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Siren’s Rena Owen dives into season 3

As Siren season 3 premieres on Freeform tonight, we get to welcome Rena Owen back onto our TV screens. Rena has anchored the fantasy adventure series as Helen Hawkins, and joined me for another conversation to talk about the revelations Helen learned last season, how her character has become a mentor to the other residents of Bristol Cove, and why she’s been able to connect so well with her alter ego.

We also had an important conversation about maturity in Hollywood, whether it’s on-screen with Helen as a mentor figure, or off-screen as Rena has continued to be a great example for women of any age about always embracing who you are and how being true to yourself is the best path to success. Get to know this incredible actress better in our interview, then be sure to tune into the Siren season 3 premiere tonight.

Brittany Frederick: Siren season 2 revealed so much about Helen’s family. Was that information that you knew beforehand, or was it also new to you?

Rena Owen: They didn’t. When I went into the pilot, I just knew some of the scenes in the script [and] I thought okay. I think Helen is possibly part mermaid, or something is going on with her and mermaids. And then in season one they always told me Helen is one-eighth [mermaid]. But we didn’t have any specifics about what happened with her family. They were all revelations to me.

They never give us anything concrete, because they’re also developing storylines as they evolve. And the reason they don’t is the writer/executive producer Eric Wald said, we don’t like giving storylines to actors in case they change. And storylines have changed and do change. Sometimes it’s come down to guest stars and an actor is not available, so it gets rewritten.

But certainly, when these new things come in, if I’ve got any questions [I can ask]. It’s a bit like that moment when Helen rescues Sarge…Helen reaches down with her mermaid fin later, and on the page it said Helen is surprised by this. That was something that I called our creators about. I said, is this an element of surprise? Or has she always known that she had these super powers? And they said no, we specifically want it to be played as a surprise, because it’s a bit like oh, where did that come from? These things are coming out of her in the moment of need.

BF: Helen has certainly evolved quite a bit over the last two seasons. How have you seen her character arc progress?

RO: If we go right back to the pilot, how far Helen has come. She literally didn’t come out of her closet, which was a shock. She never even talked about merpeople or mermaids, or let alone tell someone that she was a hybrid. She’s a come a long way, but she’s still not about to walk around Bristol Cove with a big card over her head saying, “I’m a mermaid.” So in that way, her character has evolved into this kind of caretaker and safe refuge for mermaids, mermen and hybrids. She’s become this refuge for all of them.

When you looked at her in her store, she was protecting all her mother’s antiquities, that everyone thought oh well, that’s just tourist stuff. But for her, it was heritage stuff. And she reveals that in season one, that it’s not just fabled. So it’s great that she was able to become more proactive in the storyline.

Then coming out to Donna and Ben and Maddie as safe people and a safe environment. And then finding out oh my God, she’s not alone, and my goodness, there’s a whole tribe. I’m not the only hybrid. Finding out she’s got another safe community. That was a whole storyline there for a while, where Helen did not trust Beth. She trusted her brother Rick, but wasn’t sure about the sister and whether the sister and the whole community had killed her father.

BF: After all of that craziness, what are we allowed to say about where things pick up in Siren season 3? What should we expect?

RO: There’s a lot of storylines going on. We leave season two knowing that Ryn’s embryo is alive and well in the belly of a hybrid. We’ve known from the trailer that the baby is born and Ryn is united with the baby. Now when we get to that, you’re going to have to wait and see, but we know that. A big theme for the [season] is always going to be Ryn. It always has been and it always will be, because this is a show about men and mermaids, so she’s always going to be the central character. All storylines are set off Ryn. So the baby is going to be a very big part of season three.

We also know from the trailer that Sarge is under the water and Helen is with him, so there’s storylines for that. We see that Tia, the new badass mermaid, has come to town and wants to wreak havoc amongst the humans. She’s not as friendly as Ryn. There’s different sides of merpeople, and we see that there’s a war. War is coming.

BF: Helen has served as the sort of glue that holds the group together. The other characters in Siren have always been able to come to her for help or advice. How would you characterize her relationships with them as we move into the new season?

RO: The other thing Helen has that the other characters don’t have is seniority. She’s double their age. So she’s got life experience, and it’s a bit like what my aunt used to say to me when I was a teenager, and now I’m saying it to my nieces and nephews: “If I only knew what I know now at your age, my life would have been very different.” But we don’t. There’s no shortcuts for that.

Helen’s in her 50s. She’s lived life, she’s been around, she’s survived. Survived is a big word for her. She survived this long without being detected or being exposed, so this is something she’s really good at. She knows Bristol Cove inside out. She knows the power plays now. She knows the history and the psychology, and the physiology of mermaids and mermen, because this has been the passion all her life. So she is somewhat of a sage when it comes to this world.

BF: That’s an incredible thing about her, is that you don’t always see older characters who are so well-developed, and also so well-received, both on screen and off. What do you think it is about Helen that appeals to people, or that makes her stand out?

RO: A lot of the young fans on social media say oh, we love Helen. She’s wise, and she’s loving, and she cares about the merpeople. And she does, and all of those things just prove that I know, and I think people know, once you get past 50 wisdom comes with experience. It’s not something you have at 10 years old. It’s a life wisdom, and there’s no shortcuts to learning that. Helen has it, and I’ve had it because I’m in my 50’s now.

A lot of it is about maturity. Getting older is a blessing because there’s a lot of people I knew that didn’t get past 20, or 30, or 40, or 50. But you’re still around, and you can be of service to younger generations. It’s a blessing. It’s a perspective on life, and Helen has that. And it’s a joy to play Helen, because Helen is someone that’s very comfortable in her own skin, and she’s very clear about who she is…That’s been a blessing for me and a gift, to convey this message to be yourself and to keep it real.

BF: You’ve had a very personal experience with Siren and the character of Helen. Why is she so important to you?

RO: The role came at a perfect time for me, professionally and personally. I was at that point in my life where I was like, I don’t know if I can keep doing this. Not knowing where my next job was coming from, and going into the room and putting a lot of time into auditions, and not booking work…I went through a Friday night of just surrendering to my creator – I do believe in God – and just saying I think I’m done. I don’t think I have the resilience anymore to keep doing this.

I thought yeah, I still have this desire [to act]. But I’d really like it to be a character that I’m playing just the way I am, where I can just be me. Then I kid you not, within two weeks I booked this audition. And when I got the script I’m like oh my God, this is exactly the character I was thinking about. A really authentic, organic character that I was just right for the way I was.

It turned out that Eric Wald was a big fan of the film that launched my national career. Even before we started auditioning, him and Emily [Whitesell], the showrunner said oh my God, you know that’s Beth from that film Once Were Warriors, she’d be great for Helen. And I didn’t really fully comprehend that until we were well into season one, and then it was revealed that the mermaid culture was a matriarchal warrior culture.

Once Were Warriors was all about being the matriarch and the warrior culture. And I thought ah, one and one equals Helen and Siren. So it’s a joy to be Helen, it’s an absolute joy, and we’ve got a great cast to work with, and great crew. Really my only complaint is it can get pretty cold up in Vancouver. (laughs) But apart from that I really hope we get to come back and do season four, because there’s so much to be explored in Bristol Cove and in our mermen, our merwomen and our merpeople.

Siren airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform.

Article content is (c)2020 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr.

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Sean Maguire Teases Timeless Turn as James Bond's Ian Fleming, 'Very Interesting' Once Upon a Time Encore

NBC’s Timeless heroes will be shaken, if not stirred, when they bump into James Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, this Monday at 10/9c.

Once again nipping at Flynn’s heels, Lucy, Rufus and Wyatt travel to the 1940s to keep an atomic weapon from falling into the wrong hands, and too soon into World War II. There, they meet James Bond’s creator, during his time as a cunning MI-6 agent.

Sean Maguire spoke with TVLine about channeling “the godfather of spy novels” (crash course on German, included!), as well as his upcoming (and improbable) return as Once Upon a Time‘s dearly departed Robin Hood.

TVLINE | Under what circumstances do we meet Mr. Ian Fleming?
We meet him doing his “day job,” before he became famous. I suppose I knew it, and some of my friends knew it, because we’re British and Bond fans, but a lot of people didn’t know that Ian Fleming was actually a genuine MI-6 spy during the war, before he wrote the famous novels. We get to see where the inspiration for Bond presumably came from, which for an actor is like a day at a candy factory.

TVLINE | How do Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus each take to him?
I can’t praise Jim Barnes, the writer, enough. It’s one of the best one-hours I’ve had the pleasure to be involved with, partly because it’s such fun subject mater, but also because of the characters. Whether it be Rufus, who’s obviously dealing with the “double agent” aspect of his own character, or Wyatt, who’s like, “F–k it, we’ve got to do what’s right, to hell with the rule book,” which he and Fleming see eye to eye on. And then there’s Lucy — Fleming not only fancies her and wants to flirt with her, but he also sees that she’s a capable agent. He presumes she’s a fellow agent, not just a historian. All three of the main characters get to have an interesting little side part with Fleming.

TVLINE | The synopsis says the four of you attend an “uncomfortable party.” What’s uncomfortable about t?
Well, it’s a party full of Nazis. [Laughs] That’s a good way to start making things uncomfortable! But there’s a gathering of the SS hierarchy to preside over the launching of missiles at innocent targets, so the gang and Fleming’s mission is to prevent this mass destruction weapon from being fired into Belgium, killing millions. It’s high stakes, a lot like a Bond film!

TVLINE | How’s your German?
I did not speak a word of German before I did this, and when I read the audition sides, it had just one thing in German. I have a good Austrian friend who came over and worked with me for a few hours. Then when they gave me the role, there were about six or seven scenes in German, and I was like, “Oh! This is an issue, because I don’t speak German,” but I got a fantastic coach and we just worked and worked and worked on trying to get it to sound as real as possible. I’m sure there will be some German fans saying I didn’t say something quite right, but you have to bear with me — it was like trying to learn the guitar in two days. Getting to perform in another language really made the experience more heightened for me, and thus more enjoyable.

TVLINE | What if anything were your surprised to learn about Ian Fleming, as you did this?
Things about his personal life, away from being the spy and the famous novelist. He had a slightly questionable approach to his love life, let’s say. He’s a very odd, complex, not-easy-to-sum-up-in-a-media friendly-sound bite kind of character.

TVLINE | ONCE UPON A TIMEYou’re clean-shaven in this. Did you have enough time to grow back your scruff for your return to Once Upon a Time?
I’m working on it as we speak! I’m going back up pretty soon, so I’m starting to feel slightly more bearded again.

TVLINE | What can you say about the how and the why of Robin Hood’s return?
I can say why from my point of  view: For one, I was very nicely asked. And two, as we discussed the last time you and I spoke, I feel that a lot of people weren’t loving how that abrupt end came about. I said to you that I was disappointed, too, that the fans did not get an end to the character that they wanted or maybe deserved, so hopefully the idea is to come back and maybe give a bit more closure to this character. I actually don’t know all the details, just the premise of what the [series creators] pitched to me, and I thought it sounded very interesting. Fingers crossed they’ll do their usual bang-up, good job and the audience can maybe see a last interesting adventure for Robin Hood.

TVLINE | Did the fact that it’s for multiple episodes sell you on returning? If it was just a one-off, might you have politely declined?
No, the prerequisite was “What story do you want to tell?” I sort of said, “I’ll go first: If it’s this or that, that might not be the ideal thing for me. But if the story is something that we all feel is an exciting chapter to tell, that’s the deal-breaker. That’s really what it was all about, whether it was one episode or 10. I obviously had no intention of going back, because I, like they, felt that that was it and it was done. But the story that they pitched sounded interesting, and they seemed excited about it. Hopefully, the audience will enjoy it.

TVLINE | And safe to say you’ll be working with Lana Parrilla again — maybe twice as much, now that there are two of her.
Yeah! That’d be great to work with both of her. Because I like both of her. If I get to be in a scene with both of her, that’d be double the fun!

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Inspiring Your Perfect Country Wedding

Here at Tweedly Madly Deeply we are passionate about ensuring you can find the right suppliers for your wedding. There are many excellent suppliers in the wedding industry, but most have their speciality niches. The suppliers on our pages are those that love country weddings as much as we do.

Browse the categories to find inspiration, or use the search box below if looking for something specific

Real Weddings

Editorial Inspiration

Very Important Ponies

(and other animal guests)

Planning Guidance

Outdoor Ceremonies

Fabulous Fashion

Home Receptions

Doing It Yourself Beautifully

It’s all about the details

Food Glorious Food

Suppliers Speak


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How Do You Know You’re Looking at a Real CA NGSS Program?

Don’t Be Fooled by “Frankenstein” Programs that Just Bolt On the CA NGSS

Twig Science was built from the ground up for the CA NGSS, with every detail designed to deliver investigation-based, phenomena-centered learning.

Other programs claim to be CA NGSS, but too often, beneath the surface, they’re Frankenstein products—legacy programs with bits of the CA NGSS bolted on.

So how do you know you’re getting the real deal?You’ve got to look at the instructional shifts required by the CA NGSS (link).

Here are three key things to watch out for:

1. Units Build to Unpack Anchor Phenomena

A program in which “Students engage in the CA NGSS practices to build deeper understanding of science and engineering content and make sense of phenomena and design solutions” (CA NGSS instructional shift).

Genuine CA NGSS units embed anchor phenomena to inspire students to observe and make sense of phenomena for themselves through a series of investigations that build understanding—until students can unpack the anchor phenomena themselves.

Programs that simply “bolt on” phenomena on top of content—where information is front-loaded rather than discovered. They’re often rigidly divided into life, earth, and physical sciences—rather than integrated across all science disciplines.

See how Twig Science has been built to support the CA NGSS from the foundations up: Evaluation Rubric—Foundations video

2. Fully Integrated Engineering Design Process

A program in which “Engineering is integrated into all science disciplines” (CA NGSS instructional shift) Genuine CA NGSS programs have students use the engineering design process as a fully integrated part of how students investigate phenomena or design problems.

Programs where “Engineering is treated as an add-on.” The addition of engineering practices is new to the CA NGSS, so it’s easy to recognize programs that are just superficially adapted to it. They can’t integrate the engineering design process into legacy materials, so they’re forced to create special “STEM” or “Engineering Challenges” and—once again—bolt them on top.

See a preview of a Twig Science module and its series of true real-world engineering investigations:
BioTech Systems Worldwide teacher trailer video

3. Student-Driven Investigation

Programs in which “engaging in science and engineering practices allows students to revise their
thinking and understanding”
(CA NGSS instructional shift).

Students should lead the discovery using the full range of science and engineering practices (SEPs)—asking
and answering their own questions, carrying out their own collaborative investigations, and coming to their own
evidence-based conclusions.

Rather than using the SEPs to explore a phenomenon, some programs use the “scientific method”
to lead students through investigations to “prove” or “demonstrate” what they’ve already been told.
See how the structure of Twig Science modules encourages students to lead their own discovery:
Twig Science program structure video

If you’re not looking at Twig Science, you’re looking at old science.

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Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #810 – 1/20/2018: Twirl Radio 20th Anniversary Special!

20 years of Twirl. It’s hard to believe that it’s gone by this fast, and that we’re still on the air. Access Sacramento first let me through the studio doors on January 17, 1998, and a nervous, shaky me somehow got through it.

Playlist from the first Twirl Radio episode, 20 years ago, January 17, 1998.

The first song I ever played on the radio was Juliana Hatfield’s “Everybody Loves Me But You”. At the time, my focus was on the alternative and Americana music that everybody loved, but couldn’t seem to find on the air anymore.

Maxi Dunn

Fast forward to 2018. Access Sacramento’s radio station now broadcasts on KUBU 96.5 FM in Sacramento, as well as on the internet. Content wise, the focus of Twirl has shifted a bit. I now champion independent musicians who make some of the best sounding and most critically acclaimed music today, and those who were once receiving commercial airplay, but now need a home for their still-vital music. It’s important to me to provide a platform for these great artists. But aside from this being a mission, it’s really a labor of love. I feel that if I didn’t have this radio show, I’d still be sitting around on Saturday afternoons, playing their songs at home. But I’d rather share them with you.

Anton Barbeau

Today’s show featured interviews with artists who have long been part of the history of Twirl, and who represent, well, what we represent–the highest caliber of independent music. We chatted with the incomparable Maxi Dunn, live, all the way from Liverpool. She embodies the independent, DIY ethos, while maintaining incredibly high musical standards for her dramatic songs. We also chatted with Sacramento native and musical icon Anton Barbeau. He now lives in Berlin, but we chatted in Fresno, while he’s back home visiting Sacramento. (Sorry, I can’t explain it any better than that!) His forthcoming album is terrific. We also chatted with Fresno’s own Blake Jones & the Trike Shop, quirky pop geniuses, who constantly reinvent themselves, and always find a way to thrill live audiences.

Blake Jones & the Trike Shop

In addition, we had recorded greetings from about two dozen indie musicians, from four different continents, who have been part of the fabric of Twirl for a long time.

My commitment to you: to not sit here and look backwards, but to kick off Year 21 properly–by discovering more new rock and roll for you, and making sure you get to hear as many great artists as possible. Thanks to Access Sacramento for providing a home for my show and all this great music. Thanks to the all the wonderful musicians for practicing their craft, and creating all this great music. And most of all–thanks to the wonderful listeners, who spend time listening to my show and getting as thrilled by this great music as I do. Enjoy the show!

Artist | Track | Album
Adam Waltemire greeting | Pop Garden Barbeque order
Juliana Hatfield | Everybody Loves Me But You | Hey Babe
Rick Hromadka greeting
Ruby Free | Start Of Something Big | Shades
Bud Rogers greeting
Bud Rogers | Pictures Of A Modern World (ukulele version) | Twirl Radio exclusive
Maxi Dunn interview
Maxi Dunn | Change The Record | Edmund & Leo
Skip Heller greeting
Skip Heller | I Used To Love California | The Long Way Home
Brad Elvis & Chloe F. Orwell greeting
The Handcuffs | Baby I Love You | Waiting For The Robot
James Parkinson greeting
Last Breath | The Story Ends
Chandler Travis | Happy Anniversary song | Twirl Radio exclusive
Andrew Griffin of Felsen greeting
Lannie Flowers greeting
Lannie Flowers | Turn Up Your Radio | Circles
Anton Barbeau interview
Anton Barbeau | Mumble Something | Natural Causes
Cirrone greeting
Cirrrone | All Right All Night | Kings For A Night
Lisa Said greeting
Lisa Said | Been Around | No Turn Left Behind
Big Stir group greeting
Medley: The Armoires, The Bobbleheads, Walker Brigade, Plasticsoul | Responsible, Mean Girls, Choker, All Died Pretty
Joe Algeri greeting
The Jangle Band | Kill The Lovers | Edge Of A Dream
Hillary Burton greeting
honeychain | Some Boys Lie | Crushed
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop interview
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop | At Every Train Stop | Single release
Natalie Cortez greeting
Natalie Cortez & The Ultraviolets | Ghost Of You | Twitch!
Daniel Trigger greeting
Daniel Trigger | Remember When | Single release
Tom Richards & Elsie (Lisa) Mychols greeting
The Hour Zero | See You Again | Single release
Glen Laughlin/Deborah Gee greeting
The Cherry Bluestorms | Seven League Boots | Single release
Octavia Kane greeting
The Corner Laughers | Stonewords | Ultraviolet Garden
Lindy LaFontaine greeting
Lindy LaFontaine | This Too In Time Shall Pass | Single release
Gail George greeting
Gail George | Out Of Sight | Bloom

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Benefits claimants in Hull say their Universal Credit pay-outs hardly sustain them as it is, and they only expect their circumstances to get worse as the Covid-19 £20 uplift will be removed next month.

There are currently six million people in the country who rely on Universal Credit, and as of next month, they will be receiving £20 per week less than they have been receiving for the past year and a half.

Mum of five Shannon Brown, 25, says she will likely be in debt as a result of the cut.

Click here for more Universal Credit news

She said: "I have been using the money to pay for bills and other necessities and now that they're taking it away, I am going to be in so much debt just so I can support my family. It is out of order.

"It is cruel to people who have kids that are living off the minimum amount they give you."

Shannon, who was with her two-year-old Khaos at the Job Centre in Britannia House, Hull, said it is a lot harder on her financially now that her son is a toddler, as the cost of necessities for the family has gone up with more food, shoes and clothes.

She is also pregnant with another child and worries about how she would be able to support all of them with a reduction in her benefits.

"They are taking £87 off me, it may not seem like a lot to some people but to me, it makes a big difference," she said.

"It is not fair what they have done, a lot of people are going to suffer because of that."

The increase was introduced in April 2020 to help people cope with the Covid pandemic.

It will be withdrawn between early October and early November as ministers say society is returning to normal after Covid.

John Ainley, 62, was made redundant in 2019 and has been on benefits since
John Ainley, 62, was made redundant in 2019 and has been on benefits since

However, critics say the biggest overnight benefit cut since the Second World War will hit millions just as furlough ends.

John Ainley, 62, said he was made redundant from work in October 2019 and has had to rely on benefits ever since. He gets £63 a week which he says is not enough to live off on.

He said: "The first thing I do when I get the money is pay my rent because I don't want to get evicted. So I only eat a couple of times a week, and now they are taking £20 from that.

"It is just mad, I'll probably have to be outside begging now."

Another man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he was let go from work at the beginning of the pandemic and has actively been looking for work since.

He said he and his wife are both unemployed so he has to spend 12 hours a day looking for jobs for both of them.

Get the latest updates from across Hull and East Yorkshire direct to your inbox with the free Hull Live newsletters.

You can sign up very simply by following the instructions here

He is only getting £500 a month currently and is expected to lose £86 after the uplift is taken away. Because of this, he says, they have to choose between internet and putting food on the table.

"If they take away the money and we cannot pay for our internet, how are we supposed to be looking for jobs every day?" he added.

Get the latest news about Universal Credit by signing up for updates here.


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Great Britain

Russians head to the polls amid anger over economy and Covid

Russians will head to the polls beginning Friday for parliamentary elections that could serve as a platform for popular anger over the economy, a crackdown on dissent and the government response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the ruling party United Russia is likely to find a way to maintain a stranglehold on its control of the State Duma.

While stifling political opposition and independent media, the Kremlin is trying to solve a simple maths problem: how can it prop up the numbers of United Russia, which is polling at near-historic lows, without provoking the kind of protests that broke out over widespread incidents of crude voter fraud in 2011.

Before the vote, which will be held over three days, there has been increasing support for the Communist party, while other opposition behind Alexei Navalny, the jailed Kremlin critic, has sought to consolidate through a “smart voting” effort that mainly identified Communist candidates as the strongest challengers.

“There are a lot of people who are unhappy,” said Anastasia Bryukhanova, an independent candidate from one of the country’s most opposition-minded districts in north-west Moscow. “The biggest problem remains a lack of belief in our own power, a lack of belief in the elections themselves. The biggest battle is to get people out to the polling station and at least try to resist.”

Russia’s Communist party has seen its polling rise above 19% in recent weeks, in large part because of stagnant wages and rising prices. It has also sought to broaden its appeal, bringing in younger candidates from the party’s youth wing or running outsiders in first past the post (FPTP) votes in local districts.

But the party has often aligned itself with United Russia and is still led by the same leader, Gennady Zyuganov, who ran against Boris Yeltsin in 1996. While it did oppose Vladimir Putin’s proposal to renew his presidential terms during last year’s constitutional referendum, it has often been derided as a “pocket opposition”.

“Many people say that, in their view, the leadership of the Communist party often compromises … they don’t trust them,” said Mikhail Lobanov, a candidate for the party in a district in western Moscow, in a television interview this week. “I think that the Communist party and its leadership should change: it should become more radical, more decisive. Not give in to pressure. And then it can return the support of people who have turned away from it.”

United Russia, meanwhile, has seen its support bottom out, with fewer than 30% of Russians telling state pollsters that they would vote for the ruling party. To maintain its current constitutional majority (it has 336 of 450 MPs in the current Duma), the party will rely on winning FPTP districts, an elections format that has been expanded in recent years to 225 of the Duma’s 450 open seats.

In Moscow, United Russia has put up candidates from popular grassroots initiatives, like the search-and-rescue nonprofit Liza Alert, to attract votes. Putin also signed off on cash handouts to families and members of the military ahead of the vote, and local governments are offering prizes such as new apartments, cars and gift certificates to those who sign up to vote online.

Top opponents of the government have been jailed, disqualified or run out of the country, including Dmitry Gudkov, a former member of the Duma. It has also sought to divide the opposition vote, in some cases running doppelgangers who can siphon off precious ballots in tight races. Two opponents of Boris Vishnevsky, a veteran St Petersburg lawmaker critical of the Kremlin, even changed their names and appearances to fool voters on the ballot. “I have never seen anything like it,” he said in an interview.

Past votes, particularly in 2011, have been marred by ballot-stuffing and other crude efforts to deliver not just a United Russia victory, but a landslide for the ruling party. The biggest change to this year’s vote is that it will take place over three days and also online, maximising turnout and making it extremely difficult to confirm that the number of ballots matches the number of voters. Golos, an elections NGO that has been named a foreign agent by the Russian government, has said just 50% of the country’s precincts will have independent monitors.

When all else fails, United Russia will hope for opposition infighting to divide the protest vote and deliver victory to a friendly candidate.

Bryukhanova, a rare independent on the ballot in Russia, was recently backed by Navalny’s smart voting scheme, snubbing another liberal candidate from the established, if somewhat ineffective, Yabloko party.

“I consider the decision in our district a big mistake,” wrote Marina Litvinovich, her opponent. “But it would be wrong to decide for [voters]. If you wanted to support ‘smart voting’, then vote for the candidate it suggests. If you want to support me, then vote as your heart tells you.”

Those who do make it through will find themselves outmatched in the Duma. But Bryukhanova said it was worth it. “First of all, it is about symbolism. To show that it is possible. To show that a politician like me with my views … can win in these elections, even with all their violations.”

Football news:

Some Manchester United players do not believe that Sulscher's staff will cope with the crisis and improve the club's position in the Premier League
Holand may not play until the end of the year due to a hip injury
Henri on PSG: Messi is cut off from the team and doesn't get the ball that often. Leo takes little part in the attacks
Manchester United may dismiss Sulscher before the match with Tottenham (MEN)
The relationship between Manchester United and Solskjaer is like from a TV series. Ole hopes to fix everything, and the club is afraid of the next step
Barcelona is a team without legs and a head. Real Madrid would have scored 4 goals if they wanted to. Luis Suarez Miramontes on clasico
Miranchuk is not a star. There were stars before - Dasaev, Karpin, Mostovoy, Arshavin. Assistant Lawyer Petrovich about Atalanta midfielder


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Attractions in Vrhovine and its surroudings– the Vrhovine Tourist Board

Dear Rental Owners,

For the upcoming tourist season 2018, the Vrhovine Tourist Board has published informative brochures and tourist maps so that you can closely inform your highly estemeed guests of all attractions in Vrhovine and its surrounding area. The referred documents are available at the premises of the Vrhovine Tourist Board, Senjska ulica bb, Vrhovine.

The Vrhovine Tourist Board wishes to all a very successful and prosperous tourist season!

Karta Brošura

Adress :

Senjska 48,
Vrhovine, 53223
OIB : 39290995266

Contact :

Phone: +385 (53) 775 010
Fax: +385 (53) 775 601

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Welcome Fr. Pius

I am grateful that I was born to the loving parents who practiced their faith. The earliest memory that I have is in Seoul, S. Korea in an ornate chapel worshiping the Lord. My older brother and l both attended a private Catholic school. The subjects that I excelled in the most were mathematics and music. In addition, I enjoyed extracurricular activities such as ice skating and playing soccer.

When I was nine, my family moved to Orange County, CA where we continued to be involved in the life of a parish. My older brother and I enrolled in a public-school system which took on a different pace and structure to that of a Catholic school. It was also a period when my younger brother was born: I had become a middle child.

Throughout middle and high school, I was heavily interested in electronics. I had a desire to learn about sound programs and how sound systems worked. In addition, I started attending live concerts. Sounds in general were fascinating. This persisting interest encouraged me to pursue a major in music technology at the New York University.

In college, I had a strong inclination to stop practicing the faith. Busy with classes and internships, I lost interest in God and the Church. Upon an invitation to a friend to St. Joseph’s in Greenwich Village, the campus parish of NYU, I encountered the men in white habit who were known as the Dominicans. Before this period, I had never encountered priests who were
competent yet so personable. And I was sold by their preaching.

It was through a particular friar by the name of John McGuire, OP that I began to think about the priesthood. I had considered it a few times in the past, but the call seemed to be stronger this time around. To my amazement, I was praying the divine office, and I started attending daily Mass. I was on fire.

Upon graduation without thinking much of the details, I joined the Diocese of Orange to be closer to my parents and to answer the call to the priesthood. After spending three years in the diocese, however, I realized that I did not have a call to the Diocesan way of living. I strongly wanted a Dominican life: a strong zeal for preaching by the way of community and contemplation.

Eventually, with prayer and direction, I made the decision to leave the diocese and to become a Dominican in the western Province.

I have been very happy to be a part of this Province and the worldwide Order. In April of 2017, I made solemn profession, and in June of 2018, I was ordained to the priesthood.

My first assignment as a newly ordained priest was in Anchorage, AK where I practiced the art of the sacraments and where I learned about God from the parishioners and the people in the ‘bush.’

Perhaps the dark and cold nights of the never-ending winters will balance out in the heat of Tucson. I really look forward to meeting you, and to learn about God from you! – Fr. Pius Youn, OP


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Alabama Power hosts virtual dam safety training exercise – Yellowhammer News

A scientifically mysterious isolated cloud larger than the Milky Way Was found by a research team from the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH) in a “no man’s land” for galaxies.

The so-called orphan or lonely cloud is full of hot gas with temperatures of 10,000 to 10,000,000 degrees Kelvin (K) and a total mass 10 billion times the mass of the sun. This makes it larger than the mass of small galaxies.

The cloud was discovered at Abell 1367 by a group led by Dr. Ming Sun, associate professor of physics at UAH, which is part of the University of Alabama system. Also known as the Lion Cluster, A1367 contains approximately 70 galaxies and is located approximately 300 million light years from Earth.

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Unbiased Review of UFabet

UFabet is currently the biggest online betting website in Thailand. It has over 1.5M search term on Google every month. It offers an assortment of live dealer games including baccarat, roulette, poker, baccarat, and Sicbo. Users are able to register as either an individual or a team and place their bets either through the chat or by utilizing the “ota” or “tip” mechanism. Each user is then assessed a win or loss after each game and payment is made securely through PayPal or MoneyBooker.

As far as the betting experience goes, it’s very smooth. It’s simple and easy to use as well. You don’t have to know anything about how the betting system works or what currencies are used. You also don’t need to know how to deal with payments or how to set up an account. All you need to know is how to login and create your own profile and you’re good to go!

The interface for ufabet is very user friendly. All you need to do is copy and paste some information into the small forms on the front page and you’re done! Once you’ve entered all of your desired data, you can choose from one of three payment methods -through PayPal, MoneyBooker or Alertpay. Each payment method has its own advantages and disadvantages but we feel that Alertpay is the best option for our gaming experience. This payment method allows us to have a secure transaction and also ensures that our payments are received immediately.

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Thursday, June 18, 2015

Air Force One Officer: ET Craft Fired a Ray of Light and Landed at ET White House Base

Will Allen a professional photographer and former White House/Air Force Engineer states:

“I have photographs of extraterrestrial craft coming in to land at an extraterrestrial base under or around the White House underneath the Potomac River.”

Mr. Allen stated, “On July 20, 2010 at 3:18:07 AM in NW Washington DC, approximately one mile south east of the White House, I imaged a slow moving hyperdimensional Extraterrestrial space craft pulse through the sky, and then (observed the UFO) fired a ray of light or directed energy beam in the vicinity of the White House.

Mr. Allen, who grew up on U.S. military bases and now resides in Washington, DC, has stated that at age five he was visited by a group of “four to five grey extraterrestrials in silver spacesuits” who implanted him with a device.

That implant device went undetected during all the years of his military and White House service, and now signals him to go to specific locations in Washington, DC where he is instructed to photograph extraterrestrial craft and personnel that enter P-56A restricted Capitol Hill airspace through hyperdimensional Star gates at extremely high speeds.

Mr. Allen believes that his photographs, which are forensic in quality, document that the same intelligent hyperdimensional civilization was behind the July 16, 1952 and the July 16, 2002 flyovers of the U.S. Capitol.

Image left:1952 - Image right: 2002

It is not unreasonable to ascribe intentionality to the hyperdimensional UFO that performed a dimensional shift into a self-generated Star gate phenomenon and entered Washington DC airspace one mile south east of the White House, emitting a ray of light or directed energy beam.

And last year, July 16, 2014, a camera live stream of US Capitol registered a beam of light coming from or directed to the top of the building. See video below:

Yet, President Obama continues officially (and personally) to deny that that he lacks evidence of extraterrestrial life. Read article here.

The utter transparency and public proximity of Extraterrestrial spacecraft to the White House, the seat of U.S. Executive power, is prima facie evidence that the “ET Disclosure” movement is actually a scripted meme, directed by the Rockefeller interests and U.S. clandestine services for New World Order world government globalist power objectives.

Any ET Disclosure that occurs under the auspices of a United States government administration that is part of the Rockefeller CIA time-travel pre-identified US Presidencies as identified by whistleblower Andrew D. Basiago (So far, Bush Sr.; Clinton I; Bush II; Obama) is actually part of a meme scheme to preserve or enhance global and cosmic power by the Jesuit, Rockefeller and Trilateralists group.

That is, the Rockefeller-CIA-Trilateralist interests want to control the information that is being “disclosed” so as to maximize control over the human population so they can continue as an elite to exploit them.

Whatever the real truth is actually out there, rest assured the Powers That Shouldn't Be will do whatever it takes to make sure we are never allowed to learn it.

Instead we'll get drip-fed a bunch of government lies, illusions, distortions, and half-truths as pre-programming for a sinister agenda.

While the probability of life on other planets is surely compelling, we're not going to find the truth through gatekeepers in establishment positions of power, be that in government, Hollywood, or via elitist billionaires who have documented ulterior motives.

A secret government has set up shop, is deeply rooted, and there's no getting to the truth without going through them first.

Until we deal with the reality of the breakaway civilization that's been keeping mankind at large in the dark (sometimes literally) for centuries, we can hardly process the significance of contact from beyond.

Extraterrestrial life is being held and will be dealt as a card that requires ascension to world government and submission to a higher earthly authority.

So compelling indeed is the opportunity to use aliens as a pretext for total control, that leader after leader have hinted at its unifying power over humanity.

In the background, the possibly of a Project Blue Beam scenario has been prepared should the time come for the last card to be dealt to a humanity unwilling to march dutifully along under the banner of a one world government New World Order.

By UFO Sightings Hotspot

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Howie Mandel ‘doing better’ after fainting at Starbucks

Howie Mandel assured fans that he was OK on Wednesday following a report that he was hospitalized after fainting at his local Starbucks.

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Over/Under Week 3 - George Kittle

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After scoring zero TDs in his first two games, will the SF TE finally find the end zone in week 3?

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From Taliban to Ronaldo's land, Afghan women footballers train again

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Forced to flee Afghanistan by the Taliban takeover, members of the Afghan women's youth football team and their families have sought refuge in Portugal and are back training in the Lisbon suburbs.

The relief at having found a safe haven after arriving on September 19 shows in their faces as well as joy at being in a country whose most famous son these days is a footballer.

"I can't believe it. I'm so happy I can play football again," Omul Banin Ramzi tells AFP after their first training session in six months.

"In Afghanistan it was so bad.

"I'm happy in Portugal because Cristiano Ronaldo is from here," she adds with a broad smile as her father looks on proudly.

Ramzi, sporting a red shirt topped off with a black bandana round her head, added that she would love to meet the five-time Ballon D'Or winning, Manchester United superstar.

She and her team-mates are being housed temporarily in hotels in the Lisbon suburbs after finally fleeing Afghanistan following several failed attempts since mid-August.

Their salvation came thanks to "a joint operation between the American and Portuguese authorities," the Portuguese government said.

Ramzi and her team-mates were determined to leave because the Taliban oppose women playing a prominent role in public life.

Since their return to power on August 15, they have said that women can play football but only under strict conditions -- namely barred from playing in public.

- 'Lot of work to do' -

Nevertheless, members of the senior squad -- many of whom flew to Australia in late August -- were threatened by hardline Islamists and others beaten by the Taliban.

The Islamists banned women from sporting activity or even going to a match when they last ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to the 2001 US-led invasion that followed the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States.

Since the first women's Afghan teams started emerging about 15 years ago, football has grown rapidly in the country.

Khalida Popal, Denmark-based former national captain and now manager of the national squad, told AFP in August that there were "around 3,000 to 4,000 women and girls who were registered in the football federation at different levels."

But it all disappeared overnight when Kabul fell to the Taliban.

Ramzi and her team-mates and families left Afghanistan with little in the way of personal items but their lack of kit has been resolved due to captain Farkhunda Muhtaj.

The 23-year-old travelled from Canada with the essential items and delivered them on the eve of their training session on Thursday.

She will stay on to put them through their paces and prepare them for their friendly match with Benfica's women's team on Saturday.

"There is still a lot of work to do," Muhtaj told AFP.

She is due to leave Portugal and return to Canada but hopes that the team will be able to continue to train on a regular basis -- and of course Ramzi hopes her dream of meeting Ronaldo will be fulfilled.

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Dave Grohl was told Kurt Cobain died a month before he committed suicide

In his new memoir, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, the Foo Fighters frontman reveals he got a call telling him that his Nirvana bandmate overdosed at a hotel in Rome, Italy on 3 March 1994

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TV presenter and journalist Charlene White on racism, social media and feeling stronger after discovering more about her past

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Charlene White (ITV/PA)
Charlene White (ITV/PA)

By her own admission, broadcast journalist Charlene White doesn’t often find herself overcome with emotion.

Instead describing herself as someone brimming with “fight” and “resilience”, the ITV News and Loose Women anchor says she has long dealt with online abuse in the only way she knows how.

“With humour,” says White with a smile. “It’s going to sound awful, but I have been faced with social media racism for so long – oh God longer than a decade now – that I’ve had to build an armour against it. I shouldn’t have to build an armour, but I have done, in order to be able to survive and enjoy the side of social media that I love.”

An all too regular occurrence brought to the fore by recent events including the Euro 2020 finals – when a number of England footballers were subjected to a torrent of online racial abuse after losing to Italy on penalties – White describes the need for “broad shoulders” to deal with an increasing number of trolls and negative online commenters.

However, it’s the anchor’s latest on-screen project, Charlene White: Empire’s Child that unexpectedly saw her stoic facade slip, giving way to emotion, and raising questions about her lineage she could never have seen coming.

Commissioned as part of ITV’s celebration of Black History Month, the one-hour documentary sees the presenter delve into her ancestry and its links to the British Empire investigating what it really means to be black and British.

“I’m a journalist, my heart tends to be cold most of the time,” White initially jokes when asked about the emotional impact of the revelations.

“But there’s one point in the film where it suddenly just hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting, without me wanting it to. And that’s when I realised actually, it means so much more than we realise to gain more of an understanding of home.”

Retracing her roots across the British Empire, White’s journey unearthed a number of shocking revelations linking the shadowy history of the Empire to the fundamental shaping of her own family tree.

Recounting how the lighter skin tone on one side of her family paired with an old photograph of her uncle – who according to the journalist was “obviously of mixed heritage” – had always led to the assumption her great-grandfather William Stanbury was white, the need for new information saw her venture to the south coast of England in search of answers.

Charlene White in Empire’s Child (ITV/PA)
Charlene White in Empire’s Child (ITV/PA)

“Through the process of looking for him, I travelled down to Devon, and Devon does have a lot of links where slavery is concerned and the Empire,” says White, 41. “So, I was really excited, saying ‘yes, I have found him!’ – only to realise that actually, he’s not English at all, he was born in Jamaica And that’s when the fear sort of set in.”

Describing how new evidence pointed her towards an altogether more sinister side of the British Empire, White recalls the moment she conceded a direct link to slavery was increasingly likely.

“I really hoped brutality and violence weren’t involved within my lineage, and then I realised at that point that it definitely was, and it probably went back a lot further than I had anticipated.

“To not be able to know what this man was capable of, or how he came to be able to have two children by black women in Jamaica, it does leave a bit of a horrible feeling there.”

A revelation that marked the start of a long journey aided by researchers and historians, White describes the deep-dive into her family’s past as a “pretty big moment”.

“There are so many of us, as immigrants, who live our life being so displaced and trying to find exactly where home is,” says White.

Charlene White attending the National Television Awards 2021 (Ian West/PA) (PA Wire)
Charlene White attending the National Television Awards 2021 (Ian West/PA) (PA Wire)

“My lineage crosses three continents; it crosses Africa, it crosses the Caribbean, and it crosses Europe. So, you sort of have these three continents – but where within that do I sit and where within that do I belong?”

Calling the programme a “rare opportunity” to uncover her ancestry, White describes its timing as “synergy” given the recent fruitless research efforts made by her Aunty Eleanor.

A journey that culminates in a transatlantic voyage in search of answers, White says that despite regularly returning to the island of Jamaica, the filming trip was the first time she had ever truly “felt at home”.

“There is something wonderful about stepping foot in a country where you aren’t the minority, where you are the majority and that does fill my heart,” says White.

“I don’t feel any less British because I’m black. I won’t allow anybody to take that away from me at all. In the same way that I am no less Jamaican because I’m born here.

“As a result of doing this programme, I definitely feel like I know more about me,” says White, “and I think it’s made me stronger.”

Charlene White: Empire’s Child airs on ITV on Thursday, October 21

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Case Studies

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Bog Standard service, I don’t think so

Project: Blocked Drain Customer: Unnamed Leading Insurer Sector: Insurance Location: unable to disclose The Project  The Customer Ownership Team took a call from a leading insurer regarding a collapsed drain, which was causing a policyholder’s toilet to back up, leaving them without toilet facilities. The insurance claim handler considered it urgent and a priority to rectify. The Solution UKDN […]

Pipe repair excavation – Claire and Chris Hawes

Project: Pipe repair excavation Client:  Claire and Chris Hawes The Challenge The blockage in the pipe was very close to the back of the house. This meant care was needed to avoid damaging the foundations. Because the pipe ran from under a basement, it was also three metres underground, so a lot of material had to be […]

Blocked Wildlife tunnel HeX

Blocked wildlife tunnel – Heathrow Express

Project: Drain repair and reline Customer: Network Rail Sector: Rail Location: London Background Heathrow Express is an airport rail link between London Heathrow Airport and London Paddington station. The service is operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAA. It is not legally part of the National Rail system, even though it shares track […]

Ground breaking no-dig project keeps Liverpool Street Crossrail station on track at Moorgate

Project: Large diameter UV lining Customer: BAM Nuttall Kier JV Sector: Rail Location: Moorgate, London.   The challenge UKDN Waterflow (LG) was commissioned to install the largest diameter ultra-violet (UV) cured liner ever installed in Western Europe. The task was needed to strengthen a 1440mm diameter sewer located just seven metres from the path of Crossrail, the new east-west […]

Midgham station Level crossing

Midgham Station – No Dig versus conventional drain re-instatement

Project: No dig track drainage renewal Customer: Amey Colas Western, for Network Rail Sector: Rail Location: Midgham, Berkshire The challenge The client wanted to renew over 250m of track drainage at Midgham Station. It commissioned us to carry out a CCTV camera drainage survey of current system, and then asked us to submit a plan for a technical solution. […]

Culvert remediation from UKDN Waterflow

Pipe Jacking solution solves culvert collapse

Project: Culvert pipe jacking Customer: Network Rail Sector: Rail Location: Filton, Bristol   The challenge A six-feet wide and 90m-long section of culvert, made from corrugated steel, collapsed. It caused localised flooding that threatened the operations of the country’s largest NHS blood bank. Network Rail put in emergency over-pumping, with a capacity of more than seven million litres per […]

Preparing for Crossrail groundwork by protecting a 120m Sewer

Project: Sewer protection Customer: Thames Water Sector: Utilities Location: Mayfair, Central London The challenge We were commissioned to install two pipe liners to strengthen a sewer so it was protected from potential movements caused by tunnelling under Davies Street, Mayfair, for Crossrail, the new east-west rail line though London. The design and shape of the sewer, plus access limitations, […]

Kings road railway and gardens

Routine CCTV work uncovers need for major Fulham reinforcement works

Project: Sewer reinforcement Customer: Thames Water Sector: Utilities Location: Fulham, West London The challenge While carrying out a routine survey, one of our CCTV drainage survey crews identified a problem that resulted in the need for an emergency project to reinforce 70 metres of Victorian brick-built sewer running one metre from live railway lines. The survey team, carrying out […]

ISTT Ham Sewer Duplex stainless steel pipe

Unique stainless steel structural design protects important sewer in London

Project: Crossrail steel structural liner Customer: Crossrail Sector: Rail Location: East London The challenge Crossrail is a 118-kilometre (73-mile) east-west railway line being built in London and the Home Counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex. One of scheme’s 7.1-metre-diameter tunnel boring machines was due to come within 0.5m of the Ham sewer in East London, operated by Thames Water […]

Digger working on drainage infrastructure following a railway

Drainage Accelerated Maintenance Project – Resolving high priority drainage issues to reduce track related risks

Project: Priority drainage programme Customer: Network Rail Sector: Rail Location: South West England The challenge UKDN Waterflow (LG) was commissioned to carry out a number of high priority projects under the Drainage Accelerated Maintenance Project. This was a programme to rapidly improve drainage on areas of line where drainage conditions impacted greatest on customer service, for example the need […]

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Assembly Member Responsibilities

All Assembly Members (AMs) must adhere to the following standards:

  • Derive no income external to their AM salary for the entire duration of their membership.
  • Make complete statements of all their income, available for public scrutiny: for the two years prior to their candidacy, filed within 10 days of declaring their candidacy; and for five years after they cease to be an AM.
  • Attend all Assembly sessions. Failure to attend three sessions consecutively will result in the AM’s vote count being removed from the quorum (see Assembly Sessions below).
  • Conviction for a criminal act while in office will result in immediate termination of Membership, and be barred from standing for re-election for 20 years after completing their sentence.
  • Must remain a resident of their constituency while in office.

AM Compensation

Each Assembly Member shall receive an annual salary, paid monthly, equivalent to five times the Median Income of their constituents.
The Median Income of each constituency to be published by the State tax authorities, before October 1st, for the previous tax year, and which forms the basis of the AM salary calculation for the following tax year.

AM Support Services

Assembly Members will require administrative support, and at a minimum each AM should have provided for them:

  1. A private office.
  2. A private secretary with their own, adjacent office.
  3. Such services and facilities as are necessary to allow the AM to research and compile reports.

AM Residence facilities

Assemblies for Regions and the State should provide residential facilities at no charge for their AMs, equivalent to the social housing standards adopted by the Assembly for their Shelter WellFair service.

Assembly Sessions

Assemblies shall meet at the discretion of members providing that:

  • Not more than 30 days shall pass between sessions.
  • Sessions have been held on at least 30 days in the previous 100 days.
  • Qualifying sessions must last a minimum of 2 hours, and have a quorum present for the duration.
  • Failure to meet the requirements for holding sessions automatically triggers an election.
  • Assembly sessions must be subject to public scrutiny, and make provisions to allow for public observation of their proceedings.
  • Assemblies must keep a permanent record of the proceedings and voting.
  • Voting in Assembly: Each AM will vote in matters before the Assembly with the weight of their vote count at the last election, including both 1st choice and reallocated 2nd choice votes. Representatives may not allocate or split their vote count weight.
  • A quorum is reached when the Assembly has Members present who have a combined vote count of 75% of the total votes cast at the last election, less the vote count of any representative(s) who are absent for a third consecutive Assembly session, but never less than 50% of the votes cast at the last election. (Assemblies may recognise “presence” of AMs via virtual digital connections at their discretion.)

In the event that the currently eligible Assembly Membership represents less than 51% of the votes cast at the last election, a new election is immediately triggered.

Civil Service

Due to the more pluralistic and less party-based nature of Assemblies elected using Proper Elections, the organisation of the interface between the Civil Service and government needs to be adjusted. Assemblies will be a single body with the same sovereignty and responsibility as we have traditionally attributed to Parliament in Westminster: ultimately all of the members of the Assembly are responsible for the performance of government to their constituents.

The Assembly Members are ultimately accountable to their constituents through the ballot box. To be held accountable for their policies, it is vital that the Assembly is able to hold the Civil Service accountable for their performance regarding the prosecution of the Assembly’s policies. To make this a reality the Assembly must be able to appoint and dismiss the primary manager (Council Secretary) responsible for implementation of Assembly policy by the Civil Service function. Such appointments and dismissals are only concerning the person’s role as the primary civil servant responsible to the Assembly for the implementation of policy, not their status as employees of the Civil Service.

The Civil Service in each constituency shall have it’s own Chief Executive, responsible for the performance and management of all Civil Servants, and the reform and development of the Service. The Chief Executive will be hired and retained at the discretion of a Management Board, which will consist of 3 Directors appointed by the Civil Service, 2 by the Assembly, and 2 elected by the rank and file of the Civil Service. Directors will serve for terms of 4 years, may be re-elected, may not AMs and will receive compensation only in proportion to time spent in or preparing for Board meetings (if they are employed by the Civil Service they will receive no additional compensation, if not they will all receive an equal hourly rate equivalent to the hourly rate for AMs). Chief Executives should report formally to their Boards not less frequently than quarterly. Boards may concern themselves will all matters concerning the performance and management of the Civil Service, but not to the efficacy or implementation of Assembly policy.

Small Assemblies will likely maintain oversight of civil service functions as a single body, with all Council Secretaries reporting directly to a full Assembly session. Assemblies with more than 7 Assembly Members will likely want to distribute oversight of civil service departments to self-selecting groups of AMs, which will be called Councils.
Councils should be open to any AM that wishes to join, preferably with a 2 year commitment. Councils should elect a Chair from their membership.
Councils will require their own administrative staff.
Each Council will have a Council Secretary, the primary Civil Service manager responsible for implementation of Assembly policy. Council Secretaries are proposed by the Chief Executive, and subject to approval by the Assembly for Prime Councils, and by Council’s members for Special Councils. Where appropriate the Chief Executive should also appoint a Deputy Council Secretary who can step in in the event of the dismissal of a Council Secretary, and until such time a new Council Secretary is appointed.
Council Secretaries to report formally to their Council on their progress not less frequently than quarterly, but otherwise at the discretion of the Council.

Prime Councils

All Assemblies will have Prime Councils, albeit that in smaller Assemblies these consist of the entire Assembly membership. There should be a upper limit of 21 Assembly Members per Prime Council.
The Prime Councils are:

  • Society: all WellFair services and other social services, constitutional and democratic matters
  • Economy: innovation, trade, industry, finance, energy and all economic matters excluding taxation
  • Environment: agriculture, fisheries, conservancy, water
  • Treasury: Assembly budgets and taxation
  • External: liaison with Assemblies in containing layers (Regions, UK State and Europe)
  • Internal: liaison with Assemblies in containing layers (not needed in Community Assemblies; in Regions to liaise with Communities; at State to liaise with Regions)

Special Councils

Any Assembly may choose to convene additional Councils related to more specific matters or departments, these are Special Councils.

  1. MPs spent on £150,000 each on average, mostly on office and staff costs. will replace 650 MPs at Westminster with 65 MPs in 2020. That will save 80% of the expenses bill even if we double the office expenses charge for each remaining MP.

  2. Barry Quirk, leader of Lewisham Council, has 30 years experience in local government.;

  3. […] restore faith in democracy by modernising government, devolving power to regions and increasing the accountability of politicians and civil servants. We will legislate for freedom and privacy, updating our laws for […]

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SAGE shifty shenanigans. Why the secrecy? Something to hide?

Court case pressures government to come clean

The government purports to have based its decision to wreck the country on the best scientific advice. Well, what scientific advice exactly and from whom? Does it stand up to scrutiny? We want to see it. Oh, we can’t be allowed to do that? Surely for the love of God we have a right to know? Could it be that the government acted on “advice” but the so-called advice wasn’t very scientific? What does the government not want us to find out?

Government faces legal action over refusal to publish SAGE minutes

A millionaire businessman is launching legal action against the government after it refused to disclose minutes of the Sage meetings that informed its decision to impose the coronavirus lockdown.

Simon Dolan, who owns Jota Aviation, said he received an unsatisfactory response to his challenge over the legality of the lockdown in a “letter before action” sent two weeks ago.

He and his lawyers intend to go to the high court to seek permission for an urgent judicial review of the background to the lockdown imposed on 23 March. He had sought to obtain minutes from meetings of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

“We are pressing ahead with the case and expect to be heard within the next 10 days or so,” Dolan said. “I believe it is absolutely crucial in holding the government to account – they have introduced entirely unprecedented restrictions on basic freedoms, caused the losses of millions of jobs, destroyed businesses, incurred eye-watering amounts of debt, which will take generations to pay back, and yet they refuse to share the basic information they say they rely on to make these devastating decisions.” [emphasis added]

His lawyers have argued that the lockdown was ultra vires – outside of legal authority – because it implemented regulations under the Public Health Act 1984 instead of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 or the emergency Coronavirus Act 2020.

They have also argued that the lockdown, which must be reviewed every three weeks, was reimposed on a “disproportionate” basis in law, using an “over-rigid” test regarding its effect on containing the disease but not its impact on the economy, jobs and wider health; and third, that it breached the European convention on human rights covering the right to liberty, family life, education and property.

Dolan was seeking disclosure of the minutes of Sage meetings this year to give the government the opportunity to fully explain its justifications for the five tests Boris Johnson has set out for lifting the lockdown.

“It is now apparent that the five tests are nothing more than another example of empty rhetoric,” he said. ”Remember ‘flatten the curve?’ The curve is flat [but] we are still in lockdown. Remember ‘Save the NHS’? It’s been running at 60% capacity across the board for the entire period.” Dolan argued that economic tests should also be part of the publicly argued tests for continuing a strict lockdown.

Dolan says he is not opposed to the lockdown in principle, but to what he describes as a “totalitarian” approach involving lack of transparency over Sage advice and other key government advice.

“What is [the government] afraid of? Why won’t it let the public see the advice that it continually says it is following? Surely we all have a right to see why we remain in lockdown, why millions of people are not allowed to earn a living or see family or friends,” he said.

The government has been widely criticised in the last week for the lack of clarity in its lockdown guidelines. Scotland and Wales are continuing to tell residents to “stay at home”, while Boris Johnson has relaxed the message in England.

Johnson is also under pressure after epidemiological models suggested transmission rates in London were now half those in north-east England and Yorkshire, raising the question of whether all areas would be safe to emerge from lockdown at the same time.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.

The above article is from Yahoo News

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Sunday Giggle Time

Sunday 29 December, 2013 by Uncle Spike

Here’s a quick post for a Sunday morning…. Aunty Spike sent me this link just now to share with The Spikey’s after we just spent 15 minutes rolling around in laughter… I know, yes, bit sad perhaps 🙂

Whilst Aunty Spike may be an education professional, she also has a keen sense of humour (or humor if t’other side of pond).

But, I’m a rebel. Always have been. I also spent a long time working as an analyst so my brain always, always challenges the question of ‘ambiguity’.

You know, thinking back to ‘skool days’… you get asked something by some teacher which may not have a clear-cut answer… well these are some wonderful true to life examples.

39 Test Answers That Are 100% Wrong But Totally Genius At The Same Time

9 thoughts on “Sunday Giggle Time

  1. corley598 says:

    Reblogged this on Carpe Diem Dona and commented:
    Need a laugh? Uncle Spike “spiked” up my day.

  2. fredrieka says:

    this was great. I have done some in class room tutoring with 2nd graders and it so reminded me of them. 😀 great post

  3. Stomach cramps from laughing so hard! Thank you, Uncle Spike!

  4. They were hilarious. thanks for sharing them 😀

  5. KG says:

    Oh my God!!!!!…. totally made my Sunday 😀

...waiting to hear from you...

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text:
undebt.it round logo

What's the deal with Undebt.it?

Undebt.it was officially born on February 28, 2012 as part of personal side project to handle paying off my debt. When I started to get a handle on my debt, I used an Excel spreadsheet and a couple of iOS apps to keep myself organized. These tools worked fine, but I really wanted one tool to do everything - and I wanted it to be web-based and easy to use. There really wasn't anything out there at the time that would do all of the things I needed the way I wanted them done so I decided to build it myself. At the time, I had a few years of experience with an ASP-based e-commerce site that was part of my day job. I thought this would be a perfect project to get to know the PHP programming language and I've been building the site up ever since.

My main motivation for making this site public (and free) is that I wanted to make the tools that work for me available to everyone. Being in debt has a major impact on your life by limiting the amount of financial flexibility you have. Interest paid on consumer debt is wasted money, plain and simple. The sooner you get out of debt, the sooner you can start enjoying life a little more. Have some fun and live debt free!

Version #1

February 2012 - April 2012

Undebt.it version #1 logo

The first version was a little rough around the edges but it worked ok. It only had a few very basic features. In fact, the only settings you had to choose from was one of the two payoff plans and your monthly budget amount. This version also introduced some elements that are still used on the current version today - the dashboard concept and the statbar. I always liked the idea of having key stats, like debt free date, easily accessible at all times to help improve motivation. I've always been a "numbers" guy so the statbar is one of my favorite parts of the site. These are the features that came with version #1

  • Only had the debt snowball & debt avalanche payoff plans
  • "Debt snowflake" additional payments
  • Very basic debt dashboard
  • Transaction history

Version #2

April 2012 - August 2014

Undebt.it version #2 logo

After only a couple of months I redesigned the home page, but kept most of the same color scheme. The second version saw some minor design improvements and overall page layout consistancy. It worked much better on different browsers, but mobile device support was still a ways off. This version was based off of a professionally designed theme and that helped improve the development time quite a bit.

One of the biggest changes this version introduced was the freemium concept. Undebt.it Gold (now called Undebt.it+) allowed users to purchase premium account access for a small yearly fee. Of course, the free account still works just fine for many users. All of the pages received upgrades as well. The debt dashboard added the payment manager so you could quickly record your debt payments. Credit utilization was also added in a few areas too.

I did do some developement work to try and get a mobile version going. I used JQuery to build a mobile version, but it was really hard to work with and I didn't like having to maintain a full screen and desktop version of the same page so the mobile version never made it past testing. Here are some of the improvements that version #2 brought to the table

  • Export the debt snowball table directly to an Excel file
  • Create your own custom debt payoff order
  • Compare the different payoff methods on one page
  • Credit utilization table & dynamic graph
  • Text message payment reminders
  • Support for promotional interest rates
  • Premium account option
  • Quick pay from the dashboard

Version #3

September 2014 - October 2016

version #3 logo

Major changes came along with the third version of site. Released in September of 2014, the main objective of the upgrade was to provide a better experince for mobile users. To make this happen, I moved the websites' front-end template over to use Twitter Bootstrap. Bootstrap is an excellent HTML, CSS & javascript framework that automatically adjusts the content to fit on the users' screen. I went for a very bright and clean look with the template and tried to improve the basic navigation.

There were also many big changes in this version behind the scenes too.

  • Major rework to the debt snowball table logic making it much more accurate.
  • Bill management (non-debt account) support
  • Interest acrual history
  • Support for deferred payments (next due date in the future)
  • Full amortization table for each debt account
  • Support for escrow payments on mortgage accounts
  • Login with your Google account
  • Localized currency
  • Spanish translation
  • Debt snowball & DTI calculators (no signup required)
  • Private labeling
  • New debt payoff methods: highest credit utilization, highest monthly payment, drag & drop custom order
  • Debt Blaster
  • Monthly payment calendar for bills & debts
YouTube Tutorials
@undebt_it Budgeting and debt management are not mutually exclusive concepts. We have the scoop on how to use a #budget to ma… https://t.co/RkuxFxUsUR
1:02 AM - Oct 21st 2021
@undebt_it If you have debt, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. With so many different types of debt, it is no… https://t.co/KEWUuKpRdO
1:02 AM - Oct 18th 2021
@undebt_it Are you overwhelmed by debt? It is possible to change your mindset towards #debt and reclaim your #finances. Check… https://t.co/hyEyRdER0S
1:02 AM - Oct 14th 2021
@undebt_it How Budgeting and Debt Management Are Related https://t.co/y36DIZ4UZL
2:19 AM - Oct 11th 2021
@undebt_it When you are dealing with #debt, it can be difficult to know where to get started. Check out our blog to find out… https://t.co/9dQ0DbTHJj
1:10 AM - Oct 11th 2021


text:
Painting a way out of the pandemic induced economic glut

WASEP artisans at work. Photo Credit: UNDP India

The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the India state of Maharashtra. There have been a huge number of infections and several thousand deaths. The economic fallout has left many jobless.

Women artisans in Mumbai, and nearby Thane have seen a massive drop in sales. Their financial burdens have mounted as their family members lost jobs.

The women artisans living in the northern outskirts and western parts of Mumbai, famous for their folk paintings, found a way out by manufacturing aesthetically designed ‘Warli’ masks.

Warli is an indigenous tribal art practiced for hundreds of years by the Warli tribe, and is one of the oldest forms of art. It is often used to embellish the walls of village houses. The Warli paintings are different from typical rural art. They do not illustrate mythological characters or deities, but mostly depict social life.

With a little bit of training on top of their Warli skills the women artisans were able to quickly meet the rising demand for masks. They successfully met the request for the order of over 1,000 masks from Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM), a Government of Maharashtra initiative focused on social services.

The Indian multinational conglomerate Larsen and Toubro Infotech (LTI) put an order for 400 masks for their leadership team. The women artisans produced intricately designed, thoroughly sanitized and quality-checked packages, which were shipped to London and New Jersey.

Artisans at work. Photo Credit: UNDP India

In 2017, UNDP India and Larsen and Toubro Infotech (LTI) entered a strategic partnership to create Women Artisans Skills Enhancement Project (WASEP). The project trains women from the Mumbai and Thane districts of Maharashtra. These women are mostly homemakers and first generation Warli learners.

The project so far trained 2,200 artisans in Warli craft, building and managing enterprises and helped them to get linked with markets to sell their products.

After COVID-19 hit, many other women of Thane and Mumbai turned to Warli art to revive their incomes. The project is now in its fifth year, and enables women to work from the comfort of their homes.

Warli art used to make high quality face masks. Photo Credit: UNDP India

In 2020–2021, the average earning of the artisans was INR 1200 per month. Some artisans even earned between INR 10K-12K depending upon the order. The women artisans use their incomes for education, healthcare, groceries, and jewelry. In addition to the tangible outcomes, there has been a significant change in terms of their self-confidence.

Warli Art is beginning to open new avenues for several households on the outskirts of Mumbai. It is not just about the money. By bringing opportunities to their doorstep, the project has also empowered them to take greater ownership of their own life.

Group of Artisans wearing their own creation — Warli masks. Photo Credit: UNDP India

Pooja Aadesh Patel feels that WASEP not only helped her in being financially independent, but she was able to earn respect of her household members.

Pooja Aadesh Patel at work making Warli art face masks. Photo Credit: UNDP India

Prajiti Pramod Patel started her WASEP journey as one of the trainees and is now promoted as a trainer.

Prajiti Pramod Patel at work making Warli art face masks. Photo Credit: UNDP India

Desna Dabhade has diligently facilitated online training on Warli Art for 70+ volunteers.

“I took the local train without my husband for the first time in my life. You can learn so much more when you are out on your own,” says Anita Khandagale of Aarey Colony who also participated in various exhibitions netting Rs.10,000 ($134) in a single day. That’s an impressive feat when you consider the fact that the average annual income of an Indian was estimated at Rs.127,768 ($1,713) in 2020–21.

Radhika Zaprekar makes Warli Art based face masks which are quite popular. Photo Credit: UNDP India

Radhika Zaprekar who joined WASEP says, “My husband mainly earned his income by changing seat covers of cars and buses, but that modest income stopped soon after the pandemic struck. The workshop was shut down and he lost his job. It was then we realised that one person cannot do it all, and that dual income was necessary to run a household.”

Vaishali Gaikar, who lost her job due to the pandemic decided to combine her tailoring and Warli painting skills to create her own set of masks. At 22, she is on the way to becoming an entrepreneur. “How much can you expect from your parents? I want to earn my own money now”, she says.

Vaishali Gaikar at work making Warli art face masks. Photo Credit: UNDP India

WASEP has continued its training sessions with the artisans, only now they are virtual. Digital modules were created, and systems were set in place. Over the past year, artisans have not only learned about themes like mandala art, pointillism, but also how to amalgamate two crafts and create new products.

At present, the products made by these women entrepreneurs can also be purchased on — a website created as a result of the project establishing linkages with buyers online in partnership with Tisser Artisans Trust.

The project aims to create a Warli Academy, where amateur artisans can get professionally trained, exchange knowledge and exhibit their products for commercial sustainability. Artisans would also be trained as mentors and managers, women who will eventually run and manage the Warli Academy.

According to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) India study, the female labour-force participation in India has declined from 34 percent in 2006 to 24.8 percent in 2020.

Estimates from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a crippling effect on lower income households. More than 22 million jobs were lost in April and June 2021 alone, of which daily wage-earners were the worst hit.

Interventions like the WASEP project are one way of getting more women to contribute to the economy, which will improve financial conditions of individual households but also add to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. The UNGC study says raising women’s participation in the labour force to the same level as men, can boost India’s GDP by 27 percent.

“When I started the ATD course, I had no source of income. So, when I got to know about Warli painting I joined in and started getting work within five days. My dream of earning independently and becoming self-reliant came true due to WASEP. The payments I received from my work made me feel that I am self-reliant. My mother and the rest of the family also feel good about my learning Warli painting and honing my skills in art,” says Karina Chand Nishad, who is pursuing an Art Teacher Diploma (ATD) from Vasai Vikasin College of Visual Arts.

Karina Chand Nishad, a Warli artisan studying to be an art teacher. Photo Credit: UNDP India

“The free training conducted by LTI and UNDP is benefitting many women such as me. I truly appreciate WASEP and hope it reaches many more villages and many more women as it promotes both the country’s art and provides a good source of income.”

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