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Lord Freud thinks we have a "dreadful welfare system". No surprise there – the peer has been trying to tinker with, pull apart and generally undermine the benefits system since the partially-implemented 2007 Freud Report – but this time, he's getting his way with the introduction of Universal Credit. Freud's answer to the problem of those who don't have enough is in reach, and it's a counterintuitive one: what those who already have little need is … even less.
Sound confusing? I'll let Freud explain in his own words to House magazine: "We have, through our welfare system, created a system which has made [people who are poorer] reluctant to take risks." Single parents, those with disabilities, the long-term sick – according to Freud, you've all just got too comfortable in the "lifestyle" that welfare has afforded you. But lucky for you, Freud's going to help you hit rock bottom so you can bounce right back up again.
Thanks to Freud's comments, the incoherence of Universal Credit starts to look like some sort of plan. Over the last few weeks, organisations including the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Joseph Rowntree foundation have issued warnings about what they politely suggest might be the unintended consequences of Universal Credit.
According to the CIH, Universal Credit will leave 400,000 of the UK's poorest worse off in 2015 than they were in 2010. Families with a weekly household income of £247 will have less; lone parents, whatever their income, lose out.
Meanwhile, the JRF points out that small financial gains will be wiped out by transport and childcare costs under UC, and the withdrawal of benefits such as free school meals and free prescriptions creates a "cliff edge" – incomes will simply drop off once they pass a certain point. And all that assumes the system even works, which seems optimistic given the disaster that accompanied the roll out of Working and Family Tax Credits. With no clear plans for stand-by arrangements in case of failure, the JRF warns that recipients will be forced to start their UC claims in debt.
One might suspect that this financial hammering of those least able to take it is a clerical error, the sort of terrible disaster inflicted by careless meddling in a complex system. But Freud makes it sound as if this is exactly what he planned in the first place. The more stretched your resources, the more Freud sees a moral imperative to thin them down still further until, with nothing left to lose, you might as well risk it all.
It's hard to imagine what kind of "risks" Freud imagines a household with less than £247 a week should take. Moving away from established support networks of families, school, friends and social workers to live wherever the council decides you can be cheaply shuffled is one risk. Moving back in with a violent ex because you can't sustain your children alone? That's another risk Universal Credit will force people into making. Sofa-surfing, shoplifting, streetwalking: all these are the kind of risks open to a person with nothing to rely on. Risk taking (the positive, speculate-to-accumulate kind that Freud wants you to think of when he says "risk") is something you do when you have a surplus.
If you have barely enough, of course you live cautiously – not because your luxurious £247 a week has pampered your capitalist instincts into submission, but because if any chunk of that £247 goes to the wrong place or fails to arrive one week, you and your family go under. It's almost as if Freud doesn't understand the economics of risk at all; and given that he previously worked in the City, making him an industrial affiliate of those bankers whose desperate miscalculation of risk helped to demolish the world economy, it's entirely plausible that he really doesn't.
But there's at least one person who won't be risking anything under Universal Credit: Lord Freud. He promises that he's been listening to feedback, taking advice, keeping himself covered. "I don't skinny dip, I always have my trunks on," he promises, summoning a hideous image of him diving into a pool full of benefit claimants and rubbing his Speedo area all over them. You can be certain that many of the worst off will do worse still under Freud's Universal Credit: they're the ones being left to take their chances.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pio Sports
Open gallery
The Pioneers enjoyed their most successful winter season ever, with both basketball teams advancing to Northwest Conference postseason play. In addition, the women's swim team continued to prove itself as a swimming power within the conference, while the men's swim team put in a solid effort, earning its best conference finish in 18 years.
The Pioneers finished the 2009–10 winter season with the third-best performance of any Northwest Conference school, collecting 50 points toward the All-Sports Trophy, just two points behind the Puget Sound Loggers and 17 points behind the Whitworth Pirates.
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team ended the 2009–10 season in a tie for third place in the Northwest Conference, sending the Pioneers to postseason play. In the first round of playoffs, the team lost to defending Division III National Champions and two-time NWC Regular Season Champions George Fox. Junior Christina Herring earned a spot on the NWC All-Conference First Team, while first-year Kristina Williams earned Second Team honors. Sophomore Margaret Dowling, who missed most of the second half of conference action due to injury, picked up an honorable mention.
Men's Basketball
The 2009–10 men's basketball season had a rocky start, with several key players having to sit out a handful of games. Despite these challenges, the Pioneers rebounded, going on to finish fourth in the Northwest Conference and earning yet another postseason berth under Head Coach Bob Gaillard. The Pioneers dropped their opening-round game to Whitworth, the undefeated 2009–10 NWC Regular Season Champions. Still, the Pioneers managed to place three players on the NWC All-Conference Second Team: senior Josh Kollasch, junior Kelly Edwards, and sophomore James Hollins.
Women's and Men's Swimming
The women's swim team continues to be a consistent force in the Northwest Conference. The team finished third in this year's conference championships, boasted two conference champions, produced two NCAA provisional times, and broke several school records. In addition, Head Coach Chris Fantz was honored as the NWC Women's Coach of the Year. The Pioneer men's swim team finished the Northwest Conference Championships in fifth place with 276 points, its best finish since 1992.
More L&C Magazine Stories
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text:
Originally published in the Oregon State Bar Bulletin (November 2009). Republished with permission.
Unable to sleep one night after a particularly arduous, frustrating, and contentious mediation (though the case settled), I found myself fantasizing about The Perfect Mediation.
Can we have a perfect mediation with emotional and unrealistic clients? Complex and confusing facts? Difficult legal issues? Of course! With good lawyering and hard work by all, even tough cases can be effectively mediated, with some level of satisfaction and closure for all the participants — parties, counsel and even the mediator.
Can we have a perfect mediation when a case doesn't settle? Absolutely! Some cases need to be tried. If counsel and the mediator pursue the best mediation practices, it's no failure if the case doesn't settle, especially if each side is better able to evaluate and, if necessary, try or arbitrate its case.
Here are the mediation fantasies I had lying awake that night.
The Case is Right (and Ripe) for Mediation
Most cases need not be mediated. Capable counsel should be able, in most instances, to prepare, evaluate, negotiate, and, if necessary, try most cases. The low-tech tools of meeting for coffee or talking directly on the telephone enable the well-prepared and confident advocate to participate in a discussion of realistic ways to resolve a case, without communicating weakness or fear.
What kinds of cases benefit most from mediation? Mediation makes sense in many multiparty cases, especially those with insurance coverage issues. Mediation also makes sense where there is an unrealistic party (including one's own client), or a difficult opposing lawyer. I also mean to include the pesky situation of an incompetent, unprepared or unnecessarily aggressive opponent (who nevertheless is willing to recommend mediation to his or her client). Mediation is also well-suited for cases with large dollar amounts or complicated issues in dispute, but is also indicated for the "small" dollar case in which the parties have strong (and perhaps unrealistic) emotional investments.
When is a case "ripe" for mediation? Sometimes a quick mediation makes sense before the parties spend big dollars on discovery and preparation. On the other hand, some level of preparation is necessary to enable counsel to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a case. There is also an emotional element to "ripeness." Often, clients will not be ready to mediate in a useful way until they are deposed and until they attend the depositions taken of the other side. Depositions may not only develop useful information, but can also "soften-up" each side to understand the emotional cost of continued preparation and trial.
All the Appropriate People are Present
In my fantasy, all decision-makers are present, live and in person.
By "appropriate people," I mean not only individual claimants or individual uninsured defendants, but also insurance claims representatives. I am happy to talk with claims representatives on the telephone during a mediation, but this is just not the same as having the representative in the same room as counsel and the insured client.
By "appropriate people," I also mean corporate representatives with actual authority. Such authority need not be unlimited (and rarely will be unlimited in other than some closely-held organizations), but the representative should have direct and immediate access to more senior persons from whom the representative can request more authority (if the representative is so persuaded as the mediation progresses).
It is also very helpful for insured defendants to appear, even if there is no coverage issue or concern about adequacy of liability insurance limits. Even if liability is vociferously denied or damages are strongly disputed, the presence of the fully-insured defendant shows respect to the claimant and, in my opinion, makes settlement more likely.
If there is a coverage or limits issue, insurance defense counsel should recommend, well in advance, that the client hire and have present personal counsel. This enables the mediator to discuss coverage with the defendant and the claims representative (or the insurer's coverage counsel). The presence of personal coverage counsel raises the possibility that a separately advised insured can contribute directly to the settlement fund. Indeed, the fact of such participation (rather than necessarily the dollar amount, which might be relatively small) is another way for the defense side to help the claimant feel respected and increase the chances of settlement.
The Clients are Prepared
No competent lawyer will present his or her client for a deposition without comprehensive preparation. The same goes for mediation.
In my fantasy, counsel focus in advance on preparation of both a candid evaluation of the case and on development of a negotiation strategy.
One's client needs to believe that his or her lawyer is loyal and enthusiastic about the case. On the other hand, it does no good to create unrealistic expectations. Just about any case can be lost. Just about any case (plaintiff or defense) can be a wash or loss on economic terms, even if nominally a "victory," after consideration of costs and attorney fees and indirect costs of lost income and time. The litigation process imposes significant emotional stress on the parties, to the point that both mental and physical health can be impaired. The client should not be surprised when counsel tells the mediator that even an apparently strong case has a 60 percent chance of success in front of a jury or arbitrator, or that a case with strong jury appeal may never get ultimately determined by a jury.
You do not want to surprise the client with your answer when I ask you the estimated costs of proceeding, including attorney fees, expert witness fees and other costs. You do not want to surprise the client when I elicit the fact that even in your apparently strong case, there is exposure for reciprocal attorney fees. In my fantasy, counsel prefaces his or answer to these questions with, "As I have already told my client…"
In my fantasy of The Perfect Mediation, counsel for each side are not only loyal, aggressive and articulate on behalf of their clients (even in private caucus), but also candid and realistic. You can be both.
Proper preparation also includes developing ahead of time, with the client, a negotiation strategy. Have a game plan, which should be flexible, as new information is received and considered. While it may be heresy for a mediator to say this, be willing to conclude or adjourn the mediation if it becomes clear that the parties will be unable to achieve a settlement in a range that you and your client believe is fair. On the other hand, if the mediator continues to urge you to stay, it may be because he or she knows or suspects that further efforts might result in significant movement by the other side.
Another important part of preparation is to be sure that the other side is adequately prepared. Don't leave the impression that you are holding back in discovery. Explain your case ahead of time to opposing counsel. Often, a "surprise" exhibit or dramatically-increased damage amount, delivered for the first time at the mediation, achieves nothing other than pushback and resistance, and sometimes an early adjournment, so that the other side can then take several months to assess the new information.
In my fantasy, both sides already have a pretty good idea of the legal and factual contentions of the other side, and have already made an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of those contentions.
The Mediator is Prepared
Yes, in my fantasy of The Perfect Mediation, the pre-mediation materials come in on time (or at least earlier than 4:55 p.m., the day before the mediation).
As your torts professor asked when he or she called on you to explain a case on your first day of law school, "who is suing whom for what"? That information, and some commentary, tells me what I need to know. Who are the parties? What are the claims and defenses? What is the key contract provision in dispute? What personality factors affect the relationship between the parties? What financial or personal factors affect the needs of the parties? Have there been any decisions on substantive motions? Is there a summary judgment motion pending? Is there a trial date, and is it firm? Who will be attending the mediation? What is the insurance coverage situation? What previous negotiations have occurred? What is your client's attitude and level of sophistication?
In many instances, it is not cost-effective to provide the mediator with lengthy summary judgment motions and all their exhibits, complete sets of medical records, or full expert reports. It can be helpful to have excerpts from key portions of summary judgment briefs, the narrative reports from treating physicians and the IME reports, and the executive summary or cover letters from other expert reports. As mediator, I am dealing with the big picture and helping the parties assess risk (factual and legal), but I am not making my own judgments based on the details of the evidence or any final determination of applicable law.
Counsel Make No Aggressive Opening Statements
In my fantasy, all the necessary people are present (see above) at a conference table when the mediation begins. It is good for the parties to see who is there, and for counsel to express the intention to work hard to try to make a deal. This is not the same as expressing a sense of weakness or fear.
These days, most lawyers avoid any detailed explanation of positions or any argument in the opening session, and I think that is best.
The Parties Discuss Most Special Provisions Early in the Process
To create momentum toward settlement, it is often helpful to request special or non-monetary settlement provisions early in the process. For example, while confidentiality clauses are common, they are not necessarily "usual" or "standard." If one side contemplates less than a complete release or an indemnification provision, I think it is often useful to speak up early. These terms can still be bargaining points: "We'll provide the indemnification they want, but have to hold back on the settlement amount because of the risk. We'll go higher, if they'll take care of any later third-party claims."
On the other hand, some special provisions can be requested or offered late in the process, to try to break an impasse. Some examples of this kind of provision are apologies, letters of reference in employment cases, transfers of personal property or press releases.
Counsel are Candid — But Not Too Candid — with the Mediator
This is my fantasy mediation, so I can say it: The mediator is not your friend or your co-counsel. He or she is not your enemy, either, but is not retained to achieve the best possible deal for your side.
Thus, where candor is concerned, yes, provide realistic answers in private caucus to the mediator's questions on risks and costs. Also, keep ethics in mind. Never knowingly or recklessly misstate the facts, evidence, or state of the law to the mediator, or put the mediator in the position of unknowingly transmitting any such misstatement on the other side.
On the other hand, because the mediator's job is to facilitate a settlement (but not necessarily on your terms), it is usually best not to share a desired "bottom line." For one thing, this is a matter between attorney and client (and in most instances, should be in a flexible range, not a hard and final number). More importantly, the mediator will argue against a stated "bottom line," and will try to push you past it. In the common situation in which the parties ultimately consider a "mediator's proposal," you can count on the fact the proposal will be less favorable to your client than your stated "bottom line." Thus, a certain degree of "puffing" on ultimate acceptable terms is not only ethically correct, but also a useful strategy, even with the mediator (though expect searching questions and pushback, so you have to be credible and realistic).
You are negotiating with the mediator, not just the other side. This means to listen to his or her questions and observations, which come from a fresh perspective. It also means to point out where the mediator may be off base.
The Parties Sometimes Surprise the Other Side with Their Reasonableness
Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, an effective negotiation technique sometimes is to surprise the other side with a reasonable opening offer, or to move further than the other side expects in an interim offer — as long as you don't let your client get stampeded. Anecdotally, I think this approach can achieve favorable results.
The Parties Leave the Mediation with a Signed Settlement Agreement
It is well worth taking the time to avoid litigation over whether or not an "agreement in principle" reached in mediation is enforceable. Rather than deal with the complexities of ORS 36.220 and 36.222, counsel should deal explicitly with this issue.
My own mediation agreement tries to make explicit that an oral "agreement in principle" is not enforceable, unless and until embodied in tangible, acknowledged form, usually a written agreement. Practically speaking, if the parties have reached agreement on all material terms at the mediation, it is almost always worthwhile to prepare an enforceable settlement agreement, then and there. Each side knows where it stands, and the parties avoid the unfortunately very common risk of buyer's remorse and denial that a binding deal was made.
I bring my laptop and portable printer to most mediations, and usually prepare a settlement memorandum, with input and changes by counsel, which the parties sign. The document recites that counsel may prepare (but are not required to prepare) a later, more formal document, but in the meantime the memorandum is fully enforceable as a settlement agreement, including payment due dates (with me acting as arbitrator, in the event that there is a dispute over language in the later, more formal agreement). Counsel often decide not to draft a subsequent document. When they do prepare one, there is very rarely any dispute over language that I have to resolve as arbitrator.
Sometimes, one side or the other will bring its own proposed comprehensive settlement agreement, with blank spaces for dollar figures to be inserted. This approach also works well, particularly if the drafting side provides the document ahead of time to the other side.
The Parties and Counsel are Satisfied with the Mediation Process
In my fantasy of The Perfect Mediation, the parties do not necessarily settle their case.
If they do settle, they leave with a signed document, covering all the material terms of the deal. While one or both sides may have second thoughts that night, they know that what often has been a lengthy, stressful and expensive process is over. They know where they stand, and have at least some sense of relief that they can get on with their personal and business lives, without the expense, stress, delay and risk of continued litigation. Often both sides will be less than fully satisfied by the deal — one indication of a fair compromise. However, each side believes that its own lawyer was well-prepared and an articulate advocate, while also candid in explaining the costs and risks of proceeding. In my fantasy, each side also leaves with the sense that the mediator favored neither side, understood the case, and understood each side's interests and concerns.
If the parties do not settle, each side leaves believing that it worked hard to be flexible and realistic, under the circumstances of the case. In my fantasy, while the parties may have been surprised by how hard the mediator pushed, they believe that he or she pushed equally hard in the other room. In my fantasy, the parties also gained a better understanding of the opponent's point of view (as erroneous as they believe that point of view may be), possibly leading to later settlement before trial. Finally, in my fantasy, if the case is tried, counsel for each side are better prepared, due to what they learned in the mediation, to present coherent, succinct and persuasive cases to the jury, judge or arbitrator.
© 2009 Richard G. Spier
Republicans and democrats have historically been divided by their strongly held belief systems. In the wake of recent events regarding racial injustice, many republicans and democratic lawmakers have attempted to...
By Maria ShanksFrom the Blog of Phyllis G. Pollack.The Los Angeles County Superior Court is the largest county court system in the United States. Unlike many other jurisdictions throughout the country, it...
By Phyllis PollackPGP Mediation Blog by Phyllis G. PollackFirst and foremost, I want to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. May 2015 bring you only joy and peace!...
By Phyllis Pollack


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Neal Walfield and Marcus Brinkmann have written and submitted for publication A Critique of the GNU Hurd Multi-server Operating System and a position paper Improving Usability via Access Decomposition and Policy Refinement. Please follow the two preceding links to see the complete announcements. The authors welcome comments and discussion which may be directed to the <email@example.com> mailing list for the Critique and to the <email@example.com> mailing list for the position paper.
The abstract of the Critique:
The GNU Hurd's design was motivated by a desire to rectify a number of observed shortcomings in Unix. Foremost among these is that many policies that limit users exist simply as remnants of the design of the system's mechanisms and their implementation. To increase extensibility and integration, the Hurd adopts an object-based architecture and defines interfaces, which, in particular those for the composition of and access to name spaces, are virtualizable.
This paper is first a presentation of the Hurd's design goals and a characterization of its architecture primarily as it represents a departure from Unix's. We then critique the architecture and assess it in terms of the user environment of today focusing on security. Then follows an evaluation of Mach, the microkernel on which the Hurd is built, emphasizing the design constraints which Mach imposes as well as a number of deficiencies its design presents for multi-server like systems. Finally, we reflect on the properties such a system appears to require.
The abstract of the position paper:
Commodity operating systems fail to meet the security, resource management and integration expectations of users. We propose a unified solution based on a capability framework as it supports fine grained objects, straightforward access propagation and virtualizable interfaces and explore how to improve resource use via access decomposition and policy refinement with minimum interposition. We argue that only a small static number of scheduling policies are needed in practice and advocate hierarchical policy specification and central realization.


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- Story and photography by Lia Crowe
Story courtesy of Boulevard Magazine, a Black Press Media publication
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Originally from South Africa, Ruben has lived many places, including the Arabian Gulf and the UK. But for the past four and a half years, Ruben and his family have called Shawnigan Lake home.
"I try to have the proper Canadian life; we live in a log home with a fire. I love that there is an outdoor lifestyle every season here," he says.
There are two things that fire Ruben up about the work he does at Jaguar Land Rover Victoria.
"It's the people I work with — my colleagues and the clientele — and the product. I grew up with it and I love it. For me if you love something then it's not really a job. I go to work happy and I leave work happy."
Outside of work, Ruben is passionate about good food and family.
"It's about just taking time, eating or cooking good food and spending time with the family. I don't own a television; I would rather sit in front of the fire with my wife and a glass of wine."
Asked what car has the "best style," Ruben doesn't hesitate with his answer: the Aston Martin DB5.
"It's the lines — those were the days when things were designed for the way they looked more then just for the purpose."
When it comes to good personal style, Ruben says it's about "the fabrics, the texture … a well-tailored suit, jacket or dress. Anything that's well made on somebody who knows how to wear it, which means somebody who takes care. Whether it's clothing or food. You can see when love has gone into the preparation."
Uniform: Tailored suits for the weekdays and chinos on weekends.
Favourite denim, brand and cut: Gap1969 range – straight cut, dark wash.
Current go-to clothing Item: POLO rugby top.
Best new purchase: POLO hunting jacket (green).
Day bag: Marks and Spencer leather holdall.
Accessory you spend the most money on: Watch: Omega Seamaster 300 Chronometer.
Favourite work tool:"My iPhone!"
Sunglasses: Oakley 4 Squared.
Scent: Hugo Boss.
Favourite skincare products: Clarins Men.
Style Inspiration/Life
Favourite artist: Jack Vettriano
Favourite film you love for its style: Miami Vice, directed by Michael Mann.
Favourite coffee table book: ICON The Land Rover Story.
Favourite local restaurant: "Artisan Bistro – great food!"
Favourite cocktail/wine: Any good Merlot.
Album on current rotation: Divide by Ed Sheeran.
Favourite musician: No clear favourite, depends on mood and setting.
Favourite city to visit: London and Venice.
Favourite app: BBC news.
Hotel: Sefton Hotel: Douglas, Isle of Man.
Favourite place in the whole world: "Anywhere, as long as it is with my wife and son."


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To view your templates, visit the Book Catalog in your Partner Center account. Click the Advanced button, then select Manage templates. You'll see a list of your existing templates. Click the edit link to view or change details.
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HARMAN Professional Solutions Delivers Uplifting Sound at National Catholic Youth Conference
March 11, 2016
New JBL line arrays and Crown amplifiers deliver spectacular sound and coverage for more than 23,000 attendees
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—HARMAN Professional Solutions' JBL VTX line arrays and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers were at the heart of a comprehensive sound system deployed by CTS Audio during the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, the NCYC featured a variety of spoken word, live music and dramatic performances. Given the event's diverse programming, CTS Audio—which has supplied the sound reinforcement for the biennial event for more than 15 years—needed an audio system that could accommodate a wide variety of performances in a large stadium environment. CTS Audio once again designed and deployed a HARMAN Professional Solutions audio system solution tailored to fit the conference's unique needs.
The event was configured in the round, with the main speaker system featuring a total of 90 JBL VTX V25-II full-size line arrays (in six columns of 15 loudspeakers each) and six hangs of six VTX S28 subwoofers, each flown behind the columns of VTX V25-IIs. At each end of the stadium, 24 JBL VTX V20 midsize line arrays served as delay loudspeakers. An impressive set of 132 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers powered the system. In addition, CTS Audio configured and monitored the audio system with JBL HiQnet Performance Manager software.
Jon Schwarz, Lead System Designer for CTS Audio, said that the VTX V25-II elements and the VTX S28 subs were used in X-mode (in X-mode, the VTX V25-II operates in full range mode and down to 33 Hz). The VTX S28s are used from 80 Hz and below, which creates an overlap between the V25-II and the subwoofers, and provides a substantial amount of low end. "This was a huge advantage for us," said Schwarz. "We achieved the same amount of low end from the VTX V25-II elements as we would using a significantly higher number of different loudspeakers. This really streamlined setup and ensured that we didn't go over the weight capacity."
The VTX V25-II units feature a fourth-generation, high-frequency waveguide that improves long-throw performance, control and maximum output. The new system, coupled with newly developed V5 presets for I-Tech HD amplifiers, can achieve very high sound pressure levels while remaining linear, with an absolute minimum of distortion.
"The majority of content for the NCYC came from podium microphones, headsets and lavalieres," said Schwarz. "The clarity, presence and gain we got from the VTX V-25-II system was a tremendous advantage."
According to Mike Taylor, Vice President of CTS Audio, another challenge they faced was the proper time-alignment of the loudspeakers. "We were faced with a complex task of achieving direct sound rather than reflections in such a large stadium," said Taylor. "With the VTX V25-II, the power and control is such that you get the same in-your-face clarity 300 feet from the system as you do near-field. In addition, the VTX V20s brought every whisper and nuance to the people sitting in the seats farthest away from the stage."
This is the third year CTS Audio has used VTX line array elements for the National Catholic Youth Conference, and Taylor is pleased with the new additions to the system. "The event was a huge success," said Taylor. "HARMAN Professional Solutions knocked it out of the park with their updates to the VTX line-array system. We've been working on the NCYC for more than a decade, and the VTX25-II took the sound to a higher level."
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions and connected services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The Company's software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 28,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.5 billion during the 12 months ended December 31, 2015. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.


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Color Wheel Primer
Learn the basics of the color wheel, types of color schemes and color dimensions.
When you're decorating, choosing a color scheme can be a perplexing task. It's hard enough whittling down your choice to one or two colors — but then to have to mix and match even more of them into an eye-pleasing scheme? Sometimes considering the whole color wheel is just too much to ask.
Before you turn back on the world of color, get a grasp of the color wheel and how it works.
The Basic Wheel
In 1666, Sir Isaac Newton performed a prism experiment in which he discovered that pure white light contains the full spectrum of colors — in effect, creating the world's first color wheel. From there, philosophers, scientists, artists and designers have continued studying the components of color and its physical, psychological and philosophical effects.
Newton's wheel is made up of 12 colors, which are classified into three categories:
Basic color wheel
Primary Colors: Red, Yellow and Blue
Secondary Colors: Orange, Green and Violet
Secondary colors are created by mixing primary colors.
Tertiary Colors
Tertiary colors are a combination of a secondary color and a primary color next to it. They include yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green and yellow-green.
Color Schemes
Now that you know the colors here are four common ways to use them in your home.
One Color — Monochromatic
Take baby-steps toward color with a monochromatic scheme. It's simply one color in varying intensities from light to dark.
Two to Six Colors — Analogous
Branch out into color with an analogous scheme, which consists of two to six colors that sit next to each other on the wheel.
Two Colors — Complementary
Want to go for high-contrast color? Use a complementary scheme — it includes hues that are directly across from each other on the wheel.
Three Colors — Triad
A triad scheme is bold but more importantly, it's balanced. It's made up of any three colors that form a triangle in the center of the wheel.
Color Dimensions
In addition to understanding how colors work together, it's also helpful to know the three dimensions of the colors on the wheel.
Hue is commonly used interchangeably with the word color but technically refers to the pure spectrum colors in the color wheel.
The value of a hue is determined by adding white to create a tint, black to create a shade or gray to create a tone.
Saturation is the purity of the hue. The colors on the wheel are considered to be in their purest form. As the colors move towards the center, as shown in the graphic at right, they are considered desaturated where no hue dominates.
Natural Reactions to Color
Do you shiver when you're in a light blue space? Fan yourself in a room full of red? Don't worry — there's a scientific reason why. Colors are indelibly tied to natural elements like fire, water, sky, evoking certain responses just as if you were seeing and experiencing it firsthand.
Cool Colors
Cool colors like blue and green do just that — cool and soothe your mind, body and spirit. It's no wonder we flock to the ocean and mountains to rejuvenate our senses. These hues are best used in rooms where you want serenity to prevail.
If cool colors make you geel good, check out these refreshing rooms for decorating inspiration:
Warm Colors
Warm colors like red, orange and yellow give off an energy and intensity unmatched by their cooler cousins. Use these hues in rooms where you anticipate (and want) activity and stimulation, like a kitchen, child's playroom or exercise space.
If warm colors are for you then take a look at these rooms:


text: Chronicles of Mystery - The Scorpio Ritual Author: The_Will Date: 29-11-2008 Version: 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the game ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * It doesn't seem like you can skip any of the cutscenes, nor can you skip Sylvie's remarks outside of dialogues. Dialogue sequences can be skipped by clicking on the text area at the bottom of the screen. * You can examine inventory items by right clicking them. This is sometimes necessary to progress in the game. Something to keep in mind when you get stuck. * If the audio seems out of sync in the cut-scenes, try changing Player. exe's priority to High in Taskmanager. This could render your system unstable, so use with caution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the game Contents Walkthrough La Valetta Sylvie's Room Olivier's Study Hallway Olivier's Study - Hidden Compartment Olivier's Bedroom Street Workshop Plaza Courtyard Marina Flowerbed revisited Marina again Entrance to the tenement building Island of Gozo Arrival Camping Ruins Temple Simon's Trailer Underground La Valetta - Second Visit Gozo - Second Visit Istanbul Arrival Small Street Courtyard Plaza with bins Warehouse La Valetta - Third visit Gozo - Third Visit Rome Courtyard Inside Secret Passage Storage Study Garden La Valetta - Fourth visit Gozo - Fourth visit Copyright and contact information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +-- La Valetta --+ +-- Sylvie's Room Examine your desk and pick up your Plane Ticket. Open the drawer and pick up the Credit Card, ID Card and ID Picture. Zoom out and pick up your baggage, which is standing next to the bed. Finally, examine the fireplace and close the air vent to extinguish the fire. You can leave now, click on the door to exit. +-- Olivier's Study Examine the desk and open the drawer. Pick up the bottle of Dried Glue, the Flashlight, Uncle's Photograph and the Ballpoint Cartridge. Examine the Coffee Table next to the bookshelf to the left of the door. Open the Jewelry Case and pick up the Maltese Coins contained inside. Zoom out of the Coffee Table and examine the Paneled Wall just to the right. There's a hidden compartment located inside the wall, but we seem to be unable to open it from this side. Exit to the Hallway. +-- Hallway Examine the recess on the left wall. That Vase doesn't seem right, let's fix it! Rotate the pieces (five in total) of the Vase so they are aligned correctly. You'll want the text to be visible. If you're having trouble, try rotating them as follows: (numbered 1-5, bottom to top) 1. Three turns, 2. Three turns, 3. Two turns, 4. Three turns, 5. Two turns. The hidden compartment in Olivier's Office is now open! Go back there and claim your bounty. +-- Olivier's Study - Hidden Compartment Examine the paneled wall again and try to open the compartment. That's not going to work, we need something thin to squeeze into the opening. Open the cabinet with your Scooter Key and pick up the letter contained inside, as well as the Old Volume, keep reading until you get to the page with strange writing then put it away. Read the letter from your uncle. Exit to the Hallway and go upstairs. +-- Olivier's Bedroom Look at the Bedside Table and pick up the Sleeping Pills. Afterwards, leave the room and exit to the street. +-- Street Pick up the Wire lying between the stranger and the sewer drain, then talk to the stranger. Forget about using your Scooter to go anywhere, the key is too far bent to be usable. Exit to the Workshop. (lower left exit) +-- Workshop Talk to Stefano standing outside his shop. Discuss everything and he'll repair your scooter key for you. He'll also allow you to take the pliers. Pick them up and use them to cut the wire, then exit to the Plaza. +-- Plaza Go over to the Flowerbed and talk to the Elderly Man for some friendly chit-chat. Then head over to the Backstreet and walk through it to the Courtyard. +-- Courtyard Pick up the Old Newspaper on the right and the Leaky Ladle on the left, then carry on to the Marina. +-- Marina Talk to Stefano's brother, doesn't look like those words Stefano told us are doing us any good. Head back to Stefano's Workshop and speak to him about your key. In case you're wondering, you won't get the key without paying for it. +-- Flowerbed revisited Go back to the Flowerbed on the Plaza and pick up the Cane. Use it to pick up the Watering Can, then put the Cane back under the bench. Examine the Watering Can and remove its head. Use the cut wires on the watering can head, then use the improvised rose on the Leaky Ladle. Now go back to the Marina. +-- Marina again Use the repaired Ladle on the Fish floating in the water. Talk to the Parrot and he'll ask for a fish. Give it to him and he'll complain about it being rotten. Use the Old Newspaper on the fish, then head over to the tenement building. +-- Entrance to the tenement building Examine the Entry Phone and ring the bell to appartment 5-R. Noone's home, ah well. Go to your scooter and use the key on the ignition, then use it again to start the engine and ride off. +-- Island of Gozo --+ +-- Arrival Pick up the Press ID lying at the bottom left, then pick up a leaf from the cactus. Afterwards, exit to the left. +-- Camping Speak with the Archaeologist and tell him you're with the press. Unfortunately he won't accept your Press ID without a picture. Fortunately, we've brought along a picture. Examine the Bottle of Dried Glue and take off the cap. Add the Cactus Leaf to the bottle to revitalise the glue. Put some Glue on the Press ID, then apply your Photo to it. Talk to the Archaeologist again, then head over to the ruins. +-- Ruins Examine the Spring just left of the big tree. Use the Watering Can on the puddle of water to fill it up. Afterwards, head over to the Temple. +-- Temple Go to the Underground Tunnel entrance and talk to the Police Woman. We won't get much done with her around. Talk to her until she offers to let you in if you bring her a cup of coffee. You might have to leave the area and come back in order to trigger this dialogue option. Go back to the camping area and look at the cases. Pick up the Petrol Can. Afterwards, take a closer look at the trailer's door. We'll need something to open that lock. Use the Ballpoint Cartridge on the grate if you haven't bent it before, then use the bent cartridge on the lock and go inside. +-- Simon's Trailer Pick up the Brush and Spatula directly to your left. Hang the Flashlight on one of the hooks attached to the shelf above the desk. Now that we've got enough light to see what we're doing, examine the desk. Pick up the Metal Detector standing to the left of it, then power on his computer. Click on the little printer icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. Pick up the Coffee Thermos standing next to the laptop, then zoom out and grab the printout from the printer. Exit the trailer and return to the Underground Tunnel entrance. Examine the Thermos and open it, then add the Sleeping Pills to make the coffee a bit more useful for us. Finally, give the coffee to the police officer. Enter the Underground, then exit again and go over to the generator. Try starting it by pressing the red 'On' button. Open up the fuel tank (red cap in the middle), and use the open jerrycan on the tank to fill it up. Try turning it off and on again. Apparently now the cooling system is malfunctioning. Open the radiator cap on top of the radiator on the left and use the Watering Can on it. Try restarting the generator again to see it finally come to life. Now enter the Underground. +-- Underground Enter the chamber. Look familiar? Go the centre of the chamber. This looks a lot like the image on the printout of Simon's computer. It looks like there's something that is supposed to be inserted into the pillars. Whatever it is though, we haven't got it. Go outside and go back to Simon's Trailer. Examine his desk and open the left drawer. Pick up the photographs of four sculptures and the photographs of a tablet, then leave the trailer again. Go back to the Temple area and examine the Fresh Site. Grab the Metal Detector and move it around the area until Sylvie exclaims she has found something. Use the spatula on the Metal, followed by the brush. Finally, pick up the signet ring and get back on your scooter. +-- La Valetta - Second Visit --+ We find ourselves in the bedroom. Go downstairs and leave the house. Go to the entrance to the tenement house and use the entry phone. Ring the bell to appartment 5-R and enter it to finally meet James. After talking to him, go back to your uncle's house and enter his Study. Open the Hidden Compartment and grab the book you and James spoke about, then bring him the book. Back to Gozo! Hop on your scooter again. +-- Gozo - Second Visit --+ Go to the Temple area and find Henri Simon at the Fresh Site. Talk to him and watch Sylvie rant a bit. After your little chat, you get a call from James about the location of the stones. Let's check out the address. To the scooter mobile! +-- Istanbul --+ +-- Arrival Talk to the Rickshaw Owner before leaving the scene to the right. Enter the Courtyard to find an annoying guard blocking our way. We'll come back here later. Leave to the right once more to reach the Crossroads and talk to the Trader. Afterwards enter the Small Street. +-- Small Street Examine the Cabriolet. Apparently parking on such a slope is reason to rummage through someone's car, but hey, who am I to complain? ^^ Try to pet the kitty. Bad kitty! Give him the wrapped fish and he'll flee the scene. Try to move the gearlever. We'll need to figure out some way to hide our tracks. Enter the Art Gallery. Talk to the guard, then walk to the back and talk to Faina Flatow. Afterwards go back to the Courtyard. +-- Courtyard Pick up the Poker lying close to the bottom. Examine the bins and use the Poker on the Rubber Ball to remove it from the bin. Go back to the Small Street and use the ball on the front wheel. Next, use the gear lever. Finally, use the Poker on the Rubbel Ball and enjoy. With the guard gone, we can now enter the Plaza with bins. +-- Plaza with bins Box puzzle, yay! You'll have to move the Bin and the Crate so that you can climb them to get to the back of the Gallery. You can only push or pull an object, and you will have to position Sylvie manually in order to do so. Start with the bin. Move it up, then walk to its left and pull it left once. Walk around it and push it left once more. Position yourself below the barrel and push it all the way up against the wall, that's one done. Next the crate: Push it up twice, pull it right, then push it right, pull it down one block, then pull it right twice. When you're done, leave the area to the Gallery. +-- Warehouse Start by examining the desk. Take the Business Card and Powder-case from the handbag. Then take the scarf from the desk. Take a look behind the wardrobe. Pick up the Bicycle Chain and Bicycle Pump. Tie the Scarf to the Powder-case and hang the contraption on the third hook from the left. Rotate the Powder-case once. Then leave and follow the beam of light. Use the Switchcase to turn on the lights and take a look at the crates in the left corner. Use the Poker on the crates to open them. Take the four Stone Cubes from the small crate, then leave the area. Go back to the Rickshaw and give him the Bicycle Chain and Pump and he'll give you a ride. +-- La Valetta - Third visit --+ Run through the house a bit if you like, although there's nothing there. No sign of the thief or your uncle. Go outside and talk to the incredibly useful Inspector Granc. After that, go over to James's house. Use the Entry Phone to get the door open, then enter the house. Examine Flatow's to find out some writing on the back, then talk to James. Leave James's house and move into the Backstreet. Someone's following us, interesting... ah well, hop on the scooter for another trip to Gozo. +-- Gozo - Third Visit --+ Move over to Simon's trailer to pick up an interesting phone call. Apparently whoever he's talking to can talk extremely fast... amazing. Examine his bagage and take his keys. Head over to the van and use the key on the van door. Enter the van and open the toolbox. Pick up the hammer and chisel. Go over to the small crate and use the hammer on the nails, then use the chisel on the cover to open it. Do the same for the big crate. Not much we can do with that now though. Exit the van. +-- Rome --+ +-- Courtyard Great, just what we needed. Use the chisel on the van door to open it and get out. Examine the area next to the fountain and look at the broken column fragment. We should be able to use that to smash open the Entry Gate. Next, examine the fountain and reattach the garden hose. Open the valve to find out the hose gets clogged with algae. Examine the Window with Planks to the left of the van. Pick up the Broom. Then use your hammer on the nails holding the board together. That should do as a lever. Now we just need to figure out some way of smoothing the cobbles. Move over to the Archway. After the conversation walk round a bit and leave the archway. Come back to find out they've reached an agreement and enter the chamber. +-- Inside Pick up the thread from the bottom left corner. Examine the ledge above the fireplace. Examine the ledge above the fireplace. Pan down and pick up the Small Shovel. Use the Broom on the pile of soot to uncover a code. Look up at the ledge again. Those buttons have the same images as the code, unfortunately one of the buttons we need to press is too dirty. Go outside and head over to the area with the fountain. Grab some soil from the big plant in the lower left corner. Use it on the puddle we created earlier next to the fountain, then use the broom to spread out the mud. Use the plank as a lever on the column piece and pull it to open the gate. Go out into the street and head left. Talk to the taxi driver, then grab a bough from the blueish plant on the wall. Head over to the cafe on the right. Take the moist napkins from one of the tables, then go back into the mansion. Use the Bough with the Moist Napkins, then use the String to secure it and enter the room with the fireplace. Use the cleaning stick on the dirty button, then use the broom to enter the right combination (numbered from left to right): 7, 4, 9, 6, 2, 5. Use the Small Shovel on the Secret Passage to keep the door open, then enter the passage. +-- Secret Passage Pick up two stones from the pile on the left. Use a stone on the first moving stone slab (where the cursor changes to a sort of bow and arrow), and click when the slab is at the bottom position. Do the same with the second slab. Timing this can be a bit annoying at times, but don't worry, there's an infinite supply of stones, so you can not get stuck here. After blocking both slabs, continue into the Storage. +-- Storage Pick up the roll of Scotch Tape from the box on the left. Pick up the cap from the floor near the chairs. Pick up the Feather Duster next to the door, and Packing Paper and Nun's Apparel from the wardrobe. Go behind the screen to change into the nun's outfit, then open the door to enter the Hallway. Pick up the candle from the table across the door. Examine the trolley with Vatican Post. Use all four Stone Cubes on the Packing Paper, then examine it and click on the paper to fold it. Use the Scotch Tape to seal it shut. Next use the Candle on the Cap to fill it with wax and put the candle back in its place. Speak to the Security Officer, then enter the Study. +-- Study Speak with the Cardinal. After this, try not to be too annoyed about another horribly timed phone conversation. Enter the Study again and examine the Cardinal's desk. Of course, no adventure can go without a 'press through writing puzzle', pick up the pen from the desk, then take the Sheet of Paper. Use the Pen on the Package of stones to address it. Put the pen back in its place, then move away from the desk. Examine your Feather Duster and pull out a feather. Use the Soot-blackened Broom on the Sheet of Paper, then use the Feather on it to make the invisible text visible. Move the left ladder closer to the portrait by clicking on the bookcase where it says 'Place for ladder'. Then examine the portrait and keep using the Feather Duster on the Portrait Frame until a key falls down. Pick up the key and use it on the lock in the left part of the portrait frame. Open the portrait and look at the safe. Enter the code from the Sheet of Paper by clicking on the corresponding digits: 1 5 6 5. Then use the Dial to open the safe. Pick up the Signet Ring and the Vatican Documents. Push the Twin Signet Ring into the cap of Wax we had prepared earlier, then examine the Documents. Read all the pages until you get another vision, then place the Documents back in the Safe. Leave the Study to find out the guard has gone away. Push the ladder over to the window side, then examine the curtains. Use the Garden Shears on both sides of the rope. Then combine the two ropes to form one long rope. Leave the Study and place our Package in the mail trolley. +-- Garden Leave the Hall and enter the Garden. Pick up the Garden Shears lying near the bottom right. Move over to the left to the Garden by the Wall. Examine the Recess and use the Guarden Shears on the Flowers and afterwards on the Creeper to uncover openings in the wall. Go back to the fountain area and look at the low wall. On it are eight Stone Elements. Number them 1 - 8 from left to right. Pick up 1, 2, 4 and 7. Go back to the Garden by the Wall and zoom in on the Recess. Place piece 1 (Vita) in the bottom hole. Place 4 and 7 (Et) in the second hole. Place 2 (top part of Virtus) in the third hole. Go back to the other part of the garden and pick up the remaining pieces. Go back to the recess and place part 6 (bottom of Virtus) in the third hole. Place parts 8 and 5 (Labore) in the fourth hole and finally place part 3 (In) in the top hole. Climb to the top of the wall and tie your hammer to the Bound Rope. Then use this combination on the Embrasure and climb down to the street and talk to the taxi driver. Give him the Bouqet of Flowers to get a ride. +-- La Valetta - Fourth visit --+ Go downstairs and open your mailbox. Pick up the Package, the Correspondence and the Check, then read the letter, open the package to retreive your cubes and finally examine the check. Go outside and go to the Workshop of Stefano. Ask him to make a replica of the Signet Ring. He agrees to do so if you go to Tore and tell him 'This Evening - Yes'. Go to the Marina and deliver the message and go back to Stefano. With the ring in hand, hop on your scooter and we're off to Gozo again. +-- Gozo - Fourth visit --+ Go to the temple and enter the Underground chamber. Place the stone cubes in each of the four pillar tops. You'll see which cube needs to go where by looking at the pattern on the top and matching it with the pattern on the stone cubes. You can examine and turn the stones around to find out its mark. Next we need to align the pillars to match the planet alignment as described in the Vatican Documents. Take note of which symbol represents which planet. Let's start with the lower left pillar, turn the rings so it shows the following pattern, from top to bottom: Saturn, Iupiter, Venus, Alipes. Move on to the top left pillar. You see that the top ring can not be moved. Simply go by the same pattern, but offset by one. From top to bottom: Alipes, Saturn, Iupiter, Venus. Repeat this for the next two pillars. Top right: Venus, Alipes, Saturn, Iupiter. And bottom right: Iupiter, Venus, Alipes, Saturn. If you've done it right, you'll get a cutscene. Congratulations, you've finished the game! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright and contact information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2008 Jan-Willem Willebrands. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Yada yada yada. Right enough of that. If you liked this guide and would like to publish it on your website, just send me an email. Also if you have any suggestions, additions or other things you really think I should know, drop me a line: email@example.com Cheers!


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In a trendy suburb of central Stockholm, young hipsters with thick framed spectacles point to the apartment where Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, allegedly spent an ill-fated week in August 2010. It is the home of one of the women at the center of a diplomatic scandal taking in the unlikely international triumvirate of Britain, Ecuador and Sweden. It is one of the worst kept secrets in Stockholm.
During a speaking trip to the city, Assange allegedly had a dalliance with the woman — a Wikileaks fan, eager for the rockstar journalist to stay in her apartment during his spell in her country. According to extradition papers filed with British courts, Assange had sex with her in her home, then reportedly went on to have sex with a second woman a few days later. Between them, the pair have accused him of unlawful coercion, sexual molestation, and rape.
(MORE: Defending Assange, Ecuador's President Kindles a Controversy Over Defining Rape)
With established Swedish media reserve, the women have not been named, though everyone in this Stockholm suburb knows the woman from up the street, and are keen that justice be done. For the residents and commentariat of Stockholm — as natural a Wikileaks hinterland as anywhere in the world — that means making sure Assange comes back to Sweden to be questioned by prosecutors about his alleged offenses.
Assange has publicly said that his appearance in Sweden would precipitate extradition to the U.S. on charges relating to his publication of leaked cables, to face life imprisonment or even the death penalty. He has accepted political asylum from Ecuador and is now holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
For prickly Swedes, the notion of having to seek such protection from political persecution in Sweden, is like avoiding sharks by jumping in the sea. "It's totally unacceptable," says Frank Belfrage, Swedish deputy foreign Minister. The case is about the sexual offenses alleged in Sweden, nothing to do with the U.S., which has anyway not issued any extradition request, he says.
"This case has nothing to do with Wikileaks. It is about two women," emphasizes Claes Borgstrom, the lawyer representing the pair. Assange's Ecuadorean adventure is an "absurd abuse" of the asylum system, which piles insult onto the "tragedy" which has been their life for the last two years, he says. The pair have been the subject of innuendo and abuse from Assange supporters and apologists who accuse the women of being part of a U.S.-set-up or of inflating an innocent encounter into non-existent abuse.
(MORE: Assange's Special Asylum: Why Ecuador Isn't Nice to Anyone Else)
Swedes are keen not to pre-judge the case, but the affair has forced the country to take a look again at its laws on sexual offenses — particularly rape. According to the European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics, Sweden has 53 rapes per 100,000 population — easily the highest number of reported rapes anywhere in Europe. The statistics paint less a picture of predatory Swedish men, and more one of female empowerment and destigmatisatisation of victimhood.
The number of convictions trebled after 2005, when the government widened the threshold for a sexual offense to be considered rape, by lowering the amount of coercion which needs to be involved. Wherever the accusations against Assange fall within the spectrum, Swedish authorities are still unconvinced that the laws are tight enough, and are discussing an amendment which would lower the threshold again. Veteran feminist journalist, Helene Bergman, says the proposals are madness. "Already since 2005, it has been far too easy in Sweden for something to be considered rape," she says.
Assange's lawyer Per Samuelsson agrees with the need to think again about Swedish statutes. But he says his client has not committed any sexual offenses even within the range of the laws as they stand. "He has no fear of facing questions about two women," says Samuelsson, and would happily face an interrogation from the prosecutor, Marianne Ny, provided she came to do it in London.
(MORE: The Gunboat Diplomacy Trap: How Ecuador Used Assange to School the Brits)
"It would not be unusual for a prosecutor to travel overseas," says Bergman "They do it for offenses all the way up to murder." In an article co-written with fellow journalist, Anders Carlstrom, for Swedish daily, Dagens Nyheter, Bergman broke ranks with the vast majority of the Swedish media to claim Ny was sullying the whole Swedish judicial process with her refusal to conduct her interviews in London — accusing the prosecutor of orchestrating a witch hunt against the Wikileaks boss.
Ny has thus far remained unmoved, with officials inside the prosecutors' office asking how they could have any faith that Assange would return to Sweden if the questions ended up producing an indictment.
Samuelsson says the Wikileaks boss would be on the next plane back to Sweden if he had watertight assurances he would not then be extradited to the U.S.: Assange's legal team will wait for a guarantee from the Swedish government before deciding whether or not to head to Stockholm for questioning, he says.
To Swedes, that demand looks rather a lot like Sweden, the country, being pushed around by Julian Assange, the journalist. And anyway, says Belfarge, the government is in no position to offer assurances, which — in the hypothetical scenario of a U.S. extradition request — would be in the hands of the courts, anyway.
With the threat receding of Britain breaking diplomatic ties with the Ecuadorean government and storming the embassy, but still committed to arresting the Australian and deporting him to Sweden as soon as he tries to leave, the farcical impasse shows no sign of easing. Assange might as well make himself comfortable. "Yes,"says Samuelsson. "He'll stay as long as he has to."
MORE: WikiLeaks Creates Elaborate New York Times Hoax, Fooling Readers
MORE: WikiLeaks To Release Millions of 'Syria Files'


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DK Science: Courtship
Some animals perform complex rituals to attract a mate. These displays, performed during the breeding season, are known as courtship. Usually it is the males that perform. They may court one female or several in turn. Sometimes groups of males perform at a particular spot, called a lek, with females visiting to select a mate. Some animals have only one partner throughout their life. They do not need to perform a display, but they do need to keep a strong bond with their partners.
In some species, males and females look very different. Sometimes the difference is only a matter of size, but during the breeding season other differences may appear. In birds such as peacocks, the males develop elaborate tail feathers, which they fan out and quiver to attract females.
In some birds, the males and females both perform a series of courtship rituals. Great blue herons raise their necks and feathers and dual with each other, shaking twigs and calling out to one another. The feathers of both sexes change to a similar colour during the breeding season, though the males' are usually more brightly coloured.
Golden lion tamarins mate for life so they do not need to waste energy on courtship displays. They do, however, spend time bonding with their partners by grooming (cleaning) one another. These tamarins live in family groups of about four to eight members. The males help bring up the young, and older siblings also help out so they can learn about parenting.
Male frogs and toads call out to attract females to their breeding pond or stream. Each species has its own call, which helps a female to find a mate of the same species in the breeding pool if it is used by several species at once. Many species, such as the Brazilian torrent frog, have expanding vocal pouches which make their calls loud and clear. These frogs also kick their legs out during courtship displays.
Like birds, many male lizards become more brightly coloured during the breeding season, despite the fact they may be more easily seen by predators. However, the male anole lizards are different. They have permanent colourful dewlaps under their throats that remain hidden unless they are being used to attract females.
In autumn, stags (male deer) start to gather harems (groups) of females to mate with. They fiercely defend these harems from rival males. Usually the larger males with the bigger antlers have their pick of the females. Males of the same size battle to decide which of them will remain with the females and which males must retreat.
Male orchid bees attract females by marking a spot, or lek, with their particular scent. The females that are attracted by the smell fly to the lek, and mate with a male. Birds that attract females by singing or displays may also use leks. Some hoofed mammals use leks when they mark their territory with urine and faeces.


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Not just because I got to solder three kits, but I got to draw some fun patterns and do some new camera experiments. And yes, that is my camera in the show.
Head over to the Maker Shed and pick yourself up a few, then maybe build it with your daughter/little brother/sister/grandpa/loved one... If anything, you're getting out there and learning, and that's one of the most important parts.
Anyways, enjoy the show!
PS-- Oh yea! Don't forget to try out my dad's MiniPOV helper app.. You can use it to help make graphics for your MiniPOV, or you can just make something and save it for others to see. Click here to give it a go!


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These Motoring themed Poster Boards have been selected for one of the first packs of our new collection, and are for you to cut out & put together yourself.
These Poster boards contain period advertising and can be affixed to your Station, Town or Village buildings to give added realism.
These Poster Board sheets have been printed digitally on 160gsm ColorCopy paper, which is perfect for these images. They will be supplied on a 210mm wide x 99mm deep sheet and will be uncut with cropmarks for you to trim them down and mount them on the backing of your choice.
The Poster & Notice Board sizes are;
Small - 11mm x 16.25mm (width x height)
Large - 22mm x 16.25mm (width x height)
Please see the images to the left for an idea of the size of these Poster & Notice Boards. The Poster Boards have been mounted on to a 'OO' Gauge Bachman Station.
Instructions Use a sharp modelling knife and a straight edge and cut along the crop marks provided to cut out the Poster & Notice Board adverts. The adverts can then be affixed to the backing of your choice with PVA / Contact glue.
If you require any further information about these products or if you have any requests for packs please call us on 023 9271 8111 or email us at email@example.com


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Bottoms Collection | Designed for maximum comfort and durability with styles ranging from basic colors, retro prints, and detailed embroidery.
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Vitamin A Supplements Save Kids' Lives, Researchers Say
It's not often that health experts say the evidence on something is so good that it would be wrong to keep studying it. But that's exactly what a group of researchers who've reviewed 43 trials on vitamin A supplementation for young children in developing countries contend.
Their review showed that vitamin A supplements reduced child mortality by 24 percent in low and middle income countries by preventing measles, diarrhea, and other illnesses in children. This translates into saving about 600,000 lives a year.
In fact, starting any new trials to test vitamin A on kids – using a standard placebo vs. treatment trial – would be unethical for the kids getting the placebo, they say in a paper published Thursday in the British Medical Journal, because the benefits of vitamin A are so clear.
"I've never really seen something that works so clearly," Evan Mayo-Wilson, a lecturer at the Centre for Evidence-Based Intervention at the University of Oxford and an author of the study, tells Shots. "From the 1970s through today, the picture hasn't changed. It's striking because the evidence of a really big reduction in mortality is very consistent."
Some 190 million children around the world are deficient in vitamin A; usually these are kids whose families can't afford eggs and dairy products. A deficiency in the nutrient makes kids more vulnerable to a range of illnesses including diarrhea, measles, and respiratory infections, which could also kill them. Though vitamin A supplements have now been available for more than a decade in developing countries where the child mortality rate has fallen, the researchers say there hasn't been any direct proof that the supplements were responsible for it.
But despite the fact that most public health experts have rallied behind vitamin A supplements as an intervention that works, "no nutrient has been as well studied or as fraught with controversy," as Andrew Thorne-Lyman and Wafaie Fawzi of Harvard University note in an accompanying editorial.
A commentary published in a journal last year entitled "The great Vitamin A fiasco" helped fan the flames of doubt and attracted a lot of attention within the nutrition community. The author, Michael Latham of Cornell University, claimed that vitamin A supplementation programs are a short-term fix, and get in the way of long-term ways to prevent vitamin A deficiency, like promoting breastfeeding and improving food systems. Other critics cite studies that showed a lower reduction in child mortality from supplements — around 10 percent.
Whether Mayo-Wilson's paper will silence the critics is unclear. But in the meantime, he says, the World Health Organization and other groups that support vitamin A supplementation programs need to focus on the logistical hurdles in the way of reaching more children who need them.
"Going forward it's important to pair vitamin A with other programs like vaccinations and zinc distribution," Mayo-Wilson says.


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Automator for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: Working with Actions
- Locating Actions to Do What You Want
- Inserting Actions into a Workflow
- Viewing an Action's Description
- Action Settings
- Action Options
- Deleting Actions
- Disabling Actions
- Moving Actions
- Copying Actions
- Renaming Actions
- Collapsing Actions
- Working with Input and Output Values
- Viewing Action Results as a Workflow Runs
By now you should be comfortable creating basic workflows and getting around the main portions of Automator's interface. There's still a lot more of Automator to learn, though. To do anything truly useful, you need to add actions to your workflow, and you need to configure those actions to do what you want. This chapter helps you get to this next level by showing you how to:
- Find an action that's right for your workflow
- Add actions to your workflow and understand warning messages that may be displayed
- Configure an action's settings and options so the action will do what you want
- Adjust your workflow by renaming, deleting, and disabling actions
- Use action input and output values properly so that your actions work together when you run the workflow
The techniques you learn in this chapter will apply to working with virtually any action within an Automator workflow.
Locating Actions to Do What You Want
Automator comes with hundreds of actions, and that list grows every time you add new Automator-ready applications or third-party actions to your machine. With so many actions, locating the one to do what you want is no small feat. However, there are some practical ways to find them.
Picking the right action for a task
In Chapter 3, "Workflow Basics" (see "Planning a Workflow"), you learned that it's a good idea to think through the job of a workflow before creating it. Break it down into individual tasks, and then translate those tasks to actions.
But how do you pick the right action for a task? Think about the task. What does it do? For example, does it create a folder on the desktop? What is its result? The newly created folder? What application or process does it target? The Finder? Use the words from these questions and answers as keywords, and type them into Automator's search field to help find an appropriate action.
To locate an action by application name, action name, or keyword:
- In your workflow window, click Library in the left column of the Library list to display a list of all available actions (Figure 4.1).
Figure 4.1 Searching for calendar actions using a keyword.
In the search field at the top of the Library list, type a search term, such as an application name, action name, or a keyword. For example, to find an action that creates a new calendar in iCal, you might enter iCal or calendar.
Automator lists any actions that match the specified criteria (Figure 4.1).
- Scan through the list of found actions and look for one that does what you need. Then drag it into your workflow.
To locate all actions within a category:
- Ensure that Automator's Library list is arranged by category. If it's not, choose View > Arrange Actions by > Category (Figure 4.2).
Figure 4.2 Configuring Automator's Library list to arrange actions by category.
Click the desired category name within the Library list.
Automator displays the actions within that specific category (Figure 4.3).
Figure 4.3 Selecting a category of actions.
Now you can scan through the list of actions within the category for the desired action or actions. When you find what you're looking for, drag it into your workflow.
To locate all actions for a given application:
- You may find it easier to locate actions by application rather than by category. To do this, first ensure that the Library list is arranged by application. If it's not, choose View > Arrange Actions by > Application (Figure 4.4).
Figure 4.4 Configuring Automator's Library list to arrange actions by application.
- Click the appropriate application name within the Library list to display the actions that pertain to that specific application (Figure 4.5). For example, to see all iCal-related actions, click iCal.
Figure 4.5 Selecting an application to display all actions for that application.
- Scan through the list of application actions for one that does what you need, and then insert it into your workflow.


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From one of our group member's suggestions, we turn to contemporary mystery novelist Archer Mayor for our July 2008 selection — St. Alban's Fire. This is the 16th volume in the popular Joe Gunther series. "Winter is on the wane in northwestern Vermont. The moon hangs bright and cold in the silvery night sky over hundreds of square miles of a peaceful, dormant landscape of dairy farms. Young Bobby Cutts enters the family barn to tend to the beasts within…and encounters a nightmare. Suddenly surrounded by bolts of fire, Bobby and the entire herd perish in a stampeding, hellish circle of flames. Called to the scene to investigate, Joe Gunther instantly recognizes arson. But by whom? And for what possible reason? There is little insurance, the family is loving and tightly knit, and there are few neighborhood animosities. Yet murder this is, and Gunther quickly discovers that someone is wreaking havoc across the bucolic farmlands surrounding the town of St. Albans. Somewhere in the dense social fabric of the community, in the hearts and souls of Bobby's family, and in the cutthroat farming business underneath the region's placid exterior are the truths Joe Gunther and his team must ferret out. But what looked like a local case is about to take them from the barns of Vermont to the gritty streets of Newark, New Jersey. Before all is said and done, Joe Gunther will meet one of his deadliest opponents to date…and he will need far more than his skills as a policeman to protect the people closest to his heart."
This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on July 31, 2008. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!


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- Artist
- Georg Baselitz born 1938
- Part of
- Gothic Maidens
- Medium
- Drypoint on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 288 × 180 mm
mount: 562 × 412 × 4 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Purchased 1997
- Reference
Display caption
Baselitz's vigorous and expressive style, influenced by the drawing and paintings of the mentally ill, often represents the body as a site of anxiety. This series of prints show a female figure crouching and twisted. The body is fragmented: in some works, the head is cropped, while others feature only isolated limbs. The hatched and scored quality adds to the sense of raw spontaneity and even violence. Many of the prints include flowers and vegetation which, with the use of greens and browns, suggest wild nature and fertility.
Gallery label, July 2015
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Show All Answers
County Commission Chambers101 Radar Rd.Tonopah, NV 89049
County Commissioner Chambers2100 E. Walt Williams Dr.(Calvada Eye)Pahrump, NV 89048
2. A hard copy can be provided upon request from the County Manager's Office prior to the meeting. Copies are also available on the day of the County Commission meeting.
3. The agenda is also visibly posted at the following locations:
Tonopah Convention Center301 Brougher Ave.Tonopah, NV
U.S. Post Office201 Erie Main St.Tonopah, NV
Commissioner's Chambers101 Radar Rd.Tonopah, NV
District Court101 Radar Rd.Tonopah, NV
Nye County Administration2100 E. Walt Williams Dr. #100(Calvada Eye)Pahrump, NV
The Ian Deutch Government Complex1520 E. Basin Ave.Pahrump, NV
Beatty Justice Court426 C Avenue SouthBeatty, NV


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The resolution was adopted today in Geneva, with 24 nations voting in favour, 15 against, and 8 abstaining.
"This is a positive step forward for Sri Lankans, and an opportunity to end the longstanding impunity for human rights violations that have marked the country for decades," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director.
"The Sri Lankan government's failure to provide justice and protect human rights, even after it defeated the LTTE, has forced the international community to act by offering assistance to improve the dire situation in the country.
"The vote supported by Nigeria, India as well as a number of Latin American countries, shows that this is not a 'north' versus 'south' issue. It highlights broad concern in the international community that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka is moving in the wrong direction."
There are credible allegations of serious violations of international law in Sri Lanka's long armed conflict, which ended in May 2009, including the use of civilians as human shields by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and shelling by Sri Lankan forces of hospitals and civilian areas.
In May 2009, in a joint statement with Ban Ki-Moon, the President of Sri Lanka committed to provide accountability for alleged human rights violations in the armed conflict.
The government of Sri Lanka that year set up the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), a national commission of inquiry to investigate "events" during the armed conflict and make recommendations for post-conflict reconciliation. As documented in an Amnesty International report in September 2011, the LLRC lacked independence, and did not properly investigate allegations of war crimes.
"Despite its many problems, the LLRC did highlight some of the serious human rights issues in the country, and the persistent failure to address these issues by the authorities. Nor has the Sri Lankan government implemented the LLRC's own recommendations," said Sam Zarifi.
"Even many of the countries who abstained or voted against the resolution urged the Sri Lankan government to implement LLRC recommendations – such as improving the treatment of detainees and investigating serious human rights violations."
The government of Sri Lanka has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to implementing the LLRC's recommendations, but no action has so far been taken. The UN resolution calls on Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the LLRC. It also calls on Sri Lanka to address alleged violations of international law and asks the UN to assist Sri Lanka in these efforts.
In the run up to the vote there were numerous reports of threatening behaviour against Sri Lankan human rights defenders. Amnesty International calls on the government of Sri Lanka to stop fostering hostility against the UN and publicly condemn the sustained attacks on human rights advocates.
"They must end their campaign of intimidating peaceful critics, and instead get on with the task of fulfilling the recommendations of their own national inquiry and their obligations under international law."
"The international community should support Sri Lanka to implement the resolution, and should be prepared – if investigations and prosecutions fail to materialise – to establish an independent international inquiry into the allegations of war crimes in the armed conflict," said Zarifi.


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"Evolution is fact!" is one of the most popular evolutionary assertions made by evolutionists, ranging from those at the National Center for Science Education to those working for PBS.1, 2 Proponents of Charles Darwin want you to believe that his hypothesis is being confirmed right before our eyes.
Darwin's ideas directly contradict the scriptural teaching on the origin of species. He proposed that all species derive from one or a few species (universal common ancestry). This concept contradicts Genesis 1, which teaches that God created different creatures "after their kind." Darwin also claimed that each species' original ancestors arose by natural selection, not by a direct act of God. Finally, Darwin's timescale for the origin of species—millions of years—is irreconcilable with the time of creation, which occurred about 6,000 years ago.
So how do evolutionists get away with making this claim? By assuming that all change is evolutionary change. Why is this assumption wrong? Because the Bible permits biological change to a certain degree and, therefore, not all change is evolutionary change.
Specifically, the Flood account of Genesis 6-8 demonstrates that limited biological change can occur and has already occurred. When God commanded Noah to bring the land-dwelling, air-breathing "kinds" on board the Ark, He required that "male and female" of each kind be taken. This implies that reproductive compatibility identifies membership within a kind. Breeding experiments identify the classification rank of family (kingdom-phylum-class-order-family-genus-species) as roughly defining the boundaries of each kind.3
Since Noah brought only two of each kind instead of two of each species, we know that many new species have arisen since the Flood. For example, Noah likely had two members of the family Equidae, and from this pair we have the species (horses, donkeys, zebras) and breeds (pony to Clydesdale) of equids observed today. Big biological changes within created kinds are perfectly compatible with Scripture.
Conversely, the Flood account makes it clear that changes from one kind into another are naturally impossible. Again, God commanded Noah to bring two of every land-dwelling, air-breathing kind to preserve the offspring of each kind. If organisms in one kind could be changed into another kind, this command would be superfluous. Hence, biological change on the scale that Darwin proposed is biblically unimaginable.
We can now revisit the evolutionary claim with which we began this article and evaluate it without making the erroneous evolutionary assumption that all change is evolutionary change. Using biblically appropriate language, we can interrogate the claim that evolution is fact with two questions. Do we observe change within a kind? Yes. Breeding experiments are the premier example of this. Do we ever observe one kind (i.e., one family) of species change into another kind (or family)? No. Every example of biological change that has ever been observed in real time has been change within a kind.
Even the classic textbook examples of evolution—changes in the size and shape of the beaks of Darwin's finches, E. coli developing resistance to antibiotics, and HIV developing resistance to the immune system—all demonstrate change within a kind and never change from one kind into another. Evolution, as Darwin conceived it, has never been observed.
The evidence for the biblical model is so strong that even the world's most famous living evolutionist, Richard Dawkins, must concede this point. "We can't see evolution happening because we don't live long enough," he said in a 2009 interview.4 In other words, evolution is unobservable.
Wow. Not only is the "Evolution is fact!" claim false, but the complete opposite is true. Furthermore, since evolution is not observable, evolution isn't even science! Yet, somehow in spite of this, Dawkins still concludes, "Evolution is a fact."4 In light of what we've just discussed and what he himself admitted, we know he reached his conclusion in spite of the evidence—not because of it.
- Evolution Education: Understanding and Teaching the Science of Evolution. National Center for Science Education. Posted on ncse.com, accessed November 28, 2012.
- Frequently Asked Questions About Evolution. PBS. Posted on pbs.org, accessed November 28, 2012.
- Wood, T. C. 2006. The Current Status of Baraminology. Creation Research Society Quarterly Journal. 43 (3): 149-158.
- The Hour S6: Episode 5—Richard Dawkins & Drew Barrymore. George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. Posted on cbc.ca September 2, 2009, accessed November 28, 2012.
* Dr. Jeanson is Deputy Director for Life Sciences and received his Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard University.
Cite this article: Jeanson, N. 2013. Is Evolution an Observable Fact? Acts & Facts. 42 (1): 20.