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Partnering with more than a 1000 properties in India, STAAH is a New Zealand headquartered technology company offering cloud-based channel management and booking engine for accommodation providers. Tarun Joukani, Managing Director, STAAH India, on how the company is providing cost-effective one-stop solutions to its growing clients base in India
What are your key product offerings for the Indian hospitality sector?
STAAH offers a suite of technology products that are aimed to helping hospitality businesses optimise online distribution and maximise their online revenue potential. This is done through a wide range of product offerings, including an industry-leading channel manager, a booking engine, website development with designs and tools that are geared to meet the unique needs of the hospitality sector, and a gift voucher management system that is tailored to the needs of accommodation providers and restaurants. India is a key market for STAAH. All products are available in India. In fact, the products are co-developed and advanced features added in conjunction with our Indian clients.
The gift voucher management system – Gift Voucher Engine – is the latest addition to our product range and allows properties to easily set up and manage an online shop for gift and cash vouchers. It is already being successfully used by properties around the world, including the Lemon Tree Group of Hotels, the Bawa Group of Hotels, CPG Hotels and Mayfair Hotels & Resorts in India.
Which is your most important client segment?
Independent hotels and hotel groups largest proportion of our client base in India currently. Having access to our top-of-the-line, affordable technology solutions and being supported by an India-based team to service their needs and trouble-shoot is a huge bonus for these accommodation providers.
What kind of leverage does your channel management products provide to large operators?
Larger operators and accommodation chains will benefit from using the STAAH Max Channel Manager. Once installed it becomes the central cloud-based platform to manage rates and inventory for one or multiple properties. Extremely intuitive and easy to use, there is little training needed to start using it in a manner that improves operational efficiency that is particularly crucial for larger operators. The platform has an in-built analytics system that provides insightful and easy-to-read reports that are handy for both revenue managers and senior management who're looking for a single view dashboard of the business' online performance.
Since it has been developed by a team that has been associated with the distribution of hospitality products for decades, we have our finger on the pulse of the market, what it needs and future trends. This means integrations and product development are quicker and in-tune with the needs of properties. For a business that wants to remain competitive in this dynamic environment, this is critical.
Complementing our Max Channel Manager is the Max Booking Engine, which is customisable and responsive to a group's need. Most importantly, its many features include the ability to make a trip itinerary and book multiple hotels – something larger groups cannot ignore. It is available in multiple languages and currencies.
How can boutique hotels, smaller resorts, independent properties get benefited by implementing your solutions?
For smaller resorts and independent properties that are typically resource-crunched, we are a cost-effective one-stop-shop for all their online distribution and growth needs – an integrated platform to service their reservation management requirements.
Our product suite can be customised to meet the unique needs of smaller properties, enabling them to 'be seen' through our Instant Channel Manager that opens up distribution of their accommodation to more than 100 OTAs and major GDS, also integrating with major payment gateways and property management systems that they may already be using. The ConvertDirect Booking Engine is a flexible and easy to use system that helps properties grow their zero-commission, direct bookings. Between the two systems, features such as insightful reporting, tracking competitor rates and installing a widget on the website that displays key OTA rates, helps optimise online revenue.
STAAH's InstantWebsites has been developed keeping in mind smaller properties. It makes building high-performing websites a breeze and has a very simple content editing system.
For a growing hotel chain what are the biggest advantages of cloud-based channel management solutions?
- Instant and quick update of inventory and rates across all channels with the press of a button.
- Accessible anytime, anywhere and even on-the-go with the STAAH app.
- Operational efficiency – a cloud-based channel management cuts out hours needed to manage multiple online channel and reduces the chances of manual errors.
- Insightful reporting leads to data-led strategy decisions on online distribution and growth.
- An integrated platform to manage the booking management needs of all properties in the group.
What has been your focus on innovation?
The travel and booking landscape has completely changed in the last few years. How we find our next travel experience, how we research, where we book it…it's all changed, redefined first by the advent of faster internet and now by mobile. As a major Google study says about mobile, "It's fractured the consumer journey into hundreds of real-time, intent-driven micro-moments." It is important now, more than ever before, for brands to be relevant at each stage of this fractured consumer journey and be completely flexible to meet their needs to remain competitive. Our product innovation has been centred on this dynamic environment, providing hospitality businesses the tools and platforms they need to increase their digital footprint, maximise their online growth and remain 'relevant' to their core audience.
Your perception of the Indian hospitality market and how STAAH solutions are uniquely positioned to help hotel businesses?
We've spoken about dynamism and technology being a disrupter in the hospitality and travel sector. This is also true of India and forward-thinking hospitality businesses, be it the small independent property owners or larger chains, with an eye for innovation are bound to turn some of the challenges into opportunities.
And that's where STAAH fits in. We are well placed through our suite of technology products to help hoteliers deal with concerns around aggregators or address the shifting consumer mindset that is seeking authenticity and personalisation. We offer technology that the consumers are ready to adopt and what will drive real value to hoteliers.


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Training for personal, community and street evangelism
Ignite Ministries is committed to helping and working alongside the local church to reach their community with the love and compassion of Christ. Every church has a Body of people, that if equipped , can be effective in communicating the grace of God to the lost.
The Evangelism Academy is designed to encourage and equip and release the body of Christ to be confident and successful in sharing their faith with other.
The Academy is divided into three sections:
Personal Evangelism: Learning to share your story with others, being able to share the gospel message and lead someone to saving faith,
Community Evangelism: Showing the local community that the church cares
Street Evangelism: To go… Taking the message, of the love of God out into our community and we use many different ways to help communicate this message. We do Healing on the streets, treasure hunt, give away roses,

subset: commoncrawl


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Levitra Generic 20mg tablets are a leading form of Generic Vardenafil. This generic medicine are one of the worlds leading and most popular variants of tablets used to treat erectile dysfunction as well as aid and enhance sexual performance.
Important Information:
Please do not exceed the recommended dosage of 1 x 20mg tablet in any 24 hour period, do not take this medication if you are taking any form of nitrate medication and you should consult with your doctor or GP before taking any medication.
All orders placed before 4pm will be shipped the same day (Excluding Bank Holidays and Weekends)
Delivery to the UK is FREE 1st class post next day.
Delivery outside of the UK is International Tracked and Signed Express.
*Depending on stock a generic substitute may be supplied.


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If a pebble falls on the beach, and no one is around to hear it . . .
Lake Superior Pebble Beach is pretty much exactly as it sounds. Walk along the shore of Lake Superior, but the shoreline is entirely pebbles. It's a great view!
Where is it?
You can get to Pebble beach by heading 12 miles northeast of Grand Marais on highway 61. There are several places you can get down to the beach here starting just past the Kadunce River Wayside.
Hiking Pebble Beach
The "trail" runs about 3 miles along the beach roundtrip. You can walk on the beach or back in the woods this follows the Superior Hiking Trail.
This is a great place for photo ops, spending time on a sunny afternoon, reading a book or having a picnic.
Interesting info
The pebbles were left here after ancient glaciers receded filling up the great lakes.
You should know
This is one of the easiest hikes along the north shore. If you're trip brings you this far north, it's a must see.


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BIM Show Live spin-off BIM Show Live for Manufacturers is to return, it was announced today.
BIM Show Live for Manufacturers 2015 will like its predecessor take place at The Building Centre, London on Thursday, June 11th, 2015 and is in association with bimstore.
Graitec will once again sponsor the event, that according to the official announcement "is tailored exclusively to present BIM to manufacturers that might be looking to take the next step" with "plenty of time to get all your burning BIM questions answered".
The one-day event will feature an Opening Address and four guest speakers, the latter of whom will discuss BIM implementation as per the Define & Validate, Design & Prototype, Manufacture & Assemble and Operate & Maintain format.
An official Twitter account has been established for the event and those who sign-up to attend are encouraged to use the official hashtag: #BSL4M.
Each ticket to the event, which includes entry, lunch and refreshments, will cost £35, an affordable and competitive amount in the current climate. For manufacturers who want to know more about the level of data they need to include in their components or what steps they need to take to begin their 'BIM journey', then this will be the perfect event to attend.
BIM Show Live Founder and CEO of Space Group, Rob Charlton commented exclusively to BIMcrunch on the recently-announced return of #BSL4M. He said: "At Space Group, we understand the importance of manufacturer content. _space Architects specify the content and bimstore create it. As we have experience in various areas of a project lifecycle, we know that manufacturer specific content is incredibly important.
"We look forward to highlighting the importance of having manufacturers involved in the process as early as possible in London on June 11th. If you are ready to get to grips with BIM, this is the event that will help you get on your way."
To book your place, click here.
For more information on last year's inaugural #BSL4M, view our official recap and image gallery.
RELATED: bimstore launch Specifi – the mobile specification tool


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In theater, there is often an underlying tension between the written word and the performances of the actors who bring it to life. So often, the script is better than the cast, or vice versa. It is surprisingly rare to discover both at the same time: a theatrical production featuring fine actors all working at the top of their game in a play so good it seems impossible more people haven't heard of it.
The new show at Sixth Street Playhouse is just that.
The Scene, by prolific New York writer Theresa Rebeck (how has this woman avoided winning a Pulitzer all these years?) is a superbly crafted, four-character immorality tale, so well written and edgily funny and full of nuance and shades of subtlety that it demands to be acted by a quartet of performers who are not merely top-notch, but are also confident, controlled, believable—and fearless.
Under Beth Craven's masterfully spot-on direction, and working within a cool, rotating set by Paul Gilger, the Sixth Street Playhouse has taken Rebeck's Scene and delivered a show that perfectly matches the brilliance of the script. Running through Feb. 8, The Scene—which, tragically, could still fail to bring in audiences for the simple reason that few people have heard of it and it's not a musical—is the year-opening show by which all other productions, at this theater and beyond, should come to be measured.
Charlie (Keith Baker) is an angry, out-of-work television actor who has developed an attitude of unmeasured disdain for the industry that no longer has use for him. Sick of "the scene"—New Yorkers' double-edged euphemism for the system of party-hopping and schmoozing that constitutes networking within the Big Apple entertainment community—Charlie survives emotionally only by convincing himself he's better than everyone he encounters, and keeps a roof over his head only because his supportive wife, Stella (Michelle Maxson), maintains a steady job as a "booker" of celebrity guests on an unnamed television talk show. Stella, who hopes to mitigate the unsatisfying repetitiveness of her career by adopting a baby, gently prods her husband to take a meeting with a despised acquaintance who's producing a television pilot so bad it might actually get made.
To Charlie, Stella's patient encouragement has become a dagger of deprecating guilt and unworthiness, so when he and his faithful bachelor friend Lewis (Dodds Delzell) encounter the annoyingly ditsy Clea (Rose Roberts) at a party, he unleashes his self-loathing on the vacuous newcomer from Ohio, berating her for her inappropriate use of the world "surreal," her passive-aggressive way with a vodka and her enthusiastically halting, dim-bulb exclamations: "I'm from Ohio. Isn't that hilarious?" Charlie also delights in telling her that the "infertile Nazi priestess" (her words) who declined to hire her that morning is, in fact, his wife.
It is only after a lonely Lewis invites Clea to his apartment, and a surprised Charlie drops by to vent after a soul-scarring lunch with the TV producer, that Clea reveals herself to be as smart as she is dumb. Recognizing a way deeper into "the scene," she seduces the vulnerable Charlie by comparing him to a lion roaming the savannah. Her cruel side appears in the second act, after an afternoon of acrobatic sex in Charlie and Stella's living room ("I love that you brought me here. It's so hostile!" Clea says).
When a stunned Stella walks in on them, both she and Charlie are shocked by the budding femme fatale's boldness. Responding to Stella's remark that Charlie is her husband and the interloper has no rights, Clea calmly replies, "I've been fucking him all afternoon and you haven't. That doesn't exactly give me no rights."
As good as Rebeck's writing is, the cast match her line for line. Baker and Roberts are sensational, each peeling away layer after layer of artifice to reveal the caustic, empty but thoroughly believable people at their core. Maxson, in what could have been a supporting role, is a tower of wounded strength, and Delzell, as the watchful, careful observer, turns waiting and seeing into an art form, and in this magnificent, must-see play, proves that even on the noisy New York "scene," sometimes it's the quiet one who wins the prize.
'The Scene' runs Thursday&–Sunday through Feb. 8 at the Sixth Street Playhouse. Thursday&–Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. $15&–$26. 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.4185.
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Klaxons: Surfing The Void (Polydor)
John Calvert, Quietus, The, 3 September 2010
WE AREN'T going to bore you with revelations that Myths Of The Near Future wasn't rave. There was such a thing as a nu rave sound, but it was a misnomered red herring that made a handy hook for marketing.
Total word count of piece: 1121


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Bayou Mix Garlic Cajun 4.5oz - Garlic Capital Products
Two of our favorite things, garlic and cajun! Bayou Mix is a unique blend of Garlic, Pepper and spices. Try it on Fish, Chicken, Beef or in Jambalaya. Our family enjoys it on eggs and baked or fried potatos. Get ready for that great Cajun taste!
Ingredients: Red Pepper and Other Spices, Garlic, Paprika, Onion, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed and Soybean Oil, and Silicon Dioxide as a Caking Agent.


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Sky went from plan A, plan B to plan unknown today in the Tour de France after Richie Porte lost 8-48 minutes to the overall leader Vincenzo Nibali. The Australian, who sat second overall this morning, slipped to 16th at the top of the Chamrousse climb.
"I don't think I dealt with the heat very well," said Porte. "It's one of those things. It's a massive shame but we'll see what happens tomorrow.
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"I feel more for my team-mates who have been brilliant for me every day. If it happens to me then it can happen to other guys too. We'll just keep on pushing."
Porte lost ground on the leaders early in the 18.2-kilometre Alpine climb at 12.4 kilometres. Geraint Thomas, who lost ground earlier, and Mikel Nieve paced him to the line, but it was clear that this was not the same Porte from earlier in the Tour.
"There wasn't a lack of hydration, but that's something to consider," Sky's team boss, David Brailsford explained. "I don't know what happened, that's the honest answer, but obviously it wasn't the Richie that we've seen for the first part of the race.
"No doubt at the bottom of the climb today he felt the heat, but I don't think that we can give any excuses today, it was the same for everybody. You have your good days and bad days, and when the bad days come you just have to keep going on."
Sky went on after Chris Froome – plan A – crashed and abandoned in the fifth stage to Arenberg. Porte, who helped Froome win in 2013 and Wiggins in 2012, became the leader.
With the Australian now sitting 11-11 minutes behind Nibali, Brailsford will have to have a talk with the staff and riders tonight about the team's plan C.
"We are not going to roll over," Brailsford continued.
"It was a blow losing Chris. We re-calibrated to our plan B and now we have to re-calibrate again, you just have to take stock and not get too downbeat.
"I don't know [if the podium is out of reach]. We have to see about the next two days and we can look to animate the race as much as possible."
Brailsford said that the team could consider going for stages instead of the overall. He added, "I don't think we just go around and follow."
Riche Porte in 'ideal situation' ahead of Tour de France mountains
Sky boss Dave Brailsford says that Richie Porte has the fitness, confidence and team to take on the Tour de
The simple message that turned Richie Porte's season around


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Flights to Chernivtsi from Lleida
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Flights to Chernivtsi from LleidaFlights Lleida - Chernivtsi fly from Lleida to Chernivtsi at the best prices in the market. Flights from Lleida (Lleida-Alguaire) to Chernivtsi (Chernivtsi) with Destinia. To search for availability and reserve your flight Lleida - Chernivtsi look at the box above and select the departure and return date as desired. You can also buy several airplane tickets Lleida (Lleida-Alguaire airport) - Chernivtsi (Chernivtsi airport) at the same time, by selecting the adults, children and babies travelling. You can filter the type of flight if you only want direct flights to Lleida - Chernivtsi, multiple destinations or flight stopovers.
InformationLleida and Chernivtsi are 2119 kilometres away from each other, with an estimated flight time of 03:02 h (this may vary depending on the weather or air routes)
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Final decline for the CRB-Cash Index (Fibonacci-Price-Ratio [FPR] Tutorial)
by m.tamosauskas| October 25, 2015 | No Comments
Despite some great percentage gains in commodities since prices formed lows last August, the subsequent advances have mostly traded higher into Elliott Wave counter-trend patterns. This is especially evident in the CRB-Cash index. This is a proxy for many of its components including base metals and energy contracts like crude oil, and whilst we expect an imminent completion of the entire declines that began from the year-2011 highs, one additional but final sell-off now seems inevitable.
The examination of this final stage of declines for the CRB-Cash index has also revealed some archetypal Elliott Wave patterning and adherence to Fibonacci-Price-Ratios – it therefore makes an excellent 'real-time' study of price development according to two of the Elliott Wave Principle's (EWP's) most important aspects, that of 'structure' and 'dimension'.
The CRB-Cash index staged a counter-trend upswing from the March '15 low of 407.21 ending into the May high at 439.00. Its structural composition has unfolded into a typical three price-swing sequence, the definition of an EW zig zag pattern. Furthermore, dimension is evident applying Fib-Price-Ratio studies – extending wave a (ending at the f phi symbol) by a fib. 61.8% ratio projects the high for wave c of the pattern to within a single point of its actual conclusion at 439.00.
The following decline extends the overall five wave impulse decline in progress from the April '14 high of 569.70. This is labelled a 5th wave, designated minor wave v. five and it must develop with a five wave component labelled 1–2–3–4–5 and assigned in minute degree. Its downward progress has adhered to several typical characteristics of a developing five wave expanding-impulse pattern. First, the 'rule of alternation' where waves 2 and 4 differ in their overall structure – wave 2 unfolds into a complex 'expanding flat' whilst wave 4 unfolds into a simple 'zig zag'. Wave 3 visibly 'expands' the price action and is much larger than wave 1 – it adheres to Elliott's concept that third waves are commonly the largest but never the shortest in the pattern. Wave 3 subdivides into a perfectly formed five wave structure ending into the August low at 382.09.
- Wave 4 unfolds into a symmetrically formed three wave zig zag pattern. Extending wave [a] by a fib. 61.8% ratio projects a terminal high for wave [c] to within a point-and-a-half of the actual level traded at 409.48.
- Dimensionally, wave 2 is a fib. 76.4% retracement of wave 1 – wave 4 is a fib. 50% retracement of waves 1–3.
The projection for a final fifth wave decline, labelled minute wave 5 that began from 409.48 is the element where EW Rules & Guidelines are practiced in the real world, real-time. To determine the amplitude of wave 5, two common fib-price-ratios are used. These are selected over-and-above others because of the depth of the fourth wave to 409.48.
- The first is where a Fibonacci 'extension' ratio is used measuring waves 1–4 and extending this by fib. 161.8% to project the low for wave 5 to 365.86+/-.
- Second, a Fibonacci 'correlative' ratio taking waves 1–3 (= 100%) and multiplying this by a fib. 61.8% ratio for the measurement of wave 5 to 375.80+/-.
And so we can see that from a combination of structure/form and dimension/symmetry, a viable determination of 'trend' and 'amplitude' can be made. Hope this was helpful, if you enjoined – you can find more EW tutorials in our website.


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Before engaging in a custody or conservatorship battle you need to way the cost. A custody battle will very likely:
- Cause you and your child pain
- drain your bank account
- cost you time as it drags and on
However, sometimes a custody battle is your only choice.
When possible I encourage parents to try and work out their differences through alternative dispute process such as mediation where they are able to create a plan that will work for both parents.
However, sometimes this is not possible because of:
- conflicting personalities
- One of the parents is violent or abusive or
- One of the parents is engaged in self-destructive behavior involving alcohol or drugs
In such cases is not a choice your only option may be going to court. Whatever the reason maybe you will need to prepare yourself to quickly get up to speed on the details of your children and the process ahead.
Below are a few tips to help you and your children prepare for the coming battle:
- Try to settle out of court
- Consult with a Family and Divorce Lawyer before you start a battle
- Try and Minimize your Children's Exposure to the Case
- Are you fighting for the right reasons?
- Support your Children
- Control Yourself
- Do not engage in parental alienation or make up allegations regarding your EX
- Refrain from moving in with someone new right now
- Work on making a good impression with everyone in the court system
- Stay involved with your children and know about their lives
- Start Documenting Everything
- Do not give up on your children
Try to settle out of court
As mentioned earlier fighting a custody battle and going trial is:
- Exhausting
- Expensive and
- In some ways, a gamble because you never know what a judge is going to do
We strongly encourage our clients to make every effort to settle out of court because:
- Gives you more control over the outcome of your case
- When you settle, you know what the outcome will be unlike a trial
- If you do not like what is being offered you still have the option of going to trial
Consult with a Family and Divorce Lawyer before you start a battle
You think twice about representing yourself in a custody case on your own. My best advice to you is that you need a Texas divorce and Family Lawyer to help you through the process.
It is a good idea to setup a consultation with a divorce and family lawyer even if you are not ready to begin. In my article "6 Tips for Getting a Free Divorce Consultation" I discuss some things you should look for in attorney and how one of the best ways to find a good attorney is to set up a consultation. I steer people to interviewing attorneys who offer free consultations because these consults can add up quickly and the case hasn't even started and you do not know whether the lawyer will be a good fit for you or your case.
Try and Minimize your Children's Exposure to the Case
Just because you are involved in a custody battle does not mean you should not make an effort to try to keep your children out of the battle. For example:
- Do not talk about the case to them or in front of them.
- Do not bad mouth the other parent to them or allow others to bad mouth the other parent in front of them.
- Avoid fighting with their other parent in front of them.
- Do not bring them to court unless a judge gives you permission. Judges hate when parents bring their children to court.
Are you fighting for the right reasons?
Is what you are fighting for really what is in the best interest of your children? Is there an alternative or some middle ground where you avoid placing your children in a tug of war battle?
Think about:
- What are you fighting about?
- Is the other parent a bad parent?
- Are they dangerous?
- Are you only fighting about their parenting style?
- A different parenting style is not necessarily going to be seen as bad by a court.'
- Just because you no longer like the other parent does not mean they do not have rights as a parent.
- Protecting your kids from an abusive parent is a good reason to engage in a custody battle.
- If you are fighting about custody to gain leverage over your ex that is not a good reason.
- Are you fighting over your children just to hurt your ex?
Make sure you fighting because you truly believe that is what is in their best interest.
A court makes its decision on who wins custody or is the primary conservator of a child by what it believes to be in your child's best interest. This must become your frame of reference to if you want to win custody.
When making your decisions, you need to consider is it in your child best interest that:
- You move to a cheaper home
- Your child changes school district
- Child participate in extracurricular activities
- You get a new job, or a second job
- You are required to travel
- You work long hours
- You work a night shift
Support your Children
In Texas under the family code parents have an obligation to support their children.
It does not matter that:
- Your bills are eating you alive
- Your spouse is a jerk
- Your spouse is interfering with your time with your children
Your children need:
- to eat
- a roof over their heads
- clothes
That must support them. A court will consider your actions in making its custody decision. If you are not supporting your children a court will count that against you in its decision.
Control Yourself
While you are going through a custody battle, your life will be under a lot of scrutiny. Everything you do and people you are involved with can potentially make a difference in your case.
- Sending hateful or inappropriate text message, emails, phone calls to your spouse when you are mad. Those communications you sent to your spouse will show up later as evidence against you.
- Stay off social media anything you post may show up later as evidence against you.
- It is important that you conduct yourself in a courteous manner always. Obviously, a witness is not going to make a good impression on the stand if he has had an unfriendly encounter with a juror in traffic, or if after his testimony, a juror hears him in the hall laughing at something humorous that occurred in the courtroom.
I have had clients:
- lose control and get confrontational in court on the witness stand it did not impress the judge.
- lose control and corner their wife in the courtroom in front of the bailiff and almost get arrested.
Maybe this bad behavior helped them win their arguments during the marriage. However, I suspect it was one of the reasons they were now involved in a divorce.
I can tell you this type of behavior will greatly hinder your chances of a favorable outcome while going through any type of family law case.
Do not engage in parental alienation or makeup allegations regarding your EX
Under Texas Family Code parents are supposed to encourage their children to have a relationship with the other parent. If you are interfering with a child's relationship with the other parent, then a court will consider those actions when making its custody decision.
There are exceptions to the rule in certain grave situations such as if the other parent poses a danger to child. In such a situation then there will be hearing regarding limiting that parents access to the child. However, if you are alienating a child from the other parent just because of a personal dislike then you are in danger of losing your custody case.
Do not makeup or exaggerate things about your ex. If you lie it can hurt you. If you are caught in a lie it will destroy your credibility with a judge.
False allegations or exaggerations will show a judge that you cannot be trusted to facilitate a child relationship with the other parent. Will make a judge concerned about leaving the children in your care.
Refrain from moving in with someone new right now
Some have counties in Texas have a standing order in place which puts an automatic "morality clause" in place while you are going through a divorce. A morality clause basically means you are not allowed to have someone you have a romantic relationship spend the night when you have the children.
This means if you move in with someone you are having a romantic relationship you would never be able to have the children overnight while you are living with that individual.
For the county's that do not have the standing order you are still under the scrutiny of a Judge or an Amicus attorney and they may take a dim view of your actions.
Alternatively, whoever your new partner is may have their own baggage that they bring with them and depending on their past it may affect the outcome of your case. I have had more than one case where that is exactly what happened. Where my client should have won the custody case but because they got involved with someone the Judge did not think should be around the children the judge ruled against my client.
Work on making a good impression with everyone in the court system
It is important that you work on making a good impression with everyone involved in your case.
This includes:
- the judge,
- the Amicus
- the mediator
- and anyone else involved in your case
These people can affect you and your child's lives:
- when and how often you see your children
- whether you will have the right to make parental decisions
- where your children will be living
You do not want to make a bad impression or get on their bad side. You may not like the decision makers in your case your opinion of the does not matter. If you let your dislike show it may influence their decision against you.
Stay involved with your children and know about their lives
It is very important that you stay involved with your children and know about the details of their lives.
For Example:
- Attend your child's school conferences
- Meet their teachers
- Know the name of your child's teachers.
- schedule monthly meeting with their teacher so you are aware of your child's progress
- Make sure you are in the system to get report cards and notices
- Is your child doing their schoolwork, doing well, getting along with other children, happy or sad?
- Make sure the school has your contact info and the teachers know they can call you at anytime
- Make sure you are on the emergency contact list
- Take them to the doctor or attend all doctor's visits
- Introduce yourself to all the doctors even if they do not have a checkup coming up any time soon
- Know the name and location of your child's doctor's, dentist, therapist etc.
- Let the doctors know they can contact you anytime and that you are very interested in how your child is doing
- Attend all extra-curricular activities
- Know what activities your child is involved in
- Volunteer to drive in their carpool before or after school if you can.
It is very important that you stay active in your kids' lives. If you are fighting for custody and do not know the answers or are not participating in the above things it will weaken your case.
If you are participating it will help you look good to the court and will also strengthen your relationship with your kids.
Start Documenting Everything
You are more credible in court if you can back up your allegations with evidence. For example, telling the judge your husband is violent. Is not as good as telling the judge on this date in summer of 2016 my husband did XYZ.
Memory is perfect, so if you keep a record of dates and events it will help you and your attorney when preparing for court.
- When you and the other parent exercise visitation
- why you or the other parent failed to exercise visitation or switch visitation schedules
- Keep track of who has the children on what holiday.
- Get a calendar and write down everything you do with your children
- Write down what you spend on your children
Documenting can be:
- as simple as recording in a journal on pen and paper
- On a calendar
- In a word document
- There are also several online programs available to parents to help you keep track of the time and money you spend on your kids
- Discussions with the other parent
- Your child's mood and emotions when interacting with the other parent
- Your child's behavior
- Issues you want to talk about with the other parent
- How your child is doing in school and other activities
- Your child's milestones and development
- Anything you want to remember
While documenting every aspect of you and your children's lives may seem tedious right now, you will be glad you did when it comes time for mediation or testifying in court.
Do not give up on your children
You should keep the court case in perspective. Even if the judge rules against you, do not:
- let that keep you from caring about your children
- stop seeing your children as much as you can
- caring about your children
show your children that they are really what is important to you. A custody case is not a winner takes all scenario. Where if you win, you must disappear. Keeping a relationship with your children is what is most important.
Further Reading for Those in Springfield, MO
For out of state residents in Springfield, MO you may want to check out the blog article "Top Tips from Child Custody Lawyers in Springfield, MO."
If you want to know more about what you can do, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: "16 Steps to Help You Plan & Prepare for Your Texas Divorce"
If you want to know more about how to prepare, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: "13 Dirty Tricks to Watch Out For in Your Texas Divorce, and How to Counter Them" Today!"
Get this FREE download about what you need to know before filing for divorce.
Other Articles you may be interested in:
- Child Custody Basics in Texas
- Roadmap of Basic Divorce Procedure in Texas
- Child Custody Basics in Texas
- 6 Mistakes that can Destroy Your Texas Divorce Case
- 10 Quick Tips About Parental Visitation
- Does it Matter who Files First in a Texas Divorce?
- 49 Best Texas Divorce Advice Tips
- 8 Tips for Reducing the Cost of a Divorce in Texas
- 6 Tips for Getting a Free Divorce Consultation
- 6 Tips - On How to prepare for a Texas Divorce
- 3 Tips on Things You Shouldn't Do in a Texas Divorce
Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Divorce Lawyers
The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding divorce, it's important to speak with one of our Houston, TX Divorce Lawyers right away to protect your rights.
Our divorce lawyers in Houston TX are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC handles Divorce cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County and Waller County.


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On a winter that has stretched into the days that the calendar says should be spring, everyone could use a little cheer so I've partnered with some amazing bloggers for a $150 Amazon gift card giveaway!
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While Tamara Filippova sat in her house in Siberia, her son-in-law in Palm Beach Gardens used her name to create a real estate world that defrauded her of more than $8 million, her lawyers say in a federal lawsuit filed this week.
The 21-count, 158-page suit against Ilia Mogilevsky, which cites the federal Civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), claims "a pattern of rackeetering activity" by Mogilevsky since 2007 "which has caused millions of dollars of losses to not only plaintiff but to others."
It says Mogilevsky "has a long history and persistence for committing real estate frauds."
The lawsuit also asks for injunctions to keep him from disposing of scores of contested properties in Palm Beach County and across South Florida.
The filing is the latest legal trouble for both Mogilevsky, 40, and his wife Natalia, 39. On Nov. 11, she was arrested, charged with biting her husband's wrist in front of the couple's children, ages 12 and 3, at their BallenIsles Country Club home. The domestic battery charges are pending. The couple, immigrants from Russia, had filed for divorce nine days earlier, on Nov. 2.
The previous year, the two had settled a Palm Beach County Circuit Court lawsuit by Gustav "Gus" Renny, himself a frequent investor and entrepreneur.
Renny, who'd been a partner with Ilia in a nightclub at 251 Sunrise Ave. in Palm Beach, was also a partner with the couple and relatives in at least 49 Florida corporations, most of them set up to flip South Florida real estate. Renny claimed that Ilia Mogilevsky hid most or all of 500-plus transactions from oversight, stiffing him out of what should have been 50 percent of profits. The couple later countersued Renny.
Gary Rosen, attorney for the mother-in-law, said Thursday he intends to forwarded his findings to the U.S. Attorney for possible criminal investigations.
While Filippova's suit lists her daughter Natalia as a defendant, and alleges she helped her husband mislead her mother, Rosen said that Natalia "was duped by Ilia."
And Stuart Kaplan, who represents Natalia in her domestic battery case, said she plans to countersue him in federal court, "now that we see the breadth of this alleged fraudulent activity."
No local criminal charges ever have been filed against either Ilia or Natalia Mogilevsky as a result of any of the real estate dealings.
The new federal lawsuit repeats many allegations made both by Renny's lawsuit and by Natalia Mogilevsky's divorce filing. In it, she said she was a stay-at-home mom, at the insistence of her husband, who "has been secretive about his income, financial dealing, assets and liabilities." She alleged Ilia "misappropriated, dissipated, hypothecated, secreted and/or removed funds and or assets."
At the Nov. 12 bond hearing on the domestic battery arrest, attorney Kaplan told the judge the two fought because the husband had taken Natalia's cellphones, obtained bank account passwords from them and cleaned out the couple's accounts of $110,000.
Rosen said Tamara Filippova, whose husband had been a very successful businessman, and who visits the United States every few years, had been persuaded to invest in American properties. Palm Beach County property records show the mother-in-law as the buyer of the couple's home in December 2013, at $2.05 million, and that she transferred it in April 2014 to a partnership of herself and Natalia.
Rosen said Filippova would wire money to her American bank accounts from her home in Irkutsk, Russia, and from Israel. The daughter then would use her power of attorney to buy properties for the mother. He said Ilia "was never supposed to own anything." But, he alleged, Ilia accessed corporate records and changed all of them to make himself the owner.
The suit also claims Mogilevsky or his corporations defaulted on several mortgages, both before and after he began using his mother-in-law's money, which caused banks to lose tens of thousands of dollars.
Mogilevsky filed in 2010 for federal bankrupcty protection, claiming assets of about $1 million and liabilities of the same. The filing was closed in April 2011. The new lawsuit claims Mogilevsky lied about his assets to the trustee to settle the case.
Rosen, of Palm Beach Gardens, said that after the November divorce filing, Ilia folded many of the Florida entities into two shell companies in Wyoming, because that state's corporate laws made it easier to hide the corporations and their transactions from his wife and others.
The lawsuit alleges Ilia also forged Natalia's signature on numerous documents transferring ownership to him, and then got associates to notarize or witness the fraudulent signatures.
It names Shlomo Ben Ishak, who Rosen identified as Ilia's father and who lives in Israel. The suit said Ben Ishak was a partner with Ilia on some real estate entities.
It lists Frank Cavallino, a Palm Beach County friend of Ilia's, who it says fraudulently clamed to have witnessed Natalia's signature on a document transferring a property to her husband.
It makes the same allegation against Ilia's former office manager, Erikah Bertoloti, of West Palm Beach, whom the suit calls "a paramour" of Ilia.
The suit lists four others in Palm Beach County that it says took part in notarizing fake documents: Kristin Demeritt and Stephanie Reeves, and the Leslie Robert Evans law firm and attorney Jason Evans.
Ben Ishak, contacted in Israel, said in broken English he did not know about the federal lawsuit. Reeves declined comment, as did both Bertoloti and her lawyer. The others did not return calls made to them or their lawyers.
The suit also names a "Jane Doe #1," an attorney it does not identify but who it claims took part in the fraud. It does not elaborate.
Calls to phone numbers for Ilia Mogilevsky either were not returned or the number was disconnected. Attorney Doug Duncan, who has represented Ilia Mogilevsky in the past, and Mark Luttier, Ilia's divorce attorney, did not return calls. Krista Barth, who's representing Natalia in the divorce, said it wouldn't be appropriate to comment on the divorce, and that she's not involved in the federal lawsuit.


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By MORNING SUN SPORTS
EAST LANSING – The CMU softball team improved to 29-15 overall Wednesday as it topped host Michigan State 6-4 from Secchia Stadium.
The Chippewas fell behind 1-0 through three innings before taking a 2-1 lead in the fourth via Chelsea DeLamielleure's two-run homer, her ninth.
After the Spartans (12-30) took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth CMU tallied two-run innings in the fifth and seventh to close the scoring out. In the fifth Trista Cox, who went 3-for-4, singled and moved up a station when CarolAnn Sexauer reached on an error. After a fielder's choice Katelyn Rentschler had a two-run double to tie the game at 4-4.
In the seventh Cory DeLamielleure plated the game winner with a sacrifice fly before Cox singled home another to make it 6-4.
Morgan Yuncker (9-2) got the win as she allowed three earned runs on six hits while walking two and striking out two in seven innings.
CMU returns to action at Bowling Green Friday.


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The Dark Continent
Megan Jenkinson
In October 2005, Megan Jenkinson visited Antarctica as an Arts Fellow courtesy of Antarctica New Zealand and with the support of Creative New Zealand. "The Dark Continent", exhibited at Jonathan Smart Gallery in June 2007, is inspired by that visit. We are presented with the fruits of a lyrical imagination treated to a long and rigorous journey.
In the Atmospheric Optics series, Jenkinson creates aurora above the frozen landscapes. Details of billowing fabric in rich greens, reds and oranges are scanned into digitally blacked out skies - the landscapes below remaining pristine in the clarity of daylight. The effect is operatic and sumptuous. Details of fabric from sources as varied as the Victoria & Albert Museum, and Versailles, float blurred and baffle-like above glacial cliffs, mountains and sea ice. And their format, an unusual 900mm square, place the images quite appropriately I think between both culture and nature. Or between the vertical and horizontal, if you like.
In the Certain Islands works, Jenkinson explores another atmospheric phenomenon of the deep south - the mirage. Southseas explorers discovered, named and plotted on charts, fifteen islands that were in fact mirages - they did not exist. Jenkinson's choice of the lenticular process to describe these flickering and ephemeral landscape presences is perfect. She presents fragments of Antarctica - mountain ranges, peaks such as Erebus, and bare rock outcrops, scanned into seascapes. (For there was no melt of the sea ice near Scott Base in October, 2005.) This digital image is then laminated on to very finely ridged plastic, so that from front on everything is present, but with any change of viewing angle the islands disappear. The two views of Trulskippen are a case in point - a wonderful merging of technique, process and subject matter.
And finally, a word about the crosses viewfinder-like in the landscapes of the Occlusion series I - III. They refer to slits, one horizontal one vertical, that polar explorers like Scott cut into their visors to reduce snowblindness. Light beautiful, yet so brutal. The Polar Night works continue this theme. The intimacy of their detail is still, dry, crystalline and geomorphic. Yet their sense of scale is vast. Such is the nature of beauty interrogated at the bottom of the world.
Jonathan Smart
Selected works
Polar Night I - II, Occlusion I - Polar Platea: Digital prints on watercolour paper (500mm x 690mm, framed). Edition of 5.
Atmospheric Optics I - IV: Digitals print on Hanhamule paper (930mm x 930mm, framed). Edition of 5.
The Instrument of Ice: Digital print on watercolour paper (2800 x 432mm). One of edition of 5, unframed.


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Like a hobbit from Tolkiens novels I have a second breakfast from time to time. Last sunday I had this years first mango and an iced green lemon tea. Perfect combo for a sunny lazy morning on the balcony.
'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'
Green Ice Tea
4 cups Water
2 Tbsp loose Mate green tea + 1 Tbsp loose white tea
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp raw honey
Boil the water and let the tea sit for 4 minutes.
Let it cool down, add honey and lemon.
Place in the fridge and enjoy cold!


text:
For the past, like, three weeks I've been trying to help Blue get her papers and stuff ready so that she can get a passport. As everyone knows, AC is only two months away, and getting over the border lately has been nothing but a BITCH. And with Bluey having no ID other than a birth certificate, the group of us driving to Philly didn't want to take any chances that someone may get denied. Hence the getting her a passport thing, just to be on the safe side.
Now, this would be SO much f*cking easier if she didn't live in bloody hick-ville. I'm not saying that's her fault, it's just frustrating because we are no closer to getting her passport than we were two weeks ago. The plan was that she come down for the weekend, we find people who've known her for two or more years so that they can verify her identity and sign her papers, get her dog her shots in the meantime, and then head over to the Passport office on a weekday so that we can hand in the stuff in person, because it's quicker and safer than doing it by mail.
Except that for the past three weekends, Blue hasn't been able to get any of the Monday's off work, like she wanted to, for reasons of people either scheduling her, or other people taking the same day off before she can get to the book-off book. This is such a load of bull. I hate her work. >.< I don't understand why she can't just go to them and say, "Look, I NEED this Monday off, because I have to go into the city to hand in passport papers." It's IMPORTANT! O.o It's ONE bloody day of the week that she needs, that's all!
And meanwhile she's getting mad at ME for this whole thing, telling me we should have just done it by mail three weekends ago. And you know, she's probably right, but I kept on waiting because she kept telling me that she would get the next Monday off. And then the next Monday off. Not to mention doing it by person is safer and faster, because she has to hand in her original birth certificate if we do it by mail, which means if for SOME reason she DOESN'T get her passport mailed back to her in time, she'll be screwed for ANY type of ID at the border. I am TRYING to do this for her, but sometimes I think she either forgets that, or just doesn't care. >.<
And so here we are three bloody weekends later, and now the only day off she has is Wednesday. I asked her if she was going to come back on Wed then, and she gets mad again, saying that it costs her money to come over every weekend that she doesn't have. _I'm_ not the one who told her to come three weekends in a row, for nothing! I expected that we'd actually get some WORK done! O.o But so far, the only one doing any work is ME. I ran around and found the people she needed to sign her papers. I've been taking care of her dog for the past two weeks, and I got her shots done today as well. All I ask is that she get ONE weekday off so that we can just do this and get it over with. And she gets mad at me for it. >.<
Never mind the fact that she's out, RIGHT now hanging with friends, planning on getting tattoos and a freakin' tongue piercing, (with all the money she claims she doesn't have) and then she'll spend the rest of the weekend sitting in my room complaining about how bored she is, and how she came all this way and we're not going out and doing anything. *smirks*
Oh yeah, and she brought Jay with her again. Now, the first weekend she came over she brought Jay without telling me. It's like, um... thanks, don't tell me you're bringing other company or anything. But I let it slide, since he's like the only new friend she has in Stouffville. But now he's going to be spending the weekend again. *flattens her ears and frowns* I have nothing against the guy, he's really nice. But I'm already pissy about having to cram people in my room as it is. I'm very particular about my space and privacy, so the fact that she's dragged him over a SECOND time without asking me first kind of annoys me a great deal.
This WHOLE thing is just pissing me off, and sometimes I wonder why I try to do nice things for my friends, when all they do is just get pissy with me for it. Gods know I love Bluey. She's been my best friend going on eight years now. But I swear to all that is sensible, at times I just wanna boot her in the head. >.<
Okay... Blue is over now, and we are going to hand in the passport papers NEXT Monday, for SURE! She already has the day booked off. I will kill her if this doesn't happen again. O.


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|Lords Hansard Home Page
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether cargo security controls exist in all English airports. [HL7038]
Earl Attlee: All cargo carried for valuable consideration on aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 10,000 kilograms or more is subject to security controls at all UK airports.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure that primates imported from Asia are not captured from the wild.[HL7069]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): Since 1995 Home Office policy has prohibited the use of wild-caught non-human primates in scientific procedures licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 except where exceptional and specific justification can be established.
The use in regulated procedures of non-human primates obtained from overseas sources is subject to controls intended to support the ban on the use of wild-caught animals. With regard to animals destined for the United Kingdom, the acquisition of each consignment of primates requires prior authorisation which is given only if the breeding centre meets specific qualifying standards of colony management. These include the operation of an effective breeding programme, an adequate system for maintaining individual lifetime records and, where applicable, a policy of reducing dependence on wild-caught animals for future breeding stock.
Information submitted to the Home Office following the acquisition of each batch of non-human primates includes copies of the individual lifetime records that prove that animals have been born in captivity.
With regard to primates imported for other purposes, all primates are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which means that all international, commercial trade in them is strictly regulated. The objective of CITES is not to prohibit all trade in animals and plants but to ensure that it is carried out in a sustainable way that ensures the long-term survival of all species.
Imports of primates are allowed only after a determination has been made by the United Kingdom's scientific advisers that the trade will not have a detrimental impact on the long-term survival of the species in the wild.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many properties allocated for service families' accommodation in the United Kingdom need to be upgraded to reach condition 1.[HL6797]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Our latest data show that 47,383 service family accommodation (SFA) properties in the United Kingdom have been assessed for their standard for condition (SfC), with over 95 per cent of properties now at the top two (of four) condition standards. We regard both standard 1 and standard 2 properties as of a good standard.
At present, around 1,500 assessed properties are below standard 1 or 2 for condition. Properties at the lowest standard, standard 4, are no longer allocated and properties at standard 3 are only allocated when no other option is available. The numbers of properties at each SfC changes constantly as individual homes age or are disposed of. However, this year's upgrade programme will bring at least a further 800 SFA properties up to the highest SfC.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to upgrade and improve single living accommodation for serving members of the Armed Forces.[HL6798]
Lord Astor of Hever: The Government continue to attach a high priority to the quality of life of service personnel and therefore intend to deliver as many new or improved single-living accommodation bed-spaces as possible from efficiencies within the Ministry of Defence.
It is anticipated that in this financial year 2010-11, in excess of 4,000 new bed-spaces will be delivered through various initiatives, including Project Allenby/Connaught and Project Single Living Accommodation Modernisation (SLAM).
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to reduce from six months the length of overseas tours for high-threat bomb disposal operators in Afghanistan and other frontline areas; and, if so, what is the maximum period of time they would consider appropriate for such a tour.[HL6801]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Operational tour lengths across all areas of each of the three services are being considered as part of our Force Generation Review within the Defence Reform Unit alongside the service chiefs. We are aware of the contemporary issue
2 Mar 2011 : Column WA341
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers came to the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years; and whether they have received any European Union aid to assist with costs related to asylum seekers in that time.[HL7151]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): The latest published data on asylum applications are provided in the attached table.
The Home Office publishes information on asylum on a quarterly and annual basis in the Control of Immigration publications. Provisional information on asylum applications is also published monthly in the Monthly Asylum Statistics release. These are available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
The European Union offers financial assistance to participating member states, including the United Kingdom, through the European Refugee Fund and European Return Fund, both of which include asylum seekers within the eligible target group. Asylum seekers may also be supported by European Social Fund prevocational projects.
|Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, by location where made, 2000 to November 2010(1)
|Jan to Nov 2010 (P)
(1) Figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest 5 ( - = 0, * = 1 or 2), and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.
(2) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2000.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed bank levy will lead to a reduction in corporation tax paid by banks; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood of the cost of the levy being passed on to customers.[HL7099]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The bank levy is not deductible for corporation tax purposes so has no direct impact on the level of corporation tax paid by banks. The levy has been designed specifically to target risky short-term funding which led to serious liquidity problems that played a key role in the financial crisis. By design, the levy is not charged on insured customer deposits and only applies at half-rate to uninsured customer deposits (except for those from financial institutions) and funding that has over one year remaining to maturity. The levy therefore ensures that banks make a contribution reflective of the risks they pose to the UK financial system and wider economy. The treatment of deposits also reflects the general desirability of encouraging banks to increase the proportion of their funding from deposits.
The Government are also clear that competition drives efficiency and helps to ensure that consumers are able to access the wide range of financial products that they need. As part of its remit, the Independent Commission on Banking will look at the state of competition in the industry and how customers and taxpayers can be sure of the best deal.
Asked by The Archbishop of York
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of proposed cuts to the BBC World Service; and whether they will provide appropriate funding to ensure a high level of coverage is maintained globally.[HL7127]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made it clear in his Statement to the other place on 26 January 2011 that the BBC World Service, like any other taxpayer-funded body, must ensure that it is working on the right priorities and as efficiently as possible. In the current financial climate, we believe that a 16 per cent cut to the BBC World Budget is a fair deal. It maintains the same proportion of money coming from the FCO since 2008.
The new budgets for the BBC World Service are £253 million/£242 million/£238 million over the first three years of the 2010 spending review period. From 2014-15, funding of the BBC World Service will be transferred to the licence fee.
We share with the BBC a common aim to build on the historic achievements of the World Service and ensure it continues to retain its global influence and reach in a rapidly changing world.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to update licensing arrangements under the Local Transport Act 2008 to allow more use of volunteer and part-time drivers of local bus services. [HL7058]
Lord Shutt of Greetland: Volunteers are able to drive community transport vehicles with up to 16 passenger seats, with some conditions, but without the need for a passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) driver's licence. The conditions are in place to ensure the safety of passengers and other road users, which is consistent with wider road safety policy. Safety is particularly important for large buses and is why a PCV licence is required for vehicles with more than 16 passenger seats. However, the Local Transport Act 2008 removed restrictions on payment, allowing the use of professional drivers for large community transport vehicles.
The ability to allow volunteer drivers without a PCV licence to drive community transport vehicles was a concession secured in a European Union driver licensing directive after UK pressure on behalf of the community transport sector and other not-for-profit minibus operators. We are obliged to comply with European law and therefore limited to what the directive allows.
Asked by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions the Secretary of State for Education has met the Children in Care Council since his appointment.[HL6197]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The Minister with responsibility for looked-after children, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, Tim Loughton MP, met representatives from London Children in Care Councils in November 2010. This was one of a series of meetings the department is organising for the chairs of children in care councils. A meeting will be held in each of the nine English regions by the end of March 2011.
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the young people who would currently qualify for the education maintenance allowance will qualify for payment from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund.[HL6511]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): We are considering the replacement for the education maintenance allowance and want to ensure that the funds we have are targeted on those young people who most need support to enable them to participate in learning. I am not able, at this time, to provide an estimate of the proportion of young people who would currently qualify for an education maintenance allowance who will receive support under the new arrangements.
Asked by Lord King of West Bromwich
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many educational projects have been stopped due to cuts in (a) Birmingham, (b) Coventry, (c) Solihull, (d) Wolverhampton, (e) Walsall, (f) Dudley, and (g) Sandwell; and what was the value of each such project.[HL6766]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): Detailed information about educational projects is held locally. Partnerships for Schools holds information about Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects. Solihull and Wolverhampton's BSF projects were not affected by the Secretary of State's decision to halt the programme. Dudley had not yet entered the programme. Information on the number of BSF projects stopped, as well as the value of each local authority's total scheme is listed below:
Thirteen school projects were stopped. The indicative funding envelope was circa £150 million.
Twenty one school projects were stopped. The indicative funding envelope was circa £430 million.
Six school projects were stopped. The indicative funding envelope was circa £100 million.
Nine school projects were stopped. The indicative funding envelope was circa £160 million
Birmingham, Walsall and Sandwell were in the early stages of the BSF programme and the value of each school project had not been determined. Just three of the Coventry school projects had been given firm funding allocations. These were, Broad Spectrum (PK) and President Kennedy which were co-located and had combined total funding of £53 million and Westwood which had been allocated £12 million.
Partnerships for Schools also holds information on those projects which were due to receive funding from the co-location fund. The funding for Birmingham's co-location project, Stockland Green Young People's Centre, was withdrawn due to the lack of progress and the risk of the project not being completed by the deadline to which the city council had committed itself. Coventry and Wolverhampton's co-location projects were unaffected and Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Solihull did not have co-location projects.
All further education colleges, including those now designated sixth-form colleges, that had capital projects under way and approved at the time of the formation of the coalition Government continue to be fully supported as previously agreed. This means that no further education college capital projects have been stopped as a result of a reduction in government funding.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take account of alternative accreditation to a languages GCSE when awarding the English Baccalaureate.[HL6314]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): For the 2010 performance tables only accredited GCSEs or iGCSEs counted towards the English Baccalaureate measure.
The English Baccalaureate has been designed to give pupils the opportunity to study a core group of academic subjects-English, mathematics, a humanity, the sciences and a language. The Government are concerned that the number of pupils who currently receive a broad education in core academic subjects is far too small, particularly for pupils in disadvantaged areas. We want to encourage more pupils to study these subjects and to open up opportunities for all pupils to have a broad and rounded education. Other qualifications remain viable in their own right and we will encourage all pupils to study non-English Baccalaureate subjects and qualifications alongside the core English Baccalaureate in order to benefit from a well-rounded education.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend local government electoral law in Northern Ireland to remove the requirement for electoral addresses to be personally addressed to each elector.[HL7111]
Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have no plans to remove the requirement for mailings by candidates at district council elections in Northern Ireland to be sent to individual electors in order to qualify for free
2 Mar 2011 : Column WA346
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Baroness Rawlings on 14 February (Official Report, col. 505), how many of the 191 films that were passed by the British Board of Film Classification in 2010 were United Kingdom productions; how many children's films were made in the United Kingdom in 2010; and what proportion of the UK Film Council's budget is spent on children's and young people's films (a) produced in the United Kingdom, and (b) made in the United Kingdom. [HL7146]
Baroness Rawlings: We do not hold statistics for how many of the films passed by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) in 2010 were UK productions. We can only confirm the number of the films which received final certification through the British Cultural Test.
We do not hold statistics for how many children's films were made in the UK in 2010. The figure for the number of films classified by the BBFC in 2010 as suitable for children and young people was given in my oral Answer on 14 February (Official Report, col. 505).
In 2010, the UK Film Council made six grants totalling £113,500 towards children's and young people's films. This works out at 0.757 per cent of the UK Film Council's budget for film funding in that year.
Asked by Lord Corbett of Castle Vale
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether authorisation was (a) sought and (b) given for Serco Group plc to use the headline "Serco Civil Government-At a glance" in an information sheet about services provided for government departments. [HL7042]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Authorisation was not sought for use of the headline in Serco's information sheet about its services to government departments.
It should be noted that suppliers often use a variety of terminology to describe their relationship and business with the public sector.
Asked by Lord King of West Bromwich
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students came to the United Kingdom to study from (a) India, (b) Pakistan and (c) Bangladesh in 2010.[HL7071]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): The table below provides the number of student visas issued in 2010.
|Tier 4 applications
|Pre-PBS Tier 4 cases
|Student visitor visas
These figures are in relation to main applicant only and do not include dependants.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 14 February (WA 112-13), how many educational institutions with transitional B-ratings are on the UK Border Agency's sponsor register; how many of those are private institutions; how many certificates of sponsorship each B-rated college has issued to non-European Economic Area students in the last 12 months; and, in total, how many such colleges are currently subject to a remedial sponsorship action plan.[HL7152]
Baroness Neville-Jones: At 17 February 2011 there were 197 B-rated educational institutions on the UK Border Agency's tier four sponsor register, of which 182 have stated that they are privately funded.
Since February 2010 these sponsors have assigned a total of 23,075 confirmations of acceptance for studies (CAS) to prospective students from outside the European Economic Area.
All B-rated sponsors are subject to a time-limited action plan detailing the measures required to attain A-rating.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to take action in the light of the finding by the International Monetary Fund's Independent Evaluation Office that HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority concealed information from, and put pressure on, the IMF in order to misportray the state of the United Kingdom economy between 2005 and 2007.[HL7120]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government have a very constructive relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was reflected in the nature of discussions with IMF staff during the 2010 Article IV consultation. The Government recognise the important role the IMF plays in its surveillance of its member countries, and welcomes the work of the Independent Evaluation Office and others to identify how this surveillance can be further improved. The Government are looking forward to engaging with IMF staff again during the next Article IV consultation with the UK later this year.
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Kenyan non-governmental organisations received financial and logistical assistance from the United Kingdom or the European Union in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010.[HL7055]
Baroness Verma: The requested information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. The Department for International Development (DfID) and the European Union (EU) fund Kenyan non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through a range of channels, including some in Kenya from the DfID bilateral aid budget, some from centrally managed DfID funds and some from EU civil society funding instruments. A criterion for DfID's centrally managed Civil Society Challenge Fund is that DfID can only fund UK-based organisations, which can then spend money through an implementing partner in-country-there is thus no direct funding to Kenyan NGOs through this channel, but some indirect funding. We do not hold disaggregated data on how much each NGO in receipt of UK funds spends in Kenya.
DfID publishes a projects database (www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DfID/Finance-and-performance/Project-information) which will have increasing levels of detail of all our expenditure, including through NGOs. This is in line with the commitment made by the Secretary of State under the new aid transparency guarantee.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to recognise the part played by civilian workers who maintained the military and police estates during Operation Banner in Northern Ireland. [HL6997]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The support that Ministry of Defence civilians from all sides of the community in Northern Ireland gave during Operation Banner was formally recognised at a reception at No 10 Downing Street in May 2007. A letter from the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, acknowledging the commitment
2 Mar 2011 : Column WA349
This Government wholly endorse these and other efforts to recognise the loyal and dedicated service given by civilian workers during Operation Banner.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 10 February (Official Report, col. 354), what was the total cost of the papal visit falling to the United Kingdom Government; which were the six interested departments referred to; what was the formula for the division of costs between departments set out by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury; what were the actual costs required from each of the departments; and how much of those funds were utilised toward the costs of the visit by each department.[HL6924]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Chief Secretary to the Treasury's formula for splitting costs was as follows: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) should contribute £750,000, and the remaining costs (up to a maximum of £10 million) should be split equally between the Department for International Development (DfID), the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Education and the Department for Communities and Local Government-reflecting the key themes of the visit. The FCO's contribution was lower in recognition of our agreement to take on the role of single budget holder for non-policing costs of the visit, entailing responsibilities well beyond our normal remit.
The five departments each gave the FCO £1.85 million in advance to cover expected costs of £10 million. The actual cost paid by the FCO on behalf of the Government was £6,981,330. The FCO will therefore offer reimbursement to each department of £603,734, apart from DfID, where Ministers agreed the DfID money will be used to help pay for the UK's costs incurred for the New Zealand earthquake humanitarian assistance that has been provided rather than reimbursed.
The Written Ministerial Statement published on 16 February 2011 by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State provides further details. It is available in the Libraries of the House.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the East Coast Mainline East Coast 2016 Capacity Review consultation paper published in August 2010, which says that no distinction is made between open access or franchise operators; and whether they consider that open access operators are marginal cost operators.[HL6620]
Lord Shutt of Greetland: Network Rail's East Coast Capacity Review was carried out as a development of the East Coast Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS). In RUS studies Network Rail has sought to establish the most appropriate service pattern for each route, in particular the appropriate number of long-distance high-speed trains, without making any recommendation as to the identity of the operators of those trains.
The existing charging mechanism approved by the Office of Rail Regulation requires open access operators to pay only the marginal costs-termed variable track access charges-incurred by their trains.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was their role in developing the Eureka timetable for the East Coast Main Line railway due to start in May 2011.[HL7060]
Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Department for Transport set out the broad requirements for the new timetable in its specification for the InterCity East Coast franchise when that franchise was re-let in 2007. The department has facilitated the subsequent development of the timetable by Network Rail and train operators by ensuring that co-ordinated service changes are made by the various operators on the route to deliver the right overall service pattern.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the confidence level of the data that make up the basket of railway fares from which permissible increases in railway fares are measured.[HL5824]
Earl Attlee: Using 2010 fares and revenue data makes the baskets more accurate. There are always small-scale data-quality issues with the number of fares in the system and Department for Transport officials work hard to ensure these are addressed as they arise.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they monitor train operating companies' compliance with the arrangements in the franchise agreements on passenger compensation for delayed train services; and what were the results of that monitoring in 2009 and 2010.[HL6124]
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they monitor the levels of passenger compensation for delayed train services that are issued and subsequently used; and what were the results of that monitoring in 2009 and 2010.[HL6125]
Earl Attlee: Train operating companies pay compensation to passengers for delays and other matters arising from poor service, under the terms of their passengers' charters. The terms of the passengers' charters are approved under their franchise agreements.
Where passengers are dissatisfied with the operator's response, they are advised to contact Passenger Focus, the independent national rail consumer watchdog, appointed by Parliament. Passenger Focus may raise issues with the Department for Transport which have not been resolved to their satisfaction.
The Department for Transport monitors payments from operators to passengers in respect of all claims for compensation but not specifically in respect of delayed services.
The amounts payable under the Passenger's Charter are minimums and operators are free to enhance these minimum payments at their discretion.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the performance of South Eastern Trains during the recent adverse weather conditions and of its performance generally.[HL6621]
Lord Shutt of Greetland: Officials at the Department for Transport monitor South Eastern's performance against its contract on a four-weekly basis: this review includes operational performance and the delivery of committed obligations.
Following the severe winter weather in November and December 2010, the department called for an urgent audit of how transport systems coped during this time. This was carried out by David Quarmby CBE and the results were published on 21 December 2010. Responding to David Quarmby's findings, the department has called on the rail industry to formulate proposals on contingency timetables, real-time information and management of vulnerable third rail systems. The rail industry has also been asked to conduct the review of its operational performance recommended in the results of the audit.
The rail industry's National Task Force will be reviewing operational performance by South Eastern and Network Rail in Kent. This will not be limited to the adverse weather episode. It will also cover general performance levels. The department expects senior figures from the train operator and Network Rail to discuss their findings with the department once this work has been undertaken.
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to lay the School Finance (England) Regulations 2011; and under what procedure the regulations will be approved.[HL6386]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): We laid the regulations on 18 February. They have been laid before Parliament under the negative resolution procedure.
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many academies there are in each local education authority in England.[HL6742]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The number of academies in each local education authority in England can be found on the Department for Education's website at http//www.education.gov.uk/academies. Once on the website click on the link "schools submitting applications and open academies" where the information can be found.
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to give head teachers greater powers to exclude aggressive pupils.[HL6364]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The Government have made it clear that we support heads who permanently exclude pupils who are very disruptive or violent. We are clear that an orderly and safe environment is essential if effective education is to take place.
The Education Bill, introduced on 26 January 2011, will reform the unduly adversarial process which can sometimes follow when a head teacher must, as a last resort, exclude a pupil. It will establish independent review panels to replace the current independent appeal panels with the power to direct a school's governing body to reconsider a decision, but it would not be able to oblige the governors to reinstate the pupil.
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent professional football, including transfer fees, is subject to European Union regulation; and whether they would support any proposals for further regulation in this area by the Commission.[HL7009]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Like other economic activities, professional football is subject to the provisions of European Union treaties across a range of areas, including freedom of movement and the operation of the single market. Subject to those obligations, the
2 Mar 2011 : Column WA353
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that France and the United States are considering deferring the referral of President Bashir to the International Criminal Court.[HL7154]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We are aware of the reports referred to. We have regular discussions with our French, US and other international partners to discuss issues relating to Sudan and the International Criminal Court. On the basis of these discussions, we continue to assess that there are currently no grounds to consider an Article 16 deferral.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote a common European Union foreign and security policy towards the new state of south Sudan.[HL7155]
Lord Howell of Guildford: EU member states regularly discuss Sudan at working level and in the Foreign Affairs Council. The EU has given clear and strong support to the referendum process in Sudan and has strongly supported the Doha peace process on Darfur. The EU maintains an arms embargo on Sudan.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to restore the flow of aid from the European Development Fund to southern Sudan. [HL7156]
Lord Howell of Guildford: We were active in working for a solution to Sudan receiving funding from European Development Fund (EDF) 9 in the absence of their membership of the Cotonou agreement (a treaty between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States). The EU is using €150 million of EDF 9 funding to run projects inside Sudan, including €85 million to the south, focused on support to basic services, governance, food security and the rural economy. Funding is currently being programmed and we are pressing for this to be disbursed as quickly as possible. After independence, we hope to see the Republic of South Sudan sign the Cotonou agreement and therefore become eligible for further European development funding.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to improve co-ordination with France in Sudan in accordance with the agreement made at the 1998 Anglo-French summit in St Malo to "co-operate closely" south of the Sahara.[HL7157]
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK and France engage together on Sudan issues at all levels of government. We work closely both within the EU and the UN Security Council, but also in the Sudan Contact Group (UK, US, France, Norway, Netherlands, Canada and EU) and the E6 Group of Envoys (UK, US, France, Russia, China and EU). We also work bilaterally on issues such as Darfur and the Chad-Sudan relationship.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they played with other European Union member states in supporting and realising a successful outcome to the recent referendum in Sudan.[HL7158]
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has been at the forefront of discussions on Sudan at the Foreign Affairs Council in recent months. Working closely with the High Representative and member states, the UK has helped to provide EU support for the referendum process and for the acceptance of its outcome.
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LAFF: Nomis Review
Mystery crime thrillers have become a rarity in Hollywood these days. Today's audiences focus more on event films than they do with original films. It's a sad reality but it is a reality. Once in a while, we get a mystery crime thriller that graces theaters across the world. Nomis is just the latest iteration of the genre. But does Nomis follow the long line of excellent films or is it simply a mediocre film?
Thankfully, Nomis is an excellent edge of your seat thriller with as many twists and turns as a roller coaster.
Nomis follows Marshall, his police force, and a local vigilante who all get caught up in a dangerous scheme involving the abduction and murder of females.
As a mystery thriller, Nomis excels at keeping you at the edge of your seat. The twists and turns are intense and the main characters are never safe from the killer. This isn't a film where the heroes searching for the killer are safe from harm. The heroes do get hurt in this film, which is something rarely seen in this type of film. The killer isn't in love with the thrill of the chase. Instead, the killer kills for the love of murder.
At the same time, the film is really unpredictable. Even if you've seen a lot of films in this genre, the twists and turns are something that you won't anticipate. This isn't a film that won't out the genre on its head. However, the film will give you enough thrills that'll keep you invested throughout.
Thankfully, the film's twist won't make or break the film. The film doesn't necessarily build up to the reveal. Instead, the film ultimately builds up to the capture and defeat of the villain. However, the twist only enhances the film since it basically makes you dislike the villain even more.
Unfortunately, the film doesn't seem to juggle the characters very well. Smaller supporting characters randomly appear in scenes and are never fully utilized. With as many characters as there are in the film, it was only inevitable. Also, a majority of the characters never really seem to develop in the film. Essentially, the only character that evolves in the film is Marshall.
This is a good thing for Henry Cavill. At the beginning of the film, Cavill gives such a stiff and wooden performance. Seemingly, all of his British charm is just gone. Thankfully, as the film progresses, he begins to show more and more emotion. He's still a stiff but at least he's a stiff that shows some emotion.
Alexandra Daddario gives such a sweet and innocent performance. But she has a quiet ferocity that reveals itself at times during the film. It's definitely a different kind of role for the actress. As always, Ben Kingsley is amazing. He has such a cool and collected manner that he's easily the biggest standout in the film. Not to mention, he steals every scene he's in.
Yet it's Brendan Fletcher that is the biggest surprise in the film. He gives the film such a versatile performance that you have no idea if he really is mentally ill or if he's pulling a Keyser Soze. It's that doubt that drives the intrigue of the story. He practically makes the film what it is.
Overall, Nomis is a really good mystery crime thriller that rides like a roller coaster. There are so many twists and turns that it'll leave you at the edge of your seat until the very end. Not to mention, the film's unpredictability will keep you guessing throughout the film as well.
Rating: 4/5 atoms