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Welfare agency slammed
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's elected fiscal watchdog Thursday blasted the state Department of Public Welfare for what he called mismanagement of outside vendors that disrupted the paychecks of thousands of home care workers and the lives of many of the disabled people they serve.
The audit report released by state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale focused on the department's consolidation of payroll services early this year from 36 vendors to a single vendor and the ensuing confusion.
At least 4,000 of the workers, whom DePasquale described as independent contractors who earn $8 to $15 an hour, went without paychecks for weeks or more.
"We're talking about people that work very hard (from) paycheck to paycheck," he said.
In some cases, workers did not receive pay for up to four months, DePasquale said.
"Problems with the transition caused so much fear and confusion that at least 1,500 people receiving home care services switched to a more expensive model of care that is unnecessarily costing (taxpayers) at least $7 million more per year," DePasquale said.
Public Welfare Secretary Beverly Mackereth issued a statement apologizing for hardships experienced by participants or workers, but said the changes were necessary to fix "an ineffective, outdated financial management system that varied by region and varied widely in quality."
"Nobody should have gone without service, no one should have gone without payment," she said in an interview.
More than 19,000 home care workers provide Medicaid-paid home-care services, such as assistance with bathing, meal preparation and providing breaks for caregivers so that disabled people can continue living in their homes.
"It is a lifeline for thousands and thousands of Pennsylvanians," said Neil Bisno, president of the United Homecare Workers of Pennsylvania.
The auditors said the department did not adequately monitor the vendors from 2009 to 2012 — a period that spans the administrations of Ed Rendell and Tom Corbett — and tolerated violations of laws, regulations and financial standards for years.
DePasquale said department officials "took the easy way out" when they awarded the consolidated contract for payroll services to Boston-based PCG Public Partnership LLC, effective Jan. 1.
The audit report said the Department of Public Welfare's procurement process was unfair because it carried anti-conflict-of-interest restrictions that barred proposals from certain former vendors that might have submitted lower bids.
It said the department gave an $18 million cash advance to PCG Public Partnership, even though it told other vendors an advance was not an option. Negotiations over the advance shortened the transition by two months and made it chaotic, the audit report said.
"At this time, we are happy to report that the financial management system is running smoothly and that valid time sheets ... are paid within two weeks of submission," Mackereth said.
A voice mail left at PCG Public Partnership's headquarters was not returned Thursday.


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If I can, I will. During these summer months where it's harder to conceal gear, I usually don't.
I trust my gear, but I don't trust Mr. Murphy, so I like having Plan B.
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If I can, I will. During these summer months where it's harder to conceal gear, I usually don't.
I trust my gear, but I don't trust Mr. Murphy, so I like having Plan B.
Seems many of us share the same sorta view. I didn't vote either as the yes/no aspect is not that clear cut.
I will at times add a BUG and of course any need for such will only ever be known in that situation we all hope to never experience.! On balance I guess my answer is no - but certainly there are times when I'll add to a pocket or ankle, determined pretty much by where I might expect to find myself ''that day''.
I rely on my primary. I have enough other things on me, Cell phone,extra mag,pepper spray. I feel I would be prepared for 90% of situations I might encounter. So I choose to play the odds!!!
Maybe its a cheat, but I voted "Yes"- Though it may not always be a second gun, I always have 2 or more secondary devices of some kind.
+1 Rssz...
I should, but I don't. I was thinking of a derringer a while back or something along those lines. The tiny mouse guns are neat, but I wouldn't trust my life to them.
I don't carry a BUG.I carry a knife as my secondary, or plan "B."
Don't know how I over looked that part of the question. :redface:Quote:
Should You
Should you? Have to agree with Redneck, it's a personal choice, but I know for a fact Mister Murphy is alive and well.
I voted no only because it says should you carry everyday. I dont think its practical to carry a backup EVERYday. Once in a while I'll carry a backup just for the plain reason of "why not"? I feel being familiar with one weapon and carrying a backup mag is more important that carrying multiple weapons.
didn't vote either, I don't think its a "should" situation, more of a would you...
my wife's glock 26 is the only thing I can use for a BUG right now and she would not appreciate that at all :twak:
so I'm gonna look at a keltec P11 probably, will be no problem for me to carry in a pocket holster in pants/shorts or jacket pocket along with my usual HK or Glock in IWB or OWB
I trust my gear too, thats not an issue, what is an issue is Murphy and stuff happening in the heat of a SHTF situation. Murphy seems to enjoy sneaking up on people.
Yes,should Murphy show up.
One knife, one gun but I was thinking about buying another snubnose in the same cal.
I always carry 2 handguns while working (police officer). When off duty I usually carry only one with some spare ammo. If I know that I'll be travelling in a rough area, I will carry a BUG in addition to the spare ammo for the primary weapon.
YES - when it makes sense and the conditions warrant...
Intended with the upmost respect RSSZ, is there a particular implication you had in mind regarding to 22 year olds? Just curious....:smile:Quote:
Originally Posted by RSSZ
I myself am 22, and a recent CCW. I also spent countless hours going through non-state required training prior do doing so. I've researched my state laws to the upmost extent, as well as being an active member of the Washington Arms Collectors and NRA. I've written my representatives and senators numerous letters regarding pro-gun legislation as well as educated my family, friends and community to the value a legally armed citizen has in society.
Not sure the intent of your statement, but JUST IN CASE it may have been implying that someones age may be a factor in judging their knowledge, experience, and respect of firearms and concealed carry, I thought I would give you a slightly different scenario..... no hard feelings intended of course:smile:
BTW- Only one carry for me. I believe if your comfortable with your training and abilities, one should be sufficient. Just in my .02 of course.

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm on Komplete 7, i had Komplete 6, then upgraded on a deal. The problem with N.I. is they just keep bringing out stuff all the time, i would recommend having a look on the N.I. forums and see what a lot of the users think….......i was looking myself the other day and i have to say it's a mixed bag. I only upgraded to Komplete 7 about three months ago then they come out with version 8, hence the deal ! (the upgrade only cost a £100) The thing is…....if you want to get Kontakt 5, then it makes financial sense to get Komplete 8 as you get all the other good stuff that Gareth mentioned and there is some good stuff there, it's virtually the same price, Hope this helps make your mind up:)
Thanks Gareth and simaudio. You're definitely talking me into it.
Gareth – the KOMPLETE 8 package doesn't include the Alicia Keys piano OR any of the strings & cinematic products. Those are only in the KOMPLETE 8 Ultimate package. Here's the comparison chart. Ultimate is an extra $400! I'm sure it's worth it, but we've now traveled beyond the wife's approval to purchase.
I'll check out the NI forums simaudio and see what others are saying as well. I was actually kind of excited about the other synths in KOMPLETE 8 and also Studio Drummer (I've heard good things about that).
Do you guys keep your sample libraries on an external drive and then only pull the samples you intend on using over to the local HDD via your DAW like Logic does by copying the files into the project folder?
I ask cause I was able to get myself back to 100GB free on the local HDD by moving a bunch of old projects and some folders of samples to my firewire 800 1TB external drive.
Also, do any of you have experience using KOMPLETE 8 in OS X Lion yet?
Thanks again for all the advice.
John, do you have an eSATA port on your computer. eSATA can handle pretty large sample libraries. Much better than USB or Firewire 400. As you have Firewire 800 though, you might be OK. Can't vouch for that, but can definitely vouch for eSATA. An external eSATA drive is very very powerful and a much cheaper option than an internal SSD . But if you can afford an SSD ….
Also, you don't need Komplete 8 Ultimate, that's for sure, especially for your needs. Look at the stupid amount of pianos you get anyway even with the regular version. You'll never use them all.
That said, of the stuff that Komplete has, what you want (in my opinion)
- Battery 3
- Kontakt 5
- Guitar Rig (it really is incredible)
- Absynth 5
- Massive
The rest is on a 'as I need it' basis. The 5 products above will have you making music for a very long time.
Buying those 5 products separately would cost FAR more than buying them as part of Komplete 8.
I have no experience with OSX Lion but NI have in the past 2-3 years been pretty good about getting things working on new platforms (they were awful before 2008).
No eSata Gareth, I'll have to test out the firewire 800 (it's 800mbps compared to esata's 3gbps) and see how it goes.
Man, I really appreciate all your input. Thanks so much!
I think I'm gonna take the dive and then next year re-evaluate the pricing of SSD HDD 's for an internal HDD upgrade.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Thanks for starting this thread. I am also lookimg at Komplete 8 and Logic Pro. It may be a while before I can purchase however, so I am still researching my options.
Firewire 800 will be fine as long as you're not loading every instrument at the same time
garethcoker said
KONTAKT (any version) has been the most essential part of my setup for many years.
It has evolved from originally being a pretty dodgy product, to being the most common and certainly the most stable sampling platform in the industry. Everyone makes products for it.
That said, I still think you'd be mad not to get Komplete 8. There is great stuff in there, but you have the option not to install all of it. But when you do want to try something new, you can dig in and have a look.
e.g. The orchestral stuff, it's not the best, but it's a good starting point. The Battery drum kits are fabulous. Absynth and Massive are great synths….. etc.etc. Guitar Rig Pro has saved me thousands of dollars in buying real amps to get the sound I want….!!
Yes you should buy Kontakt 5.But really you should buy Komplete 8 and look at it as a lifetime investment.
Just bought complete a few days ago, haven't gone through it all but so far it is amazing, a nice addition for any producer.
Very helpful feedback indeed.
If anyone else has any thoughts please chime in, I'm all ears. ... and I guess that's good since I'm working with audio. If this were videohive I'd want to be all eyes. Ok, it's late and the silly is at it's peak…........ bedtime.
Thanks again everyone!
I have a pc set-up and run windows xp, I have all my sample libraries for Komplete on a separate drive, I think that's the only way to go…. a separate drive, as Gareth said you probably should only load the stuff you really want to start off with and when you sort your drive set up out, load the rest of it.
Komplete 8 ultimate looks incredible value but I'm not sure about the drive thing, I'd rather have the discs even if it means I have to sit there for a day and load it all, I suppose it makes it cheaper to produce.
There is a lot of rubbish on the Komplete 8 ultimate package I.e. The Mouth, The Finger etc I think the rule here is not to get sucked in to the gimmicky things otherwise it turns into a monster, but on a positive note some of the fx are supposed to be good like Reflecktor (convolution reverb) and there are some modelled vintage compressors, the only down side is you have to use these fx in guitar rig as a insert plug in. I like Battery and also Reaktor is a lot of fun.
If you go for Komplete 8 you will get a voucher towards another product anyway (Alicia keys, studio drummer etc)
Hope this helps more
Hey simaudio,
Thanks for the input. I don't understand what you meant when you said…
simaudio said
Komplete 8 ultimate looks incredible value but I'm not sure about the drive thing, I'd rather have the discs even if it means I have to sit there for a day and load it all, I suppose it makes it cheaper to produce.
The only option I have for KOMPLETE 8 is to purchase the boxed version. I'm probably completely misunderstanding you though.
Thanks again for the input… yes it was helpful.


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QUERÉ TARO, Mexico?Jody Fledderman is one of five original employees at the auto-parts factory his father founded in rural Batesville,Ind. He also spends a lot of time at the company's 97,000-square-foot plant in central Mexico.
The two operations have expanded together as automotive production in both countries boomed. Mr. Fledderman credits the success of Batesville Tool & Die Inc., where he is president, in part to the addition of a Mexican plant 16 years ago that helps service Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and other clients on both sides of the border.
"We have three or four clients back in Indiana that we wouldn't have had if we weren't here," Mr. Fledderman, 54 years old, said in an interview at the plant in Queré taro.
President-elect Donald Trump has said that in his first days in office he will reopen talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement, which connects Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and leave the pact if Mexico doesn't agree to improved terms for the U.S. He blames unfair trade, in particular with Mexico and China, for the loss of millions of factory jobs.
Ending the 1994 trade pact is relatively easy. The U.S. legally can pull out of Nafta six months after Mr. Trump as president notifies Mexico and Canada of his intention to do so, according to a September study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. Imposing tariffs on imports lies within the authority of U.S. presidents.
For the auto industry, as Mr. Fledderman's business shows, such a change would be substantially more complicated, because of the multilayered connections between U.S. and foreign suppliers and assembly points. The tens of thousands of parts that make up any vehicle often come from multiple producers in different countries and travel back and forth across borders several times.
This is a tenet of modern manufacturing: Where a product is ultimately assembled increasingly has little bearing on where its component parts are made.
Assembly plants are prized engines of a local economies because they tend to pay better than most factories. Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized Ford Motor Co.'s plan to move assembly of its Focus compact from Wayne, Mich., to Mexico, vowing to impose a steep tariff on the car if Ford follows through. Ford executives have said moving the Focus to Mexico won't result in American job losses and that the company remains committed to producing in the U.S.
But more than half the parts in the Focus today are made outside the U.S. and Canada, including 20% in Mexico. Ford also ships in some of the car's engines from Spain and transmissions from Germany.
Similarly, only 10% of the parts that go into the 200,000 BMW luxury crossovers built each year in Spartanburg, S.C., come from U.S. and Canadian plants, according to U.S. government data. The rest are imported from Europe and elsewhere. BMW in turn exports most of the Spartanburg plant's production around the world.By contrast, 70% of the components in the Honda CR-Vs assembled in Guadalajara, Mexico?the production of which soon will be moved to central Indiana?are currently made by U.S. and Canada-based factories, data show.
The parts that make up a car or truck, from bolts to motor blocks, window lifts to oil filters, account for two-thirds of its value, according to the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, a trade group.
U.S. assembly plants vary on the amount of U.S.-made components they use. A Chevy Silverado pickup built in Indiana has 51% parts content from Mexico, according to the window sticker, while Ford's exclusively U.S.-assembled F-Series truck, the country's top selling vehicle for 39 years straight, has 70% U.S. and Canadian content.
"This industry, particularly in North America, has integrated a lot," said Thomas Klier, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago who specializes on automotive supply chains.
Such integration poses a challenge for anyone wanting to buy an entirely U.S.-made vehicle.
"You can't buy an American-made car anymore. You can buy an American-assembled car," said Loren Baisden, 32, a 13-year veteran of Ford's assembly line now working at the company's heavy-truck chassis plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.
Auto makers and many primary suppliers have moved some high-tech production to Mexico and elsewhere. Lower-tier suppliers typically relegate labor-intensive production such as assembling wire harnesses or sewing materials for seats to low-wage Mexico plants while keeping more highly skilled and automated tasks at their U.S. factories.
That strategy allows auto makers and their suppliers to be cost competitive with Asian and European imports, analysts say.
"The free flow of components is integral to the supply chain in auto manufacturing," Steve Arthur, an automotive analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said Thursday. It is "asituation not easily or inexpensively reversed."
Still, with so much final assembly moving to Mexico, the epicenter of North American auto production, which for more than a century has been deeply rooted in the Midwest, is moving an average of 14 miles toward the Southwest annually, according to a 2014 analysis by IHS Markit Automotive Advisory, the consultancy.
The neighboring small Indiana cities of Anderson and Muncie, which straddle Interstate 69 less than hour's drive north of Indianapolis, have been suffering that migration for more than three decades, as General Motors Co. and its suppliers have decamped for the south. The cities collectively have lost tens of thousands of high paying factory jobs.
Mursix Corp., a family-owned supplier company on the edge of Muncie, has been under increasing pressure to move some operations to Mexico to be closer to big Japanese and U.S. firms located there. The maker of switches, connectors andother electronic components exports about 60% of what it produces, primarily to Mexico, company president Todd Murray said.
The company is losing two product lines to suppliers located near his customers' Mexico plants, he said.
"That scares me," said Mr. Murray, 47, whose company opened a plant in China 11 years ago to win business there. "I see that [competition] becoming more aggressive in the years to come."
Mr. Murray said Wednesday that if a Trump administration overhauls or scraps Nafta, and gets tough with China, it could ultimately help him fend off that competition.
In the short run, he said, the healthier operating margins available to companies producing in Mexico will outweigh any new U.S. import duties. With the right policy mix, including lower corporate taxes, Mr. Murray said, any profits from Mexico operations could be invested to create cutting-edge technology jobs in the U.S.
U.S. and Canada-based factories shipped nearly $29 billion worth of parts to Mexico in 2015, according to INA, the Mexican auto-parts industry's national association. Mexican plants in turn sent more than $61 billion worth of parts to the two Nafta partners, accounting for much of the trade surplus Mexico has with the U.S.
About a third of Mexico's 1,300 suppliers, which employ some 720,000 people, are U.S. owned, according INA. Mexican, Asian and European companies make up a growing share of U.S.-based suppliers, which the U.S. Labor Department says provide jobs for nearly 600,000 Americans.
Mr. Fledderman's Batesville Tool & Die produces an array of components for the automotive, appliance and other supply chains. The 38-year-old company is a primary supplier to Honda and makes parts for Swedish air bag maker Autoliv AB, currently its biggest Mexico customer.
Some components, including engine hood hinges, oil filter seals and air bag parts, are made on both sides of theborder to be closer to customers who demand quick and reliable delivery of parts.
The plant in Batesville, a town of 6,000 staked amid the corn and soy fields of hilly southern Indiana, also handles product design and employs robots and a 3-D printer to make more intricate or larger parts. The Batesville factory has expanded five times in recent years as the company's North American business has surged. The company now employs 800 people, evenly divided between its two factories, and has annual revenue of $130 million, up from $8 million in 1989, when Mr. Fledderman took over.
"You don't make any money producing things that everybody in every corner of the world can make," said Mr. Fledderman, who recently returned to Indiana from his latest tour of Eastern Europe, where he sniffed out opportunities. "If it's not Mexico, then it's Poland or Vietnam or wherever. We're not the low-cost country in the world."
Auto production in Mexicoby U.S., Asian and European auto makers has boomed in the past decade, nearly doubling to reach 3.4 million light vehicles last year.
Despite the surge in Mexico, nearly 60% of the 17.5 million light vehicles sold in the U.S. last year were assembled within a so-called auto alley that runs from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, said James Rubenstein, a geographer at Miami University of Ohio who writes extensively about the industry.
Imports from Nafta partners Mexico and Canada, which contain a heavy mix of North American made parts, account for much of the rest. The auto-parts industry alone accounted for about 14% of the $531 billion in U.S.-Mexico trade in 2015, according to U.S. government data.
"In this day and age, when so much manufacturing has left the U.S., the auto industry is a striking exception," Mr. Rubenstein said. "It's not a win-lose situation. It's dividing up the growth. Mexico is winning, but so is auto alley."In Anderson, Ind., a business incubator and economic development project known as the Flagship Enterprise Center?a joint effort by the city government and Anderson University financed in part with federal grants?tries to attract industrial investment and to foster development of advanced technology, such as electric automotive engines.
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
November 10, 2016 13:45 ET (18:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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Coming in quite high on the 100 Best list (#25) is The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. It is a Coretta Scott King Honor book and a Newbery Honor Book. I had not read it before but when I mentioned it to Z's school librarian, she became very excited that I was going to be reading it. In turn, this made me excited to read it. And once I started, well frankly, I wasn't able to put it down. It is a powerful and well-written story with a strong sense of humor and of authenticity.
Though written relatively recently in 1995, this book immediately transports the reader back to 1963, to Flint, Michigan where the Watson family lives. As fourth-grader Kenny Watson struggles with a self-absorbed older brother (Byron) and a tattle-tale younger sister (Joetta), he also begins to learn about the world outside Flint when the family travels to Birmingham, Alabama at the height of racial tensions. You see, the Watsons are African-American with a mother from the South and a father from the North. They seem to live in a predominantly black neighborhood but, apart from Byron's misguidedly attempts to straighten and color his hair, it seems that they are able to live a life that's relatively free from racial issues. Kenny's biggest concerns are hiding his lazy eye and trying not to get beat up by the school bully. But when they begin their road trip to grandma's house in Birmingham, the first glimpses of what life was like in other parts of the country for African-Americans begin to come to light. We see it in the way their mother schedules for them to only stop in rest-stops and major cities. We see it in Byron's comments about what sort of people live in Appalachia and what they would think of the Watsons. And finally, we have it thrust onto us when a "colored" Birmingham church is bombed on a Sunday morning and children's bodies are pulled from the rubble. As this part of the story mirrors an actual historical event from September 1963 where four girls were killed, it is hard to deny this dark part of our country's history.
The writing in this book is wonderful. It reminded me a bit of Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story in the structure and setting of the story. It has a very easy flow and the characters seem very alive and real. This was a strong portrait of one family's experience during a turbulent historical period. I hope that many children now and in the future pick up this book. While I was reading it, Z actually leaned in and asked if he could read it next. I'm sure he's not mature enough to understand everything that happens in this story but I would have no problem guiding him through reading it and discussing any parts that disturbed or puzzled him. Bottom line, The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963 is a first-rate story.
Verdict: Buy
After a couple of books that underwhelmed me, this was a strong story that renewed my excitement about this project. Hopefully The Diamond in the Window is everything I'm hoping it will be too!
Schedule – February through June
note: dates are not necessarily set in stone – posts may go up a day or two before or after
February 28 – #97 The Diamond in the Window by Jane Langton (1962) — out of print
March 15 – #12 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (1999) — 3rd in a series
March 31 – #83 Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1907) — 3rd in a series
April 15 – #33 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (1971)
April 30 – #9 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)
May 15 – #17 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)
May 31 – #38 Frindle by Andrew Clements (1996)
June 15 – #58 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (1930) — 1st in a series


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Wow, holy drunkenness. In case you haven't been updated on my life, I spent yesterday and today in Madison, WI celebrating Melissa's 21st birthday. I feel kind of old because my two best friends are now both 21. Well, one is 22, but that's not the point. I drove up to Madison on Saturday with Bridget. We got there and began getting ready for the party right away. Bridget went to visit another friend while Melissa, Emily (her friend) and I went shopping for alcohol/food. Melissa decided to have a martini party at Emily's house because Emily lives closer to the bars than Melissa does. After shopping, we decorated and prepped for the party. It took two trips to the store to buy everything. Not because we had to get so much, but because we forgot things. Yay not grabbing a list. After we got Emily's apartment ready, Melissa and I went back to her apartment and did our make-up and got dressed for the party. Melissa's sister Jenn and Jenn's best friend Jenn and Jenn's fiance Brian got to Madison and we went out to dinner. After a quick stop at Melissa's apartment to drop off the cars, we walked over to Emily's. Right now, it needs to be noted that I wore very painful shoes. On the walk, I had to amazing experience of kicking a broken bottle (on accident)and slicing my toe. Yeah, I know, I'm coordinated. The martini party at Emily's was really fun. I met a lot of new people and got to record all of Melissa's shots/drinks in the shot book I made for her. Plus, I laughed hysterically when Jenn shot Brian in the eye with vodka on accident. Poor Brian, he was such a good sport. By the time we left for the bar, Melissa was already drunk. Which isn't surprising considering that martinis are all alcohol and Melissa had, well, a lot. Her first official shot was vodka at midnight. Her actual birthday is today, so we couldn't go to the bars until midnight. First we went to Vintage and I bought Melissa a Red-Headed Slut. It's Nicole's favorite shot and I thought that since Melissa has red hair, it was appropriate.After Vintage, we walked (well, most of us walked, Melissa danced) to Brothers, another bar. Melissa had several more shots, all of which were recorded and photographed. In our group, we had like five cameras. I'm very proud that Melissa wrote her phone number on the arm of a guy. I think his name was Chris. We got a picture of it. The last thing Melissa remembers is walking down the steps at Brothers. Which is when the real fun started. We walked from the bars back to Melissa's apartment which, according to Emily, is on the other side of the planet. Melissa was...walking challenged. And she developed a strange habit of spitting every few feet. After a couple blocks, Jenn (her sister) and Brian, who were helping her, demanded warning, which means that the most frequently heard thing was "Melissa! What about the warning?!"I'm very impressed with how well Melissa did. She did about 18 drinks/shots and that's counting the martinis as one apiece, when they had enough alcohol to really be considered 2. At least 2, possibly more. When I left today, Melissa was planning to take a nap, which I think was a good idea. I slept on a love seat last night, which means my legs were sticking off the end quite a bit. We had a Colin Firth/Hugh Grant marathon this morning, watching "Love Actually" and "Bridget Jones's Diary." Good movies. All in all, I had a lot of fun this weekend. I'm glad that I was able to go up to Madison to celebrate with Melissa. Not only was it very entertaining, but it was great to be able to relax and chill with friends. I can't wait to get my film developed! That's on the agenda for tomorrow. But for now, I'm beat and need to get some rest.HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELISSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Current Mood: tiredCurrent Music: Kiim Possible...the show, not the soundtrack


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The 35th anniversary of Alien is coming to a close, so the folks over at Poster Posse asked artists to create art to celebrate and commemorate the film with a new series.
The results are pretty darn gorgeous.
Image above by Orlando Arocena.
Check out some of the posters after the break.


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The Oakland A's left for their two-city, six-game road trip feeling great. They held one of the best records in baseball, thanks to an offense scoring runs at a high rate while compiling an 818 OPS. A week later, the club returns home after a 1-5 trip where the team hit well enough, but allowed more than five runs per game against the Rays and Red Sox.
The season will be full of ups and downs. The sample size is far too small to make any judgments on the team. But Oakland is 2-7 against teams outside the American League West. Another non-divisional foe is on deck, with the Baltimore Orioles coming in for a four-game set.
Baltimore famously made the playoffs last season after finishing a ridiculous 29-9 in one-run games and 16-2 in extra innings. They clinched one of the two Wild Card spots by three games.
While those close-game numbers are still accumulating, the Orioles come to Oakland with a 12-9 record and are again in the hunt for a return berth to the postseason. They have Chris Davis and Adam Jones to thank. Davis and Jones are hitting .356/.437/.740 and .345/.367/.540, respectively. Davis is tied for third in baseball with 22 RBIs, but has slowed down some after netting an incredible 17 RBI in his first five games.
Behind baseball's sixth-highest scoring lineup, the Orioles are getting significant contributions from their bullpen. The O's relievers' ERA is exactly half of the starters' number (2.44 versus 4.88) and they are allowing a 573 OPS to hitters. Oddly enough, the A's and Orioles' starters have the same ERA and one hundredth difference in bullpen ERA.
The A's come in licking their wounds after the road trip that could have ended on a much higher note had they completed a comeback win in the series finale in Boston. Down a run in the ninth, Jed Lowrie believed he had roped a double down the right-field line, only to have it called foul. Replays were inconclusive, but both Lowrie and A's manager Bob Melvin believed the ball hit the line causing chalk to fly.
Instead of having the tying run on second base with Josh Donaldson – looking for his third hit in the game – coming to the plate, the A's lost when Lowrie struck-out to end the game.
Oakland is continuing to look for more production for its starting pitching staff. Home is a welcomed site for the group that has underperformed after being the team's stalwart unit in 2012.
Jarrod Parker (0-3, 7.50 ERA) will be looking for his first win of the season after an encouraging outing in Tampa Bay, where he threw a season-best 6.1 innings and allowed just one run with five punch outs. The A's are hoping his early-season struggles are behind him and he is rounding into form.
Parker will take on Jason Hammel (2-1, 4.74 ERA), who is coming off a 113-pitch outing where he got the no-decision after throwing six, four-run innings.
The metrics on Hammel indicate he's benefited from a good deal of luck to start the year, despite his 4.74 ERA. He's allowing an outlier level of fly balls this season – which might actually help him in Oakland – and a line-drive rate that's significantly lower than his career clip, leading to a BABIP of .237. But the right-hander has a plus fastball and a four-pitch repertoire, although he throws mostly fastballs and sliders.
Wei-Yin Chen (1-2, 3.38 ERA) has easily been the Orioles' best starter this season. He's continuing the trend of allowing less hits than innings thrown, but he's striking out hitters at less than a 12 percent rate, leading to a 1.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Chen is coming off his best start of the young season. He threw six innings and allowed three hits and one run to get the win over the Dodgers.
Chen will take on Tommy Milone (3-1, 4.26 ERA) who will have to avoid the big inning early in games. The sample is small, but the left-hander is allowing an 896 OPS in the game's first three innings and a 513 OPS in innings four through six. Milone won his only career start against Baltimore last year, allowing one earned run on six hits in 6.1 innings.
In Game 3, A.J. Griffin (2-1, 4.50 ERA) will toe the hill after having the worst start of his career at Fenway Park. Being a fly-ball pitcher didn't bode well to begin with at Fenway, but he wound up being responsible for seven earned runs in just four-plus innings. The start doubled his ERA. Griffin has been considerably better at home in his brief career than on the road, allowing just a 594 OPS compared to a 713 mark on the road. He'll benefit from never having faced anyone in the Orioles lineup at the major league level.
Griffin will oppose Chris Tillman (0-1, 5.23 ERA), who is coming off a solid start where he allowed one run in 6.2 innings to Los Angeles. The right-hander is walking hitters at a very poor rate and is struggling in high leverage situations. But despite Tillman's struggles, Baltimore is 2-2 in his starts.
Coming into the season, not many would have believed Bartolo Colon (3-0, 2.42 ERA) would be the A's best starter. He has an outstanding OPS+ of 161 having walked just one hitter in 26 innings pitched. The right-hander has benefited from two starts against the Astros, but he has allowed just one run in his last 13 innings. He's throwing strikes at a 71 percent clip. Colon earned a complete game shutout in his last start, the A's rain-shortened win over Boston on Tuesday.
Colon will face Miguel Gonzalez (2-1, 4.13 ERA), who is just the second O's starter to perform better than the league average so far this year. With a 102 OPS+, Gonzalez has already allowed four homers and walked 12 hitters in 24 innings. That makes him a good matchup for the A's, although his rough start might be a blip on the radar after his solid rookie season in 2012 when he went 9-4 by allowing just 92 hits in 105.1 innings. The righty throws four pitches, including a split-finger fastball.


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Gifted Education
Gifted eduction is a specially designed instruction kindergarten through 12th Grade provided to students who qualify for eligibility under the guidelines set by the State of Florida and have a need beyond the general curriculum.
Who May Nominate and How the Process Begins
Who May Nominate: A parent, teacher or other professional who has knowledge of a student's need beyond the general curriculum may start the nomination process.
Where Does the Nomination Start:
- Public School Students: Nominations are directed to the school referral coordinator, usually the guidance counselor.
- Private and Home Schooled Students: Nominations are directed to the Psychology Secretary, Sandy Uher at (850) 469-5361..
- Elementary Charter School Students: Nominations are directed to a referral coordinator at 469-5543 and Secondary Charter School at 469-5601.
Eligibility Criteria For Gifted
To be eligible for Gifted Services, a student must meet all three of the criteria set by the State of Florida.
1. Demonstate a need for a curriculum and instruction beyond that given to every student.
2. Exhibit a majoriety of the characteristics of the gifted as evaluated by a classroom teacher, guidance counselor, psychologist, or someone with knowledge of the child's academic strengths, interests, and needs.
3. Score two standard deviations above the mean (130) on a psychological assessment administered by a licensed psychologist.
Gifted Service Options
Services provided to a student identified as Gifted are based on the needs of the student and are not the same for all students. Service models used in Escambia County School District include the following.
- Self contained Gifted Classes at the elementary level
- Clustering gifted student in General Education Classes with a Gifted Certified Teacher (K-12)
- Gifted Classes 6-12 in core content areas
- Resouce classes in which students are pulled out each day for advanced studies in core content areas
- Enrichment one day a week pull-out
Current Edition Approved by the School Board
September 2011
2.5.5 Acceleration
The School District of Escambia County recognizes the need for some high achieving and/or gifted students to receive a challenging program of study beyond that which is provided to their same-age peers in a traditional grade-to-grade progression. Students who exhibit a pattern of high performance as evidenced by a preponderance of existing data from multiple sources may be referred for consideration of acceleration. The school-based Response to Instruction (RtI) committee, including the principal and student's parent/guardian, will convene to determine the appropriateness of acceleration as well as the plan for implementation. The School District shall provide students with access to enroll in courses available through the Florida Virtual School and award credit for successful completion of such courses. Access shall be available to students during or after the normal school day and through summer school enrollment.


text:
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NOW CLOSED: Share your top stories and tips for applying sun lotion to yourself and your children with Garnier Ambre Solaire. You could win £100 worth of free Garnier products.(111 Posts)
You may recall we recently recruited three mumsnetters to to be filmed and learn all about applying the correct amount of sun lotion, on themselves and on their children . The video will be coming soon as well as a giveaway and lots of advice (including a Q&A with Ambre Solaire's expert) so please do keep your eyes peeled for this.
Garnier say "we are really excited to be working with MN to to take part in our sun care challenge to help mums enjoy their summer safely with their families."
In the meantime everyone is invited to share their tips for getting suncream on their children as well as their stories about how easy or difficult you find this...do you worry about your children being exposed to the sun at home or abroad or you confident you know how much cream to apply and how often?
Everyone who adds a tips, story or comment to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one person will win a Garnier goody bag worth up to £100.
If you were one of the MNers who attended the day with your child, please share with the rest of the community your experiences of the day, what you learnt and if you were surprised by anything.
Please note comments added to this thread may be used on the forthcoming Ambre Solaire pages on MN.
Thanks MNHQ
I usually use clear spray stuff that doesn't need rubbed in as quicker and easier. None of my kids mind getting it on and they assume it's just normal before leaving the house. Always have hats on too, again, my kids never go out without a hat (either cosy hat in winter or sun hat in summer!)
I have used the coloured cream in the past which the kids did enjoy rubbing in but still find the spray on stuff much easier and I know that they are fully covered and haven't missed any bits.
I also have an extra bottle of suncream in car, one in the pram basket and small one in my bag just in case!
I am petrified of wasps and tend to stay in in the summer, or at least close to home. I use a wasp repellent sun lotion in Factor 50 for us all and it helps to get me out and about, even if it is just psychological, I like that feature in my sun cream.
The kids adore the coloured stuff they can see to rub in. I'd like something that combines both. In an easy action pump spray for arthritic hands.
It would be the perfect sun cream.
We apply cream all over before getting dressed and then I have small tubes for when we're out and about. Hats are derigeur here too as are sunglasses (as I have very sensitive eyes) although I can't get DS to keep his sunglasses on for more than 10 seconds at a time.
I've also got some t-shirts and bathing costumes with anti-uv protection built in for the summer.
Our kids love the lipstick sized tubes of thick coloured sunblock . They paint them on tneir cheeks, noses and lips when they are swimming and pretend tbey are surfers or lifeguards
I always get them covered in sun screen before we leave for the beach with a high factor cream. Once out and about I tend to top them up using a spray, we tend to get more cooperation if we buy a coloured spray. The boys seem to really like having sun screen put on if it is coloured.
Over time we've learnt not to neglect areas like tops of ears and scalp as these tend to be really sore and easy to miss. Also I let the boys choose their own sun hates and glasses which also contribute to avoiding getting burnt.
I label each bottle when I buy it with the year it was bought. We end up with quite a few bottles kicking around over the year (in school bags for both DDs, in the house, in the buggy, in the holiday house, in the car...) and it's easy to lose track of which goes out of date when.
In summer, both DDs wear a single big French plait* - means I don't have to worry about a hair parting getting burnt, but still keeps it all out of their faces.
*I mean one French plait each. Not that I plait their heads together - though now I come to think of it, the idea has its merits...
We plaster children straight from the shower. Let them prance around in the nip for a bit to dry off afterwards. During the day we top up with the dry aerosol ones so no need to rub in, followed by a good dollop of cream on faces, ears, neck and scalp.
Sometimes it feels like all we do is apply sunscreen so I have decided to invent a machine to do it for me. it's like an automatic spray tan machine but with sunscreen! Genius idea if I may say so. Coming soon to all beaches and other hot sunny places. Pay a quid and pop your dc in and voila!!
Agree with all the posters above who just get the suncream applied before going out.
I tend to let each DC rub suncream into one of my arms after they have had theirs applied. For some unknown reason it makes them more compliant.
I make sure DS is covered in cream before I put his clothes on as it's easier and less messy to do that than slathering it on when he is dressed. He has Maltese heritage though so despite the factor 50 / sun hats and being out of the sun between 12:30 and 14:30 for a nap he still managed to get some colour!
I use the spray straight out of the shower. Have been known to dry DD with a hairdryer when we are in a rush
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
When we are abroad everyone is done naked when we get up before we put our swimsuits on.
Oddly we never do that at home but I do like the coloured cream that helps you see where you have covered.
Watching this thread for tips as slip slop slapping 20 children at nursery is never easy!
Always remember the parting in your hair too, had a painful experience when I missed that spot.
we tend to have to wrestle DS to the ground, then use one hand to apply sun lotion, and one hand to stop him wiping it straight off.
also, we try not to be outside in the peak sunshine hours (so basically, March this year...), as DS will absolutely not wear a hat. Although we've recently had some success with a fez, but it looks a bit ridiculous being out and about in suburban England, with a blond toddler in wellies, a raincoat, and a fez.
I burned badly, and often, as a child, in the West of Scotland, so am not complacent about the power of the sun in the UK!
Another here who creams the DCs when abroad before getting dressed. DS has sensitive skin and his sun-cream at the moment is a roll-on.
This has been a huge success for both DCs as they love the novelty of it instead of normal sun lotion bottle. Very easy to carry around and will definitely buy it again!
I keep my dcs covered really and use very little sunscreen. We spend a lot of time outside so they build up exposure. They wear proper hats and long shorts/t-shirts, we steer clear of strappy dresses. If we are at the beach or walking or otherwise out all day with little chance to seek shade then we apply sunscreen but for normal garden or park play I just make sure they come in for a bit fairly regularly (bribed with ice lollies or juice, also good for making ure they drink!).I've never had trouble getting it on them when it is needed and we know to use plenty. Neither child has had sunburn and nor do they get a deep tan, just not quite so pale as in winter so I figure I must be getting exposure about right.
We all use the lotions that last 6 hours or more so that application is minimal. When on holiday we tend to go from pjs to swim suits via suntan lotion application, it's just part of the routine. When we top up later, it's after lunch while we're chilling in the shade so DC can be reading or playing cards while we apply. DD is good at doing it herself, having watched us but DS, although older, is pants at it!! We don't like the sprays - one bit of wind and it goes everywhere.
I always put sun cream on before the tinies are dressed (unlike DH who tries to poke it around under their collars). I also have a stash located conveniently around the house - at least one tube in one of the kids bedrooms, one in the kitchen and one in the car.
There is a sun cream which is blue so you can see where you have applied previously that's rather handy.
I avoid the spray on creams as there have been claims of nano technology etc etc adding chemicals deep into the skin. Prefer old school sun cream.
Don't forget the less obvious spots like back of the neck, ears, feet!
The anyway up spray cans are by far the easiest way of applying lotion ime. I give mine a good dousing before getting dressed in the morning to make sure we've got everywhere and then top it up as thoroughly as I can around lunchtime when the sun is strongest. - always trying to remember that sleeves and short legs can ride up when children are playing.
The pump sprays are the worst. Once you've done one child and rubbed it in, your hands are too slippy to pump the bottle for the second child!
I also always keep a spare bottle of cream in the baby bag and by the back door. No excuse for forgetting then
Oh yes, children's ears burn very easily when the sun hat of choice is a baseball cap and they're outside on a school trip all day. I did their face and neck, but forgot their tabs ops:.
That should be a , not a . I'm not insanely proud of my parental shortcomings.
I didn't realise that children's sunscreen was not to be used on babies. I think if you look on the instructions they have to be over a year old.
Therefore when mine were very little I would seek out sunscreen made with zinc oxide as apparently this cream is not absorbed into the skin but creates a layer on the skin to protect against the sun. However by far the better method is just to keep children covered with long sleeved t-shirts and hats and where possible, provide shade for them to play under.
Some of the high factor sunscreens can be really greasy and heavy, but I find the sprays are good for even coverage. I don't use a very strong factor as children do also need to absorb some of the suns rays to get essential vitamin D (as do we), so I generally go for factor 25 or 30.
Also, every summer check your sunscreen as they do go out of date which can make them less effective. On hot days keep them in the fridge as not only is that lovely and cooling when you spray it on, but it also stops it again from going off.
I always use the spray-on for DS; easier to apply, less mess, more fun. The only annoyance is that mix of water, sand and suncream that you have to deal with later in the day when you're out at the beach.
I remember going on holiday as a child and burning terribly; we'd go back to our apartment and my mum would peel the skin off my back and shoulders (don't know whether people just didn't care as much in those days or whether it was just her )
Might be TMI but we always start the day by applying it naked in the hotel room. We reapply frequently. We get through a lot of sun lotion on holiday and I favour higher factors, as a tan is not the reason we go abroad. I also make sure we have access to shade and books/toys/games etc. to encourage the kids to spend time out of direct sunlight.
As the girls are getting older I have to nag them more but the message seems to be getting through to them. I show them pics of the nan in Benidorm as a cautionary tale.
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Welcome to the
Tasmanian Home Education Advisory Council
Home education is a legal option in Tasmania, providing the parent/guardian registers as a home educator.
Parents take the responsibility for educating their children and this is being achieved with success by parents from differing backgrounds and educational levels, without any special training.
Registration is managed by THEAC and confirmed by the Minister for Education.
On this site, you'll learn about home education in Tasmania and
- how to get started,
- our registration process, and
- information about THEAC.
The Tasmanian Home Education Advisory Council (THEAC) was established in 1993 to advise the Minister for Education and the general public on matters to do with home education, and to register and monitor individual home education programs.
The THEAC Office is located at
3 Dowling Street,
Launceston, Tasmania 7250
Phone: (03) 6334 5381
Office hours are Monday – Thursday 9:30am -12:30pm.
Download THEAC letter to Home Educators 20 April 2016 and Education-Act-Review-14-Fact-Sheet-Home-education to find out more about the Education Act review and home education.


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This activity includes video and lyrics from international hits that have been performed by Greek* and Turkish** artists.
The Turkish lyrics are presented for practice.
Select a song and click the button "Presentation".
In the right frame you will see the video clips and the lyrics.
In the website there are also collections with
1. New and modern songs
2. Mid 20th century popular songs
3. Old and traditional songs
If you notice a broken link, please let me know in order to correct it.
* Greek songs by: Adamantidis, Argyraki, HeroPaides, Imvrios, Ioannidis, Jordaneli, Kanelidou, Koskina, Kouroukli, Mando, Martakis, Nikolaou, Panousis, Protopsalti, Sarbel, Vissi, Zouzounia
** Turkish songs by: Aksu, Aldinç, Belkis, Dündar, Erkoç, Günceler, Grup Vitamin, Hayrettin, Koç, Mavi Işıklar, Nilüfer, Okan, Pekkan, Sirgee, Tatlıses


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A number of the pieces had an ''R'' stamped on them, and the nameplates had space for seven letters - so he consulted a dictionary for a suitable substitute for Raleigh. On 1 January, 1935, 44-year-old Mr Williams licensed his first van: he called it a Reliant.
But this story is no fairy-tale. Last Tuesday, KPMG Peat Marwick advertised the Reliant Motor Group for sale. It had gone into receivership for the second time in three years, and it is difficult, at first sight, to see why it should be rescued. The current model, the Robin, is a descendant of the Tom Williams van, and is recognisably related to the Regal launched in 1953. Not only does it have a tiny engine, uncertain roadholding and limited carrying capacity, it is also - at pounds 7,000 - more expensive than many four-wheelers.
But it would be a mistake to write Reliant off now. Beans Engineering, its owner, was brought down not by poor sales but by bad debts. It has been making - and selling - 15 Robins a week, as well as five Sabre sports cars.
And Reliant's story, one of the more eccentric in British corporate history, is one of survival. It has been into receivership twice and out once. It has been floated and taken private twice. It has been a subsidiary of the Standard Chartered Bank. And it has come close to emigrating to Russia.
It has also, despite its apparently antediluvian technology, produced more new ideas than most companies many times its size, and has built some strikingly original vehicles, including the world-beating Scimitar GTE sports car.
Mark Hopson, the receiver, believes a buyer could well emerge from the woodwork. The three-wheeler could have a future, he says, ''because there is always a contingent who will remain loyal to the cause''.
For a man who did not become an entrepreneur until he was in his mid-forties, Tom Williams, who died in 1964, was remarkably successful. According to Ray Wiggin, who joined the company in 1959 and was managing director for 15 years, he was ''a lovable person, but nervous. He could be a bit of a bully with people he didn't know. But he had a great heart, and he was a fighter.''
Reliant started producing its own engines and gearboxes before the war, which gave it useful self-sufficiency. In 1953, Williams launched his first car, the Regal, equipped with such modernities as a steering-wheel instead of a handle. In 1956, Reliant became the first company to switch to glass fibre body construction, which it has used ever since.
It did not try to compete with the big companies, but found a niche that kept its factories busy. Its targets were motorbike owners who did not want to take a car test or pay car road tax: because of its three wheels and low weight, it was taxed as a motorcycle.
When Wiggin joined in 1959, Reliant turned over pounds 600,000 and employed about 175 people. The company was growing rapidly, but in 1962 Williams - then over 70 - decided to sell out. The buyer was Julian Hodge, a tax expert who had specialised in bringing small companies to the stock market.
Mr Wiggin was made managing director and removed many of the constraints Mr Williams had insisted on - such as a ban on internal telephones. He pushed ahead with the development of an aluminium engine, the first by a British company, and constructed a new factory to build it.
Mr Hodge floated Reliant by ''reversing it'' into a quoted Manchester company, Hodgkinson Denis, which was then renamed the Reliant Motor Group. Although Mr Hodge (who became Sir Julian in 1970) had his share of detractors, he allowed Mr Wiggin to follow his instincts, which pushed Reliant along two parallel courses. First, as a producer of low-volume specialist cars - glass fibre bodies could be produced cheaply in small numbers, because the process was hardly mechanised; secondly, as a developer of car factories in developing countries: Reliant would design the cars, which would be made of glass fibre, and supply the expertise.
It was this that moved Reliant, almost by accident, into sports cars. An Israeli company, Autocars, had asked it to design a four-wheel sports car which, it hoped, could be sold in the United States. The car, launched in 1961, was called Sabra, meaning a native Israeli. The American market did not take to it, but Mr Wiggin decided it might do well in Britain: Reliant started producing its own version, now anglicised to Sabre.
The unlovely car still did not sell well, so Reliant asked the only British car studio, Ogle Design, to come up with new ideas. The result was the elegant, Ford-engined Scimitar GT, launched in 1964. Suddenly, the little three-wheeler company was producing a much-admired four-wheel sports car, given a royal imprimatur when the Duke of Edinburgh bought a special glass-roofed version.
In 1967 Wiggin asked Tom Karen of Ogle to look at ways of developing the shape. ''I had this wild idea of doing a sporty estate, and Ray instantly chose it,'' Karen says. This was the Scimitar GTE, a car way ahead of its time that has been much imitated. Princess Anne had seven (including the last one, built in 1986) and was caught speeding in one. That, Mr Karen says, ''did no harm at all''.
Meanwhile Mr Wiggin continued with his plan to set up production lines abroad. Ogle was commissioned to design a saloon and estate car, with the unlikely name Anadol, for the Otosan Company in Istanbul. It was launched in 1966, became the best-selling car in Turkey, and formed the basis for a new motor industry.
He also looked for niches that Reliant could fill. From the sublime Scimitar, he moved to the Bond Bug - a bright orange, wedge-shaped two-seater based on Robin mechanicals. It was aimed at swinging youngsters and, says Mr Karen, who designed it, ''attracted as much attention on the street as a Lamborghini''. But it had more than its share of problems. Strikes limited production, it was not well made, and it was sold through Reliant dealerships, which were used to selling to more genteel customers. But its fatal weakness was that it could not be sold at a price that would attract young customers.
Although the Bug died in 1975, the mid-Seventies were the high point in Reliant's history. It turned over more than pounds 30m and employed 3,700 people in seven factories, making it the second biggest British-owned car company. The three-wheelers, which had been repeatedly facelifted, were being produced at 330 a week, taking a remarkable 1.25 per cent of the UK car market, thanks to clever marketing based on the simple fact that they were cheap to run.
A four-wheel version of the Robin, the Kitten, was launched, while other niche cars were being planned. These included an up-market medium-sized car built in collaboration with BL; a new Scimitar, a smaller sports car, a taxi, and a ''people-carrier''. This last, designed by Tom Karen, had most of the features of the Renault Espace, the first European people-carrier, which was not launched until the mid-Eighties. ''The company was developing very nicely,'' Mr Wiggin says.
Most of these plans were scrapped, however, when Reliant was sold in 1977. Sir Julian Hodge, now 73, had sold his group to the Standard Chartered Bank, which decided it did not want to make cars. A consortium of businessmen, including John Barber of BL and Donald Healey (as in Austin-Healey) offered 2p a share for Hodge's 76 per cent stake in Reliant, but Sir Julian chose a 1 1/2 p offer from John Nash, who like Hodge had specialised in bringing companies to the stock market.
Sales of the now-dated Scimitar were slipping, and Mr Nash demanded fierce cutbacks. ''He didn't want to run Reliant as a high-risk business,'' Mr Wiggin says. ''He cut out a lot of the policies I was pursuing.'' New model development was slashed, as were warranty and marketing programmes. Ray Wiggin left after six months, and was replaced by Ritchie Spencer, the personnel director, who immediately announced a thousand redundancies.
Mr Wiggin admits that his plans were risky, and might not have survived the recession of 1980-81. Reliant suffered from the same sort of problems as the rest of the motor industry, and attempts to introduce such ideas as Japanese-style quality circles had foundered in the face of union opposition. ''We weren't as efficient as we'd have liked,'' Mr Wiggin concedes. But he is sad that his ideas were not given a chance.
Strangely, some of the designs Wiggin commissioned have resurfaced elsewhere. The replacement for the Scimitar, styled by Bertone, was sold to Honda and used as the Aerodeck, while another Bertone design, destined for the executive car, re-emerged as Citroen's BX.
Scimitar output continued to fall, from 1,600 in 1977 to a tenth of that five years later. A new soft-top model did little to revive sales. Three-wheeler sales continued to drop too - by the end of the Eighties, they were at only 30 a week. What development there was concentrated on a small sports car which, it was hoped, would be welcomed as a replacement for the now-defunct MG. When the SS1 was launched in October 1984, the company said it expected to build sales up to at least 2,000 a year. Two years later, they were barely 300. The problem was simple: the car, styled by Michelotti of Italy, was plain ugly.
Efforts to turn this ugly duckling into a swan continued, restyling the car and bringing back the old Scimitar name to appeal to nostalgics. Cyril Burton, who took over as managing director, set up a deal to develop the car for the US market, but it came to nothing.
Mr Nash had floated Reliant in 1981, in mid-recession. But as other manufacturers revived with the economy, it continued to wallow. In 1985, it lost pounds 645,000 after tax, followed by pounds 476,000. It was kept alive partly by selling off its sites one by one, and partly by subcontracting: it made the bodies for Metrocab London taxis, for example.
Mr Nash did his best to rid himself of his charge. In 1985 he tried to persuade Lotus, owned by General Motors, to buy it. The next year a rescue attempt by a consortium of US car importers failed. He finally managed to sell Reliant in 1989. Like Mr Nash, the new owners knew more about financial than real engineering.
Carl Turpin was a dapper, moustachioed accountant from London who, with his partner Chris Johnson, had set up two property companies, Wiseoak and Belmont, in 1983 and had started building houses. They hoped to make money by floating them in 1988, but as the housing market started to dip, they realised property companies would be received with horror on the stock market. The answer, they decided, was to reverse into a manufacturer, and don its more respectable clothing.
In February 1990, it was announced that Reliant had bought two property companies for pounds 16.5m. In fact, the opposite had happened: Turpin and Johnson ended up with 37 per cent of a company that made cars and built houses. They made no secret of their desire to run down three-wheeler production, and subcontracted much of the Robin's construction - a company called Beans took over the manufacture of the engine, gearbox and suspension. But they also declared that they wanted to increase the industrial rather than the property side of the operation. They bought Metrocab from Laird; and when a designer approached them with a plan to waterproof the Reliant engine, they set up Reliant Marine. This moved them into motorised surfboards and jet skis.
Mr Turpin said he wanted Reliant to become a specialist glass fibre constructor - which seemed a logical way of making use of the company's long-nurtured skills. But their plans outreached their financial abilities, and in October 1990, as the new recession swept in, the company was put into receivership with debts of pounds 4m.
Andrew Peters, the receiver from Touche Ross, thought he had sold Reliant three times before it was finally rescued. Three serious buyers emerged. One was a management team headed by Cyril Dixon, but this failed to raise the funds - hardly surprising in mid-recession. The next was a consortium of Indian businessmen, who signed a contract and paid a pounds 200,000 deposit. They could not raise the money either, and the receivers kept the deposit.
A Russian group called Autokam then arrived. It was not interested in the three-wheelers, but did want to build a van derivative of the four-wheel Kitten. Its plan was to transfer the entire production line to Russia. Mr Peters had detailed discussions with the group before it too pulled out, having failed to transfer the hard currency it needed out to the UK. Autokam must rue that day, because it then set up a pounds 3m deal with three British businessmen to send kit cars to Russia. Only 47 of the 100,000 promised cars were supplied, and in May this year the Britons were found guilty of fraud.
Eventually, in August 1991, Reliant's biggest creditor, Beans Industries, agreed to take Reliant on. Lou O'Toole, a down-to-earth Black Country engineer, stood to lose a lot of business if it collapsed. ''He didn't want to buy it,'' Mr Peters says. ''He stepped in to protect his own business.''
Mr O'Toole put a more positive face on it at the time. ''My research shows a market for 30 Robins a week is still there,'' he said. He also said he wanted to revive the Bean marque, which was last used in the Thirties. One old Bean, the Thunderbolt, had once held the world speed record.
As it turned out, this optimism was justified. He found a waiting list of 234 for the Robin, which had stopped production, and declared that Del Boy Trotter was largely reponsible. A Reliant van was the company car of Trotters Independent Trading in the television series Only Fools and Horses. David Jones-Percival, Beans finance director, pointed out that road tax was still half that of other cars, and that if you wanted a three-wheeler, you had to buy a Reliant. ''It's the best in its class and the worst.''
But there was never an attempt to build up production of the three-wheelers beyond a modest 15 a week. Once again, the company tried to revive a small sports car, now renamed the Sabre. Once again, it failed to catch the public's imagination. As a result, Reliant is a shadow of its former self. Only 90 people build cars at Tamworth, though another 250 work at Beans, where the mechanical bits are still made. Will Reliant be rescued again? Rob Golding, analyst at Warburg, says that it has survived ''in the face of industrial logic''. Perhaps it will continue to do so.
(Photographs omitted)Reuse content


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up until today i was able to play candy crush saga and other facebook games. now its saying that i need to update my flash player and when i try to do so, nothingnhappens. anybody know anything about this? i tried from tyhe link tyhat was given on facebook and also directly from the adobe site.
Facebook must have made some changes.
1) Another browser like Dolphin or Puffin or Maxthon. All 3 are available in the Nook Store.
2) The mobile or tablet vrsions of Facebook i.e. touch.facebook.com or m.facebook.com.


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MGW images Photographer
ktolleyModel Female Limestone, Tennessee, US
My MM URL: http://www.modelmayhem.com/ktolley083
Mayhem # 691172
About Me
hello and welcome!
i have been away from modeling for a little bit since having my son, but i am experienced and love new and creative ideas. im ready to work and put life back into my portfolio. i have an extensive dance background and i love creative expression through the body. i have found that with dancing and with modeling, it can be captured.
if you have an interest please message me!!!
thanks for visiting
Have you worked with ktolley? Add Credits for ktolley! >>
Credit Notes
Metro Productions and Photography
Woody Woodruff
Johnson City , TN
Insired Images by Mandy~ MM# 309090
Mandy Willis
Jonesborough, TN
Mandy is AMAZING! She is very professional, gives great direction, and makes you feel like a million bucks. I am always pleased with the results.
Randall Elkins~ MM# 78316
Morristown, TN
Randall has a great sense of imagery and his capture in a shoot is incredible!!!! Best way to descirbe Randall... He ROCKS!!! :-)
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Romantic Wild Rice Salad
Recipe by Bellinda
This is a sophisticated salad that's perfect for taking on a romantic picnic date in the park. Adjust the ingredients to your tastes and enjoy!
Top Review by Chabear01
Made for Fall 09 PAC Orphange adoption. I doubled the recipe and used a ziplock put-away container to mold it into which worked wonderfully as it slipped out of the mold cleanly and nicely. I enjoyed the flavor and beauty of this recipe, and only wish I had someone to make it for a nice romantic picnic salad. I am adding this to my Salad Cookbook and will make again for a family gathering tripling the recipe, and adding just a touch more dijon for added flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe. 11/12 Just a note, made this recipe up to serve at my daughters wedding dinner (see pic) So many people enjoyed this recipe and asked for it...of course I referred them to this site and gave them the recipe number...Way to go girl for a real winner!!!
See Discussion:4 Reviews
Ingredients Nutrition
- 1 cup wild rice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- salt or pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 4 ounces walnuts
- 4 -6 ripe strawberries
Directions See How It's Made
- Cook rice according to package directions. You could use chicken broth instead of water.
- In a bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, garlic and terragon.
- As soon as the rice is done, mix it with the dressing.
- Fold in the scallions.
- Chill in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes. This salad tastes great when it is not too cold.
- Taste and adjust seasonings. Mix in half of the walnuts. Sprinkle rest on top. You could roast them first if you wanted.
- Thinnly slice strawberries and arrange them on top.


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- Overview
- Specs
- Reviews
Performance Frenzy Youth Hard Shell HelmetProtect your little cyclist from the school of hard knocks with the Frenzy kids' bike helmet. Your child will love the colorful shell, breezy vents and soft straps. You will appreciate the resilient PVC vacuum exterior, shock-absorbing EPS liner and dial-type retention system. Plus, it's CPSC certified, giving you confidence in your child's safety.
- PVC vacuum shell provides durable head protection
- Protective EPS liner absorbs shock and impacts
- 9 vents deliver cooling comfort
- Velcro-fit foam pads soak up sweat
- Soft nylon straps with Tri-Glide buckle
- Dial-type retention system easily adjusts for a stable fit
- Comfortable chin strap
- CPSC certified
- Includes additional pad set
Performance Frenzy Youth Hard Shell Helmet
- retention system:
- Dial Type
- sizing:
- Youth Sizing: (21.25-22.75")
- vents:
- 9
- weight:
- 411g
- rating:
- 3
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SPECIAL OFFERTake An Extra 15% Off This Item! Discount Taken In Cart. See details
Extra 15% Off: Offer valid 6/21/17-7/4/17 only, at all Performance Bicycle Stores, Performancebike.com and by phone. No coupon or coupon code required, in-store discount taken at register, online discount taken in cart. Extra 15% off is not valid on bikes/frames, GoPro, Garmin, Speedplay, Stages, Wahoo, Team Performance Memberships/Renewals, gift cards, Spin Doctor Services or Service Plans, previous purchases, shipping or sales tax. Some brand and/or item exclusions may apply to this promotion – visit Terms and Conditions for details. Offer cannot be combined with any other coupon or offer.


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NASA's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches the first private spaceship in orbit and brings it home safe.Video of SpaceX Falcon 9 Dragon Capsule launch is uploaded in NASA and Youtube and NASA to hold a complete post-flight press conference at 3:30pm EST……
The private spaceflight industry took another giant leap forward today as privately-owned SpaceX with help from NASA, successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying its Dragon crew capsule into orbit from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Though the crew capsule was unmanned for this maiden flight the launch marks the first time a private spaceflight company has launched a spaceship into orbit with the intention of bringing it safely back to Earth.Dragon is now in orbit where it will circle the Earth two or three times before reentering Earth's atmosphere and if all goes well, splashing down some 500 miles off the coast of Mexico in the Pacific Ocean later today.At just after 2 p.m. EST, SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific after successfully completing reentry maneuvers and deploying its three drag parachutes. The splashdown marks the first time a commercial entity has launched a spacecraft into orbit and successfully brought the crew capsule safely home. Congratulations to SpaceX and NASA on a historic job well done.
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"School started a couple of weeks ago," Ellis said Thursday night. "My coach loaded me up with all kinds of crazy classes. I have an SAT prep class and Algebra II, stuff I need to go to college and it is harder than I thought. They are giving me the stuff I need to succeed. The SAT prep will help me with the test and counts as a core class. I also did a summer class this summer to help too.
"I am playing both ways and the whole game this year. Right now I am half a game full speed both ways. I need to get all four quarters full speed. I need about another week or so to get used to it. I have to get mentally prepared. The coaches are doing the right thing I just have to be mentally there."
After a loss to Palm Beach Dwyer in a jamboree, Ellis was ready to play but Hurricane Katrin cancelled the first game that counts in the standings.
"We had a big loss last Friday," he said. It was a jamboree … we lost to Dwyer High School. The score was bad. I don't really want to say (what it was). They are a good team and had a lot of experience.
"We made a couple of adjustments this week. Physically we are alright, just not mentally. We have a lot of young kids and most haven't played a game of varsity in their life. We had a great week of practice … we were disappointed that the game was postponed (due to Hurricane). School is out, but I would rather practice or something."
Not much has changed for Ellis in recruiting since the last update. He is still interested in Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and LSU. He won't go much farther than that.
"It's the same people mainly," he said. "I have a few new recruiters. The one new offer I got is from Tennessee. I have the same top six right now, but I am not going to say who stands out the most at this point."
He does tell us what he expects from the schools he is being recruited by and what will have to come from the school he finally decides on.
"The school just has to be real for me," he said. "It's got to be how I fit in the school. I want a nice campus and I want a recruiter that is interested in me."
Ellis took a few moments to talk about some of the recruiters that he has contact with on a regular basis.
MIAMI: "Coach Cristobal I talk to a lot. Cristobal tells you like it is. He is just raw. He says when you come to Miami it's going to be a lot of hard work."
SOUTH CAROLINA: "Coach Steve Spurrier Jr. … I just feel comfortable talking to him."
RUTGERS: "Coach Rizzi from Rutgers, he communicates with me a lot. They had a camp down here and I got to meat the coaching staff and stuff."
FLORIDA: "Coach Doc Holliday is really cool. Doc is just Doc, he has his own category. Everyone down here knows Doc."
He gave us a few more nuggets to chew on as he concluded the interview. He has a good idea where all of this recruiting stuff is leading him and how it is he will get to that final destination.
"I am going to take all my visits, and it will be a near signing day decision," he said. "My coaches at school don't care (where I go). They are just trying to help me get out of Palm Beach County. It is my decision, but I want to see what my mom thinks in the end. I know where I want to go, but I am just going to wait it out and see what happens."


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Taking Fitness to a Whole New Height
Getting a jump start on your fitness goals in a non traditional way
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Many people have fitness goals for the new year, and for those who may be tired of the same old routine, News Channel 3's Meredith Garofalo shows us one way to take your workout to a whole different "height."
It's not your typical gym or average workout routine.
"It's basically designed to be as fun as possible," said Airobic Fitness owner Steve Lindsey. "To get the people who maybe always try something and then they give up after a while."
Lindsey's workout facility takes fitness to a whole new level.
"In between the rebounders and a trampoline park, which it no way is, but it's basically designed where you can go from pod to pod without being on the same pod as someone else so you get a good cardio workout that way," Lindsey said.
In order to find out how this really works, l tried the moves myself.
It starts with a warmup that really gets your heart jumping.
"First move is kind of parachute landing," Lindsey demonstrated.
I describe it as feeling a rush like a kid gets the first time on a trampoline.
"You get your jump going, then you go forward," explained Lindsey.
He made it look easy.
I realized I am definitely not as suave at leaping as I thought I might be!
Of course, the class isn't just defying gravity. There's also focus on upper body.
Then after all that, we get to lie down and work on core.
I can attest that it's a good workout, and in a half hour or so Lindsey said you can burn an average of 500 calories.
"It's just easy to gear yourself for intensity, so everyone completes it," Lindsey said.
For more information, you can visit their website, http://www.airobicfitness.com. The facility is located in the La Cumbre Plaza between GNC and Claire's.
Another trampoline fitness facility, in case you are interested in soaring to a different height in your workout routine, is Cloud10 Jump Club (opening this month) -- http://cloud10jumpclub.com/


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Prostate Immobilization Device Used During Radiation Treatments to Decrease Rectal Bleeding
This study has been completed.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Anthony V. D'Amico, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: June 20, 2005
Last updated: August 22, 2012
Last verified: August 2012
|Tracking Information
|First Received Date ICMJE
|June 20, 2005
|Last Updated Date
|August 22, 2012
|Start Date ICMJE
|April 2001
|Primary Completion Date
|January 2005 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Rectal toxicity at six month intervals [ Time Frame: 2 years ]
|Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Rectal toxicity at six month intervals
|Change History
|Complete list of historical versions of study NCT00114985 on ClinicalTrials.gov Archive Site
|Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Current Other Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Original Other Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Descriptive Information
|Brief Title ICMJE
|Prostate Immobilization Device Used During Radiation Treatments to Decrease Rectal Bleeding
|Official Title ICMJE
|A Phase II Study of Late Rectal Toxicity Following 3-D Conformal External Beam Radiation Therapy Performed Using a Prostate Immobilization Device
|Brief Summary
|During 3D-conformal external beam radiation therapy treatments for prostate cancer, the prostate gland moves. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the placement of a prostate immobilization device into the rectum during radiation treatments will decrease the risk of rectal bleeding that is sometimes seen as a late effect from radiation.
|Detailed Description
|Study Type ICMJE
|Study Phase
|Phase 2
|Study Design ICMJE
|Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Condition ICMJE
|Prostate Cancer
|Intervention ICMJE
|Device: Prostate Immobilization Device
Device placed during radiation treatment
|Study Arms
|Not Provided
|Publications *
|Woel R, Beard C, Chen MH, Hurwitz M, Loffredo M, McMahon E, Ching J, Lopes L, D'Amico AV. Acute gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and dermatological toxicity during dose-escalated 3D-conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) using an intrarectal balloon for prostate gland localization and immobilization. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2005 Jun 1;62(2):392-6.
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
|Recruitment Information
|Recruitment Status ICMJE
|Enrollment ICMJE
|Completion Date
|October 2008
|Primary Completion Date
|January 2005 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Eligibility Criteria ICMJE
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
|31 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers
|Contacts ICMJE
|Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
|Listed Location Countries ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Removed Location Countries
|Administrative Information
|NCT Number ICMJE
|Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE
|Has Data Monitoring Committee
|U.S. FDA-regulated Product
|Not Provided
|Plan to Share Data
|Not Provided
|IPD Description
|Not Provided
|Responsible Party
|Anthony V. D'Amico, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
|Study Sponsor ICMJE
|Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
|Collaborators ICMJE
|Brigham and Women's Hospital
|Investigators ICMJE
|PRS Account
|Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
|Verification Date
|August 2012
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP


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I joined Weight Watchers
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,675
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 08:54PM
Well not so bad too far. I started it last Wednesday and my first weight check was Monday and I was down 4 pounds. Yea me! It is a little harder than I anticipated to stay within the given points for the day but I did some grocery shopping over the weekend and it has been a little better.
Hair Type: mix of 3's, growing out an angled bob, color-treated red.
Current products: GVP conditioning balm for co-wash and leave in, Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle, Pattern Pusha and Garnier Anti-humidity hairspray
Location:Sunny Florida
Hair idol: Kimberly Schlapman from Little Big Town


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3 more measles cases confirmed in Sedgwick County
Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced the new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total in the county to 11.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced the new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total in the county to 11.
Taylor's campaign with federal regulators shows about $42,000 of Taylor's cash contributions came from April through June.
Police received reports Tuesday night of shots fired at the Wendy's on west 6th Street.
How consumers can protect themselves when it comes to working with contractors.
Mike Moustakas hit a pair of home runs as the Kansas City Royals snapped their four-game losing streak.
Plan comes after US Supreme Court rejects parts of Affordable Care Act
6-4 vote eliminates one key element from last week's discussions.
Kansas State was one of five teams that met with the media during the second day of the Big 12's Media Days in Dallas on Tuesday.
A bill passed allowing four state office buildings to be sold.
This tennis court isn't going to be used much at night because these light poles have no power.
Thomas Robinson underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his right thumb.
9/11 commission issues new recommendations for preventing future terrorist attacks.
Eight injured when driver plows into insurance agency office.
Former Jayhawk Brandon Rush signed a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors.
Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas was among a host of Republicans to declare support for McDonald.
Kansas City schools will remain unaccredited for a while longer as students prepare for a new school year.
Guard & Reserve numbers higher than active duty members.
The ignition switch defects that engulfed General Motors are now a rapidly growing problem at Chrysler.


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The 15-incher is pushed as a "multimedia powerhouse" and it's furnished with a 1366x768 display, an Intel Core i3-330M processor and GMA graphics, 4GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM, a 320GB 5400RPM HDD, and a Blu-ray drive. There's also a 1280x1024 webcam, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n, one HDMI and three USB ports, a multi-card reader, a multi-gesture touchpad, and a six-cell battery that vows to keep your machine ticking for up to 5 hours.
The NV59C09u is priced at $800, but forthcoming initiates will start as low as $530 and range in configuration from budget student and family notebooks to those equipped for gaming or video editing. They're not all Intel-based either, AMD's Athlon and Turion processors were mentioned in the press release. Select NV7 units will also feature dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon HD graphics chips, as well.


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Mum's the word, vaguely speaking
On Friday night Daphne Caruana Galizia was hauled from her home to a police station for 'questioning'. The questions apparently had to do with her having breached the 'political silence' and desecrated the 'day of reflection'.
I'm not Caruana Galizia's lawyer or spokesman. Nor do I wish to be her stooge or apologist. Only when a journalist is shut up by the boys in blue, I tend to see red.
Two things immediately come to mind. First, that it's a bit rich of political parties (because that's most probably where the complaint came from) to whine and whinge about a breach of the peace after their nine-week blitz on the population. They've had their fill, now we must keep quiet to let them digest.
Second, that imposing 'silence' and 'quiet reflection' is rather like imposing a group fast, say. In other words fine if the imposition involves a group of self-subscribed believers, terrible if it extends to a general population.
There's something totalitarian and pseudo-religious about this whole day of silence business. I'm not sure what it is but I do know I profoundly dislike it.
The premise seems to be that (following several weeks of bombardment) one day of quiet reflection away from the influence of campaigns will help one make the right decision.
I find that dubious at best, more ritual than logical, and certainly not ideal material for midnight police raids.
By definition, politics is about majority decision-making. It works best in a context of socialisation and mutual influence rather than backroom brooding. That's why loners tend to have cranky political notions. When a loner by some accident of chance finds themself actually in power, take your belongings and run.
But let us, for the sake of argument, assume that the premise is right, to the extent that it calls for legislation. Among the basic principles of law are those that hold that legislation should be coherent, fair, and enforceable. How does the day of reflection regime stack up?
A good part of the answer seems to hinge on the distinction between 'traditional' and 'new' media. By the former, we usually mean newspapers, radio and television; since we're talking campaigns, I'd also include the reams of paper that make our letter-boxes look like they belonged to important people. The new media usually means the internet broadly defined.
Let us first look at some of the similarities between the two. I think we can agree that influence (because that's what the day of reflection is about) takes place at the moment of consumption rather than that of production. That is to say, irrespective of when a page is printed or uploaded, it may only become influential inasmuch as and when it is read.
That makes it possible for me to sympathise with Jairus's misfortune in spite of the fact that I'm not 2,000 years old. It also makes it possible for me to spend Friday morning reading, and being influenced by, the stack of glossy paper languishing by my front door – in spite of the fact that it was printed well before that day.
Which means that, apart from radio and television (which are 'aired' rather than fixed on paper – although internet streaming complicates that), the quiet-day legislation does not live up to the premise. Even without silicon wizardry, the lifespan of common wood pulp means that it is simply not possible to stop the producers from influencing the consumers.
There's another thing. It is not entirely clear what exactly constitutes politicking. A full-gloss campaign brochure certainly does. A column on the goodness of Belgian chocolate doesn't.
But how about a song from Ġensna, or a journalistic piece on how government pays hefty daily fines (to itself, apparently) for failing to finish the Parliament building on time?
I came across the first on Radio Malta on Friday afternoon. The second was the subject of a piece by Kurt Sansone carried in Friday's Times of Malta. I am not for a second suggesting that the radio presenter (whose name escapes me) and Mr Sansone should be hauled to the nearest police station. I'm sure both were doing their job to the best of their abilities and with no hidden agendas.
Rather, my point is that pretty much everything is politics. This is especially true on this politics-crazed island of ours, and even more so on the eve of an election. In fact, I eat my words, a column on Belgian chocolate would be very sly and partisan indeed.
So far then, it turns out the quiet-day legislation doesn't do so well in the enforceability and coherence departments. Which brings me to the internet. There are two specific issues. First, the structure of the internet (as in cyberspace I mean) is so complicated and labyrinthine, and its timing so distorted, that it is much more than impossible to police it effectively. North Korea has its very own simple and homegrown solution to the matter which it calls the 'intranet'.
But we're not North Korea and a minor change of consonant and vowel matters to us. That's fine, but it also means I really don't envy the police officers at the Cyber Crime Unit, working hard to clamp down on online child pornography and such.
I don't suppose anyone is suggesting they should waste their time policing the huge mass of material for subtle campaign messages on forbidden Friday. Throw in aspects like international law (because it's possible to live in say Ecuador and politic online in Malta) and you get my drift.
The other thing the internet does is blur the distinction between producers and consumers. That is especially true of what is sometimes called Web 2.0, where uploading and downloading are almost indistinguishable. In what ways for example is a blog different from a Facebook thread?
The irony is that Caruana Galizia came to grief precisely over her online blogging. Why her, as opposed to the reams of comments and online ads and so on? The answer is simple: she's better-known (and loved, and hated) than most. The corollary is inevitable: Her crime isn't that she blogged on Friday, it's that she's well-known. Tokenism at its ugliest and most extreme.
The upshot is that Forbidden Friday flops online as it does on paper. It's by no stretch of the imagination enforceable. It's also unfair, because it invites tokenism and works differently for online and traditional journalism.
Irony of ironies, Caruana Galizia's case is set to become the first litmus of a new style of government.
See our Comments Policy Comments are submitted under the express understanding and condition that the editor may, and is authorised to, disclose any/all of the above personal information to any person or entity requesting the information for the purposes of legal action on grounds that such person or entity is aggrieved by any comment so submitted. Please allow some time for your comment to be moderated.


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Nottinghamshire To Face
Derbyshire In Two-Day Friendly
Featured News | 8th January 2013
Nottinghamshire will face Derbyshire in a two-day friendly at The County Ground from Sunday 7 April.
The fixture completes Nottinghamshire's pre-season programme with home friendlies against Northamptonshire and Leicestershire already scheduled to follow the conclusion of the pre-season tour of Barbados.
Click here to view our 2013 fixture list.


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Platinum-selling rapper Nas is still promoting his new album, Life Is Good. This past Tuesday (July 24), Nasty Nas returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live (Outdoor stage) to perform "The Don" and "Nasty". Backed by the band Z and DJ Green Lantern on the 1's and 2's, Nasty Nas gave a great performance. Life Is Good currently sits at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Read more below:
Nas performs "The Don" on Jimmy Kimmel
Nas performs "Nasty" on Jimmy Kimmel
Life Is Good tops the Billboard chart. The disc currently sits at number one with 139,402 copies sold in the first week, according to HDD. Life Is Good available now.
Follow me @donbleek88