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The Moon-Landing Hoax: Did Man Really Walk on the Moon?
One Giant Leap of Faith
On July 20th, 1969, half a billion people gathered around televisions to watch the iconic, shadowy images of Neil Armstrong climbing down from the lunar lander to take mans first step onto the moon. The Apollo 11 mission was one of mankinds most awe-inspiring technological feats and captured the worlds imagination.
But many people believe that the giant leap for mankind was really a historic hoodwink and that Armstrong never set foot on the moon. Instead, they claim the famed astronaut walked around a fake lunar landscape built on a massive Hollywood-style soundstage, a scenario that inspired the plot of the 1977 conspiracy film Capricorn One.
A Gallup poll in 1999 found that six percent of Americans doubt that the moon landings ever happened. A 2005-06 poll by space consultant Mary Lynne Dittmar found that 27 percent of U.S. 18- to 24-year-olds question the reality of the moon landings. And a 2009 survey in Great Britain found that one in four believe the moon landings never occurred.
[ Jesse Ventura's Take ]
I am not of the opinion that they faked the moon landing. I remember when it happened during my senior year in high school in July. I remember that they interviewed an old black man, probably in his eighties or nineties, from Georgia after the moon landing was finished and he wasn't buying it. He said they were out in the desert in Arizona filming it. But I believe they landed on the moon because we have space projects going on up there all the time and no one's given me any indication that they didn't.
[ Chapters ]
Watch "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura." You won't believe what you don't know.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Décor:- Tasteful and fresh. Greeting - all staff extremely pleasant. Breakfast - sorry but i'm an English breakfast guy but what I had was fresh and tasty. Lovely helpful waitress. Cleanliness - spotless and well presented. Car park - secure. if your not a confident driver or anything other than a standard size car driver you may struggle. very tight... More
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Southern Sudan is one of the least-developed regions in the world. Its poverty, combined with limited government and aid agency capacity to respond to emergencies and deliver development, exacerbates the potential for renewed conflict.
The people of southern Sudan have shown extraordinary resilience to emerge from decades of war. If they are to have hope for the future, they urgently need development and protection from violence. Sudan faces many interlocking challenges, but if the international community acts now, they are surmountable.
]]>But a hungry child exists in a larger context: if we nourish communities, they can nourish their own children.
The woman on our cover, Fatou Doumbia, and other women in her village in Mali, pooled their resources last year. They set aside nearly a ton of millet as a defense against the hunger they'd seen as food prices spiked. Hers is another face of hunger: determined, resourceful.
After the last harvest, Oxfam reached out to supporters to respond to the food crisis. We've devoted much of this issue to looking at what communities have done to avoid the kinds of hardships they confronted. When people living in poverty are hit by a food crisis or natural disaster, they lack resources to tide them over.
Oxfam works to help people build their resilience. Let respect and hope fuel your efforts to support women like Doumbia.
]]>Achieving farm resilience requires building up the resilience of vulnerable farmers by developing their skills, expertise and voice while supporting their use of agro-ecological farming practices. Building resilience depends not just on how farmers manage resources, but on how well local, national, and global institutions support farmers. Agro-ecological practices can empower vulnerable small-scale farmers, offering them both greater control over their lives and an accessible means of improving their food security, while decreasing their risk of crop failure or livestock death due to climate shocks. Vulnerable farmers can use agro-ecological practices to build resilient farms and improve their livelihoods, achieving multiple benefits: 1. improved food security; 2. adaptation to a changing climate; and 3. mitigation of climate change.
People-centred resilience consists of five principles which should guide how investments in vulnerable farming communities are designed and implemented. They are:
Following these principles ensures that investments support farmers in their efforts to become food-secure and adapt to climate change. Four institutions central to delivering people-centered resilience are: secure land rights; dynamic farmer associations; responsive agricultural advisory services; and public support for environmental services.
]]>In Ethiopia, 6.2 million people are in need of immediate food assistance.
For families of herders and part-time farmers in the Oromiya and Tigray regions, the need is acute. Malnutrition levels among the poorest of them have climbed above emergency thresholds set by the World Health Organization. In addition to those needing this emergency assistance, the Ethiopian government is helping 7.5 million other people with food and cash through its Productive Safety Net Program.
Oxfam America is responding to the new crisis with a multi-part relief plan that aims to help about 350,000 people in Tigray and Oromiya. The initiative, which needs the financial support of donors to reach all the intended beneficiaries, includes supplemental feeding for mothers and children, meals for school children, a cash-for-work program that provides families with money to buy food in exchange for labor on community projects, and veterinary care for livestock. The latter will help to ensure cattle, goats, and sheep can weather the drought and continue to provide critical food and income for herding families.
"If we are able to respond in a timely way, we can reach these people, save lives, save livelihoods, and help people to be resilient to future shocks," said Abera Tola, Oxfam America's regional director for the Horn of Africa.
In parts of Oromiya's Borena Zone, the pressure on dwindling resources has increased as migrating herders and their livestock have swept in from Kenya in search of pasture and water. An Oxfam assessment team, sent to the region in early August, reported an estimated 100,000 extra animals, mostly cattle, were severely straining the water supply around in the Moyale, Dillo, Dirre, Teltelle and Arrero districts. In Dillo, the situation was so dire that families in five different areas evacuated their villages.
"The ponds are dry. The land is barren. There is nothing green," said Tola. "People are desperate."
In the dry, rural parts of Ethiopia people have long lived with periodic drought, and they have found ways to cope, such as by selling a few heads of healthy livestock and using the cash to buy food. But with droughts becoming increasingly frequent, there is little time—or no time—between them for families to recover their assets and build a new buffer against hardship. Instead, each bout of dry weather pushes many people deeper into poverty, making them more vulnerable to the next round of trouble.
"Drought is like fire," said an Oromiya elder looking back on last year's severe shortage of rain. "It just destroyed every household."
In the Liben district of Oromiya's Guji Zone, the changes in weather patterns are pushing some herders to give up part of their old way of life—and turn to farming as a solution. Along the banks of the chocolaty Dawa River, Huka Balambal is growing onions and corn with the help of a small irrigation system he devised himself: A noisy pump connected to a long line of hose sucks water from the Dawa and spills it through a maze of muddy channels that Balambal has dug.
Tending solely to animals is what he had done all his life—until now. At 64, with no education and a large family to support, Balambal knew he had to do something different: the days of abundant milk from his cattle and plentiful grasses for them to feed on are gone. In the decades since he was a boy, the pastureland, and consequently the livestock, have declined, he said.
"I think, how can I survive this way?" Balambal asked. "How can I manage my family and care for my children. I look around and see the only solution is change of livelihood."
Along another stretch of the Dawa, where Oxfam America is working with the Liben Pastoralist Development Association, or LPDA, to build a full-scale irrigation system for 200 families, Edo Godana voiced some of the same worry.
"During our father's time it was very nice rain and a lot of milk and grass," he said. "Now, things have totally changed. I've been trying to cultivate land by rain, and it frequently collapses. We have fear for our children. What's going on?"
It's a question that's weighing on countless herders and rain-dependent farmers across Ethiopia as one difficult season gives way to the next. In the face of a changing climate, Oxfam has been working with people like Balmbal and Godana on longer-term solutions to the problems erratic weather creates. Pasture restoration, road construction, and helping people build small herds of milking goats are just some of the answers.
"Drought is a part of our lives," said Kote Ibrahim, LPDA's director. "How can we get out from it? We've reached consensus. We need sustainable development interventions."
And, added Tola, the underlying causes of poverty, which make people so susceptible to drought, must also be addressed.
"Poor people need a voice," said Tola. "Marginalized groups, like herders, need to be included in the development policies of the country. And women need an active role in development also."
]]>More than 6 million farmers across the country grow teff, but it's here, in rugged Adi Ha, where rocks litter the fields like confetti, that this new kind of insurance may take root and spread. An initiative coordinated by Oxfam America and supported by more than a dozen partners, its goal is to help some of the world's poorest farmers bounce back when drought destroys their crops. And the payout isn't only in cash. It's in confidence—the kind that may help propel people out of poverty.
"Without insurance, poor farmers who experience drought might run through all their savings, fall into debt, or sell their livestock and other valuables—often to ruinous results," says Mengesha Gebremichael, the micro-insurance officer at the Relief Society of Tigray and one of the project's managers. "In contrast, insured farmers will be more resilient to those shocks. They'll be in a better position to take out small loans that could help them make big improvements in their next harvest—loans for things like high-yield seeds. They'll be more confident that they can pay the money back knowing they have insurance to support them if trouble strikes."
June to October marks the main rainy season in Adi Ha, a critical time for local farmers who depend on the skies to water their teff fields. For poor families living close to the edge, where even a $20 or $30 loss can push them over, there is no room for mishap. Without rain, they face disaster. That's where the weather insurance comes in. If a certain amount of rain fails to fall at a certain time, farmers who have purchased the insurance can receive a payout to help cover their losses.
In Ethiopia, families have always had traditional ways of coping with extraordinary expenses. If they lose their livestock in a disaster, such as drought, those who are better off will contribute an animal or two to help them rebuild their herds, for instance. Families may also share seeds for planting, or food when it's in terribly short supply.
But with climate change—and the erratic weather that it brings—the traditional means of surviving bad times may no longer be enough.
"Climate change is dramatically increasing agricultural risk across the planet," says Marjorie Victor Brans, a senior policy advisor at Oxfam America. "The frequency of droughts and other shocks in Adi Ha is likely to increase, and poor farmers will be among the hardest hit. It's a hugely challenging phenomenon."
With 85 percent of Ethiopians employed in farming, much of it rain-fed, the need for new tools to manage the risks is huge. But the market for insurance is miniscule: only about 300,000 people in a country of nearly 80 million now have it. Extending the option to rural areas is loaded with challenges, not the least of them being the concern that poor farmers simply don't have the money to pay for premiums—even the smallest one.
This new program has solved that problem with a simple solution: It has arranged for the poorest farmers to use their labor to buy insurance, tapping into a new social security initiative the Ethiopian government launched a few years ago. Called the Productive Safety Net Program, or PSNP, it helps about 8 million of the country's most vulnerable residents by providing them with food or cash in exchange for work. Through the PSNP, 130 Adi Ha farmers are now working extra days on community projects, such as planting trees and grasses to promote soil and water conservation, to pay for their premiums. In this pilot year, Oxfam provided funds to the PSNP to cover this part of the project.
The option to trade labor for insurance has substantially boosted the number of farmers able to participate in the program, nearly doubling the enrollment that was expected.
"It's good for me to have the insurance as long as I can work and pay with labor," says Medhin Reda, a single mother who will be working 24 days for her premium. "That is the only asset I have."
For Selas Samson Biru, who is spending 192 birr on insurance, it will help address the uncertainties that have always been part of farming, especially now that global warming may be altering familiar weather patterns.
"Our season is changing. We don't know when there will be a bad year and when there will be a good year," she says. "I believe, after taking the training, this insurance will be helpful during the bad season. This will pay me."
And the insurance may be extra helpful because it was tailored specifically for farmers like Biru. In fact, she was one of five community members chosen by villagers to join the insurance design team. Twenty-one other farmers participated in a series of test workshops on climate change and financial literacy. Focus group discussions and economic risk simulations carried out in the community helped the design team understand what kind of insurance product would work best in Adi Ha. And on the day of enrollment, about 600 farmers showed up for a host of activities explaining the offerings, including musical performances, a play, peer-to-peer outreach, and financial training.
"Today is a historic day for the farmers of Adi Ha," said Brans as the activities wound to a close that day and organizers counted the final tally of takers. Among the 200 were 75 women, which represents about 22 percent of all female-headed households in Adi Ha—one of the most vulnerable groups the project is aiming to help. On average, farmers are paying 138 birr for their premiums—or a little more than $12 each. Some chose packages that allowed them to pay as little as 76 birr, or about $6.75. The maximum premium was 288 birr, or just over $23.
"We are experimenting," said Gebru Kahsay a few months after investing 192 birr into an insurance package. "We started with teff. If we find the insurance is good, we'll continue. If we fail, we will take a lesson from it."
Lots of learning has already taken place during the 18 months Oxfam and its partners spent in preparation for the launch of this project. And each of those partners has been contributing its own expertise. Besides the Relief Society of Tigray, or REST, one of the largest aid groups in Africa which has worked closely with the people of Adi Ha, other partners include the Nyala Insurance Company, an Ethiopian firm that is providing the insurance; Swiss Re, one of the world's largest insurers which has helped fund the launch and is providing technical expertise; and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University, which is providing research on climate data. Additionally, the Dedebit Credit and Savings Institution, or DECSI, the primary provider of loans to families in Adi Ha, helped both to design the pilot and to educate farmers about the pros and cons of insurance.
"We had to work very hard to design a risk management package that was affordable and attractive to farmers, while still being potentially profitable to the insurance industry," says Bekabil Fufa, an agricultural expert in Oxfam America's Horn of Africa regional office. "And we had to make it compelling to government and donors who feel it will address the threat of climate change."
With a solid model now in place, Oxfam is planning in the coming year to expand the initiative into four new villages in Tigray--the region where Adi Ha is located—and into one village in Amhara, another drought-prone region to the south. Eventually, the project partners would like to see weather insurance offered to poor farmers throughout Ethiopia.
It will require a leap of faith by farmers across the country as well as support from the government, donors, NGOs, and the private sector," says Gebremichael. "But given the long lead times required to build resiliency to climate change, we can't afford to wait until tomorrow to try."
]]>Reda, 45, is a farmer in Adi Ha, a collection of small villages in Tigray, a rocky region of northern Ethiopia. Here, rainfall is becoming increasingly unpredictable, and for the farmers who depend on its regularity to ensure their fields will produce food for their families, the change in weather patterns is deeply troubling. Without rain, the crops of hundreds of farmers in Adi Ha won't grow.
Already this year the rains were six weeks late, coming in mid July instead of early June. That meant the corn got a late start and some farmers didn't bother with sorghum at all. Still, hopes were high for teff, the tiny grain that is a staple for people here—and across Ethiopia where 6 million farmers grow the nutrient-rich cereal. Reda is one of them.
But this year, she and 199 other small farmers in Adi Ha weren't taking any chances. When Oxfam and its partners suggested a way to buffer the hardships Mother Nature might bring, the farmers embraced it—even if few had ever heard of such a thing. The proposal? Weather insurance designed for their teff. If the rain failed to fall in certain amounts at certain times, farmers who bought the insurance would receive a payout to cover some of their losses. The insurance is being offered by the Nyala Insurance Company and Swiss Re. Other organizations partnering on the project include the Relief Society of Tigray, or REST; the Dedebit Credit and Savings Institution, or DESCI; and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University.
"Because of repeated drought, which really affected me, I joined the insurance with the understanding it might solve my problems," said Reda.
For a long time, most people in the insurance business thought that poor farmers, like many of those in Adi Ha, were uninsurable. Where would they get the cash to buy the insurance? This pilot program has answered that with a simple, and ingenious, solution. Reda is paying for her premium—like she does for other important things in her life—with her labor.
Reda, along with 65 percent of all those who have signed up for the insurance, is a participant in Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program, an initiative that provides cash and food for some of the country's poorest people in exchange for their work on community improvements. She'll work 24 extra days this year on projects that benefit Adi Ha—such as planting trees and grasses to promote soil and water conservation—to cover the cost of her premium.
"It's good for me to have the insurance as long as I can work and pay with labor," says Reda. "That is the only asset I have."
A single mother and head of an all-girl household at the moment—she lives with three of her daughters; a fourth daughter lives in a nearby town; and a son is away studying—Reda works hard to keep together all the pieces of a difficult life. With one of her daughters, Abbadit Girmay, who is now 19, Reda hauled to their hillside site every stone of the hut they now live in. And to build it, she hired a mason to mortar the rocks together—paying him with a summer's worth of weeding in his fields.
To get her own fields plowed—she has two, totaling a half hectare of land--Reda hires herself out each planting season, working three full days for the man who owns the oxen, in exchange for one day of his plowing.
Work is Reda's currency.
"That's why I'm thin," she says, with a wry smile.
In the corn patch just below her house, Reda stands bent at the waist , her hands flying over the weeds as she yanks and clumps them swiftly into small piles. Close behind, and weeding nearly as fast, Tekleweini Girmay, 7, follows her mother through the stalks. Reda—and necessity—have taught her well.
But a farmer's life is not what Reda envisions for her youngest child—or any of her daughters. She wants them to have what she never had: an education.
"The season is not good enough for agriculture. Our soil has become poor and they need fertilizer," she says. "I don't want my children to be farmers. Those who have started their education I want them to continue and have jobs. And those who haven't started, I want them to start." Tekleweini will be among those newly enrolled when the next session of school begins.
And Reda will be, too.
She has signed up for an adult literacy program that REST is offering.
And though Reda can't read, her mind is filled with news of the world beyond Adi Ha that she absorbs from a small radio she keeps tucked on a shelf in her hut. Voice of America in Tigrinya and Dmitsi Woyane or the voice of the ruling party are among her favorite stations. Sometimes, Reda will stay up until 11 p.m. listening—when there are working batteries, that is. They are expensive, about 10 birr each, or about most of what she would earn for a day's labor.
There's no electricity in this stone-walled compound, and few creature comforts. At night, light in Reda's cramped hut comes from a hanging bulb hooked to a flashlight battery. She also has two small oil lamps. Household wares hang from the ceiling beamed with logs and storage vessels stand in the shadows in the corners. Two mud seats built into the walls near the door serve as beds.
In early August, green washes the hills that stretch below Reda's hut, a sign that the rain—now that it has finally come—is ample enough for the moment. Her corn is doing well, she says with satisfaction.
And her teff?
The seeds have been in the ground for just a week and years of experience have left her circumspect.
"It's too early to say if it's good or bad," says Reda.
]]>In a pilot program coordinated by Oxfam America along with a host of local partners, these farmers have bought weather insurance designed for their teff, a staple grain here and across Ethiopia. If a certain amount of rain fails to fall at a certain time—and their teff does poorly—the insurance will cover some of their losses. Partners in the initiative include the Relief Society of Tigray, or REST; the Nyala Insurance Company; Swiss Re; the Dedebit Credit and Savings Institution, or DECSI; and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University.
The rain gauges, like the one in Biru's yard, measure the precipitation in different spots across Adi Ha where rainfall is becoming increasingly unpredictable, making it ever harder for farmers to eke a living from this rocky part of the world.
"Our season is changing. We don't know when there will be a bad year and when there will be a good year," says Biru. "I believe, after taking the training, this insurance will be helpful during the bad season. This will pay me."
Biru, who has bought 192 birr—or about $15—worth of insurance has become an expert at managing the vicissitudes of life in Adi Ha and together with her husband and six children, they have built a measure of security for themselves.
Now 48, Biru was married at 15. But unlike some of her peers at the time, she had managed to attend school through the fourth grade, and when the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, took control of the area, Biru stood out. Perhaps it was because of all the questions she asked, she says.
She joined the organization in about 1979 and soon assumed a leadership role among other women—a twist of fate that allowed her to develop the confidence that continues to feed her successes today. Biru is not afraid to try new things—including insurance, a concept few in her community knew much about before this pilot was launched. Biru became a member of the local team that helped design the project.
But before that, she had other experiences that allowed her to see the advantages of managing household money in different ways. Through a local microfinance institution, Biru has taken out a series of loans that have helped her to build a herd of livestock that now includes goats, oxen, and donkeys. She has used the proceeds from the sale of some of those goats to support two of her children as they make their way through university.
Income from the goats, which at one point numbered about 70, also helped the family finance the construction of a new house with a metal roof a few years ago. It consists of a long, rectangular room with perimeter seats built into the walls, two beds at the far end, and a high ceiling that helps the interior stay cool on hot days.
And though the hungry season is inching closer—the time before the harvests when the food supply of many families runs low—Biru still has a supply a grain. In a shed separate from her house, tall vessels stand against the back wall. As she uncorks the bottom of one of them, the grain makes a satisfying rush as it streams out Baskets on the floor brim with corn, finger millet, and teff.
Biru's family has another source of bounty as well: the Tsalet River, which feeds an irrigation system constructed about 10 years ago by the Relief Society of Tigray with funding from Oxfam. More than 400 households now benefit from it. Water funneled through a series of channels connected to a dam across the river irrigates a quarter hectare of land from which Biru harvests green peppers, bananas, melons, guava, and coffee beans. That regular supply of water may free her from some of the worry about rain.
But the irrigation system doesn't water her teff. Across Adi Ha, farmers depend on the rainy season for that job. The main one, the kiremt, stretches from June into September. A shorter rainy season, the belg, runs from February to May. This year, the kiremt started late: the rain didn't really begin to fall in substantial amounts until mid July, making it hard for farmers who plant sorghum and corn.
"For maize, the rain is not good. There was no rain early," says Biru.
With her rain gauge, Biru keeps careful count of exactly how much rain falls, recording the precipitation on a small chart. Pulling it out to show some visitors one day in early August, she notes the range from half a millimeter the day before—barely a sprinkle—to 40 millimeters in a downpour on July 3.
Her crops aren't the only thing Biru worries about when it comes to water. Her family also needs a steady supply for drinking and cooking. And often, the job of fetching it falls to her. Potable water is about an hour's walk away, and someone in the household makes that trip once a day, sometimes with a donkey to haul the heavy load home. But a less reliable source that the family uses just for cooking, is a good deal closer—a 15-minute hike from Biru's home.
Grabbing a jug, Biru heads down the path from her house, slowing her pace so the city slickers who are visiting can keep up. She's going to show them what's required to keep a family hydrated in Adi Ha, where there's no municipal system pumping water through every household tap.
The walk includes a scramble down a steep ledge—and the knowledge of a return hike up, lugging the jug heavy with water. On the way, Biru stops at a mound of stones, bending to kiss one reverentially: below them, in an oasis of trees and thick bushes—one of the few forest-like spots still standing in the area—sits a local church. Tradition demands that the woods around the church be left alone. They're sacred. And that may account for the small spring that still gurgles at their base.
It's here that Biru stops to fill her jug, scooping cupfuls of water from the shallows while trying to leave the silt behind. Ten minutes later, she stands and heads home under a gray sky full of the promise of rain.
Will it be ample enough to guarantee a harvest?
"For teff, currently it's good," says Biru. But if it doesn't last, she now has insurance to fall back on.
]]>These, and many more lives and livelihoods are at risk unless urgent action is taken to protect poor people from the triple threat of the economic crisis, rising food prices and climate change. Sub-Saharan Africa alone is expected to lose $245 billion this year as a result of the global slump but will receive only about $5 billion in additional aid.
Yet rather than delivering on his own aid promises and encouraging other countries to meet theirs, Silvio Berlusconi, G8 chair and Italian president, is attempting to wriggle out of his commitments to the world's poorest. He has cut aid and pushed the G8 to adopt a new "whole of country" approach that would use creative accounting to hide broken promises.
Max Lawson, Oxfam senior policy advisor, said: "Like a modern day Nero, Berlusconi is fiddling while Africa burns. G8 leaders must get serious and ensure this summit delivers a concrete plan to get aid promises back on track, and to protect poor people from the triple threat of the economic, food and climate crises."
According to the OECD, G8 leaders will fall short by as much as $23 billion in their 2005 promise to increase annual aid by $50 billion over five years. Oxfam calculates this money could be used to pay for HIV treatment for 500,000, services for mothers and newborns that would save a further 2.5 million, child health services that would save a further 600,000 lives.
On average, rich countries outside the G8 give more than twice as much of their national income in overseas aid (0.54 percent), as G8 members (0.23 percent).
Farida Bena, Oxfam International Italian spokesperson said: "It is time that G8 countries paid their fair share of aid to reduce poverty in Africa and elsewhere. Why can other rich countries put their hands in their pocket whilst most of the G8 refuses to do so? A G8 that refuses to keep its word, a G8 that fails to meet the unprecedented challenges facing the world's poor—that is a G8 in crisis."
Far from showing leadership in its role as G8 chair, Italy is cutting its aid to poor countries. Last year Italy cut its aid through the Foreign Affairs Ministry by a staggering 56 percent. France too has barely increased aid despite promises to do so, and other countries are not bringing the ambition needed to the table this year—when it is most needed.
The "whole of country approach" promoted by Berlusconi could allow countries to count money charities, philanthropists, companies and trade links deliver to developing countries as part of their assistance to poor countries. Adding these disparate elements to produce a large cash figure of little value would allow countries like Italy and France to deflect attention from their lamentable performance on aid.
Instead of muddying the waters with creative accounting, Oxfam is calling on the G8 to agree an emergency plan to get their aid commitments back on track ahead of the 2010 deadline. The need for increased aid is shown by the $245 billion economic black hole facing Africa as a result of a reduction in expected growth from 6.7 percent to 1 percent. By contrast, aid will only increase by $4.6 billion this year. IMF special drawing rights and other measures agreed at the G20 add only another $16 billion. This falls way short of what is needed.
Lawson said: "The world has a triple crisis on it hands. The economic crisis is destroying jobs, reducing remittances and forcing cuts in health and education services for some of the world's poorest people. Africa is set to lose $245 billion this year alone yet the response from rich countries remains pitifully small.
"The food crisis has pushed another 200 million people into hunger. More than one in six of the world's people now do not have enough to eat. The climate crisis contributes to severe weather that forces people from their homes and destroys their livelihoods every day."
Bena said: "Over the next few days, the G8 must show the leadership the world needs. There won't be any second chances to save these 3 million people later. The G8 cannot turn their back on the poorest people now. This must be a week of bold action."
]]>I flew into Mogadishu in a plane full with nine tons of Oxfam aid. We took blankets, mosquito nets, medical supplies, and plastic sheets for families to build temporary shelters. We also took 3,500 buckets: Many of the families who have fled the fighting have lost everything they had, so they can use the buckets to carry clean water and store milk for their children.
At Mogadishu airport, I was met by some of our local Somali partners who quickly unloaded the aid for distribution. We carry out all of our work in the country through partners like them.
People are still fleeing the capital. Every day more buses, vans, and donkey carts carry families out of the city along a road called the Afgooye corridor. In the past few weeks, tens of thousands of people have fled down this road to escape the violence. They are settling in camps nearby, where about 400,000 people have taken refuge in the past two years.
The living conditions in the camps in Afgooye are some of the worst I have ever seen. Families are sheltering in tiny huts, pieced together from plastic bags and sticks. When the rains come, the huts are washed away. Oxfam is about to provide 10,000 new shelters, which will improve the lives of about 70,000 people.
The most urgent need is for shelter, but people also desperately need clean water, food, and medicine. The fighting has had an enormous impact on children's health. One doctor told me that there is so much gunpowder in the air in Mogadishu at the moment that it is making children sick.
When people leave the city and arrive in camps—which are so basic and overcrowded—diseases can quickly spread, and there are few health services. I saw young children lying on the floor of the shelters, too ill to move. Many children are suffering from diarrhea and cholera. Oxfam has helped set up an oral rehydration treatment center where mothers can bring their children for help. Oxfam has also distributed mosquito nets to mothers to help them protect their children from the spread of malaria.
To help address the critical need for water, Oxfam recently expanded its water system—which features large, circular holding tanks—to reach an additional 78,000 people. In total, we now provide water to more than 200,000 people in Afgooye—and we hope to increase the supply in the coming months. Despite these efforts, the need for water remains huge. People line up for hours to get clean water.
But it was the terrible condition of people's shelters that struck me most.
"Our biggest problem is shelter," Halima Abdi, a mother of six children, told me. "If people see this house and the conditions that we live in they will be shocked. It is raining heavily during the nights. Without shelter it is a disaster for us. My children are sick and I'm worried what will happen to them. They don't have enough water or food either.'"
]]>"War, drought, and malnutrition are thrusting Somalia towards even greater catastrophe. Tens of thousands are on the move, hundreds of thousands are displaced, and more than three million are in dire need of aid," said Hassan Noor, Oxfam's humanitarian coordinator for Somalia. Noor just returned from Afgooye, a town several miles south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
Many of the 70,000 people who have fled Mogadishu in the past few weeks are now sheltering in Afgooye, as part of the approximately 400,000 people made homeless by years of conflict who are now taking refuge in Afgooye. Working through local partners, Oxfam is providing shelter and mosquito nets to recently arrived families, and has expanded its water and sanitation system to aid an additional 84,000 displaced people. Oxfam is now supplying water to over 200,000 people in Afgooye, and plans to increase its efforts further in the coming months. Additionally, the agency's local partner organizations will soon begin providing specialist care and food to 9,500 of the most severely malnourished children and mothers in Mogadishu itself.
"Living conditions in Afgooye are some of the worst I have ever seen," said Noor. "I couldn't see a single shelter fit for human beings, and thousands of people have nothing to sleep under or protect them[selves] from the searing heat and heavy rains. I saw sick children lying on the floor with diarrhea and disease. I saw a young girl who had been shot in the head, fleeing with her family. People told me they expect the situation to get even worse in the next few weeks—more people are going to be killed or forced to flee for their lives, and the humanitarian need here is going to keep rising."
Oxfam warned that if the newly erupted fighting continues, it will become even more difficult for aid agencies to respond to the escalating needs. Somalia is already one of the most dangerous places in the world to deliver humanitarian assistance, with 40 aid workers killed since the beginning of 2008. The agency called on all parties involved with the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, and allow for the safe provision of aid to all who need it.
"Local Somali aid workers, who are working tirelessly to get help to thousands of people, need support from the rest of the world. The recent fighting has made the humanitarian crisis in Somalia even worse, at a time when nearly half the country's population is already in desperate need of aid. Families are struggling to cope with a lack of food and basic services, and the worst drought Somalia has seen in more than a decade," said Noor.
]]>With some champions in Congress and support from the White House, we're hoping to see domestic legislation that not only fines companies who pollute, but also uses some of these funds to help affected communities build their resilience. If we are successful domestically, we can lay the groundwork for a global deal at the UN Climate Change Conference this December—an agreement that will create a more hospitable climate for us all.
Also in this issue: A force of peace in Peru; Rebuilding in Bangladesh; Oxfam America's new role in Darfur.


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DePauw drops to 2-2 with loss at Wittenberg
September 11, 2005
September 11, 2005, Springfield, Ohio - The 13th-ranked DePauw women's soccer team dropped to 2-2 on the season following a 1-0 loss at Wittenberg. The game marked the fourth time this season the Tigers have been involved in a 1-0 contest. wittenberg improved to 4-0 with the win.
Wittenberg's Lisa Rusch scored the game's lone goal on a penalty kick at 55:37. The hosts outshot DePauw 15-6 and held a 9-4 advantage in corners. Brooke Shipley recorded seven saves for the Tigers, while Meghan O'Rourke had five for Wittenberg. DePauw travels to Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, September 17. Back


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You're watching...
New Proposal to Tackle Ballooning Student Loans
FinAid.org founder Mark Kantrowitz on a plan to help rein in rising student loan debt.
Dec 21, 2012
You're watching...
FinAid.org founder Mark Kantrowitz on a plan to help rein in rising student loan debt.
Dec 21, 2012
Also in this playlist...
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Auto-advanceThis transcript is automatically generated
Get fed Cynthia not a student debt -- -- US has hit the trillion dollar mark an updated version of the government's pay you earn plan.
So it doesn't affect today.
So how is planned different and will really help tackle -- the looming problem joining us now -- cancel its founder of -- made it dot org.
Mark I'm glad you're here and I wanna get into the plan because -- definitely some nitty gritty details of that but.
-- we got tuition that is up Citi 2% since two the year 2000.
The delinquency rate campaign these consumer loans back has spiked you actually think that this new plan is gonna help -- not.
It's a safety net for -- students who have borrowed more than their annual income.
It has -- enables them to -- the monthly payment on a percentage of discretionary income as opposed to the amount they -- So that's what it is so let's get into the plan now it's it's regardless of the loan.
We basically are now looking at post graduation how much money they take.
And then we do this little formula and determine how much debt they can carry and that's really all they -- back.
Right it's it's it's the monthly payments is.
Based on a percentage of discretionary income the new plan is 10% which is a third less than the old plan which is 15%.
And then what happens at the FF after ten years.
Absurd after twenty years rate it's forgiven -- Right in the old -- after 25 years and repayment the remaining balances forgiven the new plan purchase -- up to twenty years.
Now for most far is this simply means that.
They're not go to reach that -- this point -- paid off the loan after 1518.
But for borrowers who are in very -- financial situation for an extended period time they might actually have some forgive.
This net this is part of the health care bill is sort of that slipped -- -- -- really even noticed.
Ten years forgiveness on loans for those who take public service jobs.
Do you think that this in the mean that this is right for our moral hazard though because it.
I'm model they got all this day he going to grad school and medical school and then -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- not to -- Well the potential for moral hazard is only at the graduate school level.
At the undergraduate level -- loans have limits 31004.
-- dependent undergraduate student.
That pretty much prevent most students from borrowing too much but for four graduate students as a grad plus phone which is up to the full cost of education.
And so there's some potential there are no actual.
And data as yet but there's a potential that a graduate student that said I'm just gonna borrow to the limit because I can.
Here's -- thing this doesn't solve the problem the problem is the accessing easy money.
So these kids have access to easy money the institutions know this and they keep jacking the rate of tuition so until we stop that problem.
This is -- -- yet another -- -- that the government really seems to have a big.
Right it's it's a bandit after the fact.
What we need to do is more before the fact we need to reduce the borrowing by increasing grants we need to to have better counseling of the borrowers.
Before they take on the debts of that they can be smarter borrowers yeah and -- institutions have to stop Jack -- -- Mark cancerous founder of -- -- dot org thank you for taking the time.
Thank you -- me.
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Longboard Inn Bed & Breakfast
Table Of Contents
Longboard Inn is a unique Craftsman Style home that reflects the relaxed personality of its owners, located in the small beach town of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Our inn and our town share a long, colorful history and an appreciation of local art. Possessing an unusual combination of qualities, both The Longboard Inn and New Smyrna Beach manage to be stylish while casual, quaint yet bohemian and appeal to those seeking an active or a leisure vacation.
New Smyrna Beach has unique qualities and attractions, as diverse as they are numerous. Our beach town is home to nationally renowned surfing while being rated among the top 50 of "The Best small Art Towns in America" by travel writer John Villani. Longboard Inn is located in the historic district, only a short distance to the beach. Our gecko stone path will lead you to one of our six guest rooms. Each room has a private whirlpool bath, queen size, hand crafted beds, one-of-a-kind hand painted furniture, and French doors that open onto a deck surrounded by a well landscaped private area.
Captain's Quarters Suite
Comforts always enhance a relaxing getaway and our rooms have cable TV with VCR, fridge, air conditioning, ironing board and iron, and a DSL jack for your laptop. Innkeepers John & Dee Green, along with their staff, all strive to have Longboard Inn be your most memorable experience and one that you will want to repeat year after year.
The Longboard Inn is located between US 1 and the river on the direct route to the beach.
We are two miles from the beach ramp. Canal Street shopping is two blocks away and we arewalking distance to community events such as antique car shows, art festivals
and music in Old Fort and Riverside Park. -
Travelers are always looking for memorable and relaxing experiences. Let's discover more through the words of our innkeepers. Many thanks to John & Dee Green for sharing their own secrets with BBOnline.com! Why do most travelers stay at your inn? They have seen and read good reviews, received recommendations, are return visitors, and like to stay at a B&B.
What are you best known for? What makes your inn unique? What do you love most about your inn? Our hospitality, good breakfast, and our unique location in the historic district of a great small beach town.
If someone has never been to your city, what is the #1 reason to come visit? One of the top ten beaches in Florida, but still a small town feel with plenty of outdoor activities for everyone.
What's the best compliment you have ever received about the inn? When people tell us that they cannot find a single thing to improve on.
What's the best kept secret about the area? New Smyrna Beach.
If a traveler is staying at your inn for 4 nights, what should he/she do in the area? Swim, surf, paddle board, any kind of fishing, cycling, kayaking, art walks, wine walks, exploring ruins, golfing, antique shopping, wildlife at State Parks and preserves, plus a one hour drive from the Daytona track, Disney attractions, Kennedy Space Center and a number of area springs for Manatee watching. Finally extend their stay.
Is there anything within walking distance of your inn? The Historic District contains 2 parks, a riverside walk, shopping area, art galleries and restaurants.
What is your favorite restaurant/food in the area? We can't single out a favorite, but the seafood restaurants here are great.
Any good area guides/websites that travelers could reference? How many rooms does your inn have? We have 6 rooms
Do you accept pets? Yes, in some rooms.


text: Ideal for installing decorative moulding, medallions, domes, niches and other trim to ceilings and walls. VOC compliant. Instant Grab formulation holds projects in place instantly and reduces bracing requirements. Repositionable for up to 15 minutes. Meets ASTM Specification C 557. It is low odor and cleans up easily with soap and water. Paintable. Interior use.


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Founded in 1979, Boston Acoustics, designs, manufactures, and markets high-performance audio systems for home audio/video systems. Their ability to combine high performance with elegance, has led to a wide range of innovative products that deliver clear, authentic sound for every room in the house, letting people play smart wherever they are.
They continue to exceed our customers' expectations—generation after generation—by using only the highest quality materials in every component we build. That commitment to quality is visible (and audible) wherever a Boston Acoustics system is found.


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April 16th, 2010: As you may have guessed, this comic was meant to follow the comic from two days ago, but I messed up and well here we are. So everyone just needs to imagine that T-Rex spent TWO days researching vampires, as that is now the OFFICIAL HISTORY.
So! This comic was written in CONSULTATION with your friend and mine, Dr. Chris Hastings. In exchange I suggested that one of his characters dress up as a chef sometimes. Will you see that in an upcoming installment of The Adventures Of Dr. McNinja? You'd better, that's all I can say.
This comic was also inspired at MoCCA, when Kind Reader Yuval told me that vampires were vulnerable to counting how many jellybeans are in a jar. While not PRECISELY accurate to the old-skool mythology of vampires, it is pretty close, and I promised him that if I used this FunFact(tm) in a comic then I would share one more clue for the AS-YET-UNSOLVED cryptogram from a few weeks ago. So here is a big clue, as it reduces the search space considerably: the longest word is "fundamental".
I think at this point I will let the puzzle stand for ALL ETERNITY
Speaking of eternity, everyone, two of my shirts are going away for all eternity! NOW IS YOUR CHANCE:
OH ALSO! Friday's FUN-TIME MASK UPDATES: Add "&butiwouldratherbereading=" and sisterclaire or registeredweapon to read Dinosaur Comics versions of Sister Claire or Registered Weapon. To make sure the best gifts ever in time get to you when you want them, here are the HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES. Orders placed before these dates will get to you in time for Christmas! One year ago today: i did a search and nobody is calling bad baloney "failoney". what the heck, internet, you shouldn't need me to think up these permutations for you – Ryan
December 5th: All shipping methods except U.S.P.S. First-Class Package International Service� are safe.
December 6th: International orders made not selecting U.S.P.S. Priority Mail Express International� shipping will likely arrive in January.
December 11th: USPS FIRST CLASS and STANDARD may not make it in time and neither will USPS EXPRESS MAIL INTERNATIONAL.
December 16th: ALMOST NOTHING IS SAFE. USPS EXPRESS is the only safe USPS option.
December 19th: A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE (IF THINGS PLACED ON OR AFTER THIS DATE ARRIVE BY THE 24TH, THAT IS)


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28 CFR 701.13 - Form and content of Office responses.
§ 701.13
Form and content of Office responses.
(a) Form of notice granting a request.
After the Office has made a determination to grant a request in whole or in part, the Office shall so notify the requester in writing. The notice shall describe the manner in which the record will be disclosed, whether by providing a copy of the record to the requester or by making a copy of the record available to the requester for inspection at a reasonable time and place. The procedure for such an inspection shall not unreasonably disrupt the operations of the Office. The Office shall inform the requester in the notice of any fees to be charged in accordance with the provisions of § 701.18 of this part.
(b) Form of notice denying a request.
The Office, when denying a request in whole or in part, shall so notify the requester in writing. The notice must be signed by the FOIA/PA Officer, or her designee, and shall include:
A brief statement of the reason or reasons for the denial, including the FOIA exemption or exemptions that the Office has relied upon in denying the request and a brief explanation of the manner in which the exemption or exemptions apply to each record withheld; and
A statement that the denial may be appealed under § 701.16(a) and a description of the requirements of that subsection.
Title 28 published on 2012-07-01
no entries appear in the Federal Register after this date.
This is a list of United States Code sections, Statutes at Large, Public Laws, and Presidential Documents, which provide rulemaking authority for this CFR Part.
This list is taken from the Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules provided by GPO [Government Printing Office].
It is not guaranteed to be accurate or up-to-date, though we do refresh the database weekly. More limitations on accuracy are described at the GPO site.


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This site used to be awesome up until a couple of years ago. I used to buy EVERYTHING I could from here, choice was excellent, delivery was fast and customer server was brilliant.
However, then something changed, I'm not sure exactly what maybe it was the addition of the market place or the sale to Rakuten, but it went downhill in every way faster than a bobsleigh.
Sadly these days I avoid it like the plague and wouldn't consider buying anything from here.
This website used to be great years ago and now they use 3rd party sellers and the customer service is appalling.
Its been well over a week since I placed an order and it has not arrived. I call Play.com to be told its non of there business and I have to contact the 3rd party retailer which can have up to 3 days to answer my email. They would not refund my account or cancel the order. Awful customer service, unacceptable delivery times. overall a very bad experience and will not order again.
Play.com lost all credibility when they moved over to mostly 3rd party retailers.
This review of play.com was produced in November of 2013 after I discovered, on review of my credit card statements from June, I had not received a refund I had been promised. I followed all of their instructions for return of the product and was promised a refund within 3-5 days. I kept my proof of postage along with everything which was required, so my claim against them was without dispute.
The problem was, they delivered a different item to the one ordered, the item was returned, so now I am without both my money or any goods.
On chasing this up play.com , they sent me the following email which I quote:
"I have spoken to our Merchant Helpdesk regarding the return of the item. Unfortunately, due to the amount of time elapsed we are unable to assist further and you will now need to claim through the small claims court. I apologise for any inconvenience caused."
My verdict - do not deal with this company, they are immoral and dishonest.
This company used to be great years ago but now they only seem to use third party sellers and in my experience the service has gone down greatly. My last attemp to purchase something ended up with me waiting for weeks for my order to show up before finally getting my money back. I now boycote this company
Have used play a few times for CD's and DVD's and am very happy with the experience. The question of getting new releases on launch day is not one i can comment on as i havent done it yet. Have taken a while for some items to be delivered.
Got a few dvd`s and games from play.com. They all arrived promtly and in good condition! Will defo use again!
absolutely dire!, I have had nothing but problems with my recent order's. I needed one item quickly so I paid express; I received the wrong item. Play would not send me the correct item even though I paid express until they had processed my return which would have takes ages!. I had to reorder my item from dabs.com who I highly recommend because the item arrived the next morning with standard delivery... already put off from other orders that have taken weeks to arrive I decided to order a Rj11 cable for my phone as it was the specific length I needed and I thought well they cant mess this up.... Wrong; I received a phone case, I have no idea how they do this but they succeed in cocking everything up. To make it even worse the seller "guiltyGadgets" ignored my emails and I had to wait weeks before play finally processed a refund... I will not order anything again from this company. I will stick with the reputable places like; dabs, ebuyer, scan, amazon and even ebay over play. Never had a single problem with any of the other places.
I used to buy lots of stuff directly from Play.com, but since they went over to selling through merchants only i lost faith.., so simply put i've stopped buying from them...
I have ordered 3 times from Play.com now and twice it has been a nightmare....Order just showing as "processing" for days and days.
Contact them to see what's happening with order and get no reply.
Will not be using again !
going back about 5 years ago i would have said they were excellent. Not any more they are middle of the road. Too expensive and not enough products, theyve really gone downhill recently.
Hatte bis jetzt noch keine Probleme mit play.com - außer dass man recht lange auf die Bestellungen warten muss. Oft gehen sie nämlich durch den zoll, weil play.com auf den Kanalinseln sitzt. Davon abgesehen hab ich bis jetzt aber nur gute Erfahrungen gemacht.
Ordered x3 items on 8 September 2013 - required for 20 September 2013
Received confirmation immediately
Checked order on 12 September - to find nothing dispatched due to error on my CC.
Rectified, recieved email to say items to be dispatched 3-5 working days.
Cancelled one order
Checked orders on play.com 18 September - one item still showing as processing, one item as refunded!
I received no notification of refund / stock availability
Today find out that the second item is also not available, and I only found that out by contacting seller.
I will NEVER use PLAY.COM again.
Their customer service just insisted I had received emails - but couldn't prove it.
First of all there's free delivery on everything so there are no hidden postal charges and the products are organized in a clear way.
I use to buy a lot of dvds blurays and cds from play.com but some of the companies on there arnt the best, I ordered a dvd which arrived and turned out they sent the wrong one, so I arrainged for a return I didn't get a pre paid sticker from the company so I had to pay for the dvd to be returned and when they got it back they only refunded the price of the dvd not the return postage or the postage I paid to get it in the first place and nothing has been said when I have enquired, also I ordered a cd which said would be with me within 3 days after ten days I sent an email for them to tell me lost in transit and gave a refund I found out this company had done this to a lot of people. took orders then said lost in transit, im abit wairy to order now
In the past I have used Play.com many times and it has been fine, however this time I ordered a game via one of their merchants 'EASYSHOP2', and after 2 weeks of waiting my order was still classed as 'processing in warehouse'. Further investigation revealed that EASYSHOP2 was based in Italy, and I e-mailed them directly and received no replies.
In the end I got a refund out of Play.com but the most disappointing aspect was a complete disinterest from the Customer Care person i spoke to about the problem, or the merchant that let me down. They will keep on using them no doubt, rather than focusing on more reputable merchants.
I wont use them again.
MrsP found this review useful
I used to order a bunch of stuff from play earlier, recently it's been harder to navigate and too many third-party sellers. Keep getting e-mails from them almost on a daily basis, though never anything interesting. Getting a bit tired of the spam.
Customer service is always first class.Decent priced dvd's,cd's and games.Have been a customer for a number of years and hopefully for years to come. Well done Play.com.
Fragten kan godt nok variere fra 4 dage til 2 uger, men til gengæld får du bøger og tegneserier til under halv pris i forhold til danske butikker (og netbutikker) og FRI FRAGT. Ud af over 100 bestillinger hos dem og deres underleverandører har jeg kun fået et fejl produkt 1 gang og da var de yderst venlige til at få det byttet. Så har du ikke alt for travlt med levering og læser du meget, så er dette en favoritside.
Hab schon oft hier bestellt, und noch keine Schwierigkeiten erlebt. AUSSER: Oft geht die Bestellung durch den Zoll (weil play.com auf den Kanalinseln sitzt) und dann wartert man leider etwas länger auf seine Ware - dafür kann play.com aber nichts, das liegt an den schlafmützigen deutschen Zöllnern.
Har nu bestilt en del varer igennem Play. Det bedste er, at finder jeg f.eks. en cd til 25,- kr. skal jeg ikke regne porto med! Priserne er helt i top!
Har to gange oplevet at jeg har fået sendt en forkert vare, men har bare tilbagesendt den og fået refunderet pengene.Og jeg har vel bestilt 150 varer igennem tiden. Der går i snit 7 hverdage inden varerne kommer. Det er helt ok med mig.
On June 18th, I ordered a book (details below) for the price of 57.99 EUR (it has to be noted, that due to the very competitive pricing, I was convinced of play.com's market position and ordered 6 other books!) - in simple words you gained my trust.
Item : Leonardo Da Vinci Order
Order Date : 18/06/2013
Payment Type : Credit/Debit Card Purchase
Price : 57.99 EUR
On June 24th, I receive an email from play.com / the merchant (RecordsandDiscs - aka Towerrecords.ie) - claiming that "THIS BOOK IS DAMAGED" and I get a full refund.
First of all, I find it peculiar that the merchant claims a book is damaged, - if so why not send me an other one?! However, I go back to the site and to my great astonishment I notice that the price from the play.com site AND the merchant has almost tripled!
158.59 EUR and 149.99 EUR at the play.com site and the merchant's site respectively. (below the specific links to your pages)
On the play.com site (from same merchant) - In stock Shipping now €158.59 Free delivery
RecordsandDiscs - aka Towerrecords.ie -Price: €149.99
Now if we turn to the terms and conditions of play.com - looking at article 25 specifically - one can clearly see that the context of how the "excuse" of "This book is damaged" has been used... Anyone will easily notice that the context of those issues are to be seen from the context of the customer and not the merchant.
Damaged, Defective, Incorrectly Sent, Incorrectly Advertised Items
In the unlikely event that you receive goods which were not what you ordered or which are damaged or defective, or are of a different quantity to that stated on your order form, Play.com shall make good any shortage or non-delivery, replace or repair any damaged or defective goods, or refund to you the amount you paid for the goods in question. Please follow our returns authorisation procedure by contacting Play.com by email or phone. We will email you a returns authorisation number along with details on how and where to send your item. Please notify Play.com of the problem in writing as soon as possible and preferably within 28 working days of delivery of the goods. NOTHING IN THIS CLAUSE AFFECTS YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS
Frankly, I'm disappointed by such treatment and this case is quite clear and there is no ambiguity. Either there was an honest mistake of an inaccurate price OR it was a specific strategy to lure potential customers to the Play.com site.
Either way, this is unacceptable, and a mere refund is not sufficient. I ordered a specific book for a specific price (you built expectations and gained my trust), consequently I ordered 6 other books as I was impressed by your pricing.
Now that same book that triggered all my orders is suddenly tripled in price (which is unacceptable). This is false advertisement and it is illegal.
Competitive pricing, responsive customer services in the event of any issues and a fantastic stock of products.
I used to use play quite regularly but had issues with last few orders. recently my order was sat for over a week with a status of processing. I wasn't informed there was an issue only when I went into my account did I find this out. Cancelled my order and got somewhere else (http://www.abczone.co.uk). although meant birthday present was late. Won't be bothering with them again
I will tell all my friends never to buy from play.com.
they entire customer service is so poor and you rather be safe and shop and ebay or another online store!
"Remeber they might be called RAKUTEN" or some rubbish like that but the people are the same!
I have used Play.com for at least 12 years. I have never had an issue with them. I have always been satisfied with my purchases and speed of delivery.
Hab bis jetzt nur gute Erfahrungen gemacht. Auch die Seller haben immer geliefert und es ist noch nie was verloren gegangen. Da der Sitz des Shops aber auf den Kanalinseln liegt, kann es bei Produkten über 22 Euro auch mal zu Zollgebühren kommen. Aber nicht immer - der Zoll schläft eben manchmal auch.
I've used play for about a year now as the prices are just unbeatable! The site is easy to use and there is no delivery charge no matter how little you order. I would recommend this site to anyone.
I bought from a third party via Play.co.uk, item never arrived and I had all sorts of problems getting my money back. Play didnt want to know about third party problems. I have never returned.
Bought a couple of items that broke after 6 months minimal use.
Play.com were not interested. Standard letter denying all responsibility.
Poor customer service.
Will never use again.
Valéri Natanelov found this review useful
This website has become a joke since it stopped selling directly (due to new tax rules)
I bought a Star Wars Box-set from a seller... when I bought it the seller had 3 positive and 1 neutral feedback, days later the same only now 8 negative feedback... ALL with the same concern...that the seller didn't post the item.
When you contact PLAY.COM (UK) you receive a standard response, I conplained about that and was give instructions NOT to contact the seller....then later on...to contact the seller!
It will take at least THREE WEEKS from my paying before I have any chance of a refund.... AVOID this site!
John Garcia, Stephen Golding and Valéri Natanelov found this review useful
Quite a realiable company, but sadly the ONLY company I have ever had to raise a claim to get a payment via quidco. A claim that they rejected incorrectly. In this sense I consider them at worst dishonest and at least shambolic, so I will no longer be using them. I would recommend if anyone wants get a cashback via Quidco they think twice about using this company.
If you order directly from play.com you will most likely not experience any problems (not even with waiting-time, packaging, service or whatever).
But first time I ever ordered from one of their resellers I had several problems at once. So if you order from them, be sure to order directly from play.com.
Margit found this review useful
Do not buy from this website. They do not check whether their traders are genuine as i had issues with this. My order did not arrive i contacted the seller but no reply. Although Play.com refunded me it was a waste of time and effort. Beware of a buyer by the name of nikkerz1984
Stephen Golding and Valéri Natanelov found this review useful
Don't like play.com much anymore with all these traders, first time I've ordered from one and never received the item was a con. Go back to how it was play!!! However, play did refund me and communication was good, albeit quite a wait to have to process a refund.
Over en længere årrække har jeg bestilt ca. 105 forskellige ting via Play.com.
For det meste cd'er, men af og til osse tøj og sko.
Alle mine bestillinger har jeg modtaget inden for 14 dage, i den stand som jeg regnede med. Jeg har kun haft god erfaring med dem!
Jeg bestilte en gallakjole gennem play.com og leveringen var hurtig og som forventet, shopper en del på nettet og havde kun hørt godt om hjemmesiden. MEN da jeg modtog kjolen var den på ingen måde som på billedet og levede slet ikke op til forventningerne. Derudover havde kjolen en løs knap. Da jeg kontaktede siden første gang bad de mig kontakte sælgeren hvilket jeg gjorde 4 gange stadig uden svar.. Jeg kontaktede også play.com igen, men denne gang også uden svar. Det er virkelig for ringe service!!
Så hvis I vil bestille noget over hjemmesiden så vær sikker på at det er noget i kender til på forhånd.
Valéri Natanelov found this review useful


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2) Steroids make you hungry. John Robert is on steroids (which I hate) because he still can't breathe. It's been almost a full month of this crud. He's on a 30 day breathing treatment and we just finished a 3 day oral steroid....but I'm getting off subject. He's an EATING MACHINE. The kid can't get enough. He weighed in at almost 18 lbs. the other day. Holy FATTY! (Which leads me into the next thought)
3) I'm starting CrossFit. And I'm scared. I haven't worked out since last October. Yes, you read that right. Pray for me that I can move after my first session. My friend told me they put buckets out in case you puke. What the hell am I getting myself into??
4) I think Hudson asks : What's That? and Why? at least 679 times per day. Just ask Katie.
5) Pinterest really makes you believe you can make anything. After I look at it, I believe I'm superwoman and I can take on all kinds of new projects. Trey hates me.
6) Speaking of Pinterest. I made these enchiladas on Saturday night and I have to say....they were delicious. I even used low fat sour cream and reduced the cheese by 1/2 cup. Still awesome and easy! Try them, I say.
7) I'm hosting a baby shower for my cousin this weekend and I can't wait to show y'all pictures. So many cute ideas. And I would show you a few, but she reads the blog and I want it to be a surprise :) Stay tuned for the update.
8) John Robert is about to be 7 months old. How is that possible????? And how did my 3.5 lb baby get to be this chunky monkey??


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Posted at: 12/26/2012 5:24 PM
| Updated at: 12/26/2012 6:21 PM
By: WNYT Staff
SCHENECTADY - The Schenectady City Council will meet at around 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
One item on the agenda is a resolution authorizing a tax exemption for the Calvary Baptist Church.
The council is also expected to restore funding for a third assistant police chief.
The council cut funding for two assistant chief positions from the mayor's budget in October.
One of those positions is held by Brian Kilcullen.
He is expected to become chief next week when Mark Chaires retires.
WNYT welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the rules of conduct set forth in our Terms of Use. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Use.


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UPDATE: 3:48 p.m.: News Release From Monterey Police: On August 28, 2013 at 11:25 AM, city staff at the Monterey Library were evacuated due to a suspicious package that had been left in front of the building. A man had been seen leaving the item at the front entrance to the building and then leaving the area in a vehicle. The library was not open at the time.
As a precaution, city staff at the Police Department, Fire Department and the City Manager's Office were evacuated, along with private businesses in the area. Pacific Street was closed from El Dorado to Jefferson while a Unified Command was established utilizing Monterey Airport Fire Department Command 6390.At 2:54 PM, the Monterey County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad utilized an x-ray to confirm that the item contained house hold batteries. The library is a designated battery recycling location.
City staff and employees at the private businesses were allowed to return to work and the streets were opened to all traffic. People wishing to deposit batteries for recycling are asked to bring them to the Library during business hours.
UPDATE 2:56 p.m.: The scene has been cleared and the bomb squad has been able to determine that the suspicious package was just a container full of batteries. The library is a designated drop off point to recycle old batteries, said a city employee.
UPDATE 2:45 pm: The bomb squad has x-rayed the package and moved everyone back by at least 50 feet.
UPDATE 2:22 p.m: The Monterey County Bomb squad has arrived on scene.
UPDATE 2:00 p.m.: According to a city employee, a man got out of his car and put the package in front of the library before it opened. The library is a designated battery recycling point, so they are hoping that is what is in the container.
The Bomb squad is expected to arrive on scene soon.
MONTEREY, Calif- Several buildings in Monterey have been evacuated after a man left what police are calling a "suspicious package" in front of the Monterey Public Library.
The library, the Fire Department, the Police Department, the City Manager's office and several nearby businesses have all been evacuated. Pacific Street between El Dorado and Jefferson is closed.
At this time police have not released any other details about the "suspicious package." But our reporter on scene says that she can see a red


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Pittosporum undulatum
- Fairly drought resistant.
A tree selection guide
listing 1501 trees 8538 photos
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consequential damages arising out of the use of the data and information derived from this web site.


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Patriot Place
Two Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035
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Adjacent to Gillette Stadium, Patriot Place features more than 1.3 million square feet of shopping, entertainment and commercial uses. Major fashion retailers, live and interactive entertainment, eateries, a four-star hotel, state of the art theatre and much more.
Of Note:
- Accessible Facilities
Seasonal Spotlight: Ski Butternut
Located in the midst of the rolling Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts, Ski Butternut is...
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hen the editors of Ha'Am, UCLA's Jewish student newsmagazine, scrawled the words, "Ha'Am Is Back," across the back of Kerchoff Hall, they didn't realize the staying power of the statement that they were about to make. What the editors thought was sidewalk chalk, commonly used by students at UCLA as a means of political expression, turned out to be permanent.
"We're still waiting for it to come off," said Miriam Segura, Ha'Am's editor-in-chief.


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1 hr ago | D Magazine
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Dec 12
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess , or seasonal music at the Meyerson. It's a very Arts District day.
Should America's 11 million illegal immigrants be offered a path to citizenship?
Could you survive the end of civilization?
1 hr ago | Dallas Observer
Dallas' 10 Biggest Restaurant Openings of 2013
The Dallas dining scene famously is chaotic and hydra-like. Every week sees news of restaurants failing, but for every one that closes it seems two more spring up to take its place.
2 hrs ago | Dallas Morning News
16 arrested in East Texas drug ring probe, some from Dallas area
Federal prosecutors say 16 people have been arrested in the investigation of an East Texas drug trafficking ring with ties to Mexico.
2 hrs ago | Dallas Observer
Canne Rosso versus Palomino: Who Makes Dallas' Best Zeppole?
For a long time, the zeppole at Cane Rosso were the only versions of the Italian doughnuts I'd tried here in Dallas.
7 hrs ago | Dallas Morning News
Joe Straus is my Texan of the Year, says James Oberwetter
Speaker of the House Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, smiles as he bangs the gavel closing Sine Die on the 83rd Legislator held at the State Capitol on Monday, May 27, 2013, in Austin, Texas.
State Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, at a TribLive event on May 24, 2012.
State Sen. John Carona , R-Dallas, is the subject of a sworn ethics complaint about businesses he allegedly failed to disclose as required, including a company tied to the warehouse where he has been keeping his vintage car collection.
Beyonce may have revealed a 'little' secret during last night's show in Dallas.
Last night, Beyonce not only brought the house down in Dallas, Texas, she may have revealed something a little more than those rockin' legs.
Witness says man shot by Dallas officer had hands up
Update at 5:50 p.m., Dec. 10, by Tristan Hallman: Dallas police said in a statement that an independent witness told investigators that the shooting victim was reclining in the passenger seat with both hands in the air.
Search for dogs gone missing in ice storm spreads across Dallas, Facebook
Look at the two little white dogs in this picture on the shoulder of the ice-covered Dallas North Tollway.
Chanel Takes Inspiration From Dallas For Show
The inspiration for Chanel's Metiers d'Art traveling fashion show this year will come from Dallas, the Texas city where Coco Chanel was once given a warm welcome that included being picked up at the airport in a white Rolls-Royce and being feted at a Western-themed party complete with a catwalk featuring cows.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Dec. 10
Tonight's big deal to-do is the Chanel show in Fair Park, but if your invitation got lost in the mail , here are some back up options.
Kanye West Fan Fashion: 31 of the Best Dressed People at the Yeezus Dallas Tour Stop
Now that we've given you a complete rundown of last Friday's Kanye West concert at American Airlines Center, it's time to shift our focus to the other side of the stage.
Parker Posey's Coming To Read To You Dallas, So Wipe that Face Off Your Head
It's unclear how we got quite so lucky, but indie film's most famous mug, Parker Posey, will read for Art and Letters Live's 2014 Texas Bound series .
Method, a New Coffee Shop Coming to East Dallas, Will Sport the City's First 'Slayer'
Dallas Didn't Freak Out Nearly Enough Over Ice Storm, Says CBS 11's iTeam
Now that Dallas has officially made it through Icemageddon 2013, there are plenty of totally legitimate questions to ask about the storm and its response.
Still some icy spots as Dallas-Fort Worth tries to return to normal on frigid morning
Four days after a winter storm walloped North Texas, thousands of commuters and school buses returned to the roads for the first time Tuesday to find some ice lingering.
Dallas Doesn't Have To Be the City Portrayed in the HUD Segregation Complaint
As the full implications gradually become better known, the federal investigative report released late last month accusing Dallas of segregation will shine a bright national light on the city.
Dallas: How to Follow the Footsteps of Bonnie and Clyde in Texas and Louisiana
The tale of Bonnie & Clyde was resurrected last night in Part 1 of a new TV miniseries about the real-life couple and the infamous crime spree that cost them their lives nearly 80 years ago.
Holiday Food Gift Guide 2013: Local Goodies From Dallas
Fellow shoppers, no need to go all Amazon Prime yet. You've still got some time to order gifts for your food-conscious friends and family.
An Oncor worker repaired a damaged power pole in a Dallas alley Saturday after an ice-laden tree limb downed a line.


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NIKE Men's Chrome Sport Short-Sleeve Golf Polo
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