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Eritrea: how the London embassy forces Eritreans to pay the illegal 2% tax – full report – martinplaut
Eritrea: how the London embassy forces Eritreans to pay the illegal 2% tax – full report
Date: 16/02/2014Author: Martin Plaut 6 Comments	Fresh evidence that British Eritreans face illegal tax extortion
Summary: Eritrean nationals in the UK, as well as individuals of Eritrean descent, are being forced to pay an illegal 2% tax levied on all their UK earnings by the Eritrean government. This is in addition to the taxes they pay in Britain. Despite assurances from the British Government that this has been stopped secretly filmed evidence reveals that this practice continues to be routine. This video evidence is supported by official receipts from the Eritrean embassy.
The extortion is forced on the Eritrean diaspora despite a UN Security Council resolution forbidding it – a resolution which the British government supports. UN Resolution 2023 (2011) expanded sanctions against Eritrea to include the “diaspora tax”, a 2 per cent income tax levied on Eritrean nationals living abroad.[1] The resolution required Eritrea to cease using threats of violence, fraud and other illicit means to force its nationals and, indeed, other individuals of Eritrean descent to pay taxes to the Eritrean government.
The Eritrean community in the UK calls for the British government to end its toleration of the Eritrean Embassy’s flouting of official British policy and United Nations resolutions. The time to act is now – follow the lead of the Canadian government and to expel the Eritrean ambassador until this illegal taxation ends!
1. The fresh evidence. 2
2. British government policy towards Eritrea. 4
3. British government acknowledgement of Eritrean human rights violations. 6
3. International action to halt Eritrean double taxation – the Canadian example. 9
4. Conclusion. 10
5. Appendices. 12
Appendix 1 Verbatim transcript of extortion at Eritrean Embassy, 18 December 2013. 12
Appendix 2 Documentary evidence of the levying of the diaspora tax after May 2011. 15
Appendix 3 Eritrea openly flouts UN Security Council resolution. 16
Appendix 4. 19
1. The fresh evidence
Simon Tesfamariam has lived in Britain since the early 1990s and has dual British and Eritrean citizenship. On the morning of the 18th of December 2013 he went to the Eritrean Embassy at 96 White Lion St, London N1 9PF, as every ordinary Eritrean must, to get official clearance to be allowed to have any dealings in Eritrea or with the Eritrean government.
To be ‘cleared’ Eritreans must prove they have paid a 2% tax on all their earnings in the UK to the Eritrean government. This has to be paid from the moment they are in employment and – as the transcript of Mr Tesfamariam interview indicates – it can be backdated over many years. Without an Eritrean tax certificate it is impossible to get a passport renewed, or an entry or exit visa. It is also impossible to undertake a number of unofficial transactions. For example, Eritreans must prove they have paid the tax before they can remit money back to their families or simply to send them old clothes. No business can be opened or closed, no license can be obtained without a tax certificate from the Eritrean authorities.
Eritreans in this country have continued to face demands from the London Embassy for the tax to be paid, despite assurances from the British authorities that these demands will be stopped. Wearing a secret camera during his visit Mr Tesfamariam recorded what took place. The full translation of his conversation is provided [Appendix 1] but here is the key exchange, which was captured on video.
What was your address when you last paid?
When I paid? 90 Guinness court I think.
Since then, there hasn’t been any payment.
Well it’s probably because I was still a student then. I was told to pay for my ID card.
Yes, you paid for ID card. You were underage so 2% tax was not applicable. Bring your ID.
From when do I need to pay according to this?
OK…. The year you were born is 1978, right?
(Embassy staff turns to speak to someone else)
Coming back to ST:
In 1996, you turned 18 years old. You have not paid anything since 1996. If you were a student, you have to bring proof of that.
Well I was a student until 2001, until I finished university.
You have to bring proof if you were in college or university.
So I have to bring proof that I finished university?
OK, You know you were under age until 1996 and then from then until 2001, in education. Proof is needed or if you were under social services and so on.
Well, I was under social services from 1995-1997 but not after that. I was living in a children’s home.
OK from 1996-2004 what were you doing? Were you working, studying, you have to bring proof. Anyway even if you were a student, £50/year is paid by everyone. For the rest, until 2013 you have to provide proof of income.Before 1996, you don’t need to. However, after and until 2013 you need to bring a payslip, a P60 or anything that indicates your income. When you come with all these documents, then you can pay the 2% tax.
No you don’t have to pay it all at once; you can break it down and pay in Eritrea.
So do I have to pay it in Eritrea?
Yes you have to pay it in Eritrea.
But do I have to go myself? How can I?
OK, so it has to be paid there in pounds?
Yes in pounds.
However if you have anything to do there any query, e.g Power of Attorney (wekelena), or anything to do there, you will have to pay it all and get clearance. You will not be able to do anything without clearance. However, If you have no query or nothing to do, then you can pay it little by little.
But I don’t get clearance until everything is clear.
Yes, clear.
Simon Tesfamariam’s experience is common. Every Eritrean resident abroad must pay the illegal 2% tax. Documentary evidence has also been obtained which shows that the tax has been paid since the UK government’s assurance that it had instructed the Eritrean embassy to end the practice in 2011. The most recent receipt is dated 18 December 2012. [See Appendix 2]
2. British government policy towards Eritrea
The British government supported a series of UN resolutions imposing sanctions against Eritrea.[2] The UK assured the UN that it had taken steps in 2011 to ensure that the diaspora tax was not being collected in the UK. This is indicated in the following extract from a report by the UN Monitoring Group, on the implementation of resolutions relating to Eritrea and Somalia.[3]
“On 20 May 2011, the Government of the United Kingdom notified the Eritrean authorities that, since aspects of the collection of the two per cent tax may be unlawful and in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, until it was demonstrated otherwise, the Eritrean embassy should suspend, immediately and in full, all activities relating to the collection of the tax.”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office says it reminded the Eritrean ambassador as recently as December 2012 that the diaspora tax was illegal. This was made clear by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister in the House of Lords, Baroness Warsi, in reply to this question from Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead.[4]
“To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2023 (2011) calling for an end to the tax imposed by Eritrea on the Eritrean Diaspora. [HL5787]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi):
“The UK supported UN Security Council Resolution 2023 which condemned Eritrea’s use of the diaspora tax to destabilise the Horn of Africa region and decided that Eritrea should cease using illicit means to collect the tax. We are aware of allegations over the use of harassment to collect revenue from members of the Eritrean diaspora in the UK.
On 20 December 2012, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised these concerns with the Eritrean ambassador and reminded him of UN SCR 2023.”
Despite these assurances and repeated warnings, it is clear that the British government’s policy is being continually flouted by the Eritrean embassy in London.
The British government is aware that this is taking place. In its most recent report to the UN Security Council, in July 2013, the UN Monitoring Group had this to say about the diaspora tax: “…the Group has obtained receipts, dated 2012 and 2013, which document taxation by the Government of Eritrea of its citizens living in the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden and Canada, and it has been reliably informed by dozens of Eritrean citizens living in the diaspora of taxes being levied in other countries with significant Eritrean populations.”[5]
It is particularly worrying that Britain has failed to provide the Monitoring Group with any indication of the steps taken to implement resolution 2023 (2011), which the UK supported.[6]
3. British government acknowledgement of Eritrean human rights violations
Eritrea remains among the most repressive states in the world. It has been described as the “North Korea of Africa.”[7]
The country allows no freedom of speech, no opposition parties of any kind, has no functioning constitution and uses the most appalling and systematic forms of torture against anyone who questions President Isaias Afeworki’s rule. These violations have been widely reported by the international media and chronicled by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.[8] As Human Rights Watch put it:
“Torture, arbitrary detention, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and religious freedom remain routine in Eritrea. Elections have not been held since Eritrea gained independence in 1993, the constitution has never been implemented, and political parties are not allowed. There are no institutional constraints on President Isaias Afewerki, in power now for twenty years. In addition to ongoing serious human rights abuses, forced labor and indefinite military service prompt thousands of Eritreans to flee the country every year. Access to the country for international humanitarian and human rights organizations is almost impossible and the country has no independent media.”
These views were supported by Amnesty International. Their Eritrea researcher, Claire Beston had this to say in May 2013, when she launched a major report on the country: “The government has systematically used arbitrary arrest and detention without charge to crush all opposition, to silence all dissent, and to punish anyone who refuses to comply with the repressive restrictions it places on people’s lives.”[9]
The British government has repeatedly made clear its abhorrence of the gross human rights violations of the Eritrean government. On 29th of October 2013, for example, Mark Simmonds, the Minister in the Foreign Office with responsibility for Africa, told Paul Maynard MP in a written reply that:
“We are extremely concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, including human trafficking and abuse of migrants. We engage with the Eritrean Government at every opportunity. I raised our human rights concerns with the Eritrean Foreign Minister in July.”[10]
On 15th April 2013 Mr Simmonds told Jermy Corbyn that issues of human rights in Eritrea remains central to the relationship between the two governments.
“We raise our concerns about human rights with the Eritrean Government at every opportunity, bilaterally and with EU partners. Issues raised include arbitrary and inhumane detention, lack of religious freedom, freedom of the media and freedom of expression and assembly.
Civil society in Eritrea remains tightly controlled. There are no independent human rights or civil liberty groups currently operating in Eritrea. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London meet regularly with representatives of the Eritrean diaspora, civil society and human rights organisations to discuss human rights in Eritrea.”[11]
The repressive nature of the Eritrean regime has forced hundreds of thousands of young Eritreans to flee from their country, frequently facing terrible risks including being shot by border guards, death by drowning while attempting to cross the Mediterranean, and the threat of systematic torture by Bedouin people traffickers in the Sinai. Responding to a petition presented to the House of Commons in November 2013 by Frank Field MP, the Foreign Secretary, William Hague had this to say:[12]
“I understand and sympathise with those who have signed the petition. I share your concerns about the reports of the treatment of Eritrean, Ethiopian and Sudanese refugees in Sinai, many of whom are trying to get to Europe and Israel. The British Government strongly condemn all instances of violence and particularly the killing of innocent people who have sought to leave their homes for a better future. We have raised our concerns about the treatment of migrants, including refugees being held hostage in the Sinai, with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on many occasions, most recently at Ambassadorial level in Cairo. Former Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, right hon. Alistair Burt MP raised the issue during an official visit to Israel in late 2012. My staff has also been in contact with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cairo, which deals with asylum seekers in Egypt, a task delegated to them by the Egyptian Government.
FCO officials have discussed this issue with the Eritrean Embassy in London, the Eritrean Government in Asmara, and with various members of the Eritrean Diaspora in the UK. In July 2013 the Minister for Africa met with the Eritrean Foreign Minister, and earlier this month, FCO officials, along with officials from the National Crime Agency and West Yorkshire Police, held discussions about the growing problem of human trafficking with various members of the Eritrean Diaspora. We are following up on these discussions by looking at the possibility of providing practical support to Eritrea’s anti-trafficking and victim protection efforts. We continue to urge the Eritrean Government to bring to justice any Eritreans involved in human trafficking and have taken every opportunity to raise the need for political, economic and human rights reforms with the Eritrean Government.
The British Government have encouraged the Egyptian authorities to find a solution to the complex and interrelated security challenges in the Sinai, including kidnapping. A lasting solution to these challenges will require a joined-up response, including the security forces, but also encouraging improved levels of engagement and opportunity for the local Bedouin population.”
The British government also accepts that the Eritrean regime is a risk to international peace in the region. The policy of the Eritrean government has been to support the al-Qaeda affiliate, in Somalia, al-Shabaab. The Eritrean military also invaded neighbouring Djibouti in 2008. These developments were condemned by the UN Security Council, which stated in December 2009 that it was:
“Gravely concerned about findings that Eritrea had provided support to armed groups undermining peace and reconciliation in Somalia and that it had not withdrawn its forces following clashes with Djibouti in June 2008, the Security Council today imposed an arms embargo on that country, in addition to travel restrictions on and a freeze on the assets of its political and military leaders.”[13]
To fulfil its obligations under this resolution, the British government adopted a range of sanctions.[14] The UK imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea, in addition to travel restrictions on and a freeze on the assets of the political and military leaders of Eritrea.
These are just a selection of official statements. They indicate that the British government is well aware of the scale of the human rights violations inflicted on the Eritrean people by their government and that these issues have been repeatedly raised with Eritrean government representatives.
We would argue that these measures have failed to change the nature of the Eritrean regime. More must be done and done urgently. Britain has a clear responsibility to protect thousands of Eritreans resident in the UK from harassment and extortion.[15]
3. International action to halt Eritrean double taxation – the Canadian example
If Britain needs advice on how to halt the extortion perpetrated by the Eritrean embassy it need look no further than Canada. In May 2013, impatient with the lies it was being told about the ending of the tax, Canada acted.[16] Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, expelled the Eritrean consul and head of the Eritrean Consulate General in Toronto, Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael, with immediate effect. “Today’s actions speak for themselves,” said Mr Baird.
The Canadians gave this explanation for their action:
“Canada has repeatedly made clear to Eritrea to respect international sanctions and Canadian law. The Eritrean government is welcome to propose another candidate to represent it in Canada, but that person must be prepared to play by the rules. Our resolve on this matter should not be further tested.”
The Eritrean consulate had previously been warned against collecting funds from Eritrean expatriates living in Canada. The consul said it would comply with the Canadian government’s ruling. But reports indicated that Mr Micael had continued demanding the payments.[17]
“You have to go to the consulate and they arrange how you have to pay the money,” one Eritrean in Toronto, who asked not to be named, told Canadian broadcaster CBC.
“They want 2%… they don’t give you a reason. You have to pay the money,” he said. “My family [in Eritrea] would get in trouble if I don’t pay.”
The British government has recognised the repressive nature of the Eritrean government and has a clear responsibility to protect Eritreans resident in the UK from its extortion. The Eritrean embassy in London has been instructed by the British government not to impose the 2% tax, but has ignored these warnings
We – members of the Eritrean diaspora – therefore call for the British government to take the following steps without further delay:
Follow the Canadian example and expel the Eritrean ambassador to London, Tesfamichael Gerahtu, with immediate effect,
Not allow Mr Gerhatu’s replacement until a clear and unequivocal undertaking has been received that the 2% will no longer be levied in the UK,
Mark Simmonds, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, to meet a delegation from the Eritrean community in the UK to discuss the pressure they are facing from the Eritrean government, and how this can be relieved,
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office to co-operate fully with the UN Monitoring Group and to provide them with every assistance in carrying out their work, in particular providing the Monitoring Group with details of the steps taken to implement resolution 2023 (2011), which the UK supported,
Provide assurances to the Eritrean community in Britain that they will be protected from harassment, threats and intimidation from the Eritrean government.
Verbatim transcript of extortion at Eritrean Embassy, 96 White Lion St, London N1 9PF, 18 December 2013
EE: Eritrean Embassy staff
ST: Simon Tesfamariam
So they will notify you that everything has been paid from there and I get my receipt.
Yes you get your receipt here and if they tell us that you have paid, then we deal with your query.
A Call from Asmara
Yes we are very busy. Who is here? What’s his ID number? 80xxx OK we will send it to you guys. If he paid there is no problem. There is another brother called Eyob, we sent you guys his information ten times. They have not received it.We don’t keep it here overnight. Confirmation of tax is sent straight away, never kept overnight.We will send for Yosef now. OK Bye.
Ummm…Simon, we need a picture of you.
You come with your picture, and your documents then we can talk about payment. But until everything has been cleared, nothing is done.
I need to get a mortgage to pay all this!(both laugh)
OK, bring the paperwork then we will see.
OK. What’s my ID number just in case?(ID number given out)
Documentary evidence of the levying of the diaspora tax after May 2011, when the UK government told the UN the Eritrean embassy in London to cease collecting the tax.
Translation: To Eritrean Embassy
This person that lives in England, with your instruction have been asked to pay GBP 450.00 (Four Hundred and Fifty Pound) to the bank account of trading by hand. We will send you bank Credit advice once completed and from your end, like other bank account, update the government Data base on the Government Account System.
Mr Berhane Yemane
Mrs xxxx ID number xxxx, must pay GDP 450 (Four Hundred and fifty pound). Please assist her where necessary.
The monies mentions above, is money I have paid of my free will.
name of Paye: xxxx
Eritrea openly flouts UN Security Council resolution
The Eritrean government has openly flouted the UN Security Council resolution 2023 (2011) which banned the 2% tax on the diaspora. The authorities in Asmara declared that they would continue to extract the tax and that: “the acquisition of property or land and to obtaining business licenses were withheld from members of the Eritrean diaspora who failed to meet their fiscal obligations.” (See below)
This is what the Eritrean government told the UN Monitoring Group:[18]
35. On the question of the “diaspora tax”, Eritrea drew attention to its sovereign right to levy taxes on its citizens, emphasizing that the revenue collected from the tax was aimed at providing a “social cushion for the dependants of martyrs of war, disabled war veterans and national reconstruction and development” projects. Eritrea insisted that the domestic law under which the tax had been created was not extrajudicial and that the tax was levied on Eritrean citizens living abroad, not on individuals of Eritrean descent. As all Governments pursued “legally specified enforcement measures to regulate tax evasion”, in the case of Eritrea, services related to the acquisition of property or land and to obtaining business licenses were withheld from members of the Eritrean diaspora who failed to meet their fiscal obligations. In Eritrea’s view, this could not be characterized as using extortion or threats of violence, as indicated in resolution 2023 (2011). Eritrea reported that nationals residing abroad had now started to send their payments directly to Asmara while the Government finalized a new administrative procedure for the collection of taxes.
Revenue collection outside Eritrea, as recorded by the UN Monitoring Group[19]
87. In its resolution 2023 (2011) the Security Council condemned the use of the diaspora tax by the Eritrean Government to destabilize the Horn of Africa region or violate relevant resolutions, including for purposes such as procuring arms and related materiel for transfer to armed opposition groups or providing any services or financial transfers directly or indirectly to such groups. The Council also decided that Eritrea should cease using extortion, threats of violence, fraud and other illicit means to collect taxes outside of Eritrea from its nationals or other individuals of Eritrean descent.
88. The Monitoring Group has therefore conducted investigations to determine whether the Eritrean authorities do in fact employ extortion, threats of violence, fraud or other illicit means to collect taxes outside Eritrea, as well as the purposes to which the revenues from such taxes are directed. A more detailed account of its findings is contained in annex 3.1.
General observations on Eritrean extraterritorial revenue collection
89. The Government of Eritrea and the ruling PFDJ impose a variety of extraterritorial taxation requirements on Eritrean citizens resident abroad and foreign nationals of Eritrean descent. In addition, members of the Eritrean diaspora are also encouraged to make “voluntary” contributions to a variety of causes, although in practice individuals may be penalized if they do not comply.
90. Procedures for payment of Eritrean extraterritorial taxes vary from location to location. In places where an embassy or consulate exists, it is usually made directly at the embassy. Where there is no official representation, local PFDJ agents or activists act as tax collectors. In Seattle, Washington, for example, taxes can be paid through an Eritrean-owned travel agency.28 Whether or not the techniques they employ are extortive or illicit is often a matter of national or state law, and depends upon such questions as whether or not the collector is a diplomat or other registered agent of a foreign power, the nationality of the collector and the kinds of legal and administrative loopholes employed by collectors.
91. Eritrean officials and party agents routinely resort to threats, intimidation and coercive measures in order to elicit payment. The most common tactic is the denial of unrelated services until taxes have been paid. Other measures include harassment, intimidation and the threat of retribution in Eritrea: individuals who refuse to make payment may have their inheritance rights voided; their family members may be penalized; and they may be subject to detention or denial of an exit visa if they return to Eritrea.
92. Since the passage of resolutions 1907 (2009) and 2023 (2011), methods of Eritrean extraterritorial revenue collection have come under greater scrutiny and are facing mounting challenges. On 20 May 2011, the Government of the United Kingdom notified the Eritrean authorities that, since aspects of the collection of the 2 per cent tax may be unlawful and in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, until it was demonstrated otherwise, the Eritrean embassy should suspend, immediately and in full, all activities relating to the collection of the tax.29 The Government of Germany has also demanded that Eritrea cease collection of the 2 per cent tax involving the use of Eritrean diplomatic missions on German territory.30 Members of the Eritrean diaspora have increasingly begun to challenge the legality of the tax under the laws of their host countries.31
93. As a result, revenue collection techniques are increasingly designed to avoid direct confrontation with host countries’ investigators and prosecutors, and increasingly resemble the clandestine fundraising techniques employed by the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) during the liberation struggle — without the same degree of popular support that they once enjoyed.32 Greater emphasis has been placed on voluntary contributions through concerts and cultural events __________________
28 Interviews, Seattle, Washington, United States, 28 March 2012.
29 Foreign Office statement, “Foreign Office concern at being denied consular access to detainees in Eritrea”, 26 May 2011. According to Elsa Chyrum, an Eritrean human rights activist, Eritrean Government and party agents have since resumed tax collection across the United Kingdom. Eritrean officials in the United Kingdom demand to inspect P60 forms (official British pay and tax summary) to compute the Eritrean 2 per cent tax.
30 German diplomatic source, 22 April 2012.
31 In Canada alone, between 2010 and 2012, members of the Eritrean diaspora registered complaints concerning PFDJ fundraising activities on four separate occasions: one in Calgary, one in Winnipeg and two in Ottawa.
32 During the Ethiopian civil war (1975-1991), EPLF employed covert procedures to finance clandestine support of its war effort against the Mengistu regime. Interview with former Eritrean diplomat, London, 11 September 2011. organized by PFDJ agents and activists, but even these may be illegal under certain circumstances (see the section on cultural events and annex 3.1 below).
Two per cent development and rehabilitation tax
94. What the Security Council in its resolution 2023 (2011) calls a diaspora tax is referred to by the Eritrean authorities as the 2 per cent development and rehabilitation tax, “enacted in 1994 by the National Assembly to provide some cushion to the hefty annual budgetary bills that the Government continues to shoulder to date to support the war disabled and the families of martyrs”.33 In a letter to the Committee dated 18 April 2012, the Government of Eritrea denied that the tax was extrajudicial, and referred to a specific law published in an official Gazette in 1994, without further elaboration. The letter also made reference to “some administrative regulations that are applicable for those who evade or refuse to comply with them”, including “forfeiting certain entitlements such as title to ownership of real estate and business privileges”, but affirmed that “these measures are not, and cannot, be enforced extraterritorially”.
95. The Monitoring Group has collected numerous testimonies from diaspora
Eritreans and host country authorities describing the various techniques employed by Eritrean embassy personnel and PFDJ representatives to elicit payment.34 According to a recent Royal Canadian Mounted Police assessment, which is consistent with the Monitoring Group’s own findings, refusal to pay the tax often results in denial of service or threats against, or harassment of, family members still residing in Eritrea, or possible arrest of the individual should they travel to Eritrea without paying the taxes alleged to be owing.
96. For diaspora Eritreans, payment of 2 per cent income tax is a prerequisite for obtaining any government service, and is retroactive to the date of the last payment of the tax.35 Any contact with an Eritrean embassy or consulate, whether for renewal of a passport, issuance of a visa, family reunification, or inheritance matters, automatically triggers a demand for retroactive payment of taxes.
33 “Statement by Mr. Araya Desta, Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the United Nations, during the informal consultations of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea, New York, 18 April 2012.
34 Multiple interviews with credible Eritrean diaspora members and former high-ranking officials in Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, September 2011; Oakland, California, and Seattle, Washington, United States, 27 and 28 March 2012; and Washington, D.C., United States, during January and April 2012. 35 For Eritreans who have never paid the diaspora tax, PFDJ forms and agents calculate arrears in income tax due retroactively to 1992. S/2012/545 24 12-38313Eritrea are often required to formally repudiate the diaspora family member or suffer the consequences.
97. Applicants may also be required to sign an immigration and citizenship services request form, also known as a B4 form or a regret letter. The form requires the applicant to sign a statement of “regret [for] having committed an offence by not completing the national service” and indicating readiness to accept appropriate punishment in due course (see annex 3.1.b).
98. Requests for service by relatives living in Eritrea can also trigger a demand for payment of tax by a diaspora member. Renewals of annual business licences or requests for Power of Attorney may be refused if a family member in the diaspora has not paid the taxes. If the demand for payment is rejected, then relatives in 99. Lastly, diaspora Eritreans who return home for a visit may be delayed or detained if they have not paid the 2 per cent tax. The Eritrean authorities do not distinguish between Eritrean nationals resident abroad and foreign nationals of Eritrean origin. Foreign passport holders may therefore also be denied access to the consular services of their country of citizenship pending resolution of the matter.
Contributions to the Eritrean defence forces
100. In some countries, diaspora Eritreans may be required to make a contribution to the Eritrean defence budget, in addition to the 2 per cent tax. In Canada, for example, the 2 per cent tax form makes provision for contributions for the purposes of national defence, described as “donations to national defence against Ethiopian invasion” (see annex 3.1.c.).37
101. Such donations, however, are not necessarily voluntary. Multiple sources with direct personal experience of this requirement, told the Monitoring Group that if an Eritrean agreed to pay the 2 per cent tax, but refused to make a contribution to the Eritrean defence budget, they could be penalized as though they had refused to pay the diaspora tax.38
36 Interviews, Seattle, Washington, United States, 27 March 2012, and Oakland, California, United States, 28 March 2012.
37 Aaron Berhane, “Eritrean repression follows emigrants to Canada”, The Star, 14 May 2012.
38 Interviews, 18 January 2012 and 3 June 2012.
39 Interviews and e-mail communications with Royal Canadian Mounted Police, April, May and
40 David Bozzini, an expert on Eritrea working at the University of Neuchâtel says that the
Eritrean Government is particularly keen on controlling those who have dodged the permanent
military draft back home by seeking asylum abroad in “Eritreans complain of intimidation”,
1 February 2012. Also multiple interviews with diaspora informants and law enforcement
41 Interview, 31 January and 3 April 2012.
activities, and PFDJ-dominated Eritrean community centres may conceal their
political nature in order to obtain financial assistance from their host Governments.
A PFDJ fundraising drive in Canada in early 2012 falsely presented itself as a
campaign to assist Eritrean orphans and children, in potential violation of Canadian law (see annex 3.1.).
102. In the opinion of the Monitoring Group, solicitation of contributions to
Eritrean military expenditure arguably violate paragraph 5 of Security Council resolution 1907 (2009), which requires Member States to take the necessary measures to prevent, inter alia, financial assistance related to Eritrean military activities covered by the arms embargo.
103. The solicitation by PFDJ of voluntary contributions includes an increasing reliance on fundraising at folklore festivals and other cultural events organized across Europe, North America and in countries where political rallies are forbidden.39 A secondary purpose of these events is typically to allow PFDJ agents and activists to gauge loyalty to the party within diaspora communities. 40 According to Western law enforcement officials who monitor such events, PFDJ fundraising at such festivals and concerts is fast becoming a major source of hard currency for the Eritrean authorities.41
104. The organization of such events may not always be transparent or legal. Many PFDJ activities are described as Eritrean community functions, not as political
Responses by the Government of Eritrea and the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice to resolution 2023 (2011)
105. The response of the Eritrean authorities to greater international scrutiny and the adoption of Security Council resolution 2023 (2011) has been to make the process of extraterritorial revenue collection even more informal and opaque.
106. A key feature of this informal revenue collection system is an intrinsic lack of documentation of the process itself. Apart from embassy and consular officials, Eritrean tax collectors are generally neither diplomats, nor declared agents of a foreign Government or political organization. In the United States, for example, the Monitoring Group has learned that no PFDJ representative or agent is currently registered with the United States Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
107. Eritrean embassies and consulates no longer offer receipts for payment of the tax. Regret letters are retained by embassies, without copies being provided to the signatories. Movement of funds has shifted further away from official bank accounts into hard currency cash payments handled by PFDJ agents and activists via designated private bank accounts outside Eritrea.42 Cairo and Dubai continue to be routinely cited as key PFDJ financial hubs, but Kampala and Juba are both rapidly gaining in importance.43
[1] http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Somalia%20S%20RES%202023.pdf
[2] UN Security Council Resolutions 751 (1992), 1907 (2009) and 2023 (2011)
[3] Letter dated 11 July 2012 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the President of the Security Council, 13 July 2012, S/2012/545, paragraph 92, page 22
http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Somalia%20S%202012%20545.pdf
[4] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/130311w0001.htm
[5] S/2013/440. Letter dated 24 July 2013 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the President of the Security Council, 25 July 2013, paragraph 129, page 34.
[6] S/2013/440. Letter dated 24 July 2013 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the President of the Security Council, 25 July 2013, paragraph 132, page 35.
[7] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/eritrea/10353511/Eritrea-the-African-North-Korea-which-thousands-will-risk-anything-to-escape.html
[8] http://www.hrw.org/africa/eritrea
[9] http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/eritrea-rampant-repression-20-years-after-independence-2013-05-09
[10] Hansard 29 Oct 2013 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131029/text/131029w0002.htm
[11] Hansard Monday 15 April 2013
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130415/text/130415w0001.htm
[12] Hansard, 28 November 2013
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131128/petntext/131128p0001.htm
[13] http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sc9833.doc.htm
[14] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/financial-sanctions-eritrea
[15] The 2011 census found that 17,282 Eritreans were resident in England and Wales alone. See Table QS213EW – Country of birth.
[16] http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2013/05/29a.aspx?lang=eng
[17] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22708711
[18] http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Eritrea%20S%202012%20412.pdf
[19] Letter dated 11 July 2012 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the President of the Security Council, 13 July 2012, S/2012/545
2 % taxEritreaUnited Nations Security Council
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6 thoughts on “Eritrea: how the London embassy forces Eritreans to pay the illegal 2% tax – full report”	Add Comment
giladex says:	19/02/2014 at 3:16 pm	Hi,
Are the video/receipts available?
Reply	Martin Plaut says:	21/02/2014 at 2:49 pm	There is a video and receipts.
What would you like them for?
Reply	Emano says:	06/03/2014 at 9:07 pm	Dear Mr. Plaut, there are no taxes in Eritrea! In any country, taxes are required and mandated by laws enacted by constitutionally authorized and duly elected Legislative body, No such thing in Eritrea. Whatever money Eritrea tyrant levies is mandated and required by the barrel of the gun under the guise of Taxes! So, it is not appropriate to use the term tax when it comes to Eritrea! Extortion money under the guise of tax is rather the appropriate term.
Reply	anonymous says:	30/03/2014 at 12:19 pm	thx for the article. there are still people though paying the 2% “extortion money” being proud of their heritage.
Reply	Steve says:	13/05/2014 at 2:14 pm	when one is faced with extortion from the Eritrean embassy in London, who can one complain to in UK to register the extortion?
Reply	Bill says:	26/10/2015 at 4:57 pm	How come it’s ok for the USA to do this?


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1 post | Last Activity: Jul 2, 2015 7:25 PM
It can only be good news that a company pays 1B for 18 YRS some will calculate the interest but
leougene72895 by leougene72895
Jul 2, 2015 7:25 PM
in real terms future earning pay future years! The key will be if we can get some interest by INStitutiona linvestos above 10%

type: global

value: Yahoo (, styled as yahoo!) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake Yahoo!


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Uncategorized | Abigail Brady
stop the world, i want to tune up	Posted on 2017-03-15	by abigailbrady Last month NASA announced the discovery of a bunch of planets in the nearby star system TRAPPIST-1. The planets got a lot of notice because so many of them were in the “habitable zone” of the star (i.e. the bit … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized	Kenickers	Posted on 2016-07-01	by abigailbrady Back in April I posted about how much I was looking forward to the debut gig of Kenickers? Well. I wrote how much I was looking forward to playing with the Misters of Circe in particular, going as far to say that “I can’t have … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized	Nando’s and Kenickers	Posted on 2016-04-21	by abigailbrady I helped my friends the Wimmins’ Institute shoot a video for their new single, Nando’s. You know you’ve written a good song when you debut it at an album launch (which doesn’t include the song) and everyone is singing along to it by the … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized	NineWorlds activities	Posted on 2015-08-09	by abigailbrady I led the Blanket Fort construction workshops at the 2015 NineWorlds; and also talked about whether science matters in Doctor Who; and what we thought of Missy.
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The Time of the Uprooted by Wiesel, Elie: Knopf 9781400041725 Hard Cover, First Edition. - Northmont Books and Stamps
Home Wiesel, Elie The Time of the Uprooted
ISBN 10: 1400041724 / ISBN 13: 9781400041725
A very fine copy in unread condition. Size: 6x9. Bookseller Inventory # 002993
Title: The Time of the Uprooted
Gamaliel Friedman is only a child when his family flees Czechoslovakia in 1939 for the relative safety of Hungary. For him, it will be the beginning of a life of rootlessness, disguise, and longing. Five years later, in desperation, Gamaliel’s parents entrust him to a young Christian cabaret singer named Ilonka. With his Jewish identity hidden, he survives the war, but in 1956, to escape the stranglehold of communism, he leaves Budapest after painfully parting with Ilonka.
He settles in Vienna, then Paris, and finally, after a failed marriage, in New York, where he works as a ghostwriter, living through the lives of others. Eventually, he falls in with a group of exiles: a Spanish Civil War veteran, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto, a victim of Stalinism, a former Israeli intelligence agent, and a rabbi—a mystic whose belief in the potential for grace in everyday life powerfully counters Gamaliel’s feelings of loss and dispossession. When Gamaliel is asked to help draw out an elderly, disfigured Hungarian woman who is barely able to communicate but who may be his beloved Ilonka, he begins to understand that a real life in the present is possible only if he will reconcile with his past.

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Revised law has 30-day window - tribunedigital-chicagotribune
Safe Haven now gives mothers time for lifelong choice
December 25, 2009|By Amanda Marrazzo, SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE
Fifty-three unwanted babies have been turned over to authorities in the eight years since the state's Safe Haven law took effect, but it's the 28 who were abandoned and found dead that prompted a major change in the statute.
Beginning Jan. 1, parents can relinquish newborns anonymously and without penalty to personnel at hospitals, emergency medical facilities or police or fire stations for 30 days after birth. Now the law only gives parents seven days and that's considered insufficient to make a decision that can profoundly affect many lives.
"Seven days is a short time," said Lara, who with her partner Britt, adopted a boy who was given up in 2007 in a west suburban hospital. "What do you do on the eighth day if you realize you are not ready, your partner is not ready or your family decides not to help you out?"
Their son Kijan is a happy 2-year-old in Chicago who loves trains and playing music, said Lara, who requested that her last name not be used to protect him. She hopes his birth mother is somewhere safe and knows she did the right thing.
"Wherever his birth mother is, I am very grateful to her for making that decision for both her and his sake," Lara said.
Since Safe Haven became law in 2001, 58 babies have been abandoned illegally around the state, 28 of whom were found dead.
"It is frustrating knowing we have been doing so much and it is just not enough," said Dawn Geras, founder of the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation which helped write the original legislation. "We still have lost babies; it breaks my heart."
Advocates hope the revision in the law will dramatically increase the number of babies saved.
"The time frame was extended to give parents more time to decide if they are making the right choice for themselves and their babies," said State Rep. Elizabeth Coulson, R-Glenview, the law's chief sponsor. "We are constantly monitoring the bill and trying to figure out the best way to reach those parents who are in crisis."
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have Safe Haven laws with the time for legal relinquishment ranging from three days to a year.
In Illinois, when a baby is brought to a "safe place," the mother is asked to fill out paperwork about the baby and she is offered medical attention and counseling. After being checked out at a hospital, the infant will be placed for adoption after the Department of Children and Family Services transfers the baby to an adoption agency. The birth mother has 60 days to reconsider relinquishing her baby.
Geras embarked on the cause in March 2000 after hearing one too many stories about babies abandoned and left to die in filthy garbage bins, alleyways and landfills, she said.
"It broke my heart to think about those babies being thrown away in garbage cans," Geras said. "I thought, 'Oh my God somebody has to step up and do something about this.'"
Each story is heart-wrenching, but the women relinquishing babies safely are acting responsibly and lovingly and they need to know that, Geras said.
"I have heard of mothers tearfully handing over their babies, a mom in a hospital parking lot gave her baby over to a nurse crying. Some have left notes with the baby saying 'I can't take care of my baby, please take care of my baby,'" Geras said. "Some babies are even left with diapers and formula."
Matthew, 7, was the first baby to be saved under the Safe Haven law. At just six days old, his birth mother turned him over in Rockford and walked away. Today Matthew is a healthy, happy brown-eyed second-grader who loves to read, play baseball and soccer and thinks Star Wars is the "absolute greatest," according to Tracy, who with her husband John adopted him. Their last names are being withheld to protect Matthew and the anonymity of the woman who gave him up.
"We know nothing about his birth mother, but she has a very special place in our heart," Tracy said. "She gave us a special gift and she will never know how much she means to us. Our hearts are so filled with love for her."
Such birth mothers range in age from 14 to 41 and cross all ethnicities and socioeconomic lines, experts say.
"It's a misconception that these tragedies only happen to single mothers in big cities," said Kendall Marlowe, spokesperson for DCFS. "That is a misperception fed by prejudice against minorities and the poor and we must realize that these tragedies can happen on any block in any community."
Chicago Fire Department Capt. Bob Martin, a volunteer who helped Geras write the Safe Haven legislation, said it is a "horrific occurrence" when an abandoned baby is found.
"So many have been abandoned in unsafe, unsanitary conditions, garbage cans, bathrooms. ... We need to put an end to this madness," he said.
He's met many of the children who had been saved under the Safe Haven law.
"They are now in loving families, they are wonderful children," Martin said. "The whole program is set up so well, it bypasses all the red tape and the newborn is put into a loving family within days."
Abandoned infant in good health

value: The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region.


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Ab initio study for Si-H bond vibration on the surface of silicon vacancy — Tohoku University
Mikihiko Nimura, Aruba Yamada, Seiichi Takami, Momoji Kubo, Akira Miyamoto
Si-H bond vibrational frequency on the surface of silicon multivacancies and platelets is estimated by the ab initio molecular dynamics method. There are two forms of hydrogen molecules considered whose vibrational frequencies agree with the experimental ones, one is in silicon multivacancies and the other is in silicon platelets which are planar vacancies. In this work, we identify that the experimental peak frequency is due to hydrogen molecules in platelets, from the information of Si-H bond vibrational frequency, particularly its difference in broadness that is also observed in the experiment.
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Ab initio study for Si-H bond vibration on the surface of silicon vacancy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Nimura, M., Yamada, A., Takami, S., Kubo, M., & Miyamoto, A. (2000). Ab initio study for Si-H bond vibration on the surface of silicon vacancy. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part 1: Regular Papers and Short Notes and Review Papers, 39(7 B), 4292-4294.
Ab initio study for Si-H bond vibration on the surface of silicon vacancy. / Nimura, Mikihiko; Yamada, Aruba; Takami, Seiichi; Kubo, Momoji; Miyamoto, Akira.
In: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part 1: Regular Papers and Short Notes and Review Papers, Vol. 39, No. 7 B, 01.12.2000, p. 4292-4294.
Nimura, M, Yamada, A, Takami, S, Kubo, M & Miyamoto, A 2000, 'Ab initio study for Si-H bond vibration on the surface of silicon vacancy', Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part 1: Regular Papers and Short Notes and Review Papers, vol. 39, no. 7 B, pp. 4292-4294.
Nimura M, Yamada A, Takami S, Kubo M, Miyamoto A. Ab initio study for Si-H bond vibration on the surface of silicon vacancy. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part 1: Regular Papers and Short Notes and Review Papers. 2000 Dec 1;39(7 B):4292-4294.
Nimura, Mikihiko ; Yamada, Aruba ; Takami, Seiichi ; Kubo, Momoji ; Miyamoto, Akira. / Ab initio study for Si-H bond vibration on the surface of silicon vacancy. In: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part 1: Regular Papers and Short Notes and Review Papers. 2000 ; Vol. 39, No. 7 B. pp. 4292-4294.
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value: Elsevier (Dutch: [ˈɛlzəviːr]) is a Netherlands-based publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. It is a part of the RELX Group, known until 2015 as Reed Elsevier.


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David Koechner on '9th Grade Ninja' | Watch the video - Yahoo TV Home Mail News Sports Finance Weather Games Groups Answers Screen Flickr Mobile More omg! Shine Movies Music TV Health Shopping Travel Autos Homes Yahoo TV Search TVSearch Web Sign In Mail Help Account Info Help Suggestions Yahoo TV Home
David Koechner on '9th Grade Ninja'
Fri, Jul 26, 2013 10:18 AM PDT 0:35
David Koechner ("Anchorman") guest stars in "Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja," airing Saturday, 7/27 at 10:30 AM on Disney XD.


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Almost Perftec: March 2017
Posted by Zab on Friday, March 31, 2017 5 comments:
Posted by Zab on Friday, March 24, 2017 2 comments:
Posted by Zab on Friday, March 17, 2017 5 comments:
WoK Wolves: Metal Armour
There was a lot of back and forth with these colors, but the metals look great! Let's take a look...
Posted by Zab on Friday, March 10, 2017 6 comments:
WoK Wolves: Teeth and Claws
A very short one this week. The colors above to do the claws and teeth below :)
Posted by Zab on Friday, March 03, 2017 6 comments:

value: Blogger is an American online content management system (CMS) which enables multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Pyra Labs developed it before being acquired by Google in 2003.


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June Books 2) Orbitsville, by Bob Shaw - From the Heart of Europe
Jun. 10th, 2014 at 8:09 PM
...other nominees not recorded...
I'm not sure there were any other nominees. The history of the BSFA Award in the 1970s is a bit murky. I don't have access to a full set of the pubs to research it, and I haven't been able to persuade anybody who does have the resources to do the checking. The list of winners is easy enough to find but I've not been able to find any evidence of shortlists prior to 1980, and definitely not before 1973. I have wondered whether the BSFA got the idea of shortlist from seeing the Hugos at the 1979 Worldcon.
It's not even clear what was eligible. I'd assumed novels published in the UK in the previous year, although in 1972 the award seems to have gone to a collection from 1970, and the 1978 award is clearly described in Matrix as being for the best paperback of 1977. Also Clute/Nicholls says that at some point is was for British authors and all the winners pre-1979 are British albeit Michael Coney was Canada-based at the time.

value: LiveJournal (Russian: Живой Журнал), stylised as LiVEJOURNAL, is a Russian-owned social networking service where users can keep a blog, journal, or diary.American programmer Brad Fitzpatrick started LiveJournal on April 15, 1999, as a way of keeping his high school friends updated on his activities. In January 2005, American blogging software company Six Apart purchased Danga Interactive, the company that operated LiveJournal, from Fitzpatrick.


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Posted by History Chick at 9:02 AM
Labels: fiction, upcoming releases, war
Becky G March 03, 2016 12:12 PM
Some of these are definitely going on my TBR. I recommend my current read by K. Willow called Ice Whispers. The best Historical Fiction work I've read in a while. Kwillow.com is her site for her info. Great reads out there right now!


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Milk and Cookies: Comfort Reading: Tween Tuesday: Lexie by Audrey Couloumbis
Tween Tuesday: Lexie by Audrey Couloumbis
4 wonderful chocolate chips cookies using bittersweet chips.
Yes! I adore Julia Denos. And...
Because of the cover! The cover caught my eye, but the synopsis made me want to stay. Here it is from Good Reads:
I Kept Reading Because: It was quick and you really came to feel for the characters. It was hard to put down.
This book was told from Lexie's point of view. She is an amazing almost-eleven year old, but also very typical. Her emotions are all over the map. She feels anger (rightly so), frustration, joy, love, unhappiness and peace all in a quick space of time. I think this is so normal for a child of this age, especially one whose parent's divorce is still pretty fresh.
When we first met her father I was as upset with him as she was. I really expected him to be angry with her attitude a lot, but the author tricked me on this one. Lexie didn't have a horrible attitude the whole time. She was not all happy, happy, but like I said before, her emotions were all over the place. And we saw her dad as a lonely, uncertain, kind of pathetic guy. And this is through Lexie's eyes! You couldn't but feel for the guy!
The same thing happened with Ben, Harris and Vicki, Lexie's "new" family. Ben wasn't just a surly teenager, but someone that Lexie could see having a friendship with. Harris wasn't just a sticky three year old, but someone who would eventually look up to Lexie. And Lexie could already see positive changes Vicki made in her father.
Overall this was just so well written that you felt something (several somethings) for every character.
To Sum Up: Great, quick story about the changes divorce brings about in families. Very well written and with awesome illustrations!
Book requested and received from Random House. Thanks Lauren!
goodaljm 10:06 AM
Just discovered your blog. I love your rating system! :)
Barbara Watson 10:34 AM
I haven't heard about this one; thanks for sharing about it.
One of my kids just asked me yesterday, "What job would you want that you haven't already done?" I replied, "A librarian for kids." You have an awesome job.


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WIP Wednesday: Happy New Year Edition | NothingButKnit
← A Word For 2020: Happiness
The Husband’s Diversion →
My New Years Eve went mostly to plan. I got knitting time and watched some TV. It was relaxing.
As you can see I’ve made just a wee bit of progress on the shawl. I haven’t been knitting as much as I should. I keep being distracted by everything else. My mojo seems to be there but my attention span is low. I’m hoping putting the house back in order will help. That is on the agenda for today.
This entry was posted in Knits, Knitting, WIP, WIPW, yarn!. Bookmark the permalink.
16 Responses to WIP Wednesday: Happy New Year Edition
It’s not quite 9:00 pm here in Alaska! Happy New Year to you – I have to wait 3 more hours yet!
Happy new year to you too. I hope it’s a great one.
Your shawl is looking good! Enjoy the process. Here in Korea, January 1 is almost over. Happy New Year!
Your shawl is so pretty! Remember that knitting is a fun hobby, not a job, so there is no “should!” Knit if and when you feel like knitting.
Happy New Year! ~ Evelyn
Happy New Year! Have enjoyed reading your adventures, looking forward to more.
I get antsy to put the house back to normal too! I did it yesterday, and it felt really good!
Happy new year from Philadelphia! The shawl looks wonderful. It looks like a relaxing pattern to knit.
Happy New Year! I hope the house goes into order quickly so you can get more knitting time:)
Happy New Year! Your shawl is beautiful! Sounds like a pretty wonderful New Year’s Eve 🙂
We’ve got all but a few decorations put up, except outside bows and high placed signs. They will keep! LOL Happy New Year, can’t wait to see the finished shawl.
Hope you have a very Happy New Year and that shawl is looking very good. Will look forward to seeing it blocked :).
Happy New Year! I’m with you on the knitting – I have no attention span for it right now. I still need to take down teh tree and put away the Christmas books. Once I get that done I’m hoping I can focus on knitting again.
It is so lovely. I can’t wait to see it finished and blocked!
I need to get some knitting in as my time as my time has been taken up by cardmaking. I’m getting a little restless.


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11 These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12 Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture,[b] to exhorting, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.[c] 15 Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20- “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,”[e] and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” 17 But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple[f] of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
duplicate.,


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SharePoint - jQuery - Click a box to increase height and reduce other open boxes - SharePoint Stack Exchange
SharePoint - jQuery - Click a box to increase height and reduce other open boxes
I have a list with several list items.
Each of these items have been styled through XSLT and CSS as boxes with content in them.
The Content Query Web Part is displaying this information.
When I click on a box, I want the height of the content to increase whilst reducing the height of another open item.
$('.content-box').animate({height:30},"slow"); //Ensure all boxes have a height of 30px on load
$('.container').click(function(){
$('this').find('.content-box').animate({height:180},"slow");
Now this, as expected will increase the height of the box on click. However, if I click another box, as expected, the height will also increase. I do however want the original item clicked (which is still currently open) to animate back to 30px.
jquery share|improve this question asked Jan 4 '13 at 13:20
Quick idea: mark the open content box by giving it a specific class. That way in the click handler you can search for the item with the old class, shrink it down, add the class to the clicked item and open it.
It would be something similar to this (semplified, I animate the whole container):
var newItem = $(this);
var oldItem = $(".open");
if (newItem.attr('id') != oldItem.attr('id')) {
$(".open").animate({height:20},"slow");
$(".open").removeClass("open");
$(this).animate({height:180},"slow");
You can see it live on jfiddle here. Was this what you needed?
PS: also notice that this does not take in account an user clicking on the same open container multiple times, but you can easly handle that by checking the id of the clicked and last opened items. now it does.
answered Jan 4 '13 at 14:56
4,38611541
SP, thank you for a rapid response! Am I correct in saying that once you click on the container, you are checking to see if the selected container has a class of "open". If it doesn't, you ensure all boxes are at their default position of 20px and then animate the selected (this) box? If so, thank you! :)
Jan 4 '13 at 17:05
sorry for the delay (read: weekend out). Yes, basically it is what I am doing. I search for a container with the "open" class marker and shrink it/remove the class from it if found. Then I maximize and mark the new container. I also added the check on the ID to avoid the container to be shrunk and then reopened if the user click on the same container twice.
Jan 7 '13 at 7:55
Fantastic. thank you. I had written something very similar after I posted the question, but your adding of the ID's is a nice touch, didn't think of that!
Can SharePoint Easy-Tabs be wrapped in jQuery?
Retrieve name of selected/clicked item of a custom list using jQuery
Jquery Tab Control doesn't Work in SharePoint Custom Form Template
jquery not working on the site menu sharepoint 2013

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x Huckabee PROGRAM
. is help on the way? victims of superstorm sandy. >> and how can republicans attract hispanic voters? and a look ahead who could throw their hat in the ring for 2016. ladies and gentlemen, our guest host tonight, dana perino. [applaus [applause] >> and i'm dana perino and i want to thank governor huckabee for inviting me to guest host it week while he's out on tour. it's been almost a month since the presidential election and about half the country remains elated, vindicated triumphant. they voted for president obama and are walking on cloud nine. the other half, well, not so much. they are confused, despondent, even sleepless, they wonder if the whole nation has gone quite mad and want to return it common sense not another four years on fantasy island. now, we're taught as kids to be good sportsmen, not to gloat after winning, to give the other side a high five and say good game. have we seen much of that from the winners since november 6th? nope. but no matter, being a good sport means not just being a gracious winner, it means being a good-spirited loser, even when it's hard to f FOXNEWSW - Huckabee
of hurricane sandy victims. i get to do something in the question and answer session with the harris faulkner. let's send you back to huckabee hosted by dana pireno. >> when i was white house press secretary and faced a room full of reporters and i am used to getting tough questions . it has been a a while since i was grilled and since i am guest host and i can't play a bass guitar. i am take questions. only person missing is helen thomas and sit negligent front row and she and i were good friends believe it or not. who is it first. >> hi, dana, i am richard from dallas and got an easy one. you are obviously lovely intelligent nice person, is it difficult to tolerate bob beckel every day? >> very. >> bob and i used to take the train back and forth when we commute benefit we moved to new york. we were in dc and go back together on the train and we got to know each other very well and he is it a lovely anderous person . no one kinder to me on night when the republicans lost toe so badly. we were sitting together when megan and bret had their panel and i look over at him. bob, it is really bad a FOXNEWSW - Huckabee
. >> thank you so much. coming up later in the show, we'll meet a grouch -- group of hurricane sandy victims. i get to do something in the question and answer session with the >> i am marianne rafferty. the debate goes on on how to keep the country from going over the fiscal cliff. tim geithner saying it's up to the gop law americas to make the next move to prevent mandatory tax hikes and spending cuts. republicans have a plan and it would provide 800 million in new revenue ore the next decade. they may consider eliminating tax deductions on high income earners. and a third powerful storm hitting less than a week. weather causing rain flooding at a rate of an inch an hour at times. thousands lost their electricity. the damage wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. >>> i am marianne rafferty. now back to foxnews.com. harris. let's send you back to huckabee hosted by dana pireno. >> when i was white house press secretary and faced a room full of reporters and i am used to getting tough questions . it has been a a while since i was grilled and since i am guest host and i can't play a bass g FOXNEWSW - Huckabee
of hurricane sandy victims. i get to do something in the question and answer session with the [ male announcer ] we all make bad decisions. like say, gas station sushi. cheap is good. and sushi, good. but cheap sushi, not so good. it's like that super-low rate on not enough car insurance. pretty sketchy. ♪ and then there are the good decisions. like esurance. their coverage counselor tool helps you choose the right coverage for you at a great price. [ stomach growls ] without feeling queasy. that's insurance for the modern world. esurance. now backed by allstate. click or call. let's send you back to huckabee hosted by dana pireno. >> when i was white house press secretary and faced a room full of reporters and i am used to getting tough questions . it has been a a while since i was grilled and since i am guest host and i can't play a bass guitar. i am take questions. only person missing is helen thomas and sit negligent front row and she and i were good friends believe it or not. who is it first. >> hi, dana, i am richard from dallas and got an easy one. you are obviously lovely intelligent FOXNEWSW - Huckabee
of hurricane sandy victims. i get to do something in the question and answer session with the audience, next . humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? aah! learning how to kick flip 6 stairs takes determination. so will getting into college. i've got what it takes. so do you. >> live from america's news headquarters and i am harris faulkner. deadly violence involving a nfl player. gevon belcher fatally shooting his girlfriend in their home and driving a few miles in the practice facility and taking his own life in front of the coach. they have a three month old daughter who was in another room at the time of the shooting. egyptian president muhammad mursi calling for a referendum. it was approved by an islamist dominated assembly for mursi. protestors first hitting the streets in reaction to the Excerpts 0 to 4 of about

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Amazon.co.uk: Felix's review of Railway Breakdown Cranes: v.2
Volume 2, 15 Mar. 2013
Long awaited by many who like myself purchased volume 1. The book is clearly laid out and portrays the development of the crane. Well-written in an easily readable and presentable style.My one and only minor criticism concerns some of the photos, which presumeably taken by a digital camera, or digitised for printing are not as pin-sharp as I should have liked. This is merely a very minor bunt of mine.However to sum up, if you wish to learn about breakdown cranes, their development, their history, then you will find it here, and if you don't have volume 1, I suggest you obtain one sharpish. These two books are the definitive work on these cranes, and are likely to remain so for many years.

value: Amazon.com, Inc. ( AM-ə-zon) is an American multinational conglomerate which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.


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Lot of 3 LLOYD WANER 1/1 PITTSBURGH PIRATES 1993 CONLON PRINTING PRESS PLATES | eBay
1/1 LANCE RICHBOURG 1993 CONLON CARDS PRINTING PRESS PLATE BOSTON BRAVES 1 OF 1
Lot of 2 PIE TRAYNOR 1/1 PITTSBURGH PIRATES 1993 CONLON PRINTING PRESS PLATE
1/1 EPPA RIXEY 1993 CONLON PRINTING PRESS PLATE CINCINNATI REDS VINTAGE 1 OF 1
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1/1 ERNIE LOMBARDI 1993 CONLON PRINTING PRESS PLATE CINCINNATI REDS 1 OF 1 HOF
cardmax1 (7837 )
Details about Lot of 3 LLOYD WANER 1/1 PITTSBURGH PIRATES 1993 CONLON PRINTING PRESS PLATES
1993 Topps Baseball Complete Set of Series 1&2 Factory Sealed JETER Rookie Card
1993 Topps Series 1 Jumbo pack 3 gold cards per pack Derek Jeter RC Gold?
Derek Jeter BCCG Beckett Graded Rookie Card Lot + Chipper Jones BCCG 10 ROOKIE
254133463831
Card Manufacturer: Conlon
Era: Modern (1981-Now) Player: LLOYD WANER
Card Attributes: 1/1, Printing Plate, HOF, Vintage League: Major League
Series: ALL-TIME LEADERS Season: 1940

value: eBay Inc. ( EE-bay) is an American multinational e-commerce corporation based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website.


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PNC Lathe Operators
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value: Bloomberg Businessweek, previously known as BusinessWeek, is an American weekly business magazine, published 50 times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City in September 1929.


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Bin Weevils Mystery Codes on Pinterest | 87 Pins
Bin Weevils Mystery Codes
Codes for free Bin Weevils nest items, Mulch and XP.
From the Weevily World "Codes by Codex" page.
Please note: This board shows Bin Weevils code items from 2012 onwards. Many of the earlier codes will have expired. To avoid disappointment please redeem codes as quickly as possible.
Simply click the link at the bottom of the Pin, to visit the post and discover the code! Follow Board
87 Pins 58 Followers Pin it
Weekend Puzzle Challenge Solution For 17th November 2013: New Code For A Bin Pet Wallpaper! Solved and posted by Eddzy! Visit the blog to grab the code! Pet Wallpap, Puzzl Challeng
Weekend Puzzle Challenge Solution For 17th November 2013: New Code For A Bin Pet Wallpaper!
weevilyworld.wordpress.com
Pet Wallpap, Puzzl Challeng
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If you'd like a plate of tapas for your Bin Weevil the code is RIGG4F For more great Bin Weevils codes visit Weevily World! http://weevilyworld.wordpress.com/ Tapa, Plate
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Taken from the Weekend Puzzle Challenge 24.02.13 the code on this post is for a ship in a bottle nest item. Click the link below if you'd like it! Nest Item, Bottl, Ship, Puzzl Challeng
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value: Pinterest is an American image sharing and social media service designed to enable saving and discovery of information (specifically "ideas") on the internet using images and, on a smaller scale, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pinboards. The site was created by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp and had over 478 million global monthly active users as of March 2021.


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A rubber bracelet could change your life - LIFEadvice Blog
A rubber bracelet could change your life
I don’t stop when I see people standing by the side of the road with a cardboard sign explaining their situation.
I give a percentage of my income each year to programs that help the homeless. So I don’t feel guilty about not stopping, but recently I stopped and it was an amazing experience.
As I was leaving the grocery store I noticed a middle-aged African American woman with a sign that said something about starting over. I honestly didn’t read it in my rush to get home.
As I pulled into the street, I also noticed the white rubber bracelet on my wrist with the words “Pay it Forward” on it and immediately decided to try something different.
A few weeks ago, Don Hudson and I had Charley Johnson a volunteer with the Pay it Forward Foundation as a guest on our radio show. He explained since the hit movie in "Pay if Forward" 2000 there has been a movement to encourage the Pay-it-Forward concept using the popular rubber bracelets.
The bracelet reminds the wearer to be on the lookout for someone to help. He believes this reminder makes all the difference because it keeps kindness in the forefront of your mind.
When you do a random act of kindness, you are supposed to pass your bracelet on to that person and encourage them to do the same.
I had been wearing my bracelet for weeks and had yet to find an appropriate person to pass it on to, but this woman touched my heart. I swerved around the parking lot and pulled up next to her.
I presented her with some cash and as she thanked me I quickly added, “Would you do something for me? Find someone else you can do something nice for and Pay it Forward. OK? And when you do something for someone else, pass this bracelet on to them.”
With a huge smile, she said she would do it and was already putting it on as I pulled away. The reason this simple exchange warrants the telling of this story is because of the amazing feeling I had on the ride home.
I can’t remember when I last felt so energized and happy. I felt like laughing. It was the feeling of pure joy and the feeling stayed with me for the rest of the day.
I wonder who benefited most from my random act of kindness.
Johnson believes giving these bracelets to the homeless, who are constantly asking for help, can change their outlook on life because the wearer is automatically more focused on other people. They also get to experience the joy of giving the way I had.
This got me thinking about an incident that happened to me about five years ago when I was a struggling single mom.
I had taken my son to Famous Footwear to look for some shoes, but the pair he wanted was completely out of my price range. I was explaining how I couldn't afford those shoes when a woman approached me and offered to help.
She explained the store was having a buy one, get one half off sale and she was only planning to buy one pair of shoes.
She offered to take my son’s shoes to the register with her and get them for half price. We agreed to meet outside so I could pay her for the now half price shoes. My son was thrilled.
When we met her outside, she refused to take any money from me and said the shoes were a gift. As I tearfully thanked her, she told me to pay it forward to someone else instead.
I have never forgotten that act of kindness.
I am convinced there is great power in this movement. What if 100 people received bracelets today? What if wearing the bracelet reminded them to be a little kinder? Can you imagine the powerful change that could happen in our community?
The Pay it Forward Foundation is looking for businesses, individuals or groups who would be interested in distributing bracelets.
If you have a Pay it Forward story to share, send it to kim@lifeadviceradio.com
Kimberly Giles is the founder and president of LDS Life Coaching and www.claritypointcoaching.com. She is a sought after life coach who has a popular radio show LIFEadvice on Utah's AM 1430 Saturday Mornings at 8 a.m. MST
Coaching with a ClarityPoint Coach is less expensive than you think - If you need help we can find you a coach you can afford.

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Prayer Request | In Awe of Christ
Posted by Scribe on October 5, 2007 · 7 Comments
My brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord, in His sovereign grace, has allotted me an opportunity to preach. Though I fear public speaking more than anything, I thought it unwise to decline. If the Lord should so move your heart, I request for prayer and intercession to be made on my behalf so that I may convicted of sin, lowly and contrite in spirit, then wholly consecrated to the Lord, being meat for the Master’s use. I covet your prayers…they are most needed for such a sacred task. May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering! Amen.
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You have my prayers before our Lord.
May the Lord use you to His purposes and glory.
Be comforted in knowing nothing is beyond His sovereign guidance – even this. Especially this.
Praise God for His using you.
Thank you, Susan…the fervent prayers of a righteous man (woman) availeth much! Be blessed in Christ my sister!
I will be Praying for you, I’m sure you will do a fine job!
Thank you for your encouragment, Cristina…it means a lot me. I covet your prayers, my sister.
where are you going to preach at?
G.S DEVASHIROMONIE says:
G.V SHARON GRACE says:
I AM STUDING IN 8th CLASS PRAY FOR MY WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE AND SUCCESS IN STUDIES FOR THE GLORY OF THE LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR LOVING MINISTRY.PLEASE REPLY. 25-11-08