text:
Missing AWU scandal files "found"
Piers Akerman
–, Monday, November, 19, 2012, (5:02pm)
CRITICAL FILES relating to the growing AWU scandal and Prime Minister Julia Gillard's former boyfriend Bruce Wilson which had disappeared from the federal archive in Queensland have been found.
The files, which relate to attempts by the AWU to recover money paid to Wilson and his union associate Ralph Blewitt, have been recovered in Melbourne.
The files contain the claims made by former AWU boss and ALP power broker Bill Ludwig to the Industrial Registrar for the recovery of the money paid to the dodgy union officials.
On Saturday, The Weekend Australian revealed that the files lodged with the Industrial Relations Court's Queensland registry in 1995 by the former AWU national president had been lost in the past nine months.
This afternoon, deputy Opposition leader Julie Bishop called on the federal court to protect all files relating to the AWU and the AWU Reform Association which Gillard has said she set up as a slush fund for her former boyfriend.
"The federal court must conduct an immediate audit of all files relating to these matters and give them official protection to prevent any possible destruction of material that may be called on as evidence in future," Bishop told me.
Files are still missing in WA and NSW.
Among the files missing in NSW is the original affidavit made by former AWU official Ian Cambridge, a respected member of the industrial community, and the original conveyancing documents for a Melbourne property bought by Wilson in Blewitt's name at an auction which Gillard attended.
Gillard arranged for Labor law firm Slater & Gordon, where she was a partner, to provide a portion of the money for the mortgage on the property.
She also waived the firm's fee for work done by the firm on the conveyancing for Blewitt.
The Australian revealed last month that the file held by the State Records Office in Perth on the AWU Workplace Reform Association was empty.
It should contain key documents from 1992, when the association was registered by the West Australian government.
Slater & Gordon also has disclosed that it cannot find its file on the association.
The Federal Court documents were filed by Mr Ludwig in a bid to recover the large redundancies paid to Wilson and other AWU officials—including his bagman Blewitt and their friend Bill Telikostoglou, whom Gillard called "Bill the Greek".
According to retired lawyer and union historian Harry Nowicki, the files contain affidavits from key players and the details of the meetings in which the AWU became aware of fraudulent activity.
These include the national executive meeting of August 16, 1995, which voted to pay large redundancy cheques of AWU members' money.
The WA Premier, Colin Barnett said on Sunday he would seek an explanation from the State Records Office about the missing file of public documents relating to the union slush fund when he received a formal complaint. That was being prepared today.
Paperwork for the creation of the association set up by Gillard and allegedly used by her former boyfriend to plunder funds, was filed with the WA Commissioner for Corporate Affairs in 1992, and should be contained in the missing State Records Office file.
There is no evidence Ms Gillard knew about the alleged frauds and she has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In August she said she provided legal advice to set up the slush fund but knew nothing about its workings until 1995.
Federal Housing Minister Brendan O'Connor told the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday people were "sick of the smear" in relation to Ms Gillard's role in the AWU saga and attempted to smear Bishop by referring to her work for CSR on asbestos cases.
That attempt backfired however as Bishop actually ran two test cases for the industrial giant openly and transparently and rather than delaying the asbestos-related claims, ensured the speedy payment of hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to asbestos victims when the cases were concluded.
Have Your Say
Did they find the incriminating ones? He He He
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:13pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:56pm)
The files don't have to be themselves incriminating.
The demonstrated failure to disclose knowledge of the existence of an incorporated association- one registered by dishonest representations to government officials, and which could facilitate fraud, under the control of a person suspected of fraud and who was subsequently found to have committed fraud elsewhere- is incriminating enough.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (12:21am)
Spare me your legal mumbojumbo Leo. Actually Leo I don't mean that I have just always wanted to say it....working in an Aquarium limits my opportunities for legal discourse jokes. If what you say is true then Gillard maybe in a spot of bother.... BTW - Who would press charges? & I'm thinking a statute of limitations applies to this affair?
Assuming she had nothing to do with the dodgy stuff it is still a bad look for her ...When union guys are going down left right and centre Gillard rightly or wrongly looks like the one that got away with it. This matter needs to be resolved quickly because it has the potential to evolve into a nasty drawn out Nixonesque saga. This issue needs closure and soon.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (11:07am)
There are shades of the Nixon era Watergate coverup.
Julia Gillard had an ugly dilemma to resolve through 1995 and 1996. Had she acted properly she would have had no future in politics.
Her union official patrons lost any prospect of promoting Bruce Wilson to high political office, recognised that they would still need such a figure to protect a corrupt system of union-government patronage, and found after managing to contain the scandal that Julia Gillard was a survivor.
But putting Gillard in high office meant having a strategy to counter the effects of the inevitable increasing public knowledge of her part in the scandal and subsequent cover-ups.
The stratagem adopted is becoming increasingly obvious.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (05:45pm)
What a pathetic farce by a bunch of bozos making Slater and Gordon and Federal court look like some incompetent gits who can't keep files secure.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:14pm)
Leo, if the situation's dynamics have played out as you suggest then these present events were well anticipated and arse covering tactics have been deployed by all the players. We have seen this to a certain extent but not having all the facts makes it hard to get a bead on the whole thing. I am afraid we are in the realm of conspiracy theory nutters till someones tosses up their cookies. By the looks of things Gillard's role may have been exactly as she described - Dumb Ditz in the wrong place at the wrong time...with the wrong people. If such is the case then your theory may still hold and Gillard was saved simply because she did not need to be sacrificed to keep everything quiet. The other thing is every player now is going to 'positive frame' their role in the events that transpired 17 years ago....so objective facts are going to be in short supply. Very interesting to see how this all comes out in the wash.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:35pm)
Joan: Assuming they were stolen....but I agree, 3 sets of evidence going missing from 3 different lockups accidently is a reach. If it was a dirty tricks squad that pulled this off then they probably left a ton of evidence behind. The thing that may complicate matters is these 'thefts' may have happened years ago.
All this is tickling my mystery bone
Thu 22 Nov 12 (08:30am)
"Oh what a terrible web we weave when we set out to deceive", hey, Gingerella! Please keep up the impetus Piers!! Thanks.
The tumbrels are on their way, Julia.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:17pm)
Tue 20 Nov 12 (10:48am)
What's the bet that some of the papers from the file have been 'lost'. This entire Gillard-protecting racket has a slight smell to it....
Thank you Piers. One down, three to go. I want to see that W.A. file.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:19pm)
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:50am)
Probability of files gone missing:
Staler and Gordon 1 : 100
WA State Records 1: 1,000
NSW Federal court archives 1 : 10,000
Probability of all three sources missing 1 : 1,000,000,000
1 in a Billion means that something terribly incriminating is being covered up.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (09:22am)
To Trevor -
You forgot to include the probability Gillard is telling the truth ...
1 : 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
John Jay.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (09:39am)
Too many coincidences - three files go missing
all apertaining to the Wilson/Gillad slush fund.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (11:45am)
Yes Hmmm the coincidences tell the story.
This government is treating us a gormless mugs,
always has, always will.
Arrogant, entitled and will stoop to anything to retain
Tue 20 Nov 12 (06:00pm)
John Jay - the probabilty of Gillard telling the truth is 0.
With several files missing this has the distinct odour of a cover-up.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (08:34pm)
Piers and Bolt articles are excellent and I hope every Australian should read their articles. Gillard popularity vote should be -10 and I wonder how she got 52 percent. poor Tony, works very hard and I hope he is recognized.
We don't want any left leaning judges visiting the archive room at midnight.
The original court file should be immediately surrendered by the top judge to Piers Akerman to ensure that it can be fully copied and preserved in a high security safe under 24/7 armed guard.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:21pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:35pm)
Manning, left leaning, don't you mean Labor lawyers, chosen by Union Labor when vacancies need to be filled?
Wed 21 Nov 12 (11:22am)
Preferably they would be promoted directly from the union movement. Only one small problem though, it is assumed by everyone that you need a reasonably high IQ to be a Judge.
Well that's a good start, if they haven't been "doctored" in any way! But it doesn't mean that there will be an official investigation, does it, Piers?
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:27pm)
That is fine Piers, but in the story you say they are in Melbourne but we need more information.
Who has them? Who found them, why are they there?
How can files go missing from Queesnalnd and suddenly turn up?
Please tell.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:32pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:33pm)
Piers, we can take a wild guess at who in Melbourne would want to see what the files contained. However, what reassurance is there that these files and the ones still missing haven't been 'tampered' with?
Someone is desperate to squash the truth here. I think it is important to establish beyond any shadow of doubt WHO took the files and what they did with them after removing them.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:09pm)
Michelle perhaps?
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:51pm)
Piers, is this a court file you are talking about?
I'm not quite sure how a court file gets sent from Qld to Melbourne. [Maybe a Federal file?]
I've done court file inspections over a number of years, and it is usually a fairly formal process to obtain access. Usually it requires a formal written request and then an appointment to inspect in a designated court room and then if you want copies you are required to copy the documents in the room.
You can't simply remove the file.
There is something not quite right here.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:37pm)
You are 'Secret Squirrel'…
Tue 20 Nov 12 (08:51am)
Piers - I would have thought that NO documents filed in a court registry could leave the premises. If a solicitor, barrister or member of the general public requests access to them, surely that would be under supervision. You don't want the evidence going "walkies" after all. I do know from practical experience that you can request copies from the registry staff, but that is done by them, not you. Something really stinks here. Who gave permission for the original files lodged with the registry to go walk-a-about ???
Tue 20 Nov 12 (09:22am)
Julie Bishop put the cat among the pidgeons when she threatend involving the Police. I am presuming it is this threat that found the file.
I wonder where they have been?
Tue 20 Nov 12 (05:40pm)
Fingerprints on the files to identify persons who may have had the files while missing?
DeeDee, my preliminary investigation indicates the file went to Brisbane but unknown parties in Melbourne wanted to examine it and I am still trying to find out who, and when it went there - as to why, I'll leave that to the imagination. Why would anyone want to see it in Melbourne? Who in Melbourne would have wanted to see it?
Piers Akerman
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:42pm)
Files disappearing. Files reappearing. - WHAT'S GOING ON PIERS?!
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:36pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:39pm)
Sounds like the work of 'Allahpeanutbuttersandwhiches'. He's been missing for a while Gonk!
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:34am)
BEL, are you taking about Imadinnerjacket?
Tue 20 Nov 12 (08:18am)
People disappearing after the election.
People reappearing before the election.
Is this democracy?!
or is this ?cracy?!
Tue 20 Nov 12 (11:40am)
Ha, in all probability deejay, I reckon Big Bill Ludwig could well be a magician of the vanishing kind. He could make anything disappear… whallah???????
Perhaps Ms Gillard ha run to America seeking asylum from her mate Barack!!!!!
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:48pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (11:03pm)
Pres. Obama during the election campaign: "Don't boo.....Vote! Voting's the best revenge!"
I hope everyone that voted for this guy is proud of such a President - President Revenge.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (09:38am)
To Jim Common Sense Non Progressive -
Your quote ( "Don't boo! .. Vote! Voting is the best revenge!" ) is classic Leftism .. the using of human weakness to climb to power.
Leftism does not speak to what is noble in people.
Leftism exploits human weakness ..
The inner drone, spite, envy, naivety, ungrounded romanticism, etc. ..
John Jay.
Wee wee wee all the way home. Found their way back hey .... makes one wonder !
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:48pm)
Who gave the orders to hide those files?
If it was Gillard then she should be impeached.
Never before in the cavalcade of Australian politics have we had a PM who rings up editors and facilitates the sacking of journalists who happen write the inconvenient truth.
Never before have we had crucial documents which displease the PM suddenly 'go walk-about'.
Who is running this country...Al Capone.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:49pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:26pm)
Gillard has also given instructions to the Age to cease and desist all stories about her involvement in the AWU fraud. The order comes with an implied threat, or maybe a real one. Surely this qualifies as extortion and criminal in its own right.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:45pm)
Seaforth, its the unions & they still would have a list of available knee cappers.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:58pm)
Er, I don't think you can actually impeach someone under the Australian Constitution....
Mon 19 Nov 12 (11:15pm)
"Who is running this country....."
Answer: The Demonic Left Mob (Ann Coulter's words). They are envious, thieving, vengeful, angry, mean and immoral people at the top. They pretend that homosexuality is normal behaviour, but it is no more normal than incest or polygamy.
Al Capone was small fish compared to this mob. At least Capone did not set out to ruin a whole nation's economy and wealth.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (02:43am)
Never before in the cavalcade of Australian politics have we had a PM who rings up editors and facilitates the sacking of journalists who happen write the inconvenient truth.
Such actions (the ringing up that is) should NEVER occur in a democracy where the rule of law is supposed to exist, and to me undermines the whole concept of the Rule Of Law (unless the meaning of the Rule Of Law has changed).
If the editors have transgressed a law - then address it through the proper open legal channels.
What ever happened to injunctions to temporarily prevent publication until such time as it can be settled in a court of law?
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:37am)
Remember folks, in the Watergate Scandal it wasn't so much the actual burglary but the subsequent cover-up which caused the demise of Richard Nixon.
These files didn't just get up & walk out by themselves, who took them & at whose behest has yet to be answered. Presumably such unrecorded "removals" is a crime & must be investigated. The statute of limitations on the original (alleged) crimes may be passed, but the (ordered?) removal opens a whole new tin of worms.
I'd like to thing a verbal shellacking from the PM's office to shut down any further investigation won't have the same effect on our police as it did with certain media outlets. We live in interesting times indeed!
Tue 20 Nov 12 (08:23am)
Who is running this country...Al Capone.
When are you going to understand that we are not a democracy but a true mafiacracy.
Democracy means rule by the people.
Mafiacracy means rule by the mob.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (10:27pm)
Quote:- [Who is running this country...Al Capone. "]
Pretty close I think.
Apparently it was one guy in the tax office who brought Al Capone down.
Pity we don't have anyone in "our" tax office who has the guts to investigate the unions.
Probably already been warned of the consequences in there.
Might be up to a mass congregation of the people .
this is a nothing story. There is nothing wrong with the way the PM is running teh country. Look what she dd for climate change and womans rights. with our help we will open our borders and protect the vunerable. Lets forget about this non-story.
The Punch has been sensible and had to retract a story about this already.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:49pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:09pm)
Sarah Bath
Julia Gillard has set back the place of women in the public and political domain by half a century. That a Layba Gal-Quoda had to be imposed to get Layba women into parliament shows exactly what Gillard thinks of women, she believes that without a Quoda women can't get anywhere on their merits. How does that progress the perception of women as being equal.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:10pm)
Have you been listening to the ALP chat of the day Sarah. Can you tell me what she has done for Climate Change, women's rights and how will opening our borders help the vulnerable other than the opportunist ?
Please give me your wisdom.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:12pm)
Sarah, do us a favour and go into the office on the other side of the corridor and ask Julia what she plans on doing when she gets out.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:14pm)
Gillard does not represent me as a female. She is nothing like me and I have not liked the attacks on Abbott and in turn his family. - I thought very unfair and rude.
With regards to climate change she just gave us another headache.
Take the rose coloured glasses off.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:21pm)
ha ha ha
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:25pm)
hello, who is Tim and what Bath has be drawn. Do you have a link.
I am active on Pickerings page, smiths page and their facebook posts.
Julia has successfully implemented a tax on teh big polluters so that our future generations are protected by catastrophic climate change. She is the first woman PM and has stoop up to all wimen against mysogony and represents every fair minded woman.
I think you should be concentrating on what Abbot did and how he treats women.
Also how about reporting on some of our excellent policies.
Reply: If you don't know who Tim is and you don't know about his bath duties and if you think Gillard has achieved something beyond increasing the cost of energy and driving business off shore and if you can't spell misogyny and you think there is something about Abbott's treatment of women deserving of scrutiny, I suggest you go to a site where ignorance and lunacy are welcomed.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:29pm)
Here-in lies Australia's biggest problem.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:31pm)
So you said on Michael Smith's blog this arvo, Sarahbath1975.
And check out the use of the apostrophe.
Your punctuation hasn't improved between blogs.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:40pm)
If you believe Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, for that matter, are running this Nation well, then, in my opinion, you care nothing for Australia and her people. It is obvious that since 2007 this Nation has been rapidly going down the gurgler.
Julia Gillard does nothing for women's rights, in fact, she insults women with her LIES and her spiteful, personal attacks on the characters of decent Australians.
As for our Border Protection, she has trashed that completely.
Open Borders, you say. Well if all these people are vulnerable why is the Gillard Govt sending so many back to where they came from?
Why aren't they seeking refuge in the nearest country? Why are they coming in droves to Australia? Think about it.
Are you prepared to take responsibility for any attacks on home soil?
Julia Gillard is a disgrace and totally unfit for the position she negotiated and manipulated her way into. It would seem Julia Gillard can pull the wool over the eyes of some, but not all. The majority of Australians reject outright, her plan to turn OUR Australia into a socialistic style society.
Stand up for Australia!
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:41pm)
Sarah, if 1975 is your birth year you are past the age you can claim to be young and naive. Leave that rubbish to S H-Y. If you need to follow the Greens follow a mature adult like Larissa Waters.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:46pm)
Quality trolling Sarah. Well done.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:51pm)
The world hasn't warmed for 16 years. The British MET Office confirmed it .
All Juliar did was perpetuate the lie, something she's good at.
She adopted the Pacific Solution and made it harsher.
As for women's rights, she's put that back ten years with her blatant lies, abuse of power and sleazy back room deals.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:53pm)
Sarah Bath
Yes you do get around don't you? Firstly Sarah can you please write out 100 times "the" is written "the" not "teh" OK? that's for a start.
Then you can google "Cnut the Great" and have a read about what he found out 10 centuries ago vis a vis man-made climate change.
That you are Green is patently obvious, but does it wash off in the Bath?
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:02pm)
SB .. I suggest you "write\" no more, as the more you try to say, the more of a fool you make yourself.
Unread; illiterate; rusted on "Layborite"; who has been brainwashed by the Socialists, and who can't think for herself.
To ask "hello, who is Tim and what Bath has be drawn" sums up your intellect in one. Under what rock have you been hiding, not to know and understand that?
I suggest you grow up, even though your chronological age appears to be 37.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:05pm)
C'mon Folks, She's a Troll (plant). Look at the reaction she obtained.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:08pm)
Don't do it Sarah! It's a trap!
Shame, Cav! Her fingers will jumble up again, as well you know, and she'll end up on the Mamamia site. I couldn't wish that on my worst enemy.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:12pm)
Presuming your mother was married to your father, how do you feel about Julia Gillard saying all married women are prostitutes. Gillard really promotes the cause of women don't you think?
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:12pm)
Piers, you have my sympathy in having to deal with Sarah Bath. Sarah has gone rampant on Larry Pickering's Face Book - threatening all and sundry she will 'report them' because no one agrees with her views. She states she is from Fitzroy (Vic) and works in the Green's Office.
A really sad person.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:24pm)
Hey Sarah - isn't it typical with you lefties - can't spell - can't articulate - and can't think for one-self as you finger-read and quote from "the Punch". Your name makes me want to have a shower. Try and embrace your mind to the truth (or let me put it in terminology you will understand - "troof".
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:52pm)
Is Sarah a product of our " education revolution?"..........
In other words here is an indoctrinated uneducated puppet.
Are you sure she has a job?
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:21pm)
Sarah. Haven't I seen you somewhere before, I bet news 24 is your channel, repeats, over &over;& over or are at the forgetful age?
What has she done for women's rights except plenty of screaming, my life hasn't changed ?
Tim the slush puppy.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:40pm)
don't encourage the trolls -
look at all the replies she's had.
She's on centre stage and basking in the attention she has caused.
She's revelling in it.
Don't waste your Oxygen on "her" She's protected by her anonymity.
there is no intelligent there either
all trolls need is to" get your goat" and she has certainly achieved that
let's concentrate on how we are to rid ourselves of this phony who thinks she is our PM.
God spare me........
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:49pm)
This person SARAH BATH proudly posted on Michael Smith's blog that she CHOOSES NOT TO WORK and receives UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS courtesy of the government, ergo CENTRELINK, ergo THE TAXPAYER!
It's no wonder the country's going down the drain
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:51pm)
Sarah Bath is on Piers blog, what joke. Sarah is not her real name of course and she spends most of her time living on the hate pages. Sarah there is nothing right with the PM either, never has been and never will be. Once a union thug, always a union thug.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:59pm)
What has Gillard done for women's rights?
She has slashed the support payments for single mums, treating them as bludgers.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:10pm)
Caz you are such a one
You sense of humour makes me want to introduce you to Mrs Cav - on second thoughts the world is not ready for that -
Speaking of mammamia - have you seen the latest? Well it seems Ms Freedman's site will no longer be sponsored by whichever outlet sponsors it—they are not re-newing—apparently it's because they aren't getting enough bang for the rumoured $2,000 a week—and it seems that it's slim pickin's are far as new takers go. Shame, no really
I did sneak over there the other week disguised in Mrs Cav's Dolly Parton wig and high-heeled thongs but didn't linger longer than a mo for fear of brain-damage. You are a brave lass, Caz, I think the Sisters would be proud of you now, knowing what a champion of the good and the best you've turned out to be.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:16pm)
Catastrophic Climate change. You clearly are not familiar with the current state of affairs scientifically nor socio-politically. Dr Lovelock who effectively started the doom and gloom mentality has admitted that he was overly dramatic and the figures were extrapolated beyond the realms of probability.
So thanks for that.
Woman's rights.... MMM just how has she brought forward woman's rights? I really want to hear this.
She is leading us to another war after denying an audience with a man merely for his religion. But hey she is great for our country!
Find that rock sarah and crawl back under it.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:17pm)
I believe there are few choices as far as you are concerned Sarah:
1. You are Ms Gillard under a non de plume.
2. You are a blind rabid labor supporter.
3. You are mentally ill and can't be held responsible for your thoughts.
4. You are a comedian TRYING to be funny.
If I had to guess it would be option 3.
The labor party has had a litany of disasters, scandals and waste of our money. The next big disaster will be the NBN. Oh and what about the BILLIONS wasted on our so called border controls.
Please go and seek help NOW.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:18pm)
Jeez - and people think I'm the loopy one! I'm all for finding out what she's done for climate change myself (apart from contributing to it, like we all do).
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:21pm)
Sarah, if you are not a troll and just a young and naive someone deceived by ALP / Greens, I would like to tell you the truth about how Abbott treats women.
Abbott promotes women to the top jobs and supports them. His Deputy, Chief of Staff, many staff in his office and Head of the Health Department when he was Health Minister are all women. Many of them have been working with him for over a decade. When some were forced to leave as he lost his Health portfolio following Howard 2007 loss, many offered to return when he became Opposition Leader.
When he was Health Minister, he introduced the cervical cancer vaccinne and offered plenty of resources to support women with unwanted pregnancies to make an informd choice.
When he became Opposition Leader he is the first leader of a major political party in Australia to push for maternity leave scheme.
He ran up and down the stairs for 24 hours to raise awareness and funds for cervical cancer. He wears a pink singlet to run marathons for the mcGrath Foundation, raising funds and awareness for breast cancer. His pollie pedal raises funds for the Manly Women's Shelter and Carers Australia.
He supports his gay sister's succssful bid for the Sydney Council Election. He was the first family member to accept his sister's partner.
He has a wife, 3 sisters and 3 daughters in a loving family.
It really upsets me to see the reputation of such a good man being trashed by ALP's lies.
What makes me admire him even more is that despite the handbag hit squad taunting him, he never goes down the gutter with them.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:24pm)
Sarah Bath are you for real
or have you been asleep for the last 6-12months. Otherwise you are nit wit big times.
By the way do you know how to GOOGLE? If not give it a go as you will learn so much and start off with AWU SCANDAL!
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:45pm)
Sarah, you are so funny! I think you're messing with us… trouble is, there's no way back, so I guess the joke's on you! ;-
Mon 19 Nov 12 (09:46pm)
Sarah Bath you post two silly and bizarre comments. If your self esteem is so low that you look up to a serial liar and a bully street fighter as your hero , I can only feel. Pity for you.
Gillard has done more harm than good to women that have had to work hard to earn the respect and promotions based on merit and not because of favours for the sisterhood .
Gillard will never speak for me, I am offended and embarrassed by her and everything she stands for. She is a stained canvas!
Mon 19 Nov 12 (10:39pm)
Hi Sarah
Great to hear your views again. I have reminded you before and might remind you again about defamatory statements. These are statements that are factually untrue and may cause damage to someone's reputation. The emphasis is on the word 'fact'. Present people with facts and they may listen, otherwise you become the object of ridicule. Cheers
Mon 19 Nov 12 (11:21pm)
Sarah Bath needs to take a cold bath and wake up and smell the coffee! I'm sure she can enlighten us all by telling us how much global temps will fall due to Juliar's Anti-Democratic, draconian carbon (plant food) tax. Or has she crawled back under her rock in Balmain/Newtown??
Mon 19 Nov 12 (11:50pm)
How anyone can vote for a woman with no moral compass (perhaps being atheist can explain this) with her miriade of lies, re: her telling everyone she was loyal to Rudd the day before she stabbed him, re: there will be no carbon tax and then ridiculing the protestors as convoy of no consequence, re: committing adultery with two married with children and saying that prostitution in marriage is the transaction of sex in exchange for security! Not to mention her involvement in the AWU scandal and causing the sacking of two men because they dare to ask some sticky questions! What a disgrace of a woman let alone a PM!
Tue 20 Nov 12 (12:01am)
What!!! Which planet are you from?
Tue 20 Nov 12 (12:01am)
What!!! Which planet are you from?
Tue 20 Nov 12 (12:54am)
Come on all Just IGNORE Sarah Bath ......... don't give her the satisfaction of getting replies
Then she might realise her STUPID posts are not worth reasonable people's time to respond
Tue 20 Nov 12 (06:00am)
Sarah Bath???
Tue 20 Nov 12 (06:37am)
Its amazing how dumb some folk are and to think people like Sarah are free to roam the streets, scary. Or is she already in a padded cell and some one gave her computer to play with ?
Tue 20 Nov 12 (06:41am)
Come on guys and girls. Sarah is setting you up. Great comments on this Blog, but best to ignore this deliberate off topic crap.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:29am)
You're deranged .... an idiot Labor stooge ... but nonetheless deranged.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:44am)
It sounds like Sarah needs her plug pulled out, what a bloody brain dead imbecile she is. A typical labor supporter.
But she ain't no lady.
Lord Argyle
Tue 20 Nov 12 (08:18am)
Sarah Bath you are joking, surely you are. Nothing wrong with the way our nation is being mismanaged? Climate change (best you do some serious research as at Jonova Science website) and as for woman's rights, what has she done for women, the women I know cringe at the presentation of the PM, her past history, her lies, her lack of character, her using other people to climb the ladder and so on. Role model for young woman she certainly is not, not for any self respecting women.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (10:13am)
"There is nothing wrong with the way the PM is running teh country. "
It is our crooked system who is allowing the PM to behave like that and as long as the system will stay the same nothing will change.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (10:18am)
What's the atmosphere like on your planet Sarah? A lot of methane I'm guessing.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (10:40am)
Well guys, I think she has conned you into your scathing replies.
Just as Daniel (of the greens used to do and who we never hear from now) and crockfulfos##t who does it now.
Just as MaxR, BEL and Mike said, it's a set up (nobody, but nobody, could be so dumb as "SB"). Don't give her oxygen and she will go away.
The only positive is that it gives some an excuse to vent their frustrations.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (01:10pm)
I love you Sarah!
Tue 20 Nov 12 (01:34pm)
Srah, when did you arrive from Pixieland? If you really think Ms Gillard is running the country well then I will book a room for you in the Canberra Home for the Bewildered.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (02:31pm)
wow, never imagined so many brainless neocons here.
Julia Gillard has achieved world status on women worldwide. She like it or not, stands up for and represents EVERY woman on this planet.
- Larissa is a good member but not as active as SHY or Lee, both will most likely be in senior government ministries when with our help ALP are returned in a landslide in the next election.
-who cares about Cnut the Great". Have a read of the great Hugo Chavez.
- I am not a sad person. I am very happy with my beloved party and where we are heading in teh future.
-despite what MET says we are facing the prosepect of catastrophic climate change. Look at the prediction that sea levels will rise by 100m. I think that is catastrophic dont you?
- I choose not to work. So what. I would rather donate my time standing up for workers rights and against police aggression than contributing to some greedy corporation. Its my right So what?
Now most of Australia think Julia is doing a good job. Most think this spear is nothing that is designed our of desperation. Most are aware of Abbots past and the inappropriateness of his shadow ministry. Nost will support a future ALP Green coalition. remember we control ACT and we control teh senate. Look at whats happening around the world. Green policies are the future.
The only roadblock into achieving action on catatrophic climate change are the deniers who constantly spruik against this. That is why hopefully with our media inquiry we can ensure that such denialism is banned as well as those who promote homophobic views.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (03:18pm)
Did you mis-spell Cnut? She represents everyday women you say Sarah?
Survey… how many women here, or women you know, are over 50 and childless with over a half a million dollars in wages per year, have a live in hair dresser who earns over a quarter of a million per year, spends billions of other peoples money, is accountable to no one, doesn't answer anything honestly and flies 1st class everywhere she goes? WHAT… NO HANDS UP… C'MON, SURELY???
You are a first class numbnut, and I thought you were just pulling our right leg!!!!!
Tue 20 Nov 12 (03:20pm)
Hello Michelle Gratan aca Sarah Bath. Don't you think an 83 years old like you shuould be smelling roses by now.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (03:51pm)
Good heavens people can't you see that this is a poor simple soul who has been asleep for the last five years?
Either that or a troll from GetUp or the PM's office.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:43pm)
Sarah Bath
Sarah without meaning to be too hard on you it is quite obvious you are not at all well educated.
Apart from the atrocious spelling and lack of knowledge about current affairs you come across as one of Labors useful idiots.
"Always voted Labor and always will because they look after the working class "
People such as yourself are evident on Piers blog, Bolts blog and in any of the lefty columns ran in the Fairfax press.
It would not matter if Gillard was being investigated for murder or treason,you and your like minded drongos would still vote ALP .
Say no more
Tue 20 Nov 12 (07:58pm)
Folks, it is better to ignore a person like this, because not only does she enjoy annoying and angering everyone with her admiration and loyalty to her beloved Prime Minister, but she also passively accepts evil and is as much involved in it as she who helps to perpetrate it. False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. So the only good is knowledge, and the only evil is IGNORANCE.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (09:14pm)
Is Sarah Bath any relation to that poor Alene woman??
Perhaps it would be safer for Sarah to go back to swimming in The Punch.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (09:18pm)
I have a dream, a dream of a universe in which we might all safely say that we have no knowledge of Tim's Bath Duties.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (11:19pm)
I've been off line for a few days with PC problems and just logged back in. This ranting and irrational contribution from Sarah Bath, a complete and utter imbecile, makes coming here worthwhile, the drone just hasn't got a clue.
Dullard is protecting us from.........castastrophic climate change........does it get any whackier than that???
Wed 21 Nov 12 (06:41am)
Seems like Sarah Bath came down in the last shower.
She lives in Kookoo Land.
And these people are allowed to vote??
Wed 21 Nov 12 (12:39pm)
Sarah, you are no longer worried about this story. You are now of the opinion that the PM has done more than her share in running the country, protecting the vulnerable from all around the world, solving our climate change problem. Not to mention the enormous advancements in womens rights. Now with a seat on the UN Security Council she will probably stop the unrest in the Middle East. Should we be so bold as to ask any more from her ? Well maybe just one thing....CALL A BLOODY ELECTION!!!!!!!
Sarah, you are not the Bath drawn by Tim are you? Remind us how Gillard has altered the climate, please, and enlighten us about her women's rights action? All I remember is her protection of the grotesque Peter Slipper, her appointment of him as Speaker and his subsequent appointment to the foreign affairs committee, or are you implying she has apologized for driving industry offshore in the name of phony global warming and that she is not a Slipper supporter?
Piers Akerman
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:56pm)
Piers, amazing how they turned up once it had been let known someone else had copies.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:51pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (07:05pm)
Exactly what I thought, Bazza.
After it was announced that copies had been made of the originals, it would have become necessary to cook up some halfway plausible excuse for removing them , before returning them whence they came---so presumably that mea culpa is pending---'twill be interesting to see who takes the rap---and if that person is plausible as the removalist.
I think the comrades will be in overdrive now, trying to find some poor miserable public servant with something to hide on some other matter, who'll oblige by fessing up to taking the documents in the hope that his/her innocuous secret won't be subjected to Labor Inc spin, as happened to the woman who stood in Combet's way .
The question is did the person sign the documents out, and if not [ as certainly seems to be the case]---why not?
What could be a legitimate reason for taking such documents without permission?
Sounds like a Federal version of NSW Labor Inc .
The Drum panel are very nonchalant about it all of course, except for Tim Wilson.
'Not a great deal in it…I don't think she has anything to answer for', says Jacqueline Maley..
What's up with a few missing documents---missing from official archives and all relating to serious questions into the ethics, integrity and probity and possible corruption of a Prime Minister??
And Peter Lewis , the far Left Essential Pollster sneered, 'It's an off-Broadway scandal that in the US would be covered by 'Nutjob Weekly'---so we may have to be a bit sceptical of the answers his and other Left wing pollsters extract from voters.
Tim Wilson reminded the Lefties that it's actually quite a serious matter for Federal Court documents to go missing.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (08:43pm)
Isn't that the Truth
Tue 20 Nov 12 (09:46am)
Remarkable number of "coincidences" with this one Bazza
and truth.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (10:42am)
I wonder if this missing file business could stem from big red having a thought buble something along the lines of,"Who will save me from this troublesome priest". For cleric insert documents, give a thought to a whole host of would be red knights, to whom there is no wrong other than opposition to socialist thought, & perloining incriminating evidence is a snap. Gillard knows she is cats meat when the truth of this matter finaly are told. The ignomy of having done what she has & for it to be hanging over her head is an insight into this womans morality & it shows she is devoid of even a shred of it.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (10:50am)
Yes, but they've had time to concoct their story with lies and half-truths....watch as Gillard has a ready answer to every allegation.
Tue 20 Nov 12 (04:32pm)
Investigator ...... yes she has received extensive coaching and she has potential answers prepared for potential questions.
However she has a fundamental problem; she is not oversmart.
And she will trip herself up AGAIN.
Good example telling the joke of how her "guest" swallowed her contact lenses. Her guest happened to be a married man.
Once upon a time there were a number of files, and they went a long long way away and everybody in Labor lived happily ever after, now go to sleep children.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (05:55pm)
Good on you Piers. Well done. We are all salavating!
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:00pm)
Does anyone know if there are cameras at the exits of these State offices and courts? If it is difficult to remove the files, perhaps they are elsewhere in the labyrinth? I'm sure someone has thought of checking all other files in the proximity. Perhaps somebody in high office eg; Bernard Murphy?
I know, I know, I believe in Santa too.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:08pm)
All this has massive echoes of the in and outs of the Heiner Affair....
One wonders how many additional documents will be missing in its paper trail when the Carmody Inquiry opens it up in December 2012.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:08pm)
The really interesting thing is the WA Corporate Affairs file on the Incorporated Association. Was there no microfiche of the documents held? In days gone by before things were sent to the Archive Office they were put on microfilm for ease of retrieval and to avoid having to bring the documents in from the Archives.
Apparently nowadays everything is scanned and retained on technology that takes up as much space as a bee's privates. But in days gone by it was much more hands-on.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:20pm)
2013 promises to be an unforgettable year in the history of this country.
Labor has been exposed, the factional warlords, the corruption and the Mr Biggs who anoint the patsies.
Many cleanskins of the Labor idealogical divide believe that 2013 is the one and only opportunity to reform Labor. Get rid of the 'colorful characters', wipe the slate clean and build a foundation for a "true party of the people'.
That can only be done if Labor suffers a massive defeat in the election.
If Labor happens to slip back in after all that has transpired over the last three years then the unions would be embolden and would declare themselves 'untouchable'. They will point to the fact that their power has become entrenched and the country will forever stay in the palm of their soiled hands.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:33pm)
Totally off topic Piers, but still topical, from Larry Pickering and the Pickering Post:
"Don't hold your breath", was my immediate response on the day of Gillard's kneejerk response to child abuse. Gillard phoned Cardinal Pell before announcing a Royal Commission, not Sheik Saleem. How portentous.
Ninety five per cent agree with this Royal Commission. Surprise, surprise… let's take a poll on motherhood.
It's a no-brainer of a vote-winner Abbott had no choice but to immediately agree to but it's yet another expensive Gillard farce in the making. It cannot work unless it is focussed exclusively on our own home-grown, contemporary Euro religions. Is that fair?
If terms of reference expand beyond this then we open the gates of hell.
Are we to vilify priests yet ignore Islamic and Aboriginal leaders? Should the penal provisions of paedophilia exclude the teachings of Mohammed? Should child abuse exclude Aboriginal culture? Should it exclude the sexual mutilation of young girls? If so, should it also exclude the Jewish custom of sexually mutilating young boys?
Who has the wisdom of Solomon to draw a line in the potpourri of our multiculturalism? Not this mob, that's for sure.
There are many Aboriginal adherents to Islam due to early Afghan influence. Cameleers welded well with Aborigines, both cultures already espoused the sexual abuse of children.
Old Aboriginal men take young girls. Old Aboriginal women take young boys. Islamic men take both and can "legally" penetrate a girl at the age of nine. The practice of Mohammed no less! Where does this fit with Gillard's thought bubble of a Royal Commission?
Paedophilia is child abuse, child abuse is paedophilia. To try to grade types of either into categories will make a mockery of any Royal Commission and will serve only to disenfranchise thousands of abused children on the basis of their parents' ethnicity. That would be wrong but that is exactly what will happen.
Prepare for an avalanche of hitherto unheard of cases of child abuse that can't possibly be ignored.
A Royal Commission of this type simply can't work in a disparate multicultural environment. It is another opportunistic Gillard diversion that Abbott cannot afford to object to.
If it does go ahead it will become essentially a Catholic witch-hunt because it dare not step on Islamic or Aboriginal toes with this one. And that's what will render it futile.
Far better, cheaper and more productive to have State-based task forces to immediately react to the slightest whiff of child abuse in any culture. Legislate to identify what we as Australians understand "child abuse" to be. Currently there is no covenant.
I guess I'm one of the three per cent who disagrees with a Royal Commission. Not because of its intent but because of its unintended religious, ethnic and cultural collateral damage.
"Terms of Reference before Xmas", said the ALP's Gillard.
"No child will live in poverty by 1990", now who in the ALP said that?
- Larry Pickering
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:36pm)
Mon 19 Nov 12 (10:13pm)
Hi Jim - The concern for Aboriginal communities and child sexual abuse rife within them is so minor that there never was any scrutiny of the government which appointed a person now in jail for child sex offences as Minister overseeing a report into that very abuse he was guilty of.
They might have got away with claims of ignorance of this man's history, but we are still waiitng for an explanation as to why he remained as Minister for three months while known to be under police investigation for abusing under age boys with sex and drugs. What a shocking blight on our society, but let's go after the Church!
The business of documents is very pertinent, because they were very important in the prosecution of the above - but what do you do when you suspect that the police have copies of damning and incriminating documents? It is then hard to destroy or change documents, but there's another story we haven't heard yet which should have concerned those who are supposed to protect us from corruption.
Thanks, Jim, this was covered in my column Friday and by The Australian's Paul Kelly on Saturday, in fact we discussed the issue on Sky Agenda yesterday.
Piers Akerman
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:38pm)
The plot gets thicker. Hopefully Piers, you will be able to find out who transferred them and who requested the transfer. It's all going to end up in tears. Julie Bishop well done, it's about time a blowtorch was applied to this scandal.
Mon 19 Nov 12 (06:37pm)
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Piers Akerman
Piers has been one of The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph's best-read columnists since 1993. One of the nation's most respected journalists he has worked in New York, London, Washington and Los Angeles. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two daughters and enjoys a wide range of activities.
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text:
I was aware of religion growing up: I said grace at school; made a promise to G_d at Scouts; and attended a Sunday school because my cousin went.
In all honesty, all throughout my childhood and adolescence I never asked myself 'Is there a G_d?' The short answer to this is quite simple - I was to busy for religion and I couldn't be bothered wasting any of my time for something I cared so little for. My first dabble with anti-religion came in the form of a TV comedy called Father Ted; I learnt quite a bit about the Catholic faith from that show.
As an adult, I am critically aware of religion and the past fourteen years has highlighted the extremities people go to in the name of their deity. Dare to draw a picture of Allah? Make any anti-semitic comment online?
Having said that, my experiences with people of religion is rather mixed. I plan to blog about my experiences with these people and events over the next few months.
Were you indifferent to religion growing up?
Views: 255
I really appreciate your indifference for religion and the religious, and find it completely understandable how that indifference changes when it comes to more extreme practitioners.
I, myself, am a little more tilted. I have complete contempt for the more extreme religious people, and though I am indifferent to the passive religious people, I treat them with suspicion until I know them better. But that's just me, or more likely a cause of where I'm from.
I completely relate to this as an igtheist (ignostic). I simply don't have time for god and all other fantasies ... except in art and fiction. I refuse to engage. It frees up so much time.
Drawing pictures of Allah or making anti-semite comments is also a waste of time (unless it's in the name of art or fiction...and I know it's a blurry line).
We have so little precious free time.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Green Ink: IEA Goes Cap in Hand, Too
Bearish demand forecasts from the International Energy Agency pushed oil down for the second straight day, reports Bloomberg. The IEA figures rich-country demand growth will continue to slow, taking some heat out of oil markets—but a biofuels backlash could mean losing the equivalent of 1 million barrels of oil per day, Dow Jones Newswires report. And, hey, why not: The IEA also asked OPEC to see if it could find a way to maybe increase production, AP reports in the WSJ. Meanwhile, Energy Outlook explores the role of speculation in oil prices—if it's there, it works in two directions.
Sen. John McCain gave his much-awaited climate-change speech Monday, to very mixed reviews. At least the timing was good: The Mauna Loa observatory confirms that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are at their highest level in 650,000 years, reports the Guardian.
Jonah Goldberg asks the big question in the L.A. Times: How serious is the war against global warming? Drawing comparisons with tough choices made in the other war, he decries environmentalists' "Gitmoizing of Yucca Mountain" which makes it harder for nuclear power to stage a comeback. Or maybe it was the Yuccafication of Guantanamo which tied hands in the war on terror.
The WSJ edit page looks at New Zealand's soul-searching as it grapples with the cost of climate-change legislation. Australia knows the costs—and the budget, released yesterday. Aussies spend a record sum to start fighting climate change—including equal amounts for renewable energy and clean coal, in the Sydney Morning Herald. But cash alone won't do it for clean coal: Solve Climate notes BP's latest clean-coal departure in Australia because of a lack of suitable places to stick carbon long-term. At least coal still sells on the campaign trail. Reuters notes increasing coal-friendly rhetoric from senators Obama and Clinton in Kentucky and West Virginia.
Wired notes the DOE report on wind power's potential to provide 20% of U.S. electricity, an uphill but not impossible—or incredibly expensive—task. One of the biggest challenges, says the S.F. Chronicle, is to rejig the American electricity transmission system.
Finally, the director of California's Air Resource Board quotes "Pimp My Ride" to convince Detroit the state is auto-friendly, but still wants to regulate emissions, in the San Jose Mercury. But regulations alone aren't driving all the industry's changes. The NYT reports on Carlos Ghosn's rationale behind Nissan's plan for an all-electric car by 2010: "What we are seeing is that the shifts coming from the markets are more powerful than what regulators are doing," he said.


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Deer hunter's soup supper today
The Decatur Buckeyes 4-H Club will have its annual deer hunter's soup supper from 5:30 to 8 p.m. today at the Decatur Community Building on Ohio 555 in Little Hocking. All hunters and their families are welcome. Donations are welcome.
Dance studio holds Santa breakfast
FORCE Competition Dance Troupe and Stacey's Dance Studio will sponsor a pancake breakfast with Santa from 7 to 10 a.m. Dec. 8 at Blacksmith Tavern & Grill, Comfort Inn, Marietta. The cost is $5, which includes pancakes, sausage and a drink.
Presbyterian church offers free lunch
First Presbyterian Church of Marietta is offering a free lunch for the community from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday. The church is located on the corner of Wooster and Fourth streets with the entrance off Wooster Street. Everyone is welcome.
O'Neill Center holds dinner concert
The O'Neill Center in Marietta will hold an evening dinner/concert featuring Curtis Chamberlain performing on the saxophone and vocals at 6 p.m. Dec. 7. Reservations should be made by Dec. 5. Chamberlain is a professional musician performing Big Band Style music. Christmas favorites will be featured along with many hits from the 1930s and 40s. Emeritus of Marietta is a sponsor of the concert and the desserts will be prepared by their chef on site. A full turkey dinner will be served and catered by Special Occasions Catering. Dinner/concert tickets are $10 per person and may be purchased at the center.
For information: 373-3914.
Dec. 10 program to cover easements
The upcoming presentation "Pipeline Easement and Right-of-Way Agreements" will give information regarding easements for landowners. The program will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Dec. 10 in the Graham Auditorium of Washington State Community College, 710 Colegate Drive, Marietta. There is no charge for the program, but those attending are asked to pre-register so that handouts may be prepared. For registration, more information or directions, call 376-7431. This program is sponsored by the Ohio State University Extension of Washington County, Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District and Washington State Community College.
From local reports


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Redlight Music 2 Years Remixed III
- Artists Novakk, Tom Laws, Patrick Di Stefano, Javier Orduna, Fabel, Santiago Naura, Chris Iliou, Transphonic, Repajaro, Daytona Team, Gari Marcos
- Release Date 2012-04-04
- Labels Redlight Music
- Catalog RLM2Y6
- Description Redlight Music makes 2 years this march 2012. And to celebrate it the Spanish label will release 2 compilations spliced on 3 releases each. "Redlight Music Originals" and "Redlight Music Remixed" with some of the best tracks from the last 2 years of the label life. A great collection including different music styles and artist such Echonomist, Pawas, Patrick Di Stefano, Steve Cole, Micro_On, Tom Laws, Moodz, Carlo, Denite, Javier Orduna, Moog Conspiracy, Vollmer & Brendel, Santiago Naura, Plastikkid, Transphonic, Max Duke, Bolumar, Emeka and many more.Its time to celebrate!


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6/27/2005 1:05:15 AM - Warning bpbrm(pid=4104) from client pni-dvaddc01-bak:
WRN - Removable Storage Management: unable to export database (WIN32 21:
The device is not ready. )
I'm getting the above message when backing up a windows 2003 domain controller.
Any ideas what may be causing this - I didn't want to just "exclude it".


text:
Whale watching is one of the top attractions for visitors to the Dominican Republic and each year thousands of humpback whales congregate in the waters just off the coast of the island to breed. Humpback whale breeding season in the Dominican Republic lasts from January through March, and one of the best spots on the island to view these magnificent creatures is the Bahía de Samaná (Samana Bay), located just off the coast of the Samana Peninsula on the island's northeastern end.
One of the largest estuaries in the Caribbean, Samana Bay separates the Samana Peninsula from mainland Dominican Republic and the Parque Nacional Los Haitises (Los Haitises National Park), a remote forested area and popular ecotourism destination. Rich in natural wonders and home to diverse wildlife, the Samana region of the Dominican Republic attracts nature lovers and adventure travelers, many of whom visit the island to witness the annual humpback whale migration.
The humpback whales that arrive in the Samana Bay sanctuary in the Dominican Republic each winter migrate from the waters of the North Atlantic, from as far away as Greenland and Iceland. Humpback whales can grow to be 40-50 feet (12-15 meters) long and weigh as much as 30-40 tons. This species of whale has a distinctive body shape with black coloring and white markings on their fins. Humpback whales are one of the most active species of whales and can often be seen breaching and rolling their bodies out onto the surface of the water. Male humpback whales produce a series of sounds, often referred to as a "song," for which the species is famous.
Whale watching in the Dominican Republic is a unique opportunity to see humpback whales up-close and in-person. Don't forget your camera!
Planning a trip? Browse Viator's Dominican Republic tours and things to do, Dominican Republic attractions, and Dominican Republic travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in the Dominican Republic for a customized tour!


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One of the terrific things about owning an electric fireplace, is that there is almost little to no maintenance compared to traditional ...
Description & Highlights
Fire Sense 25 Inch Urban Fire Pit
Bring the thrill of a campside fire to your home patio with the Fire Sense 25 Inch Urban Fire Pit (60451). This striking piece has all the enjoyment of a real camp site fire but in a portable, contemporary design. With the added benefit of the domed spark screen, it's perfectly safe to use on your porch or patio. Made of pressed steel and stainless steel, this fire pit is sturdy and stylish and built to withstand many years of use.
Functional:Enjoy a camp site style fire in your own backyard or on your patio that is easy to set up and maintain
Durable:The steel fire pit and fire pit cover along are durable and will last through many seasons of use
Included:The included fire pit screen and safety ring help you get the most out of this functional piece
- Model: 60451Fire Sense 25 Inch Urban Fire Pit
- Brand: Fire SenseStainless steel safety ring around fire bowl
- High temperature paintSource of light and heat
- One piece dome screenWeight: 22 lbs
- Warranty: 1 year limitedDimensions: 18.91" H x 24.82" W x 24.82" D
- Height: 18.91"
- Width: 24.82"
- Depth: 24.82"


text:
The Morning Leverage: Private Equity Keeps the Wine Deals Flowing
Top stories in this morning's LBO Wire:
Move over, Bacchus Capital Management: There's another private equity firm entering the wine market. Amy Or reports that Golden Equity Investments has acquired Yountville, Calif., boutique winery Goosecross Cellars. While Bacchus is set up specifically for vineyard investments like the deals announced earlier this week for Panther Creek Cellars and DeLille Cellars, Goosecross represents a bit of a departure from Golden Equity's focus on midmarket manufacturing businesses. "We veered a little bit away from that," said Golden Equity analyst Heidi Robbins, "but we joked that Goosecross still manufactures things."
More stories available to LBO Wire subscribers: A Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows that Levine Leichtman Capital Partners appears to be nearing the halfway point for its latest fund…Univar, backed by Clayton Dubilier & Rice and CVC Capital Partners, buys Mexican commodity chemicals distributor Quimicompuestos…and Aldine Capital Partners raises $31.3 million toward the $70 million goal for its second mezzanine and subordinated debt fund.
(LBO Wire is a daily newsletter with comprehensive analysis of all the investments, deals, fundraisings and personnel moves involving private equity firms. For a two-week trial, visit our homepage, scroll to the bottom and click "try for free.")
Elsewhere on the Web:
Blackstone Group is planning a "super" hedge fund that will cherry-pick top trades from third-party vehicle with which it invests in return for paying them a commission, according to the Financial Times.
The Independent quotes Simon Brorrows, the chief executive of 3i Group, as saying activist investor Ed Bramson "has not given any indication of what he is doing" by buying up the private equity group's publicly traded shares through his investment firm Sherborne Investors Management.
Dell posted a nearly 80% decline in net income for the fiscal quarter ended May 3 as Chief Executive Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners vie against Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management to buy out the computer maker, Shira Ovide and Ian Sherr report for The Wall Street Journal.
Write to Thomas Dunford at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Have you ever wished your team could all be moving in the same direction? Could a lack of focus and alignment be preventing your team from accomplishing your most important priorities?
One of the biggest challenges we face today is the fact that we are all moving at lightening speed. Technology has made us instantly accessible anywhere we go, 24/7. But the downside is that it is making everything urgent. And when that happens, the truly important things can easily get lost. When your team is clear about its priorities and direction, and everyone understands the impact of time management on team performance, your team productivity will significantly improve.
To help your team use its time most effectively, ask yourself how your team is doing in the following seven areas:
- Goals
Are the goals of our team clear? Do we know what our key objectives are?
- Priorities
Do we know what our priorities are for the year, month, and week? Do we create a plan to accomplish our most important tasks each week? Do we structure our day to focus on those priorities?
- Meetings
Do we run our meetings well? Do we have a clear agenda, start and end on time, clearly identify tasks and responsibilities, and follow-up on action items?
- Interruptions
Do we interrupt each other unnecessarily throughout the day? Do we have a lot of unnecessary distractions?
- Delegation
Is delegation handled effectively, or do we just "dump" on each other?
- Written Communications
Do we handle email effectively, or do we send too much email when it's really not necessary?
- Procrastination
Do we meet our deadlines? If not, how is this impacting other team members?
If you realize there is room for improvement in any of these areas, it's important to speak up and address the need for change within your team. Discuss the negative impact this can be causing your team, and the desired results that could be gained. When you do, and an effective action plan is created, your team is well on its way to accomplishing more...and doing it with less stress, more focus, and greater results.
How to Learn More
Download our free whitepaper on "Startling Statistics About How We Use Our Time". This will provide you with additional information to help you with your time management skills.


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As a college student, it is completely okay to have those lazy days where we roll out of bed and spend an entire day in our sweats to lounge around to study and do homework. Although, it is important to remember how to dress professionally when going to those job interviews, career fairs, and when starting out at a new job. Keep in mind that your outfit says a lot about you and is the first impression you leave of yourself. Make sure your outfit is clean, not wrinkled, and tailored to fit.
1. Suit
Every lady should have a black button-up suit jacket (not a blazer) with matching pants and a matching skirt. Navy and gray suits are good as well.
2. Blouse
Get a nice button-up collared shirt with a pop of color to add some style. It would be best to have a white one as well. It is okay to pair your suit with a blouse that doesn't have a collar, however make sure there is no cleavage exposed and that if you place your hand on your chest, your thumb should be touching your collar bone and your shirt should not be below your pinky.
3. Shoes
Make sure your shoes are comfortable to be worn all day. Heels shouldn't exceed a couple of inches and you should avoid open-toed shoes. Black is the most professional color, but grays and nudes are okay as well.
4. Make Up
Keep it simple, keep it clean. Easy on the eyeliner and wear little or no eye-shadow. Stick to daytime makeup and keep it natural.
5. Jewelry
A simple pendant or pearls is desired. Avoid anything too flashy, but do allow a little creativity to show some self-expression. Also avoid wearing bracelets that will jingle and keep earrings to only studs.
Your first impression can have a major impact on how other's perceive your character. Dress for success to come across as a business professional. Watch this video below for further tips and be sure to check back for my next blog, "How To Dress For Success: Men's Edition."


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Body Q&A
Expand All
A friend forwarded me an e-mail about how tampons are dangerous and can cause cancer. Is there any truth to that?
No. Tampons do not cause cancer. There have been a number of e-mails going around in the past few years alleging that manufacturers add carcinogens like asbestos to tampons to promote bleeding or that tampons contain fiberglass. Neither is true. In fact, tampons have been found safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Also, manufacturers no longer use bleaching processes that were found to leave traces of the toxic chemical dioxin. So rest assured, tampons are completely safe to use.
I hear people talking about something called an intersex. What is that?
Some people are born with external sex organs that are not easily distinguishable as female or male. Ambiguous genitalia are sometimes apparent at birth. But sometimes they don't become evident until puberty.
Also, some people have sex chromosomes that are different from the usual xx — female — or xy — male. People whose biological sex is ambiguous in these ways may be called intersex.
Sometimes the ambiguity is never noticed, so some people have intersex conditions for their whole lives and never know.
People with intersex conditions may be considered sexually ambiguous in different ways:
- They may have sex organs that appear to be somewhat female or male or both. They cannot, however, have complete female genitals and complete male genitals.
- They may have a large clitoris — more than two-fifths of an inch.
- They may have a small penis — less than an inch.
About one in 2,000 people born in the U.S. is intersex. Sometimes a female or male gender is assigned through surgery. Up to five infant gender-assignment surgeries occur every day in the U.S. Some people believe surgery should be postponed until intersex people are old enough to decide for themselves whether they would like their genitals to be operated on. Most people agree that babies with intersex conditions should be assigned a gender at birth. Some people believe that assigning a gender means performing surgery on their genitals, while others believe that a baby can be assigned a gender without surgery.
I have a friend who is 23 years old. She is not sexually active, and she does not think she needs to have a Pap test. How can I convince her that getting one is in her best interest?
Your friend may be interested to know about the most recent guidelines published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. It recommends that women should have Pap tests when they become older than 21 or three years after their first sexual contact.
"Sexual contact" means any kind of intimate manual, oral, vaginal, or anal sex play with a partner. The kinds of virus associated with cervical cancer can be passed through any intimate skin-to-skin contact. Pap tests are used to detect whether or not cells in the cervix are developing abnormally because they have been affected by certain kinds of human papilloma virus (HPV) that are transmitted through intimate contact. Early detection leads to early treatment and saves thousands of lives every year in the United States.
It is estimated that 75 percent of people who have ever been sexually intimate with someone else are or have been infected with HPV. Many of them are infected with the types of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer. That is why a gynecological visit with Pap test is so important.
Can shaving infected hair get rid of critters like scabies and pubic lice?
No. Shaving, dousing with kerosene, hot baths, and other so-called remedies just won't work. Scabies are mites that belong to the same family as spiders. Pubic lice are tiny insects that look a lot like crabs. Both are transmitted through sexual and intimate contact. They can also be picked up from infested bedding and clothing. Scabies get under the skin. Pubic lice attach their eggs to pubic hair.
Symptoms usually include intense itching. Scabies also appears as small bumps or rashes that look like dirty, small curling lines, especially on the penis, between the fingers, on buttocks, breasts, wrists, thighs, and around the navel.
To get rid of scabies, follow the directions on the package insert of a prescription medication such as Kwell or Scabene. Repeated neck-to-toe applications may be necessary. Everyone who may have been exposed to scabies should be treated at the same time. All bedding, towels, and clothing that may have been exposed should be thoroughly washed or dry cleaned, and the home should be thoroughly vacuumed.
To get rid of pubic lice, follow the directions on the package insert of an over-the-counter medication such as A-200, RID, and InnoGel Plus. (Pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants must use products especially designed for them.) As with scabies, repeated neck-to-toe applications may be necessary. (Many health care providers do recommend trimming back the pubic hair before shampooing to cut down on the number of nits. This can help treatment work faster because fewer nits need to be treated after some have been shaved off.) And everyone who may have been exposed to public lice should be treated at the same time. All bedding, towels, and clothing that may have been exposed should be thoroughly washed or dry cleaned, and the home should be thoroughly vacuumed.
Scabies and pubic lice are highly contagious. Condoms usually don't cover all the areas that are infested so scabies can be transmitted even if condoms are used. The only protection for sexually active people is to limit the number of sex partners. Limiting the number of sex partners can help reduce the possibility of exposure to these infestations.
My boyfriend smokes marijuana, and I have been keeping my body healthy all my life. If he ejaculates inside me, does the marijuana chemical get deposited inside me? Will it affect me?
No. Some chemicals, like the ones in alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, can affect sperm badly. They may reduce the sperm count, or the quality of the semen, which may make it difficult for a man using them to cause a pregnancy. (It would be a very bad idea, however, to rely on taking these drugs for birth control.) But this will not affect the general health of the women a man has sex with.
On the other hand, certain chemicals and nutrients that a man ingests may alter the taste of his ejaculate. For example the sugars and vitamins in fruit and naturally processed alcohol may make semen taste sweet. Coffee and chemically processed alcohol may make it taste bitter. But neither of these effects will affect a woman's health.
Can women really ejaculate?
During orgasm, only one out of 10 women ejaculate. Their ejaculate is a fluid that is very similar to the fluid produced by the prostate gland in men. The "prostatic" fluid in women may be secreted by the Skene's glands located in the vulva near the opening of the urethra. These glands, though much smaller than the male prostate, are similar enough in function that some scientists are considering renaming them "prostate" glands. Other glands may also be involved in female ejaculation.
Lately after my boyfriend and I are done having sex, I swell up down there, and it is really sore, and it burns when I urinate. What is making this happen?
There are many possibilities. Swelling of the vulva may be caused by an allergy to a contraceptive, spermicide, or lubricant; a yeast infection or other kind of vaginitis; a lack of lubrication; or a sexually transmitted infection. A change in soaps or laundry detergent could also be the cause. Any of these can lead to irritation of the vagina and vulva and create tiny abrasions that would sting if they came in contact with urine.
Having sex can introduce bacteria into the vagina and urethra, causing urinary tract infections (UTIs). That could create a burning sensation during urination. Some women who use spermicide regularly, with the diaphragm for instance, are prone to having UTIs.
Very sensitive nerve endings in the vulva can lead to a condition called vulvodynia. It causes chronic and potentially severe pain for many women. The pain is often made worse by any kind of physical contact — sex, tampons, or tight clothing. Vulvodynia can sometimes be treated with various prescription medicines.
What to do? Wait a few days to allow the vulva to heal, and then try switching the type of condom, lubrication, spermicide, soap, or detergent you are using and see if the reaction still occurs. If that doesn't help, visit your health care provider and discuss your sexual history. The two of you can decide if a physical exam and/or testing for UTIs or sexually transmitted infections might be helpful.
Does the G-spot really exist?
Although many women and authorities have identified the G-spot, many women cannot locate it. When located, it is found an inch or two beyond the vaginal opening in the wall of the vagina closest to the bellybutton.
Women find that the G-spot is very sensitive to sensual stimulation, swells slightly during sex play, and plays a role in vaginal orgasm. Some recent studies also show that stimulation of the G-spot by the pressure of childbirth may help reduce pain.
I will be giving birth to a boy next month. Should I get him circumcised?
We can't advise you what to do. This is a very personal decision for parents to make. Circumcision today is most often performed for religious or cultural reasons or to make the boy's penis resemble his father's. For many years in the U.S., it was considered important for good sexual hygiene. Today, routine circumcision is considered elective surgery without medical benefits. Although recent studies in Africa have suggested that circumcision may offer protection against HIV, other studies need to be done to confirm those results.
Like all surgery, circumcision is not without risks. Although rare, complications include excessive bleeding, infection, scarring, and damage to the penis. Many parents and authorities are also concerned that the procedure is quite painful for the child. In any case, the rate of circumcision in the U.S. has dropped from 95 percent in the 1960s to 65 percent today.
Penises with foreskins require a little extra care. After a boy is three to five years old his foreskin will most likely become retractable, and he must be taught to pull back and wash under the foreskin. Until he can do this for himself, you can gently pull back the foreskin for him and wash under it during bathing. Never try to pull back the foreskin of an infant or boys for whom the foreskin remains to too tight to be pulled back. For some boys it takes much longer for the foreskin to become retractable. And for a few, circumcision may become necessary.
Can I still take hormone therapy, or is it too dangerous?
Thanks to medical research, we know a lot more about hormone therapy than we did a few years ago — especially the risks. We know that the risks are slight for most women but they increase the longer the therapy goes on.
We know that combined therapy with estrogen and progestin slightly increases the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, heart disease, and gall bladder disease. Therapy that only uses estrogen slightly increases the risks of blood clots, uterine cancer, and gall bladder disease. It is possible that estrogen therapy worsens heart disease for women who already have it. It is also possible that using hormone therapy for longer than 10 years increases the risk of breast cancer.
That said, we know that hormone therapy can relieve vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and other symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. It can improve a woman's feeling of well-being. And it reduces the risk of osteoporosis — bone thinning — and colon cancer. These are important and worthwhile benefits.
The key to safe and successful use of hormone therapy is to work with an experienced health care provider. She will be able to prescribe the smallest doses or hormone for the shortest amount of time necessary for effectiveness.
I heard that a woman could ovulate more than once a month. Is that really true?
No, it isn't true. Ovulation — the release of an egg into the fallopian tubes — occurs only once in a woman's cycle.
Eggs do grow larger at different times in the cycle. But ovulation takes place only once in a woman's cycle. Although ovulation may occur at any time in the cycle, it most often occurs 14 days before the onset of menstruation.
Do men need to get sexual health checkups too?
Yes! Men's sexual health needs may not be as obvious as women's, but they're just as important. A sexually active man should see his health care provider or urologist for periodic checkups. During your sexual health checkup, your provider will
- examine the penis, testicles, and scrotum
- check for hernias
- show you how to perform a testicular self-exam to detect for lumps or bumps that may be cancerous
- perform a simple rectal exam to check the condition of your prostate gland
Most providers won't automatically test for sexually transmitted infections — you have to ask. To test for infection, the health care provider may draw blood, take a urine sample, or use a swab to collect discharge from the urethra or anus. By asking questions about your sexual history, your provider can help decide which tests are appropriate. Many Planned Parenthood centers offer health services specifically for guys. To make an appointment for an exam at the Planned Parenthood center nearest you, call 1-800-230-PLAN.
Talk with your provider about how often you should have sexual health checkups. The need may vary depending on what kind of sexual health risks you may be taking and what risk factors you may have for testicular cancer.


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National Preparedness Month (September 2016)
In support of National Preparedness Month―sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security―to honor its Ready Campaign, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is offering disaster preparedness resources to enhance our nation's capacity to prepare for and respond to terrorism, mass violence, and disasters.
Disasters and terrorism can have devastating physical and psychological effects on children and families. Children and adolescents are at risk for stress reactions including sleep and eating disturbances, irritability, anger, headaches, and stomachaches. They may also have behavior problems at school, lose interest in activities they once enjoyed, avoid friends, or engage in dangerous or risky behaviors.
To significantly improve the emotional well-being of children and families after a disaster, many strategies can be put in place beforehand. "Being prepared for terrorism and disasters reduces anxiety, and promotes confidence and resilience in children and families," says Alan Steinberg, PhD, associate director of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress at UCLA.
The following materials are designed to help children, families, school personnel, and communities become more educated and prepared in the event of a disaster.
Page Contents
Featured NCTSN Resources
Building Community Resilience for Children and Families (2007) (PDF)
A guide for mental health and other professionals about building community resilience, and helping communities improve their capacity to respond effectively to disasters and acts of terrorism. It includes a wealth of information, suggestions, and resources for businesses, cultural and faith-based groups and organizations, and first responders. It also offers related information on health care, media, mental health, public health, and school and personal childcare settings.
Coping in Hard Times—Fact Sheet Series
This series discusses challenging financial circumstances and economic hardships that can negatively affect youth, families, and communities. It offers practical ways to address the challenges during economic hardships by improving a sense of safety, calming, self- and community efficacy, connectedness, and hope.
- Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for Community Organizations and Leaders (2012) (PDF)
- Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for Parents (2011) (PDF)
- Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for School Staff (2011) (PDF)
- Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for Youth (2011) (PDF)
Psychological First Aid (PFA)
An evidence-informed modular approach for helping survivors of disasters and other emergencies. Designed to reduce the initial distress caused by disasters, and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping skills. There are several resources on PFA including:
- Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (2nd Edition)
The PFA guide provides extensive detail on each of the eight PFA core actions and includes survivor handouts. Foreign language versions (Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and Norwegian) of the guide are available as well as adaptations for community religious professionals, the Medical Reserve Corps, and schools.
- Psychological First Aid for Schools® (PFA-S)
PFA-S is an evidence-informed intervention model to assist students, families, school personnel, and school partners in the immediate aftermath of an emergency. PFA-S is designed to reduce the initial distress caused by emergencies and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping. PFA-S assumes that students and staff members may experience a broad range of early reactions (e.g., physical, cognitive, psychological, behavioral, spiritual) following an emergency. Some of these reactions can cause distress that interferes with adaptive coping, but support from informed, compassionate, and caring professionals can help students and staff members recover from these reactions. PFA-S has the potential to mitigate the development of severe mental health problems or long-term difficulties in recovery by identifying individuals who may need additional services and linking them to such services as needed.
- PFA Mobile® App
A free download app designed to assist responders who provide psychological first aid (PFA) as part of an organized response effort to adults, families, and children. The app provides responders with:
- Summaries of PFA fundamentals
- PFA interventions matched to specific concerns and needs of survivors
- Mentor tips for applying PFA in the field
- A self-assessment tool for determining readiness to conduct PFA
- A survivors' needs form for simplified data collection and easy referral
Available on iTunes and Google Play, the app will work on any mobile Apple device (iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch) and Android devices.
The PFA Mobile App is a joint project by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for PTSD in partnership with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Department of Defense's National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2), and the VA's Patient Care Services.
- Psychological First Aid® (PFA) Online
A free six-hour interactive course in NCTSN's Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma. Participants can play the role of a provider in a postdisaster scenario. Appropriate for both those new to disaster response and seasoned professionals. Features activities, video demonstrations, and tips from trauma experts and survivors. This project was funded by the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), the National Center for PTSD, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
Responding to Crisis in the Aftermath of Disasters
Sixteen educational vignettes demonstrating intervention strategies with children and adults in the aftermath of a terrorist or disaster event. Produced in partnership with the National Center for PTSD.
Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR)
SPR is an evidence-informed modular intervention that aims to help survivors gain skills to manage distress and cope with post-disaster stress and adversity. SPR is appropriate to use in the Recovery Phase by mental health professionals and other disaster recovery workers. It can be delivered in a variety of settings (e.g., schools, clinics, hospitals, assisted living facilities, houses of worship, community centers, libraries, and homes). SPR has also been used to build skills in children and families prior to a disaster. SPR is not formal mental health treatment, but a secondary prevention model that utilizes skills-building components that have been found helpful in a variety of post-trauma situations. Research suggests that a skills-building approach is more effective than supportive counseling. SPR is appropriate for developmental levels across the lifespan, and is culturally informed. Skills can be taught individually, with families, and in groups.
For Educators
- Masters of Disaster® Curriculum
A series of lesson plans that help organizations educate youth about important disaster safety and preparedness. Contains "lessons, activities, and demonstrations on disaster-related topics that organizations can incorporate into daily or thematic programming. The curriculum is non-sequential, allowing organizers to choose the lesson plans that best fit into their programming." Materials meet national educational standards, and are targeted for lower elementary (grades K–2), upper elementary (grades 3–5), and middle school (grades 6–8).
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
- Checklist for School Personnel to Evaluate and Implement the Mental Health Component of Your School Crisis and Emergency Plan (2003) (PDF)
A checklist for educators and school personnel to determine how well their school is prepared to respond to the immediate and long-term psychological effects of a crisis or disaster on students, their families, and staff. Offers many practical suggestions for developing procedures and plans for mitigating & prevention, preparation, response, and recovery.
- General Introduction to School Safety and Trauma in Schools
Facts and risks about trauma in school systems. Designed for educators and others working in the education system.
- Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S)
PFA-S is an evidence-informed approach for assisting children, adolescents, adults, and families in the aftermath of a school emergency. The field operations guide includes a description of each core action, guidelines for conducting PFA-S in different group formats, and for different school staff.
- The 3 R's of School Crises and Disasters: Readiness, Response, and Recovery
Tips' to help educators assess their school's preparedness in the event of a crisis or disaster. Includes suggestions and links to resources for each stage.
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center
Information and resources about emergency management to help schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education learn more about developing, implementing, and evaluating school emergency operation plans.
For Families
- Monster Guard
The first mobile app by the American Red Cross that's designed specifically for kids. Follow Maya, Chad, Olivia and all the monsters as they teach kids (aged 7-11) how to prepare for real-life emergencies-at home plus other environments-in a fun and engaging game. Sponsored by Disney, this free app is available to download on iOS and Android mobile and tablet devices.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Flat Stanley and Flat Stella
Flat Stanley and Flat Stella are characters that have been chosen as "ambassadors" in a campaign to promote disaster preparedness among children. Children and their parents can create their own FEMA Flat Stanley or Flat Stella, and then share with other children (individually or in classroom settings) the steps they have taken to support preparedness throughout their homes, schools, and communities.
- READY.gov
A website designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. Advises individuals to: (1) create an emergency supply kit, (2) make a family emergency plan, and (3) become informed about the types of emergencies that could occur and appropriate ways to respond. Offers suggestions, materials, and resources for each. Ready Kids is to help kids, parents, and educators to increase children's preparedness skills.
- Family Preparedness Tips
Suggestions for ways to be better prepared for and deal with emergencies.
- Family Preparedness: Thinking Ahead (English) (PDF)
- Family Preparedness: Thinking Ahead (Armenian) (PDF)
- Family Preparedness: Thinking Ahead (Korean) (PDF)
- Family Preparedness: Thinking Ahead (Russian) (PDF)
- Family Preparedness: Thinking Ahead (Spanish) (PDF)
- Family Preparedness: Thinking Ahead (Vietnamese) (PDF)
- NCTSN.org
Resources to help children and families prepare for, get through, and recover from the effects of natural disasters, mass violence, and terrorism.
- Simple Evacuation Activities for Children and Adolescents
Tips for parents and kids on activities that can be done before, during, and after evacuations. It is a good idea to have a few that your kids like planned out as a part of your family preparedness plan.
- Wallet-Sized Record of Family Emergency Contact Information
Form for recording emergency contact information that can be folded and kept in a wallet.
- Let's Get Ready! Planning Together for Emergencies
Tips, activities, and other tools to help families prepare for emergencies (available in English and Spanish).
For Policy Makers
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Resources, practical information, disaster maps, applications for assistance, links to related news & media archives, and much more. "FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards."
National Commission on Children and Disasters
Findings, recommendations, and resources on: mental health, child physical health, and trauma, emergency medical services and pediatric transport, disaster case management, child care and early education, elementary and secondary education, child welfare and juvenile justice, sheltering, housing, evacuation and reunification, state and local government, and relevant activities in emergency management.
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
ASPR is the lead federal agency in preventing, preparedness for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. The division of At-Risk, Behavioral Helath and Community Reslience (ABC) has a collection of resources to ensure the functional needs of at-risk individuals are addressed. They have developed the Disaster Behavioral Health Concept of Operations and the Disaster Behavioral Health Capacity Assessment Tool. It also recently formed the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters.
For Service Providers/Agencies
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Emergency Preparedness and Response page provides information on myriad emergencies and disasters, with preparedness, response, and planning advice and resources for individuals, businesses, healthcare facilities, states, local communities, and the nation; along with legal information and more.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Let's Get Ready
Web tools and resources on emergency assistance. Encourages individuals and organizations "to join the National Preparedness Month coalition, and pledge their support to help prepare their families, businesses, and communities for emergencies of all kinds." A partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council.
Health Resources and Services Administration
- Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program: PEDPrepared
PEDPrepared is a pediatric disaster clearinghouse of resources which targets health providers, emergency and community planners, and families. It compiles information from a variety of federal, state, and local government information sources and materials published by national health and disaster related organizations. Its primary purpose is to help communities achieve an optimal level of emergency readiness for children who are involved in an environmental, health, or man-made disaster.
- Health Resources in Children in Disasters and Emergencies
A collection of resources related to medical and public health issues of children in disasters and emergencies. The resources are national/international in scope and they target healh providers as well as emergency and community planners who work with or behalf of children. It was developed through a collaborative effort between the National Library of Medicine DIMRC, the Emergency Services for Children National Resource Center, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response Division of At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health and Community Resilience.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC)
"Supports SAMHSA's efforts to prepare States, Territories, Tribes and local entities to deliver effective mental health and substance abuse (behavioral health) response to disaster." Includes information and resources on disaster behavioral response planning, assistance, training, experts, tip sheets, publications, and much more.
- SAMHSA Behavioral Health Disaster Responses App
A free download app designed to provide behavioral health responders with the resources they need to provide support to disaster survivors. Resources are pre-downloaded to the user's mobile phone to ensure access in the event of limited Internet connectivity in the field. Resources include tip sheets and the ability to search and map behavioral service providers in the impacted areas. Available on iTunes and Google Play.
- Disaster and Community Crisis Center (DCC)
- Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) (2012) (PDF)
CART is a community intervention designed to enhance community reslience through assessment, group process, planning, and action. It stimulates communication, analysis, and action, and it contributes to community participation and collaboration, community self-awareness, crisitcal reflection, and skill development. CART encourages public engagement in problem-solving and the development and use of local assets to address community needs.