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Posts Tagged 'leverage'
Conservatives propose radical changes to banking regulation in UK
There are some dramatic proposals contained in the upcoming white paper from the Conservatrive opposition [UK] this week. They make sense and go to the core of the flexibility that allowed banks to become too speculative. They address leverage, and the investment banking/ retail banking integration challenge. The Conservatives are larely expected to win the next election, sometime in the next 12 months.
Tories say break up the big banks | The Times
He will be clear, however, that the Bank should have powers to order banks and other financial institutions to hold more capital when times are good, so that they are well-placed to cope with the losses that arise during downturns.
These counter-cyclical capital requirements, one version of which was the so-called dynamic provisioning used for Spain's banks, are seen by Mervyn King, the Bank governor, as an essential part of the "macro-prudential" toolkit.
The most controversial part of Osborne's proposals, however, will be his response to the "too big to fail" problem for banks. He is expected to back King's view, set out last month, that large and complex banks that combine retail banking with risky investment banking, should either not have their deposits guaranteed by the taxpayer or be discouraged by even larger capital requirements.
Osborne will make clear that he believes some banks were allowed to become too big. He will give the Bank the powers to intervene – and, if necessary, break up – banks whose size and structure threatens financial stability.
Bank deposits – the hidden risk associated with government guaranteed deposits
The focus on bank financial strength is generally on the lending side of the business and the potential for bad debts. Here is another view, and something that drives some banks to make ever riskier loans to produce enough revenue to pay for their deposits.
For Banks, Wads of Cash and Loads of Trouble | NY Times
The 79 banks that have failed in the United States over the last two years had an average load of brokered deposits four times the national norm
But the hot money also came with a high cost. To lure the money from brokers, banks typically had to offer unusually high rates. That, in turn, often led them to make ever riskier loans, leaving them vulnerable when the economy collapsed. Magnet failed early this year and Security Bank is barely hanging on.
When we assess leverage it is not just the quality of the assets, it is also the cost of the liabilities, which is what deposits are to banks – liabilities with an associated cost.
It is ironic that those deposits that banks are gathering across the US from other than their home state at high rates, are also FDIC insured. So the US taxpayer has been passively promoting banks to take undue risks by gathering high cost insured deposits to fund their mortgage and loan growth.
This is just another element to take into account for The Great Unwinding of leverage in the financial system. The deleveraging that takes place will result in smaller institutions, and much less value attributed to deposits in cash, due simply to a supply that far outstrips demand. The outcome will depend on whether the regulators institute limits on FDIC insurance, limits on brokerage or some hybrid of those.
Relevance to Bankwatch:
One more blow against the old system. A banking business model based purely on arbritrage on interest is not viable, and highly susceptible to risk associated with leverage. This leads to two conclusions:
- Regulation: The unintended consequences of regulation such as deposit insurance are complex, and need to be considered by the regulators. Those unintended consequences could be more expensive in the long run through higher taxes, than the immediate apparent benefit.
- Bank models: Banks have historicaly been arbiters of money between lenders and borrowers. Non Interest revenue from fees has been long considerd considered icing on the cake from interest revenue – essential icing, but nonetheless icing. The new world is smaller and requires efficiency. What if a banking model were built on fee revenue first? This would require products and services that are seen as valuable by consumers, and it would drive different approaches than investment in expensive branches, ATM networks, and staff.
PS: To provide a sense of scale of the problem, a back of the envelope calculation on some Canadian banks where I have an idea about the customer and staff numbers produces a customer to employee ratio of 150:1. A similar cacluation on core banking (primary chequing with that bank) customers to employee ratio brings an incredible 50:1. This hardly suggests that the investments in technology, branches and infrastructure over all the years has been effective. Banks efficiency has been hidden from view by the growth in the financial system. Much more to come on this.
What does recovery mean for Banks?
Banks are at the centre of the economy. Business and consumers conduct their day to day business using money and they do this through banks. Stating the obvious you may say? This is why I study the economy so closely and try to understand how it will look in the future, because that has a direct relation to how banks will look in that future.
We are in a crisis of debt. It is a debt crisis because consumers and businesses are over-leveraged. Their debt is too high relative to todays asset values. Asset values have decreased by 25 – 60% in the West, whereas debt has reduced only minimally.
So what do we see around us that offer substantive clues to our near term future for banks?
- US economy reducing at annual rate of 6.1% – this has to be contrasted to growth rates of 2 – 3% pre crisis, so thats an almost 10% shift being experieinced
- Lithuania today seeing a 12% reduction in its economy
- Germany seeing 5% – 6% and talk of rioting on the streets, which of course will do no good except create panic
- Citibank and Bank of America today finally wisening up to the reality that they cannot grow out of their leveraged position – they must contract out of it by selling stuff
- corporate jets becoming an embarrassment rather than a status symbol
- Allens & Overy (lawyers in the City) introducing a 'cull' of 10%
- 80 – 100% growth in managerial and professional unemployment (UK)
- General Motors in Canada cutting dealerships from 794 down to 400 – 400 within one year
These headlines are all point in one direction. Less is the new reality. No-one knows precisely where the new balance will level off, but it is certainly going to be at a level less thn we saw at the peak in 2007.
A smaller economic base results in less of many other things that probably still have to happen; less restaurants, real estate agents, accountants, grocery stores, plumbers, construction workers, and of course bankers and banks.
Relevance to Bankwatch:
Operating in this new environement will require new thinking and recognition of new opportunities. This will be the time (for banks) to not just accept internet but to insist on internet as a core component of the business to drive efficiencies. It will require fresh looks at old ideas that were squandered away and hidden by the excesses of the good times, eg:
- # of branches required?
- style of branches required- which services will be offerred?
- what is the the role of tellers in the new operating model?
- is it time to eliminate cheques ?
- is it time to bring commercial banking into the and up to the same degree of automation as consumer banking?
- Why is business banking still being done by cheques and deposit books?
- What is the role of Head Office? How many are required to invent bank accounts, mortgages and loans?
In a smaller and more efficient world, new competitors will be prodding away at banks' business model. I watched many of the presentations yesterday at FinovateStartup09 and was struck by how they all in some way chipped away a part of banking from banks. Whether it is Tempo and their de-coupled debit card, or Wesabe and Micronotes pro-actively helping consumers spend wisely, or Prosper and Lending Club introducing "Securitization 2.0′ (online secondary markets with clear line of sight between debtor and creditor), the coming of Web 3.0 is imminent and in a form that banks may not expect nor be prepared for unless they act now.
Bank capital levels around the world are low and sufferring
The IMF report had a spreadsheet in the appendix with bank capital levels around the world.
While it has individual countries, I summarised into this chart. The data shows Capital as a percentage of Assets so higher is good, lower is bad.
Note the negative trends in most except Canada, and this is based on the latest data to end of 2008. Use the thumbnail for a larger version that is clearer.


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Why Index Investing?
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subset: commoncrawl


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1,800 women 'let down' over breast cancer screenings by SNP
Almost 1,800 women have not been invited to their final breast cancer screening session in a serious failure in Scotland's health system, the Scottish Government has admitted.
The then-SNP Health Secretary Shona Robison had told Parliament in May in regards to a similar problem in England that "the issue does not affect the NHS in Scotland" and "patients should be reassured that there are no problems with our breast screening programme records or information technology systems."
However it has now emerged that 1,761 women aged over 71 were not invited to their final screening, some of whom should have been screened as long as three years ago.
David Stewart, Labour's health spokesperson said the admission would be "deeply distressing" to patients.
"It is vital that those women who are overdue their final screening receive one as quickly as possible." he said.
"I was in Parliament in May when the-then SNP Health Secretary Shona Robison said that there was no issue in Scotland's breast cancer screening programme. We now know that was not the case and that almost 1,800 women have been badly, and potentially fatally, let down."
"If the government can be wrong on an issue as crucial as this, then many members of the public will rightly wonder if there are additional diagnostic screening failures in the NHS."
"SNP Health Secretary Jeane Freeman must now quickly establish why this failure occurred and how many women have been subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer after missing their screening."
In a statement, the Jeane Freeman said that: "I know this will be a worrying time for the women affected and I apologise fully for any distress caused."
"The women are being contacted as a priority and resources have been put in place to ensure they are screened promptly and offered any wider support needed."


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How to Remove a Wall Oven
Most major appliances plug into a wall outlet either directly behind the appliance, or in the case of the dishwasher, directly beneath the sink. If the appliance is hardwired, you can move the appliance away from the wall far enough to access the connection without much effort. A built-in wall oven is a bit more challenging. It takes more than one person to remove a wall oven, and you simply can't slide it from the wall cabinet. Be prepared to increase your flexibility when accessing the rear of the wall oven.
Turn off the breaker to your wall oven. Place a piece of tape across the breaker in the "OFF" position to ensure a family member does not turn on the breaker. Alternatively, leave a note on the breaker box letting your family know you are working with the electricity.
Ensure the electricity is disconnected by turning on the wall oven. Hold a noncontact voltage tester inside the oven near where the heating element connects to the back wall of the oven. The power is off if the tester does not flash or emit an alarm.
Remove the wall oven doors. Depending on your make and model, the doors may slide up and off the hinges, have hinge locks or the door attaches to the hinges with screws. If your oven door attaches to the hinges with screws, remove the screws before lifting the door up and off the hinges. The hinge locks are above the hinges and against the oven wall. Slip a flathead screwdriver between the lock and the wall. Pry the lock away from the oven and rotate it toward the oven door. Lift the oven door off of the oven.
Look for any separate trim pieces attached around the oven. Often these trim pieces are along the bottom of the wall oven. Remove the screws from the trim pieces and set the trim pieces aside.
Remove the remaining screws around the exterior edge of the wall oven to release it from the wall. Ask an assistant to help you slide the oven from the wall far enough to access the electrical wires.
Hold the tester against the electrical wires to double-check for a live current. Cut the wires if you are replacing this oven, using wire cutters. Alternatively, trace the wires to the electrical box on the wall behind the wall oven if you are not replacing the unit.
Remove the screws holding the cover plate onto the electrical box behind the wall oven. Untwist the wire connectors holding the oven's wires to the electrical wires in the box. Disconnecting the wires releases the wall oven and allows you to completely remove it from the wall.
Replace the wire connectors onto the electrical wires inside the electrical box on the wall. Use pieces of electrical tape to secure the connectors onto the wires.
Noncontact voltage tester
Flathead screwdriver
Phillips screwdriver
Wire cutters
Electrical tape
Things You Will Need
Using pieces of electrical tape to secure the connectors onto the wires after the wall oven is removed is strictly for safety. It is unnecessary if you are immediately replacing your wall oven.
Things Needed
- Tape
- Noncontact voltage tester
- Flathead screwdriver
- Phillips screwdriver
- Wire cutters
- Electrical tape
- Using pieces of electrical tape to secure the connectors onto the wires after the wall oven is removed is strictly for safety. It is unnecessary if you are immediately replacing your wall oven.


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The 72 clubs will vote on Dec 18 whether four "home-grown players'' should be included in every match-day 16 from next season.
Yesterday's announcement is, at the very least, a clever political move by the League's chairman, Lord Mawhinney. Following his well-publicised dispute with the Football Association's Sir Trevor Brooking over the pace and funding of youth development, Mawhinney's "home-grown'' move will highlight the League's determination to take action.
Of the 23 players who flew with Fabio Capello to Berlin, 14 spent all or part of their formative years at Football League clubs. David James and Ashley Young began at Watford. Jermain Defoe and Scott Parker were first noticed at Charlton Athletic. Wayne Bridge and Theo Walcott went through Southampton's Academy.
Two goalkeepers, Scott Carson and Paul Robinson, started at Leeds United. Others include Micah Richards (who commenced his career at Oldham Athletic), Joleon Lescott (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Gareth Barry (Brighton and Hove Albion) and Darren Bent (Ipswich Town).
Luton Town helped nurture Curtis Davies and Matthew Upson (as well as the Arsenal starlet Jack Wilshere).
"Fourteen of the 23-man England squad that beat Germany were developed by youth-development programmes at Football League clubs,'' Mawhinney said. "Looking ahead, we want to increase that proportion even further.''
Mawhinney's clubs can also take pride in helping nurture nine of the 20 players called up by Stuart Pearce for England Under-21s game with Czech Republic last week.
Those League clubs with a good track record for bringing on youth include Wolves, Charlton, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Bury, Watford and Southampton, among others.
The League have also been forced to act because of the rising tide of foreigners flowing into the Championship, even into League One and Two. Some Championship clubs have more than 40 per cent of their playing staff hailing from abroad.
Reading do develop players but they also employ a polyglot squad, including players from Mali, Iceland, Nigeria, Cameroon and Australia. Burnley boast recruits from Peru, Norway, Iceland, Albania and Hungary.
If passed by the clubs at the extraordinary meeting at Pride Park, Mawhinney's proposal places the League in a good position for when significant foreigner quotas come into football, particularly Uefa's age-based demands.
The League rule would require clubs' 16-man match-day squads to have four players "to have been registered domestically, for a minimum of three seasons, prior to their 21st birthday''. Fifa's nationality-based "six-plus-five'' proposition has run into problems under European law.
"We believe it is time for the Football League to make an unequivocal statement of intent about the importance of developing young players in the domestic game,'' Mawhinney added. "The aim is to establish this principle by setting a threshold that our clubs can accommodate and then to consider raising that level over time.
"It is important we demonstrate that, as a body of clubs, our commitment to youth development is total. Therefore, not only are we pulling out all the stops to develop these young players, we are also ensuring that they have the opportunity to show their talent in the first team.
"Local fans watching locally-developed players at their local club is at the very heart of what the Football League is all about. I believe that by introducing this rule League clubs, once again, will be taking a lead that others will want to follow.''
Whether Premier League clubs rush to adopt a similar system remains to be seen.
England (v Germany, Nov 19, 2008):
14 players out of 23
David James (Watford) now Portsmouth
Scott Carson (Leeds) now West Brom
Paul Robinson (Leeds) now Blackburn
Micah Richards (Oldham) now Manchester City
Wayne Bridge (Southampton) now Chelsea
Curtis Davies (Luton) now Aston Villa
Joleon Lescott (Wolves) now Everton
Matthew Upson (Luton) now West Ham
Gareth Barry (Brighton) now Aston Villa
Ashley Young (Watford) now Aston Villa
Theo Walcott (Swindon & Southampton) now Arsenal
Jermain Defoe (Charlton) now Portsmouth
Darren Bent (Ipswich) now Tottenham
Scott Parker (Charlton) now West Ham
Under-21s (v Czech Republic, Nov 18, 2008):
Nine out of 20
Joe Lewis (Norwich) now Peterborough
Ryan Bertrand (Gillingham) now Chelsea
Martin Cranie (Southampton) now Portsmouth
Kyle Naughton (Sheffield United)
Richard Stearman (Leicester) now Wolves
Michael Kightly (Southend) now Wolves
Aaron Lennon (Leeds) now Tottenham
Fabian Delph (Bradford City & Leeds)
Adam Lallana (Southampton)


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Consideration of "Marat" to Ministry of Information Postponed to 8 July
On 1 July Judge of the Supreme Economic Court of Belarus Valery Shobik postponed consideration of suit of the Unitarian enterprise "Marat" to the Ministry of Information to 8 July.
By its suit "Marat" complaint against the warning of the Ministry of Information of 21 May for a series of publications, entitled "Afghan Greyhounds" and the article "Magic Crystal", published in March, in No. 3 (14). According to the warning, the mentioned materials "contained untrue information, which contradicts to Articles 32 and 40 of the Law "On press".
The lawyer Siarhey Pratasavitski presented "Marat" interests in court. The defendants in the case were Aliaksey Lukhverchyk, main juridical consultant of the Ministry of Information, and Liliya Bohdan, Head of the main juridical board. Grounding their position, they simply referred to the determination of the Prosecutor's Office of Belarus "About liquidation of law violations in press and other mass media", that brought the warning. The defendants said that they didn't doubt in the competence of the Prosecutor's Office and had no obligation to check its objectivity.
According to Article No. 3 of the Economic Process Code of Belarus, in such cases State bodies have to prove legality of its non-normative acts that are complained against. However, Judge decided to postpone the trial and obliged the newspaper founders to find evidence that the newspaper information was true". That's why on 8 July not the Ministry of Information, but the editorial office of "BDG. Dlya Sluzhebnogo Polzovaniya" will have to prove its innocence.


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Oct 20, 2012 9:20 AM GMT
I myself prefer being a top, but I will bottom out of fairness, although on occasion ill willingly bottom for pleasure, but thats rare. He is not willing to compromise. he loves me & I love him but He only blames me for the problems in our relationship.
I believe that there is 2 men in this relationship, not 1. If he wants a 100% bottom he should go find a woman. I find this unfair to me, and he also threatens to End it with me, even though he himself Cannot Bring himself up to do it, and Neither can I because we are sad when we are apart from each other.
I told him that I cant be a 100% bottom my whole life & That I would end up cheating on him and getting butt from someone else on the Side . That didnt go well with him, but He is just as responable, because he refuses to do anything to Prevent it. Its selfish.


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What Are Living Trust Scams
What Are Living Trust Frauds
A. Living Trusts As you know, a living trust is a legal arrangement where an individual, called the"grantor, "positions his possessions into a trust throughout his lifetime. The trust is administered by a "trustee" for the advantage of the trust's recipients. The grantor may be a trustee and a beneficiary of the trust. Living trusts are a widely acknowledged and legitimate estate preparation device. Since assets transferred to the trust are no longer owned by the grantor, at the grantor's death, the assets are not part of the grantor's estate and do not have to be probated. Accordingly, a living trust can avoid exactly what might be a pricey, lengthy process. Whether this is a significant advantage differs by the size of the estate and by state and area; for little estates, numerous states have an informal probate process that reduces expense and delay. Whether a living trust is an appropriate estate preparation tool relies on an individual's situations and goals, and state laws.
B. Scams Involving Living Trusts
False information and misconception about probate and estate taxes supply a ripe environment for scam artists to victimize older consumers' worries that their estates will be eaten up by expenses, which circulation of their possessions to enjoyed ones will be long postponed. Some unscrupulous organisations promote workshops on living trusts or send out postcards inviting customers to call for in-home consultations, ostensibly to discover whether a living trust is best for them. A common practice is to greatly exaggerate the advantages of living trusts and falsely claim that locally-licensed attorneys will prepare the documents. In some circumstances, consumers send out money for living trust kits but receive absolutely nothing. In others, the offer of estate preparation services is simply a ruse to access to consumers' monetary info and to sell them other financial items, such as insurance coverage annuities. These practices may break federal securities laws, in addition to other laws.
Lots of state Attorneys General and other authorities, such as disciplinary or complaint committees of state or city bar associations, have taken enforcement actions against living trust scammer. Some cases have actually been brought under state Unfair and Misleading Acts and Practices laws. Others have actually been prosecuted as the unauthorized practice of law since the salesmen were not attorneys. Even in circumstances where there may be some lawyer evaluation, it might be inadequate to render the activity legal. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission also has prosecuted business claiming to provide estate preparation services, such as living trusts, for breaking the securities laws through deceptive investment plans targeting senior citizens.


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Winner: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority - Prince Harry
In August 2012, Prince Harry visited Las Vegas for a personal vacation. During his stay, he enjoyed the company of friends in his hotel suite. The evening consisted of a game of strip billiards, and just a few days later, images were splashed across media outlets worldwide. This posed a problem for the destination that promises to keep people's secrets safe. Media outlets not only ran the Prince Harry photo leak, but also discussed the validity of Las Vegas' claim of "What Happens Here, Stays Here."
The PR response was constructed to reassure potential visitors that they could visit the destination without their actions being shared with the public, while also calling upon audiences to re-commit or make a pledge to "know the code"—and ultimately, reminding audiences that Las Vegas is the ultimate adult destination.
Within hours of first learning about the leaked photos story, R&R Partners and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority had developed a plan and started working on quotes regarding the situation, a graphic to be used on the Las Vegas Facebook wall, Twitter messaging and hashtag and a full-page USA Today ad. While it would take time to design, gain client approval and confirm a contract for an ad in USA Today, PR quickly released a statement to outlets already covering the story, as well as additional targeted media, to gain traction in the conversation and start to steer messaging to the destination and away from the photos.
On day 2, a graphic displaying the slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On, Harry" was released on Facebook and sponsored Twitter messages pushed the hashtag "KnowTheCode," which drove traffic to the "Know the Code" microsite, where fans could pledge to keep Las Vegas secrets secret.
Honorable Mentions:
- Cohn & Wolfe for U.S. Olympic Committee - The Team Behind the Team: Inspiring Americans to Help 'Raise Our Flag'
- ECU Communications - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Self Check Launch
- Griffin Strategies - LBJ Express
- General Electric – Txchnologist


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Cissy is wearing a delightful net replaced teddy with Cissy type shoes and silk hair bow. Beautiful doll and all set to dress or display.
Smoke free home and Thanks for Looking. Refer to item by NUMBER. The item "Madame Alexander 1950's Brunette CISSY Doll 20 STUNNING" is in sale since Wednesday, February 21, 2018.
This item is in the category "Dolls & Bears\Dolls\By Brand, Company, Character\Madame Alexander\Vintage (Pre-1973)\1948-59". The seller is "vsfay" and is located in Mendon, Massachusetts.This item can be shipped worldwide.


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Sunday, September 30, 2012
Kiowa town trustee kicked off board for failing to take open government training
A Kiowa town trustee was removed from the board because he failed to undergo mandatory training that includes the state's open government laws, the McAlester News-Capital reported last week.
Ray Goss had one year from the date he was elected in April 2011 to take the training, which is offered by the Oklahoma Municipal League.
Newly elected and appointed municipal officials must undergo the daylong training in their first year of office or they "shall cease to hold the office." (OKLA. STAT. tit. 11, § 8-114(A)(C)(E))
The curriculum includes municipal budget requirements, the Open Meeting Act, the Open Records Act, ethics, procedures for conducting meetings, conflict of interest, and purchasing procedures. (§ 8-114(C))
Because Goss continued to serve on the board past April, the town's newly appointed attorney is reviewing all motions and votes Goss made.
"We are now going to have to re-look at all the decisions the board made since April," said John Thomas.
Mayor Janelle Beaver announced Goss' departure from the board during Monday's regular meeting of the Kiowa Board of Trustees.
The McAlester News-Capital reported that other trustees asked Thomas if Goss could be reappointed after taking the training.
The newspaper paraphrased Thomas as saying the purpose of the law is not to find a way around it but to cause municipal officials to be responsible for their position.
"We need to follow the law," Thomas said. "That was the intention of the legislature."
Kudos to Thomas for that answer.
The Oklahoma Municipal League website lists officials who have completed the training.
Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, or its board of directors. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.
OKC police refuse to identify officer who fired gun in his home, taken to hospital for mental health check
Oklahoma City police officials won't tell the public which of its officers fired a gun in his house Thursday when other officers responded to a call that he was acting strangely, The Oklahoman reported Saturday.
The officer was taken to a hospital for a mental health check, the newspaper was told.
The officer's wife called police about 3:50 p.m. Thursday to report that he was talking and acting strangely at their house in the 12700 block of South Robinson Avenue., which runs behind Santa Fe Elementary School. I am told that the school was locked down during the incident.
The Oklahoman reported that among those responding was the department's tactical team, which remained on standby while other officers investigated.
The officer fired at least one gunshot into the floor of his home, The Oklahoman was told.
The department's public information officer said he wasn't arrested because police don't know if a crime occurred. Capt. Dexter Nelson told the newspaper:
He can shoot up his house all that he wants to. If he has a firearm in his house and shoots up his house and isn't endangering anyone else, that's not necessarily a crime. We have people shoot guns inside their homes all the time, and they aren't arrested.Wow!
But Oklahoma City's Municipal Code says discharging a firearm in the city is a misdemeanor. (Ch. 30, Art. X, § 30-308)
A state statute makes it a felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison, "for anyone to willfully or intentionally discharge any firearm or other deadly weapon at or into any dwelling, or at or into any building used for public or business purposes." (OKLA. STAT. tit. 21, § 1289.17A)
Nelson said the officer is on administrative leave and the department's internal affairs unit is investigating whether a crime occurred.
Nelson refused to release the officer's name, blaming that decision on city attorneys.
The state Open Records Act requires police to release "initial offense report information showing the offense, date, time, general location, officer, and a brief summary of what occurred." (OKLA. STAT. tit. 21, § 24A.8(A)(3))
The statute allows police to release other information on an incident. (§ 24A.8(B))
But Nelson told the newspaper:
You have already provided a 'brief summary' of the incident. Additional details are not required. Since the subject was not taken to jail, arrestee information does not exist.The bottom line is that Oklahoma City Police Department officials don't want the public to know which of their officers fired a gun in a residential neighborhood and then was taken to a hospital to have his mental health evaluated.
Nothing in the Open Records Act prohibits police from releasing the name as part of the incident report.
The name of anyone who fires a gun in a residential area should be included in the summary of what occurred. It's even more important because it was a police officer who fired a weapon close to an elementary school.
"Police officers must be held to a higher standard of moral and ethical values then[sic] is expected of the average person. Police officers need the trust and respect of the public to perform their duties and responsibilities effectively." (Richard W. DeShon, Police Officers Oath of Office and Codes of Ethics: A Question of Knowledge, 2000)
Instead, Oklahoma City police officials are twisting the Open Records Act to create a loophole so they can hide which of their officers fired his weapon in a neighborhood while acting strangely.
The City Council should expect police officials to be more forthright with its citizens.
Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, or its board of directors. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Woodward Industrial Foundation challenges DA opinion that it's a public body
A district judge is expected to rule by Friday on whether the Woodward Industrial Foundation must comply with the state Open Meeting Act.
The foundation is challenging Woodward County District Attorney Hollis Thorp's recent opinion that it is a public body subject to the Open Meeting Act.
Judge Paul K. Woodward heard arguments in the case last Monday. Attorneys for the foundation and Thorp were expected to submit their written legal arguments today. (Woodward Indust. Found. v. Oklahoma, CV-2012-00058 (Woodward Co. Sept. 10, 2012))
In a letter to the foundation on Aug. 28, Thorp provided no explanation for his conclusion.
WIF Board Chairman Alan Case II disagreed with Thorp, telling the Woodward News that the foundation receives public funding through "contracts with the City of Woodward to provide economic development and business recruitment services."
That would mean the foundation is not a public body under a 2002 attorney general opinion, which said, "Private organizations which contract with a governmental body and are reimbursed for identifiable goods or services are not public bodies under the Act." (2002 OK AG 37, ¶ 17)
"Receiving payment from public funds for performing specific services or providing goods pursuant to a contract is not the same as being 'supported' by public funds," the opinion agreed. (Id. ¶ 15)
In contrast, the opinion said, a private organization would be supported by public funds if
It did not submit itemized invoices for services rendered to receive public funds but instead received a direct allocation of public funds andThe question is whether the Woodward Industrial Foundation receives public funds to operate regardless of what it does or receives a payment for performing specific services. The former meaning it is subject to the Open Meeting and Open Records laws. The latter meaning it's not.
There was no direct relationship to the amount of services performed by the private entity and the funds it was allocated because the entity received funds regardless of whether it performed services. (Id. ¶ 18)
Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, or its board of directors. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.
Friday, September 14, 2012
First Amendment Congress essay contest for high school students
Oklahoma high school students can win up to $300 in the 2012 Zach Taylor First Amendment Congress Essay Contest.
This year's theme: In your opinion, what is the greatest threat to First Amendment freedoms in this day and age?
Students are encouraged to do factual research on the topic, but to write creatively and personally, rather than to write a report.
Essays should be about 500 words, typed and double-spaced. Grammar and spelling will be considered.
Entries must be received by 5 p.m., Oct. 11. Email entries to Dr. Vickie Williams at email@example.com. Click here for more details.
First prize is $300. Second- and third-place winners will receive $200 and $100, respectively.
Winners will be recognized at FOI Oklahoma's 14th annual First Amendment Congress on Oct. 31 at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Among the speakers will be Adam Goldstein, attorney advocate for the Student Press Law Center. He will discuss current First Amendment issues for high school students and teachers.
The registration deadline is Oct. 25. Click here for details.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Does allowing only Oklahoma Bar Association members online access to court documents in 64 counties violate the Open Records Act?
The Oklahoma Supreme Court will decide whether a state contractor's practice of allowing only Oklahoma Bar Association members to download court documents in 64 counties violates the Open Records Act, the Tulsa World reported today.
Everyone can access those cases for free through KellPro's On Demand Court Records system, but only bar association members can download the accompanying documents. KellPro charges them a subscription of $50 per month or $600 per year.
Everyone not a member of the bar association has to drive to those county courthouses during business hours Monday through Friday (except government holidays) to get copies.
KellPro and Mike Evans, administrative director of the courts, disagreed on why KellPro restricts access to documents to bar association members.
KellPro's ODCR website tells non-OBA members trying to download records:
While we would prefer to provide the same great access to everyone, we are not permitted to do so at this time. ... We are currently governed by contract with the Administrative Offices of the Courts and the Oklahoma Supreme Court to limit access to active members of the Oklahoma Bar Association.The Supreme Court signed a $1 million contract in August 2009 with KellPro Inc. to get data from the courts it serves ready for conversion to a new system in which records from all 77 counties will be available online to everyone for free.
So far, all requests that have been made to the AOC regarding access to the scanned court documents have been denied. Any questions or concerns regarding this limitation should be directed to the Administrative Offices of the Courts.
We are not allowed to authorize exceptions, and we cannot grant access to an individual Oklahoma District Court.
The Tulsa World noted that KellPro's state contract specifies "any efforts by KellPro to market, sell, publish, or disseminate court information, including but not limited to providing paid access to case dockets or imaged court documents, through a commercial subscription ... must be authorized, in advance, by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma."
Evans told the newspaper that the clause was added before the contract was signed because KellPro had already begun to sell subscriptions to bar members and bulk data to several entities without the Supreme Court's permission.
The Supreme Court unanimously issued an administrative directive in October 2009 barring bulk distribution of electronic case information. That decision seemed to violate the Open Records Act by limiting access to electronic records.
The court did not tell KellPro to stop selling the online access subscription to bar association members.
The Tulsa World asked Evans why the court didn't use its contractual authority to order KellPro to stop selling subscriptions only to OBA members. "I can't answer that because I wasn't in the room," he said.
One thing is clear: Court case records are subject to the Open Records Act.
"Although the definition of 'public body' contained within the Open Records Act does not encompass judges or Justices generally, the Act's definition of 'records' does include documents filed of record in court proceedings," the Oklahoma Supreme Court said in 2002. (Nichols v. Jackson, 2002 OK 65, ¶ 1)
The Court of Criminal Appeals had come to a similar conclusion a year earlier. The majority had noted the purpose of the Open Records Act, its definition of public body and that the statute provides that "[a]ll records of public bodies and public officials shall be open to any person for inspection, copying, or mechanical reproduction during regular business hours." (Nichols v. Jackson, 2001 OK CR 35, ¶ 8)
"The Act also states that boards and courts fall under its definition of 'public body', and therefore are subject to its provisions," the majority explained. (Id. ¶ 9)
The records at issue, "being documents and papers coming into the custody and control of the Supreme Court in connection with the transaction of the public business of the criminal prosecution …, fall within the purview of the Act," the majority said. (Id. ¶ 10)
"Unless the records fall within a statutorily prescribed exception in the Act, the Act requires the records be made available for public inspection and copying," the majority concluded. (Id.)
The dissenting judge agreed, saying, "Oklahoma's Open Records Act clearly applies on its face to the courts." (Id. ¶ 4 (Chapel, J., dissenting))
So why should only members of the Oklahoma Bar Association be granted online access to court records?
Meanwhile, the public continues to pay for the creation of the new system, which is at least six months to one year behind schedule, the Tulsa World noted.
Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, or its board of directors. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Is DA correct that Woodward Industrial Foundation must comply with Open Meeting Act?
Woodward County District Attorney Hollis Thorp has deemed the local industrial foundation a public body subject to the Open Meeting Act, the Woodward News and The Oklahoman reported today.
Thorp's decision was "based on Oklahoma case law and the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act itself as well as previous Attorney General opinions on the Open Meeting Act," he told the Woodward News.
"There were many bases for this. One was that they do receive a large amount of taxpayer funds. Also case law says that the Open Meeting Act should be construed liberally toward openness," he said.
Thorp told the newspaper he would not file criminal charges against the Woodward Industrial Foundation's board for not having complied with the Open Meeting Act prior to his opinion.
"At that point in time I'm sure they felt like they were abiding by the law and I hadn't yet issued an opinion, so it's not fair to hold them accountable in the past," he said.
However, the Woodward Industrial Foundation disagrees with Thorp's determination that it is a public body.
"The Foundation was organized as a private, not-for-profit entity. The Foundation is not part of the City of Woodward and has never been an instrumentality of the City of Woodward," WIF Board Chairman Alan Case II told the Woodward News in a prepared statement.
Case pointed out that the foundation receives public funding through "contracts with the City of Woodward to provide economic development and business recruitment services."
A 2002 attorney general opinion said, "Private organizations which contract with a governmental body and are reimbursed for identifiable goods or services are not public bodies under the Act." (2002 OK AG 37, ¶ 17)
"Receiving payment from public funds for performing specific services or providing goods pursuant to a contract is not the same as being 'supported' by public funds," the opinion agreed. (Id. ¶ 15)
It explained:
For example, a contract between a private organization and a governmental agency may be strictly a reimbursement-for-services (or goods) contract. In the case of reimbursement-for-services, the terms of the contract usually make such an arrangement clear by stating that the private organization will be reimbursed for actual expenses up to a maximum amount for a certain period. To recover its expenses, the private organization submits claims to the governmental agency, detailing the services provided. In such contracts, private organizations provide services in the same way an architect, engineer, or other professional would. Similarly, a private organization may have a reimbursement contract to provide goods to a governmental entity. (Id. ¶ 13)"Given the multitude of State contracts issued for both goods and professional services, it cannot be the intent of the Act that every private organization, either for-profit or non-profit, which receives payments for its goods or services from public funds becomes a public body subject to the Act," the opinion said. (Id. ¶ 17)
In either type of reimbursement contract, the organizations are merely contractors or vendors of goods or services. In some cases, the legislature may appropriate the contract amount to a governmental agency specifically for the purpose of reimbursing a private organization for its goods or services, much as the municipalities appropriated funds to the public trusts for eventual payment to non-profit corporations in A.G. Opin. 80-215. The question is whether receiving payment for goods or services from public funds in the type of reimbursement contracts mentioned above, constitutes being "supported in whole or in part by public funds." (¶ 14)
In contrast, private organizations that "receive appropriations from the legislature or grants of public funds which subsidize their operations would likely qualify as 'supported in whole or in part by public funds,'" the opinion said. (Id. ¶ 11)
It explained:
Some contractual relationships, however, are not based strictly on reimbursement for goods or services. For example, in Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Ass'n v. Indianapolis Newspapers, Inc., 577 N.E.2d 208, 210 n.2, 213-14 (Ind. 1991), the court held that a private entity established to promote and publicize the city's convention and visitor industry was subject to the state sunshine laws because:So the question is whether the Woodward Industrial Foundation receives public funds to operate regardless of what it does or receives a payment for performing specific services. The former meaning it is subject to the Open Meeting and Open Records laws. The latter meaning it's not.
(1) the private entity did not submit itemized invoices or claims for services rendered to receive public funds, but instead received a direct allocation of public funds from the local hotel-motel tax, as well as free office and meeting space, furniture, and equipment from a governmental entity; and
(2) there was no quid pro quo or direct relationship to the amount of services performed by the private entity and the funds it was allocated, because the entity received funds regardless of whether it performed services. (Id. ¶ 18) (emphasis added)
Case told the newspaper that the foundation was reviewing its legal options and would "respond to the District Attorney's letter as it deems appropriate."
Thorp was hesitant to say he would file criminal charges against the WIF board if it fails to comply with the Open Meeting Act.
"I have to look at that when or if it happens," he told the Woodward News. "If there is a willful violation of the act, it is a misdemeanor. But it has to be shown that it was done willfully, not just an oversight."
However, the Open Meeting Act doesn't excuse "oversights" by a public body told to comply with it.
A crime would exist simply be virtue of not complying with the statute. Criminal intent doesn't have to be proved. (See Hillary v. State, 1981 OK CR 78, ¶ 5)
Thorp need only prove a willful failure to comply, which the state Supreme Court said "does not require a showing of bad faith, malice, or wantonness, but rather, encompasses conscious, purposeful violations of the law or blatant or deliberate disregard of the law by those who know, or should know the requirements of the Act." (Rogers v. Excise Bd. of Greer County, 1984 OK 95, ¶ 14)
Even a vote taken in "good faith" could be found to be a willful violation, the state Court of Civil Appeals said in 1981. (Matter of Order Declaring Annexation, 1981 OK CIV APP 57, ¶¶ 24-25)
The Woodward News said received a copy of Thorp's opinion today. Here is the entire letter:
August 28, 2012 HAND DELIVEREDWhile I'm glad that Thorp came down on the side of openness, I'm not sure he is correct. How did he apply the 2002 attorney general opinion and how does the Woodward Industrial Foundation receive public funding? Those are the key questions.
Cody Hodgden, Esquire
Hodgden, Hallren, & Hodgden
1002 9th Street
Woodward, OK, 73801
Dear Mr. Hodgden:
As I believe you are aware, the Woodward County District Attorney's Office has received an inquiry with regard to whether the Woodward Industrial Foundation is subject to the requirements of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. (25 O.S. § 301-314). Following receipt of the inquiry, an investigation was conducted at my request by District Attorney Investigator, Steve Tanio. That investigation is now complete. In addition to the results of this investigation, I have also reviewed information and documents provided by Cody Hodgden, as attorney for the Foundation.
After careful review, it is my conclusion that the Woodward Industrial Foundation is a "public body" as that term is defined in § 304 of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and is therefore subject to the requirements of that Act. It is also my conclusion that any violation of those requirements by the officers, board members, employees, or agents of the Foundation prior to the delivery of this letter were not "willful" and therefore not subject to the criminal penalties provided for in 25 O.S. § 314. However, from the date of the delivery of this letter it is my expectation that the Foundation and all individuals acting on behalf of the Foundation will fully comply with the requirements of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. Thank you for your cooperation.
Hollis E. Thorp
District Attorney
Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, or its board of directors. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Judge grants public access to criminal case filed against an Enid attorney
Grady County District Judge Richard Van Dyck on Tuesday granted the Enid News & Eagle's request to unseal court records of a felony perjury charge filed and later dismissed against Enid attorney Eric Edwards.
"The court finds the newspaper has a First Amendment right to publish the news as it finds it," Van Dyck said. "The public needs to know what its elected officials are up to. The public has a right to know."
Van Dyck also rejected requests by Edwards' attorney, Stephen Jones, to close Tuesday's hearing to the public, the Enid News & Eagle reported.
The newspaper did not receive the case records from the Major County court clerk Tuesday afternoon because Van Dyck's order unsealing it had not been received.
District Judge Ray Dean Linder had sealed the case the day the charge was filed in May.
The 71-year-old judge gave no reason other than he was the judge in the case and "because in my professional opinion it deserved to be sealed." Linder also told the newspaper at the time that the case would "remain sealed until I say it shouldn't be sealed."
The Oklahoma Supreme Court reassigned the case from Linder to Van Dyck in June. Major County District Attorney Hollis Thorp also recused his office from the matter, so prosecution was assigned to Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater.
Van Dyck dismissed the charge against Edwards in July after Prater said the case lacked merit.
The Enid News & Eagle filed motions to intervene in the case for the purpose of filing a motion to unseal the case record and to lift Linder's order sealing the case.
News & Eagle Publisher Jeff Funk raised serious questions about why Linder had become involved in the case and said the manner in which the case was sealed gave the impression of partiality and undue secrecy.
"It looks like preferential treatment for Edwards, an attorney, to have a criminal charge against him kept confidential even though charges against all other adults are handled in open court," Funk said. "Our objection is to the secrecy of this case, and we want the court to declare this secrecy, this special treatment, unlawful and wrong."
Van Dyck said he was "very aware and very mindful of any appearance of impropriety." He also said the public's interest in knowing the truth was greater than the need to keep the records sealed, which would only "heighten suspicions," the newspaper reported.
Prater said he had no objection to the newspaper intervening. "It does appear this case should be unsealed," he told Van Dyck.
After Van Dyck's decision, Funk said he hopes "other judges take note of this ruling."
"The court system was designed to serve the public, all Oklahomans, and criminal cases need to remain open to the public," Funk said. "When cases are improperly closed, it gives the appearance of favoritism or improper treatment. With openness, Oklahomans can have greater confidence in their court system."
Kudos to Funk for taking on this fight and to Van Dyck for affirming the public's right to know what goes on in its courts.
Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, or its board of directors. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.
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The gloomy outlook for horse racing's finances turned even darker yesterday with the news that Ladbrokes will move their internet sportsbook operations to Gibraltar by the end of the year.
Ladbrokes, who also announced their half-year results, made the decision to switch their online betting operation offshore following the news earlier this week that major rival William Hill had chosen to do the same.
Currently based in Harrow, Ladbrokes sportsbook operations incur 15% gross profits tax and VAT on input costs, as well as the betting levy of 10% of gross profits on British horse racing. Companies that operate internet services offshore generally pay profits taxes of up to 2%, and are not subject to the UK betting levy.
"Ladbrokes.com is the biggest in the UK market but faces aggressive competition from offshore operators who hold a very significant cost advantage by operating from low-tax jurisdictions. Operating from the UK has become unsustainable," said Chris Bell, Ladbrokes' chief executive.
The independent bookmaker Sky Bet also moved to Guernsey last week, and with Ladbrokes and William Hill joining the exodus overseas, the loss to the Levy puts racing's finances in an increasingly difficult position.
Ladbrokes insisted that its telephone betting operation will remain in Britain for the near future but speculation grows that William Hill's phone betting operation will also be moved offshore resulting in the loss of up to 700 jobs at the two Yorkshire call centres.


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opeThis week, Twitter began pushing its live video, which includes a new live video button on iOS and Android phones. Not only this, but Twitter confirmed that there will be a Periscope embed feature will be available in the coming weeks.
This news was announced on June 15th, via a tweet that showed off how users can now film live Periscope broadcasts straight from their Twitter app versus having to open up the separate Periscope app.
Ready to go live? Now everyone can tap a new button on iOS & Android to easily broadcast on #Periscope from Twitter! pic.twitter.com/tedpUN1QMA
— Twitter (@twitter) June 15, 2016
The Periscope embed announcement was made at the company's New York City headquarters during an event. In a report from The International Business Times, it was said that users will be able to embed Periscope videos across the web the same way they can embed tweets.
Twitter's head of business operations at Periscope, Alex Khoshnevissan confirmed that anywhere you can embed a tweet, you'll be able to embed a Periscope video. He said,
"For me, this is huge because this means we are totally breaking down the barrier[to] a live broadcast . You don't have to have Periscope. You don't have to know what Periscope is."


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More simply put, this means that your printer warranty cannot be voided just because you choose to use compatible products unless the manufacturer can prove that the compatible product caused direct damage to your printer. In cases such as this, the manufacturer may choose not to repair your printer but your warranty would remain in effect for all other warranty issues.
For more information see:
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15 Section 2302 Section C.


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SMF - Just Installed!
Started by BrianB, February 25, 2015, 01:23:04 am
Quote from: Administrator on February 28, 2015, 02:02:53 amPunch Taverns not either Claire or Shelly are responsible for the access in the car park, no formal or in-formal agreement has ever been in place for the use of this car park.
Quote from: one_watcher on February 11, 2016, 06:38:29 pmI found Punch Taverns planning application particularly wreckless when they suggested no road improvements were needed to the junction. I find that statement completely moronic


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The Iranian Space Agency (ISA, Persian: سازمان فضایی ایران Sázmán e Fazái e Irán) is Iran's governmental space agency. Iran became an orbital-launch-capable nation in 2009.[1] Iran is one of the 24 founding members of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which was set up in 1958.[1]
ISA was established on 1 February 2004 according to the Article 9 of the Law for Tasks and Authorizations of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology passed on 10 December 2003 by the Parliament of Iran. Based on the approved statute ISA mandated to cover and support all the activities in Iran concerning the peaceful applications of space science and technology under the leadership of a Supreme Council of Space chaired by Iran's President.
The Council's main goals included policy making for the application of space technologies aiming peaceful uses of outer space, manufacturing, launching and use of the national research satellites, approving the space related state and private sector programs, promoting the partnership of the private and cooperative sectors in efficient uses of space, identifying guidelines concerning the regional and international cooperation in space issues.
To follow and implement the strategies set by the Council, ISA affiliated with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in the form of an autonomous organization, was organized. The President of ISA held the position of the Vice-Minister of Communications and Information Technology and the secretariat of Supreme Council of Space at the same time.[2]
The proposed budget for the year Iranian Space Research Center has received an additional 1,751,000 million rials ($67,346,100) of budget for the year 1393.[3]
The budget for the year 2008 was mentioned to be $3.9 billion (2008).[4] However it was not apparent whether the allocation was just for one year or a longer period.
Iran has developed an expendable satellite launch vehicle named Safir SLV. Measuring 22 m in height with a core diameter of 1.25 m, with two liquid propellant stages, a single thrust chambered first stage and a two-thrust chambered, step-throttled second stage, the SLV has a lift off mass exceeding 26 tons. The first stage consists of a lengthened up-rated Shahab-3C. According to the technical documentation presented in the annual meeting of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs it is a two-stage rocket with all liquid propellant engines. The first stage is capable of carrying the payload to the maximum altitude of 68 kilometers.[5]
The Safir-1B is the second generation of Safir SLV and can carry a satellite weighing 60 kilograms into an elliptical orbit of 300 to 450 kilometers. The thrust of the Safir-1B rocket engine has been increased from 32 to 37 tons.
In 2010 a more powerful rocket named
The Iranian space program has been condemned by United States and Europe because of their concern over its military potential. Some analysts have compared the relatively fast Iranian advancement in space technology to Russia's Sputnik program with the prediction that this advancement will propel Iran's military capability in other areas as well. The recent launches of the Iranian space program has put its rocket technology ahead of North Korea's, especially in multi-stage technologies necessary for orbital launch. The military concerns over Iran's space program has been exacerbated over Safir rocket's advanced 2nd stage which Iran has kept secret by not releasing any technical information related to the second stage of the rocket, keeping outside observers guessing over the technicalities.[104][105][106][107][108][109][110]
Western media has quoted that Iran has plans to land an astronaut on the moon by 2025.[96][99][100][101][102][103]
According to unofficial Chinese internet sources, an Iranian participation in the future Chinese space station program has been discussed. This involvement might range from simply sending astronauts to the 60 tons class space station to contributing with development of a space laboratory module. International manned space cooperation has officially been disclosed for the first time after the launch of the Chinese Shenzhou 7 spacecraft.[98]
On February 17, 2015, Iran unveiled a mock prototype of Iranian manned spaceship that is capable of taking astronauts into space.[97]
In August 2010, President Ahmadinejad announced that Iran's first astronaut should be sent into space on board an Iranian spacecraft by no later than 2019.[94][95] Later on in December 2010, Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister Reza Taghipour stated that "The initial steps for the plan have been taken, and the study phase on the definition of subsystems, sub-projects, costs, and what projects need to be developed toward that end, has been conducted, which needs to be submitted to the Supreme Council on Space".[80] According to Iranian manned space program, the first sub-orbital spaceflight with an Iranian on board will take place by 2016 at an altitude below 200 kilometers as preparation for the eventual orbital spaceflight.[96]
Almost two decades later the
Iran expressed for the first time its intention to send a human to space during the summit of Soviet and Iranian Presidents at June 21, 1990. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reached an agreement in principle with then-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to make joint Soviet-Iranian manned flights to Mir space station but this agreement was never realized after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
In 2011 Iran launched a number of laboratories for testing "space structures and systems" in line with its progressing space program. The laboratory includes ten labs to "reinforce infrastructures of Iran's space industry" and help improve the abilities of human resources.[90]
In June 2013 Iran inaugurated its first space monitoring center located near Delijan in Markazi province, according to Iran's Defense Minister General Ahmad Vahidi the new center which was named Imam Ja'far Sadeq would mostly be used to track and detect space objects and satellites passing overhead using radar, electro-optic and radio systems.[87][88][89]
In December 2010 it was announced that due to geographical limitations of first space center in injecting satellite into orbit, studies have been carried out for setting up a second (satellite) launch pad.[80] The new national spaceport of Iran, named after Imam Khomeini,[81] is being built in Semnan.[82] This new port is to be used to launch all future Iranian space missions similar to American Kennedy Space Center or the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[83][84][85] In March 2011, Jane's Information Group reported on the basis of its satellite imagery analysis of Iranian space launch sites that Iran is aggressively building complex facilities with very rapid pace showing the nation's inclinations towards space readiness.[86]
On occasion of the inaugural launch of Iran's first Safir-class sub-orbital rocket called Kavoshgar-1 (Explorer-1), Iran unveiled on February 4, 2008, her first Satellite Launch Center in Semnan. The facility includes an underground command and control center, a tracking station and a launchpad among other structures.
The main launch site of the Iranian Space Agency is Emamshahr, located at , where suborbital Shahab 3s LV have been launched. Qom, located at , is the other launch site.[79]
Iran plans to send one-ton satellites into an orbit of 1,000 kilometers and is setting up a new launch base for this purpose. Iran is also planning to launch satellites into orbits of up to 36,000 kilometers in 2016.[28][29][30]
On August 17, 2008, Iran proceeded with the second test launch of a two-stage Omid (from the Persian امید, meaning "Hope") had been successfully launched into LEO by a version of Iran's Safir rocket, the Safir-2 and therefore Iran became the 9th country to put a domestically built satellite into orbit.[26] The operation was made to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. In February 2011, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that there will be many launches of indigenously produced orbiters in 2011-2012 period.[27]
Following the last failed attempt, ISA was seeking to successfully send a monkey into space by 2013.[21] ISA head Hamid Fazeli told the Iranian news agency Mehr that the designated monkeys are currently in quarantine.[22]
On February 25, 2007, the Iranian state-run television announced that a rocket, created by the ministries of science and defense and which carried an unspecified cargo, was successfully launched.This could have been the maiden test flight of the three staged Safir SLV which ended in a failure. Later on it was noted by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the failure was due to a technical problem in the last stage of the SLV.[13] On February 4, 2008, Iran successfully launched a two-stage all solid-fuel sub-orbital sounding rocket Kavoshgar-1 (Explorer-1), for a maiden sub-orbital test flight from Shahroud, its newly inaugurated domestic space launch complex.[14][15] The first stage of the rocket detached after 90 seconds and returned to earth with the help of a parachute while the second stage reached a 200 km altitude before reentering the Earth's atmosphere after 300 seconds. The third section of the rocket, containing an atmospheric probe, climbed to 250 km while successfully transmitting scientific data on the atmosphere and the electromagnetic waves on its path back to Earth. It deployed a parachute after six minutes at a lower altitude. The second kavoshgar (Kavoshgar-2), which carried a space-lab and a restoration system, was launched in November 2008.[16]
On 2 February 2013, The head of the Iranian space agency, Fazeli mentioned that the new satellite launch vehicle, Qoqnoos (Phoenix) will be used after the Simorgh SLV for heavier payloads.[11][12]
[10][9] In 2015, Israeli media reported the missile is capable of taking a manned spacecraft or satellite into space.[8]
Space tourism, Human spaceflight, International Space Station, Nasa, Solar System
Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands
Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, Persian language, Armenia
Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, United Kingdom
Bangkok, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand
Chemistry, Biology, Iran, University of Tehran, Mathematics
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada
Venus, United Kingdom, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, European Space Agency, Germany
Iran, Persian language, Long March (rocket family), Space, Delta (rocket family)


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Morgan Stanley's August survey of 225 CIOs indicates that information technology spending isn't likely to change soon from levels set in the first half of 2002. Forty-nine percent of the respondents said their IT spending plans would be flat in the second half, with 28 percent predicting they would spend less. A mere 16 percent planned to boost spending.
Analysts said worries about the economy and the stock market have created a cautious spending environment. "The results suggest the traditional fourth-quarter budget flush, if it materializes at all, will be modest," the Morgan Stanley report said.
But not all IT spending is created equal, according to the survey. The top priorities for CIOs are applications integration, security software and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software upgrades. ERP moved up as a priority in August from the No. 9 spot in July.
Eighty percent of respondents said they had launched new development projects this year, but CIOs remain wary of software for customer-relationship management. Among the CIOs surveyed, 20 percent thought CRM was "useful, but not a high priority at the moment" ; another 20 percent noted they were unsure about the potential return on investment. Twenty-nine percent said they either didn't need CRM or were skeptical about it.
Linux, meanwhile, continues to creep into IT budgets. Among the respondents, 29 percent said they owned Linux servers, and 8 percent are formally considering buying them. On an informal basis, 17 percent of the CIOs said they were considering Linux servers. The remainder (46 percent) noted they didn't own and weren't considering Linux.
For those that have recently purchased new Linux servers, 31 percent were adding capacity, 31 percent were replacing Windows systems, 24 percent were replacing Unix and 14 percent were replacing other operating systems.
Among the other findings:
The outlook was mixed for hardware purchases, as 44 percent of CIOs said their servers were running at 41 percent to 60 percent of capacity; 27 percent said their servers were running at 61 percent to 80 percent. Asked when they'd have to buy more server hardware, 28 percent of CIOs predicted in the second half of 2003, followed by 18 percent eyeing the first half of 2003. A big block (28 percent) was unsure.
For PC upgrades, 41 percent said they would replace PCs "as needed," indicating that the costs were low to maintain older computers.
Though application integration, security and ERP software were the top priorities, Windows 2000/XP desktop upgrades, e-commerce initiatives and Microsoft Office upgrades rated high.
Among the CIOs, the leader for help desk and sales automation software was Siebel, with PeopleSoft, Oracle and SAP close behind.
Fifty-one percent of CIOs said they would spend about the same on network equipment in the second half of the year, compared with the first half, with 26 percent spending less.
Wireless local area networks were also slow to get rolling, with 40 percent of CIOs indicating they had no intention of setting wireless LANs. Twenty percent are considering the installation of wireless LANs, 4 percent are currently implementing them, and 34 percent have used them selectively.


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photo by Elisa Gonzalez
silk warrior dress available at beklina ($360) and virginia johnson's shop.
I'm going to comment to give a shout-out to the photographer, Elisa Gonzalez! There's more of her work, here:
I love Virginia's designs, too!
thanks for the link, jenny. the photograph perfectly captures the dress's personality for me.
what a striking dress! all of this is making me wish for spring even more!
can i have access to your new blog? i've been meaning to e-mail you and ask for a long time, but i keep forgetting. hope everything's going well! :)
i love this. i'm having a virgina johnson moment right now...


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slow me up: murals
5 comments:
- Tamara Matthews-Stephenson said...
Hi Dominique, I am so honored to be mentioned on your site. I have followed your work over the years and H&G inspired me in such a big manner for many years. I will certainly get your new book as the topic sounds very interesting. I am fairly new to blogging (my one year anniversary is May), but have really enjoyed the journey. In addition to Anne being a talented artist, she is a wonderful person as well. She plans to collaborate with me on my April blog post about how color influences the home. It gives me great pleasure to know that you are keeping an eye out for Nest by Tamara. xo
- March 25, 2010 at 8:45 PM
- Dominique said...
Thanks Tamara! I hope you enjoy the book, and I've been enjoying your blog, you do a terrific job. Can't wait to see the post with Anne. d
- March 26, 2010 at 8:59 AM
- Judith Ross said...
I love the still-life, tromp d'oeil feel of it. Brings to mind an exhibit I recently saw of still lifes by Spanish artist, Luis Melendez. He depicts his fruits and vegetables without sentiment -- they are as pockmarked and imperfect and, I'm sure, as wonderfully delicious as those I will be buying from my local organic farm this summer.
Also, Dominique, I hope you will check out some wonderful melons done in mixed media by my favorite artist, Kathleen Volp: http://www.kathleenvolp.com/
- April 1, 2010 at 11:57 AM
- Coryanne Ettiene | Kitchen Living with Coryanne said...
Hi Dominique, I am stopping over from Nest and so pleased that I did, just love your philosophy and have enjoyed looking around on my first visit.
- June 30, 2010 at 11:42 PM
- Anonymous said...
ulhdfrmjd http://crush-the-castle.com Crush The Castle
- December 26, 2010 at 9:03 AM


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Prof. David Newman: "A boycott of Israeli academic institutions will have no effect whatsoever"
The willingness to boycott Israel because of its policy towards the Palestinians has existed for many years – now and many years ago. Over 10 years ago, the University and College Union (UCU) called on its members to boycott Israeli academic institutions because of "Israel's harsh policy toward the Palestinians", as claimed by the UCU, and added, "the moral implications of contact with Israeli academic institutions should be considered."
A discussion on the subject was held with the participation of hundreds, with no fewer than 158 delegates voting in favor of the boycott and 99 voting against it. Prof. David Newman (Ben-Gurion University) of the Negev, who was on sabbatical in London at the time and represented the Israeli universities, told Ynet about the conference: "Nothing enthralled the participants other than criticism of the State of Israel. The fact that the organization was supposed to deal with matters of employment, tenure and pensions, like any other union, was of no interest to them at all."
Prof. David Newman continued, "The discussion was fierce. In my opinion, today, like then, calls for a boycott will have no effect whatsoever, certainly not practical effects. There will be a lot of hot air and headlines, but almost no significant boycotting actions. On the contrary – during the past decade, despite the calls for a boycott, the number of joint scientific projects between British and Israeli institutions and researchers has only increased, thanks to the academic excellence of researchers in both countries."
UCU is an organization that brings together the National Association of Teachers of Higher Education in Britain (NATFHA) and the Association of University Teachers (AUT) union. It is the largest organization of lecturers and academics in Britain, and was founded by the unification of the two organizations about a year ago.
It is important to note that the desire to impose a boycott on Israel in 2007 was the fourth in as many years among British lecturers' unions. Earlier, an Israeli academic delegation that arrived in Britain attempted to convince the senior members of that British organization to cancel the boycott. During the discussion, which was held in Britain before the discussion in Israel, and which took place at the University of Brighton, one of the lecturers calling for the boycott of Israel claimed that, "the State of Israel is committing horrific crimes in the occupied territories."
In response to the lecturer's comments, Israeli lecturers argued that the same British organization working to boycott Israeli academic institutions has a one-sided perspective of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. In matters concerning Israel, some British universities no longer constitute safe places for students, especially those wanting to hold balanced discussions on the subject. Only last week, a loud group of students unsuccessfully attempted to interfere with a lecture given by former Deputy Minister Dan Meridor.
More from the media:


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At holihealth we get asked daily about how to eat healthy on a budget.
Our philosophy is to eat smaller amounts of better quality food to begin with.
When you eat better quality food your body will be getting more nutrients and better fats and you will experience great flavours, feel satiated and full longer.
For the most part we try to purchase produce from local, organic farmers, but when that isn't possible we venture into stores. We frequently shop at Costco for some of our staples and have found some wonderful products that are good quality at a good price, and sometimes they're even local.
We recently paid a visit to our local Costco Wholesale in Downtown Vancouver and put together a list of healthy products we found.
See below for full list and click here to print a shopping list to take with you Printable Costco Shopping List
* Always store nuts, seeds, fats and oils in a cool dark place and preferably in the fridge. Oils start to break down and become rancid very quickly if kept in warm and light places. The omega oils are especially vulnerable and they're found in such items as: flax, walnut, hemp, chia seeds and oils.
* *Always try to buy oils/fats in glass bottles. Oils and fats absorb toxins from the plastics so to reduce your toxin exposure look for glass. This also applies to storing anything with oil/fat. Always use glass containers and jars.
***Seasonal produce
We recommend purchasing organic whenever your budget allows. We believe we should always be trying to reduce our exposure to toxins as much as possible. For a list of the most heavily sprayed foods and toxic products visit the Environmental Working Group's website at www.ewg.org
We shopped at Costco in Yaletown, Vancouver, B.C., but I would venture a guess that most of these products or something similar are available in all Costco locations. After the reading the list you hopefully have an idea of the type of products to look for.


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Drunk pilot taken off Milwaukee flight
A Chautauqua Airlines pilot was kept off a flight in Omaha, Nebraska, Thursday morning after he failed a blood-alcohol test, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.
A Chautauqua Airlines pilot was kept off a flight in Omaha, Nebraska, Thursday morning after he failed a blood-alcohol test, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Authorities said they were tipped off by a hotel shuttle bus driver, who called airport police to report he suspected the pilot was drunk.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said the agency is investigating the incident.
The male pilot, whose identity was not released, was scheduled to fly Frontier Flight 1894 from Omaha to Milwaukee at 6 a.m., according to the airline. Both Chautauqua and Frontier are owned by Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.
But shortly before the flight, a shuttle bus driver called the Eppley Airfield Airport Police to report his concerns about the pilot, said Chris Martin, director of operations for the Omaha Airport Authority.
"The pilot did make it through the checkpoint and he was met by our police officers near the gate of departure," Martin said.
Airport police talked to the pilot and handed the investigation over to Frontier Airlines, as well as notifying the FAA, Martin said.
Under the FAA's so-called "bottle-to-throttle" rule, pilots are prohibited from flying or performing any safety-sensitive operation within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or if they have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or higher. But Frontier Airlines spokeswoman Lindsey Carpenter said Frontier and Chautauqua enforce policies that are even more strict than the FAA's eight-hour rule.
The airline said 29 passengers and a three-person crew were on Flight 1984, an Embraer 145 aircraft.
"Because this is a personnel issue, we can't and won't comment on specifics other than to say that because of concern for the condition of the crew member, the crew member was replaced," Carpenter said. "Frontier and Chautauqua have a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol that has resulted in a 100% safety record for both carriers."
"Appropriate action will be taken with the crew member when our investigation is complete," she said.


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Last Monday, Morgan Stanley made quite a splash with its contrarian call, when in the aftermath of a handful of poor tech results, most notably from Facebook which lost as much as $150BN in market cap due to slowing user growth, the bank's chief equity strategist Michael Wilson boldly predicted that "the selling has just begun and this correction will be biggest since the one we experienced in February."
Worse, Morgan Stanley cautioned that a liquidation in tech/growth "could very well have a greater negative impact on the average portfolio if it's centered on Tech, Consumer Discretionary and small caps" due to the disproportional ownership of this group of stocks by professional and retail investors, as well as due to their outsized contribution to overall market performance since the financial crisis.
In retrospect, Wilson may have inadvertently led to just the latest short squeeze for growth stocks, because as disenchanted longs rotated into tech shorts, the Nasdaq has since surged to new all time highs, largely thanks to AAPL crossing the $1 trillion market cap threshold.
So has the market's action since Morgan Stanley's controversial call dampened the bank's bearish sentiment? Not all at all, and in a note released today, Wilson doubled down on his short tech reco, writing that "we continue to stress our defensive rotation/Tech underperformance call."
But why continue to press the downside case when price action suggests that the upward momentum remains intact? In three words: "Market on Edge" – that's how Wilson describes the price action, which he believes could go either way from here, but he is sticking with his call for Tech underperformance – while conceding that he will watch price action closely – "as we think that rolling relative earnings revisions in some areas of Tech, continued defensive leadership, breadth/price divergences, and rolling PMIs."
Meanwhile, "a breakdown in both legs of momentum" augurs poorly for Tech, growth, momentum, and the market.
Taking a step back, Wilson explains the fundamental driver behind his recent bearish shift, which he says has been shaped by the idea that "the continued tightening of global liquidity, a peak rate of change on economic and earnings growth, and a continued rise in inflation would be a difficult combination for risk assets to handle without some pain."
Markets globally (LIBOR-OIS, VIX, EM equities and debt, BTP spreads, derating in equity sectors like Fins, Industrials, Homebuilders, Transports, etc.) have been flashing yellow lights at different times this year, something which we have dubbed a "rolling bear market." Different parts of the risk complex have been hit, but at different times, leading to overall modest returns as we are still in a strong growth environment.
Meanwhile, with most sectors having been hit at least once, US Tech and Discretionary equities have remained as the holdouts – with several notable exceptions – persistently holding or expanding their multiples over the last 12 months while risk assets globally repriced.
That persistence of performance seems out of place to us and creates an obvious potential pain point for markets. If we are right, and Tech gets its turn on the volatility roller coaster, its market weighting, crowded positioning and overweight in growth and momentum strategies mean the pain will likely spread beyond just the Tech sector.
But what about continued strong earnings?
Here Wilson notes that while he previously thought that earnings might be the catalyst for the tech trade to unwind, the message there has been mixed, with management saying little to nothing about tariff risks other than that:
- it is too early to see an impact,
- impacts are still not really known as the bigger tariff implementations are still ahead, or
- that tariffs will not be a problem as prices will be passed along or absorbed by increased efficiencies.
Wilson believes statements 1 and 2 are accurate, but is skeptical that statement 3 – price/cost absorption – will be as easy to carry out as is being represented. He also adds that regardless of what he believes, "it is clear the market has, for the most part, not treated tariff risks as a negative catalyst" at least not in the US: after all China's stocks are just a fraction away from 2018 lows, and already deep in a bear market.
At the same time, the message on fundamentals has been more mixed after Facebook and Netflix showed that strong earnings results "were not written in stone in the FAANG complex, and seemed to validate our thesis." However, what failed to materialize was contagion. This was helped by Amazon, which had a stellar quarter that surpassed even bullish expectations on profitability, but even here Morgan Stanley saw warning signs and notes that "the poor price follow through after such a strong print was a sign of exhaustion and stretched positioning, in line with our call that the upside drivers from here are not clear."
What about Apple? Here, not even Wilson can find anything to criticize, noting that ASPs rising and strong services growth gave us the world's first $1Tr company. Well, he did find something to criticize, pointing out that "while the message from Apple will be interpreted by many to mean that all is right with Tech, and that we should just pack it up and move on from our Tech underperformance call. However, we believe there is still more to the story and can't help but think that Apple hitting $1 Trillion could be a meaningful historical marker for a tradable top when we look back at this period."
As a result of the above skepticism, Wilson and Morgan Stanley double down on their call for further tech pain:
We are sticking with our underweight Tech call as we think that rolling relative earnings revisions in some areas of Tech, continued defensive leadership, breadth/price divergences, rolling PMIs, and a breakdown in both legs of momentum all augur poorly for Tech, growth, momentum, and the overall market.
To support his point, Wilson then lays out several recent observations in the sector, starting with:
Software/Services Relative Earnings Revisions Have Turned Lower.
While the Tech sector has continued to deliver solid results, the relative revisions have rolled over quite hard for the sector, led by Software & Services, which includes internet stocks like Facebook and Google but not Netflix and Amazon (Exhibit 1).
Defensive Leadership Is Continuing.
Defensive leadership has still been dominant in the market. Apple helped Tech lead last week but the defensive leadership trend we have been commenting on was on full display last week with REITs, Staples, Utilities, and Health Care leading the market (Exhibit 2). While Tech rebounded last week, it is being supported by fewer stocks.
Breadth Is Diverging From Price.
Tech/Growth breadth continued to deteriorate. Exhibit 3 shows the percent of Nasdaq numbers making new 52-week highs versus the Nasdaq composite price level. We know there are issues with comparing stationary to nonstationary series, but nevertheless we make two simple observations: 1) Since we started our defensive rotation call in June, the number of stocks making new highs has been in a clear downward channel with lower lows and lower highs and 2) the index price level has continued to press to near new highs. In other words, fewer and fewer stocks are carrying the burden of lifting the market, a sign of exhaustion and, in our view, a bad signal for further price gains.
PMIs Rolling.
The big misses in PMIs this week, which were among the worst in several years. July was only the 2nd time in the history of the ISM Services report (1997+) that Business Activity, New Orders, and Backlog Orders all dropped 5 or more points m/m. We have to go back to the print following 9-11 for the last such occurrence. We have been warning that Tech is more exposed to PMI weakness than what has been priced in and the substantial turn lower this month does not bode well for next month or the rest of the year as the comparisons get considerably more difficult.
Momentum – Hard to Walk With Two Broken Legs: Wilson saved his greatest concern for last. In it, he shows how a sector neutral index of 12-month long short momentum has been performing over the last year. Tech and other growth stocks have been persistent drivers of the long side of this index given their remarkably steady performance. This is the same concern as Nomura voiced two weeks ago when the bank warned that "the most important trade of the past decade is now reversing." "
What makes us cautious on this uptrend now are the drivers of the two recent moves lower. The first leg lower was defensives outperforming – the performance laggards and short leg of the index. The second leg down has been led by weakness in Tech and growth – the performance leaders and the long side of the index.
Given the exposure of both discretionary and quant investors to the momentum factor, Wilson thinks that lingering weakness here "could feed on itself and invite further rotations, which will not be good for price momentum leaders –i.e. Tech and other leading growth stocks exhibiting strong price momentum on a trailing 12-month basis – or the market, given these stocks' dominant weighting in the overall index."
Go to Source
Author: Tyler Durden


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