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2015–16 Departmental Performance Report
Annex to the
Statement of Management Responsibility
Including Internal Control over Financial Reporting
For the year ended March 31, 2016
Note to the Reader
Under the Treasury Board Policy on Internal Control (PIC), effective April 1, 2009, departments and agencies are required to demonstrate the measures they are taking to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR).
In compliance with this policy, departments and agencies are expected to conduct an annual assessment of their system of ICFR, establish an action plan to address any necessary adjustments, and attach to their Statement of Management Responsibility an unaudited summary of their assessment results and action plan.
Effective systems of ICFR aim to achieve reliable financial statements and provide assurances that:
- transactions are appropriately authorized
- financial records are properly maintained
- assets are safeguarded from risks such as waste, abuse, loss, fraud and mismanagement
- applicable laws, regulations and policies are complied with
The maintenance of an effective system of ICFR is an ongoing process designed to identify key risks, assess effectiveness of associated key controls and adjust them as required, as well as to monitor the system's performance in support of continuous improvement. As a result, the scope, pace and status of departmental/agency assessments of the effectiveness of their system of ICFR will vary from one organization to the other based on risks and taking into account the organization's unique circumstances.
It is important to note that the system of ICFR is not designed to eliminate all risks. Rather, it is designed to mitigate risk to a reasonable level with controls that are balanced with and proportionate to these risks.
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Description of Elections Canada's Entity-Level Controls Relevant to ICFR
- 3. Assessment of Elections Canada's System of ICFR
- 4. Elections Canada's Assessment Results
- 5. Elections Canada's Action Plan
1. Introduction
This unaudited document is attached to Office of the Chief Electoral Officer's Statement of Management Responsibility Including Internal Control over Financial Reporting for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. As required by the Treasury Board Policy on Internal Control, this unaudited document provides summary information on the measures taken by management to maintain an effective system of ICFR.
1.1 Authority, Mandate and Programs
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, commonly known as Elections Canada, is an independent, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament. Its mandate is to:
- be prepared to conduct a federal general election, by-election or referendum
- administer the political financing provisions of the Canada Elections Act
- monitor compliance with electoral legislation
- conduct public information campaigns on voter registration, voting and becoming a candidate
- conduct education programs for students on the electoral process
- provide support to the independent commissions in charge of adjusting the boundaries of federal electoral districts following each decennial census
- carry out studies on alternative voting methods and, with the approval of parliamentarians, test alternative voting processes for future use during electoral events
- provide assistance and cooperation in electoral matters to electoral agencies in other countries or to international organizations
Elections Canada has a single strategic outcome supported by the following Program Alignment Architecture (PAA):
Text description of "Program Alignment Architecture (PAA)"
Please note that effective October 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Canada Elections, the independent officer whose duty is to ensure that the Canada Elections Act and the Referendum Act are complied with and enforced, has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Elections Canada is amending its PAA to reflect this change.
Further details regarding Elections Canada's priorities, strategic outcome and PAA are available in its Departmental Performance Report and Report on Plans and Priorities.
1.2 Financial Highlights
Below are key financial highlights for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. During this period, Elections Canada prepared for and conducted the longest general election in 140 years with a duration of 78 days. More financial information can be found in Elections Canada's audited Financial Statements and Notes to Financial Statements.
- Total expenses were $504M
- Salaries and benefits comprise 45% of expenses ($226M)
- Professional services comprise 8% of expenses ($41M)
- Rental of equipment and accommodations comprise 11% of expenses ($53M)
- Reimbursement of candidates' and parties' expenses comprise 20% of expenses ($101M)
- Travel and communication comprises 9% of expenses ($46M)
- Advertising, publishing and printing comprise 5% of expenses ($26M)
- Other expenses of $11M were for repair and maintenance of equipment, small equipment and amortization of tangible capital assets and represent 2% of expenses
- Total assets were $109M
- Tangible capital assets comprise 20% of total assets ($22M)
- Financial assets such as those due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, and accounts receivable and advances, comprise 76% of total assets ($83M)
- Consumable supplies and prepaid expenses comprise 4% of total assets ($4M)
- Total liabilities were $77M
- Accounts payable and accrued liabilities represent the largest portion of liabilities at 84% ($65M)
- Other liabilities, such as employee severance benefits and provision for vacation leave, comprise 16% of liabilities ($12M)
Elections Canada has a significant number of information systems and hosted services that are critical to its operations and financial reporting.
1.3 Audited Financial Statements
Elections Canada's Financial Statements have been audited by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) since fiscal year 20032004 and have so far always received an unmodified audit opinion.
1.4 Service Arrangements Relevant to Financial Statements
Elections Canada relies on other organizations for the processing of certain transactions that are recorded in its financial statements:
- Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), previously known as Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), centrally administers the payments of salaries and benefits of public service employees, fees for electoral workers, the procurement of some goods and services and the provision of accommodations on behalf of Elections Canada.
- Treasury Board Secretariat, including the Office of the Comptroller General, provides Elections Canada with information used to calculate various accruals and obligations (e.g. severance pay liability, percentage for the insurance benefit plans received without charge, details regarding the employer's share of employee benefit plans).
- Office of the Auditor General of Canada conducts an independent audit of Elections Canada that promotes government accountability for the collection and use of public funds. It also provides objective information, advice and assurance to Parliament for the results achieved by Elections Canada's financial reporting which, in turn, serves to maintain and enhance the confidence of the public based on evidence collected in accordance with government policies and professional auditing standards. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada is funded directly by Parliament and their costs are paid from an annual appropriation.
1.5 Material Changes in Fiscal Year 2015–2016
Two major pieces of legislation were implemented during the fiscal year 2015–2016:
- Bill C-23, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts (Fair Elections Act), received Royal Assent on June 19, 2014 and took effect at the drop of the writ for the general election of October 19, 2015. The Fair Elections Act made substantial amendments to the Canada Elections Act, affecting most areas of Elections Canada's operations, including electoral operations and political financing. The Fair Elections Act moved the Commissioner of Canada Elections to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Bill C-37, An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts and to amend the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (Riding Name Change Act, 2014), received Royal Assent on June 19, 2014 and took effect at the drop of the writ for the general election of October 19, 2015. This enactment changed the names of 30 electoral districts (in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) and amended the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act to change the name of the electoral district of the Northwest Territories.
As a result of this new legislation, a significant number of changes were made to electoral material, training material, event delivery systems and procedures to ensure the successful delivery of the 2015 general election and compliance to the newly amended Acts.
In addition, Elections Canada adopted new processes and administrative measures which improved the performance of poll workers, including enhanced recruitment practices, modernized training and, when possible under the Act, simplified procedures and clearer instructions for election workers. To support returning officers in recruiting and retaining its work force, the agency proceeded with a successful Treasury Board submission to increase the fees paid to poll workers and other local office staff.
During the reporting period, Elections Canada improved essential readiness and conducted the 42nd General Election (GE) on October 19.
1.6 Key Organizational Changes in Fiscal Year 2015–2016
In preparation of the 42nd general election, appointments and organizational changes were made to ensure that Elections Canada better fulfilled its mandate and complied with public service-wide policies and acts.
Following the successful delivery of the GE, key decisions were announced to further support the modernization of electoral services for the next general election. The centrepiece of this agenda is the Voting Services Modernization (VSM) program. This program is led by Mr. Jacques Mailloux, Executive Director, who is on assignment from his substantive Chief Information Officer (CIO) position. As champion of both Blueprint 2020 and VSM, Mr. Mailloux provides leadership on business re-engineering and technological innovation to support new and enhanced voting services. Mr. Serge Caron, formerly from the Treasury Board of Canada (TBS), assumes the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the duration of Mr. Mailloux's assignment to the VSM program.
New champions of Official Languages and Diversity and Multiculturalism as well as a new Senior Officer for Disclosure were also announced July 27, 2015.
Ms. Anne Lawson, General Counsel and Senior Director, Legal Services, promotes linguistic duality and the advancement of EC's Official Languages program. She also represents the agency at events relating to Official Languages.
In addition to his current functions, Mr. Duncan Toswell, Senior Director, Electoral Data Management and Readiness, assumed the role of Senior Official of Disclosure of Wrongdoing, in accordance with the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA). This role was previously performed by the Commissioner of Canada Elections. This added role consists of receiving and dealing with disclosures in accordance with the provisions of the PSDPA.
Ms. Vivian Cousineau, Chief of Staff to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, promotes diversity and multiculturalism within the agency with the support of the Diversity Advisory Committee. She also represents the agency at events relating to diversity, employment equity and multiculturalism.
2. Description of Elections Canada's Entity-Level Controls Relevant to ICFR
Elections Canada recognizes the importance of setting the tone from the top to help ensure that staff at all levels understand their role in maintaining effective systems of ICFR and are well equipped to exercise these responsibilities effectively. Elections Canada's focus is on ensuring that risks are well managed through a responsive and risk-based control environment that allows for continuous improvement and innovation.
Elections Canada's main entity-level controls currently in place and relevant to ICFR are set out below.
2.1 Governance
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) The CEO is appointed by a resolution of the House of Commons, so that all political parties represented there may contribute to the selection process. Once appointed, the incumbent reports directly to Parliament and is thus completely independent of government and political parties. Elections Canada's CEO has the duties of a Deputy Head. As such, the CEO is the agency's Accounting Officer and assumes overall responsibility and leadership for the stewardship, management and oversight of agency resources, as well as for the measures taken to maintain an effective system of internal control. In this role, the CEO meets regularly with the Audit Committee and the Executive Committee (EXCOM).
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Elections Canada has a CFO, with a recognized professional accounting designation, who reports directly to the CEO and provides leadership for the coordination, coherence and focus on the design and maintenance of an effective and integrated system of ICFR, including its annual assessment.
Chief Audit Executive (CAE) Elections Canada's CAE reports directly to the CEO. The CAE provides assurance through periodic internal audits, which are instrumental to the maintenance of an effective system of ICFR.
Audit Committee The Audit Committee is an advisory committee that provides objective views on the agency's risk management, control and governance frameworks. Elections Canada established its Audit Committee in December 2007. The Committee is comprised of the CEO and three external members. The CEO chairs the Committee, and at least one member is a financial expert with a recognized professional accounting designation. All members of the Committee are appointed by the CEO and selected in a manner whereby their collective abilities, knowledge and experience allow it to carry out its duties competently and effectively.
Senior Steering Committee (SSC) The CEO established this committee to ensure sound implementation of electoral reform, prioritization of investments and governance throughout the GE readiness period leading to the successful delivery of the general election.
Executive Committee (EXCOM) As Elections Canada's senior decision-making body, EXCOM is responsible for corporate management decision-making, setting internal policies and overseeing all aspects of management and operations. The CEO is the Chair of EXCOM comprised of sector heads and senior directors (refer to organizational chart below).
Corporate Strategy Committee (CSC) To ensure the successful delivery of Elections Canada business plan initiatives, the CEO established in 20122013 a corporate project oversight unit and associated governance: the Corporate Strategy Office and the Corporate Strategy Committee. This committee continued its operations to ensure governance and oversight of key projects throughout this reporting period.
Election Readiness Committee (ERC) This committee continued its operations to ensure the successful planning and prioritizing of key program activities leading to a successful general election in 2015.
Contract Review Committee (CRC) This committee assists Elections Canada in making sound investments in goods and services contracts and ensures adherence to the Government Contracting Regulations. Procurement initiatives are reviewed at this committee for approval and oversight.
For a detailed view of Elections Canada, please refer to the following link:
2.2 Key Measures Taken by Elections Canada
The control environment is an important factor for ICFR. By raising awareness, providing appropriate knowledge and tools as well as developing skills, Elections Canada's control environment ensures that staff is well equipped to manage risks. Key measures taken to date include:
- The establishment of an Elections Canada Code of Conduct.
- Clear guidelines on authorities and compliance with sections 32, 34 and 33 of the Financial Administration Act.
- The development and maintenance of a distinct and comprehensive financial stewardship regime, including specific internal controls for the operations of the agency's local offices and the payment of field personnel and suppliers during events in accordance with the Canada Elections Act.
- Accountability by responsibility center managers for budgetary control and approvals of all expenditures.
- Annual performance agreements with senior managers, which clearly set out financial management responsibilities.
- A risk-based internal audit plan.
- An established governance structure and provision of strategic direction through EXCOM and the Audit Committee.
- The establishment of the Senior Steering Committee (SSC) to take critical decisions leading to the 2015 general election and to confirm accountabilities. It tasked decision execution to Deputy Chief Electoral Officers and standing committees where horizontal coordination was required. It ensures rapid and effective problem solving in the context of electoral reform implementation and readiness.
- The continued operations of the Election Readiness Committee (ERC) to support agency preparations for the 42nd general election.
- The on-going activities of EC's Advisory Board (ECAB) to study and provide advice on matters related to Canada's electoral system, including the conduct of elections, electoral participation both by voters and political participants, regulatory compliance and electoral reform.
- The Corporate Strategy Office, which enables the CEO and EXCOM to make timely and evidence-based decisions/course adjustments on Elections Canada's 20132016 business plan and associated initiatives, investments and risks. The office also strengthens project management practices.
- Regular reporting and analysis of financial performance.
- A human resources management plan and policies that support learning and succession planning.
- A requirement for accounting designations in key financial management positions.
3. Assessment of Elections Canada's System of ICFR
3.1 Assessment Baseline
Whether it is to support controls-based financial statement audits or the requirements of the Treasury Board Policy on Internal Control, an effective system of ICFR must be in place to provide reasonable assurance that:
- transactions are appropriately authorized
- financial records are properly maintained
- assets are safeguarded
- applicable laws, regulations and policies are complied with
Over time, this includes assessment of design and operating effectiveness and an ongoing monitoring program leading to continuous improvement of the departmental/agency system of ICFR.
Design effectiveness means that key control points are identified, documented and in place, that they are aligned with the risks and that any remediation is addressed. This includes mapping key processes and IT systems to the main accounts by location as applicable.
Operating effectiveness means that the application of key controls over financial reporting has been tested over a defined period, that they are working as intended and that any required remediation is addressed appropriately and in a timely manner.
The ongoing monitoring program means that a systematic integrated approach to monitoring is in place, including periodic risk-based assessments and timely remediation.
Such an assessment covers all departmental/agency control levels, including corporate or entity-level, general computer and business process controls.
3.2 Assessment Method at Elections Canada
The agency has taken measures to assess the system, starting with documenting and assessing its entity-level controls.
Elections Canada continued its risk-based assessment based on the identification of key accounts in the financial statements that will be subject to the ICFR assessment process. This assessment considered both quantitative and qualitative factors. For each significant account, the agency completed the following steps:
- Gather information pertaining to existing business processes, risks and controls, including associated policies and procedures.
- Map key business processes with key risks and controls on the basis of materiality, volume, complexity, susceptibility to losses/fraud, areas subject to audit observations, past history, external attention and reliance on a third party.
- Test the design and operating effectiveness of key business process controls.
Elections Canada is also committed to documenting and assessing its IT general controls, or ITGCs (IT infrastructure).
Finally, Elections Canada took into account key findings from recent audits or evaluations.
4. Elections Canada's Assessment Results
In 2015–2016, Elections Canada's attention was directed to the implementation of electoral reform changes and the delivery of the 42nd GE. Its internal control efforts were focused in three main areas:
- The finalization of statutory changes and adjustments for the 42nd GE, which included the interpretation and application of the new tariff of fees and standardized changes to financial systems, procedures manuals, training material and electoral material for use in each of the electoral districts. This included 30 new electoral districts as a result of the electoral boundaries redistribution which took effect on August 2, 2015.
- The implementation of the Directive on Certain Field-Acquired Goods and Services in Conduct of Electoral Events and field delegation instrumental to support the delivery of the 42nd GE and subsequent events.
- The streamlining and implementation of several financial processes, including the purchasing of goods and services, guidelines, tools, templates and systems for field personnel in the context of preparation for the conduct of the 42nd general election.
Elections Canada did recognize the need to modernize key business processes and promote efficiencies in a streamlined environment. Elections Canada is committed to ensuring the design effectiveness of control activities, to identify and strengthen key controls through statistical sampling and additional testing of specific controls to ensure operating effectiveness across all business lines.
The findings presented below provide a summary of key developments during the period covered by this report.
4.1 Design Effectiveness of Key Controls
Elections Canada adapted its detailed action plan to address the decennial redistribution of electoral boundaries and legislative changes and their impact on key controls. The agency continued to progress with documenting its entity-level controls (i.e. clarification of roles and responsibilities) and validation of key controls with internal stakeholders. EC also continued to ensure that the documented controls were in place and corresponded to actual practices, and that key controls were adequately adapted to the risks in accordance with the risk assessments.
A statistical sampling guideline focusing on three (3) key criteria, namely, sensitivity, structural and significance were developed and implemented to support the high volume of financial transactions.
The agency targeted four (4) field accounting processes for streamlining and strengthening: the reconciliation of acquisition cards, the reconciliation of accountable advances, the leasing of returning offices and polling sites, and other field payments. The design changes promote timely reconciliations, provide assurances of stewardship and reduce the administrative burden on field personnel. In addition, the payroll processes were reviewed and documented based on the new regulatory framework (i.e. new tariff of fees).
4.2 Operating Effectiveness of Key Controls
In 2015–2016, Elections Canada applied newly developed processes and controls at its headquarters and field offices. These controls are prevalent during all phases of program management, including the preparation, conduct and close-out of electoral events.
Leading to the 2015 GE, changes to the Tariff of Fees used for federal elections resulted in the removal from the Tariff of a number of items not related to the employment of an individual (i.e. printing costs and polling station rental costs). The agency updated its internal controls and took a number of measures to ensure the effective delivery and oversight of these activities which now fell under the direct authority of Elections Canada.
During this reporting period, the agency also launched an external review and benchmarking exercise related to the overall procurement and contracting services function. This identified a need for:
- a more formal supplier engagement framework
- additional documentation and training to increase knowledge amongst both managers and functional specialists while reinforcing key controls and oversight.
The on-going monitoring of key contracts and the adoption of sound contract management practices provided additional assurances that EC's procurement activities continued to align with government contracting regulations and values.
Finally, continuous monitoring and testing continued to take place to verify the effectiveness of key controls and to ensure compliance is verified with random and targeted statistical sampling.
Looking ahead, as shown in section 5, the agency will seek opportunities to further strengthen its entity-level controls, taking into account results from annual assessments and audits, lessons learned from the performance of revised systems and processes resulting from new legislation introduced prior to the 2015 general election and the ongoing modernization of its services and tools.
5. Elections Canada's Action Plan
5.1 Progress as of March 31, 2016
In response to its assessment results, Elections Canada delivered on its action plan focusing primarily on the field services area, as previously mentioned.
Below is a summary of the main progress made by the agency amidst the completion of significant changes related to the decennial electoral boundaries redistribution and the implementation of the Fair Elections Act before the general election of October 19. Key accomplishments include:
Field Services
- Enhanced the field budget framework.
- Revised delegation of authority.
- Increased security screening of key field positions to safeguard assets, information, data and privacy.
- Implemented processes for the decommissioning of 338 local electoral districts offices (i.e. cancelling acquisition cards and removing or transferring inventory to new district and closing financial accounts) while ensuring key controls over assets, compliance against regulatory framework/delegation.
- Reviewed the delegation of authority to ensure compliance with the revised Canada Elections Act.
- Provided training and revised guiding materials to ensure compliance with the revised Canada Elections Act and the Tariff of Fees.
- Provided advice and support during extended work hours to field operations to reinforce existing controls.
- Verified IT General Controls and operational key controls for the Returning Office Payment System (ROPS) and associated business processes, both instrumental in the delivery of the general election.
- Continued overall process and system improvements and adjustments through lessons learned exercises and extensive consultations with electoral administrators (field personnel).
- Streamlined and strengthened the Procurement and Contracting Government Contracting Regulations (application for the Field Services).
- Implemented a supplier engagement framework (i.e. strengthening of existing contract administration and oversight functions).
- Implemented a procurement dashboard and priority setting rules to manage the high volume of contracting files.
Other Controls
- Continued the strengthening of payment authorizations, reconciliations and timely clearing of suspense transactions.
- Established lapsing controls on non-sensitive and/or least material transactions.
- Conducted statistical sampling of material (e.g. travel, training, payroll and lease) and/or sensitive (e.g. Acquisition Cards and Petty Cash Usage) financial transactions to ensure policy compliance for Field Services.
- Approval and implementation of a revised security policy.
5.2 Action Plan for Next Fiscal Year and Subsequent Years
Building on progress to date and moving toward an Integrated Elections Canada Financial Framework maintains and updates its multi-year action plan focusing its efforts using a risk-based approach. This ensures a better usage of its overall resources, namely, human, time and budgets. Using a model tailored to its context, Elections Canada looks at risks from two perspectives, namely, 1) potential impacts on internal control failures and 2) current level of vulnerability.
The business processes are reviewed focusing on the impact and probability of exposure to risks. Transactions are assessed based on materiality and risk ratings which will range from negligible to severe. Risk exposure is measured based on the significance (materiality), sensitivity (reputation) and structural (pervasiveness) to the organization.
Underpinning this risk-based approach leading to broader testing of its operating effectiveness of key controls and building upon lessons learned to date, Elections Canada will also focus on:
- conducting additional environmental scans.
- compliance monitoring.
- assessing the maturity level of existing controls.
- assessing and documenting key business processes under the modernization opportunities that may arise while ensuring key controls are used effectively.
- clarifying roles and responsibilities and streamlining business processes and reducing administrative burden on its personnel.
- continuing to conduct enhanced statistical sampling of key accounts.
- continuing to improve the documentation and testing the design effectiveness of key Information Technology General Controls (ITGCs).
- addressing required remediation identified during assessments, and testing their operating effectiveness.
- introducing efficiencies through reduction or elimination of overlapping controls.
- ensuring that ongoing monitoring of key controls occurs cyclically based on risk.
- continuing to improve business processes from lessons learned from GE 2015.
- adopting a modernized recruit, train and pay services (RTPS) under the Integrated Resource Management Model (IRPM) project for both HQ and Field Services, including the possibility of implementing a self-service for time and leave management, payroll and payments to increase efficiency and accuracy of transactions.
- strengthening and streamlining controls that may arise from Electoral Reform and Electoral and Voting Services Modernization Initiatives.
5.3 Ongoing Monitoring Program
As described in section 2, Elections Canada has a well-established governance model. In particular, the Audit Committee is instrumental in providing independent advice relating to the agency's system of internal control and in identifying opportunities for further strengthening.
In the long term, Elections Canada will ensure that there is a well-integrated monitoring program in place to raise awareness and understanding of the agency's system of ICFR at all levels, and to equip its workforce with the knowledge, skills and tools they need.
The following table illustrates where Elections Canada will focus its efforts in the three-year action plan:
|Compliance Monitoring
|Compliance Monitoring


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subset: commoncrawl


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Medullary nephrocalcinosis
Follow up ultrasound.
Patient Data
Age: 3 years
Gender: Male
From the case: Medullary nephrocalcinosis
Renal ultrasound
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Multiple hyperechogenic foci scattered through the medullary of both kidneys. Renal parenchyma has normal appearances, no hydronephrosis.
Case Discussion
Sonographic appearances are those of bilateral medullary nephrocalcinosis. The cause for this case was unknown at the time of the scan.


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Members of Congress want a special counsel investigation to look into the illegal spying through FISA that may have taken place.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee are demanding a second special counsel investigation to look into possible FISA abuses and the political use of the FBI.
Unlike the fairy tale of Russia interfering in our election, forces in the Department of Justice and the FBI are credibly accused of using their power for political ends—to prevent, and then undermine, the Presidency of Donald Trump.
Fox News reports, "Gowdy, Goodlatte demand appointment of special counsel, citing FISA abuses."
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Rep. Trey Gowdy on Tuesday demanded the appointment of a special counsel to investigate "conflicts of interest" and decisions "made and not made" by current and former Justice Department officials in 2016 and 2017, noting that "the public interest requires" the action.
Gowdy, R-S.C., and Goodlatte, R-Va., penned a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
"Matters have arisen—both recently and otherwise—which necessitate the appointment of a Special Counsel. We do not make this observation and attendant request lightly," Gowdy and Goodlatte wrote.
They pointed, specifically, toward the use of the infamous anti-Trump dossier used in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to obtain a warrant to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
"There is evidence of bias, trending toward animus, among those charged with investigating serious cases," they wrote. "There is evidence political opposition research was used in court filings. There is evidence this political opposition research was neither vetted before it was used nor fully revealed to the relevant tribunal."
Asked why a special counsel was needed, Gowdy told Fox News, "Congress doesn't have the tools to investigate this… We leak like the Gossip Girls."
They added: "Questions have arisen with the FISA process and these questions and concerns threaten to impugn both public and congressional confidence in significant counterintelligence program processes and those charged with overseeing and implementing these counterintelligence processes."
Goodlatte also told Fox News he thought the FISA process "was abused."
The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by EagleRising.com


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Category Archives: Toyota
More and more Motoring manufacturers are beginning to turn to shows like CES, the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas each year, to unveil their latest in car high-tech wizardry.
In 2014 we have seen the likes of BMW and their autonomous drifting technology, which involves the use of an array of lasers, cameras, maps and sensors. We've also


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Synchronicity in Silence: The tripod is set, the focal lengths chosen, the remote shutter at the ready. Little by little, as darkness descends in the woods of Great Smoky National Park, tiny sparks from photus carolinus begin to synchronize, turning the woods into a deafening roar of illuminated silence.
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Some say the country of origin has the right to possess its own cultural artifacts and exhibit them in museums located in the homeland. Others claim museums provide scientific research on these precious objects, along with a venue that allows more people to view them.
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes"Benjamin Franklin
Tips for Dividing Art in after Divorce or Death
Don't take it personally. It's not that they don't love you. They don't love all your stuff.
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I made this Bratz cake as a joke for a friend's 24th birthday. I thought it would be nice to have "one of those doll cakes we used to have when we were kids"! I thought by using a Bratz doll it would modernize it!
I baked an ordinary chocolate mud cake in a pudding-shaped glass bowl, let it cool completely, turned it upside-down on my foil-covered tray, then cut a hole through the middle of the cake, from the top right through to the bottom and placed the doll inside the cake. *Tip: Be prepared to pull the doll's legs off if the doll is taller than the cake! I didn't have the heart to ruin a perfectly good doll, so I had to increase the icing thickness! Always best to have the cake much taller than the doll!
Next I made some fondant icing (made it myself with glucose etc – as I think it tastes better), coloured it red, then rolled it out so that it was a bit wider in diameter than the cake, cut a hole in the middle, then draped it over the doll and arranged the icing until it looked nice. I used the left over icing to make the bodice and then decorated it with silver cachous.


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A salvaged camera LCD?
Like Steve and others have said on many other Answers pages, it's *very* hard to do this without extensive reverse engineering.
How can i use a small camera lcd screen for something? And how do i make an imput for it? Answered
its a 2.5 inch lcd screen but i dont know how to make it posable ot plug something into it. Ex. a GoPro camera. any sugestions?
The forums are retiring in 2021 and are now closed for new topics and comments.
A salvaged camera LCD?
You probably can't Assuming you can find a diagram or data sheet to show the connections, you still need a microcontroller/computer to get it to display anything.


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News feature: Billy Martin's last hand
SUPERIOR, Ariz. — Billy Martin understands it, but in a way, he doesn't.
His family's been on this land on the backside of the SuperstitionMountains since the early part of the century, and he's tried to do everything right. But he's not making money.
"My accountant said to me, 'Well, they can never get on you for living high on the hog. It's just not there,'" Martin says from beneath the brim of his beat-up hat.
With his sad blue eyes and classic cowboy face, Billy Martin is an example of the small rancher trying to make a living off his land, and the problems that small rancher is having doing it. Martin, who ranches 350 head of cattle about 50 miles east of Phoenix, and thousands of others across the West are caught in the clash between the romantic myth of the Western rancher and the harsh political and economic realities of the new century.
In 1970, there were nearly 2 million ranches in the country. In 2001, there were barely 1 million – and the trend is a downward spiral.
U.S. beef exports are up from what they were 20 years ago; but so are beef imports, which are growing at roughly the same rate as exports.
Adjusted for inflation, Americans spent $354.80 per capita on beef in 1980. In 2001, they spent $200.22.
There's a herd of other problems, too. The court system is enforcing long-standing but often ignored environmental laws. The public doesn't know what it wants to do with ranchers, even as it seems to know that it doesn't want cows around. The feedlot industry can bulk up a calf to slaughter-weight faster and more efficiently than a rancher can.
Americans are eating less beef per person than they ever have. And the people who want ranchers off public lands have, in the past few months, shown a willingness to offer money to achieve their goals.
A look at the national numbers of ranch operations shows an industry not just in a long, slow decline, but struggling to redefine what it is. And there's something else: a gap is growing between ranchers.
"We're losing the middle in all of agriculture," said Aaron Harp, director of the PolicyAnalysisCenter for Western Lands, based in Idaho.
In that middle is neither the dot-com rancher who comes down on weekends nor the corporations that run 15,000 head on 1 million acres. In the middle is the rugged-individual rancher, the great-great-great-great grandson of the guy who fought off the Apaches to homestead 160 acres of rocky land.
You can ranch under 100 head as a hobby, or you can ranch more than 1,000 and make a living. You can run a feedlot and grow huge cows fast and make a lot of money. But try to be in between – try to make a living just working your 350 head of cattle – and there's a good chance you'll lose your cattle, your land and livelihood.
Going to extremes
Jim Salmond's great-grandparents left Virginia City, Mont., to stake a claim on the rugged Rocky Mountain Front in central Montana in 1886. Even today, it's not a move that's recommended unless you can take extremes.
The Rocky Mountain Front is a brutal place where hurricane-force winds come peeling off the slopes so loud that couples laying in bed can't always hear one another speak. And then there are the snow storms, which turn everything white and regular and which you can smell coming two days ahead of time.
But people kicked at the landscape until it bled a living. There's a lot of grass out there, and regular precipitation to regrow it. That's cow country. And for a long time, profitable country, too.
Three decades ago, Salmond had 20 neighbors ranching near his place close to Choteau, Mont. Now he's got two, and one of them is David Letterman.
"It's for the rich and famous now on the RockyMountain front," Salmond said. His brother sold out 2,600 acres to Letterman a few years ago. Salmond wants to hold on, but he's not sure how long he can. Regulations are beginning to get to him.
In this, he is not unique. Though environmental laws have been on the books since the 1960s, only in the past two decades have the nation's court systems really begun enforcing them with any regularity. The Clean Water Act – passed in the 1970s – affected where ranchers could graze their cattle. And that's deprived many ranchers of their best forage areas – the creek bottoms.
But it is the Endangered Species Act that's really put the hurt on ranchers. The ESA has become environmental groups' most potent weapon. The courts in recent years have become friendlier to those groups as they pursue litigation aimed at protecting disappearing species.
The species almost don't matter – each part of the West has its own list, each county seems to have its own species. In South Dakota, it's the black-tailed prairie dog. In Idaho, it's the sage grouse. In Arizona, it's the loach minnow.
For Jim Salmond, it's the wolves and the grizzlies. He's got a new wolf pack that moved into the mountains west of him. He figures he's losing between 5 and 8 percent of his herd each year. Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, will pay for any damages caused by the animals, but his losses are difficult to prove in the rugged country near his ranch. Salmond may only see a specific cow in his 800-head herd once a summer. By the time he finds a dead one, the carcass often is so badly decomposed it's impossible to see what killed it.
"That might put me out of business between the grizzly bears and the wolves," Salmond said. "At one time, we could take care of our problems, but we can't anymore."
Down in Paradise Valley, Nev., Fred Stewart watches the goings-on between environmental groups and ranchers with an interested, if relieved eye. In the 1980s, the Stewarts – whose 10,000-acre Ninety-Six Ranch was the subject of a 1985 exhibit in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History – sold off their federal grazing permits to other ranchers. They would go it on their own land.
"Dad kind of saw the handwriting on the wall," Stewart says. "It was going to get tougher and tougher to deal with the federal government."
And sometimes the handwriting on the wall is something that ranchers don't want to read. So they do a very modern thing: they go to court.
Witness Jim Chilton, who owns the Flying X Ranch near Arivaca, Ariz.. The Flying X is a typical Southwestern ranch: there's a small amount of private property, but the majority of the cattle grazing happens on national forest land. And a few years ago, the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service told Chilton he had to obey the Endangered Species Act because of the presence of the endangered Sonoran chub and the lesser long-nosed bat on his grazing allottment. Obeying the act would eliminate 1,200 acres of grazing along the banks of the dry-half-the-year California Gulch.
Chilton argued back. The chub couldn't be on his property, since none of the streams on his property ran during the summer. The bat had never been seen near his grazing allottment. The legal briefs went back and forth, becoming more acerbic each time. Environmental groups got involved. The process got uglier.
Finally, in 2001, four years after legal discussion began, a judge reversed the Forest Service's biological opinion – grazing could continue.
But the experience embittered Chilton, as it has many other ranchers. Chilton is a passionate man whose voice goes up an octave when he starts talking about the litigation (which the federal government is now appealing).
"The species are just a tool, a surrogate," Chilton says. "(Environmental groups) sole objective is eliminate grazing from western states and land use that been, in our area, in existence for over 300 years. It is outrageous that a surrogate would be used to destroy our customs, our traditions."
Chilton is right about one thing: the species are being used as a surrogate. The Center for Biological Diversity's executive director has admitted as much in discussions about the Mexican spotted owl, another endangered species, and one which the fight over virtually eliminated the Southwest's timber industry.
And, for the environmentalists, that's not a bad thing.
What makes ranchers like Salmond maddest is that they see endangered species as a surrogate for environmentalists' real goal, to push them off of the land.
"A surrogate?" asks John Horning, a watershed protection specialist with Albuquerque, N.M.-based Forest Guardians, an environmental group that has sued the Forest Service multiple times over Endangered Species Act violations and has five suits in court now that could change the face of public-lands ranching in the Southwest. "Sure. We're using the species as a way to represent the entire ecosystem that we're looking to restore. If we can make that ecosystem healthy for that species, than we've made that ecosystem healthier, in general."
But there are many ranchers who believe that the endangered species argument is just another way of getting private hands off public lands.
Mixed messages
There was a time when ranchers – or the rancher myth – occupied a special place in the hearts of Americans. Kids played cowboys and Indians and the heroic frontiersman dominated popular imagery. But as America became increasingly urbanized, the knowledge that food came from the farm moved from the forefront of the national psyche.
With the Western economy booming, and the housing market with it, land became more valuable. And throughout the West, houses began to compete with cows for the same spaces.
"At one time, ranchers had a little something," says Billy Martin, the rancher from Superior, Ariz., and a member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, . "But things on the ranch have changed so dramatically from the standpoint of people. We see more people up here on a weekday than we used to ever see, even on weekends."
As the mid-1990s came and went, there was a strong push by environmental groups to reduce the agriculture industry's reliance on the federal government. There were calls to lower crop subsidies to farmers. And to remove public lands from grazing, where ranchers were paying an average of $7 per animal-unit less than they would have on private land.
But the American public doesn't always know what it wants. A 1996 study in Steamboat Springs, Colo., concluded that most visitors found their outdoors experience enhanced by the trappings of a ranch – corrals, cattle and cowboys. A study three years later at the GrandStaircase-EscalanteNational Monument in southern Utah – where grazing was grandfathered into the monument's use plan – showed that 68 percent of backcountry visitors felt seeing cattle had detracted from their visit; only 8 percent thought it had added something.
There are ranchers who have voluntarily given up their grazing allotments. But even they are resentful of the movement to push them off the ancestral land.
The Grand Canyon Trust, a Flagstaff, Ariz.-based environmental organization has been quietly trying to retire grazing allotments on the Colorado River plateau for the last three years. The Trust has been moderately successful at it, retiring more than 325,000 acres of public land from grazing.
"In our part of the world, most of them have jobs outside the ranch and a lot of them are in debt to," says Bill Hedden, the Trust's Utah conservation director. "They all have a gripe of one kind or another – 'Oh, the government regulations are pushing me out,' or something like that. Very few of who come to me are saying 'Oh, I think this is wonderful.'"
On April 10, the world changed for ranchers. On that day, a coalition of environmental groups proposed that Congress allot money to retire grazing allotments of ranchers' choosing. The groups that proposed it want to offer $175 per animal-unit-month (a term reflecting the privilege to enough grass to feed a cow and a calf for one month) to ranchers, a lot considering the average market value for a grazing allotment in the West usually runs between $50 and $75 per animal-unit-month.
The proposal took the ranching world by storm. Western members of Congress responded by vowing to kill the proposal. Many ranchers in the West are looking at it with suspicion. Environmentalists see the proposal's lack of acceptance as more evidence that ranchers are evil.
Things are about normal in the West.
Cow factories
In the early part of the 20th century, it could take a calf five years to reach its slaughter weight. In the 1950s, advances in feed management made it possible to bring a calf to slaughter in two or three years. Today, the combination of 100 years of research into bovine growth, coupled with a better-living-through-chemistry attitude, has made it possible to get a calf to slaughter at 16 months.
Once a calf enters a feedlot, it's subjected to massive feedings of corn, protein supplements and growth hormones. The result is business that, like your local discount superstore, makes its money on volume. The faster a calf hits the market, the faster a profit can be turned and the fewer costs are incurred.
It's the present and the future of the cattle business – since 1970, the number of cattle on feedlots across the nation has gone up 6 percent. But the factory-style method of raising cows has hurt the small rancher, even though the rancher may be raising calves to sell to the feedlots.
The J.R. Simplot Co. in Idaho is a good example. The Simplot family runs its cattle on nearly 2 million acres of state and federal grazing land. Each year, between 20,000 and 25,000 head of cattle from those lands are sent to the company's feedlots in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. There, they'll join nearly 500,000 other head of cattle consuming the waste of Simplot's french fry-processing plants.
Add in other factors, such as Canadian and Mexican ranchers who have an advantage granted by a favorable exchange rate, or the fact that Midwest beef growers can feed their cattle heavily subsidized corn that's cheaper than hay, and the small rancher that built the West has his back against a barn wall.
"It seems like there's always been something to keep us from getting ahead," said Martin. "This year, it's two things. One is that we have the numbers to sell. The other is the price of the ones we do sell. Usually, our yearlings (1-year-old calves) average around 600 pounds. This year, our highest was 600, and we were selling some as low as 295."
Phil Davis, a fourth-generation rancher from Cascade, Idaho, has a different way of putting it. "The potential for loss is always bigger than the potential for gain."
Not for the money
So why do it?
Why spend the years on the ranch, investing the blood and sweat and heart in something that's dying? Is it for the kids?
"You don't do it for the money, that's for sure," Martin said. "You do it for the lifestyle."
Maybe there's something to that. Maybe that's where Frederick Jackson Turner's rugged individualist has come to rest. Ranching is an acceptable way of life because it's a way of life, and an avocation, too.
But then there's Margene Eiguren, a fourth-generation rancher from Jordan Valley, Ore., whose three sons are trying to keep the ranch going. She wants to talk about how good they are at handling horses; that's what people in the Idaho-Oregon borderlands say about her sons. She doesn't want to talk about the myth of ranching. She's proud of its reality.
But the frustrations her extended family faces over endangered species laws and land-use plans takes over the discussion.
"They're in meetings three times a week and in one lawsuit after another," she said. "It has totally destroyed their quality of life."
Since 1986, the number of ranchers in the United States has gone from a shade over 1 million to about 831,000. Some of it is the feedlots. Some of it is the laws, and some of it is the rapidly disappearing land of the West, so much of which, Davis notes, "is only good for growing grass."
So the ranchers diversify.
"When I first came here (27 years ago), the ranchers used to feel like the aristocracy of this part of the world," Hedden said. "They still feel they're the real, true people of this world, but when you run a backhoe or work in a convenience store to make a living, it changes things."
Randy Kieser is pretty blunt about it. He's a long-time rancher, but since 1999 has turned his Gray Rocks Ranch into a guest ranch. For $1,200 a week, guests can come to the 26,000-acre ranch near Guernsey, Wyo., and work the 325 head of cattle Kieser runs.
"The state of the industry is pretty much a disaster," Kieser said. "It's a little diversification, a little cash flow. In ranching, you've got drought, you've got grass regrowth, you've got fires, you've got markets.
"I wanted to get into a business that was growing, rather than a business that was waning."
The impact of diversification is stunning. The average ranching family in Arizona gets more than 50 percent of its income from off-ranch jobs.
On the Gray Rocks Ranch, the guest ranch makes up about 15 percent of the ranch's gross receipts. But when you look at the net, it changes. The guest ranch operation, which has never had less than 18 guests and never had more than 27, makes up 40 percent of the ranch's net income.
Part of the landscape
Billy Martin's mother used to put him on a horseback when he was a baby and ride him around the family ranch when it was still thriving. Today, the cattle business is lousy. Martin is 77 and his hands are gnarled from years on the ranch, knuckles looking like they have crab apples shoved beneath the skin.
His son hasn't committed to returning to the ranch. So Martin keeps working it with those swollen hands.
"I'd like him to come back, and hopefully he keeps it as a working ranch," Martin said. "But soon enough, I'll be in a place that won't matter."
Billy Martin has tried to live the clean life, and when he talks about being in a place that won't matter, he isn't talking about retirement. He was born on this land, on a little rise of green and brown among all the other rises and dips of green and brown on the backside of the SuperstitionMountains.
He'll die here, too.
–Idaho Statesman
June 16, 2002


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Four pieces of advice for a career in sports media from Preston Hiefield and Kristen Rodgers
By Jesse Dieffenbach
1. Try everything. Especially something you never thought of doing. From video production, television anchoring, to radio broadcasting. It will make you a stronger candidate for jobs while also building your portfolio; a variety of work samples is always impressive.
2. Make connections. The person you meet at a conference could be a gateway to meeting some higher-ups of your dream job. Having a large network of colleagues is essential to developing relationships with potential employers.
3. Get involved wherever you are. Learn new skills. You never know when you are going to use them.
4. Apply for anything and everything that interests you. Internships, jobs, career fairs, whatever. There are endless opportunities out there that are waiting to be taken advantage of.


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Rick and Morty VR Game Creator Acquired by Google
Google has announced that they're acquiring Owlchemy Labs, a VR studio which created games like Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. They will add to Google's acquisition of Tilt Brush studio in 2015.
Google has been investing heavily in virtual reality and have already delved into the tech and tested it with their products like YouTube, Street View, Photos on Daydream and Google Earth VR.
Owlchemy will continue building VR content for HTC Vive, Oculus Touch and PlayStation VR. Its Job Simulator game is the best selling game on PlayStation VR.
"We're thrilled to welcome Owlchemy Labs to Google. They've created award-winning games which have really thoughtful interactive experiences that are responsive, intuitive and feel natural," Google stated.
"They've helped set a high bar for what engagement can be like in virtual worlds, and do it all with a great sense of humour," Google added.
VR gaming is still in its infancy and has a lot of potential to develop going forward and its popularity will also expand as and when the tech is easily accessible to the masses and has more content to offer.
"We're insanely excited to join the Google family and we cannot freaking wait to show you what we're concocting next at Owlchemy Labs. The future of VR is extremely bright, so we're donning our lab goggles just in case," Owlchemy wrote in a blog post.
This announcement comes soon after Facebook's Oculus announced that they'll be shutting down the VR Studio to fund other projects.
Google seems to be in the lead here and seems like we'll get to see a lot of VR content from the company in the coming months and years.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
- Also See
- #game #virtual reality


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Anthony Hamilton: The disconcertingly youthful dad, personal manager and career creator. Did not force his son to become a racing driver, but once the talent was apparent did everything possible to ease the way. Has the last word – and handgrip – on the grid before the green light.
Ron Dennis: The mentor. The McLaren boss can come across as cold and calculating, but has forged deep bonds with drivers he favours. Has nurtured Hamilton to be the embodiment of the team he loves.
Martin Whitmarsh: The mentor's likely successor. Monitored Hamilton's junior career closely at Dennis' request, and likely to help guide his future.
Phil Prew: The race engineer. Responsible for fine-tuning the car, and the voice that relays advice during the race. Quiet, thoughtful, cool under pressure.
Nic Hamilton: The inspiration. Hamilton's half-brother and regular opponent at computer games. Admired by Lewis for his courage in living with cerebral palsy; wheelchair-bound but sharp as a tack.
Adam Costanzo: The right-hand man. Physio and personal trainer who looks after Hamilton's physical condition. Often the 'butler' at weekends, toting helmet, water bottle etc on to the grid.


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METRIK-Vortragsreihe (Sommersemester 2008)
From GRK-Wiki
Die METRIK-Vortragsreihe im Sommersemester 2008 ist eine Veranstaltung des Graduiertenkollegs METRIK, in der aktuelle Forschungsarbeiten und Technologien im Umfeld von METRIK präsentiert und diskutiert werden.
donnerstags, 15-17 Uhr (ab 15.5.)
Rudower Chaussee 25 (Johann von Neumann-Haus)
Haus III, Raum 3.001 (Großer Hörsaal)
20.06.2008, Scaling Computer Games to Epic Proportions
10-12 Uhr, Humboldt-Kabinett
Prof. Johannes Gehrke, Cornell University, Ithaka, NY
An important aspect of computer games is the artificial intelligence (AI) of non-player characters. To create interesting AI in games today, developers or players can create complex, dynamic behavior for a very small number of characters, but neither the game engines nor the style of AI programming enables intelligent behavior that scales to a very large number of non-player characters.
In this talk, I will present a first step towards truly scalable AI in computer games, by modeling game AI as a data management problem. The presentation includes a highly expressive scripting language SGL (for Scalable Gaming Language) that provides game designers and players with a data-driven AI scheme for customizing behavior for individual non-player characters. The use sophisticated query processing and indexing techniques allows us to efficiently execute large numbers of SGL scripts, thus providing a framework for games with a truly epic number of non-player characters. I will also talk about applications of this idea to steering and extensions to large-scale collaborations in virtual worlds.
19.06.2008, High-Speed Complex Event Processing
15-17 Uhr, Großer Hörsaal
Prof. Johannes Gehrke, Cornell University, Ithaka, NY
Recently there has been much research on Data Stream Management Systems (DSMS) to support analysis of high-speed data streams. Most of these systems have very expressive query languages in order to cover a wide range of applications like stock tickers, RSS feeds, transactions in retail chains, ATM and credit card operations in banks, Web server log records, and network monitoring.
We take a different approach. Instead of starting with a very powerful query language, we begin with publish-subscribe and add a few simple stateful operators arriving at an algebra for expressing stateful subscriptions. We complement the algebra with a transformation of algebra expressions into finite state automata and effective methods for sharing processing between queries.
In the talk, I will describe the algebra and its implementation in the Cayuga Complex Event Processing System.
!!! Neuer Termin und Ort !!!
13.06.2008, An Introduction to Hybrid Logics
10-12 Uhr, Fraunhofer Institut FIRST, Kekuléstraße 7, 12489 Berlin, Großer Hörsaal (D006)
Prof. Dr. Valentin Goranko, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Hybrid logics are a familiy of modal logics that allow direct reference in the language to states (possible worlds) in the model, thus combining features of modal and first-order languages and boosting considerably the expressiveness of modal logic. On the other hand, many natural systems of hybrid logics retain the good computational properties from modal logics, and that makes them suitable formalisms for formal specification and reasoning in diverse areas such as: knowledge representation, description logics, ontology reasoning, semantic web, etc.
In this talk I will present an introduction to hybrid logics and will focus on some technical aspects of expressiveness, deductive systems, decision procedures, model checking. I will survey some of the more important results and will discuss potential connections with, and applications to, autonomous agents and self-organizing systems.
15.05.2008, Evolution challenges around XML and software languages
Prof. Dr. Ralf Lämmel, Universität Koblenz-Landau
XML is often mentioned as one of the principled, technological spaces in model-driven engineering as well as software language engineering. The talk operates in the XML space to describe the general field of software language engineering by means of a deep dive into XML-related challenges in software evolution. More specifically, we have a look at the myriad of modern programming models for XML; different APIs, type systems, and language extensions; as well as opportunities for mapping and transformation. The resulting "definition" of software language engineering is admittedly subjective and tentative.


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Join our mailing List
Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association had the pleasure of hosting the renowned human rights lawyer Gonzalo Boye this weekend. Mr. Boye was in Palestine to provide training to a number of Palestinian lawyers on the concept of universal jurisdiction and how it relates to Palestinian political prisoners. The training took place over two days in Ramallah and incorporated both theoretical and practical aspects of universal jurisdiction. Mr. Boye has a wealth of experience dealing with universal jurisdiction and is well known for his attempt to use Spanish law to charge members of the administration of US president George Bush with war crimes for their role in the extrajudicial detention of Spanish nationals. During the training representatives of five leading Palestinian human rights organizations were represented, as well as representatives from the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees. Sincere thanks must go to the Basque city council, Ayuntamiento de Victoria – Gasteiz, and 'Solidaridad Internacional' who kindly provided the support for the training.


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Happy Fear? It's Over.
If just thinking it causes you to start to feel the fear, it's time you did something about it. The good news is that we know for sure: there's no question you can overcome happy fear.
If you are now ready to have this over and done with, here's what you can expect from us:
- A noticeable improvement, often a major one, in less than 24 hours
- Privacy and complete discretion
- Experience with clients in over 70 countries
How Do You Get Started?
We can help you two ways. If you're a self-motivated person, our Home Study program will work great for you – or get one-on-one help with the 'VIP' program:
Home-Study Program: Vanquish Fear & Anxiety
CD's and Workbook $147 or Download for $137
• Start Instantly with Online 'Quick-Start'
• Work Through the Program on Your Time
One-on-One 'VIP' Program
Individual Program Created Specifically for You by Your Practitioner
• Board-Certified Practitioner
• Wide range of Proven Techniques to Eradicate Your Fear
How the Program Works: Getting Over Happy Fear
You've got to 're-wire' your unconscious mind – and with our help its easier than you may think. You know that Happy Fear isn't working for you. The fear persists because it is subconsciously linked to a mental trigger which sets off a whole range of powerful negative emotions – fear leading the charge of course – at even the slightest thought of gaiety. Its become an automatic response.
Up to now, you have not had the techniques to reprogram those connections or feelings, so they feel out of control. We're here to teach the techniques to you. Interested in putting these techniques to use?
- Contact us now to speak with a specialist. Contact Us Now >
Process to Overcome Happy Fear: Treatment Versus Cure
We're going to leave the terms 'treating' and 'curing' to the medical profession. Modifying your awareness is a technique you have to learn to master for yourself. We're going to walk you through the process that helps you re-program that tricky subconscious thinking.
The methods in our program will teach clear-cut steps toward gaining self-belief, peace and joy, as well as proven procedures to conquer your negative emotions. No one should have to go through the continuous suffering you are experiencing. You can't live your life in fear anymore – it's time to change.
Risk Factors & Causes for Cherophobia
Happy fear in many (but not all) cases is triggered by a nasty experience in the past. The mind will, in some situations, generate the fear without an apparent cause. You resolve this issue by discovering the source and trading the negative correlations with positive ones. Those most at risk are:
• Those with a tendency to feel anxious and panicky
• Someone considered to be 'easily upset'
• One who is dealing with adrenal insufficiency
Do these even slightly describe you? Click here to see what individuals like you are saying about our capability to make a difference.
You can also read what the media has to say.
Tests, Symptoms & Diagnosis
To find out the gravity of the problem for you, use our 2 minute Online Assessment for Happy Fear Online Test although it is fairly clear cut: Do something about it now, if the fear is having a sizable negative influence on your way of living.
- Do you become queasy at the smallest idea of Gaiety?
- Does it trigger a dry mouth and clammy hands?
- Does your heart beat like a drum?
- Do your legs go weak?
Those were only a handful of examples of the feelings you might suffer. Click here to see more symptoms of happy fear.
We address the symptoms, but we uncover the source, to eliminate them both. It's what we're all about
Drugs and Prescriptions
We strongly believe that drugs are not a good solution for any Cherophobe, but you should always follow your physician's advice with regard to drugs/meds and Happy Fear. The root cause of being Cherophobic is an unconscious mental association that links gaiety to powerful feelings of fear. Meds can mask the awful feelings for a while, but never break the mental patterns at the core of the problem
By the way – no one has ever developed a drug exclusively for Happy Fear – and with so many potential side effects, who wants to risk taking medication as a solution?
The good news is with our program, your Happy Fear will be history, without resorting to meds..
Next Action
- Learn about The VIP One on One Program:
The VIP Program for Happy Fear
- Discover The Home Study Program:
Vanquish Fear & Anxiety for Happy Fear
Or learn more about Happy Fear:


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April 21, 2016
by Oral Health
With more than 12,900 dental professionals attending the 2016 conference, the Pacific Dental Conference celebrated its highest attendance to date. And it continues to be one of the largest dental conferences in North America. Thank you to all who attended!
We look forward to next year when we can once again offer our attendees a varied and contemporary selection of continuing education programs, along with our ever expanding Exhibit Hall with close to 300 exhibitors.
We look forward to seeing you March 9-11, 2017 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
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Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


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Four Tips for Writing a Mission Trip Fundraising Letter
Writing a mission trip fundraising letter can be a challenging task because you want it to sound very personal, but you probably need to send it to as many people as you can in order to raise as much money as you can for your mission. When writing a fundraising letter like this, keep in mind who you will be sending it to and try to create a compelling call to action. Here are four tips for writing a mission trip fundraising letter:
1. Paint a vivid picture of what your organization does. Mission trips are people-centered, so in a letter to potential donors, make sure you creatively paint a picture of how people are helping other people with your charity work. That's what's going to get people to act. If they get to see specific examples of how you've helped or how you plan to help, they will be more motivated to donate.
2. Create a specific call to action. Don't let there be any ambiguity with the reason why you are sending out a letter like this. Ask for something very specific, such as a donation of $50 towards your mission trip, and let them know that you are seeking the support for certain supplies, activities, travel expenses, or whatever the case may be.
3. Give them a way to be able to follow your progress and the progress of your organization. For example, if your charity is on Facebook and regularly posts updates about what they are doing, direct readers to that site. If your organization sends out a regular newsletter with personal anecdotes, then let them know that you've signed them up to receive that.
4. Follow up after the trip and thank them. This is fundraising 101, but thanking your donors will not only get them to donate in the future, it's just the right thing to do. Make sure you let them know how much their donation helped.


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Cinema Free Vector Icon Set
By Denis in Icons
Before you 50 Movie Icons (AI, EPS, SVG, PNG files). This is a thematic set of vector icons. Each icon has three color options: gray, blue and red with blue. Images will be useful for many designers. For example, you can design a page on a site or make a high-quality presentation.


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Having career in plantations would have its own challenges namely for the junior planters who are assigned in the remote areas within minimal facilities.
But the good news is that it is not difficult to be successful to work at the plantation and it is very simple if a young planter got the complete information in the early days of the work. Here are some simple tips to be successful working in plantation sector.
Understand the Culture of Working in the Plantation
At least, there are three main things from the culture in the plantation. The first is that it is unique which means, everything in the plantation is unique and could not be postponed. If someone postpones the work, it would influence the quality of the work result.
For example, when harvesting is postponed in one day, it would influence the quality of the fresh fruit bunch (FFB). If the fertilization is too, it would influence the FFB productivity and the quality of the trees. If the transportation is postponed, the palm oil factory would be lack of FFB stock and the quality of FFB would decrease (because the FFB could not be kept. It is not the same with the wood in pulp and paper factory), and so on.
The other unique is that if someone works in the plantation, he would have three things, such as, LIFE, WORK, and STAY in the plantation. He would always meet the same men in every single day for about 265 – 280 days in a year. It is not like in the city. The men in the office would be different from the men in the surrounding, and different from the men when working out, and others.
The second is the Local Specific which means that one plantation is different from the other. It has no same treatment both from the worker management, culture technic, and the people in the surrounding. Though the plantation is monoculture, the result would be different if it is planted in Sumatera and Kalimantan. The class of the area, topography, rain, and other factors are the considerations to make different treatment so that palm oil plantation has higher productivity.
The third is it has 'kamba' characteristic (process the big volume). It mens that the plantations is massive to be cultivated, have no fence, no specific door to come in or out. There are many workers to be managed in the same time, the FFB volume should be harvested in big numbers, and so on.


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New Mobile Waste Shredder from Doppstadt
German waste and recycling equipment manufacturer, Doppstadt, has unveiled the smallest shredder in its AK range, the AK 310.
German waste and recycling equipment manufacturer, Doppstadt, has unveiled the smallest shredder in its AK range, the AK 310.
The company said that the machine offers high versatility and is aimed at the recycling yards, compost facilities and agricultural contracting and can process preshredded trunks, roots and waste wood just as reliably as green waste or organic waste, and is well suited to substrate processing.
The compact, versatile shredder (total weight 16 tonnes) is designed for on-road use and is brought to the work site by truck. The manufacturer explained that once on site it can be moved around by wheel loader – even in confined spaces.
The machine also features a new rear conveyor which has increased the shredder's drop height to 3.5 meters, enabling it to produce bigger piles of processed material, or fill feed hoppers, much more easily.
The latest compact all-round shredder in Doppstadt's range replaces its predecessor model, the AK 235 and meets the legally required Euromot Stage IV final emission requirements.
A 3A motor variant is also available for new markets.
The company said that the MTU 6R1000 310 HP diesel engine produces more torque, with constant driving power, while using relatively small amounts of fuel.
The machine's drive train and engine have been designed to achieve more throughput, to suit the new types of work it is intended for.
Equipment Options
Doppstadt said that it can provide a rear basket option for waste wood shredding applications, a feature which improves the uniformity of the end product. Excess lengths are reduced and the material composition is improved.
The basket is resistant to contaminants and protects the rear conveyor: contaminants can no longer impact it directly. This also minimises the risk of return belt blockages. The waste wood rear basket is available with different mesh sizes.
Read More
Doppstadt Readies IFAT Waste Shredding & Separating Action Demo
With IFAT, the world's biggest trade fair for waste and raw materials management just around the corner, equipment manufacturer Doppstadt, has given a sneak preview of what to expect.


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Every industry comes with a huge set of associated risks, with Oil and Gas/ Petrochemicals/ Refineries and major chemical industries are vulnerable. Risk factors are high particularly for the larger size companies involved in more Unit operations.
Risks are mainly to Personnel , environment, Assets and reputation.
Most of the chemical industries major disasters are attributed to various factors such as
Bigger the size of operations, more the number of variables and third party elements exponentially increasing the risk factors. The risks are spread across economy, personnel, environment, equipment, production and efficiency.
Every major disaster in history can be attributed a simple element overlooked during the course of the plant operation
Most of the chemical industrial accidents are due to the failure of control and Safety system. Failure of the Safety system is caused by poor specification/ design/ installation/ Operation and maintenance and changes during operation.
Process Safety Management(PSM) section of the OSHA standard OSHA 29 CFR Part1910.119 requires organizations to provide assurance of the mechanical integrity of all their emergency shutdown systems and safety critical controls.
Safety Life cycle concept is the fundamental tool of managing the application of Safety instrumented systems as by the international standards IEC 61508 which is an umbrella for all sectors and IEC61511 which is process Sector specific.
The purpose of a safety instrumented system (SIS) is to reduce the risk that a process may become hazardous to a tolerable level. This is done by reducing the likelihood of the risk.
SIL is a discrete level (one out of a possible four) for specifying the probability of a safety instrumented system. For Process Sector it is SIL 1 to SIL 3.
The amount of risk reduction that an SIS can provide is represented by its safety integrity level (SIL), which is defined as a range of probability of failure on demand.
Identify the hazards at the concept stage and evaluate the consequence there by Helps the organisation to take decisions at the design stage achieves loss prevention and reduction in cost.
Significant cost saving in potential financial loss due to Asset damage and business interruption.
By adapting to IEC 61511 , uniform global design criteria is met.
Enables the organisation to carry out cost benefit analysis to make suitable long term decisions
Many national regulators such as OSHA/ UK/Middle east started referring to this standard


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What a great way to kick off a new year! It is my first post of 2018 and I am soooo excited to give you the first official look at my latest stamp and die collection from Spellbinders. It is called Sew Sweet and was inspired by my love of sewing, stitchery, and all things handmade. I hope you be as excited as I am to create with it as I am!
With this collection, I really wanted to demonstrate the diversity of projects you can make with dies so there are two different sets of sample projects being featured with this collection. This first set of samples that you will see today and tomorrow are papercrafting samples made by my dear friend Debi Adams. On Monday I will start sharing some of the projects I created for the show made with felted wool. I have a ton to share with you, so let's get going!
The first new stamp in the collection is this cutie- Cute as a Button. You may recognize this one, I offered it previously as a stitchery pattern. I thought it would be so fun as a stamp too.
Have you ever run out of bobbin thread while sewing and wished that they could invent an endless bobbin spool? Yeah, me too. That is the inspiration behind this fun stamp that is sure to make all your sewing friends smile!
I love how fun this set is. It pairs two really wonderful sentiments that capture the essence of handmade. It also has four different icons that you can pair with them. If you have followed me a long time, you know that for as long as I have blogged I have used the heart and hand symbol as my logo. I adore the meaning of it. And another little personal nod here, the quilt block is the Missouri Star as a tribute to my home state.
I have been so thrilled with the love that everyone has shown for my Tiny Sentiments stamp set from last year. I got so many emails asking for more little sentiments. Your wish is my command! 😉 Sew Tiny Sentiments includes both phrases and tiny icons that are perfect for using on everything from cards to tiny gift tags! I especially love this set for creating a handmade note on the backs of cards and projects.
This phrase has been my personal motto on my blog since I started. It is what handmade is all about to me. There is an itty bitty version of this one in the Sew Tiny Sentiments set too. This one is larger and designed to fit a card front. The heart is a solid stamp so that it can be stamped in color and layered behind. The image is broken up into four stamps so you can mix and match the elements. There are also dies for the flowers and heart.
This last stamp isn't so much about handmade, but when I drew it, I simply loved it so much I just had to include it. It features three stamps and dies that let you cut out the house, the roof, the heart from the flower swag, and the swag. There are tons of ways to mix and match these elements with the final result being so cute!
Okay, there you have it, the official reveal of the Sew Sweet stamps. I know I say it every time, but this little grouping of stamps is my most favorite collection yet. They really make my heart happy. I hope they do yours as well!
Do you see something you have to have? This collection will officially début this month at the craft and hobby trade show in the Spellbinders booth and then will ship in February. I hope that you will ask your favorite local or online store to carry the collection.
I will be back tomorrow with a look at all the new dies for this collection. I can't wait for you to see them!


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Friday 28th March 2014
Tom Lamb
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It has taken a long time but Microsoft have finally released its most popular Office programs onto the Apple iPad tablet. For the first time users will be able to download Word, Excel and Powerpoint from the App Store, however basic users will only be able to view Office files – you need an Office 365 subscription to get the ability to edit or create documents.
"When it comes to Office 365, the vision if fairly straightforward," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at a press conference in San Francisco today. "It is to make sure that the one billion Office users have access to the high fidelity Office experience on every device they love to use. Today's announcement marks one more step in that direction."
Office 365 is Microsoft's subscription based Office suite (that I personally subscribe to) that allows you to pay a small monthly fee to have the latest version of Office installed on up to 5 PCs, tablets and Macs with 20GB of online storage to store and sync files between your devices. If you are just running one laptop it does not work out that much better value than buying a traditional suite, however if like me you run multiple devices with multiple operating systems it works out as something of a bargain.
The programs are very polished considering it is the initial release and the user experience and functionality will no doubt only improve over time. There are some neat features only on the iPad as well, such as in PowerPoint being able to simulate a laser pointer on a presentation using your finger.
With Microsoft pushing its Surface range of tablets so heavily for business users it might come as a bit of a surprise as to why it has given its biggest competitor arguably killer business functionality – one thing is for sure though Apple iPad users in business will have a much better experience in the future, you might even be able to leave that laptop at home on your next business trip.
For more information on Office for iPad check out the official Microsoft information here.
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Seagate, as a leader in storage technology, is releasing to market MACH.2T multi-actuator technology hard disk drives (HDD).
CCL Computers featured in HSBC's International Track 200 as one of Britain's mid-market private companies with the fastest growing overseas sales.
Two new headsets with a focus on audio/mic quality and comfort.
Professional design meets gaming performance
Available in 120mm or 140mm sizes, plus a 120mm triple-pack.
SteelSeries Rival 700 is an elegant mouse packed full of features and plenty of customisation options.
A look at building in the Master Maker 5 case from Cooler Master
In his first review for CCL Tech, Nick brings us his thoughts on Titanfall 2's single player campaign
After a lengthy absence, does the latest entry in the well loved Gears of War series live up to it's past pedigree?
Mark has a look at the latest headset from HyperX
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CONTRACTOR AND HANDYMAN special for this Spacious Home on LARGE LOT in SANDY HILL!! This home has AMAZING POTENTIAL with Hardwood Floors and some antique wood finishes around door and window frames. The Main level offers a functional layout of formal living room, dining room, kitchen. The 2nd level features 3 bedrooms, a full bathroom and a Large Loft on the 3rd level. FULL BASEMENT which is partially finished including a 3P Bathroom. The Roof is 2017. The foundation was waterproofed in 1998 and the basement has a back water valve. Large Fenced Lot with a PRIVATE LANE-WAY. This home is being sold "AS IS" with "AS IS" Appliances. Fantastic Location in Sandy Hill, walking distance to Strathcona Park along the Rideau River. Offers will be responded to on Tuesday July 30th at 3pm and to be submitted by noon.
Property Features
- 3 Storey
- Large Fenced Lot
- Loft
- Private Lane-way