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Special Birthday Wish
Budget ₹600-1500 INR
Hello i need someone who can help me in combining around 9-10 selfie brthday videos for my friends birthday which is on 13th Oct.
I need someone can edit and combine all this video into one and addd some good songs and edit the clarity.
14 freelancers are bidding on average ₹961 for this job
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thank you for posting the job here in our scope , sir i am the good fit for your job because i have enough experience in this field and i can make your job successful , [login to view URL] Relevant Skills a More
Birthday gift landing page for 4 birthday video song e picture... Relevant Skills and Experience Birthday gift landing page for 4 birthday video song e picture...
I have enough experience for this project Expérience et Compétences appropriées Optimize Adobe software Étapes proposées ₹450 INR - START ₹400 INR - END
I will make a spectacular video for you. Relevant Skills and Experience Premier Pro Proposed Milestones ₹950 INR - One day delivery
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Hello! that is indeed a simple task, therefore I said I can have it done in a day and I made a very low bid! hope we work together!


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Years ago, there was a gentleman who worked at the front desk of the Peninsula Times Tribune in Palo Alto who was memorable for his demeanor. He always had a smile and a kind word. His name was Robert, as I recall. We undervalue people like this in our lives. But after the Loma Prieta quake hit on Oct. 17, 1989 — 28 years ago last week — I never saw him again. He quickly loaded up his car and moved away. Arizona, I believe. Or maybe it was Texas. Didn't even say goodbye. He told those nearest to him that he could no longer live in earthquake country, and that was it.
And every day after that, when I passed his desk in that lobby, I felt his absence.
The memory of Robert came back last week as I thought of the earthquake anniversary and what is happening in the lives of many people in Sonoma County who have lost their homes in the recent firestorms. So many.
I have covered disasters in my time. Earthquakes, fires, floods, you name it. But this is the worst. This was the first time I didn't have to go in search of victims. I already knew them by name.
We all do. Their contact information is already programmed into our cellphones, and their life stories are carved into our hearts. They are us.
This was driven home for me each time I entered The Press Democrat last week. It seemed I couldn't pass without encountering someone I knew — sometimes two or three — who was waiting in line at the Local Assistance Center, which has opened on the first floor of our building at 427 Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa. One day, as I sat with a husband and wife who I have known for nearly 19 years to experience the process with them (very efficient), I realized I not only knew these two, but I knew the person across the table who was interviewing them. I also knew the couple sitting next to them — and a woman at the far end of the table.
There are so many things that these individuals and families need right now. Housing, clothes, transportation. But it occurs to me what they need as much as anything is to hear this from the rest of us: We need you. This community needs you back.
Maybe that sounds schmaltzy. I suppose it does. But my guess is we need to say it as much as they need to hear it.
We have talked so much about the loss of structures — 5,449 total residential losses, 35 rental and condominium losses, 601 commercial property losses. But we haven't talked enough about the loss, or the potential loss, of people — of friends. It happens after crises like this. Believe me.
These are teachers, doctors, contractors, professors, police officers, business owners, firefighters, nurses, custodians, farmers, and, yes, even employees of local newspapers. We can ill afford to lose them. From what I can tell, they represent a broad spectrum of our community, crossing all demographics, all income brackets and all ages. Losing these households — nearly 5,500 total — would be like losing the entire city of Sonoma. It's hard to fathom the crater that would leave behind.
Read all of the PD's fire coverage here

subset: commoncrawl


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Posts Tagged 'Michael Ondaatje'
August and Caravaggio
[Caravaggio] stole a dark-red fox terrier and named it August. A summer robbery. The dog was his salvation. He had a quick bark, like an exclamation, one announcement, take it or leave it – enough warning for his master as far as the dog was concerned. …
They had not been invited. Caravaggio was eating canapes with his left hand and patting women on the ass with his right. When the orchestra's playing brought out the couples Caravaggio lifted his dog into his arms and waltzed among them, kissing him wildly, exclaiming over the beauty of his moles. For the next hour he danced with women who noted to themselves the odour of hound on his neck.
In The Skin of a Lion. Michael Ondaatje.


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Will the gold spike last?
The jump higher in gold, spurred on by yesterday's Federal Open Market Committee statement, brought brief respite for gold holders out there. However, with that move comes the question of whether it will simply make up a short-term retracement or signal the beginning of something bigger.
Yesterday's move higher meant price action has now broken above the higher threshold of a descending channel that has been in play since 11 March. With the price finding resistance around $1179, it is now moving back to test that same descending trendline. Should support be provided around $1155, then it would be an indication that we could yet see further upside.
The main level of support I have been watching is around $1130, and thus I do expect us to see a reversal higher between the current $1163 and $1130. However, following yesterday's shock I am awaiting a signal of whether we will continue lower or see a reversal around this mark. A break back below $1153 would give me confidence of a resumption lower, whereas a move above $1168 would likely mean a more bullish short-term outlook.
Silver stuck between support and resistance
Silver has often given us clues as to where gold will move in the near future, and the predicament both seem to find themselves in is clearer on the silver chart. Price action is currently stuck between key resistance at $1609 and support at $1580.
For this commodity a break higher would be more significant than that of gold because the $1609 level not only represents yesterday's high, but also the February low, two-day simple moving average (SMA) and 23.6% retracement of the January high to March low. Thus it should take some serious momentum to take price above $1609, and that would give me significant reason to believe we are seeing a change in sentiment from that of the past two months.
However for now, I will stay with the trend and thus remain bearish unless the price moves above $1609 in a convincing manner. Near-term support comes in at $1580 and ultimately the 2015 low of $1529.
Brent upside under attack
The jump seen in Brent after yesterday's Fed statement is similarly coming under pressure today, following the resistance found at $5663. Much like the other commodities, Brent is within a period of discovery, with markets watching to see if it creates a new higher low or can push back to the $5274 support level.
Should we see another leg higher, we would need to break above the 200-day SMA and 38.2% retracement at $5565. Much in the same way as I treat most charts, it will take a lot for me to say we are truly seeing a reversal and thus for the time being I will stay neutral in the short term with a bearish bias over the medium term.
WTI breaks key support at $4510
Similarly to Brent, there has been a significant amount of speculation regarding whether yesterday's move higher will indicate something important or just a short-term retracement. Resistance at the 11 March low of $4730 should be broken for me to really get interested in any sort of bullish outlook in the short term.
The recent break below Tuesday's swing high of $4500 is notable and makes me think that the market possibly still wants WTI to move lower. However, further support lies around the 100-hour SMA and 20-period SMA on the four-hour chart; both resting around $4457. Ultimately I am waiting for a break below $440 to continue my bearish outlook, while a move above $4730 would make me less skeptical of a reversal higher.


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The latest cross-border marriage to shake up Canada's – and the world's – legal industry is now official, as London-based Norton Rose and U.S.-based Fulbright & Jaworski unite to become Norton Rose Fulbright, one of the biggest law firms on the planet.
Norton Rose's Canadian arm, the product of mergers in the last three years with Montreal-based Ogilvy Renault and Calgary-based Macleod Dixon, is now part of a globe-straddling law firm that finally has a major presence in the U.S. market.
The deal to merge with Fulbright, which takes effect June 3, but was first announced last year, was a key component of Norton Rose's rapid global growth-by-merger strategy. It now has 3,800 lawyers in offices in 50 cities worldwide, and is one of the world top 10 biggest law firms. By merging with Fulbright, the firm goes from zero to 750 lawyers in the U.S., a market no law firm with global aspirations can ignore.
"The legal industry is undergoing a great deal of change around the world," said John Coleman, managing partner for Canada for Norton Rose Fulbright, predicting widespread consolidation of law firms everywhere in the next three years. "The national firms will be the ones under the most pressure. I think a lot of firms are asking themselves some questions."
Legal industry watchers agree that Norton Rose's presence in Canada is changing the competitive landscape among law firms, with other firms expected to follow suit and merge with international heavyweights.
Earlier this year, another well-known Canadian national firm, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, officially took the plunge, joining with European and U.S. firms to form Dentons, a merger of FMC with U.S.-based SNR Denton and Europe's Salans, has 2,500 lawyers worldwide.
Mr. Coleman says he welcomes the competition from Dentons. He says among the strengths his newly merged firm brings are its focus on energy, on the growing world of regulation and internal investigations – including those involving anti-bribery laws – and the life-sciences and health-care businesses. Fulbright & Jaworski, founded in Houston, has long had a major presence in the U.S. oil business, and a well-established health-care practice.
Mr. Coleman also said that despite gaining a U.S. toehold, the firm has no plans to stop its expansion elsewhere. It is even now eyeing its next target, Brazil's growing market.
So far, outside of Norton Rose Fulbright and Dentons and a few smaller firms, law-firm tie-ups have been slower to catch on in Canada than in Australia, which in recent years has seen a rash of mergers between domestic firms and global giants completely transform that country's legal market.
But it is wrong to think of these mergers as exactly the same as a corporate merger. Not only do they involve partnerships, most of this new class of global law firm are decentralized "Swiss Verein" structures, where marketing, strategy and some other aspects are combined, but the different national firms' profits are kept separate.


text: I can't believe I missed this one. A runner named Dora Leal served 50 days in jail for stealing a winning lottery ticket from a group of traders at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Leal was a runner for a group of trader at the CBOE that grouped together and bought lottery tickets in the Illinois lotto. They sent her down to check the tickets for them. To her astonishment one of the tickets was a $175,000 winner. She decided to pocket the ticket and told the clerk to keep quiet. Instead he photocopied the ticket and word got out around the store and everyone cheered the young girl. The news got back to the trading floor and the traders called the police. The worst part of the whole story is that even though she was convicted, the stupid girl still says she gave back all the tickets to the traders. The winning ticket has not been recovered and so no money has been rewarded. Photo courtesy of bimedia.net


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Sylvia WarblersBloomsbury Publishing 2010; US$ 65.99
Based on phylogenetic research, this complete study of the genus Sylvia describes two new species and establishes identification criteria for all members of the family. A lengthy introduction explains the background to the research and outlines the main features of the genus. The 25 species are then treated in detail, including the African parisomas,... more...
Good Practice in the Law and Safeguarding AdultsJessica Kingsley Publishers 2008; US$ 42.95
Good Practice in the Law and Safeguarding Adults provides an up-to-date summary of developments in the legislative framework and best practice relevant to the area of adult protection work. It explains legislation that can be used in adult protection work, covering criminal and civil law, and national guidance such as Achieving Best Evidence. more...
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This contributed volume is a collection of international writings on dance, human rights, and social justice in the 20th and 21st centuries. The book illuminates and analyzes dance in contexts of oppression and its subversion, as well as in situations promoting access to dance, and those encouraging healing from human rights abuses through movement. more...
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Rooftop gardens are becoming common in many cities, but what Adobe has planted atop its San Jose headquarters is a little different: 12 fuel cell servers known as Bloom Boxes. The tech company said it will harvest enough clean energy from the installation to meet half the site's electricity needs.
Adobe said the boxes went in on the fifth floor of its west tower in downtown San Jose. According to a press release, each of the dozen 100-kilowatt servers is the size of an average parking space and "contains thousands of fuel cells – flat, solid ceramic squares made from a sand-like powder – which will convert air and biogas into electricity via a clean electrochemical process, producing zero net carbon emissions."
This isn't Adobe's first foray into clean energy. In March it announced the installation of 20 vertical-axis wind turbines on the sixth–floor patio between its three office towers, benefiting from a wind tunnel effect from the westerlies that typically blow in San Jose. But those turbines produce barely more than a single kilowatt apiece, and the wind comes and goes.
"With its significant installation of Bloom Energy Servers, the company can now enjoy a smarter, localized energy source that will both reduce its carbon impact and its electricity costs," said Stu Aaron, Bloom Energy vice president of marketing and product management.
Like what you are reading? Follow us on RSS, Twitter and Facebook to learn more and join the green technology discussion. Have a story idea or correction for this story you are reading? Drop us a line through our contact form.


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Dialectic mysticism
In just six weeks, as financial giants across the world revealed their capital hollowness, capitalism is being asked the most provocative questions ever, writes Gautam Chikermane.india Updated: Nov 03, 2008 20:17 IST
In just six weeks, as financial giants across the world revealed their capital hollowness, capitalism is being asked the most provocative questions ever. Are profits private and losses public? Do free markets mean unbridled freedom? Is government buying into private banks another form of nationalisation? Should taxpayers' money be used to prop up free markets? If so, does it signal the rise of socialism? And with every passing day, as cries for government bailouts increase and get the label of legitimacy, the big one: is capitalism dead?
Even as the UPA is being increasingly seen as being frozen into inaction, which the former BJP Finance Minister Jaswant Singh described to me as "paralysis by analysis", his solution once again knocks a few holes into the functioning of a capitalist system. On the other side, the Left parties are taking credit for India not being so badly affected as, among many other things, they prevented free convertibility of the rupee and blocked critical reforms in insurance, pensions and banking. Had they been passed, we are told, India would have been in deeper trouble.
Just outside the political circles, new loops are being drawn by companies, one industry at a time. Exporters are lining up to extract benefits from lack of liquidity and high interest rates on the one hand and dried-up orders on the other. And while higher interest rates hurt companies with a high debt in their books or businesses like cars or real estate that are dependent upon consumer credit for sustenance, there are demands to check the weakening of the rupee from companies that import raw materials.
This list is only the beginning of a flood. But so far are these demands going that I think those seeking government money or action to save private enterprises have lost their sense of perspective. Hardly a decade ago, the same entrepreneurs were demanding freedom from the government. In the absurdities of demands, my favourite is the setting up of a sovereign wealth fund to help prop up a stock market that has fallen by a third since September 15 and almost three-fifths since January 10. In other words, the government should use money that it can otherwise use for infrastructure development to bring the Sensex back to 20,000.
I am still wondering where this weird demand is coming from. A credible source told me that a lot of promoters have sold stakes in their companies to private equity investors at valuations that don't justify current or future earnings or are based on internal rates of return. These deals have been signed on the assured assumption of a rising stock market. In case the market does not rise, a return of 15 per cent or so has been promised, from the personal coffers of the promoters, who in turn are banking on the market to rise and make good that deal.
The moral justification of propping up the Sensex by the government rides on the adverse impact it will have on the
fortunes of small investors. But with only 10.5 per cent of household savings going into the stock market through mutual funds in 2007-08, the impact of a market that has halved affects small portfolios only lightly, as most of the money is lying as deposits (56.7 per cent) and as cash (10.9 per cent) — or property. Last year saw Rs 77,000 crore come into the market, against Rs 415,000 crore in banks and Rs 80,000 crore in cash. The fortunes of small savers are doing very well, thank you.
Stepping back, I find that if we go the bailout way, it's a steep fall. Reducing banking constraints like the Cash Reserve Ratio or lowering interest rates will help the dried up financial pipelines move money again — so essential for any modern financial intercourse, leave alone a trillion-dollar economy like India's. Focused fiscal measures that encourage weak sectors like gems and jewellery, auto components, capital goods could help kickstart private investments again.
But the demand for government money in private enterprises is fraught with risks, that have not been thought through:
* The only reason the government should think of capital infusion is to protect jobs — a politically sensitive issue that no leadership can ignore. Are promoters willing to walk that line? Or are they seeking easier sacking norms?
* If it is taxpayers' money going to serve private interests, are we ready to see the government back in business, as an investor in private ventures?
* Stretch the argument a little and you see that the employer in a company becomes the investor there. So are we headed towards a new capitalism, where workers' and investors' interest converge?
* And if so, does it change labour dynamics in any productive fashion? Will, for instance, the Pay Commission apply to private workers? Who, then, will 'pay' for it?
* Will a public-private enterprise be yet another instrument of State policy, to be run by politicians and bureaucrats?
* What happened to the high risk that over-leveraged entrepreneurs, unthinking IPO chasers and flitting employees took when
they stretched their financial ambitions in search of a better deal? Is risk to be the domain of taxpayers and returns the right of individuals?
* If capital controls on the rupee have helped India come out of this situation less wounded, should other countries impose such controls and create a disunited state of the globe, where barter becomes the new currency?
We need to get answers to these questions before venturing into mindless bailouts. More so, because we are not so badly affected and have that luxury — a luxury that Iceland or Pakistan don't.
First Published: Nov 03, 2008 20:07 IST


text: Statement, stylish and full of character, Franco Moschino launched Moschino in 1983 with the vision for a high-end fashion label with punch. His philosophy that 'fashion should be fun and should send a message' is something that the current Creative Director, Jeremy Scott has ensured stays strong in recent collections. From tops printed with fast food chain logos to Pop Art-inspired color palettes to peace and love slogans, Love Moschino has been designed with a younger, more playful shopper in mind. This selection of women's Moschino tops includes oversized heart print tunics, logo tops, soft cotton T-shirts with sequin details and more.


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Last updated in November 2017
Savvy consumers can save significantly when shopping online by applying some elbow (actually mouse) grease. Before you load your cart with the latest fashions or that new kitchen gadget you've been lusting after, check out some of the favorite shopping strategies of Checkbook's editors.
Don't Assume that a Sale Price Is a Good Price
Checkbook finds the biggest spending mistake most consumers make is failing to comparison shop for the best prices. Even if the website is offering 40 percent off, it's probably not a steal—or even the lowest available price. Checkbook's undercover shoppers find that at many retailers the sales never, or almost never, end. In a 10-month-long investigation, Checkbook found that many stores use deceptive practices, especially by offering continuous, misleading sales campaigns. The only way to know whether you're paying a fair price is to compare prices at several retailers.
Use Shopping Bots and Barcode Scanners
There are dozens of smartphone apps that can help you compare prices, including ShopSavvy, Purchx, BuyVia, and PriceGrabber. Amazon has integrated its price-checking tool right into its app. Use one of these apps to search for products you're considering or to scan the barcode of a product at a local store to get prices offered by other retailers.
Know the Code
When making purchases online, you'll often see spaces where you can enter a promotional or coupon code. These spaces may as well be labeled "Hey! Here's free money!" Using a discount code is the equivalent of handing a printed coupon to a checkout clerk. Do an internet search for discount codes for the site (for example, search for "Lands' End discount code"). Although you'll encounter expired or otherwise invalid codes, your reward often is worth the searching and trial-and-error. Two of our favorite coupon sites are RetailMeNot.com and CouponCabin.com, but there are many others worth checking. We recently found discount codes that saved 25 percent off a contact lens order from Walgreens.com; cut 40 percent from a BananaRepublic.com order; lowered Orbitz's already discounted rate for a hotel stay by $30; and zipped up a 30 percent discount on a pair of boots from shoes.com. Plus we almost never pay for shipping because there are so many codes that offer it for free. And many sites will let you stack coupons for even greater savings.
Get Social
Follow retailers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for their promotional emails, which many retailers use to announce exclusive discount codes and other deals. And many stores offer one-time discounts of 10 to 25 percent when you join their email lists. Have more than one email address? Sign up with another address the next time you're ready to buy.
Play Your Cards
You can usually get a big one-time discount for your first purchase made with a retailer-issued credit card, and with some you continue to get smaller regular discounts or rebates every time you use their cards.
For example, Target's REDcard offers a five percent discount on all purchases, free shipping on most items, early access to special events and promotions, and an extra 30 days for making returns. Credit cards offered by Gap companies (Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta) offer a 15-to-35 percent discount off your first purchase when you open a card account, then five percent rebates when you use its card at its stores. Customers who have the Visa versions of the company's cards also get a one percent rebate on all purchases made elsewhere.
But before signing up for a dozen retailer credit cards, know that each application will trigger an inquiry on your credit report, and might negatively affect your credit score. Even more important: Most store credit cards charge very high interest rates (routinely 25 percent APR or higher); avoid these high interest rates by paying the bill in full each month. And compare any rebate programs with those offered by other cards.(See our article on choosing a credit card for advice on picking credit cards and websites that help you choose the one best suited to your needs.)
Subscribe & Save
Programs such as Amazon's "Subscribe & Save" offer big discounts on each order you place through them. With Amazon, you get at least 15 percent off your entire order and free shipping when you receive five or more subscriptions per month.
The catch is that by subscribing, you agree to receive automatic periodic shipments of the products for which you've subscribed. For example, if you've subscribed to receive 200 diapers a month, you'll get 200 diapers a month until you tell Amazon otherwise. On the other hand, Amazon makes it easy to cancel or suspend these subscriptions, and sends subscribers reminder emails several days before their shipment dates so they have a chance to back out.
While Target and a few other retailers have begun to offer Subscribe & Save-type programs, Amazon's remains the most visible—and yields tremendous and reliable savings for items like paper goods, pet supplies, and diapers. (See our articles on buying diapers and pet supplies for more money-saving advice.) In our article on buying diapers, we found Amazon's Subscribe & Save prices, coupled with its Amazon Family program, yielded the lowest prices by far.
Another benefit to Subscribe & Save is free shipping, which bypasses the hordes at membership warehouse clubs and eliminates hauling 48 rolls of paper towels and anvil-heavy bags of pet food from store to car to home.
When You Go Brick and Mortar, Ask for a Price Match
Checkbook often finds the best deals online. But if a salesperson at a local store provided valuable buying advice, you might want to reward him or her with the sale. Or you may not want to wait for delivery by an online seller. And if it's an expensive item, delivery services may require that you be home to sign for it. But at many stores, you can buy local and avoid paying more. Checkbook finds that retailers often will match lower prices offered by their competitors, even if the other seller is an online store. Just use your smartphone or take along a printout of your deal to ask for a match. While this tactic seems like a hassle, Checkbook's undercover shoppers found it was quite easy to secure lower prices on most items simply by asking for a lower-price match. One Checkbook shopper recently scored a $500 Kenneth Cole briefcase for $86 from a major department store by scanning the item with Amazon's app and showing the current Amazon selling price to a manager.


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25 Jun
On Saturday, June 23rd, New Democratic Party (NDP) Immigration critic Jinny Sims met with caregivers and advocates in a townhall meeting in Toronto.
We would like to sincerely thank Currents & Breaking News and TheGotchaJournalist for documenting this meeting as we were unable to attend. Please make sure to view these links; all videos are taken by and remain property of them.
Suffice to say that this was a very emotional display by caregivers in Toronto who were brave enough to tell their heart-wrenching stories.
16 May
We came across this really powerful and revealing article from CaregiversOnline.org that describes the process under which an overseas caregiver gave money to a local Toronto agency for recruitment to Canada. As most in the local industry should know, but those outside may not, caregivers cannot pay anything for recruitment to Canada and the laws are even tougher in Ontario with the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act (EPFNA). This article serves as a strong case for regulation of caregiver agencies, which we support along with the Association of Caregiver and Nanny Agencies Canada (ACNA). Agencies who have nothing to hide should be willing to be regulated in order to provide a community in which caregivers and families can trust the companies they are working with. Sadly, for the male caregiver in this story, circumstances become much more difficult due to the overwhelming preference for female nannies and caregivers. It's unfortunate that his fellow country-person deceived him, took his money and didn't hold up their end of the bargain even though they were operating illegally.
30 Sep
In April 2010, the entire Live-In Caregiver industry was turned upside down and the federal immigration program was rendered almost unrecognizable. There is no question that abuses of the LCP were widespread and rampant, and that changes were needed. However, what happened next seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction; all of the onus was shifted to the employer and caregivers were now going to be provided better work environments, faster processing and increased protection under the program.
1 1/2 years later, we are taking a look back and discussing ways to move forward for actual protection because, let's face it.. we are worse off than we were before. Double the processing times, on average, for caregivers and families in regards to LMOs, work permits, initial PR assessment (open work permits), final Permanent Residency and family reunification. Abusive agencies and families moving to a "black market" unscrupulous industry. Worse than that, the Conservative Immigration Minister has been silent on the issue after rallying the Filipino Canadian community to provide overwhelming support for his party in the last Federal election.
Today we met with a foreign Live-In Caregiver who has been put through the ringer and her story is shocking and shows exactly why agencies need to be regulated and enforcement needs to be taken seriously. We'd like to share her story with you.
3 Aug
Through our dealings with the agency, we have been exposed to a new type of abuse that nannies are going through with employers, specifically in the Greater Toronto Area, but likely beyond. It seems innocent enough at first, but home care workers are being taken on a ride with promises of paperwork done and after weeks, and sometimes months, of being overworked and underpaid (if paid at all), they are let go on the basis that "it was only a trial."


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Added jQuery
Added Meta Viewport
Yandex is an internet technologies company that operates in Russia, CIS and Turkey. It is the largest Russian and fourth-largest world internet search engine. Yandex is an acronym for the phrase Yet Another Indexer. As of March 2013, Yandex had about 61% of the Russian search market (source: LiveInternet.ru). Yandex's miss...
LiveInternet - крупный сервис дневников и сообществ, авторитетный сервис статистики для сайтов.
This site uses the viewport meta tag which means the content may be optimized for mobile content.
The Apache HTTP Server is an open-source HTTP server for modern operating systems including UNIX, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS/X and Netware. The goal of this project is to provide a secure, efficient and extensible server that provides HTTP services observing the current HTTP standards. Apache has been the most popular web server ...
PHP is a widely-used general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML.
Previously Google Apps for Business. G Suite is a cloud-based productivity suite that helps you and your team connect and get work done from anywhere on any device. It's simple to setup, use and manage, allowing you to work smarter and focus on what really matters.
The DOCTYPE is a required preamble for HTML5 websites.
UTF-8 (8-bit UCS/Unicode Transformation Format) is a variable-length character encoding for Unicode. It is the preferred encoding for web pages.
Meta Keywords are a specific type of meta tag that appear in the HTML code of a Web page and help tell search engines what the topic of the page is.
Meta descriptions are HTML attributes that provide concise explanations of the contents of web pages. Meta descriptions are commonly used on search engine result pages (SERPs) to display preview snippets for a given page.
The http-equiv attribute provides an HTTP header for the information/value of the content attribute. The http-equiv attribute can be used to simulate an HTTP response header.
A canonical link element is an HTML element that helps webmasters prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the "canonical", or "preferred".
By adding rel="home" to a hyperlink, a page indicates that the destination of that hyperlink is the homepage of the site in which the current page appears.
Google's hosted library for web fonts. Allows websites to choose and use fonts from a free, wide variety of fonts.


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Waterville Valley 3/25/2017
edited March 2017 in Trip Reports
Skied Waterville Valley yesterday. 4" or so of fresh, wet, snow really made for great conditions, especially early on. The consistency of the new snow was best when it was either groomed or previously chopped up by other skiers. No lift line was more more than 2 minutes. I didn't see a single closed trail except the trails on Green Peak that aren't finished yet.
Much to my delight, Waterville has improved a bit since my last visit, about 7 years ago. First and foremost, there are some nice glades on the mountain now. The best glade is accessed by an unmarked entrance off the Psyched Out trail. It has at least 500' of vertical and follows interesting contours.
Then there is Green Peak. The chair was running early in the morning with one easy way down from the top. I can see where Green Peak is going to add a lot of value to Waterville. The new trails aren't terribly interesting, but they will certainly help disperse people around this overcrowded mountain.
On the downside, the Sunnyside triple is getting very old and doesn't lend itself to a general feeling of well being when riding on it. Additionally, the base lodge seems like the same old tired layout. I hate the parking situation at this mountain. We got there around 9:15 and parked quite a ways down the hill.
The old J bar is still running and that is one thing that should never change. Kids love it.
4032 x 3024 - 2M
4032 x 3024 - 3M
4032 x 3024 - 3M
4032 x 3024 - 2M
4032 x 3024 - 2M
4032 x 3024 - 2M
Bubble- great report and love the j bar!
With the youngin's?
Bubble- great report and love the j bar!Yes, this was a family day. We've been in hockey rinks all winter so it's nice to get out for some fresh air.
With the youngin's?The J bar was a special bonus and it served a nice little terrain park which made it interesting.
Of course you reveal the glade the day after I was there
Are they still talking about a village to green peak gondola? That would be one way around the bad parking.
I didn't hate the lodge, but maybe that's because it was a weekday and it's nostalgic for me.
I'm concerned the 10 min or so ride on the green peak triple will limit the use.
WV is on my to try list if I get to NH again and stay w my bro and fam in Plymouth/ Ashland area condo timeshare.
I see they have tomorrow's report already posted.
I assume the t- bar and Poma weren't running , only the J. What's kinderpark,a carpet ,Poma, or ?
At least get a pic of the tbar restaurant/ lodge?
Bob butts, got any pics to share?
Nice report, thanks.
I don't mind the lodge but not a fan of the parking.ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA
The poma was also running and was getting very heavy use for the terrain park. I don't see that going anywhere soon.
Nice, it was fun skiing that snow on Saturday. The road conditions look annoying.
Thanks Bob but any chance of getting a Poma or T-bar Shot
Was the old tbar on the opposite side of that trail?
Wow impressive amount of trails open for April 15 and 2 fer $76!
I like the sound of Go Green( Mi state) GladeIMG_1303.JPG4032 x 3024 - 2M
Was the old tbar on the opposite side of that trail?IMG_1306.JPG555 x 380 - 51K
Nice to see Mitt revived( not getting into who paid/ pays for it)
When I saw it 10 yrs ago this fall and took the Tram Mitt looked sad
Man rocket sure was on this, the boy runs a thorough ship
Skied Easter morning at Waterville and it was beautiful corn with temperatures in the 50's. Most of the original mtn was open even Bobby run top to bottom. Meadow and the 2 quads were cranking. Very impressed with the amount of snow still left on the trails much snowmaking took place the passed season.
I'm glad to hear that some of the old glits and glory is still alive on 93. Bobby's for one.


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The North Bay Business Journal has chosen 19 companies as its Healthiest Companies.
They've earned this honor for the contributions each makes to ensure their employees feel their best. Some offer discounted gym memberships, others sponsor "Lunch and Learns" on nutrition, or maybe even a yoga class.
Check out profiles of this year's winners:
Active Wellness, San Francisco
Kaiser Permanente's Santa Rosa and San Rafael medical centers
Meritage Medical Network, Novato
Parkpoint Health Clubs, Santa Rosa
Petaluma Health Care District, Petaluma
Petaluma Health Center, Petaluma
Redwood Credit Union, Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa Community Health, Santa Rosa
Sonoma Mountain Village (SOMO Village), Rohnert Park
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park
Sonoma Valley Hospital's Wellness Program, Sonoma
Sutter Solano Medical Center, Vallejo


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"on pins and needles"
Roundtable Discussion
SFAD Gallery (The Philippine Women's University)
August 15, 2012
Jef Carnay
Noel Soler Cuizon
Karen Ocampo Flores
Myra Beltran
Don Salubayba
Martin De Mesa
Jepren Solis
Opaline Santos
Dante Castillo Jr.
Aj Tolentino
Sam Occeno
Vic Farrio
Kuleng Manzanero
Brendale Asinas Tadeo
Alynnah Macla
Lala Pavilando
Zoren Romero
Gabby Tales
Progress Report: "on pins and needles" project
- Blog/Web site
- components
- interactivity
- accessibility
- Scheduled Video Viewing
- Local Universities
- Art Spaces
- Organizations
- Artist Collectives
- Feedback from the viewers
- International video viewing
- BandungIndonesia
- SiemReap Cambodia
- Phnom PenhCambodia
- "on pins and needles" Part 2
- "on pins and needles" as an annual project, new set of videos for the succeeding years.(possibility)
- "on pins and needles" kit for the participating artists
- DVD compilation of the videos
- A poster
- Catalog (zine type): artist's bio and statements
- a plastic toy chair and a set of pins
Open Discussion
- "Kumustahan" Portion – updates on artists individual projects: recent activities, festival attended, residency attended, projects being developed. Etc.
- "chika" Moments – latest news inside the local art community, on going exhibitions, interesting art projects, new collectives, new spaces, possible residencies, local trends, etc.
- Practice/process/experience
- individual's process of art making
- blurring boundaries
- discipline breaking discipline
- structures and deconstruction of practice from: dance, theater, visual arts, teaching, performance art, etc.
- performance art (understanding, appreciation, evolution, realization)
- performance vs performative
- identifying conceptual practice over performance art practice.
- spontaneity : responding on stimuli
- personal advocacy
- collaborations
tutoK: FOE
- schedules: time line of the project
- Workshop schedules for the short-listed project
- Building Curatorial Guidelines
- Prince Clause Fund
- APC involvement: research and web development
- UP Art Studies involvement: research
- Public Art
- Website development / Website component
- Artists involvement.


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A man who was about to be deported has killed himself at a privately run detention centre, according to fellow inmates.
The 35-year-old is understood to have hanged himself in the toilet block at Campsfield House detention centre in Oxfordshire on Tuesday morning.
A fellow detainee, who refused to give his name, said the man had been hours away from being deported and had become very anxious.
"When they put him in the room they were putting pressure on him saying he had no right to stay in this country. He was normally a very quiet person … but the pressure is too much for people in here."
The Home Office confirmed that a 35-year-old man had died.
"The UK Border Agency is in the process of contacting his family and our sympathies are with them at this time," said a spokesman. "The police and prisons and probation ombudsman are investigating the matter, as is the norm, and we are cooperating fully with their investigations."
Inmates at Campsfield House, which holds 200 asylum seekers and foreign prisoners, have staged a number of protests in the past over conditions at the centre and the policy of indefinite detention and forced returns.
Last year about half of detainees went on hunger strike in protest against their treatment and the forced deportation of asylum seekers.
In 2005 Kurdish teenager, Ramazan Kumluca, killed himself after spending more than four months in Campsfield.
There has been widespread concern about the treatment of detainees being deported from the UK. In October Jimmy Mubenga collapsed and died as he was being deported on a commercial flight from Heathrow. Passengers told police they saw three security guards heavily restraining Mubenga, who they said had been complaining of breathing difficulties. The guards were arrested in connection with the death and bailed until September.
Earlier this year, four whistleblowers submitted evidence to the Commons home affairs select committee alleging serious failings during the removal of detainees from the UK. Their evidence, obtained by the Guardian, warned that dangerous and inappropriate techniques were being used during deportations.


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Who Is Your Favorite TV Twosome? Vote Now!
Happy Valentine's Day! While some of us are single (and fabulous) on this day of love, we can't help but live vicariously through some of our favorite TV couples. Even if they're no longer together on the actual show, we will always cherish what they had together (and secretly hope they'll reunite!).
There are lots of TV twosomes out there, but we like to think that the 8 best ones are below. However, we're having trouble deciding which duo reigns supreme, so we thought we'd enlist the help of our trusty Teen readers.
We know if might be hard for you to choose, but which one of these twosomes do you 'ship the hardest? Let us know by voting the the poll!
If you want to elaborate on why one couple is your fave, hit the comments!


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Computers are ubiquitous in education. Most schools have some sort of computer program for students; it can include a laptop for every student in grade 4 and higher, sophisticated computer labs on school campuses, and computer networks. There are some disadvantages of using computer games in education, and the disadvantages can potentially be harmful to students.
Distracted Students
Computer games can often distract students so that, instead of learning the concepts presented in the game, they are focusing attention on elements of the game that don't have to do with learning the concept. For example, an addition with manipulatives game at the ABCya website has loud music as an introduction. The music can distract students at the start of the game, causing them to not concentrate on the addition skills they are about to learn. The narrator of the game, a pirate, can cause students to focus too much attention on what the pirate does. Once students get to the math problem, they might be tempted to click on all the game elements, guessing the answer instead of figuring out the problem.
Nothing Learned
Often students playing computer games that focus on a drill such as addition and subtraction already know the skill, so that the students don't learn anything. In order for students to learn in a lesson, they need to add to what they already know. For example, a teacher might have the class playing the addition with manipulatives game to the whole class, when some in the class already know how to add two three digit numbers with regrouping.
Absence of Inclusive Language
Many games, such as the Oregon Trail, refer to Americans as "we" without considering who "we" is. Games like Oregon Trail, discussed in an interview with Bill Bigalow on the History Matters website, are not inclusive to all minority groups. Bigelow said: "There is a coercive element to the language that is used in a history class---and in the media more generally, for that matter---that demands that students identify with the policies of the U.S. government and of U.S. elites: 'We' went to war in Vietnam. 'We travelled west on the Oregon Trail." According to Bigelow, African Americans were excluded from many Oregon Trail wagon trains, so that when the narrator of the Oregon Trail game says that "we" travelled with the Oregon Trail wagon trains, the "we" doesn't include African Americans.
Social Skills
Computer use in the home and school can give students little time to interact with each other so that they learn few social skills. Heavy computer use can isolate students, keeping them from making friends. Students who are already isolated and lonely often choose playing computer games in lieu of using social skills to communicate with others.


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Dominance Based Trainers!
View Single Post
March 24th, 2011, 05:50 PM
Senior Contributor
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 10,187
Originally Posted by
excellent description of how dogs interact! Thanks! I've been watching my two socialize a lot and it really is amazing the subtleness and signals.
It is. If you actually watch them, read the language, then it gives you a wonderful understanding on how to approach certain issues. The only time I saw aggression is when one lost the play battle. All I ever have to do change their path is to redirect it by saying 'Hey' and pointing to their mats. They recover from the negative interaction very quickly and walk through the door together like nothing happened. All is forgiven.
With humans however it is not forgiven if they are roughed up. They become fearful and this can possibly flourish into other problem areas.
What dogs do to dogs, people cannot effectively pass on the same 'message'. It just will not work and infact can do more harm than good.
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Formitize has launched Field Services App – a powerful tool created to revolutionize businesses worldwide.
Sydney, Australia -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/30/2014 -- The creators of Formitize – a powerful tool that has revolutionized businesses around the world – has launched Field Services App, their latest offering. The field services mobile app is an innovative paperless software solution developed by Mobile Interactive Technologies. Formitize is being used by many of the world's leading corporations through to small sole trader businesses.
How Field Services App Works
Field Services App converts existing paperwork into a smart app. More than 20 intuitive features are then added to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and intelligence of data collection using paperless forms that the mobile workforce can use in the field. These features include time and date stamping, GPS mapping, in-form signature collection, bar code reading, voice recording, and so much more.
A secure web-based management portal is included as part of the app for field service to provide real-time visibility and reporting on all data being collected in the field. In addition to the customisable reporting the paperless solution provides it is also able to integrate with more than 200 third party software providers.
Here are three features that make Field Services App ideal for business needs:
1. Photo Tagging - Take a photo or pull an image from the device and then attach tags to the image that can then be searched from the management portal. This is ideal for recording before and after shots, competitor activity in the field, etc.
2. Conditional Logic - Responsive intelligence adds a whole new dimension to the efficiency of mobile forms. Deal only with relevant sections, open up new sections where further information or actions are required, and let the form develop its own direction as the responses are provided.
3. In Form Calculations - In-built calculator performs the standard calculations through the smart forms, saving time and ensuring all calculations are exactly right every single time.
Matt Burge, CEO at Formitize states, "Field Services App is a powerful tool not just for your invoices, work orders, and job sheets but also for company compliance. You can use this mobile app for field service to update your staff of your company's new management policy. Simply upload the latest policy and archive the previous version. When your employees open their iPad, iPhone, Android or Windows device, the digital forms will sync automatically and provide access to the policy updates such as material data sheets, safe work statements, and safety documents. By default, everybody has access to the latest version."
Formitize solutions are driving business automation and operational efficiencies across more than eighty industries worldwide. Business apps utilize smartphones and tablet devices across Apple, Android, and Microsoft Windows phone devices.
Discover how Field Services App can revolutionise businesses worldwide. Take Our Tour today!
About Field Services App
Field Services App is used globally by field services businesses looking to improve their efficiency, ensure the compliance of their processes and improve the professionalism of their reporting.
URL: http://fieldservicesapp.com/
Name: Matt Burge, CEO
Company Name: Formitize
URL: http://formitize.com/
Email: email@example.com
Address: Unit 15, 151 Hartley Road
Smeaton Grange
Sydney, Australia
Telephone: +61 1300 552 008


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Pettit Peak, Piute Mountain, Volunteer Peak
By: Al Conrad, Bob Wyka
Having misunderstood that we could secure parking tickets at the Mono Village Resort Cafe prior to the opening of the campground entry station at 7:30 am the leader gathered the flock at 6:30 am. All this did was assure the cafe proprietor a few more breakfast sales while we waited pondering our fate under the canopy of scattered shafts of sunlight and darkening clouds. At 8 am we were leaving the west end of the campground headed for Barney Lake. Storm threats materialized into a heavy shower which lasted for 10 minutes around 9 am. Although overcast the skies didn't shed their drops again until we were eating lunch at Peeler Lake. After that we entered Yosemite NP and enjoyed the rest of the trip in dry weather.
Over Seavey Pass, we found a camp area on a bench to the east of the trail at about 8600'. Staved there two nights Did Volunteer followed by Pettit on Day 2. The obvious basin leading to the SW slope of Volunteer worked well. This was reached via the trial to Rodgers Lake, heading south from the PCT just below the sheer face of Volunteer. We traversed south from Volunteer at about 10,100', not dropping to Rodgers Lake as some have done. The descent from Pettit to Rodgers Lake demanded some bush whacking and negotiating some snow fields. Our consensus was that doing the peaks in this order made a lot of sense because of the terrain and snow conditions. We were back at camp by 6 pm.
Having been warned of the snow conditions by a couple of people who had been in the area recently, the trip went private and ice axes were carried. The leader got teased a bit about that requirement. The snow conditions must have changed dramatically in the two weeks prior to the trip because the trip would have gone well without them. We carried our ice axes to Piute as well on Day 3. On this day, all but one of us pulled them out for crossing the snow basin, we had carried them and we were going to use them!! Mine came in handy as a crutch descending the steep vegetated slope below the prominent pine-tree-in-the- notch landmark we had used in ascending toward the ride from camp.
The route to Piute has been well-described in the literature...about as well as one can do in words. Some trial and error was required for us to find the downslope to the snow basin. The left-heading and then right-heading slopes leading to the ridge NW of the summit climaxed the best ascent of this trio of peaks. Since one couple felt obligated to be with their employers on Tuesday, but still wanted Piute, they just committed themselves to being back at their vehicle by dark on Monday. And they were. The rest of us enjoyed the evening at Peeler Lake and were back at our cars around 9:30 am on Tuesday.
Our route covered about 46 miles and about 10,000' of elevation gain. Stream crossings were not a problem. Participants were: Scott Sullivan, Elena Sherman, Dan Richter, Asher Waxman and Tom Randel. Strong and experienced, these people made this trip a great success.
|SPS Trip Report Index | Sierra Peaks Section


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Damacio Diaz said he doesn't recognize the man he was three years ago when he was a detective working for Bakersfield police.
"What's in the past, is in the past. I can't go back and fix it, but I can tell you, I'm a different man today."
His story started in McFarland back in 1987. He was part of the famous cross country team and was featured in a Disney movie. Years later, he put on a badge and from there, Diaz said, he slowly fell to corruption.
"You don't go from being the kind of person I am, and what I was, to ending up in handcuffs in a courtroom, overnight."
According to court documents, in 2012 Diaz started taking bribes in exchange for police intelligence. In September of the same year, he seized 10 pounds of meth during a traffic stop, he turned in one pound and sold the rest.
He was arrested last year and on Tuesday, he took a plea deal at the federal courthouse. He pleaded guilty and then stepped outside to say sorry.
"For letting everyone down. We got into a situation where, we began to cross the line, and little-by-little, we went beyond what was allowed and what should have been done," said Diaz.
Diaz said he wasn't the only corrupt officer in the department. In fact, his partner, Patrick Mara, was linked to the case and he also took a plea deal.
"I believe that what happened to me, other officers will think twice in the future before crossing that line," said Diaz.
For his crimes, Diaz could go to prison for at least 10 years. A judge will decide the length of the sentence and it'll be stacked on top of the shame Diaz said he brought to his name and his hometown.
"What I am doing now and what I will continue to do until the day God takes me away is-- I will make up for what I did."
Former Bakersfield police officer pleads guilty to bribery and other charges, apologizes for actions
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Specialized Painting Company Inc. is a full service architectural and protective coating contractor certified WBE, DVBE and SBE. We are committed to producing the finest results by performing with the highest of standards. We respond to your needs by tailoring our services to your project goals.
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Our goal as an organization is to serve our clients and our community with professionalism, safety, awareness and consideration to the environment we live in. We keep ourselves and our clients current with the ever changing technology, always choosing the safest and most effective methods.
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Fax (714) 671-0128
Contractor State License #641031
C 33 - Painting and Decorating
C 2 - Isulation and Acoustical


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Opening Statements
The rationale - Michael Wills and Anthony Barnett
The "National Conversation" Conversation - Tony Curzon Price
Values and Virtual Debates - Bill Thompson
Online Engagement in a National Debate - Steve Clift
Building Online Participation into a National Citizens Summit - Suw Charman
Discussion threads
Networking Democracy (43 responses)
Ensuring Security (5 responses)
Asking Difficult Questions (3 responses)
How do online and offline interact? (3 responses)
Building Participation (7 responses)
Final thoughts (7 responses)
Online Engagement in a National Debate
Steven Clift, of E-Democracy.Org
Typically, online political debate is first about quantity. It raises the voices of those who seek to be heard and is read only by those to seek (click) to listen. It is about disagreement and often disparaging those with whom you disagree behind the cloak of an alias.
If you seek quality, deliberation, representativeness, insight, and more, the resources you would dedicate to an online engagement should parallel those invested in any well-funded gathering of public input such as the envisioned Citizens' Summit. If you are ready to accept the fact that that online "engagement" is not participation on the cheap, then let's proceed.
First, an important issue: Promote Real Names - Promote the use of real names and community everywhere. This generates much higher quality submissions, raises the level of discourse, and causes politicians to take notice. If you decided that you need anonymous channels for participation, give people the option to opt-out of using their name in public discussions. but make real names the strong default. This is the number one quality control lesson from E-Democracy.Org. Almost everyone else as bought into the myth that "no one knows your a dog online." It shouldn't surprise us, then, that in political debates online people often act like animals. The rise of Facebook demonstrates the power of identity online. The value of real names does not apply to sensitive topics or places where people face serious threats of retribution or imprisonment for expressing unpopular opinions online. But in "public life" I do not buy the argument that the fear being judged or held accountable ones political views is so negative that the entire online exchange should be oriented toward the use of aliases. Try to imagine how parliament with each speaker talking with a bag over their head. Who would take that seriously?
I recommend a three pronged, evolutionary approach:
- Distributed Online Survey with Comment Submission and Rating
- Networked Engagement through Multiple Partners, National Promotion
- Online Deliberative Participation
In addition, I've included a list of frank advice at the end of the scenarios.
To help develop my thoughts on this proposal, I seeded a discussion on the Democracies Online community of practice about e-participation. In summary, building "consensus" online (or offline for the matter) is extremely complicated even if the result is viewed by those who participate as mattering. Since the "intelligence is in the network" please see:
Where you can find: Building consensus online; Building consensus online/definitions?; and Gathering input from online from one million people
Distributed Online Survey – "The Widget"
For the first wave of input I recommend producing a small survey "widget" that is embedded across the home page of all major government websites and available for inclusion on any website or blog. A widget is a small piece of code that allows someone to include syndicated content/applications from another website within their website. (It is how one displays a YouTube video on another site.)
Each day for at least one month a new question selected by a panel of online participants from public submissions would be presented across the network.
Project goals:
- Promote mass participation
- Acquire opt-in e-mail addresses for further engagement opportunity publicity
- Produce quantifiable results while engaging many with a low time commitment
Upon completing the syndicated survey question, people would be taken to a central website where they can, without registration, be:
- Given the opportunity to answer "why?" with a comment
- Shown five to ten second tier questions selected for that day/week that they can answer
- Be given the opportunity to securely share demographic data for use in either weighing a potential display of the results based on census data or, if not saved with the answers, to at least measure outreach to diverse groups in society
- Provided an option to rate other comments and view comments (default view +1 or above - "Slashdot" style, which was recently adopted by YouTube to allow the audience bury useless comments below the visibility threshold)
- Asked to provide their e-mail address and postal code for a project e-newsletter and other important updates
- (Random) prizes should be available for those providing their e-mail address (S. Korea has offered prizes on government-funded voter education websites)
In addition, upon rating X number of comments, participants would be invited to register and join the online group receiving and rating proposed questions (related to British Values) submitted by the public. Assuming that most questions are too biased for direct use (E-Democracy.Org's experience with online candidate debate questions submissions), these "super" users would be empowered to amend/re-craft the best question topics into a neutral format appropriate for question display across the large syndicated network.
If final editorial control is vested in a government official, make that transparent and clear to participants. By having a channel for top tier daily questions and second tier additional questions on the central site, most of the top rated questions should be accommodated by the second level if found too controversial for placement across government or partner websites.
Networked Engagement through Multiple Partners, National Promotion
After the initial phase of surface level mass engagement via the online survey, you now have an opportunity to leverage this audience (if you've aggressively encouraged opt-in e-mail registration in the first phase). In addition to the fresh opt-in e-mail list, promotion of this overall effort should leverage e-mail addresses gathered by government (from e-petitioning, etc.) to the greatest extent allowed by privacy policies/use promises.
I recommend a "thousand flowers bloom strategy." Invite the public to search and join a local or community of identity/interest online discussion on the British Statement of Values that interests them.
You need a catchy name that says "British Values Online Month."
Instead of picking one technology or platform, you would encourage partner sites - be they a local media or Council website, the blog of an MP, or a national site oriented toward a socially excluded population - to register the section on their site where they are hosting their own independent British Values online discussion using their own format and style. Imagine hundreds of small (and some quite large) online gatherings leveraging the skills and talents of may different hosts.
Partner sites should be invited to opt-in on a non-exclusive basis, add a logo to their website and link back to the central directory. Most importantly they would be included in a keyword and geographically searchable directory/map of participating sites.
You need a launch date and an end date to generate media attention, provide an incentive to participate "now" as well as to allow the effort to celebrate something with a sense of closure.
After one month or so of distributed participation, partners should be asked to report results using standardized online form. This will guide distribute hosts toward moving their participants from expression toward dialogue and perhaps some consensus building. Gathering public and sharable results from the each group will further allow aggregation of results.
Key to this approach is a significant promotional budget including a mix of television advertising and online advertising to drive traffic to the directory. Major media organisations would make ideal partners.
One of the conditions for partnering should include active promotion of both their British Values website participation section and the overall central initiative website through available off-line means of promotion (if a television network participates they must agree to promote the online event on the air not just on their website).
A variation of this proposal would be to create an online discussion hosting facility for use by multiple organisations as an option (preferably open source so the tool may be extended to future events/existing platforms). MPs or local councils, for example, could register to host an online discussion for people in their area and provide whatever facilitation and recruitment that is required. A fundamental flaw in most nationally conceived e-participation projects is that no politician, be they a local councillor or a MP, has to pay attention to "their constituents" in the typical format where they are often disempowered as representatives. This however does not mean many would jump at the chance to host and guide an open discussion in a medium where they feel (rightly or wrongly) they have less control than with face-to-face participation.
I should offer, that if interest is strong in a distributed approach, E-Democracy.Org would be very interested in how such an online event could leverage our existing geographically-based Issues Forums in England. Further, one might imagine a scenario whereby council or county-level forums could be established across the UK with the participation/promotion of interested local governments for a one-month event (with say at least 100 participants attracted for viability) that could then be turned over to the participants to form a voluntary committee to sustain the online public space for democratic participation in their county/council/parish/neighbourhood on an ongoing basis. See: http://e-democracy.org/if
Online Deliberative Participation
It could very well be that where my thinking started (the text below) with this request is least appropriate considering the value that will be generated by the in-person representative citizen jury approach.
However, if the goal is deep online engagement in a highly structured and mediated setting (which could be one of the "flowers" if funding was provided) you might go completely the opposite direction of phase one and invite 250 to 1,000 Britons to participate on a competitive basis. Selection could be based on an application process, submission of an essay/video judged in some way, or people invited based on highly rated comments. Another selection model would be to create slots based on demographics and choose participants from a pool of applicants that way.
This approach is completely different than taking a distributed "Web 2.0" approach, but I have yet to see 1,000 monkeys write Shakespeare. When the Bay Area actually delivers stronger local communities based on aggregated hyper-individualistic technological determinism we should take another look.
Below I've outlined a two week online event or consultation that could be adapted for our purposes. In general, people vastly underestimate the costs involved with moving online engagement beyond the Hyde Park-style soapbox or stilted "government wants to know X" consultations to something rich, deliberative, and participant driven. I have made a rough outline for a potential project in my home state in the USA called Minnesota listens, you can find it here.
Additional Advice
Some of these ideas are included above, but this is a quick list generated moment after I was first contacted for advice.
If you really want to encourage broad participation/and to quickly answer some of the questions posed:
1. Partnerships and Prizes - Develop mass media partnerships to help promote the engagement. Consider advertising and definitely have prizes for certain actions be it a ring tone or whatever. (S Korea has used prizes on government funded voter education web sites.)
2. Survey and Show Incremental Results for Immediate Feedback - If you want/expect big numbers, have a light weight online-survey option ... but allow people to publish their input and allow others to rate/recommend responses ± (Slashdot style) - Queensland publishes comments/results thus far with some consultations, they even show the % results for multiple choice questions as results come it ... very good, very transparent.
3. Weigh with Demographics - Ask for census-related demographics as an option (kept private and secure of course) to help you display the results in a weighted manner as an option - there is no way this can be scientifically representative on the input side so drop any illusion BUT mass participation will get you pretty close - Issy France weighs the results of their citizen panel online.
4. Hire Summarizers - Hire people with strict deadlines to distill results as they come in, summarize, and report back publicly to gather more input - taking comments and turning them into survey questions on the fly. Don't fool yourself with strictly technical solutions. This takes bodies. However, the more structure you put into survey questions and the like, the easier it will be to tabulate high level results.
5. Review Advice - Track down newer and older guides:
New: New Zealand's Guide to Online Participation:
Older: Online Consultations and Events - Top Ten Tips for Government and Civic Hosts
Comment and discussion on Networking Democracy is taking place on OurKingdom - click here to join in.
Opening Statements
- The rationale - Michael Wills and Anthony Barnett
- The "National Conversation" Conversation - Tony Curzon Price
- Values and Virtual Debates - Bill Thompson
- Online Engagement in a National Debate - Steve Clift
- Building Online Participation into a National Citizens Summit - Suw Charman
Discussion threads
- Networking Democracy (43 responses)
- Ensuring Security (5 responses)
- Asking Difficult Questions (3 responses)
- How do online and offline interact? (3 responses)
- Building Participation (7 responses)
- Final thoughts (7 responses)


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The Changing Face of Technology: Document Imaging Meets the Challenge
Customer expectations, the demand for greater efficiencies, and cost control are driving businesses to rely upon advanced technologies for solutions;and an increasing number of people with developmental disabilities are filling document imaging positions.
Five private sector businesses can attest to the value of moving to computerized record systems. Their successes can be attributed to the skills and abilities that people with developmental disabilities are bringing to the workforce in a variety of fields and industries.
Beltmann Relocation Group, one of the employers highlighted in the video, has been in the local, long distance, and international moving business for more than 80 years, and continues to include individuals with developmental disabilities in their workforce.
Video Transcript:
The drive for greater efficiency, the demands of customers, and the need to keep costs in check are all pushing companies to rely on technology for solutions. But some of those advanced solutions are being implemented by some new hands: people with developmental disabilities.
More and more companies are turning to computerized record systems to meet demand. The Beltmann Group, a major moving company with 13 locations nationwide, has taken action.
Beltmann Vice President Steve Kosel: "Technology becomes an important part of what we do so that people have access to their information instantly. And everybody with the Internet and all the advances in technology are expecting those types of advances within the moving and storage industry as well."
Beltmann Vice President Steve Kosel says that people with developmental disabilities have become strong performers in the digital imaging arena. "They definitely have become part of the team. They work well with the entire staff that they're involved with. They've been involved in some of the company outings we've had. We had a bowling outing where they both came and got involved with the staff, so they've really ingrained themselves into our organization and have become another team member that work well with everyone else."
Matt: "Well, my goals were to try to—to work for an office and try to get my own little area to work with and my own computer, because I love computers a lot. Oh, it really felt great, because I really thought I could achieve this goal, because this is something I've always wanted to do."
Matt came to development through Merrick Inc., a nonprofit, and he's regarded as diligent and reliable. He got the computer bug from his father, who retired from Unisys after a 44-year career.
"I started working with it when I was—my father got this first computer called a Commodore computer, and I started learning how to work that, and then it went up to, like, the IBM, and I started working with that. And then it really came to me. I thought—I mean, I thought computer work would be the best job to go."
While Matt's supervisors say he is able to concentrate on the tasks at hand, they say college students and temporaries tend to start rewriting programs, sending emails or instant messages, thinking about what's happening that night, or just get bored.
American Building Contractors,a construction and storm-damage roofer and repairer operating in 44 states, reported the same experience. President Brian Fischer says that people with developmental disabilities were far superior.
"The folks came in, and there was a large number of people just, actually, processing the paperwork, pulling out staples, pulling out paper clips, taking them out of their manila folders, and getting them prepared for the folks who actually do the scanning so that they can move through them a lot more quickly. And they went through them like gangbusters.
"The team from AccessAbility came with a job coach and required little supervision. She got the work ready for them, kept them on task the whole day, and she was our liaison and somebody to talk to, to get what we needed done. It worked out really well."
Fischer firmly believes this was a sound business decision.
"It was a business necessity. When you think of a file that, by the time you're done with that file and it's ready for the shredder, a lot of these files that we had, had been Federal Expressed from the office that generated the file to the office that did the payroll back to the office where the payroll was distributed, and if there was an issue where I had to review it, Federal Express—some of these files had been federal expressed two, three times at $9 apiece, and when you look at a whole warehouse of those files, you say, 'My God, why didn't we do this years ago?'"
Law firms are confronted by enormous records management challenges with files that must be maintained and accessible for years. Deborah Cramer, the office manager of the Johnson Condon firm in Edina, Minnesota, established a relationship with Midway Training Services to convert a records backlog.
"One of the attorneys that works at Johnson and Condon was very familiar with the work that M.T.S. was doing with autistic adults. They were currently working on a project in which they were converting paper files to a paperless format, and that was a project that we were also interested in having completed."
Given the success of the effort, Cramer suggests that other law firms strongly consider going digital.
"Because the legal field is riddled with paper, I would think it would be very wise for other firms to take a look at employing this technology of having scanned files instead of paper files all over their offices."
When the files go from Johnson Condon to M.T.S. in Saint Paul, supervisor Jason Miska and his crew of people take over.
Jason Miska: "Well, the law firm brings us a crate of documents, and we take those, and we bring them in here. We prep them. After they're prepped, we bring them here to the scanning area, and our people scan them, and then after that, we take the ones that are cleared, and we bring them back to the shredding area, and then the shredders go through the boxes that I've set up for them, and they find out which ones can be shredded, which ones can't. And just is a big process that goes on and on and on."
The success of their document imaging program has prompted M.T.S. to take another significant step forward. The new development, we have a storefront coming up.
"It's gonna look a little bit like Fed Ex-type Kinko's, but, you know, it's gonna have people with, you know, developmental disabilities doing the work."
While some programs are dealing with substantial backlogs in digital imaging work, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Minnesota has cleared that hurdle and focuses on current record-keeping activities. Dealing with a vast quantity of customer and provider communications, the health care insurer converted to electronic records several years ago and now has to keep up with the flow.
Recruiting Manager Corrine Shepherd turned to Lifeworks, which brought a young man with autism to the organization's Eagan campus.
"He is very detail oriented. He has a memory like a steel trap. He can remember the instructions, and he can look for details and errors like no one else that we've worked with, so he's been doing a superb job there. It's also been just a good fit for his skills because it's very repetitive, and once he's learned the tasks and learned how to look for certain things, we've been able to give him new tasks, so we move from doing basic kinds of scanning jobs to more complex scanning jobs where he had to start making some decisions for himself, checking in with us from time to time. But it's been very good for him and for us to work together and to see him really kind of blossom here at Blue Cross."
With the guidance of a job coach, Jason is very productive.
"Quite honestly, we would not have been able to complete the scanning project if we had not had Jason here, so he's really completed the initial phase of getting all of our employee files scanned and into the system. And now he's helping us with maintenance. So when we hire new people, he's scanning those files. When we're doing performance reviews, he's scanning those files. so he's keeping us up to date with all of our imaging."
From the high-tech administrator sector, the spotlight shifts to the information technology industry itself, where Xiotech is a major force in data storage and information risk management.
Vice President George Klauser, who supervises worldwide support services, knew that the abilities of people with disabilities are often overlooked by employers, but he has personal knowledge of their desire.
"Speaking from experience, I have a 21-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy and special needs, and the most important thing to her is having independence, independence in where she lives, independence in the workplace, and really wanting to feel good about what she does each and every day. I think Opportunity Partners helps people like my daughter Christina fulfill those dreams about independence."
Klauser is a veteran board member of Opportunity Partners, an organization that provides employment training and services for people with disabilities, and he saw the nonprofit as an outsourcing partner for Xiotech and its subsidiary Daticon.
"I think one of the unique requirements of readying a disabled worker is providing them the balanced level of skills all the way from social skills to learning the technical skills. That's one of the things that Daticon saw very attractive in opportunity partners is being able to attract a worker that had the capabilities to learn various different tasks in completing the ultimate job that was required."
At Opportunity Partners, Steve Nolan is the document imaging project manager, and the group handles complex document imaging and coding assignments for Xiotech, many involving legal issues.
"It may involve 250,000, upwards of, you know, millions of pieces of paper. They would used to have to take a staff of paralegals. They would give them the sorting criteria. 'This is what I want you to go find,' and they would literally have to look at every piece of paper and pull those pieces of paper out in order to come up with the information that the attorneys needed to take that to trial."
The number of companies employing people with disabilities for document imaging is expanding steadily, based on the experiences and record of achievement posted by the pioneering firms. Whether in the document-preparation stage, scanning, or even coding, there is a place for people with disabilities in digital imaging. And that place may well be at the head of the line. Needs for electronic record-keeping will continue to grow, assuring expanding job opportunities in the future.


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The private sector should find ways to "take over" things "that are not being very well done" by government social programs, President Reagan said Monday, adding that he intends to make a major address to the business community on volunteerism.
"The possibilities are limitless for what we can take over from what government has been doing," Mr. Reagan said at a breakfast with 20 business and civic leaders. Citing several examples in which he said the government had flubbed the job of helping the deprived, Reagan said private industry can run projects for the disadvantaged with less overhead expense than the government.


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The final table of the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller Event was determined yesterday as the seven remaining players vie for the title on Monday. It is a tight race at the top with Ivan Luca holding the chip lead with 2.76 million chips, followed by Justin Bonomo with 2.695 million and Daniel Negreanu with 2.415 million.
All seven players are guaranteed at least $248,720. Thus, Negreanu has already made up his tournament losses from last year; he recently posted on his blog that despite nearly $2.8 million in live tournament cashes, he lost $86,140 in 2017. His average buy-in was over $40,000, though, so Negreanu considered that net loss virtually "break even."
As one would expect in a Super High Roller tournament, the rest of the final table is also a "who's who" of the tournament poker world. Bryn Kenney, who led the Player of the Year races last year before being overtaken late by Adrian Mateos, is in fourth place with 1.485 million chips. Isaac Haxton is in fifth with 1.095 million and two players have fewer than 1 million chips: Cary Katz (855,000, no relation to this writer) and Sam Greenwood (695,000).
The chip leader, Ivan Luca, is tops on Argentina's all-time money list, according to TheHendonMob.com, with over $5.3 million in live tournament earnings. He doesn't have one insane cash that makes up the bulk of his earnings, like many seven-figure lifetime winners do, but rather many five and six-figure scores. His best cash came at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure two years ago, when he finished third in the $50,000 High Roller Eight-Handed event for nearly half a million dollars. That was one of five cashes for him at the 2016 PCA; all were final table appearances.
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure has been a "big deal" poker festival for a number of years and as the earliest major event of the calendar year, it tends to feel even more significant. There is something a tad more special about it in 2018, though, as the PCA didn't exist last year, at least in name. Remember, PokerStars, which owns the European Poker Tour, decided to do away with the European Poker Tour brand (as well as regional tournament brands) and rebrand everything with its own name. Thus, the EPT, APPT, LAPT and more became the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival last year. The tournaments were all still there, just rearranged and with different names.
So, in 2017, the PCA was the PokerStars Championship Bahamas, which has absolutely zero ring to it, especially for a poker tour stop that had such a unique name and status in the poker world. Fortunately, PokerStars came to its senses near the end of 2017 and decided to bring back the European Poker Tour, Asia-Pacific Poker Tour, and Latin American Poker Tour, reinstating some normalcy to the world. The revival of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure name had even been announced months earlier, a sign that changes were afoot.
The final table of the PCA Super High Roller will begin at 3:30pm local time as the seven players maneuver for the $1.5 million first prize.
2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100K Super High Roller Event – Final Table Chip Counts
1. Ivan Luca – 2,760,000
2. Justin Bonomo – 2,695,000
3. Daniel Negreanu – 2,415,000
4. Bryn Kenney – 1,485,000
5. Isaac Haxton – 1,095,000
6. Cary Katz – 855,000
7. Sam Greenwood – 695,000