euler's equation lacks -- relevance to life as we live it. The e-x2 is the Gaussian function. A chart of it is the familiar bell-shaped curve of a normal probability distribution. This is the "curve" that teachers grade on -- the one that supposedly governs heights, IQ scores, and the random walk of stock prices (but doesn't quite). The Gaussian blur filter in Photoshop uses the same function to blur your ex out of the picture.In the equation, the integral computes the area under the bell-shaped curve and finds it equal to the square root of pi, or about 1.77. The equation can be viewed as a symbol of the role of chance in the world. Many of the things we value most -- beauty, talent, money -- are the result of scores of random factors, ranging from genes to simple luck. When the factors determining a quantity are truly random and additive, the quantity will follow a normal distribution. Most people will be in the middle of the curve. A few outliers will have a lot more or a lot less than the mean. In 1886, Francis Galton said of this distribution:"I know of scarcely anything so apt to impress the imagination as the wonderful form of cosmic order expressed by the "law of error." A savage, if he could understand it, would worship it as a god. . . . Let a large sample of chaotic elements be taken and marshalled in order of their magnitudes, and then, however wildly irregular they appeared, an unexpected and most beautiful form of regularity proves to have been present all along."For the cult of the beautiful equation in all its delirious glory, look no further than the British physicist Paul A. M. Dirac. "It is more important to have beauty in one's equations than to have them fit experiment," he once wrote. Dirac was notoriously eccentric and socially awkward, partly the result of autism. As a theoretical physicist, he saw the world as a puzzle to which beautiful equations were the key. To a remarkable degree, contemporary science (and many job interviewers) accept Dirac's view of the world.For an amusing rebuttal, see Richard Feynman in the second volume of The Feynman Lectures on Physics, in which he makes the amazing claim that all of physics can be reduced to a single equation. The equation is:U = 0That's it! That's everything about the universe! Feynman was half-serious. Take an equation like E = MC2. It is said to be deep. Its so-called beauty rests with the fact that it explains so much with just a few marks on paper, a few black pixels on white. This perception of simplicity rests on hard-won and messy concepts, Feynman argued. What is energy? What is mass? What is the speed of light? None of these concepts existed for al-Khwarizmi or Leonardo da Vinci. Energy and mass had only started to gel by Newton's time. "The speed of light" was hardly a scientific matter until the nineteenth century. Feynman's point is that E = MC2 is an abbreviation. Admire it, just don't get wrapped up in how "simple" it is. It's not all that simple. Notice that you can transform Einstein's equation into:E - MC2 = 0All I've done is to subtract MC2 from both sides. They were equal before, and they must be equal now. Now square both sides of the equation. This gives:(E - MC2) 2 = 0The point of this will become clear in a moment. It's part of Feynman's recipe for the ultimate beautiful equation. Blend in a few more equations. For the heck of it, we'll use Schrödinger's equation and Euler's equation. Leave Euler's as is and tweak Schrödinger's:eπi + 1 = 0HΨ - EΨ = 0Then square both sides of each and add to Einstein's rejiggered equation(E - MC2)2 + (HΨ - EΨ)2 + (eπi + 1)2 = 0All three terms on the left have to be 0 (say Einstein, Schrödinger, and Euler). The equation must be correct, assuming its three components are. Furthermore, the only way the equation can be correct is if all the terms are 0. (That's the point of the squaring. It guarantees that no term could be negative. The only way for three nonnegative terms to add up to 0 is for all to be 0.)Don't stop there. Throw in the kitchen sink, said Feynman. All equations, great and trivial, can be put in this form and appended to the left side of this master equation. Feynman called the quantities on the left UN, where N ranges from 1 to as far as you care to go. Sum them up and you have simply U, standing for unworldliness. It is a measure of anything and everything that doesn't fit into the scheme of physics. The master equation says the unworldliness is 0. You can unpack all of physics from this.U = 0 is simpler (more "beautiful") than any other equation. It says everything the other equations do, and it's as simple as an equation can possibly get. An equation means you've got an equals sign, with one thing on the left of it, and one thing on the right. Three characters is the bare minimum, and U E 0 delivers that beautiful (anorexic?) limit.Feynman's real point was that "U = 0" is a silly kludge serving no purpose except to say everything about the universe as concisely as possible! Feynman was asking, are you sure that's what you mean by beautiful? It's worth thinking about. A good answer to this interview question might start with Feynman's U = 0. Then, if you think you've got a better notion of what "beauty" is, describe it and tell what equation best fits it.8. You want to make sure that Bob has your phone number. You can't ask him directly. Instead you have to write a message to him on a card and hand it to Eve, who will act as a go-between. Eve will give the card to Bob and he will hand his message to Eve, who will hand it to you. You don't want Eve to learn your phone number. What do you ask Bob?Even if you give the short, simple answer you may be asked to supply the RSA answer, too. It's not that complicated as long as Bob has a computer and can follow directions. You might ask the interviewer about Bob's maths and computer skills. With RSA, each person generates two keys, a public one and a private one. A public key is like an e-mail address. It allows anyone to send you a message. A private key is like your e-mail password. You need it to get your e-mail messages, and you must keep it secret -- otherwise, anyone could read your mail. You won't be able to send Bob a secret message because he hasn't set up his keys. He may not know what RSA is until you tell him! But you don't need to send Bob a secret message. You want Bob to send you a secret message, namely your phone number. This means that you need keys for yourself, not for Bob. The outline of the solution is this:Hey, Bob! We're going to use RSA cryptography. You may not know what that is, but I'll explain exactly what you have to do. Here is my public key. . . . Take this and my phone number and produce an encrypted number by following these directions. . . Send that encrypted number back to me, via Eve.The trick is to word the instructions so that almost anyone can do it. You also have to be concise. RSA cryptography was first described, it now appears, in 1973. Its original inventor was the British mathematician Clifford Cocks, who worked for Her Majesty's secret service. His scheme was considered impractical: it required a computer, of all things. That was not easy to come by when spies generally had to make do with cameras hidden in cuff links. Cocks's idea was classified until 1997. Meanwhile, in 1978 three MIT computer scientists independently came up with the same idea. The last initials of the MIT group -- Ronald Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adelman -- supplied the acronym.In the RSA system, a person who wants to receive messages must pick two random prime numbers, p and q. The numbers must be large and at least as big (in digits) as the numbers or messages being transmitted. For a phone number of ten decimal digits, p and q each should be at least ten digits.One way to choose p and q is to Google a website that lists large prime numbers. The Primes Pages, run by Chris Caldwell of the University of Tennessee at Martin, works well. Pick two ten-digit primes at random. Here are two:1,500,450,271 and 3,367,900,313Call these p and q. You have to multiply them and get the exact answer. This is a little tricky. You can't use Excel or Google calculator or most other consumer software because they show a limited number of significant figures. One option is to multiply by hand. An easier one is to use Wolfram Alpha (www.wolframalpha.com):Just type in:1500450271 * 3367900313and it will give the exact answer:5053366937341834823Call this product N. It's one component of your public key. The other component is a number called e, an arbitrarily chosen number, ideally of length equal to N, that does not divide evenly by (p - 1)(q - 1). I may have lost you with that last part, but don't worry. In many applications, coders simply pick 3 for e. This is good enough for most purposes, and it permits fast enciphering.Having chosen N and e, you're good to go. You just need to send those two numbers to Bob, along with the Complete Idiot's Guide to RSA Cryptography. Bob has to compute: xe mod NWhere x is the phone number. Since we've chosen 3 for e, the part on the left is x cubed. It will be a thirty-digit number. The "mod" indicates modulo division, meaning that you divide x3 by N and take only the remainder. This remainder must be in the range of 0 to N 1. Thus it's probably going to be a twenty-digit number. This twenty-digit number is the encrypted message that Bob sends back to you. Bob therefore needs to be able to cube a number and do long division. The crucial part of the instructions could sayBob, I need you to follow these instructions carefully with-out questioning them. Pretend my phone number is a regular ten-digit number. First, I need you to cube the number (multiply it by itself and then multiply the product by the original number again). The answer, which will be a thirty-digit number, has to be exact. Do it by hand if you have to, and double-check it. Then I need you to do the longest long division you've ever done. Divide the result by this number:5,053,366,937,341,834,823. The division also has to be exact. Send me the remainder of the division only. It's important that you don't send the whole part of the quotient -- just the remainder.Assuming Bob has Internet access (a pretty safe assumption, right?), the message could say:Bob, go to this website: www.wolframalpha.com. You'll see a long, rectangular box outlined in orange. Type my ten-digit phone number into the box, without using dashes, dots, or parentheses -- just the ten digits. Immediately after the phone number, type this:ˆ3 mod 5053366937341834823Then click the little equals sign in the right of the box. The answer, probably a twenty-digit number, will appear in a box labeled "Result." Send that answer, and only that answer, to me.Naturally, Eve reads these instructions, and she also reads Bob's reply. She can't do anything with it. She's got a twenty-digit number that she knows is the remainder when the cube of the phone number is divided by 5,053,366,937,341,834,823. Nobody has yet figured out an efficient way to recover the phone number.How are you any better off? You are because you have the secret decoder key. This, d, is the inverse of e mod (p - 1)(q - 1). There is an efficient algorithm for calculating that -- provided, of course, that you know the two primes, p and q, that were used to generate N. (You know them because you picked them, remember?) Call Y the encoded number/message Bob sends back. His original message is:Yd mod NTo figure this, you just type it into Wolfram Alpha (replacing Y, d, and N with the actual numbers).Eve knows N, since it was on the card you asked her to give to Bob. She knows y, since it was Bob's reply to you. But she doesn't know d, and she has no way of learning it. Eve has algorithm trouble. It is easy to multiply two numbers -- heck, they teach that to schoolkids. It is hard to factor a large number.9. A man pushed his car to a hotel and lost his fortune. What happened?He was playing Monopoly.10. If you had a stack of pennies as tall as the Empire State Building, could you fit them all in one room?This may sucker you into thinking that it is one of those interview questions where you're intended to estimate an absurd quantity. Hold on -- the question doesn't ask how many pennies. It asks, will the stack fit in a room? The interviewer wants a yes-or-no answer (with explanation, of course).That should be a clue, as should the fact that the question doesn't say how big the room is. Rooms come in all sizes. Intuition might suggest that the stack wouldn't fit in a phone booth but would fit easily in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. The answer is roughly this: "The Empire State Building is about a hundred stories tall [it's 102 exactly]. That's at least a hundred times taller than an ordinary room, measured from the inside. I'd have to break the skyscraper-high column of pennies into about a hundred floor-to- ceiling-high columns. The question then becomes, can I fit about a hundred floor-to-ceiling penny columns in a room? Easily! That's only a ten-by-ten array of penny columns. As long as there's space to set a hundred pennies flat on the floor, there's room. The tiniest New York apartment, an old-style phone booth, has room." Swagger counts. The goal is not just to get the right answer but to make it look easy. Great athletes do this naturally. Lately, job seekers are expected to do the same. Read page 2 12 Read on one page Latest on wired.co.uk


text:
Hi All!
I currently run SBS 2003 with Exchange, my company currently insist on using MSExchange Public Folders as a Customer Relationship Management solution i.e: Every person we speak to gets a contact record created in a Public Folder and then any further communication gets appended to the notes section within that contact.
So my question is can all of this data be pulled into Zimbra and by using the Zimbra-Outlook Connector will the 'Public Folder' still work as a public folder?
I am hoping to get rid of this contact folder using dedicated CRM software but at the moment a rock and a hard place spring to mind...


text:
WASHINGTON DC (WUSA) -- Jessica Doyle has been combing through the day's Daily Deals emails and retailer websites to find you some deep discounts. Here are some of her favorite deals.
We start with the Best Buy deal of the day. It's a Hiteker 32 inch LCD HDTV for $189.99. You also get free shipping.
Been meaning to clean your closet? Clear Space Clear Mind is offering two hours of home organization services for $55, a 54% savings. This includes a half hour consultation. Any location 30 miles outside of DC will cost you a travel fee. This is through LivingSocial.
Make cooking for the football party a family affair with aprons. Pay $15 for $30 worth aprons and other kitchen apparel, including black leopard rubber gloves from Flirty Aprons. These fashionable aprons are for women, men and children.This deal is through Groupon.
If you have an offer you've seen or if you are a local merchant with a deal for our viewers, post them on Jessica Doyle's Facebook wall. Tweet at her @financialista on Twitter or e-mail Jessica at email@example.com.
(DISCLAIMER: WUSA-TV is not responsible for highlighted deals selling out in stores or on retailer websites. Customer problems with deal sites and merchants must be addressed directly with those parties.)


text:
Dolphin Technology, Inc. was founded in 1996 with the vision of accelerating time to market for IC design teams through design re-use and silicon-IP. Dolphin Technology provides a wide range of silicon-IP as well as turnkey custom circuit designand layout to customers in many target markets, from telecommunications to consumer goods. For designers who need standard or custom IP such as Custom Memory (CAM, TLB, Register Files) and Memory Compilers (Single-port SRAM, Dual-port SRAM, ROM and Register Files), Specialty, High Speed and Standard I/O designs, High Speed Standard Cell and Data Path Cell/Blocks for DSP applications. Dolphin Technology delivers quality, high-performance, fab-verified silicon-IP at a fraction of the time and cost of in-house development.
Dolphin Technology Inc. provides a wide range of High Performance, Low-Power Silicon IP (SIP) for designers who need standard or custom IP such as memory, I/O, standard cell libraries, data path modules or analog blocks. With quality, high performance, low-power, Silicon proven SIP delivered in a fraction of the time and cost of in-house development, Dolphin Technology, Inc. has been enhancing quality and reducing time to market since 1996. Dolphin Technology, Inc. is located in San Jose, California.
See all Scuba Diving Gear Manufacturers


text:
Oak Glen 6, Brooke 1
WELLSBURG - Madison Juszczak, Haley Spurlock and Abbi Sayre all picked up singles victories as Oak Glen topped Brooke.
Lauren Shelton was a winner for the Bruins.
Brooke 7, Oak Glen 0
WELLSBURG - Parong Gupta, Bryce Kesling and Ryan Mezan all won their singles matches 8-1 as Brooke blanked Oak Glen.
Jackson Carey topped Addison Sayre, 8-4, for Brooke's other singles triumph.


text:
About maryi is back
hi my name's maya i'm from valdivia in southern chile i'm 15 years old:)
WAKE ME UP !!! I LIVE IN A NIGHTMARE!!! (time of dying, 3dg)
i love singing and screaming while i'm playing guitar with loud music in my room xD yeah, i know i'm a NERD, but the real me is a rockstar
i don't drink coffee coz i don't sleep in 36 hour and i become hyperactive and that's not very healthy for a teenager like me:P
i dance hip hop but i do it bad :D
favourite groups: paramore, fall out boy, avenged sevenfold, sick puppies, rise against, gufi, green day, RATM, the ramones, sum 41, and three days grace :P
i speak spanish, english and german( i go to a german school)
my friends are just motherfucker but i still love them :)
i will be a (punk)rockstar one day, and all the people that didn't believe in me will be cleaning public toilets xP hahahha!
sometimes i'm retarded, or maybe my brain doesn't work
probably i have dyslexia... to write this correctly i had to rewrite every word every 3 seconds... it's frustrating
and the only thing i want is papa roach in chile the great bands sometimes forget there's something under northamerica :/
i miss jimmy sullivan, i miss FOB, i miss josh and zac farro from paramore... can somebody take me back to the good old times...?
*viva la cucaracha*
I haven't added this to my profile yet


text:
November 2009
Callaspo earns Joe Burke Special Achievement honors
The Royals have announced that Alberto Callaspo was named the 2009 Joe Burke Special Achievement Award winner. The award was voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
"Alberto had a special year, especially at the plate, and truly deserves this honor," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "He was a consistent and reliable performer who seemed to have a knack for big hits in key situations."
The 26-year old second baseman posted an impressive offensive season for Kansas City, batting .300 with 41 doubles, eight triples, 11 home runs, 73 RBI and 79 runs scored in 155 games. His .823 on-base plus slugging percentage was the fourth-highest in baseball among second basemen while his 41 doubles were the third-most among second baseman in Royals history. The switch-hitter from Maracay, Venezuela, has a .302 average in 229 games since joining the Royals prior to the 2008 season.
The Royals plan to announce the 2009 Les Milgram Player of the Year and Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year next Monday, November 16, and Tuesday, November 17, respectively.
Congratulations to Alberto on his breakout season!


text:
Dear All,
I need your help to Migrate the mailboxes from Zimbra 5 self signed certs to Zimbra 7 self signed certs.
The Migration for the user accounts name is done and OK between them, but when i tried to import the mailboxes from the old server to the new server, it's always failed.
Could you help and advice me please?