text: Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch 2016-05-29T05:41:58-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=kasia-malinowskasempruch Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch Good old fashioned elbow grease. What We Did Right in Drug Policy During 2015 tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.8882352 2015-12-27T22:14:39-05:00 2015-12-29T04:59:01-05:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ The tremendous costs of the current drug control regime are by now obvious. The past few decades have seen hundreds of thousands of atrocities committed in the name of the prohibitionist policies - people being kidnapped and disappeared, marginalized, forcefully relocated and killed. Millions more are infected with blood-borne diseases such as HIV and HCV because they don't have access to clean needles or substitution treatment, or suffer unnecessarily because bureaucracies withhold cheap, effective opioid pain medications. Clearly, existing drug control policies are failing. There is reason to hope, however. Over the past several years, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, Catalonia, Bolivia and the Czech Republic have responded to local needs with local innovative drug policy solutions and provided much needed global leadership. In 2015, the global drug policy reform movement has made great strides and expanded the number of reformist voices, including countries of the Global South. I am hopeful that momentum will continue as we head into the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem in 2016 and well beyond--until there is a consensus for a more sensible global approach. In the meantime, here are a few highlights from the drug policy reform movement this year: Canada: Election of Justin Trudeau, who ran on a pro-regulation platform Canada elected Justin Trudeau as its new prime minister in October, and his administration pledged to start working right away on a policy to regulate the sale of marijuana. In early December, the country's Parliament announced it would introduce legislation in 2016 to legalize and regulate cannabis, which would make Canada the first in the G7 group of the world's leading economies to do so. Trudeau is proof that openly discussing drugs and drug policy can help a campaign rather than hurt it-a fear expressed by many politicians across the globe. Mexico: Ruling on marijuana citing human rights-based approach The Mexican Supreme Court's criminal chamber declared that individuals should have the right to grow, possess, distribute, and consume marijuana for their personal use. While the ruling did not strike down current drug laws, it laid the foundation for reforms and broke new ground by discussing regulation in terms of a human rights-based approach. The decision may be a reflection of a changing dynamic in Mexico, where a militarized and prohibitionist approach has resulted in 100,000 drug-related deaths in the past decade. Colombia: Suspension of aerial fumigation of illegal coca fields In October, under the leadership of President Santos, Colombia halted a decades-old aerial spraying policy after research demonstrated that the herbicide spray used on coca fields may cause cancer. Importantly for the region, the move marked a clear departure from U.S.-backed policies, which call for widespread eradication regardless of negative side effects such as public health risks, ecological damage, and the forced relocation of poor farming communities. Jamaica: Decriminalization of possession and implementation of medical cannabis system The Jamaican government voted to decriminalize possession of up to two ounces of marijuana and to regulate cannabis use for religious, scientific, and medical purposes, making it the first Caribbean nation to do so. The law also acknowledged the constitutional rights of the Rastafari community, which uses cannabis as a sacrament. Government leaders even put forth legislation to protect growers of new varieties of ganja plants with intellectual property rights. United States: Release of drug offenders from federal prisons and introduction of new programs to aid ex-prisoners A national movement is underway in the U.S. to reduce the prison population and review disproportionate sentencing for drug offenses. This fall, the U.S. Department of Justice released 6,000 prisoners, mostly low-level drug offenders. On December 18, President Obama granted clemency to another 95 federal prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes, including 40 who will be spared life terms, saying this was "another step forward in upholding our ideals of justice and fairness." The Justice Department estimates that roughly 40,000 prisoners could benefit from the program in the coming years. Obama has also unveiled a number of initiatives to help formerly incarcerated individuals integrate back into society. Oregon: Legalization of possession and implementation of homegrown production In July, Oregon became the fourth state in the U.S. to regulate the cannabis market for people 21 and older. The new law allows individuals to carry up to an ounce of cannabis outside their homes and to possess eight ounces in their homes. Oregon is unique in that it permits people to grow up to four marijuana plants per residence, out of public view. A number of states are poised to follow suit in 2016, including California, which is often considered a bellwether for national trends. Chile: Approval to grow medical marijuana and removal of marijuana from hard drugs list In July, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile's Congress approved a bill allowing Chileans to grow up to six marijuana plants in each home for medical, recreational, or spiritual use. The bill must still be approved by the health commission and the Senate, but it marks a major departure from the country's severe treatment of drug possession in the past. In December, President Bachelet signed a decree removing marijuana from the list of dangerous drugs in an effort to decriminalize medical use, taking the country one step closer to legalization for recreational use. Uruguay: Licensing given to businesses to grow cannabis Uruguay, which in 2014 became the first country to legalize the cultivation, sale, and consumption of cannabis, took an important step in creating a regulated market for the drug this year, licensing two companies to grow about two tons each year. In 2016, the marijuana will be available for public purchase at pharmacies and will be sold at lower prices in other legalized markets. Ireland: Opening of supervised injection facilities approved for 2016 At an event at the London School of Economics in November, Aodhan O Riordain, Ireland's Minister of State at the Department of Health in charge of National Drugs, proposed that supervised injection facilities be introduced in Dublin in early 2016. Following his announcement, the country's cabinet approved legislation to implement the proposal throughout the country. O Riordain also has said there is a "strong consensus" that drugs should be decriminalized in Ireland, an important step for the United Kingdom. The Way Forward Real drug policy changes are possible. As we've seen this year, they often happen at the national level, and UNGASS will be an important moment to think about our collective approach to drugs and drug use, to challenge the prohibitionist regimes that undermine human rights, social justice, and public health. Reform-minded nations like the ones highlighted above can be leaders in that process. I am confident we can build on their past success, and I look forward to what the future holds for the international drug policy reform movement in 2016.]]> Can UN Leadership Fix Broken Drug Policies? A Call for Ban Ki Moon in Advance of the 2016 UNGASS tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.8576914 2015-11-16T13:31:32-05:00 2015-11-17T05:59:01-05:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ Malaysia was selected for two reasons. First, to highlight the good and the bad - Malaysia's commitment to improve lives of people using drugs by scaling up harm reduction services and evidence based drug treatment and also, Malaysia's death mandatory death penalty for drug offences. Somewhat uncomfortably, both approaches sit alongside each other and while hundreds of people are receiving methadone treatment, and close to a thousand are on death row for drug offences. This spring, the UN will convene a special assembly session on drugs (UNGASS), providing a perfect opportunity for the Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to lead on an issue that is of urgency in his own region. The UN Commission on Human Rights has acknowledged that the global drug problem violates human rights in five areas - the right to health, the rights relating to criminal justice and discrimination, the rights of the child and the rights of indigenous peoples - and recognizes the need for the forthcoming UNGASS to better integrate human rights into the outcome documents. Ban Ki-Moon has personally called for an end to the imposition of the death penalty, acknowledging that the death penalty does not deter drug crimes. He also endorsed the decision by the United States to release 6,000 prisoners from federal prisons for disproportionately long drugs sentences. Building on these bold statements, his continued leadership is urgently needed in other areas of drug policy reform. He is poised to enact transformative decisions that can save the millions of lives and improve thousands of communities across the world that have been destroyed by the current the global drug control system. Will he take on this challenge? In 2001, with the world reeling from a global AIDS crisis, AIDS activists from across the world and few governments mobilized around the UN special session on AIDS to review and question the tragic status quo, which assumed that expensive AIDS drugs cannot be available to the millions who were dying terrible, painful, degrading deaths because of AIDS in the Global South. The leadership of then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, was a critical factor that challenged this assumption. He witnessed the effects of the AIDS crisis that was destroying his home continent and seized the opportunity to make sweeping change. He sought innovative solutions that did not have to exist with the UN framing and as a result, paved the way for creation of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria - a fund sitting outside of the UN. This was a brave and controversial move by Annan who understood that UN agencies are too slow for the urgent response that was needed and that they will not take on the pharmaceutical industry charging disgraceful amounts for a yearly supply of life saving medication. It also supported a view of the UN as self-reflective and able to put saving lives ahead of its own institutional interests. As a result of his action, and then others undertaken by various governments, the number of AIDS-related deaths declined by nearly one-third from 2005-2011. Eight million people in low- and middle-income countries currently receive HIV treatment. Similar to Kofi Annan, Ban Ki Moon's home continent of Asia bore some of the harshest and most repressive drug policies. Home to draconian drug detention camps, severe corporal punishment practices and many countries who still practice the death penalty and public executions, the population has suffered immensely at the hands of the current drug control regime. In Singapore alone, at least 326 people have been executed for drugs since 1991. Throughout East and South East Asian, more than 235,000 people are detained in over 1000 compulsory drug detention centers, experiencing a range of human rights abuses during their time there - which can last from months to years. This has to change. We've seen some countries and regions take on the drug policy challenges head on, but now we must look to make these changes on a global scale. Portugal has decriminalized drugs and emptied prisons. Governments in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, along with the cities of Vancouver or and Copenhagen, have opened the doors of clinics to people who use drugs and gave them a safer space to inject. These smart, bold policy-makers should be asking their counterparts across the world and calling on the UN to say, 'Why not you?' The UN Special Session on drug policy falls at the end of Ban Ki Moon's tenure as Secretary General. Will he, similarly to his predecessor, be motivated to provide the vision and leadership necessary for real change? The 2001 UN special session on HIV/AIDS was important turning point the AIDS movement. Fifteen years later we have an opportunity to make 2016 as important to the drug policy movement. Five months in advance of the UNGASS, participants at the International Harm Reduction Conference and other members of civil society around the world are on stand by and ready to work with global leaders to challenge the drug control system that is hardwired into our global machinery. The current regime perpetuates social injustices, violates human rights and destroys communities. The cost of doing nothing, especially in Asia, is unacceptable. Kofi Annan had the wisdom to recognize that UN agencies and their complex governance bodies, entrenched relationships and bureaucratic machineries would not be able to deliver what was required. Ban Ki-Moon needs to do the same and recognize that much of the UN is too invested in the prohibitionist paradigm they created and enforced are unable to lead the world in the process of change that the post UNGASS process will require. Saving lives of his people dying of AIDS is Kofi Annan's legacy. Ban Ki Moon's legacy could be ushering us into a new era of drug policy. The world is ready.]]> Prohibit Globally, Execute Locally: International Drug Laws Made Manifest in Local Executions tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7522754 2015-06-05T17:37:25-04:00 2015-06-09T04:59:01-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ The health and safety of Indonesians is a top priority for President Widodo. He aims to do this, in part, through the war on drugs. In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Widodo claimed the executions were justified because 50 Indonesians die every day, or 18,000 a year, because of narcotics. However, in an open letter to The Lancet, a group of leading Indonesian health experts and academics expressed "serious concerns" about the validity of Widodo's estimates. The Lancet letter notes that the lack of transparency and questionable methods behind Widodo's data calls the rational for his punitive policies into question. According to Professor Irwanto, HIV researcher, "...we need to make sure that national policies are based on evidence that is thoroughly peer-reviewed and transparent." The letter to The Lancet called upon the government to expand evidence-based interventions, such as opioid substitution therapy, needle-and-syringe programs, and rehabilitation programs based on science. In fact, Widodo's extreme penalties connected to drugs are more likely to be a cause of drug related deaths, as those at risk are too afraid to seek care and are thus made more vulnerable. According to Dr. Ignatius Praptoraharjo, at Gadjah Mada University, "Our limited funds are instead being used to bolster fear-based approaches, which effectively drive people in need further away from health programs." If Widodo is truly committed to preventing premature death he should also turn his sites on the tobacco industry. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smoking claims around 425,000 Indonesian lives a year and is responsible for nearly a quarter of all deaths annually. Widodo's reliance on questionable data and extreme policies that fly in the face of evidence-based methods for reducing the harms of drugs calls into question his stated justification for executing non-violent drug offenders. Even the international drug control treaties do not offer Widodo justification for his policies. In his analysis of these treaties, Dr. Rick Lines, Chair of the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy, argues that the vast majority of drug crimes, by definition, are not serious enough to warrant the death penalty. In Indonesia, according to Lines, "...the types of courier offences for which the recent executions took place fall below the 'particularly serious' category under Article 3 (of the 1988 Convention against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances). Executions taking place in such circumstances are violations of international law, a fact made irrefutable by the clear hierarchy of drug offences contained in Article 3." The outrage expressed by Australia, Brazil, France, the Netherlands, Nigeria, and others against the executions is well founded and not insignificant, but it is not enough. Any government that is serious about stopping the death penalty for drug crimes needs to do much more than recall their ambassadors. For these deaths to be meaningful, all of these governments and others must revisit their own drug policies as well as their political and financial support for the international drugs regime. All of the countries that protested the executions are signatories of the outdated international drug conventions. More telling than the condemnation was the silence. Quick to criticize Jamaica's new legislation decriminalizing marijuana for specific uses, William R Brownfield, assistant secretary of the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), has said nothing about the executions in Indonesia. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), which considers itself a guardian of drugs conventions, was also silent on the matter of the Indonesian executions. Though it has encouraged states to consider abolishing the death penalty for drug-related offences, the INCB allows that, "... the determination of specific sanctions applicable to drug-related offences remains the prerogative of the State Parties." Basically its leaves the door open to punish as you will. Though the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has also publicly spoken out against the death penalty for drug offences, "the agency has been linked to funding aggressive anti-trafficking operations in several death penalty States, and a number of donor governments have publicly acknowledged the link between UNODC counter-narcotics funding and death sentences." In response, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland all resolved to end funding UNODC programs in certain countries while the death penalty is still enforced. Of the 33 countries and territories that allow the death penalty for non-violent drug-related offences, Harm Reduction International reports that about 12, including China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, impose this punishment routinely. Most executions are not widely publicized because they rarely involve nationals of the Global North, as was the case in Indonesia. On May 26th, Saudi Arabia carried out its 87th and 88th beheading of the year - two men convicted, via dubious proceedings, of smuggling amphetamines. It is estimated that about half of the total executions in Saudi Arabia in 2015 were for non-violent drug crimes. There has been speculation that poverty has led to the increase in drug crimes in the kingdom. In March, UNODC was widely criticized for agreeing to a new five-year deal and multimillion-dollar funding package to support Iran's counter-narcotics trafficking programs, despite the country's high execution rate of drug offenders. Last year, half of the 753 people who were executed in Iran were drug offenders. According to Reprieve, "European Governments have provided more than £45 million worth of aid and assistance to aggressive law enforcement operations in Iran and Pakistan which have directly led to death sentences." None of the countries that impose the death penalty on non-violent drug offenders act alone. Indonesia, for example, has bi-lateral and regional drug control agreements and receives technical assistance, equipment, training, information sharing, and funding for its counter-narcotic activities from other countries and international agencies. The countries that support Indonesia's counter-narcotics efforts or support the agencies that fund counter-narcotics in Indonesia must share the responsibility for these murders. When the first wave of grief has passed the #IStandForJustice movement and all of the others that stood up and spoke out so beautifully against Indonesia's killings must turn their sights on the international drug regime. The UN is getting ready for the UN General Assembly's Special Session on drugs in 2016 when member states will review the international drug control system. If there is to be one concrete outcome of that session, let it be a moratorium on the death penalty for all drug-related crimes. CAPTION: As the UN held a High-Level Thematic Debate on Drugs in NYC, demonstrators took to the streets to demand the UN hold countries accountable and end the use of the death penalty for drug charges. This protest was a reaction to recent use of the death penalty in Indonesia. May 2015. Photograph by Mike Selick. SOURCES Amanpour, C. "Indonesia President: 'No compromise' for drug executions." CNN. January 26, 2015. http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/01/26/intv-amanpour-joko-widodo-death-penalty-drugs.cnn Davey, M. "Data used by Indonesia to justify drug laws is 'questionable', say experts." The Guardian. June 4, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/05/experts-criticise-data-used-by-indonesia-to-justify-punitive-drugs-policies Hodal, K. "Indonesia's smoking epidemic - an old problem getting younger." The Guardian. March 22, 2012. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/22/indonesias-smoking-epidemic Lines, Rick. "The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: What do the international drug control treaties say about 'most serious crimes'?" University of Essex, Human Rights Centre (blog). May 29, 2015. http://blogs.essex.ac.uk/hrc/2015/05/29/the-death-penalty-for-drug-offences-what-do-the-international-drug-control-treaties-say-about-most-serious-crimes/ Martin-Wilkins, A. "US official cautions Jamaica on ganja legalization." The Jamaica Observer. January 29, 2015. http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/news/Ganja-worry_18308312 "INCB encourages States to consider the abolition of the death penalty for drug-related offences." UN Information Service press release. March 5, 2014. http://www.incb.org/documents/Publications/PressRelease/PR2014/press_release_050314.pdf Harper, A. "New UN report highlights ongoing conflicts on the death penalty for drugs." Transform. March 3, 2015. http://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/new-un-report-highlights-ongoing-conflicts-death-penalty-drugs T.W. "Which countries have the death penalty for drug smuggling?" The Economist. April 28, 2015. http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2015/04/economist-explains-28 Agence France-Presse in Riyadh. "Saudi Arabia passes execution total for all of 2014 as 88th person is put to death." The Guardian. May 26, 2016. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/26/saudi-arabia-passes-execution-total-2014-88th-death Kamali Deghan, S. "UN to fund Iran anti-drugs programme despite executions of offenders." The Guardian. March 19, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/19/un-fund-iran-anti-drugs-programme-executions-unodc-death-penalty Stop Aid for Executions. Reprieve, UK. November 2014. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/case-study/safe/]]> Urgent Follow-up Needed as Colombia Suspends Aerial Eradication tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7429546 2015-05-23T21:53:22-04:00 2016-05-23T05:59:01-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ Written in collaboration with Diego Garcia Devis, Program Officer, Global Drug Policy Program, Open Society Foundations. BOGOTA - President Juan Manuel Santos's decision to suspend Colombia's aerial spraying program is a welcome move that further strengthens his position as an international leader of drug policy reform. This is a bold step that signals an important shift away from a focus on the coca farmers as the main counter-narcotics effort, in favor of strengthening efforts against criminal gangs that benefit overwhelmingly from their involvement in the drug supply chain. While suspending fumigation to eradicate coca crops is the right way forward, it is only the first step. An innovative reform agenda is urgently needed to pave the way for long-term stability in Colombia and the Andean states. Coca growers from different regions have several proposals for their government. These are plans for integral development would require a strong state presence. In addition, experiences from other Andean states that have reduced coca production could also be instructive for Colombia. Colombia's government needs to implement policies that: Are developed in consultation with peasant communities. Avoid forced eradication and allow a realistic amount of time for voluntary substitution. Clearly define communities that have a historical relationship to coca, regulate their coca production, and provide them with models for coca industrialization. Strengthen citizen security for these communities. Protect and promote human rights. Make a special effort to address the socio-economic needs of peasant women, including those who were affected by sexual violence as result of the armed conflict. Many European countries have prioritized the wellbeing of their citizens by adopting new drug policies. Colombia is now in a strong position to demonstrate to the world that drug policy can be reformed in a manner that is based on evidence and that ensures the best possible outcome for all of its citizens. Photo caption: Communities with a historical relationship to coca produce medicinal and nutritional products from the leaves. Photo taken by Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch, Lerma, Cauca, Colombia.]]> Collateral Damage: How the War on Drugs Has Ruined Lives, Health and Livelihoods in the Global South tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7183692 2015-04-30T15:33:12-04:00 2015-06-30T05:59:02-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ The 58th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs - an annual gathering which took place in March, where anti-narcotics officials, diplomats, and civil society advocates discuss the global drugs regime - was an opportunity to address the global discrepancy between those who set the prohibitionist policies and those who live with their consequences. As in years past, this session of the Commission turned a blind eye to the full impact of the drugs regime. Once again, government representatives from the Global North and South failed to make the case that the greatest burden of this prohibitionist regime has been born by the world's poorest. Once again they ignored the fact that the war on drugs is not only wasteful and ineffective, but also harmful and unjust. Over $100 billion a year is spent enforcing global prohibition, an approach that fails to address - and even contributes to the flourishing of human rights abuses, violent crime, and corruption in the Global South. Though 5 people had just been executed by firing squad in Indonesia for drug offences, and 9 more were to be executed in April, not a single word of condemnation or even thoughtful concern was expressed by the Commission. According to the London School of Economics Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy, "Viewed from the perspective of producer and transit countries, prohibitionist drug policies are a transfer of the costs of the drug problem from consumer to producer and transit countries, where the latter are pushed to design and implement supply-reduction policies."(1) A prime example of this transfer of costs is China's proposal, against the World Health Organization's advice, to restrict the trade of the anesthetic ketamine by scheduling it as an illicit substance. Used as a hallucinogen by clubbers in the Global North, ketamine is also one of the most commonly used anesthetics in the developing world. Restriction of ketamine would severely limit surgery, particularly caesarean sections, in the developing world. It has been projected that the health of at least two billion people would be affected. The proposal was finally withdrawn, but the very fact that it was given consideration is worrying. Another example of cost transfer can be found in the supply-side efforts at coca crop eradication. Aerial herbicide spraying puts the health and economy of local communities at risk, destroys food crops and water supplies, and causes forced displacement. In addition to skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments and an increase in the risk of miscarriages and birth defects, the World Health Organization recently reclassified the herbicide glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. Roundup, the glyphosate-based herbicide is the weapon of choice for aerial eradication of Colombian cocaine harvests. In the past two decades, more than 4 million acres of land have been sprayed. Not surprisingly, Monsanto and other manufacturers of glyphosate-based products have rejected the WHO decision. Prohibitionist policies fuel violence and corruption that undermines security, stability, and democracy in the Global South. A recent report by Health Poverty Action states, "The vast sums of money tied up in the drug trade allow drug cartels to exert a powerful influence over governments, security services, and local communities through bribery and intimidation." Proceeds of the illicit drug trade have funded organized and armed criminal groups in Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.(2) In West Africa, international cartels transiting drugs from Latin America and Asia into and through West Africa are colluding with local officials, financing local political campaigns, and disrupting democracy and development. A report by the West African Commission on Drugs concluded that, "criminalization of drug use worsens health and social problems, puts huge pressures on the criminal justice system and incites corruption."(3) In North, Central, and South America increased militarization of the War on Drugs coupled with expanded police authority and areas of corruption of local authorities has led to social destabilization, the erosion of public safety, and the death of thousands of citizens, activists, and journalists. In Mexico alone, more than 70,000 people have been killed in the drug war since 2006. A rising tide of voices are demanding drug policy reform that respects human rights, promotes public health and security, and democracy. We missed the boat at the 58th Session of the Commission, but there are other opportunities leading up to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs in 2016. The next opportunity to influence the international drugs regime will be on May 7th during the High Level General Assembly Thematic Debate in New York. Part of the process leading to the UNGASS, the Thematic Debate will assess the achievements and challenges in countering the world drug problem, within the framework of the three international drug control conventions by, "addressing measures to reach an effective balance between supply and demand reduction measures and addressing all the consequences of the world drug problem, including in the health, social, human rights, economic, justice and security fields." This is a critical opportunity for the world's leaders to listen to these courageous voices and own up to the miseries that the War on Drugs has perpetrated on millions of the world's poorest and most vulnerable. --- 1) Ending the Drug Wars: Report of the LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy. 2014. Web. 2) Catherine Martin. 2015. Casualties of War: How the War on Drugs is harming the world's poorest. Health Poverty Action. London, UK. Web.< http://www.healthpovertyaction.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/02/Casualties-of-war-report-web.pdf > 3) Not Just in Transit: Drugs, the State and Society in West Africa. West African Commission on Drugs. Web. ]]> Doctor Drug Czar - Give Public Health a Voice in Drug Policy tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3943236 2013-09-17T15:59:48-04:00 2013-11-17T05:12:01-05:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ A long-time bankroller and cheerleader for punitive drug policies, the United States is typically viewed as a defender of the status quo. But change is in the air in American drug policy. The Attorney General has recognized the damaging effects of mass incarceration on vulnerable communities, the national drug control body is adopting the rhetoric of a health-based approach, and a majority of voters now support legalization of marijuana. However concrete changes remain somewhat incremental - especially considering the numbers of people arrested or incarcerated for minor drug offenses every year. It's high time for the US to move beyond mere rhetoric, and the drug czar vacancy presents a major opportunity. This summer Gil Kerlikowske, a former police chief, resigned as head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to become the government's Customs Commissioner. During his time at the helm of ONDCP, the language around drug policy made significant improvements (even if the reality has yet to catch up). The ONDCP, and other drug control agencies, now claim to support a public health-based approach to drugs and are trying to move away from the 'war on drugs' terminology. If action follows the new vernacular, then it represents the beginning of something very important. One way to show that the US is indeed taking a fresh approach towards drugs would be to appoint a public health professional as the new drug czar. After all, it's worked in other countries. In the Netherlands, for instance, which has the lowest problematic drug use in Europe, the drug portfolio is based at the Ministry of Health. The Netherlands' focus on health led to pioneering programs like needle exchange and safer consumption rooms, the decriminalization of possession of small quantities of drugs and easy-to-access treatment services. Its pragmatic policies and groundbreaking harm reduction interventions have resulted in low prevalence of HIV among people who inject drugs, which has virtually disappeared in the country, In the Czech Republic, since the end of the Soviet occupation in the late 1980s, the drug policy coordinators have been health and social service professionals, all people who knew the day-to-day reality of providing essential services to people who use drugs. They have worked successfully to ensure that drug policing focuses on major traffickers rather than targeting individual users. Excellent access to HIV prevention services helped the Czech avoid the injection-linked HIV epidemics of other countries. Portugal's landmark drug policy reforms, including decriminalization of all drugs, made addiction and demand reduction a part of health policy and not criminal justice. In addition, the dissuasion commissions - that seek to deter people from drug use and which replaced the criminal courts as the state's forum for responding to drug use - were placed under the Ministry of Health, rather than the Ministry of Justice. After some of these reforms were introduced, the number of new HIV infections among people who use drugs dropped from 1,430 to 116 over the next decade. These are just a few examples. But considering that the US is at or near the head of the pack in so many drug war failures (mass incarceration, problematic drug use, fatal overdose, etc.) perhaps it's time for a little humility and consideration of what we can learn from countries that have done better. In addition, it seems only fair to adopt some international best practices since nothing the US does is ever in a vacuum. It has impacts all over the world. For better or worse, the US is a leader on the issue of drugs and many other countries watch its actions as a bellwether. It would make a tremendous difference if the US used this leadership opportunity to make a concrete statement that the US does indeed support a public health-based approach to drugs.]]> Drug Policy Reform Is Breaking Through at the International Level tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2946982 2013-03-25T04:47:16-04:00 2013-05-24T05:12:01-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ While the international policymaking body on drugs has long been stuck in neutral, there are signs that alternative voices are finally breaking through. This year's UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs featured some progress though its modest advances are only remarkable by comparison to a dismal past. The first time I attended the CND was in 2003. I had just come in from Thailand where there were horrifying reports of extrajudicial killings being committed in the name of the government's "war on drugs." Human Rights Watch later wrote: 'the government crackdown has resulted in the unexplained killing of more than 2,000 persons, the arbitrary arrest or blacklisting of several thousand more, and the endorsement of extreme violence by government officials at the highest levels.' But these events never elicited a single breath at CND. Even as the then-United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Asma Jahangir, expressed "deep concern" over these reports, nothing was said at the CND in Vienna. Instead the gathering consisted of consecutive days of government boasts on how well they are attacking the supply and demand of illicit drugs. At the time, I was gobsmacked by the tone of the debate. In my experience at the UN General Assembly's Special Session on AIDS, just two years earlier, we did not encounter the level of bias nor reverence for a regime as we did in drug policy discussions. Statements made by national delegations at the CND, however, typically revealed a chilling lack of knowledge on drugs and international standards. Worst of all, these assertions went unchallenged. Who, after all, was there to hold them to account? In 2003, the international drug control debate took place inside a state-centric vacuum. There was an absence of alternative voices and contempt for any view that did not conform to a single minded obsession with abstinence from use of any drug (even those offered by physicians to treat dependencies). Hence some international bodies lodged withering criticism against safe consumption facilities and even methadone, now an essential medicine of the WHO. Ten years later, while many governments hold firm to the same old failed policies, there is a shift in the uniformity of the debate. More governments are breaking from the pack and express concern that the system is not succeeding. Forward-looking governments are standing up and demanding that we count the costs of current policies. And, in a willfully unresponsive environment, civil society organizations are fighting to have their voices heard. In 2003, when Open Society Foundations organized its first side event at the CND, there was barely any vocal support for alternative policies or even criticism of obvious failures. We now see dozens of organizations representing a variety of viewpoints. Reform-minded NGOs are taking an active role (if mostly on the margins), and while they certainly are not welcomed by all, some governments are keen on including them in the international policymaking process. In 2003, this gathering of governments was shrouded in opacity that made it secretive in fact, if not by design. Now civil society groups energetically live-tweet during discussions and an online web journal, CND Blog, updates regularly throughout the week. The sad fact is that the process is still far from perfect. The CND is a self-congratulatory remnant of the old UN. Many of its members seem stuck on the drug war rhetoric of the 1999s. It remains too buffered from external realities and the pace of change does not match the urgency. It is certainly too slow for the millions in jails and prisons, the hundreds of thousands arbitrarily detained and the many millions more suffering from entirely preventable health crises. Beyond the immediate emergencies there is also an additional danger to international political sluggishness. Change is happening. Alternative models are being introduced and leaders are demanding an international debate. This year, the Organization of American States will make drug policy a key feature of its General Assembly. And the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on drugs in 2016 which will (we hope) trace the first steps toward a new international approach to drugs. While the roles are still being defined, there will likely be some function for the CND in this process. And it is certainly troubling that this body seems so woefully out of touch when it is needed most. Unless, CND gets with the times, we will have a 2016 debate in an institution stuck in the 1990s.]]> 'Legal Highs' and the Dangers of Bad Laws tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1746185 2012-08-06T19:00:00-04:00 2012-10-06T05:12:17-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ setting off a legislative rush to ban these so-called 'legal highs'. The UK is far from alone. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has consistently identified new drugs throughout Europe, which only appear to rise exponentially each year. While these substances can inspire fear in the public, perhaps even more alarming are the solutions proposed in a UK Home Office report, which may merely accelerate a downward spiral of unknown substances entering the global marketplace. 'Legal highs' - or what the UK government calls, 'new psychoactive substances' - generally refer to 'designer drugs' that 'mimic the effects of controlled drugs by slightly altering their chemical structure in order to circumvent existing controls.' These drugs are untested, potentially dangerous and difficult for lawmakers to keep track of because as soon as they're banned, a chemist only has to develop a new chemical cocktail that produces highs similar to drugs banned by national or international law. The chronic or acute effects of these new chemical structures are largely unknown and the so-called 'legal' drug is very often more dangerous than the original. For example, throughout Europe 'the list of newly notified substances was dominated by synthetic cannabinoids.' Thus people are ingesting potentially toxic combinations of chemicals to get a high similar to the effects of marijuana - in order to bypass problems of availability or legality (though the term 'legal high' is misleading as many of these substances are created with substances that are actually illicit). Which is why the Home Office's rush to ban all these 'legal highs' may actually make things worse. While the goal of protecting public health is laudable, lawmakers run the risk of spurring the creation of new untested, even more dangerous, drugs to circumvent the law. The numbers appear to bear this out - as soon as one 'designer drug' is identified, new substances soon follow. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction writes, 'In 2011, 49 new psychoactive substances were officially notified for the first time in the European Union through the information exchange mechanism ... This represents the largest number of substances ever reported in a single year, considerably up from 2010 (41 substances) and 2009 (24 substances).' The governments in Europe can and should be expected to keep a watchful eye on new and potentially harmful substances and take legislative action if necessary. But they should also be careful to avoid inadvertently provoking the creation of an even more dangerous marketplace for 'designer drugs'. Over a thousand legal highs' outlets were shut down in Poland in 2010 in a single October weekend. The government pronounced a victory in the war against new dangerous drugs. Almost two years later, the media have reported that 'legal highs' are back and the numbers of patients in toxicological wards are again high. The experience shows that in the era of internet stores, it is exceedingly difficult to control these kinds of products. There are some that will propose regulation - with tighter controls over drugs that carry higher risks - or other 'alternative policy and legislative approaches to drug control'. However, what ultimately matters is that governments are aware of the potential consequences of any policy, whether regulation or prohibition of these substances. That should involve an impact assessment of these policies, which would preferably include an analysis of drugs that have already been prohibited to help policymakers and the public understand potential outcomes. Mainly, it should consider the possibility that these laws may result in the development of new, untested drugs. It should also consider whether existing prohibitions are leading to the desired outcomes and if new prohibitions are working or whether they are creating a host of unintended consequences. Open Society Foundations Global Drug Policy Program has produced several recent reports on positive models in drug policy. The Czech Republic is one such example of a government that introduced high-quality research to study the impact of its laws. Such research can inform policymakers on whether or not laws promote better health outcomes, decrease availability and use as well as reduce other costs associated with drugs. When the Czech Republic recognised that harsher criminal sanctions introduced in the late-1990s did none of these things, the government introduced much-needed reforms. This approach has resulted in low levels of HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs and more successful treatment services. The point is only that any new policy should be guided by evidence. Because misguided policies can be as dangerous as the drugs they are trying to control. Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch is the director of Open Society Foundations Global Drug Policy Program]]> AIDS Conference: New Voice Needed in Eastern Europe and Central Asia tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1723941 2012-07-31T11:38:22-04:00 2012-09-30T05:12:04-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ The United Nations announced the appointment of Dr Michel Kazatchkine, the former head of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as the UN Secretary-General's new Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Yet, while Dr Kazatchkine's skills will be principally devoted to a handful of EU Member States and some neighbours, all of Europe would be wise to heed his guidance on the importance of sensible drug policies in the HIV response. As a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy - a body of experts from politics, health, academia and business - Dr Kazatchkine reminded leaders that "the war on drugs has fuelled the HIV epidemic." Last month, the Global Commission on Drug Policy wrote, ''Throughout the world, research has consistently shown that repressive drug law enforcement practices force drug users away from public health services and into hidden environments where HIV risk becomes markedly elevated. Mass incarceration of non-violent drug offenders also plays a major role in increasing HIV risk." The Global Commission's members include, Aleksander Kwasniewski, former President of Poland; George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece; Javier Solana, former EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, among others. In announcing Dr. Kazatchkine's appointment, Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said, "Eastern Europe and Central Asia are still facing huge challenges in responding to HIV. With his experience and leadership I am convinced that Mr Kazatchkine will do an excellent job in helping to reverse the epidemic in this pivotal region." But such reversals cannot happen without a change in drug policy. This lesson has been painfully experienced in many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which should serve as cautionary tales for all of Europe's leaders - especially in this critical time of austerity. In fact, as austerity threatens successful services and some leaders revert to "tough on drugs" rhetoric, EU Member States are already witnessing increases in the number of new HIV infections among people who inject drugs. For example, in Greece, the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) identified 113 new cases among people who use drugs as of July 2011, up from between 3 and 19 per year from 2001 to 2010. The EMCDDA wrote, "This increase in the reported cases is consistent to a more than ten-fold increase in the incidence of diagnosed cases of HIV infection among IDUs [injecting drug users]." The Greek government has responded by ramping up its services for drug users yet the EMCDDA concluded, that "the level of activity is still insufficient to meet the demand within the injecting drug using population." Moreover, similarly alarming numbers are being reported in Romania. The EMCDDA recently wrote of that country, "While reporting 3 to 5 cases annually from 2007 to 2009, HIV infections among IDUs [injecting drug users] increased to 12 cases in 2010 and to 62 cases in 2011, as of September." What is so discouraging about all this is that we know what works. When those most at risk of HIV do not fear criminal sanctions, they are far more likely to access life-saving services and treatment programmes. In Portugal where drugs were decriminalised twelve years ago, new HIV infections among people who use drugs dropped from 1,430 (or 52% of all new infections) in 2000 to 164 (15% of all new infections) in 2010. Similarly successful results were seen in the Czech Republic when that government overhauled its drug policy. However, austerity is threatening to dismantle these incredible gains. In Portugal harm reduction services fear being shut down and successful government bodies that provided treatment have been dissolved. Europe and its neighbours to the east have long reflected the best and worst of drug policy. It's been the staging ground for some of the world's most successful experiments in drug policy (Portugal, Czech Republic, Netherlands) as well as some of its greatest emergencies (Russia and Ukraine). Experts such as Dr Kazatchkine have warned against punitive legislative frameworks in saying as a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, "Aggressive law enforcement practices targeting drug users have also been proven to create barriers to HIV treatment." It is hoped that as the EU produces its own drug strategy it listens to its better angels and heeds the positive lessons of its recent history. Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch is the director of Open Society Foundations Global Drug Policy Program]]> Sensible Drug Policies: Will Evidence Finally Overtake Prejudice? tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1688560 2012-07-20T05:48:04-04:00 2012-09-19T05:12:38-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ Punitive, law enforcement-focused drug policies are usually an outcome of unrealistic expectations, prejudice and lack of knowledge. Contrary to ample evidence, it remains many politicians' belief that harsh drug laws deter people from experimenting with illicit substances, lower demand for drugs, and help the police to apprehend drug suppliers. These misguided assumptions are increasingly questioned and the Czech Republic is emerging as a global example of an effective, evidence over ideology approach to drug policy. In the post-Soviet 1990s, greater personal freedoms in the then Czechoslovakia led to more widespread and visible drug use and drug markets. Czech politicians felt the urge to respond to what they believed was a new social problem. By 1998, a few political parties rode a wave of popular distaste for the drug scene, and the Czech government was pressured to change its liberal drug policy. The modification, although unfavorable, was slight. The new law stated that the possession of illicit drugs in amounts greater than a certain threshold amount should be criminalized. The legislators did not, however, specify what these limits were. In an unexpected move, the Czech government commissioned a scientific evaluation of the impact of the new law. This rarely happens when drug laws are made harsher. "According to the study, criminalizing drug possession did not have the desired deterrent effect, did not have a health benefit, and was economically costly to society," concludes a newly published report on Czech drug policy by the Open Society Foundations. The results of the evaluation of the law were widely covered in the media and positively influenced subsequent drug policy decisions in the Czech Republic. This is even rarer. Unlike many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic recognized the need for ready access to health and treatment services for drug users. Due partly to good availability of needle exchange programs for people who inject drugs and access to medication-assisted therapy for drug dependence, HIV prevalence among drug users remained low in the country. Elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, a former head of state has acted on his reflections on the kinds of lessons that come from the Czech story. In May, Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former president of Poland, joined the Global Commission on Drug Policy and became the first former President from this part of the world to be affiliated with that body. The Global Commission on Drug Policy advocates for evidence-based drug policies, including the decriminalization of drug use and possession of drugs for personal use, unrestricted access to treatment for people dependent on drugs, and wide provision of services that prevent drug overdose and public health crises such as HIV epidemics. In an article published in the New York Times, Kwasniewski discusses his decision from 2000 to criminalize the possession of any amount of illicit drugs. At the time, Polish politicians believed that a harsh criminal approach would solve "the problem of drugs." But drug dealer arrests remained low, while the number of individuals charged with drug possession skyrocketed from 2,815 in 2000 to 30,548 in 2008. The law affected mainly young people, and--as the Czech study on criminalization indicated--was costly. The statute cost the Polish taxpayers over $25 million annually. Kwasniewski calls for the opening of a debate on evidence-based drug policies in Poland's neighboring countries in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine and Russia where a HIV epidemic is alarmingly fast growing. But Ukraine and Russia are not alone in having ineffective and overly harsh drug policies. A year ago, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union warned the international community that the national government of Hungary was planning to withdraw from its progressive and well-balanced drug strategy, adopting instead the unattainable goal of a drug-free country. First steps have already been taken, with harm reduction programs being closed down due to a lack of state funding. Evidence on effective drug policy is vast compared to what the signees of the International Opium Convention had at their disposal in 1912. It's time now, a century later, to apply this evidence, eschew ideology and learn from success stories like the Czech Republic.]]> Online Debate Breaks Global Drug Policy Reform Taboo tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1353227 2012-03-16T14:13:26-04:00 2012-05-16T05:12:01-04:00 Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kasia-malinowskasempruch/ Global Commission on Drug Policy called for an open debate on the global war on drugs. On Tuesday night, they went a long way to achieving this objective. A live debate streamed via YouTube entitled 'It's Time to End the War on Drugs' was watched by millions over the world. This pioneering method of engagement on social and political issues has given the drug war debate a global audience that was unthinkable a few years ago. Non-governmental organisations and prominent individuals have tirelessly worked to propel this once marginal debate into the public realm. In doing so, they have garnered unprecedented public support and raised the issue on the global political agenda. An impressive line-up of public figures advocated for global drug policy reform-at King's Hall in London and via video-link at 'Google hangouts' across the globe- including Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil, Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico and Sir Richard Branson. They represent an eclectic mix of professional backgrounds: former heads of state, businessmen, journalists. It points to the mainstreaming of the movement and its increasingly diverse support base. Specialist NGOs are now working together with key international players, to strategically push for change. The debate was opened with a statement from current President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, whose potential influence as a sitting head of state advocating for an open debate on this issue should not be underestimated. Santos said "It's time for an in-depth discussion on this issue. All, I repeat, all the options must be considered. A rigorous, evidence-based discussion is needed on the costs and benefits of the alternatives, which should be led by scientists and experts." Experts in support of the motion proceeded to eloquently present the arguments in favour of an end to the war on drugs and the alternatives to failed prohibitionist policies. They argued that the war on drugs is a waste of public funds, which has not achieved its aims of reducing supply of, and demand for, illicit substances. The war on drugs is in fact a war on drug users, filling prisons with those who have not committed violent offences and fuelling an HIV pandemic by failing to provide adequate health services to those in need. Alternative policy approaches, such as decriminalization in Portugal, were highlighted as experiments with legal reforms that have reduced problematic drug use and drastically curbed HIV transmission amongst people who inject drugs. The online audience did not take much persuading, with 92% of online voters supporting the motion in the pre-debate poll. This nonetheless increased to 95% at the end of the debate. These figures are echoed in the results of surveys commissioned by Richard Branson prior to the debate, which found that 91% of those surveyed wanted an end to the war on drugs. This resounding support gives a clear mandate to the movement to influence political will for reform. Former President of Brazil and Chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, said "There is a clear rise in public perception on the flaws of the current approach to deal with drugs in our society. We can no longer afford the levels of violence in Mexico, Brazil, Central America and West Africa, the trillions of dollars spent on this endless war and the obstacles it presents to harm reduction policies. It is about time that the UN and politicians in office engage on a constructive debate towards decriminalisation, regulation and public health programs that may reduce violence whilst preventing and relieving the suffering of drug abusers." This debate has achieved the global platform it deserves. The support base of the reform movement is increasingly broad and influential. The next steps are to seize this momentum, and urge governments and multilateral institutions to let go of failed prohibitionist approaches and replace them with drug policies grounded in science, health, security and human rights.]]>


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Was told, in order to change the spark plugs/wires, that two bolts have to be removed in order to slide engine forward, to access the back ones. Is my engine going to fall, without something to hold it up during this process?
by lbarlow in Fort Sill, OK on April 06, 2014

subset: commoncrawl


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Please select your region.
24-bit/96kHz USB Audio Interface & MIDI Keyboard Controller
A.No. When a plug is connected to the headphones jack on the PCR-A30/PC-80, the sound from the internal speakers is muted.
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Copyright © 1999-2014 Roland Corporation. All Rights Reserved.


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Along with gunboats, opium, slaves and treaties, the Christian Bible became a defining symbol of European expansion. The underlying purpose of this volume is to trace how the Christian Bible, the ur text of European culture, as Stephen Prickett calls it, has been transmitted, received, appropriated and even subverted by Third World people. It narrates the arrival of the Bible in precolonial days, through to its appropriation in the postcolonial context, both by the colonizer and colonized.
Some of the organizing terms in the volume may cause uneasiness and anxiety, hence they need elaboration and explanation. Firstly, the use of 'Third World' in the title: ever since the term gained currency in the public domain, invigorating discussions have been going on regarding its value and limitation. It was introduced by the French economist and demographer, Alfred Sauvy. His intention was to bring out two aspects – the idea of exclusion, and the aspiration of Third World people. He saw in that class of commoners the Third Estate of the French Revolution, which not only suggested exclusion but also stood for the idea of revolutionary potential. However, Sauvy did not see the Third Estate as being in a numerical hierarchy, below the French aristocracy and the clergy, but as being 'excluded from its proper role in the world by two other worlds'.1 His contention was that 'the Third World has, like the Third Estate, been ignored and despised and it too wants to be something'.2____________________


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Boys Crafts
Boys will be boys no matter what they say and these Boys Crafts are sure to stir their imagination. Dad is just a big boy too so let him join in the crafting fun. I'm sure the girls will love them too!
Samauri Paper Plate Helmet
Make this Samurai Paper Plate Helmet as a teaching tool
Dad's Eyeglass Holder
This Eyeglass Holder is a gift that Dad will appreciate
Paper Airplane Target
Dad's are really little boys in big kid's clothing so
Melted Crayon Beetle Window Hanger
Bugs may be creepy crawly, but these Bug Window Hangers
Wiggly Worms
Turn an ordinary pencil into a crafty masterpiece and watch
Jumping Frogs
The kids will really enjoy making these frogs leap up
Bugged Out
Springtime is the time for all the little creatures to
Recycled Tin Can Robot
This quirky little robot was made from odds and ends
Australian Bolo Tie
Punched paper dots are the paint for this original bolo
Eyeball Yo Yo
Yucky… but funny! Start those eyeballs spinning for lots of
Football Favor Holders
Get ready for a great football themed party with these
Frankenstein Crown
Frankenstein is always a favorite character for Halloween. This Frankenstein
Super Hero Mask
Who doesn't want to be a Super Hero! This Super
Freezer Paper Stencil
This project was contributed by Jaime Mitchell of Little Bird
Police Officers Hat
Acknowledge the work of our civil servants by making and
Stained Glass Snake
Snakes are part of our natural surroundings. Many of them


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Young Writers in Queens: 'I Am a Pencil'
NPR's Melissa Block talks with Sam Swope, author of I Am a Pencil, a book based on his work with students from 21 countries on creative writing projects. It started as a 10-day writing workshop with Queens third graders and became a three-year project.
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Singapore has three of the world's top 100 business schools and so does Hong Kong, according to The Economist.
INSEAD, which has campuses in both France and Singapore, is ranked 23rd. Singapore's Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Business School is 71st and National University of Singapore's NUS Business School is 89th.
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's School of Business and Management is ranked 30th, University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Business and Economics is 38th and Chinese University of Hong Kong is 78th.
Australia has four business schools in the top 100: University of Melbourne's Melbourne Business School (17th), Macquarie Graduate School of Management (55th) Monash University (59th) and Curtin University Graduate School of Business (93rd).
The Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) is ranked 99th.
The Economist rankings are possibly more useful than the Times Higher Education-QS university rankings for two reasons:
- The THE-QS university rankings boost the rankings of some universities such as the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University by including categories like "international student score" and "international faculty score" in which they get 100 out of 100 and which have nothing to do with academics. In fact, they do worse than lower ranked universities in their "citations score" for quality of research, as I mentioned in an earlier post.
- The Economist rankings, on the other hand, are based on criteria directly related to education and job prospects. The business schools are evaluated on four counts:
- Open new career opportunities
- Personal development and work experience
- Increase salary
- Potential to network
The Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), for example, is ranked fourth in opening new career opportunities. Monash University is ranked first in personal development and work experience. Two Hong Kong business schools are also ranked in the top 10 in that category: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's School of Business and Management is third and University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Business and Economics eighth.
Here are the top 100 business schools as ranked by The Economist:
1 IESE Business School – University of Navarra Spain
2 IMD – International Institute for Management Development Switzerland
3 California at Berkeley, University of – Haas School of Business United States
4 Chicago, University of – Booth School of Business United States
5 Harvard Business School United States
6 Dartmouth College – Tuck School of Business United States
7 Stanford Graduate School of Business United States
8 London Business School Britain
9 Pennsylvania, University of – Wharton School United States
10 Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School Belgium


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Ellen and Kelley Monteith of Amarillo announce the engagement of their daughter, Kandi, to Bryan Kempf.
Kempf is the son of Susie and Scott Kempf of Amarillo.
The couple plan to be wed Sept. 25 at Westview Christian Church.
Amarillo Globe-News, Aug. 31, 2004
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Lane v. Pueblo of Santa Rosa
Annotate this Case
- Syllabus
- Case
U.S. Supreme Court
Lane v. Pueblo of Santa Rosa, 249 U.S. 110 (1919)
Lane v. Pueblo of Santa Rosa
No. 197
Argued January 29, 1919
Decided March 3, 1919
The Pueblo of Santa Rosa is a legal entity, with capacity to maintain a suit to protect its rights in land claimed by it as a grantee under the laws of Spain and Mexico. P. 249 U. S. 112. Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 5 Pet. 1, distinguished.
This status of the Pueblo, if it did not previously exist, resulted from a law of the Territory of New Mexico, and from acts of Congress extending the laws of that territory over the region acquired by the Gadsden Treaty, and over the Territory of Arizona, when the latter was organized, and it was not affected by the creation of the State of Arizona. Id.
Assuming that these Indians are wards of the government, that fact would not affect the capacity of the Pueblo to sue in the District of Columbia, to restrain the Secretary of the Interior and the Commissioner of the General Land Office from offering, listing, etc., under the public land laws, lands in Arizona to which the Pueblo allege perfect title under the laws of Spain and Mexico. P. 249 U. S. 113.
In such a suit, where the trial court dismissed the bill on defendants' motion, held, error for the court of appeals, finding the bill made a case for the relief sought, to award a permanent injunction, for defendants were entitled to answer to the merits as if their motion had been overruled originally. P. 249 U. S. 114.
46 App.D.C. 411 reversed.
The case is stated in the opinion.
Disclaimer: Official Supreme Court case law is only found in the print version of the United States Reports. Justia case law is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect current legal developments, verdicts or settlements. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or information linked to from this site. Please check official sources.


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Adele Marchena Walker, 75, wife of Bossier City Mayor Lorenz Walker died at the couple's Bossier City home Wednesday evening following a lengthy illness.
Mrs. Walker was preceeded in death by one son, William "Lance" Walker. In addition to Mayor Walker, she is survived by one daughter, Linda Walker.
A private ceremony will be arranged for Mrs. Walker in the coming days. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
Adele Walker passed away on Wednesday evening.
We are told she had been under hospice care at the time of her passing.
Funeral services are being planned. We will bring you the details once they are finalized.
Thoughts and prayers go out to the Walker family on this day.
Copyright 2016 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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About All-City Junior Tennis 2015-16
All-City Junior Tennis offers your child the finest tennis coaches at excellent indoor and outdoor facilities, and a door-to-door transportation system. The result is a year-round, easily accessible, well supervised development program for children. Our programs include instruction, practice, competition, and special events which are designed to be fun for new and recreational players, as well as to motivate and train serious tournament players.
Since we started at Stadium Tennis Center in 1970, we have developed hundreds of ranked players and thousands of lifetime players. Let us help your children "Get in the Game".
Program Directors
Gordon Kent is the General Manager of Roosevelt Island Racquet Club and was the Tennis Director of Stadium Tennis Center from 1979-97. He owned and directed New England Tennis Camp from 1991-2010. Gordon brings over 25 years of teaching experience with every level of junior from beginner through tournament competitor. One of the finest coaches in the East, his programs each year attract hundreds of juniors. Gordon was named "Pro of the Year" for the USPTR, Eastern Division in 1989. In 1992 he received the same award from the USPTA, Eastern Division. In 1986 he received the USTA / USPTR "Public Service Award" for outstanding contributions to tennis development. Gordon is a past chairman of the Junior Competition Committee for USTA – Eastern. He has been at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club since 1997.
Xavier Luna is the Director of Junior Tennis for the Advantage All-City Junior Tennis Programs. Xavier has over 30 years experience in tennis, commencing as a ranked junior. He was the Director of Junior Programs at Stadium Racquet Club, the owner and founder of Metro Tennis Academy, and has held many other positions in the tennis industry. Xavier inspires players with his love of tennis and possesses the professional skills to keep campers returning year after year to the All-City Junior Tennis Programs.
Carole Wright has been running programs for children for over 25 years. She is one of of the best women tennis players to come from New York. She was twice the National Indoor Women's Champion, the Mixed Doubles Indoor Champion, and the Canadian Women's Singles Indoor Champion. Carole has been at RIRC since 1993.
Dates and Tuition – 2015-16
Classes in the Basic Junior Program are offered in 1, 1 1/2, and 2 hour units, once weekly, in three trimesters. A student / teacher ratio of 4:1 is strictly maintained.
|Fall Term:
|Thursday, September 17 – Saturday, December 19 (13 weeks) with no classes Thursday, November 26 – Saturday, November 28
|Winter Term:
|Monday, January 4 – Saturday, March 19 (11 weeks)
|Spring Term:
|Monday, March 21 – Monday, June 13 (12 weeks) with no classes on Monday, May 30
Class Times: After school during the week and on Saturdays
|1 hour classes:
|$975 for the 13 week term, $900 for the 12 week term, and $825 for the 11 week term
|1 1/2 hour classes:
|$1465 for the 13 week term, $1350 for the 12 week term, and $1240 for the 11 week term
|2 hour classes:
|$1950 for the 13 week term, $1800 for the 12 week term, and $1650 for the 11 week term
Match Play
Match Play sessions are scheduled on Fridays from 6-8PM and are supervised by a member of our professional staff. The cost is $910 for the 13 week term, $840 for the 12 week term, and $770 for the 11 week term. You can also pay for match play on a weekly basis at the rate of $75 per match.
Door to door transportation is available for weekday and some weekend classes at an additional cost of $520 for the 13 week term, $480 for the 12 week term, and $440 for the 11 week term.
Tryouts and Enrollment
In order to insure proper placement in classes, each new student must be evaluated. Tryouts are conducted personally by Gordon Kent, Carole Wright, and their staff and are scheduled starting on August 31 on weekdays from 4-7PM, Saturdays from Noon – 4PM, or by special appointment. Call Gordon Kent or Dave Gilbert at 212.935.0250 to make an appointment for a tryout.
Children are placed in classes based on the following criteria:
Skill Level – players within a group must be at similar levels
Age – generally, a class is most successful when players are near the same age
Location – if a child needs transportation, logistics of pick-up and drop-off become a significant issue in class placement
Placing a child in a suitable class is crucial to a positive experience. We cannot always find classes at every level at any given time. Accordingly, tryouts are essential to the enrollment process. We need as much information about the applicant as possible. Available time, playing experience, and transportation needs are very important. Please supply this information in the appropriate spaces on the application. A deposit of $400 is required with the balance due two weeks before the session begins. Delinquent accounts will be charged interest at the rate of 1 1/2% per month. While we attempt to find make-ups for missed classes, make-ups are not guaranteed and refunds are not given.
Holiday Camps
We offer Holiday Camps for ages 6-17 during the December and Spring vacations. On court time is divided between instruction, drills, competitive games, and match play. There is a 15 minute break daily for snacks. The hours of the program are 12-4PM daily except for Wednesdays when the hours are 1-5PM. A 5:1 student to teacher ratio is strictly maintained.
|December 21-24 and December 28-31. (No program on December 25 and January 1)
March 21-25, March 28 – April 1, and April 25-29
|$725 per five day week. $580 per four day week
|$200 per five day week. $160 per four day week
Note that students may also attend the Holiday Camp on a daily basis. Fees for Tuition and Transportation are pro-rated.
RIRC Membership Benefit
Members of the Junior Program receive full Roosevelt Island Racquet Club membership benefits for the period of time they are enrolled in the Junior Program. This means member prices on court rentals and private lessons with two week in advance reservation privileges.
For Information
Gordon Kent at email@example.com or by telephone at 212.935.0250 ext 25
David Gilbert at email@example.com or by telephone at 212.935.0250 ext 19
Xavier Luna at firstname.lastname@example.com or by telephone at 212.935.0250
Carole Wright at 212.935.0250 ext 16


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|Boxing Champions | Boxing Schedule | Boxing Video | Boxing History | Pound For Pound | Lounge | The Wire | Arcade
Interim Champion
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 673
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Rep Power: 10
Points: 266,576.10
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 266,576.10
Had Marciano not retired would Patterson have become champion?
I'd say it had been highly unlikely as his glass jaw would most likely succumb to the Rock's power...
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: En el Carajo
Posts: 22,518
Quoted: 40 Post(s)
Rep Power: 65
Points: 1,095,118.88
Bank: 9,994,508,056.52
Total Points: 9,995,603,175.40
i think he probably would have dethroned rocky, but gotten ktfo in the rematch.
Undisputed Champion
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,196
Quoted: 114 Post(s)
Rep Power: 12
Points: 5,200,594,652.57
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 5,200,594,652.57
I agree withn you
Gonna be more suspicious
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 22,223
Quoted: 341 Post(s)
Rep Power: 88
Points: 11,280,051,389,154.10
Bank: 511,183,695,646,953,984.00
Total Points: 511,194,975,698,343,168.00
Patterson would have been kept far away from Marciano. Everyone (including me) liked Floyd, but he was probably the most protected heavyweight champion ever.
Interim Champion
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 673
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Rep Power: 10
Points: 266,576.10
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 266,576.10
Mexico = GOAT :mexico1:
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,664
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Rep Power: 0
Points: 5,039,077.14
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 5,039,077.14
I think Patterson could match Marciano in power and skill, but somewhere over the 15 rds Floyds chin fails him and he gets KTFO with the fight even or Patterson slightly ahead
Gonna be more suspicious
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 22,223
Quoted: 341 Post(s)
Rep Power: 88
Points: 11,280,051,389,154.10
Bank: 511,183,695,646,953,984.00
Total Points: 511,194,975,698,343,168.00
I once asked Patterson on a call in TV show if he regretted not getting to fight Marciano. Without even hesitating, he plainly said "no". True story.
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,460
Quoted: 171 Post(s)
Rep Power: 18
Points: 214,050,116,329.26
Bank: 1,962,819,871,308.80
Total Points: 2,176,869,987,638.06
i think the likely scenario is a rehash of the walcott fight, Floyd boxes his way to an early lead but at some point the Rock catches him and its lights out. i don't see Rocky doing a Liston to him. BUT having said that a young prime Floyd v an aging Rock is no certain thing and it is possible that Floyd would have handed Rocky his first loss - i just don't think its likely.
Undisputed Champion
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,628
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Rep Power: 21
Points: 10,030,083,303.08
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 10,030,083,303.08
After watching Archie Moore give Marciano hell in the Rock's final fight. Who honestly would have predicted Patterson's masterful display against Moore to win the title? By KO too! The guy was ludicruously quick.
If the fight hadn't actually happened how would a poll '1956 Archie Moore vs Floyd Patterson who wins?' go down in these parts? I think most would pick Archie and probably by KO. Floyd's chances at head to head matches are often overlooked due to his less than stellar chin......but it didn't always let him down.
Patterson could be quite superb at times and a victory over the Rocky that met Moore wouldn't be by any means ridiculous.
I'd put my money on the Rock pulling off a late/behind on points victory in 1956. But an upset wouldn't be a huge surprise......
Days Of Glory
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SCOTLAND
Age: 31
Posts: 15,581
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Rep Power: 57
Points: 200,112,984,862,752.84
Bank: 3,119,619,477,064.69
Total Points: 203,232,604,339,817.53
I like Marciano to knock Patterson out. Floyd would have a chance with his insane speed and his skills but ultimately i see Rocky closing the ring down on Floyd and knocking him silly with a big right hand or two fisted attack. Floyd's chin would let him down im afraid. Patterson had Power too though and as solid as Marciano was i could see him hitting the floor early on but he'd get up and put it on the rabbit
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c-a-s-s-i 4 years 45 weeks
why hasn't there been new subjects?
Ksenia-Bradner 5 years 34 weeks
At lot of these looks don't look like they come out of a fairytale as the group is called...
aynoor 5 years 41 weeks
i loved this group and i wanna to be a member<3
Ariaanda 5 years 44 weeks
Tori Amos - Sorta Fairytale
RemChic 7 years 4 weeks
this sounds so fun!! cant wait to start =)
binky 7 years 4 weeks
Cool idea! I can't wait for the weekly challenges!
Starlet-Shine 7 years 4 weeks
yay! this will be fun :)
dawnglass1 7 years 4 weeks
This is such a creative topic! I'm sure there will be plenty of good looks.


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How do I view Discussions as a student?
Canvas recently introduced a new page design called the New Canvas User Interface (UI). Depending on your Canvas view, your page design may vary from the images shown in this lesson. However, the functionality and location of the components remain the same.
The Discussion Index page allows you to view all the discussions within a course.
Note: Your instructor may choose to hide the Discussions link in Course Navigation. If the Discussions link is not available, you can still access Discussions through other areas of Canvas.
View Discussions
Discussions are organized into three main areas.
Discussions. These are current discussions within the course. Discussions are ordered by most recent activity. You will only see this section heading if there are discussions within this section.
Pinned Discussions. These are discussions that your instructor wants you to pay specific attention to and will appear at the top of the Discussions page. You will only see this section heading if there are discussions within this section as designated by your instructor.
Closed for Comments. These discussions have been manually closed for comments, or the discussion is past the available from/until date. These are discussions that are only available in a read-only state and are ordered by most recent activity. You will always see this section heading, even if there are no discussions within this section.
View Individual Discussion
Each discussion displays whether or not it is a graded discussion [1], the name of the discussion [2], the date of the last discussion post [3], any availability dates for the discussion [4], the due date (if any) [5], whether or not you are subscribed to the discussion [6], and the number of unread/total posts in the discussion [7].
There will also be a peer review icon in the front of the discussion if a graded discussions has been assigned peer reviews.
View Availability Dates
The first dates you may see are called availability dates. Sometimes your instructor only wants you to submit a discussion during a specified date range, so the available dates are the range of time that the discussion is accessible to you.
- If the discussion does not have a date listed, the discussion is open; you can reply to the discussion at any time during your course.
- If the discussion says Available until [date], you can reply to the discussion until the specified date.
- If the discussion says Not Available Until [date], the discussion is locked until until the specified date.
- If the discussion is in the Closed for Comments section, the discussion cannot accept submissions.
Note: If a date does not include a time, the listed date defaults to 12 am. Therefore, the last day for the discussion is the full day before the listed date. For instance, if a discussion is Available until March 29, you can access the discussion until March 28 at 11:59 pm.
View Due Dates
The second set of dates are the Due dates [1] for each respective discussion. However, due dates only apply to graded discussions. Any replies to discussions after the due date are marked as late; some instructors may deduct points for late replies. You can still reply to late discussion before the Available until date.
Please be aware that the Due date may be before or on the Available date.
Due dates also include a time [2]. If your instructor does not set a specific time, the graded discussion defaults to 11:59 pm, Canvas does not account for seconds in the due date, so for instance, a due time of 11:59 pm means the graded discussion is marked late at 11:59:01 pm.
Filter Discussions
There are a few ways to filter Discussions:
- Search for a discussion by typing a discussion title, a user name, or a keyword in the Search title, body, or author field.
- View only unread discussions by clicking the Unread button.
- View graded discussions by clicking the Assignments button.
- Start a new discussion by clicking the Add Discussion button. (Note: Some instructors may choose to disable this option.)
- Change the discussions settings by clicking the Settings icon. (Note: Some instructors may choose to disable this option.)
View Discussion Details
To view the details of a discussion, click the name of the discussion.
View Open Discussion
When a discussion is available for participation, you can view the Reply field beneath the discussion topic.


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Things to know: Garland ISD passes $454 million 2015-16 budget
The Garland school district's $453.8 million budget for 2015-16 passed this week. Here are the highlights:
Taxes are going up: There's a 10-cent per $100 valuation tax increase tied to the November 2014 passage of a $455 million bond package. Garland ISD previously had the second-lowest tax rate among 16 districts that tax in Dallas County; the bond will bring that closer to the midpoint.
The hit is actually a little deeper: As property values around the district continue to escalate, the effective increase is 16.7 cents per $100 valuation. The tax bill for the owner of a $100,000 home will be $193.30 higher in the coming year.
What you're paying for: The initial projects from the bond package are in motion. Dirt is moving on upgrades to high school baseball and softball fields. Schematic designs have been finished on the natatorium and career and technology education center. Phase I of providing secured vestibules at entrances of campuses has started with staff meetings with campus-level officials.
The new standard: Starting teacher pay is now $50,000, a mark surpassed this year by neighboring Mesquite ISD. The budget included a 2.5 percent raise on the midpoint for all Garland ISD staff. The seventh raise for district employees since 2008 will be reflected in September paychecks.
Forever hold your peace: Nobody spoke at the public comments portion of the board meeting before the vote to approve the budget. The bond carried with 62 percent approval.


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BF Goodrich 56768 - BF Goodrich Traction T/A Tires
Representative Image
Product images may differ from actual product appearance.
BF Goodrich 56768 Details
16" Wheel Diameter
Tire Section Width on
Measuring Wheel Width*:
9.7" on 8.5"
Tire Overall Diameter:
26.1" Tire Tread Depth
10 Wheel Diameter:
16" Required
Wheel Width:
6.5"-8.5" Revolutions per Mile
at 45-MPH:
797 Max Load (lbs@psi):
*NOTE: Section width varies approximately 0.2'' (5mm) for every 0.5'' change in wheel width.
BF Goodrich Traction T/A Tires
Designed to provide more all-season grip for performance-oriented sport coupes and touring sedans, BFGoodrich Traction T/A tires have all of the features that you want, at a price that you can afford. A premium high-silica tread compound provides exceptional grip without sacrificing tire life, and a racing-derived tread profile provides a flatter footprint for maximum acceleration, cornering, and braking in all weather conditions. ETEC tire construction maximizes the tread contact patch during high-speed conditions, while providing excellent strength and a smooth ride. Lastly, the BFGoodrich Traction T/A tires' reinforced sidewalls with g-Wedge stabilizers provide crisp handling, and a specially engineered bead optimizes mounting, while reducing road noise and vibration.Features:
Superior Durability
Long, even wear with an enhanced tread design
Excellent Traction
Perfect for dry, wet and snowy conditions thanks to a premium tread compound
Crisp Steering Response
Features g-Wedge sidewall stabilizer and rigid shoulder blocks
ETEC System (Equal TEnsion Containment System) Filament Reinforcement
Provides excellent strength and maintains maximum tread contact, even in high-speed conditions
Directional Tread Pattern
Usually found only in high-performance and racing tires; it helps increase water evacuation for improved wet traction


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|product name: Lancome Advanced Regenerating and Repairing Night Care (50ml)
|item no.: 106519812001
|brand: Lancome
|ative from: 2013-08-06 00:00:00
|product size: 50 ml
|function: Anti-oxidizingNourishing
|category: Night Cream
Lancome ABSOLUE NUIT PRECIOUS CELLS Advanced Regenerating and Repairing Night Care offers advanced nighttime replenishment.
Pro-Xylane, an exceptional molecule to restore moisture deep in skin structure
N-Stimuline fosters natural recovery process to make skin look rested & luminous
ßio-Network with wild yam, soy, sea algae & barley to enhance rejuvenation
By morning, skin appears youthful, firm & radiant
Within weeks, give a clearer complexion & smoother, even-textured skin
Pat gently around your face every night.
mature skin / all skin type


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The Chameleon State: Global Culture and Policy Shifts in Britain and Germany, 1914-1933
The Chameleon State: Global Culture and Policy Shifts in Britain and Germany, 1914-1933
The role of the state in capitalist societies has been a bone of considerable contention among scholars. The two founding fathers of sociology held radically opposing views on this subject which were reflected in the numerous debates over subsequent decades to this day. Yet, no answer has been found to the vexing question: on whose side is the state in capitalist societies? The author examines current theories and, comparing Britain and Germany, shows that they are unable to explain the contradictory social and industrial policies in these two countries during the twentieth century. Based on in-depth archival and secondary sources the author offers an alternative theoretical framework, one that focuses on the interactions among historical contingencies, the global cultural context, and political processes.
Tien-Lung Liu is Assistant Professor in Sociology at Emory University. He specializes in historical comparative sociology and is currently focussing on the comparative study of political economies of China and other Asian countries.


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New Android and Blackberry app translates signs, menus in 50 foreign languages: Ready for iPhone soon
Whether you're a world traveler or just someone who is fascinated by foreign languages, the newly-released TGPhoto app for Android and Blackberry smart phones may be just what you're looking for to help translate street signs, road signs, even restaurant menus.
Easy to use: Just center the words on any printed sign you want translated on your cell phone screen and take a photo. The app will then automatically translate the text for you within seconds. The display will shows both the original text and the translation.
Think of the possibilities. You're in Spain and come across a sign you don't understand. The app then teaches you the sign before you says "Beware of Dog" or "Danger: Toxic Chemicals." You'll be that much better off for it. This app can help you navigate airports, find bathrooms, even read a billboard that fascinates you.
And you don't have to travel far to make use of this app. You'll find plenty of foreign language signs in most major cities, including New York, San Francisco and Miami and throughout South Florida. Never be afraid to visit your favorite Cuban, Thai or Vietnamese restaurant again because you can't read the menu. The TGPhoto app will help you out.
TGPhoto was developed by Boca Raton-based software company LinguaSys and translates up to 50 languages to English, including the most useful – Spanish, Chinese and Japanese – as well as more exotic tongues like Dutch, Finnish, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Irish, Turkish, Swedish, Arabic and Armenian.
The cost: $12.99. It isn't cheap, but is useful. Still, hopefully the cost drops soon.
While LinguaSys launched the TGPhoto Translation Application this week for any Android device with a built-in camera, using Android 2.1 or above, or any Blackberry device using Blackberry 5.0 or greater, the company says it will be available for iPhone users soon.
For more information on the app visit www.linguasys.net.


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We offer family fun, in a clean, safe, well supervised environment. Offering Excitement for All Ages
We also offer After School Care & Summer Camp!
Parents are always welcome to watch their children free of charge.
The Fun Spot is perfect for group outings, private parties, and kids birthday parties anytime of the year!
Click on the thumbnail images to see the larger version
Print More Information
Coupons & Specials
The Fun Spot Coupons & Specials
Race in with Savings!
Buy one single admission & get the 2nd single admission to the same activity half off!
Expires: No expiration Date
(Only Valid for Single Admissions. Can not be used for Fun Day Passes or Combinations. Code 267.)
Call now (518) 792-8989
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Forest swamp by petiteartiste666Watch
©2012-2016 petiteartiste666
Gorgeous colours & textures!
sooo jealous
So peaceful, I like how you achieved a great balance adding cold and warm tones to this piece. Lovely.
It's beautiful!
I love swamps.
You just blew my mind (again)!
lovely work!
Great depth and light, as usual. Very nice.
This is absolutely stunning! I'm utterly in adoration with the way you made the trees Overall, I love the feel of this!
this is nice
I like the reflextions in the water and the birch woods in the background. Lovely
Oooh, pretty! I especially love the hint of sunlight on the right. Very nice work.


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Bottle Jacks
Automotive and motorcycle workshops often need to use lifting equipment, and one of the most important pieces of lifting equipment used in general automotive and motorcycle workshop is the bottle jack. This type of jack is extremely versatile, and can not only help lift vehicles, but can also aid in pushing vehicles around. These jacks are compact in size, but are designed and built for performance. At Harbor Freight, you'll find a variety of jacks that can exactly match your need. From lifting capacities that range from heavy duty four ton bottle jack to 30 ton bottle jack, you're sure to find something to suit your need.
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8 Item(s)