The Transformative Fund Account formed 18 months ago at the Central Bank of Kenya to hold proceeds from the voluntary pay cuts has only Sh35.2 million.
Super salary-scale civil servants are ceding only Sh2 million per month to the Treasury, thwarting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s effort to cut the ballooning public wage bill through voluntary pay cuts.
Treasury secretary Henry Rotich said Transformative Fund Account formed 18 months ago at the Central Bank of Kenya to hold proceeds from the voluntary pay cuts has only Sh35.2 million.
The account also holds savings from foreign travel restrictions, hotel accommodation and other non-core expenditures.
Mr Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto — who are entitled to Sh1.7 million and Sh1.49 million per month respectively — pledged in March last year to take a 20 per cent pay cut as part of broader efforts to free up cash for investment in capital projects.
The President also directed Cabinet secretaries, PSs and heads of government departments and agencies to follow suit and take pay cut of between 20 and five per cent to reduce the wage bill adding those who defied the order would be sacked.
Later, the 18 Cabinet secretaries and 26 PSs also pledged to voluntarily reduce their salaries by 10 per cent. Last week, Mr Rotich said Sh5.2 million had been added into the account since July.
Public servants earn an average of Sh47 billion a month or Sh568 billion annually.
Mr Rotich will in the meantime form a team to oversee the spending of the amount accumulated so far as Transformative Fund on development projects.
“We will constitute a team to advise or propose transformative projects as the fund builds up,” he told the Business Daily.
Failure by civil servants to embrace voluntary pay cut points to the herculean task that awaits Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba in his latest bid come up with a legislation chopping salaries of senior public officers by 50 per cent.
Apart from the top government officials in Mr Uhuru’s scheme, Mr Namwamba is targeting the Judicial Service Commission and Parliamentary Service Commission staff. A number of politicians, including national assembly speaker Justin Muturi, have dismissed the plan as populist.
President Kenyatta had, on the other hand, counted on the goodwill of the senior staff of his administration to rein in public wage.
Cabinet secretaries, who earn Sh1.12 million, would each surrender Sh112, 000 per month to Treasury and PSs Sh91,000 each from their Sh910,000 pay.
This means that the account should be holding more than Sh70 million from deductions made on the pay of Cabinet and principal secretaries alone over the 18 months.
The public service also has more than 200 chief executives of State- owned firms.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had raised the red flag over the Sh568 billion wage bill, saying it is unsustainable.
The public wage bill takes up 52 per cent of government revenues, higher than the global average of 35 per cent for nations in the lower middle-income category, where Kenya belongs.
State officers have to first write to the SRC, led by Sarah Serem, declaring that they are giving up a share of their pay.


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I’m not one to adhere rigidly to the idea of drinking seasonally: reds when it’s cold, whites and rosés when the weather heats up. This is textbook nonsense that makes it seem as if temperature is the only consideration in choosing a wine.
But this is winter, a time to hunker down. For many, that means seeking pleasure in long, slow cooking.
In Manhattan, where I live, the idea of a hearth may be fanciful, but the warmth of the oven or stove, with a bubbling pot of beans or a simmering stew, serves the crucial figurative function.
The sorts of deep, soulful flavors that come from blends of herbs and spices, long braises, and meats and birds roasted on the bone require specific sorts of wines. Most often they are reds, but not just any sort of red. These foods demand staying power and the ability to stand up to robust flavors.
Yet they must also fulfill the fundamental roles of providing refreshment and enhancing meals without overpowering them. This means wines that are balanced and energetic, substantial rather than ethereal, yet not blusterous or domineering.
Here are 20 red wines that meet those requirements, not ranked in any particular order. All are in that $15-to-$20 sweet spot where price intersects with quality and distinctiveness to yield great value. You can certainly find plenty of sound wines for less than $15, but chances are they will not be as interesting.
For more than $20, you can start to add in wines that may fit the bill from more highly regarded regions, like the northern Rhône, Priorat, even Burgundy, though pretty soon you could be spending a lot of money.
Staying in the $15-to-$20 range requires searching outside the status areas, and trying wines that often come from little-known regions, are made from grapes that are not celebrated, and are frequently in limited production. If the wines are more familiar, like California cabernet sauvignon or Oregon pinot noir, they will often be made from young vines, or come from surplus grapes that were sold off.
What you won’t find here are fabricated, artificial products made with technological shortcuts or grapes that come from inappropriate areas, which permit production of cheap bottles in great quantities.
This means that most people will be able to find only some of these wines. As always, ask for other recommendations at the best wine shop nearby.
The Shebang series, moderately priced wines from Morgan Twain-Peterson’s excellent Bedrock Wine Company, offers modern versions of California field blends. This spicy, gutsy wine comes from multiple vineyards and appellations, includes many grapes (with probably a lot of zinfandel and carignan), and mixes several vintages. The result is a delicious, long-lasting red with flavors of licorice, herbs and red and black fruits.
Camp’s group of moderately priced Sonoma wines comes from Kenny Likitprakong’s Hobo Wine Company, which makes very good wines from all over California under several labels. This young cabernet is bright and well balanced, with a touch of earth and tannins that simply let you know they are there. It’s easy to enjoy right now, especially with juicy braised meats.
Good, moderately priced pinot noir from California is tough to find, because most of it comes from areas not well suited to the grape. Searching for well-priced pinot noirs is far more rewarding in Oregon, where land and labor costs have not accelerated out of control. This one from Les Brebis, a small producer in the Willamette Valley, is direct and without the sort of artifice often found in inexpensive pinot noirs. Its earthy flavors of red and black fruits and herbs pair well with pork, chicken and salmon.
Why, here’s another one, also from the Willamette, and quite different in style from the Brebis. It’s made from organic and biodynamically grown grapes, and is equally elegant in profile. It’s a little more floral and herbal, and it has a meatier character, with a deliciously savory edge. Try it with hearty soups.
Yet another side of cabernet franc, this one comes from Wölffer Estate on the South Fork of Long Island. It’s rich and expressive, more in the Bordeaux style than the Loire, less subtle, more open and welcoming. It’s balanced and earthy, and though the tannins are still a bit firm, it will go well with a meaty stew.
Like Wölffer Estate, Channing Daughters is based on the South Fork of Long Island, yet the estates could not be more different. Wölffer takes a more classical approach, but Channing is joyfully experimental, growing an eclectic range of grapes not otherwise seen on Long Island. The ’15 Rosso Fresco incorporates some of these — blaufränkisch and dornfelder along with merlot, syrah and cabernet franc. It’s bright, vividly fruity and floral, and absolutely delicious.
San Diego? Seriously? While the San Diego coast is more readily associated with beach volleyball and Navy bases, San Diego County is also home to a small wine region with some surprisingly good producers. Vesper Vineyards makes this fruity, smoky, well-balanced carignan tempered by citrus highlights.
Foxglove is the reliable value arm of Varner Wine, which makes fine chardonnays and pinot noirs. Foxglove expands that range with moderately priced wines like this Paso Robles cabernet, which is bold and intense yet not at all a fruit bomb. It’s juicy and balanced, and will go well with steaks and chops.
An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the importer of Fattoria La Rivolta Aglianico del Taburno. It is T. Edward Wines, not T. Edwards Wine.


O2 chief executive Ronan Dunne is exploring a debt-fuelled £8.5bn management buyout attempt following the collapse of CK Hutchison’s takeover bid for the mobile operator, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.
The Irishman, 52, has been approached in recent weeks by potential private equity sponsors aiming to carry out what would be the largest UK leveraged buyout since before the financial crisis. Executives at O2’s Berkshire headquarters are running the numbers to weigh whether it would be feasible for Mr Dunne, who has led O2 for eight years and previously served as its chief financial officer, to take it independent, sources said.


A neutrino event, identifiable by the rings of Cerenkov radiation that show up along the photomultiplier tubes lining the detector walls, showcase the successful methodology of neutrino astronomy. This image shows multiple events.
Sometimes, the best-designed experiments fail. The effect you're looking for might not even occur, meaning that a null result should always be a possible outcome you're prepared for. When that happens, the experiment is often dismissed as a failure, even though you never would have known the results without performing it.
Yet, every once in a while, the apparatus that you build might be sensitive to something else entirely. When you do science in a new way, at a new sensitivity, or under new, unique conditions, that's often where the most surprising, serendipitous discoveries are made. In 1987, a failed experiment for detecting proton decay detected neutrinos, for the first time, from beyond not only our Solar System, but from outside of the Milky Way. This is how neutrino astronomy was born.
The conversion of a neutron to a proton, an electron, and an anti-electron neutrino is how Pauli hypothesized resolving the energy non-conservation problem in beta decay.
Alpha decay, where a larger atom emits a helium nucleus, jumping two elements down the periodic table.
Beta decay, where an atomic nucleus emits a high-energy electron, moving one element up the periodic table.
Gamma decay, where an atomic nucleus emits an energetic photon, remaining in the same location on the periodic table.
In any reaction, under the laws of physics, whatever the total energy and momentum of the initial reactants are, the energy and momentum of the final products need to match. For alpha and gamma decays, they always did. But for beta decays? Never. Energy was always lost.
The V-shaped track in the center of the image is likely a muon decaying to an electron and two neutrinos. The high-energy track with a kink in it is evidence of a mid-air particle decay. This decay, if the (undetected) neutrino is not included, would violate energy conservation.
In 1930, Wolfgang Pauli proposed a new particle that could solve the problem: the neutrino. This small, neutral particle could carry both energy and momentum, but would be extremely difficult to detect. It wouldn't absorb or emit light, and would only interact with atomic nuclei extremely rarely.
Upon its proposal, rather than confident and elated, Pauli felt ashamed. "I have done a terrible thing, I have postulated a particle that cannot be detected," he declared. But despite his reservations, the theory was vindicated by experiment.
Reactor nuclear experimental RA-6 (Republica Argentina 6), en marcha, showing the characteristic Cherenkov radiation from the faster-than-light-in-water particles emitted. The neutrinos (or more accurately, antineutrinos) first hypothesized by Pauli in 1930 were detected from a similar nuclear reactor in 1956.
or they cause the emission of new particles, which have their own energies and momenta.
Either way, you can build specialized particle detectors around where you expect the neutrinos to interact, and look for them. This was how the first neutrinos were detected: by building particle detectors sensitive to neutrino signatures at the edges of nuclear reactors. If you reconstructed the entire energy of the products, including neutrinos, energy is conserved after all.
Schematic illustration of nuclear beta decay in a massive atomic nucleus. Only if the (missing) neutrino energy and momentum is included can these quantities be conserved.
In theory, neutrinos should be produced wherever nuclear reactions take place: in the Sun, in stars and supernovae, and whenever an incoming high-energy cosmic ray strikes a particle from Earth's atmosphere. By the 1960s, physicists were building neutrino detectors to look for both solar (from the Sun) and atmospheric (from cosmic ray) neutrinos.
A large amount of material, with mass designed to interact with the neutrinos inside of it, would be surrounded by this neutrino detection technology. In order to shield the neutrino detectors from other particles, they were placed far underground: in mines. Only neutrinos should make it into the mines; the other particles should be absorbed by the Earth. By the end of the 1960s, solar and atmospheric neutrinos had both successfully been found.
The particle detection technology that was developed for both neutrino experiments and high-energy accelerators was found to be applicable to another phenomenon: the search for proton decay. While the Standard Model of particle physics predicts that the proton is absolutely stable, in many extensions — such as Grand Unification Theories — the proton can decay into lighter particles.
In theory, whenever a proton does decay, it will emit lower-mass particles at very high speeds. If you can detect the energies and momenta of those fast-moving particles, you can reconstruct what the total energy is, and see if it came from a proton.
High-energy particles can collide with others, producing showers of new particles that can be seen in a detector. By reconstructing the energy, momentum, and other properties of each one, we can determine what initially collided and what was produced in this event.
If protons decay, their lifetime must be extremely long. The Universe itself is 1010 years old, but the proton's lifetime must be much longer. How much longer? The key is to look not at one proton, but at an enormous number. If a proton's lifetime is 1030 years, you can either take a single proton and wait that long (a bad idea), or take 1030 protons and wait 1 year to see if any decay.
A liter of water contains a little over 1025 molecules in it, where each molecule contains two hydrogen atoms: a proton orbited by an electron. If the proton is unstable, a large enough tank of water, with a large set of detectors around it, should allow you to either measure or constrain its stability/instability.
A schematic layout of the KamiokaNDE apparatus from the 1980s. For scale, the tank is approximately 15 meters (50 feet) tall.
In Japan, in 1982, they began constructing a large underground detector in the Kamioka mines. The detector was named KamiokaNDE: Kamioka Nucleon Decay Experiment. It was large enough to hold over 3,000 tons of water, with around a thousand detectors optimized to detect the radiation that fast-moving particles would emit.
By 1987, the detector had been running for years, without a single instance of proton decay. With around 1033 protons in that tank, this null result completely eliminated the most popular model among Grand Unified Theories. The proton, as far as we could tell, doesn't decay. KamiokaNDE's main objective was a failure.
A supernova explosion enriches the surrounding interstellar medium with heavy elements. The outer rings are caused by previous ejecta, long before the final explosion. This explosion also emitted a huge variety of neutrinos, some of which made it all the way to Earth.
But then something unexpected happened. 165,000 years earlier, in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, a massive star reached the end of its life and exploded in a supernova. On February 23, 1987, that light reached Earth for the first time.
But a few hours before that light arrived, something remarkable happened at KamiokaNDE: a total of 12 neutrinos arrived within a span of about 13 seconds. Two bursts — the first containing 9 neutrinos and the second containing 3 — demonstrated that the nuclear processes that create neutrinos occur in great abundance in supernovae.
Three different detectors observed the neutrinos from SN 1987A, with KamiokaNDE the most robust and successful. The transformation from a nucleon decay experiment to a neutrino detector experiment would pave the way for the developing science of neutrino astronomy.
and that neutrinos aren't slowed down as they travel from the core of the collapsing star to its photospher, the way that light is.
Even today, more than 30 years later, we can examine this supernova remnant and see how it's evolved.
The outward-moving shockwave of material from the 1987 explosion continues to collide with previous ejecta from the formerly massive star, heating and illuminating the material when collisions occur. A wide variety of observatories continue to image the supernova remnant today.
The scientific importance of this result cannot be overstated. It marked the birth of neutrino astronomy, just as the first direct detection of gravitational waves from merging black holes marked the birth of gravitational wave astronomy. It was the birth of multi-messenger astronomy, marking the first time that the same object had been observed in both electromagnetic radiation (light) and via another method (neutrinos).
It showed us the potential of using large, underground tanks to detect cosmic events. And it causes us to hope that, someday, we might make the ultimate observation: an event where light, neutrinos, and gravitational waves all come together to teach us all about the workings of the objects in our Universe.
The ultimate event for multi-messenger astronomy would be a merger of either two white dwarfs or two neutrons stars that was close enough. If such an event occurred in near-enough proximity to Earth, neutrinos, light, and gravitational waves could all be detected.
Most cleverly, it resulted in a renaming of KamiokaNDE. The Kamioka Nucleon Decay Experiment was a total failure, so KamiokaNDE was out. But the spectacular observation of neutrinos from SN 1987A gave rise to a new observatory: KamiokaNDE, the Kamioka Neutrino Detector Experiment! Over the past 30+ years, this has now been upgraded many times, and multiple similar facilities have popped up all over the world.
If a supernova were to go off today, in our own galaxy, we would be treated to upwards of 10,000 neutrinos arriving in our detector. All of them, combined, have further constrained the lifetime of the proton to now be greater than around 1035 years, but that's not why we build them. Whenever a high-energy cataclysm occurs, neutrinos speed through the Universe. With our detectors online, neutrino astronomy is alive, well, and ready for whatever the cosmos sends our way.


An average of five lakh Indians die every year, hoping, praying and waiting for organs. Even though they know the shortfall of organs is acute, they have no option. They continue to wait in the dark. If we officially pledge our organs, each of us, on passing, can save up to 8 lives by way of organ donation. Even in death, we can give life to those waiting in the 'dark'.


MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One person is in critical condition after a shooting Monday in the Goodwill Village Apartments in North Memphis.
Officers responded to the shooting call on Goodwill Lane at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
One male found with a gunshot wound was taken to Regional One in critical condition.
Later Monday, police reported another male was found shot in a separate shooting in Whitehaven.
Police responded to the 5900 block of Algiers at 8:20.
The victim was taken to Regional One in critical condition.
Please call 901-528-CASH with tips.


The Associated Press Mining trucks carrying loads of oil-laden sand at the Albian Sands project in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
In the run-up to December’s global climate change meeting, fissures are emerging between Canada and the United States over how to deal with the internationally contentious issue of Alberta’s vast oil sands projects, which have been responsible for a sharp increase in Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.
At an Ottawa conference last week, the president of the Center for American Progress, John Podesta, a co-chairman of President Obama’s transition team, reprimanded Canada for not keeping pace with the drive to adopt green energy technology.
“The Canadians would be well served by keeping up with what’s going on in the United States with respect to this push towards clean technology,” he said, according to a report from Reuters.
The American ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, declined to comment on whether Mr. Podesta’s remarks reflect the administration’s view.
Sujata Raisinghani, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Environment Ministry, said in an e-mail message that Canada’s intention is to develop a North American cap-and-trade system and “harmonize” the two countries’ climate-change policies.
In 2007, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions were 33.8 percent higher than its Kyoto target, with “significant” growth due to “large increases in oil and gas production—much of it for export,” according to Canada’s 2007 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which noted that emissions from the oil and gas extraction sector, along with mining, rose 276 percent from 1990 to 2007.
According to an interview with Canada’s environment minister, Jim Prentice, published Friday in The Globe and Mail, Canada will be heading to Copenhagen looking for less aggressive emission targets than Europe or Japan because of its faster-growing population and energy-intensive industrial structure.
With climate-change bills working through Congress, environmentalists have pressed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to block the construction of large cross-border pipelines meant to increase exports of crude from bitumen refining operations.
Canadian oil executives are concerned that new American fuel standards will work against bitumen crude, which requires vast amounts of natural gas to refine.
Mr. Prentice indicated last week that the Canadian government does not intend to reveal its negotiating position at Copenhagen before the American government does. He also told The Globe that hopes for a successful treaty in December seemed to be fading.
Canada has proposed to cut its emissions by 20 percent from 2006 levels by 2020 – a modest target compared to European goals. In previous iterations of its climate policy, released during the Bush administration, the Canadian government pushed for emission intensity targets for a broad range of industries, including oil sands producers, rather than sectoral emission caps.
Earlier this month, Mr. Jacobson, a close acquaintance of President Obama, toured the oil sands. “I’ve learned a lot about the tremendous strides that have been taken over the last several years with respect to improving the environmental record in treating the oil sands,” he told Reuters.
But at the other end of the diplomatic relationship, Canada’s new ambassador to Washington, Gary Doer, told The Calgary Herald last week that the oil sands get a “disproportionate” amount of criticism.


Boots advent calendar is so popular it has a waiting list!
This £40 Boots advent calendar is so popular it has a waiting list.
If you'd rather swap your daily dose of chocolate for something a little more luxurious this December, Boots are selling an affordable No7 advent calendar but there's already a huge waiting list.


To help solve this problem, Andrew Foote and Emily Woods started Sanivation— No. 55 on the BI 100: The Creators — a sanitation startup that installs in-home toilets in East Africa and turns the waste into briquettes of sustainable, environmentally friendly fuel.
Foote and Woods came up with the idea for turning waste into fuel as undergraduate students at Georgia Tech in 2011. The pair developed a thermal treatment system for human feces as a research project and later entered their work into Start-Up Chile, a business accelerator in South America.
In Naivasha, where outdoor pit latrines are the norm, the mention of an in-home toilet led many to immediately picture an open latrine inside their home — not a preferable alternative to the outdoor version. So Sanivation branded their version as "blue boxes" to dispel the negative connotations potential people had with the word "toilet."
Sanivation combines two waste streams in a metal bucket — human excrement and carbonized agricultural biomass waste, which comes from things like sugarcane gas, corn cobs, rose farms, and rice husks — and heats it to a temperature that neutralizes harmful pathogens and allows the waste to be transformed into a briquette of fuel.


Tweet Khleo Thomas showcased his acting talent with roles alongside The Rock in “Walking Tall” and with Shia LaBeouf and Sigourney Weaver in Disney’s “Holes.” Now, the actor is focusing his energy on a music career. Thomas’ new single, “So Many Girls,” is a mere taste of what’s to come for the actor turned musician.
Q - Thank you, Khleo, for taking the time. How are you doing?
A - No, thank you. I’m feeling great, working hard and seeing the benefits of it. Loving it!
Q - You were named one of AOL's Film Fixation’s “Black Stars Rising: 10 Young African-Americans to Watch.” How did you get involved in acting and was it something that you’ve always wanted to do?
A - Acting is a passion of mine. I told my mom at the age of five that acting is what I wanted to do. I really enjoy being able to turn into somebody else; it’s a creative thing.
Q - You’ve appeared in films such as “Walking Tall” with The Rock and Disney’s “Holes” with Shia LaBeouf and Sigourney Weaver. What did you learn from working with these big named stars?
A - I learned that being a humble kid, no matter what, was going to get me a long way. They all respected that I understood I was on the set to work. Because of that, I was looked at as a fellow actor, and not just a kid on set.
Q - Other projects you’ve been a part of were the hit series, “Sons of Anarchy” and “Hurricane Season,” where you starred opposite acting legend, Forest Whitaker. Of all the big names and projects you’ve been a part of, which one stood out the most to you and why?
A - Definitely Forest. He's an incredible actor who has perfected his craft in more ways than one. It is great to analyze legends.
Q - Like many actors, you’ve segued into a career in music. Describe your music for those who aren’t familiar with it.
A - Music has always been a passion as well. I wrote the theme song for the movie “Holes” when I was 13. My music is something that grabs you no matter what. It is the overall sound of having something you won’t expect from me.
Q - The new single is called, “So Many Girls” and the upcoming EP is called, “Call Back.” What can fans expect from the upcoming album?
Q - Will there be a tour as well?
A - Yes, I’m actually working on that right now.


The May 20-22 American Renaissance conference in Tennessee (registration details here) is reportedly rapidly selling out, so I should probably have said earlier that Lydia and I will be attending and look forward to meeting VDARE.com readers there.
Speaking last year on "Immigration: Is This The Breaking Point" when it looked like the GOP was irreversibly surrendering to Obamnesty, I made my celebrated (at least by me!) observation that "all it would take to get this issue into politics is one speech." This was before Donald Trump had even declared and certainly before anyone (except our Mathew Richer) thought he would run on immigration. In the event, it just took one soundbite.
AmRen's Jared Taylor like to get things organized, so this year I'm already committed to speaking on “The Trump Tsunami and the Future of the Historic American Nation.” Jared probably thinks I've written my speech, but in fact I have no idea what I'll say.
But I know something will turn up!


"I intend to make Rocky the happiest man in the world for the rest of his life," the model said.
Janice Dickinson, pictured here at the American Idol Finale in Los Angeles, is ready to walk down the aisle for the fourth time.
The "first supermodel" and famous former Top Model judge Janice Dickinson has announced that she'll be putting all those years of strutting the runway to use when walking down the aisle.
Yes, that's correct--Dickinson is engaged.
Take a look at Kelly Clarkson's massive engagement ring!
The outspoken brunette revealed to Us Weekly that she'll be tying the knot to her boyfriend of three months, Robert Gerner.
"I intend to make Rocky the happiest man in the world for the rest of his life," the 57-year-old told the mag of her fiance whose nickname is Rocky. "I couldn't be happier right now. Oh! And our wedding is going to make Brad and Angelina's look like a trip to city hall!"
Oh, those are fighting words (but then again, it's Janice).
"My children, Nathan and Savvy, are over the moon and so happy their mother is so in love."
Gerner reportedly proposed to Dickinson en route to LAX, where the model was dropping the doctor off to attend a conference, and the two later went ring shopping together. The lovebirds celebrated their engagement Saturday night with friends.
"I had a great time last night and all my friends did too," Gerner told the mag. "We complete each other--our personalities really compliment each other."
Now let us see that sparkler!


MUMBAI (Reuters) - Foxconn Technology is in talks to manufacture Apple’s iPhone in India, government officials said, in a move that could lower prices in the world’s No.3 smartphone market where the U.S. firm trails Samsung Electronics and local players.
India could help Foxconn mitigate accelerating wage inflation in China, where it makes the majority of iPhones, and base production sites closer to markets where its key clients want to grow.
Lower production costs could also help Foxconn keep hold of Apple orders amid intensifying competition with nimble manufacturing rivals such as Quanta Computer Inc.
“Foxconn is sending a delegation of their officers to scout for locations in a month’s time,” Subhash Desai, Industries Minister of India’s western state Maharashtra, told Reuters.
Foxconn has said it is aiming to develop 10-12 facilities in India, including factories and data centers, by 2020, but had given no detail.
The Taiwan-based tech giant, the world’s largest contract maker of electronic products, declined to comment on detailed plans on Thursday, citing commercial sensitivity.
Desai said Foxconn had yet to make any firm commitment, but he said the group was looking to manufacture iPhones, iPads and iPods, both for domestic as well as global sales.
Apple representatives in India did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Apple’s iPhone 6 with 16 GB sells for around 44,000 rupees ($687.82) in India, versus Samsung’s Galaxy S6 with 32 GB which sells for around 40,000 rupees ($625.29).
It has 10 percent market share in India, trailing Samsung and local manufacturers such as Micromax, which dominate the market, according to Counterpoint Research Market Monitor.
A return of Foxconn — which was forced to shut up shop in India last year after client Nokia closed — would be a major victory for India, which badly needs to turn its tech boom into a manufacturing and employment boost.
India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sought to reboot manufacturing, but the country is yet to rival China, particularly in technology where most factories will likely be assembly units to begin with.
But local businessmen are betting that as global companies invest in the country, suppliers will follow.
A lack of good infrastructure and suppliers are the biggest hurdles to making technology products in the country, forcing most of India’s more than 100 different phone companies to get their products from the mature markets of China and Taiwan.
Apple is among the biggest clients for Foxconn — the trade name for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd — which also makes components for companies such as Xiaomi, Acer and Sony.
“The smartphone boom in India indicates the time is just right to focus on expansion plans and increasing volume in India to a comparable level with the China market in the next five years,” said Sky Li, vice president of phone manufacturer OPPO.
India has the second-highest number of mobile phone accounts behind China. According to networking solutions company Cisco Systems, there will be 650 million smartphones in the country by 2019. The number of tablets will rise 9 percent to 18.7 million by then.


On Jan. 12, detectives in Montgomery County received a video depicting a 65-year-old day-care operator interacting with a 2-year-old girl. By the end of the day, the operator, Christina Dhanaraj, was under arrest and charged with second-degree child abuse, officials said Tuesday.
In arrest records, detectives described what they saw.
"The video starts with the victim sitting quietly in a room inside a residence," they wrote, relating then that the suspect walked up and scolded the child. "Dhanaraj then proceeds to deliver approximately eight open-hand slaps to the victim's face. While she was being repeatedly and violently slapped, the victim was loudly crying."
Dhanaraj, who is free on bond, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Her attorney, Patrick Hanifin, declined to discuss the specific police allegations. "Our team is still investigating the matter in its entirety," Hanifin said. "Ms. Dhanaraj has the full support of her husband and two adult children."
Dhanaraj has been operating the day-care facility out of her Silver Spring home for about 10 years and was licensed to have up to eight children there, according to county and state records.
Police said they are not identifying the person who shot the video, which may have been taken in November or December, because the person is a witness.
Detectives spoke with the girl's parents after receiving the video. "There were no apparent injuries that the parents remembered seeing," said Sgt. Rebecca Innocenti, a county police spokeswoman.
In the video, according to arrest records, Dhanaraj also can be seen shoving the victim to the floor while she was still crying, grabbing her by the head and jerking her body.
Officials at the Maryland Office of Child Care (OCC), who were shown the video by police, issued an emergency suspension of the facility. In a letter to Dhanaraj, an OCC official wrote that "you seemed to be upset that the child soiled her diaper" and yelled at the child for doing so.
The Office of Child Care had no history of complaints or reported problems with the day care before this case, according to regulators.
On Aug. 23, 2006, Dhanaraj was issued an "initial family child care registration certificate to operate" out of the Winding Waye Lane home. Of the capacity for eight children, she was authorized to have two under the age of 2. Eventually, the operation was permitted to accommodate four under the age of 2.
In their suspension letter to Dhanaraj, regulators reviewed her licensing history and listed several recent problems.
On Jan. 12, according to the letter, two day-care licensing specialists went to Dhanaraj's home with Montgomery detectives. They noted 14 compliance issues, including a lack of attendance records before January, missing barriers on several stairs, and cleaning agents and kitchen knives in drawers and cabinets children could reach.
The letter also cited the video and Dhanaraj's arrest.
"You must close your family child care home immediately," the letter stated.


Turkey on Friday said Syrian government forces should not be allowed in Manbij as US troops withdraw, as proposed by a US-backed Kurdish militia which is viewed as a terror group by Ankara. “The YPG’s efforts to stick the regime in Manbij must absolutely not be allowed,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said during a press conference in Ankara. Aksoy said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu would go to Washington for a meeting of the US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) on February 6, AFP reported. One day before Cavusoglu’s visit, a Turkish delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal will go to the US for discussions on Syria.


Following in her mother’s footsteps, 23-year-old Shakisa Olinda Harvey is among the newest admissions to the bar after graduating last Saturday from the Hugh Wooding Law School as an Attorney-at-Law.
The bubbly Harvey is the daughter of recently-appointed High Court Judge Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall.
Always certain of the career path she wanted to pursue, Harvey, who was called to the bar on Monday, said she has proven that determination, hard work and dedication truly pays off.
Presenting her petition before Madame Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, attorney Abiola Wong-Inniss, to whose chambers Harvey is attached as an associate, described her as industrious.
Recalling Harvey’s in-service stints spent at her chambers during her vacations home from law school, Wong-Inniss said her performance was always exemplary.
The lawyer said that she was honoured not only to have been presenting Harvey’s petition, but more importantly to have her within the employ of her chambers, where her knowledge and expertise will make her an asset.
In her charge, the Chief Justice reminded the young attorney that she has “human precedents” to follow and admonished her to strive always for excellence. “Never settle for mediocrity,” the Chief Justice warned.
Harvey was encouraged to “be a lawyer’s, lawyer,” and to truly advocate for her clients, providing to them the best counsel always. Justice George cautioned that the sleepless nights will continue, and that the word “research” must always be her mantra.
Looking intently at the Chief Justice as she counseled her, the new lawyer heard that “service” to others and being a voice for the voiceless will be key to upholding the rule of law.
“You’re not aiming to be any lawyer or some lawyer, you are aiming for excellence,” Justice George said, “Be a leader… Aim to be famous and not infamous,” she added.
A former student of the Bishops’ High School like Harvey, Justice George said it is always an honour to admit students of her alma mater to the legal profession. She, however, noted that in Harvey’s case it was particularly memorable as it is the same date that she herself was admitted to the bar.
In her speech thanking the court for accepting her petition, Harvey, who became emotional and was moved to tears, also expressed gratitude for her mother’s unwavering support throughout her studies.
From a lengthy list which she said was by no means exhaustive, the young woman said she owes a debt of gratitude to everyone who played a part in her attaining her dream and noted that she shares her achievement with them all.
Recalling her stint as a reporter with the Stabroek News some years ago, Harvey said she was grateful for the opportunity of exposure to the courtroom, which she noted will no doubt be an asset for her career.
Harvey’s call to the Bar was witnessed by loved ones, friends and other well-wishers.
After attending the Bishops’ High School from 2010 to 2012, where she completed Sixth Form studies, Harvey moved on to the University of Guyana, where she read for, and attained her Bachelor of Law Degree in 2015. Thereafter, she attended the Trinidad-based Hugh Wooding Law School, where she was awarded her Legal Education Certificate (LEC).


For her visit to Greece, Angela Merkel's soft green jacket should have been just the right colour choice to convey a sense of calm. That is, if it wasn't the very same one the German chancellor wore to celebrate Germany's victory over Greece during Euro 2012. But with fashion not coming to her as naturally as economics, Merkel has got her formula and she's sticking with it. Her signature look comprises three-button blazers, often from German designer Bettina Schoenbach, in a huge range of colours. Dutch graphic designer Noortje van Eekelen even created a Pantone chart of the look for her website The Spectacle of Tragedy. From black to beige to a very on-trend purple, it runs to an impressive 90 shades. That's one for every situation Europe's most powerful woman might find herself in.


Fans, coaches and players -- not just officials -- need to step up their games before disaster strikes.
If you follow me on social media (the math involving my modest number of followers says it’s unlikely) you know I’ve been consistent in my bewilderment at the officiating of area high school football games this season.
Officiating has affected, and perhaps determined, the outcome of several games. My beef hasn’t simply been about judgment calls that appeared to be judged incorrectly (those happen), but rather with the mechanics.
Crews have often bumbled yardage mark offs, spots (the ball can’t be exactly on the yard line EVERY time – that’s lazy), downs and rules. The common occurrences expose inexperienced, perhaps undertrained officials.
However, there are reasons for the above. Who in the heck would want to be an official today? One hundred bucks a game isn’t terrible, but do you want to be the subject of nonstop verbal abuse for three hours?
Shreveport football officiating 101: Why take the abuse?
The officiating hasn't been the only embarrassing factor in games I’ve attended, or received reports from. I’m not sure if some coaches spent more time calling plays and schemes or crawling in the ear holes of the folks in stripes.
The actions in the stands isn’t any better. If the right team wins or executes a terrific play, fans are happy. If not, it’s the officials’ fault. The mind-set is completely out of control.
I covered the North Webster-Loyola game last week and witnessed the cops called to the field twice. One instance involved a disruptive member of the chain gang, the second sent a handful of officers to track down an unruly, profanity-loving fan.
Young athletes aren’t winning in life if parents and coaches conjure excuses to blame everyone else for a lack of execution or the fact another team/player is simply better. Winning is terrific; I’m as competitive as they come. However, losing can teach us all just as much, and, in the long run, produce victories.
I’ve never heard of a college coach or NFL scout pass on a kid because the referee made a bad call. If your kid is good enough, he or she will get there. And it’s better off if they’re tough and able to self-evaluate. If they look the other way and point fingers amid adversity, good luck, the road will be much bumpier.
It’s not good for anyone to look into the stands and see parents literally fighting (not at the Week 10 game I attended), or throwing food on the field because of a perceived bad call. It’s also not good to see officials (barely) escape a mob of hysterical fans – despite the help of policemen -- at a local game.
One local coach called the referee at the center of the Loyola-North Webster game “the one guy I’d choose to referee my games.” The point: Officials, like your favorite team, can struggle. They’re human. But they didn’t put your boys in a three-touchdown hole.
Amazingly, fans don’t credit officials after victories. How is that possible?
I'm more incensed by the aftermath of such incidents like the ones I witnessed at Loyola. Adult rarely (at best) take responsibility for their – or fellow fans’ – actions. A bad call doesn’t give the rest of us carte blanche. Imagine if everyone around you lost their marbles and you became a bull's-eye for vitriol after you dub a coach’s decision “idiotic” moments before it works and you’re on your feet cheering.
No one gets it all right.
As Friday’s game developed, some of the Loyola players popped off in frustration, and that’s not to be excused, but they, along with Loyola coaches, were ultimately forced to turn from the field of play and tell their fan base to cool it as things got heated at Messmer Stadium.
The kids had to tell the parents to act like adults.
By no stretch are the officials or fans present at the Loyola game the only problem. I’ve seen it – on and off the field -- all season. However, it was Week 10. We’re now in the postseason. If we don’t compose ourselves, playoff implications could take rage to another level and that’s when national headlines – not good ones -- could be made.
“Johnny” doesn’t want to carry the burden of watching his parents punching (or worse) a fan or official on YouTube for the rest of his life.
Boo the officials or opposing fans all you want, it’s tradition. However, verbal and physical abuse is sometimes illegal and always completely embarrassing. The actions, the threats toward officials are getting worse.
I know social media, and the current climate, has made it OK to call each other names, disrespect one another and demean opinions without merit, but for crying out loud think about your actions when you’re in public. At least spam-like usernames and accounts can help hide your identity on social media.
But Friday nights are real life. With real-life implications. Coach the games, watch the games, officiate the games. Stop deflecting blame and embrace the teachable moments in wins and losses. And more importantly, remember those are fellow human beings who drop passes, miss blocks and butcher pass interference calls.
We can all be better. We must be better.


A county council by-election for Northgate and West Green will be held on the same day as Crawley Borough Council elections next month.
A ‘widely respected’ Labour county councillor has submitted her resignation due to a change in personal circumstances.
A brand new mobile app has launched to help members of the armed forces community in West Sussex and the South East access support.
West Sussex meals on wheels delivery drivers have a little something extra special to deliver as part of their rounds this month.
A developer is looking to build 34 new flats in the centre of Crawley.
Elderly residents are being invited to trade in their old slippers for a brand new pair free of charge across West Sussex.


Entries are now open for the well loved and much anticipated Helen’s Trust 10k and 3k fun run at Chatsworth.
The event takes place this year on Sunday, May 3, with the 10k starting at 9.30am and the 3k starting at 11.30am.
There’s a lot to see and do in the family friendly race arena including face painting, bouncy castle, lucky dip, splat the rat, food and drink.
“This is the biggest event in our calendar and we look forward to it every year. Said Helen’s Trust Chief Executive, Heidi Hawkins.


Students have long applied to colleges and universities with applications that are heavy on test scores and grades. While that's not necessarily wrong, the founders of ZeeMee believe it doesn't tell the whole story. This Redwood City, California-based company has created a platform that lets students bring their stories to life by uploading images, videos and photos of themselves to their ZeeMee profile. Colleges and universities that partner with ZeeMee — and there are more than 200, including Tulane, University of Delaware and Carnegie Mellon University — provide a space on their application for the ZeeMee link, or students can simply email their profile to the college they're applying to if it's not a partner school. The profiles can be uploaded online or on Android and iOS devices. So far, the company claims 13,000 high schools in 150 countries have used the platform.
Co-founder and CEO Juan Jaysingh, an Indian immigrant who won scholarships to Georgetown Prep and the American University, has called the current generation the Snapchat generation, meaning they're comfortable using images and videos to tell people about themselves. He built the platform with the help of college admissions leaders so that it is focused on the mission of getting into college and doesn't become just another social media outlet.
Right now the admission service for students is free, but as the company grows — and students potentially stay on it throughout college — it plans to provide career and alumni services for a fee. ZeeMee has raised $6.8 million from BlueRun Ventures and Nima Capital.


Against Michigan State last season, McSorley threw an uncharacteristic three interceptions — but the number is misleading, as two were no fault of McSorley’s. One came when the intended target got a hand on the ball and deflected it to a defender, and the other occurred when the intended receiver fell down while running his route.
Dantonio didn’t sound as if he expected a repeat of that Saturday afternoon.


HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – A light breeze passed through The Brew Stooges' quiet seven-barrel brewery Tuesday afternoon in downtown Huntsville.
Tonight, the 2,500-square-foot brewhouse and tap room will come to life with six permanent taps and three portables pouring ice cold beer in the heart of the Rocket City.
"We like to keep it easy going and simple," said co-owner Chris Bramon. "We want people to come here and be incredibly comfortable. When you're here, you're right smack in the middle of it.
The Brew Stooges, a craft beer venture started by business partners Bramon, Tracy Mullins and Jeff Peck, launched a new tasting room and outdoor seating area a few months ago at its facility on 109 Maple Ave.
With help from volunteers and groups like Know Huntsville, Mullins, Peck and Bramon have seen their customer base grow in recent months with the addition of free barbecue on Saturday nights, music events and even a live podcast.
"It's doing a lot better than we originally envisioned to start off with," Bramon said. "And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger."
Down the street from the iconic, now-closed Tip Top Café, the beer makers are working on new signage to attract more brew lovers to the downtown brewery and tap room, which seats up to 25.
Although there are a couple of picnic tables out back, Bramon said the crowds have been so large they "routinely have people standing."
The Brew Stooges isn't the only local craft beer business seeing hefty growth. Rocket Republic Brewing Co. announced in June it will launch a brew house and tap room in Madison, while Huntsville's Straight to Ale recently expanded into the Atlanta market.
The Alabama Brewers Guild reported in April that statewide beer production grew 47 percent last year. The number of taxable removal barrels (the amount of beer sold and taxed) was 28,373 in 2013, up 47 percent from 2012, while the number of breweries nearly doubled from seven in 2012 to 13 in 2013.
You can now find The Brew Stooges' local brews at Huntsville's Bandito Burrito, West End Grill, The Nook, Mellow Mushroom and Pie in the Sky. Their beer is also on tap in Decatur, Athens, Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.
Peck, who spends his work days at NASA, feels good about their progress.
"We want to try to grow the business organically with the market," he said. "If the market doesn't grow, then we don't get any bigger ... but I think it will. We think we can grow our market into Alabama, as well as at some point go across state lines."
The brewhouse is located in a building where Mullins ran his side business, Complete Plumbing, for about 10 years. The trio started construction on the property in the spring of 2012 before opening a year later.
During the first 10 months of operation, Peck said they were busy getting their processes down, reaching distribution agreements and landing new markets. When they felt comfortable enough to move forward with the expansion, they assembled the tap room.
The brewhouse is open to the public from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Bramon said they're working with the city of Huntsville to bring a trolley to the downtown brewery.
"If we can get folks to ride the trolley down here, that means we'll be on the normal downtown circuit," he said. "You can come downtown and visit us anytime you want and you don't have to drive."
A beer tasting with The Brew Stooges will take place July 12 and 26 during The Lowry House's Backyard Concert Series.


Buy Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. at a price target of Rs 2555.0 and a stop loss at Rs 2430 from entry point.
Chandan Taparia of Motilal Oswal Securities has a buy call on Dr. Reddy's Laboratories with a target price of Rs 2,555.
The current market price of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is Rs 2,467.35.
Time period given by the analyst is 'Intra Day' when Dr. Reddy's Laboratories price can reach defined target.
Chandan Taparia recommended to keep a stop loss at Rs 2,430.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, incorporated in the year 1984, is a Large Cap company (having a market cap of Rs 40,931.79 Crore) operating in Pharmaceuticals and health care sector.
The company’s top management includes Dr.Ashok S Ganguly, Dr.Bruce L A Carter, Dr.Omkar Goswami, Mr.Anupam Puri, Mr.Bharat N Doshi, Mr.G V Prasad, Mr.Hans Peter Hasler, Mr.K Satish Reddy, Mr.Sridar Iyengar, Ms.Kalpana Morparia.
As on 30-09-2017, the company has a total of 165,879,277 shares outstanding.


· Saturday, Aug. 30: The royalty helps with the Wagon Days Papoose Club Pancake Breakfast in Ketchum at 9 a.m. and rides in the Big Hitch Wagon Days Parade at 1 p.m. The Intermountain Professional Rodeo Association (ImPRA) rodeo starts at 6 p.m. at Hailey Rodeo Arena.
· Sunday, Aug. 31: The royalty candidates have their coronation at 1 p.m. as part of the pre-rodeo entertainment. The rodeo begins at 2 p.m. with the Grand Entry and playing of the national anthem.
· Mickenlie Baxter, 20, is the daughter of LeRoy and Vicki Baxter of Hansen. A junior at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Mickenlie is studying to become a veterinarian with a specialty in Equine.
· Zoie Pierce, 14, is a daughter of Jim and Karen Pierce of Jerome. She was the 2013 Teen Queen of Miss Days of the Old West. She was also a horsemanship winner in Hailey in 2011.
· Emma Flolo, 14, is a daughter of Jack and Julie Flolo of Hailey. She is a ninth-grade student at Wood River High School. In July, Emma won the Miss Days of the Old West Junior Queen title. Emma is a sixth-year member of the Hailey Wild Riders 4-H Club. She also competes in horse events at the Blaine County Fair in Carey. This is her third year of raising and showing pigs at the fair.
· Max McCammon, 20, of Rupert is a daughter of Pat McCammon and Liz Stewart. She is a full-time student at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, majoring in Equine Business. She is the 2015 Oakley Pioneer Days queen. Her passion is rodeo and training horses. She competes in breakaway roping, barrel racing and team roping (heading and heeling).
· Cara Malone, 16, is a daughter of Ron and Kay Malone. She will be a junior at Jerome High School, where she is president of the rodeo team. Cara is a member of the FFA agricultural education chapter along with being secretary of her 4-H Club and 4-H District 3 Horse Council. She said she is honored to be the 2014 Days of the Old West Teen Queen. She was Freestyle Horsemanship winner, and she swept the Poise and Personality, Photogenics, Speech and Horsemanship categories.
· Karessa Love, 17, is a daughter of Blake and Leigh Anne Love from Malad City. She is a senior at Idaho Virtual Academy and is serving as Senior Queen of Oneida County. She competes in high school rodeo (barrels, poles, goat tying), and enjoys camping, 4-wheeling and cake decorating. Karessa has been a teen leader for three years at Alpine 4-H Camp in Wyoming, and has shown sheep at the county fair since she was 10.
· Kacie Anne Flolo, 9, is a daughter of Jack and Julie Flolo of Hailey. The fourth grader at Hailey Elementary School is the reigning Miss Days of the Old West PeeWee Queen. She won Poise and Personality, Speech and Horsemanship contests.


Martin Scorsese and Robert Di Niro will collaborate for the first time in decades.
Martin Scorsese's "Silence" may have been his 28-year-old passion project, but it was mostly ignored by audiences, grossing only $7 million in the U.S. opposite a $40 million budget. Something tells us the same fate won't meet the director's next project, which carries an even bigger budget and bigger stars.
Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Departed"
Scorsese has built his career on iconic gangster movies, from "Goodfellas" to "Casino," "Mean Streets" and "The Departed," so his return to the genre after more than a decade is cause for celebration.
"The Irishman" is based on the 2003 book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt, which recounts the years Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran spent as a mob hitman. Brandt interviewed Sheeran over a five-year period, during which the mobster confessed to being involved in more than 25 hits for the mob. Sheeran was allegedly involved in the death of legendary mob boss Jimmy Hoffa, who went missing in July 1975 and was never found.
Anyone hoping for Scorsese to capture the cinematic energy of "Goodfellas" once again may want to lower their expectations. It appears the filmmaker is going to be making a much more elegiac and sobering gangster movie this time around. "The Irishman" picks up with Sheeran as an older man as he looks back on the hits that defined his mob career.
"The people are also older in 'The Irishman,' it's certainly more about looking back, a retrospective so to speak of a man's life and the choices that he's had to make," Scorsese told The Independent in May.
As to whether the movie follows in the tradition of "Goodfellas"? He told the outlet, "I think this is different, I think it is. I admit that there are - you know, 'Goodfellas' and 'Casino' have a certain style that I created for them - it's on the page in the script actually…The style of the picture, the cuts, the freeze-frames, all of this was planned way in advance, but here it's a little different."
Robert De Niro in "Casino"
Scorsese and Robert De Niro's careers are intertwined after making eight movies together, including "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull" and "The King of Comedy." But the duo haven't made a movie together since "Casino," which was released 22 years ago in November 1995. "The Irishman" will mark their ninth collaboration.
While Scorsese's career in the two decades since has remained strong, De Niro hasn't really had a critically acclaimed lead dramatic role in several years. He earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for "Silver Linings Playbook," but reuniting with Scorsese is just what his big screen career needs most right now.
Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro in "Goodfellas"
The supporting cast for "The Irishman" is truly an embarrassment of riches: Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano and Bobby Cannavale. But arguably the most anticipated bit of casting is Joe Pesci, who has only had two credits to his name this century: A cameo in De Niro's 2006 CIA drama "The Good Shepherd" and a lead role in Taylor Hackford's 2010 flop "Love Ranch." Prior to 2006, Pesci hadn't starred in a single movie since 1998's "Lethal Weapon 4." The semi-retired actor is officially coming back to the big screen for a "Goodfellas" reunion with Scorsese and De Niro.
Pesci had been rumored to be joining "The Irishman," but his casting wasn't confirmed until earlier this month. He's reportedly playing Russell Bufalino, a Mafia boss operating out of Pennsylvania who has long been suspected of having a hand in Hoffa's disappearance. The character means we'll most likely be seeing Pesci and De Niro in scenes opposite one another.
Scorsese and Pesci have made three movies together. Pesci won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his turn in "Goodfellas."
"The Irishman" will follow in the footsteps of "Hugo" as a Scorsese movie that depends heavily on visual effects. The director is teaming with George Lucas' VFX company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to utilize the same effects used on Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" so that De Niro can be digitally aged to look younger in the flashback scenes.
"The Irishman" will include flashbacks that span decades, and De Niro is set to play Sheeran in all of them. He'll appear as young as 30 years old.
The visual effects required for "The Irishman" are part of the reason the film's budget is over the $100 million mark. That's a massive price tag for any filmmaker, and it's why Scorsese has taken up shop at Netflix to make the movie despite his love of the theatrical experience over streaming.
"The Irishman" has been in development since 2008 and was originally going to be backed by Paramount Pictures, but the studio couldn't afford to take on such a risky budget. International rights were purchased by STX Entertainment for $50 million at Cannes 2016, but they backed down after Netflix took over for Paramount and bought worldwide streaming rights.
"The Irishman" is officially shooting in New York City this summer, with a production start date set for the middle of August. Principal photography is scheduled until December. The five-month shoot will just a bit longer than the filming of "Silence," which took place in Taiwan from January 30 to May 15, 2015. But it's nothing compared to "Gangs of New York" shoot. That massive production lasted for nearly eight months (August 2000 - April 2001).
Matin Scorsese and Andrew Garfield on the set of "Silence"
A lot of attention surrounding "The Irishman" is being paid to the people appearing in front of the camera, but just as exciting are the collaborators joining Scorsese behind it. Most notable is cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who has become a favorite of Scorsese's in recent years after shooting both "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Silence." The latter earned him his second Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. His first was for "Brokeback Mountain" in 2005. Prieto first earned attention for his work with Alejandro González Iñárritu ("Amores perros," "21 Grams" and "Babel").
Screenwriter Steve Zallian, meanwhile, adapted the book for the big screen. Zallian, who just earned an Emmy nomination for directing his HBO limited series "The Night Of," wrote the script for Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" and earned an Oscar nomination. He won Best Adapted Screenplay for "Schindler's List" in 1993.
Scorsese's longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker will also return for "The Irishman." She was the editor on the director's 1967 feature debut, "Who's That Knocking at My Door," and has edited all of his films since "Raging Bull" in 1980. Her work with Scorsese has resulted in six Oscar nominations for Best Editing and three wins ("Raging Bull," "The Aviator" and "The Departed").
And now for the bad news: "The Irishman" won't be released until 2019. At the very earliest we could get an Oscar-qualifying run in select theaters in late December 2018, but reports say Netflix is eyeing a day-and-date rollout in 2019. Because of the extensive VFX work required, it makes sense the movie won't open for a year after the cameras stop rolling. Let the long wait for "The Irishman" begin.


"Yes but in another 15-20 years time, a well made Swiss watch that has been looked after will still hold its value and may have even increased its worth, unlike a $1000 iPhone which probably won't even switch on in 20 years."
I agree entirely, I have an ancient Tag, purchased about 1995. Despite the fact its been well worn, I could probably sell it for almost what I paid for it.
So much for the Apple watch.


Granite Geek: When is a drought not a drought?
Right now in Concord, we are living in a meteorological puzzle: The National Weather Service says this is the wettest August since records began being kept 150 years ago, yet the National Weather Service also says the region is “abnormally dry,” the first stage of its drought-measurement scale.
No, climate change hasn’t driven weather folks crazy. The solution to the puzzle is that there are droughts and then there are droughts.
“There is a time lapse in how different systems respond to current conditions,” is how Richard Kiah, chief of Hydrologic Network Operations for the regional office of the U.S. Geological Survey, puts it.
In laymen’s terms: When wet weather appears, as it did in July, after a long stretch of very dry weather like we had this spring, the grass starts growing pretty quickly but it takes longer to fill up the aquifers that our wells depend on. A drought above ground might end, might even give way to flooding, while drought lingers below ground.
That’s roughly what we’re seeing now, although thankfully the drought and flooding have been minor compared to other parts of the country.
As of Saturday, the official rainfall total in Concord for the month of August is 9.36 inches, breaking the all-time August record of 9 inches, set in 1892. Even so, Concord and the swath of central New Hampshire from Sullivan County to Carroll County are officially “abnormally dry,” the first of five categories on the federal drought-measurement scale.
This discrepancy is a function of the “time lapse” that Kiah mentioned above. As an illustration, he pointed to the town of Warner.
USGS maintains a series of measuring devices around the state that keep track of groundwater levels, meaning how much water is available for wells, and other devices that measure how much is flowing on the surface in rivers. Warner has a stream gauge measuring flow on the Warner River, and also a groundwater well nearby.
At the end of March, which is roughly when the dry spell began, the stream gauge in Warner was measuring water flow above the 95th percentile point for that time of year, meaning more water was flowing in the river than almost late March in history. The groundwater level was almost that high as well: It was in the 90th percentile.
By mid-July, after two months of bone-dry weather, the surface stream gauge had plunged almost to the 10th percentile, meaning that nearly nine out of 10 past Julys had seen more water in the river, definitely a drought signal. Yet at the same time, groundwater gauge was still in the “normal” range, just slightly under the long-term average.
Both gauges are now trending upwards, and I would guess that in the next few weeks central New Hampshire will be out of the drought category entirely, as they are already in southern New Hampshire. It’s not straightforward, though.
The designation of drought requires more than just measuring recent rainfall or water flows. Other factors intrude, notably evapotranspiration, which is the measure of how much of the moisture falling from the ground and existing in the air as humidity is used by plants.
“At this time of year, some of the rainfall is not going to be recharging the groundwater, it’s going to be taken up by the plants and trees,” Kiah said. So even if a wet period is good for plants, fixing the agricultural drought, it may not be all that good for long-term water supplies.
All this makes determining whether we’re in a drought something of an art as well as a science, balancing the needs of plants and people today with the needs of plants and people in the coming weeks and months.
“New Hampshire’s drought management plan takes into account these things,” Kiah said.
The terminology goes from meteorological drought, due to a lack of rain, to agricultural drought, when the soil dries out, to hydrological drought, affecting groundwater and stream flows. Perhaps what should happen is that we give up on the idea of announcing whether we’re in a drought and instead announce whether we’re in any of three possible types of drought.
But probably not. That would confuse people more than enlighten them.
After all, designating a drought is as much a social and political marker as a scientific marker. It gives governments authority to impose watering bans and it motivates people to save water. Even if it isn’t always logically consistent, it’s still useful.


Commercial development site on Sharon Avenue and with access off of Evergreen Street. Great exposure as traffic heads east on Sharon Avenue and near other shopping, businesses, banks etc. Excellent opportunity for your new business or investment purposes. Adjacent parcel also available and listed together under MLS 1078935. Some photos are of the general area and adjoining parcel.


Activist shareholders in Australia’s largest independent coalminer are expected to vote in record numbers on Thursday to demand Whitehaven Coal aligns its long-term company strategy with the Paris climate agreement.
Guardian Australia understands the group Market Forces has secured support from some superannuation funds and large overseas investors in Whitehaven for three resolutions that will be put to the company’s annual general meeting in Sydney.
Will van der Pol, a legal researcher and campaigner at Market Forces, said investors had been “receptive” in recent discussions.
One non-binding advisory resolution calls on the company to disclose climate change-related risks to shareholders, in line with recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s taskforce on climate-related financial disclosures.
Another proposal says that shareholders call on the board to make strategy and capital expenditure decisions “consistent with the climate goals of the Paris agreement” in order to safeguard the longer-term success of the company and respond to risks and opportunities posed by climate change.
“We move this resolution in order to ensure our company is protected from stranded asset risks, and poised to take advantage of regulatory and market changes as international action is taken to satisfy the goals established by the Paris climate change agreement,” a supporting statement says.
“Given the higher stranding risk of coal assets over oil and gas, coal producers should be acting more urgently than other fossil fuel producers.
Any substantial level of support would be significant, considering Whitehaven is a pure-play coalminer.
The company released a statement to the ASX on 5 October that indicated it would consider climate risk reporting in 2019, a move interpreted as a concession to activist shareholders. It followed an Australian Securities and Investments Commission report last month critical of the level of climate risk disclosures by companies.
“Whitehaven is committed to playing a role in reducing carbon emissions ... by promoting increased use of Whitehaven’s high-quality, low-emissions coal,” the company said in its statement to the ASX.
Whitehaven’s future planning is based on the “New Policies Scenario” of the International Energy Agency, under which coal demand to Asia would double by 2040. Under that scenario, global warming would increase to about 2.7 degrees above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
Under a Paris baseline scenario modelled by the IEA, international demand for thermal coal would halve by 2040.
Van de Pol said the resolutions at Thursday’s Whitehaven AGM were “an opportunity for investors to make their mark and say this is exactly what we expect companies to be doing”.
“These sorts of resolutions are about the long-term sustainability of these companies,” he said.
Climate activists have increasingly switched from the coalface to the boardroom in recent years, where campaigns for large investors to divest from fossil fuels have gathered pace.
At last week’s AGM for the Queensland-based freight rail company Aurizon, investor proxies asked repeated questions about the company’s role in hauling coal and its potential to support operations in the Galilee Basin.
The Aurizon chairman, Tim Poole, told the meeting the company’s coal freight rail network had a higher risk profile than other utilities and that the company was concerned about “stranded asset risk”.
“At some point in the next 50 years, renewable energy might be such that we might not be hauling as much thermal coal as we are today ... part of our system might not be required,” Poole said.


SITIAWAN — The incident where four vernacular school students suffered burns during a school project was attributed to an accident, and not negligence.
Perak Education, Technology, Science, Environment and Information committee chairman Dr Abdul Aziz Bari said investigations so far revealed all standard operating procedures were adhered to during the laboratory session.
The students of SJKT Maha Ganesa Viddysalal were involved in a science project when they were scalded about 10.30am.
“Investigations so far show it was an accident,” Aziz said after visiting one of the victims at hospital yesterday.
Three other victims are currently being treated at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.
Abdul Aziz said the state government would provide appropriate assistance to the families of the students and the school to avoid such events recurring.
Abdul Aziz said the poor conditon of laboratories in school should be addressed to prevent undesirable consequences resulting in injuries to students.
“This incident also makes us aware that we need to be committed to providing infrastructure to schools,” he said.
The incident came to light after a recording went viral over social media.
The state education department and district education office commenced an investigation immediately.


It's not hard to figure out what the worst part of last night's MTV Movie Awards was: The Pussycat Dolls performance of "AGGGHH! Boom! (Gonna Explode The Senses Out Of You)." Those four minutes seem perfectly tailored for torture—interrogators take note.
The second worst part of the MTV Movie Awards, however, is a little more difficult to pinpoint: The lengthy Verne Troyer sketch that was a commercial for Orbit gum? The mere, baffling presence of Tom Cruise? Adam Sandler's painfully extended version of "Nobody Does It Better (Than The Sandman)"? Adam Sandler's referring to himself as "The Sandman'? Adam Sandler's continued existence? Lindsay Lohan and Diddy's Clinton vs. Obama banter? The fact that the set looked like the inside of a giant, undulating calculator? It all occupied the same tier of terrible.
Still, last night's MTV Movie Awards did make history. The show is now the 2008 record-holder for number of irrelevant pop cultural references used as jokes in a movie or TV show—at least until Aaron Friedberg and Jason Seltzer's new movie comes out later this year. A guy dressed up as Javier Bardem's character in No Country For Old Men? That's hilarious. Transformers jokes? Use them all: They never get old. Wayne's World? Even though the majority of MTV's core audience was around 4 years old the last time those characters had an inkling of relevancy, and even though resurrecting them now is akin to digging up the bones of a horse that died over ten years ago, placing them on stage and beating them, sure. That can't miss.
When the two stars of a series of wholesome Disney musicals about high school are smirking in judgment at you from the audience, that's not a good sign. Maybe Mike Myers should have gone with a rehash of Coffee Talk With Linda Richman instead?


COLLEGE: The Newbridge College campus located at 1840 E. 17th St. in Santa Ana.
PENNYSAVER AD: This photo of a Newbridge College ad in PennySaver provided by attorney Scott Schutzman shows the college advertises a "medical laboratory technician" program. Students suing the college claim the program does not qualify them to be medical lab technicians.
ADVERTISING: Attorney Scott Schutzman provided this ad that he says shows Newbridge College changed its advertisement after being sued by students. Previous ads in PennySaver offer a "medical laboratory technician" program, while this ad offers a "medical laboratory technician associate" program.
FILING SUIT: Attorney Scott Schutzman discusses a class-action lawsuit against Newbridge College with two of his clients. A group of students are alleging they were misled about school's medical lab technician program.
CLASS ACTION: Astrid Estrada listens as Ernestine Latimer discusses her complaints against Newbridge College.
COMPLAINTS: Ernestine Latimer, left, and Astrid Estrada, right, discuss their grievances against Newbridge College.
SANTA ANA — Unhappy former students have filed a class-action lawsuit against Newbridge College, alleging they were each defrauded out of $10,000 tuition by promises they could earn good salaries for medical jobs they were ineligible to obtain.
Twelve former students say they were persuaded to enroll on the promise that they needed only training from Newbridge to get lucrative jobs as medical laboratory technicians.
The plaintiffs said they didn’t learn until well into the eight-month program that lab technician positions paying $18-$24 an hour require an accredited associate’s degree that the school does not offer.
Newbridge’s attorney, Keith Zakarin, with the Duane Morris LLP law office in San Diego, said the school makes it clear students will be eligible only for entry-level jobs after they finish their training.
“No one was misled,” Zakarin said.
Newbridge College enrolls about 500 students on campuses in Santa Ana, Long Beach, Monterey Park and Glendale.
The college also reported to the federal government that it was offering a clinical/medical laboratory technician diploma during the 2007-08 academic year for $9,950 to students who completed 36 credit hours over eight months, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
But to become a licensed technician, candidates must have at least an associate’s degree or possess three years’ on-the-job training and pass a tough exam. The jobs pay $30,000 to $47,000 a year, according to state employment figures.
Without the license, students would only qualify for lower-paid jobs as lab assistants, for example, who freeze specimens or prepare blood or urine samples to be tested, said Debbie Wagner of Cupertino-based DeAnza College.
Wagner runs one of only two programs approved by the California Department of Public Health to train medical laboratory technicians.
“Why would they pay $10,000 to be trained for a job that doesn’t pay any more than they earn now?” said the students’ lawyer, Scott Schutzman, who filed the Orange County Superior Court lawsuit in June.
The confusion seems to result from changes in the state law that took place in December, when the Department of Public Health began regulating medical laboratory technician jobs and giving them more authority and pay. Before December, only trained scientists with advanced degrees were allowed to perform blood counts, urinalysis, cholesterol and other laboratory tests in California.
However, because of a lack of a workforce, the state began the process several years ago of changing the job descriptions to allow a newly created breed of trained and licensed medical laboratory technicians to perform those tests.
Wagner said that people in the field had been aware for years that the rules were changing and that, in fact, that’s why she started DeAnza’s program.
Newbridge students said they only learned they were ineligible for the technician jobs during a field trip to a hospital laboratory, when a lab director told them she would only hire them as assistants.
Zakarin said that, prior to the change in the law, medical lab technician programs “did not need DPH approval” except for the aspects that included phlebotomy certification, which involves drawing blood.
The job to which he’s referring, though, is that of a lab associate – essentially an assistant, not a technician who actually performs the tests.
“After the change in the law, the specific MLT job outcome required an associate’s (degree) and because NC’s program is a diploma program; it was not eligible for DPH approval of the entire program,” Zakarin said.
Register news researcher Michael Doss contributed to this report.


The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) has released the notification for the recruitment to posts such as principal, post graduate teacher in jawahar navodaya vidyalayas and assistant commissioner, assistant, computer operator in NVS HQ/ regional office.Candidates interested to apply may submit their registrations at the official website.
Registrations: The application fee for each post must be paid while submitting the online registration, which is Rs.1500 for principal and assistant commissioner, Rs.1000 for PGT, Rs.800 for assistant and computer operator.
The online application links are yet to be made available on the website. Once the links are made active, aspirants can register and complete their submission.


Q: My great uncle, born in 1874 was the keeper of this bottle which he kept in a curio cabinet in my childhood. It might have belonged to another relative who worked in the china department of Woolworths from 1910-1930. Is it possible that such an item would be sold at Woolworths? My uncle also inherited items from a friend who was a scholar at the University of Leipzig circa 1898. My wife and I would be interested in learning anything you can tell us about this attractive object.
A: Your attractive figural fish scent bottle is very rare. It is hand-blown green cased glass which has an inner white layer, a middle vibrant green layer and an outer clear layer harboring the applied gilt enamel. The tail is shaped and molded when the glass is molten with a hand tool. The eye is an applied red cabochon set in white enamel. The sterling silver cap was made by the firm of George Edwin Walton & Co. Ltd. in 1881-82 at Hylton Street, Birmingham. It harbors a cork which seals when screwed on. As the bottle can only lay on its side the cork was kept moist, causing it to swell keeping it sealed. These figural scent bottles are usually attributed to Thomas Webb & Sons – one of the most successful glass companies of England operating in the Stourbridge area close to Birmingham. These virtually never come on the market and at auction it will probably swim to $2,500 or more.
Q: My husband’s brother inherited the ancestral home which contained a few antiques. No one knows how old this pitcher and bowl set is or where it came from, but we would like to know if it has any value. The name ‘Walmer’ and ‘E.H.’ are markings on the bottom. It is in very good shape.
A: You have a very early brown transfer wash set dating to the 1850s. The ‘Walmer’ pattern is quite rare in transfer-decorated pottery. This is a romantic interpretation after the defensive castle built by Henry VIII in the 1500s. It is English and likely stands for Elijah Hughes & Co., of the Bleakhill Works, Cobridge in the Staffordshire region of England. The company operated from 1853 to 1867 making earthenwares. The shape of the pitcher and basin is typical for the 1840s and ’50s with the eight-sided panels. It’s a durable ironstone body and was also done in blue and white and an almost black mulberry. It’s in remarkable condition and is worth $250 today.
A: Delos Cline Bell is the artist. He is known mainly for oil paintings of portraits and genre scenes — and they are all rare. Yours extends the known period of his painting career as well as the geographic area he worked in since he is listed as being active from 1850 to 1877 in the areas of Hamilton (being born in Beamsville in 1829) and Ottawa. He died in 1918. His work is crisp with a slightly primitive element to it — a desirable characteristic that is also present in yours. The high detail of the house architecture and the garb of the four figures makes it historically interesting. This small piece of art will have collectors reaching in their pockets for at least $500.


Seven years ago the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audited one out of every 90 individual income tax returns. Last year it was one out of every 119. This year it is expected to be just one out of every 143. And for those who don’t include a Schedule C or other special (i.e., tax shelter, farm income) forms, the audit rate drops even further: one out of every 330.
Even high-income earners (over $1 million a year) can breathe easier, at least for the moment. In 2015, the agency audited nearly 10 out of every 100 of those returns while this year it’ll only be able to audit fewer than six. Business audits have also been declining. Four years ago the IRS audited nearly 10,000 businesses while last year that number dropped to just 6,453.
The decline is due to punishment through budget cuts by Congress for the agency’s egregious mismanagement and malpractice behaviors including Commissioner John Koskinen’s lying to Congress last year, which almost got him impeached, and the political profiling of Tea Party groups before that. The IRS now employs fewer than 80,000 people, down from 94,722 in 2010, with the enforcement staff seeing the most drastic declines: more than 30 percent since 2010.
The IRS has a history of overreach and mismanagement. In 2003, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found IRS lawyers Kenneth McWade and William Sims guilty of blackmailing taxpayers in order to obtain testimony against other taxpayers. They consequently were disbarred. In May 2015, the agency announced that its computer systems had been hacked and that, as a result, the private tax information of more than 100,000 citizens had been stolen. In August of that year, the IRS said that the breach was far larger than originally thought: 220,000 additional private files had been compromised. A few months later, in February 2016, the IRS admitted that the previous disclosures were in error: More than 700,000 Social Security numbers and other “sensitive” information had been stolen.
All of that appears to be ancient history with the new sheriff in town, President Donald Trump, and his deputy, Steven Mnuchin, heading up the Treasury Department. Mnuchin knows that for every 35 cents that it spends in collection efforts the IRS brings in $100. He knows that whistleblowers have brought in billions. He knows that the new program to revoke passports of those taxpayers owing more than $50,000 is likely to force them to pay up. He knows that for every $1 it spends on face-to-face audits with taxpayers the agency reaps $4 in return. He knows that for every dollar of new revenue it might receive from Congress it could generate between $4 and $6 dollars in revenue. He knows that Trump is a businessman very familiar with such numbers. Consequently Mnuchin thinks he can make a “return-on-investment” case that could result in a significant increase in the IRS’s current budget of $11 billion.
Despite the new deputy in charge of the Treasury, which runs the IRS, Trump will likely have a tough time getting Congress to approve any more than a modest increase in the agency’s budget. In the meantime taxpayers have a little more time to breathe a little easier.


OLD PIKE PLANTATION – COUNTRY LIVING AT ITS FINEST. This remarkable 5 BR / 3 BA home sits on 3.78 tranquil acres. The thoughtfully-designed open floor plan makes for a family-friendly environment and easy entertaining. Watch the hummingbirds feed from the screened-in patio while overlooking the rest of your acreage. The open kitchen is well-equipped with extra counter space, extra storage and an oversized island workstation. Plenty of parking with a circular gravel driveway, an RV sized parking pad as well as a 2-car garage. The heated & cooled workshop makes for a great escape and man cave. The adjoining storage room is perfect for shelving and any size lawn equipment. The easily-maintained pond is stocked with bass & bream. You must see this on in person. Call today to schedule your tour!


I ran away from home at the age of 40. It was a home I had wanted for a long time, walked past when I lived a few blocks away. I finally got my wish and was able to buy it. It was shaded by tall, mature trees; a treehouse had been constructed between the branches of a huge avocado tree. An apricot tree groaned with fruit during the summers.
I was married at the time, and my then-husband and I added a new garage to the property, painted the inside of the house, transformed the kitchen. I spent hours in the garden creating flower beds, planting new trees.
The places we live seem to absorb the memories we are making. We turn a corner and collide with the past. I got divorced while living in the house shaded by trees. Newly single, I struggled through a couple of other relationships, both of them turbulent and destructive. I also rescued a baby squirrel and nurtured him into adulthood, turning the treehouse into his home.
His name was Squirmy, and he and my dog, Sadie, chased each other around for hours, bound by a mysterious agreement that neither would ever catch up to the other.
Birds used to wait for me to put food on the bird feeder; they would line up on the wires overhead and descend as soon as I emerged from the house with a bag of seed.
The sweet memories are the ones I have retained, the ones that have bubbled to the surface after nearly six years. But when I abandoned my home, left it as if my life depended on escape, it was because I couldn't find the sweetness. I believed that, in fact, my life did depend on escape.
My career, my personal life, my internal landscapes all seemed war-torn and embattled. Rather than turning inward, I thought moving--changing my physical locale--would magically fix what was wrong. I had conveniently forgotten the wise observation that wherever you go, there you are.
I was so committed to moving to the East Coast that I put my house up for sale in a declining market--a foolish move that proved costly. That's why I think of it as abandonment of something I should have treasured, why I look back on it as running away. So much was lost.
For years, I have punished myself for that decision. Even though living in New York for a few years was a positive, nourishing experience, I took my inner turbulence with me. What is so clear to me now--but wasn't then--is that moving forward in my life meant traveling inward; I could have done it in Manhattan or in Los Angeles, but I had to do it.
I have now moved across the country twice. I have ended up back in Los Angeles, a happier person, a bit wiser, definitely calmer. I had to find in myself the writer I wanted to be, I had to repair the fractures in my family relationships first in my heart, and I had to address the fact that if I was drawn to bad romances, these could be found anywhere.
Geography really had little or nothing to do with it. However, there is the home I lost, ran away from, really; there is the weight of a rash, immature choice, a hard memory.
I don't live too far now from what was once my home, and I would like to live closer; I miss that neighborhood. The property itself has changed. The new owners added on to the house, removed some of the pines that shaded the garden. But two trees that I planted as saplings are now massive. It will never be the same as it was--only in my memory, and I have been dragging my memory behind me like a ball and chain.
My father used to tell me that God will give us an answer to any problem, dilemma or wound we bring him. "If you ask God, he will answer you," my father would tell me. Here's something I've learned: Sometimes God answers us through other people.
A friend of mine who was my neighbor when I lived in my tree-shaded house spoke the words I needed to hear. I confided to her that my decision to sell is still so difficult for me to cope with, to get beyond.
"Wait a minute here," she said. "I was there for all that. I remember everything you were going through. You were unhappy, you were restless, and you felt if you moved, things might get better. You didn't set out to sabotage your life, you were trying to make it better. It's true that the cost was high, but look how you've grown as a person."
I felt chains dropping off; I felt my memory stretching to take in the entire picture. I did what I thought I needed to do at the time. And there will be another home, another garden, which I will be better able to maintain as a peaceful, calm environment.
We lose places in our lives, but we leave things behind also. I planted two skinny saplings on land that I loved, that was my home for five years. They now bend over the lawn and reach to the sky; their trunks are thick and sturdy.
And I learned an invaluable lesson. I learned that no matter how far, how fast I ran, I couldn't run away from myself. I learned it by trying to run, by trying to escape from myself in another city, another state, as if miles and jet streams were the answers. Maybe I couldn't have learned it any other way.
My friend was right, the cost was high. But there will be another home, and it will match the home I have found inside myself.


(Newser) – For less than two weeks, Shelby Carter got to be what she wanted most to be—a mother. Now her friends and family in Wyoming, Ill., are honoring the sacrifice she made to save her newborn daughter, reports KWQC. Carter, who had just turned 21 on Sunday, was alone with her baby Monday morning when their house went up in flames. The local fire chief says Carter strapped Keana into a car seat and dropped her from an upstairs window, saving her life. "You put yourself in that situation and you know it wouldn't be easy," says Stacy Unhold, a family friend. Carter was found near an upstairs window, and an autopsy determined she died of smoke inhalation.
Very brave of this woman and proves a mother's love and sacrifice! Sadly, many other stories out there are about horrid women that do the most evil to their own children!
It's possible flames from first story kept her from jumping herself. She might have been able to toss her newborn far enough away from the house, but then was scared to jump herself if flames were directly below her. Maybe the windowsill was too hot to climb out of? I don't know, but it was definitely an incredible, selfless act thinking quickly to protect her daughter as best as she could.
Medal of Freedom Award. Meanwhile, millions of mothers kill their babies using vacuums operated by Mengele's in white lab coats following corp orders.


Alleged TV scam sees small..
If you own a small business, Ross Greenwood is warning you to listen up.
The Small Business Ombudsman has received a raft over complaints in recent weeks about a company known as Viewble.
Businesses say they’re approached with an attractive deal.
They would pay $430 a month for a promotional television screen in their business that would play ads, along with ads of other businesses in the area.
In return, shop owners were reportedly told they’d get $430 back a month in advertising revenue.
But the advertising business has closed, allegedly leaving angry shop owners thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell says they’re investigating the matter.
“What really upset me on this one is a large number of complaints are actually the children of the business people,” she tells Ross.
She says shop owners have also been asked to sign contracts on an iPad and have been told they can cease the agreement at any time, despite it being a “three-year agreement”.