Major Psy-Op In Europe Exposed: UK Government Tramples On Values It Vowed To Protect
Authored by Alex Gorka via The Strategic Culture Foundation,
Those who have been saying that the West has turned Russia into a scapegoat to be blamed for each and every thing that goes wrong have been proved right. We have witnessed concocted stories invented to denigrate Moscow that have gone viral as directed by the secret services. The UK, the country that is spearheading the anti-Russian information campaign, offers a good example that illustrates how this is being done.
An online group of hackers known as Anonymous has just revealed covert UK activities in the EU. According to the documents released by that group, London is in the midst of a major program to interfere in the internal affairs of EU members, the US, and Canada. Anonymous threatens to release more information on the clandestine operations of the UK government, unless it agrees to remove the shroud of secrecy protecting those information-warfare efforts. On Nov. 24 Twitter deleted RT comments on the issue. The UK knows it has friends it can rely on in a crunch.
The Integrity Initiative is a London-based organization set up and funded by the government-friendly Institute for Statecraft, in cooperation with the Free University of Brussels (VUB) to wage information-warfare operations against Russia. Anonymous calls it a "large-scale information secret service." It aims to “change attitudes in Russia itself” as well as the influence of Russian natives living abroad. The Integrity Initiative’s budget for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2019 is estimated at £1.96 million ($2.51 million). The network has received grants from NATO, the US State Department, and Facebook.
The Initiative’s operations have been kept under wraps. Its activities are conducted by “clusters” of local politicians, journalists, military personnel, scientists, and academics involved in anti-Russian propaganda efforts. The list includes William Browder, a US-British businessman convicted in absentia in Russia for tax evasion.
The Integrity Initiative network has offices from which to conduct its covert operations in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Norway, Serbia, Spain, and Montenegro. Its plans to expand to the US, Canada, Eastern Europe, and the MENA region are already underway.
The Anonymous hackers mention Operation Moncloa that was launched in June in Spain to prevent Pedro Baños, a colonel known for his Russia-friendly views, from being appointed the new head of Spain's influential national security agency.
It’s all part of a broader picture. In March, Prime Minister Theresa May promised to “defeat” Russia with a new cyber-warfare initiative titled the Fusion Doctrine. Back then, Ms. May told British intelligence services to use social media “to prevent the spread of misinformation.” In other words, she has pulled the military into this anti-Russian propaganda effort. Security sources have floated the idea that that the UK must harness “soft power” and “counter-propaganda” on social media networks. Is it possible to imagine any media remaining independent in a country where they're part of a "soft power strategy" implemented by the government under the rallying cry of protecting national security?
This is the origin of so many fantasies about Russia and the imaginary threat it poses. The plan included an enhanced role for the BBC World Service to promote British “values” abroad, ensuring that the Ofcom shuts down media organizations that fail to meet “high British standards.” Only gullible people can believe that such “values” and “standards” exist. Russia has been used as a bogeyman to justify measures aimed at killing off the freedom of the media. Any story about Russia’s nefarious deeds spread by British news outlets should be taken with a grain of salt.
The UK government is facing some hard times. The Brexit deal with the EU is headed to parliament for approval. It’s impossible to predict whether the MPs will vote yes or no. Both outcomes threaten the very existence of the United Kingdom. The use of the “Russian threat” is seen as one way to keep the nation united and the media under control.
Keeping its activities out of the public eye, the government is doing exactly what it has so indignantly accused Russia of. The pot is calling the kettle black. As the freedom of the press is being suppressed and the media networks are following the government’s instructions about what information they should offer their readers, UK officials continue to brazenly deliver their pompous speeches about the need to protect those very values to which the government itself poses the greatest challenge. Anonymous is right — any responsible government must explain the intentions behind the Integrity Initiative, how exactly it is funded, and why its activities should be shielded from public view.


Top row (l-r): Mark Bathe, Sangbae Kim, and Paola Cappellaro. Second row (l-r): Armando Solar-Lezama, Steven Barrett, Jesse Kroll, and Youssef Marzouk.
Seven appointments are made in the School of Engineering.
Chad Galts
Email: galts@MIT.EDU
The School of Engineering has announced that seven members of its faculty have been granted tenure by MIT.
“These newly tenured colleagues have demonstrated a commitment to outstanding research and teaching,” said Ian A. Waitz, dean of the School of Engineering. “They have made a significant impact on MIT and their fields, and we look forward to the continuation of their remarkable work.”
This year’s newly tenured associate professors are:
Steven Barrett, associate professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Finmeccanica Career Development Professor of Engineering, and director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. The main goal of his research is to advance understanding of the environmental impacts of aviation, and to develop strategies that mitigate these impacts.
Mark Bathe ’98, SM ’01, PhD ’04, associate professor in the Department of Biological Engineering. His research focuses on quantitative physical approaches to understanding complex biological processes from a molecular perspective. He runs an interdisciplinary research group that draws together biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers focused on this area.
Paola Cappellaro PhD ’06, associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and an Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Professor. She leads the Quantum Engineering Group in the Research Laboratory of Electronics, where her work focuses on improving both the experimental techniques and the coherent control theory of quantum bits and gaining a deeper knowledge of the mechanics of decoherence.
Sangbae Kim, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, an Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Professor, and leader of the Biomimetics Robotics Lab. He conducts research in biomimetics, using biological systems as models for the design and engineering of robots. His interests include biomechanics of locomotion and printable robotics.
Jesse Kroll, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research involves the experimental study of the properties and chemical transformation of organic species in the Earth’s atmosphere. Particular interests include the development of new analytical tools for the measurement and characterizations of organics in both the gas and condensed phase, and the use of these tools in the lab and field to better constrain the amount, nature, and chemical evolution of atmospheric organics.
Youssef Marzouk ’97, SM ’99, PhD ’04, associate professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and director of the Aerospace Computational Design Laboratory. His research focuses on uncertainty quantification, inverse problems, statistical inference, and Bayesian computation for complex physical systems, and using these algorithms to address modeling challenges in energy conversion and environmental applications.
Armando Solar-Lezama, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He works with the Computer Assisted Programming Group to develop techniques that exploit automated reasoning and computing power to tackle challenging programming problems.
Topics: Faculty, Awards, honors and fellowships, School of Engineering, Aeronautical and astronautical engineering, Biological engineering, Nuclear science and engineering, Mechanical engineering, Civil and environmental engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (eecs)


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Our Governing Body at Cranborne Primary School is made up of a group of people who are dedicated and committed to do the best they can for the children who attend Cranborne School. We work alongside and support the headteacher and staff in all that they do.
We reconstituted our Governing Body which has made us smaller in size but allows us to make decisions and act speedily when required. We are constantly analysing our strengths and weakness, to ensure that we have the expertise to carry out our roles as governors.
Regular training sessions are attended both internal and external to ensure that we have the knowledge to do the best that we can for Cranborne.
Governors are in school on a regular basis; we hold our meetings at various times of the day and evening, when in school we talk to as many pupils that we can, which allows them to talk to us about their experiences in school and the how they have been learning.
We have a strong passion within our role as school governors. If there are things that you would like to raise with us then please do so, either by contacting the school office or headteacher and one of us will be in touch.
We do have vacancies from time to time so if this is something that interests you then please let us know.
Meet Our Governors:
Peter Goldfinch I attended Cranborne Primary School many years ago when it was situated on its previous site in Potters Bar. I have three daughters all of whom went to the school, they are now through university and in full time employment. I have a soft spot for the school, and it has been wonderful to see how things have grown at school with the excellent results that have been achieved in recent years. I have been a governor at the school for the last 20 years, being chair of governors for last ten years. I look to bring the experiences of the private sector in banking to the life of the school, working with the other members of the governing body and the head and members of staff. I am a member of all the committees that we have. We all work together to make every day count for the children allowing them to be the best they can be. Anything that I can do to make that happen I am more than happy to do. Our school is a very happy place to be, everyone is enthusiastic , approachable and determined to achieve the success the school deserve.
Ann Harrison I am a retired engineering manager and have served on the Cranborne School governing body for many years. I know how important a good primary education is to a child’s life chances and want to use my experience and skills to help the school in any way I can.
Zainal Anhar I am an experienced Chartered Accountant with wide range of business, commercial and ICT skills to add value to the Governing Body. I have served on various committees and at present am Chair of the Resources Committee. I enjoy making a small contribution to try and ensure that all of our children get the best possible education and support from our school. It is an exceptional school for which I am honoured to have the opportunity to make a positive contribution and take an active role in the support and development of such school.My wife and I have a daughter and a son, both of whom currently attend Cranborne Primary School. As a parent I want to ensure that school funds are used and allocated correctly, being used in an appropriate manner so all the children and school benefit accordingly. I enjoy playing with my children and when time allows I participate in football, badminton and golf.
Claire Keilty I am honoured to be the Headteacher of Cranborne School. I am able to bring my knowledge and experience of 20 years in the education sector. Inclusion and personalized teaching is my passion and I am a true believer that children only get one chance. I am dedicated to improving the life chances of every child that walks through our door and am committed to breaking down barriers to learning. I am happy to challenge perceptions and am fiercely loyal to the children I serve. Hobbies include cooking at home and going out to nice restaurants. I live with my husband and two young girls, aged 11 and 9, so I understand the dynamics of family life and am here to support families with all aspects of school, home and work. My door is always open!
Andrew Jones I am an Assistant Headteacher at The Reach Free School in Rickmansworth. Before moving to The Reach Free School, I was lead practitioner at Goffs School in Cheshunt where I was also head of religious studies and sociology. In addition to my professional roles at The Reach Free School, I am a specialist leader in education with the West Herts Teaching Schools Partnership as well as an advisor to the Guardian Teacher Network. Prior to teaching in the UK, I was a TEFL teacher in Thailand. I attended Cranborne Primary School as a student in the 1980s.
Emily Herron I am a Staff Governor. I have been a teaching assistant for the past ten years. For the last three years I have been part of the pupil premium team, and also the internal speech and language therapist working closely with the outreach speech language team. I have a good understanding of the day to day challenges facing both our staff and children. I feel great satisfaction seeing our children achieve their goals and successes both educationally and emotionally. I have two children who were past pupils of Cranborne, therefore I also understand the parent point of view.
Joanna Jenkins I have been a senior lecturer at a university for the last 10 years including setting and maintaining educational standards in a variety of ways. I have two young children at the start of their learning journeys and I am keen to help the school and wider community give children the opportunities they deserve. I am passionate about taking Cranborne from strength to strength.
Our Clerk: Carole Connelly I am an independent education consultant, I have been a governor at various Hertfordshire school for about 25 years. I have been a Chair and Vice Chair of Governors at several schools and have supported Primary, Secondary and Educational Support Centres. I am impressed by the way in which the staff at Cranborne work to support all children in the school and create such a caring and inclusive environment. I am delighted to be able to help to support the school and fellow governors.
Governor Name
Date of appointment
Appointed by
Pecuniary Interests
Governance in other educational institutions
Relationships between governors or staff
Date stepped down
Peter Goldfinch
Claire Keilty
Wife works for Herts Catering at Cranborne
Ann Harrison
Chair of School improvement
Governor at Hertswood Academy
Zainul Anhar
Chair of resources
Wife works as an MSA at Cranborne
Emily Herron
Jo Jenkins
Samantha Ahern
Vice Chair (joint)
Yasmin Akhtar
Mark Trick
Suzanne Horsley
Rachael Wood
Assoc.
Attendance at Full Governing Body Meetings 2018 onwards:
11/ 09/ 19
Yasmeen Ahktar
Stepped Down
Joanna Jenkins
Rachael Wood (Assoc)
Suzanne Horsely
How Do You Become a School Governor?
Being a governor at Cranborne School is both an enriching and rewarding experience. Not only do you get to use your knowledge and skills in a different environment to your place of work, but you also get to support and guide your local school. Moreover, at the heart of school governorship at Cranborne is a commitment to ensuring students are safe, happy and actively involved in the life of the school as well as achieving academically.
Expectations and responsibilities
All governors at Cranborne are expected attend a ‘full governing board (FGB) meeting’ once a term. Importantly, the main functions of the school’s governing board include:
setting the strategic aims and objectives for the school, including its values and ethos;
scrutinising and ensuring policies for achieving the school’s strategic aims are in place;
and challenging and supporting the headteacher and the senior leadership team.
In addition to FGB meetings, governors also attend committee meetings once a term, such as the School Improvement Committee and the Resources Committee. Therefore, governors will take on various individual responsibilities at committee level in order to support the school - from evaluating attainment data to checking the school’s budget.
Governors are also expected to visit the school during working hours throughout the year so that they can meet pupils, staff and parents. This could include the school day as well as parent evenings and school events, such as end of term shows and school fairs.
Who can become a governor?
Anyone over 18 years of age can apply to become a governor at Cranborne. Although there are no essential academic or vocational qualifications needed, interested applicants would need to demonstrate that they have knowledge and skills that would benefit the school. For instance, over the past few years, Cranborne has had governors from all walks of life with an abundance of different experiences, which have included:
Running small businesses
What brings us together is a commitment and passion to see Cranborne succeed.
Types of governor at Cranborne
Cranborne has different categories of governor and anyone interested in becoming a governor may wish to consider which type would best fit their situation. Types of governor include:
Community governors: governors from the local community who have something to offer the school;
Parent governors: who are elected to the governing board by other parents;
Staff governors: governors who are employed by the school and are often elected by other members of staff;
Local authority governors: governors who are nominated by the local authority;
Co-opted governors: governors who have been invited to join the governing board as they have a specific skill needed to help run the school;
Associate governors: governors that are not part of the full governing board, but are asked to help the board or sub-committees from time-to-time.
How do you apply to become a governor at Cranborne?
Although potential parent and staff governors can only apply when a vacancy arises, all interested parties will be informed by the school. For example, vacancies for parent governors will be advertised through letters home, text alerts and messages on the school’s website. Parents would need to complete an application form and then stand for election.
However, you can also contact the school if you feel you have particular skills or knowledge that would be useful to the governing board more generally. In this case, it is possible that parents, as well as interested individuals from the local community and local businesses, can contact the Chair of Governors to discuss any vacancies in relation to their specific expertise. If the governing body is in need of your skills, you can apply to become a community governor, co-opted governor or even an associate governor. Nonetheless, governor roles cannot always be facilitated as the governing body may already have governors with the skills applicants may be offering. Furthermore, places on the governing board will obviously be limited at any given time, so the Chair may take your details in the event that a place becomes available in future.
If you are interested in becoming a governor at Cranborne, please contact our Chair of Governors, Peter Goldfinch, or the headteacher to discuss any possibilities further.
© 2020 Cranborne Primary School.


The Mercedes-Benz of Helicopters
Yahoo! Autos May 26, 2011
You can almost hear the call echoing through the Austrian Alps: “The top speed of mein SL65 AMG is too low! Get to ze choppah!” Assuming the angst-ridden Salzburg billionaire hadn’t removed the 155-mph limiter from his V-12-powered Mercedes-Benz, he would be right — but just barely. The Eurocopter EC145 won't exceed 167 mph, but the point-to-point convenience a helicopter affords means never missing a last-minute lunch in Vienna. Until now, however, one couldn’t purchase an EC145 with an interior spec'd out by the lux-meisters in Stuttgart.
The European rotary-winged aircraft consortium — and sister company of Airbus under the EADS umbrella — has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to outfit its twin-engine utility helicopter for business-luxury transport. The lead on the project was undertaken by the company’s Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, which pulled design cues from the company’s designo roster of interior packages. Not to compare apples to oranges, the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style is more akin to a S65 than an SL. Or, with its land-darn-near-anywhere capability, a G-Class SUV.
The rail-mounted seats can be configured for up to eight passengers (think capo, consigliere and six gorillas). The wood and ambient lighting draw influence from Benz’ up-level E-Class and S-Class sedans. Unfortunately, the SLS AMG’s gullwing doors aren’t an available option, as they interfere with the operation of the 145’s rotor. On the plus-side, Eurocopter can outfit the whirlybird with an infrared-suppression system, making it difficult for bad guys armed with Stinger missiles to get a lock on you as you and your lady of the evening snack on strudel and sip a nice riesling.
As for the price, Eurocopter EC145s start at $5.5 million, but the Mercedes-Benz version will reportedly go for closer to €6 million (or approximately $8.5 million).


Zach Braff’s Crowdfunded Film “Wish I Was Here” Reviews Are Rolling In
July 18, 2014 @ 10:41 am By JD Alois
So the emblematic film by Zach Braff, “Wish I Was Here” hits cinema screens across the nation today. The film raised around $3 million on Kickstarter in 2013 setting the pace for crowdfunding films. While not quite achieving the success of Veronica Mars, a film that raised over $5 million crowdfunding on Kickstarter, Braff’s project help validate crowdfunding as a new form of film finance.
Well with the film opening today the reviews are rolling in. Both professional pundits and cinephile wannabe’s are sharing their thoughts and impressions on a film that was backed by over 46,000 contributors. Will the project backers be disappointed in the final results? Does it really matter? Do you care at all? Well here are some opinions on the film. Take them for what they are worth.
Rotten Tomatoes: 32% rating (pretty rotten I would say). The audience liked it a bit better at 78% approval. “There’s no denying Wish I Was Here is heartfelt, but it covers narrative ground that’s already been well trod — particularly by director Zach Braff’s previous features”.
NYDailyNews: If you were a producer on “Wish I Was Here,” you’d want to tell director Zach Braff to stop sticking to formula and go out on a limb… this traditional indie dramedy was partially funded by Kickstarter. So if you contributed, you may be a producer on it. If so, there’s no reason to be ashamed about how things turned out, but the movie does feel like it’s a bit too much.
NYTimes: Until you partly surrender to its underlying good will and sincerity, watching “Wish I Was Here” is like observing an experiment in a cinematic test kitchen. The perky chefs are seeking an ideal blend of familiar flavors and textures as they devise what they hope will turn out to be a new, improved recipe for that old standby, Thoughtful Comic Entertainment.
SFGate: Well, no matter how it was made, it’s the result that counts. “Wish I Was Here” is a funny, touching movie that features one of Kate Hudson’s best performances and a curmudgeonly good one from Mandy Patinkin.
OregonLive: Braff will likely be known as the guy who took over $3.1 million in Kickstarter donations to help fund a painfully bad movie. It’s unfair, of course, to judge a film any differently because of the source of its funding. But if Braff had scrimped and saved, taken out a third mortgage and sold a kidney to pay for “Wish I Was Here,” the verdict would be the same.
TheStar: Did his investors get their money’s worth? That depends on their tolerance for self-indulgent leanings from Braff… It’s also disjointed and uneven, seeming at times like the Kickstarter gang got to contribute one idea each in exchange for their donations, all of which were greenlit by Braff — with the proviso they all be about him.
Worldview Entertainment Stake In Zach Braff’s New Movie Draws Criticism, But Is It Justified?
Zach Braff on His $2 Million Kickstarter Project: ‘I Had Nothing to Lose’
Watch: The Trailer For Zach Braff’s Kickstarter-Funded Film Is Here & It Looks Amazing
Zach Braff Launches Kickstarter For Follow Up To “Garden State”
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South Korea, US, Japan defense chiefs meet amid North Korea, GSOMIA tension
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper holds hand with his counterparts Defense Minister Jeong Keyong-doo, on his left, and Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono prior to a trilateral meeting Sunday, on the sidelines of the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, held at the Avani Plus Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Yonhap
Seoul, Washington agree to postpone joint air exercises
By Jung Da-min
BANGKOK ― South Korea, the United States and Japan held a trilateral meeting at the Avani Plus Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, on the sidelines of the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). The defense ministers from the three countries discussed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), a bilateral military intelligence sharing pact between Seoul and Tokyo that is about to expire, and the North Korea nuclear issue.
"We stand firm in upholding well-established international rules and norms. Our continued trilateral partners remain key to addressing these security challenges, and preserving our freedom and prosperity," U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in his opening remarks at the meeting at the ADMM-Plus. The challenges mentioned were "challenges that a growing and a more assertive China poses to the stability of the region," he said.
Esper also talked about the importance of information sharing between the allies while calling for South Korea and Japan to look beyond and overcome bilateral issues that "harm our efforts and play into the hands of Pyongyang and Beijing."
Prior to the three-way meeting, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo met bilaterally with Esper and the two announced that Seoul and Washington were postponing a joint air force exercise ― one that North Korea habitually criticizes ― to keep the U.S. denuclearization talks with the North alive.
"After close consultation and careful consideration, Minister Jeong and I've jointly decided to postpone this month's combined flying training event (CFTE). We have made this decision, as an act of good will to contribute to an environment conducive to diplomacy and the advancement of peace," Esper said. "We encourage the DPRK to demonstrate the same good will as the considerate decision on the conduct of training, exercise and testing. We also urge the DPRK to return to the negotiating table without preconditions or hesitation."
Jeong and Esper dismissed concerns about any possible negative effect on combined military readiness, saying their willingness to modify training to keep the door open to an agreement on the nuclear disarmament of North Korea should not be mistaken for a lack of commitment to advance and defend their shared goals.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo attend a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, where they announced that the two allies were postponing a joint military air force exercise that North Korea has habitually criticized as provocative. AP-Yonhap
The decision came about a month ahead of a year's end deadline set by North Korea on the denuclearization negotiations, and after working-level talks in early October ended unsuccessfully.
Earlier this month, Seoul and Washington had planned to replace the massive Vigilant Ace winter joint air force exercise with a scaled down drill as happened last year and to conduct it later. However, a critical North said changing the name of the exercise was not as same as abolishing it.
The U.S. also called for its allies and partner countries' commitment in enforcing United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear and weapons development.
"We have yet to see concrete progress in the disposal of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles. In these circumstances, as the defense authorities of Japan, the U.S. and the ROK, what we need to do is to continue to promote trilateral defense cooperation, and to make every effort in order to maintain peace and stability in the region," Kono said ahead of the three-way meeting.
"I expect to have informative discussions today not only to make step forwards in trilateral cooperation for the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions in a complete manner, but also in order to maintain readiness for any future actions taken by North Korea."
The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners to promote more practical defense cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The U.S. has been beefing up its Indo-Pacific policy, with the U.S. Department of State releasing a report titled "A Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Advancing a Shared Vision" earlier this month.
U.S. officials were on a trip to Asian countries including South Korea and Japan where they asked their allies to play a bigger role in enhancing regional security and pay more in defense cost-sharing with the U.S.
"Through today's trilateral meeting, I hope to have honest talks with the two defense chiefs over our joint efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia," Jeong said, ahead of the three-way meeting. "I hope our current relationships can be improved based on shared values and security interests among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan."
Regarding the GSOMIA that is due to end Nov. 22, no compromise deal emerged with South Korea and Japan failing to narrow their differences.
Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, right, and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono hold a bilateral meeting Sunday, on the sidelines of the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, held at the Avani Plus Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Yonhap
"The Japanese side wants to keep the GSOMIA but as I have been telling people in South Korea, the government was set to renew the pact up until June. However, it had to make the decision to terminate it after Japan imposed trade restrictions against South Korea and removed it from its whitelist of countries receiving preferential trade treatment," Jeong told South Korean reporters right after his meeting with Kono.
Kono told Japanese reporters in a separate briefing, that he asked South Korea to "make a wise decision."
The GSOMIA is not just about bilateral security cooperation between South Korea and Japan but also involves the U.S. which uses the trilateral security cooperation treaty in its regional deterrence policy against China, North Korea and Russia.
Tokyo's trade actions came about after South Korea's Supreme Court ruled last year that some Japanese companies must pay compensation to surviving South Koreans forced to work for them during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula. Seoul saw this as unfair retaliatory moves related to the court rulings, something Tokyo denied citing they were because of "security concerns."
The ending of the GSOMIA would be the latest in a series of conflicts between South Korea and Japan regarding "security cooperation," which have involved the ongoing territorial claims by Tokyo over South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, and confrontations between South Korean warships and Japanese maritime patrol aircraft last December.
damin.jung@koreatimes.co.kr More articles by this reporter
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WikiLeaks Founder Is Released on Bail
December 17, 2010/ Last updated : December 17, 2010 back2basicWikileaks
LONDON — Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was released from jail on $315,000 bail on Thursday, and he vowed in a defiant speech to continue to release classified documents and to fight extradition to Sweden for questioning about accusations of sexual offenses.
After nine days in Wandsworth Prison, Mr. Assange emerged into an explosion of photographers’ flashbulbs and spotlights under the grand arch of the Royal Courts of Justice. “Well, it’s great to feel the fresh air of London again,” he told a cheering crowd.
He closed his brief statement by saying, “I hope to continue my work and continue protesting my innocence in this matter.”
Mr. Assange, looking weary in the dark blue suit and white shirt he has worn through three court appearances over 10 days, left London on Thursday night for Ellingham Hall, a lavish country estate in eastern England, where under the bail conditions he must spend every night and submit to extensive monitoring.
He surrendered to the British authorities on Dec. 7 and was denied bail and sent to jail after a judge reviewing a Swedish extradition request found him to be a flight risk. Mr. Assange described the conditions he encountered in jail as “solitary confinement in the bottom of a Victorian prison,” and his imprisonment appeared to have enhanced his status as a countercultural icon among supporters of his Web site.
Black-and-white photos of Mr. Assange, altered to resemble the image of Che Guevara, are pasted across London. They also appear on placards waved by his supporters.
“Someone is finally fighting the governments,” said Angel Spasov, 30, who was balanced precariously on a crowd-control barrier to catch a glimpse of Mr. Assange outside the courtroom. “He’s exposing their secrets,” he said of a series of releases of confidential American military and diplomatic documents by the WikiLeaks Web site this year. “He’s the man.”
Although the Obama administration has indicated that it is considering whether to bring criminal charges against Mr. Assange for releasing classified documents, Swedish prosecutors maintain that the sexual accusations against him are unrelated to the disclosures. Two women have told Swedish prosecutors that consensual relations with Mr. Assange in Sweden turned nonconsensual, and the prosecutors have characterized the encounters as rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion under Swedish law.
Mr. Assange has said repeatedly that he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
The High Court justice Duncan Ouseley on Thursday rejected the Swedish government’s request that bail be denied, but he imposed restrictive conditions on Mr. Assange. Justice Ouseley said Mr. Assange must wear an electronic tag, abide by a curfew and meet daily with the police.
He will also be restricted to a small area around the 10-bedroom mansion, Ellingham Hall, which is owned by Vaughan Smith, the wealthy founder of a journalists’ club in London. A previous ruling would have allowed Mr. Assange to roam the estate’s expansive grounds with, as Geoffrey Robertson, one of his lawyers, joked, “gamekeepers looking out for him.”
Mr. Assange’s passport was seized when he was arrested last week and it has not been returned.
Though he won his freedom, Mr. Assange’s growing myth — a reputation among supporters, at least, as the Robin Hood of secrets — did not act in his favor during the two-hour court hearing.
Gemma Lindfield, who was representing the Swedish government, urged the court to separate the contentions over the WikiLeaks releases from the sexual accusations. Ms. Lindfield argued that a series of well-known people who have stepped up to support Mr. Assange, including the film directors Ken Loach and Michael Moore and Jemima Khan, a socialite, “do not have a close relationship” with him. Their promises of bail money and other guarantees, she said, were made to support WikiLeaks and were not related to the Swedish accusations.
Justice Ouseley said that Mr. Assange’s supporters might see “absconding as a righteous and justifiable act” if it meant that the work of disclosing secret information could continue. In granting bail he stipulated that two of Mr. Assange’s closest WikiLeaks associates, Joseph Farrell and Sarah Harrison, were required to add financial guarantees to those from the prominent people who had vouched for Mr. Assange.
Outside the court on Thursday, Mr. Assange said that his time in jail had led him to reflect on the cruelty of solitary confinement. In court, he sat impassively through the hearing and did not react when the judge ordered his release.
Mark Stephens, another of his lawyers, said he was “delighted and thrilled” at the decision. But he also returned to a theme that he has often raised in fighting the extradition attempts, saying that the challenge to Mr. Assange’s bail application “evidences part of the continuing vendetta on the part of the Swedes against Julian Assange.”
Mr. Assange has called the accusations of sexual misconduct a “smear campaign.”
“I don’t have too many fears about being extradited to Sweden,” he said Thursday. “There are much bigger concerns about being extradited to the United States.”
His lawyers have suggested that the Swedish case is part of a political conspiracy to silence WikiLeaks. Mr. Stephens said this week in a television interview that the sexual accusations were “nothing more than a holding charge” to make Mr. Assange available to the United States, should prosecutors seek his indictment and extradition for the public disclosure of confidential American diplomatic and military cables.
Mr. Robertson told the court this week that Mr. Assange had denied any sexual wrongdoing “fully, firmly and convincingly” in an interview with the Swedish authorities on Aug. 30.
“If he is so keen to clear his name,” Justice Ouseley said during the hearing on Thursday, “what stops a voluntary return to Sweden?”
Mr. Robertson responded that his client “had a right” to appeal. Later, walking through falling snow on a cold London evening, Mr. Assange was more direct about defying the Swedish prosecutors. “I have enough anger to last me 100 years,” he said. “But I will channel that into my work.”
Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris, and J. David Goodman from New York.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: December 16, 2010
An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the High Court judge who rejected an appeal challenging the granting of bail to Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder. He is Judge Duncan Ouseley, not Ounsley.
They don’t fear the LOIC. They fear the exposure…


NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
January 26, 2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada - Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. ("PEMC" or the "Company") advises that it has filed, and obtained a receipt for, an amended and restated long form prospectus (the "Amended and Restated Prospectus"), which amends its final long form prospectus dated October 23, 2017 related to the previously announced offering (the “Offering”) of units of the Company (the “Units”) for minimum gross proceeds of CDN $1,500,000 and maximum gross proceeds of CDN $2,000,000. Pursuant to the Offering, PEMC will issue units at a price of CDN $0.20 per Unit. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (a “Common Share”) and one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant is exercisable for one Common Share at a price of CDN$0.30, for a period of three years following the closing of the Offering.
The Company is also pleased to announce that it has obtained TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) conditional approval for the listing of its common shares under the symbol PEMC.V. Listing is subject to the Company fulfilling all of the customary requirements of the TSXV. The Company does not intend to apply for listing of the warrants underlying the Units on any securities exchange or for inclusion in any automated quotation system.
In connection with the Offering, the Company has entered into an amended and restated agency agreement with Haywood Securities Inc., acting as lead agent, pursuant to which the agent will offer the Units on a “best efforts” basis.
The Amended and Restated Prospectus has been filed in each of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario pursuant to National Instrument 41-101 General Prospectus Requirements.
The net proceeds of the Offering (the “Net Proceeds”) will be used to fund exploration work on the Company’s Wildcat property in addition to exploration work on the Company’s other projects, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Please see “Use of Proceeds” in the Amended and Restated Prospectus, which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com ), for further details of the use of Net Proceeds.
There can be no assurance that the Offering will be completed. An investment in Units is subject to a number of risks. For more information, potential investors should read the Amended and Restated Prospectus, including the risk factors described in the Amended and Restated Prospectus. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale or acceptance of an offer to buy the Units in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the time a receipt for the Amended and Restated Prospectus or other authorization is obtained from the securities commission or similar authority in such jurisdiction.
No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. This news release is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia) or any other jurisdiction outside Canada. This news release does not constitute or form part of any offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction outside of Canada. The securities offered pursuant to the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. Persons absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. There will be no public offering of securities in the United States.
About Pacific Empire Minerals Corp.
PEMC is an exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that employs the "prospect generator" business model and is currently focused on the acquisition, funding and exploration of its Wildcat Project, which consists of 10 mineral claims covering an area of approximately 5,826 hectares in the Omineca Mining Division of British Columbia.
The Amended and Restated Prospectus containing important information relating to the Units has been filed with securities commissions of each of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. A copy of the Amended and Restated Prospectus is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).
Pacific Empire Minerals Corp.
This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, “forward-looking statements”), which reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by words such as “pro forma”, “plans”, “expects”, “may”, “should”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “potential” or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, the planned completion of the Offering and the terms thereof, the listing of the Company's common shares on the TSXV and the Company's intention to not apply for listing of the warrants underlying the Units on any securities exchange or for inclusion in any automated quotation system. The forward-looking statements in this news release are based on a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions regarding the stability of commodity prices, that general business, economic, capital market, legal and political conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner and that necessary governmental, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange permits or approvals will be obtained in connection with the Offering. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors include, among others, the inability of the Company to implement its business plan and to find suitable partnerships and joint ventures, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, requirements for additional capital, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities and precious metals, lack of investor interest in the Offering, accidents, delays in obtaining governmental, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange permits or approvals, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the timing and possible outcome of any potential litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations.
There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements included in this news release is based only on information currently available to the Company and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release to reflect new circumstances or events.
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Your ID please
So today I went shopping at the local Target store to get some things for our week at our cabin with the family. I decided to get some "Pop Its"- little firecrackers that can be thrown against the pavement and make a popping noise with a little smoke. The clerk asked me for my ID!! Not only that, she had to physically scan my driver's license. Let's take a look at fireworks and firecrackers going into the July 4th holiday. What are restrictions on firecrackers? Here is an article about restrictions in my state of Minnesota and attempts to loosen the restrictions:
"In Minnesota, what are called "novelties" -- sparklers, snakes and small fizzy fountains -- were legalized in 2002. The bigger consumer fireworks, such as bottle rockets, firecrackers and multi-tube skyrockets that blossom at 150 feet, remain illegal, but stubbornly popular. In the Twin Cities area, Wisconsin's thriving border fireworks marketplace is often the source.
Those who deal with the aftermath of fireworks displays gone awry are solidly opposed. Police and fire chiefs associations, burn centers at Regions Hospital and Hennepin County Medical Center, Children's Hospitals and Clinics, the Academy of Ophthalmology, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the League of Minnesota Cities are among the dozens of groups lined up against the proposals.
"It's a recreational toy that does terrible, disastrous damage," Daniel Bernardi, a former deputy state fire marshal who represents Twin Cities burn centers, told a Senate committee."
There was testimony from a man who owns a fireworks company. Of course, we can follow the money. Where there's money to be made, public safety be damned. This man, along with some legislators, did not consider the expansion of fireworks sales to be a problem. But others did:
Dan Winkel, the Andover fire chief and an official of the Minnesota Fire Chiefs Association is unmoved by Kriesel's arguments. He says fireworks have been responsible for several major grass fires in recent years, and the number of fireworks-related injuries tripled in the year after the 2002 law was passed. "We continue to oppose any and all expansion of fireworks, in that they will cause more injuries and fires that we will have to respond to," he told a Senate committee.
William Mohr, medical director of the Burn Center at Regions Hospital, said the number of burn injuries from fireworks is directly related to the availability of the product. "I don't think you can possibly put an economic value on either the catastrophic injury or mortality as a result of these devices," he told legislators.
"Eleven-year-old kids who lose their eye ... that's what I want you to think about, when you're trying to decide if we can get a little more income from surrounding states off fireworks sales."
Whew. Thankfully Governor Dayton vetoed this bill too. ( He also vetoed the Shoot First bill in this legislative session. ) In doing a little research, I found out that even "Pop Its" can cause some injuries so need to be used carefully. I will be sure to do so. You can see here that deaths and injuries from fireworks don't show up on the top 10 leading causes of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Deaths from homicides and suicides do, though and most of those come from firearms. Let's check this article so find out how many deaths and injuries occur from fireworks. From the article:
CPSC staff has reports of two fireworks-related deaths during 2009. Both fatalities involved aerial shells. In the first incident, a 41 year-old male was killed in an explosion of a professional display mortar shell that he lit in his backyard. In the second incident, a 26 year-old male lit a consumer grade mortar shell that was in a launching tube that he held over his head. The shell discharged from the bottom of the tube resulting in a skull fracture. CPSC staff has reports of seven fireworks-related deaths in 2008. Reporting is not complete for either year and the actual number of deaths may be higher.
• Fireworks were involved in an estimated 8,800 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments during calendar year 2009 (95 percent confidence interval 6,800 – 10,800). CPSC staff estimated that there were 7,000 fireworks-related injuries during 2008.
• An estimated 5,900 fireworks-related injuries (or 67 percent of the total fireworks-related injuries) were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments during the one-month special study period between June 19, 2009 and July 19, 2009 (95 percent confidence interval 4,200 – 7,600). CPSC staff estimated that there were 5,000 fireworks-related injuries during the 2008 special study period.
So there were 2 deaths from fireworks in 2009 and 8800 injuries in the U.S. I remind my readers that firearms take the lives of 30,000 Americans every year ( including 8 children a day) and another 70,000 injuries costing the country billions of dollars. And yet, I needed to produce my driver's license to buy 2 boxes of "Pop Its" today! There is widespread recognition that fireworks and firecrackers can be and are dangerous. Guns? Not so much. I should say that most people understand the dangers of guns but the NRA and its' minions won't allow any common sense laws to pass to prevent deaths and injuries. I also remind my readers that private sellers of firearms are supposed to ask for a driver's license but many do not. In hidden camera video after hidden camera video, we have the proof that many people buy guns without producing one piece of identification. Here is just one of the latest exposés about how easy it is to buy guns, no questions asked. It's easier to buy a gun than it is to buy fireworks. And fireworks cause a very small number of deaths and injuries to Americans in a given year. Where is common sense?
I wish all of my readers a very good Fourth of July celebration. Stay safe out there. And don't celebrate by shooting your gun into the air. I have a friend, Joe Jaskolka, whose life was forever changed when a bullet from celebratory gunfire landed in his brain while he was celebrating New Year's Eve in 1998 in Philadelphia:
He was 11 years old. Now 24, he is paralyzed on the right side of his body and face and has undergone nearly 55 surgeries to his brain and eyes.
“He’s in a wheelchair…doesn’t have to be. Doesn’t have to be,” says his father, Gregory.
I will be taking a few days away from my blog while spending some family time at our cabin. I know that gun deaths and injuries will not take a vacation and I will have plenty to write about when I post again.
vention, Open Carry, celebratory gun fire, fireworks, gun show loophole, hidden camera investigation of gun sales, injuries from fireworks, Joe Jaskolka, Minnesota gun laws, Shoot First
Baldr Odinson July 2, 2012 at 7:23 PM
Here in Oregon, you aren't allowed to possess or fire a wide range of fireworks, particularly any that fly, like bottle rockets or Roman candles. "Fountain" fireworks have to be under a certain size. The concern is that people will be hit and injured by them or that they can start fires.
While those may be legitimate concerns, it is at odds with the lack of concern over something FAR more deadly to innocents: firearms. Here in Oregon, you can buy any gun from anyone in a private sale with no background check, ID, paperwork, or questions of any kind. I have yet to hear of anyone being killed from fireworks here in the last few years. People die from firearms all the time, though.
Baldr Odinson July 3, 2012 at 2:16 AM
My blog post on the dangers of celebratory gunfire, all too common on the 4th of July and New Year's Eve: http://newtrajectory.blogspot.com/2012/07/celebratory-gunfire-kills-keep-your.html
molonlabe July 3, 2012 at 8:53 AM
I just read my copy of the COTUS and nowhere am I finding where the inalienable right of the people to keep and bear fireworks is protected by the BOR.
I'm being sarcastic, of course. But again, this highlights the entire failure of the anti-gun argument. You're comparing a privilege to a right. Inconvenient for your side, yes. But a right none the less. The anti-violence movement would be much better served if they finally acknowledged this fact instead of staying the current course which attempts to link anecdotal scenarios as representative of the entire gun owning populace. Well, that and the smear campaign against the NRA. Here's a hint.....it's not working.
You state that gun owners don't care about the violence. Another misinformed and agenda-driven position. As a gun owner, i certainly do have a vested interest in seeing violence reduced, ESPECIALLY violence with firearms, because I don't want to be generalized as a contributor to this violence. The difference is that when you cut through the anecdotes, you realize that the vast majority of gun violence is perpetuated by criminals, gangs, repeat offenders, violent individuals not properly punished with lengthy mandatory sentences, and suicides. So gun owners are left scratching their heads as to why the anti-gun movement is so hell-bent on demonizing us rather than addressing the real problems and major contributors to violence.
There's plenty of room for compromise because I believe that the vast majority of gun owners are moderate thinking individuals and not the extremist neanderthal racist baby-killers the anti-gun movement wishes we were. But when the foundation of your position is built on the premise that the 2nd Amendment doesn't mean what it actually says, and is not a right which should garner protection equal to the rest, you're not going to find too many people who are willing to meet you half way.
japete July 3, 2012 at 10:12 AM
You have just contributed to the problem. You assert that the foundation of my position is built on the premise that the 2nd Amendment doesn't mean what it actually says. Where do you find that in what I have said? You can't and you won't because it simply isn't true. Did I say it was not a right? NO! You are wrong and have therefore perpetuated the problem. We can meet halfway all right, but not if you are lying about my position. In addition, you are wrong about the majority of gun deaths due to criminals. That is not true. The majority of gun deaths, first of all, are suicides. Easy access to guns make that a whole lot easier. I have gone around on this blog about that but you are new to commenting so may have missed something. Secondly, it is actually people who know each other who commit most of the gun murders- over 50%. Some of these could be gangs. But most of the murders are not random murders by criminals on the streets. You are just wrong. In fact, check out the "Shoot First" blog and "Kid Shootings" blog for how often "law abiding gun owners" shoot people by accident or kids get their hands on guns to shoot themselves or others. So if we can deal in facts, I think we will get some place. I agree with you that most gun owners are law abiding and don't intend harm. But unfortunately they do. As for criminals, I think we can all agree that we should stop them from getting their guns. But the NRA doesn't want to. And that is a fact that can't be denied. Law abiding citizens shouldn't be worried about universal background checks if they can pass one. That does nothing to take away anyone's rights to own a gun. So?
molonlabe July 3, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Do you support Chicago's gun ban in the city? Did you support DC's gun ban pre- Heller? Do you support restrictions on firearms based on cosmetic features? Do you support the denial of a COTUS right based on being 'suspected' of terrorism? Do you support restrictions on firearm ownership based on geographical location/residence of an individual? Do support restrictions on concealed carry? Open carry? Do you support mandatory storage laws? Do you support mandatory trigger locks? Do you support a ban on semi-automatic weapons? Do you support regulation based on caliber? Do you support confiscation of firearms in times of declared emergency? Do you support 'may-issue' over 'shall-issue'? Do you believe that gun policy should be determined as a public health issue?
You can't, with a straight face, tell me that you truly believe that the 2A means what is says, while supporting a majority, if not, all of the aforementioned.
When you choose to ignore the constitutionality of the same laws you support and instead, argue based on emotionalism and anecdotal evidence and routinely imply that gun owners are some sort of fringe outfit, you're not going to elicit any willingness to compromise.
japete July 3, 2012 at 1:23 PM
You really ought to read the Second Amendment. It says nothing about any of the things you suggested. The Court determined that the Chicago gun ban was not Constitutional. So be it. That doesn't mean just anyone can have any gun they want or to carry just anywhere. Remember when it was written? None of the weapons you guys love were available or manufactured. Life changes. The second amendment does not mean what you say it means either. Find in the amendment where it enumerates what you mentioned above.
molonlabe July 3, 2012 at 1:48 PM
If you and I were playing poker, I'd say that I just saw your 'tell.'
Heller defined 'guns in common use of the time.' That would include just about all the ones you guys want to see banned. Using the argument that none of the firearms of today were around when the 2A was written is the first indication that you have a problem with the 2A and more specifically, as defined in the Heller decision.
And 'so be it' is an admission of defeat and having to deal with the decision rather than supporting the logical conclusion that a gun ban is unconstitutional. Would you oppose a decision which upheld a ban on handguns in Chicago if that had been the case?
And you really ought to read my post. I never implied that i disagreed with any reasonable restrictions. I support prohibiting certain individuals from exercising the right. Perhaps some 'sensitive areas' although they would be a lot more limited in scope than what is currently considered a sensitive area. And I'd even go for mandatory background checks, although i disagree that the scourage of violence is from me and my friend/family member bartering in arms behind closed doors. What are YOU willing to compromise on?
The point you're missing is that there's going to be no compromise because the anti-gun camp has not acknowledged the 2A for what it means. Not only that, but aside from the oft debunked Kellerman 'study', you can't support your position statistically without manipulating the data.
I do have to thank you for posting 3 of my posts in a row without moderation, though. that is by far a personal record for me.
Up til now, the pro gun side has compromise on nothing.
anthony July 3, 2012 at 7:44 PM
I thought the NCIC was a compromise? Just to name one.
Are you serious? Good grief. If we can't even stop criminals, domestic abusers, dangerously mentally ill people and others from buying guns at FFLs, we are in serious trouble. They can get guns anyway from unlicensed dealers as part of the NICS. Was that your compromise? You guys are crazy if you think NICS was a compromise. It was necessary for public safety. Try something else.That one doesn't fly.
How many people were injured/killed from negligent use of fireworks this year?
You'd define it as a problem with fireworks. I'd define it as a problem with the way individuals are using them.
japete July 9, 2012 at 9:33 AM
Why don't you Google it and find out for yourself?
dog gone July 3, 2012 at 12:13 PM
This post is an excellent example where some people want something, and they ignore anything and everything to the contrary, regardless of the evidence, regardless of the expert opinion, and regardless of any logic.
The "I want it, so I'm going to get it" mentality is a strong part of the gun culture, and anyone else's safety --- or their own - be damned.
That is not the premise of sound policy, not for public safety, not for public health, not for national defense.
dog gone July 4, 2012 at 8:19 AM
I would actually consider making the sale of fireworks legal in Minnesota if we taxed heck out of it, AND if we made it legal ONLY to buy fireworks made in the U.S. -- and if we could get the other states in the region to support that too.
$231.8 million: Value of U.S. manufacturers' shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics (including flares, igniters, etc.) in 2007.
$232.3 million: Value of fireworks imported from China in 2011, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported. U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $15.8 million in 2011, with Australia purchasing more than any other country ($4.5 million).
If we limit the lega fireworks to American made fireworks, we would have a greater amount of control over safety and quality, AND we would be reducing our trade imbalance and creating U.S. jobs.
Otherwise.........all these foreign made fireworks, heck -- they're not only dangerous.........THEY ARE DOAWNRIGHT UNAMERICAN!!!!!
Ok, so China invented fireworks a very long time ago -- time to live in the 21st century! Happy 4th Japete, common gunsense readers!
JimF July 5, 2012 at 3:18 PM
I believe if you tried to pass a law such as that you would have a problem with the WTO when China files an unfair trade policy lawsuit against us.
Unfortunately, someone was shot in the head with a celebratory bullet last night. http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/Stray-bullet-hits-woman-in-head-at-Lansing-fireworks-show#ixzz1zmw5qF9D
And another- http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2012/jul/05/10/stray-bullet-injures-man-during-safety-harbor-fire-ar-424104/
And now I must report on another bullet fired in celebration- http://www.myfoxal.com/story/18966975/officer-struck-by-gunfire-during-fourth-of-july-celebration- this time hitting a Texas police officer


History of the Merchant Navy
david.a.parsons@btinternet.com
Days Of Sail
Ships and Shipping
Red Ensign – Wikipedia
THE MNA
Posted on 11th February 2016 Posted in J. P. Corry & Co
James P Corry & Co. was founded by Robert Corry who was born in County Down, Northern Ireland in 1800. By 1826 he had established a timber importing business from Canada and in that year purchased his first sailing vessel, the 325grt Chieftan, followed, in 1840, by the 198grt Summerhill. In 1843 he became the owner of the 1433grt Queen of the West as a result of unconventional circumstances. Built in New York for Woodhall & Minturn Ltd of Liverpool she stranded during a gale near Carrickfergus in Ireland. Robert Corry purchased the ship together with her cargo of American cotton and by selling the cargo cleared his costs and had the ship repaired. She continued to serve under the Corry flag until 1875.
In 1851 Robert’s son William joined the company which had become Corry & Co. and in that year the 1132grt Persian joined the fleet. This was followed, in 1852, by the 519grt barque Alabama , which was built in St. John’s, Nova Scotia, and the ship rigged Saint Helena, 811grt, which was also built in Canada. Because of his contacts in Canada Robert Corry tended to have his ships built there. Timber was plentiful and, providing the building cost was favourable, it was more economic to construct wooden hulled ships in Canada. When completed the ships would load timber and undertake a profitable maiden voyage across the North Atlantic to Great Britain. Under this policy the 1060grt Charger was built at New Brunswick in 1856.
In 1859 the company extended its operations to India by deploying the Charger on the Calcutta route to exploit the jute trade. The expansion into the India trade led to the eventual transfer of the shipowning activities of the company from Belfast to London. By this time shipowners in general were becoming interested in íron hulled ships as they were less vulnerable to ‘hull rot’ and, consequently, a fleet replacement programme was initiated.
The Corry’s went to Harland & Wolff in Belfast in 1860 and commissioned the first of twelve almost identical ships, eleven of which were given names prefixed by Star of… setting the precedent for future ship naming and the birth of the Star Line. The Jane Porter, named after the wife of William Corry, was the first sailing ship built at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast yard. The first of the ‘Star’s’, the Star of Erin, was built in 1862 and, thereafter, the Corry sailing ships became famous for their splendid condition and elegance. In 1874 the company’s largest sailing ship, the 1981grt Star of Russia, entered service. Not only were the ships prefixed with ‘Star of…’ they were, with one or two exceptions, named after countries.
James P.Corry was created baronet in 1885 and thereafter spend most of his time looking after the Belfast timber trade. In the following the company took delivery of their last sailing ship the Star of Austria which was built by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast, a shipbuilder with whom a close relationship evolved as they were both interested in the development of refrigerated cargo spaces.
In 1887 the company took delivery of their first steamship, the Star of Victoria, named in celebration of Queen Victoria’s 50th year on the throne, quickly followed by the Star of England. Hitherto, the company’s sailing ships were their proudest achievements but the introduction of these two vessels was to herald the beginning of even greater achievements in the frozen meat trade. However, on completion the ships were deployed on the India jute run. By this time founder Robert Corry’s grandson, James P. Corry, was chairman of the the company which had become James P. Corry & Co. Ltd.
In 1889 G.D. Tyser & Co. chartered the two steamships for their Colonial & Union Co. service to New Zealand and had refrigeration plants installed. The management of Corry’s recognised the potential and after six voyages they paid Tyser’s for the cost of the refrigeration plant and continued to work with them on a commission basis. In the same year Alexander McDonald, a former employee of Workman, Clark & Co., joined the company to advise on the refrigeration aspect of all Corry’s future pre- Commonwealth & Dominion buildings which were to be constructed by Workman, Clark.
The company moved to larger premises at 9-11 Fenchurch Street, London in 1891 and during that year Sir James Corry died. He was succeeded as Chairman by his son Sir William Corry Bt and from thereon shipping became the company’s prinicipal business.
In 1898 the Star of Bengal, the Star of Russia and the Star of Italy were sold bringing to an end the company’s deployment of sailing ships. It was the management’s intention to enter the Argentinian frozen meat trade and with this in mind the Star of Ireland was built in 1903. She was smaller than other vessels in the fleet and was soon joined by the older Star of New Zealand in order to operate a two ship service on the run to the River Plate.
In 1912 in conjunction with Thomas B. Royden & Co. and G.D. Tyser & Co. agreement was reached with the Government of the State of Victoria to carry emigrants to Melbourne. Five ships were earmarked for the service with Corry’s providing two, Tyser’s providing two and Roydens’s one. Corry’s had two larger ships delivered in 1914, the Star of Victoria (2)and the Star of England (2) each capable of carrying 1000 emigrants and with three quarters of their cargo space equipped with refrigeration plants.
On 23rd January 1914 J.P. Corry’s Star Line, Thos. B. Royden’s Indra Line, Tyser & Co. and Wm. Milburn’s Anglo-Australian S.N. Co. incorporated the Commonwealth & Dominion Line which was later to become Port Line in 1937.
The history of James P Corry & Co. and its’ ships has been extracted from
Merchant Fleets 21: Port Line by Duncan Haws
to whom we extend our grateful thanks.
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JANE PORTER was built in1860 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 953grt, a length of 200ft and a beam of 32ft. Ship rigged she was the first sailing ship built by Harland & Wolff and named after the wife of William Corry. Jane Porter was a member of the well known Porter family who were leading owners in Belfast and later became equally well known as Iredale & Porter of Liverpool. On completion the ship was placed on the London to Calcutta service via the Cape and in 1871 made her best outward passage time of 93 days. After 29 years service she was sold to Wm. Ross & Co. in 1889 and reduced to a barque rig. In 1890 she was sold to H. Burmester of Hamburg and renamed Nanny. On 1st June 1905 during a voyage from Bombay to East London she was wrecked on the Natal coast.
STAR OF ERIN was built in1862 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 949grt, a length of 200ft and a beam of 32ft. Sister of the Jane Porter she was the first Corry vessel to bear a Star name and set the precedent for naming the ships after countries, Erin being the poetic name for Ireland. She was similarly placed on the London to Calcutta run and made her best outward passage time of 80 days in 1873. In 1889 she was sold to Park Bros. of London, retaining her name, and three years later, in February 1892, she was wrecked on the lee shore in the Forveaux Straits, New Zealand.
STAR OF DENMARK was built in1863 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 988grt, a length of 213ft 2in and a beam of 32ft. She was the first of three ships which were slightly longer than the previous two with a corresponding increase in tonnage. In 1872, having ridden out a cyclone in Saugor Road, she sprang a leak off Madagasgar during her homeward passage from Calcutta and began taking water. In position 20 08S 1.08W, 74 days out from Calcutta, she was spoken to by Marshall’s Berkshire but declined assistance. By this time she had taken in over 10ft of water in the holds and was down at the stern. With each rise of the swell her forefoot came out of the sea which made steering difficult but she eventually reached London unaided. In 1877 she made her best passage outward to Calcutta in 96 days. She was sold to F.M. Tucker of London in 1889 and by 1891 was owned by Hine Bros. of Workington with the name Denton Holme and eventually became a total constructive loss.
STAR OF SCOTIA was built in 1864 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 999grt, a length of 212ft and a beam of 32ft 1in. She completed her best passage time to Calcutta of 90 days in 1873. In January 1885 during a passage from Cardiff to Colombo with a cargo of coal she was swept by a heavy sea off Cape Cornwall, the only Cape in England, carrying away the watchkeeping crew, the compass and the binnacle. On 27th April 1887 she left San Francisco on a voyage to Queenstown and London and on 27th June was wrecked on Bull Point, Falkland Islands with the loss of seven lives.
STAR OF ALBION was built in 1864 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 999grt, a length of 214ft and a beam of 32ft 1in. She completed her best passage time to Calcutta of 83days in 1876. On 29th September 1886 the ship had arrived in the Hooghli Delta with a cargo of coal. Having encountered storm clouds for several days it had not been possible to obtain a position fix and the ship inadvertently sailed to the west of Long Sands. She put about hoping to see the pilot brig which should have been on the east side but she was lost when she grounded as she crossed the shallows. In a subsequent enquiry the master was deemed to have hazarded his ship and had his certificate suspended for six months.
STAR OF PERSIA was built in 1868 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1289grt, a length of 227ft and a beam of 35ft. The first of three larger ships built for the Calcutta run she was faster than anything built hitherto and completed her best time of 79 day to Calcutta in 1876. With a usual cargo of 1850 tons of coal outward and jute on the return she achieved this time on several occasions and was known for her regularity. Much of her success was due to the skill of the master than to the quality of the ship. Once the master knew how to handle the ship in every kind of weather regular passage times were the norm and for that reason owners normally required masters to stay with the same ship for as long as possible. It was not uncommon to complete an entire seagoing career on one ship which was turned into a home often shared with a wife. For example, Capt. J. Smith served on only two Corry ships as master in 29 years. In 1893 the Star of Persia was sold to C.M. Matzen of Hamburg and renamed Edith for their Zanzibar – South America – Portland, Oregon run. She was lost in 1903 when she sprang a leak northwest of New Caledonia during a voyage from Puget Sound, Washington to Port Pirie, South Australia and grounded on the Solomon islands.
STAR OF GREECE was built in 1868 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1289grt, a length of 227ft and a beam of 35ft. The second of the trio she was, again, a fast ship regularly making passages from London to Calcutta via the Cape in 79 days. Although a ‘wet ship’ in a seaway, leisurely shaking herself free of water after dipping her bow into a wave, she created the record time for the round voyage to Calcutta in 5 months 27 days, 80 days out, 83 days back with 10 days in Calcutta, a time never bettered by another sailing ship. To record this achievement a brass game cock was mounted on the mainmast truck to signify ‘Cock of the Route’. Another unique feature of the ship was that she always flew a silk Greek ensign, made by and presented to her by the ladies of the Greek community in Calcutta, on the foremast when in port. On 27th August 1883 she was drenched in ash when the volcanic island of Krakatoa exploded and sailed through a sea of pummice. Although some hundreds of miles away in the Indian Ocean a thunderous bang was heard and the ship was covered within minutes. In 1885 the ship arrived at Hooghli with her cargo of coal smouldering in the battened down hold. As the ship was being towed into port the master leant over the rail an shouted to the tugmaster ‘Go like hell the bloody ship’s afire’. She came off the India run in 1888 and was sent to Australia. On 12th July she sailed for London out of Adelaide with a cargo of wheat but on the following day in a fierce gale and twenty five miles off course she was wrecked on a reef outside Port Willunga in the Gulf of St. Vincent, South Australia and soon broke in two. Seventeen people including the master and three stowaways drowned with ten people being saved. The master was only 29 and been in command since he was 23; it was his third voyage in her. Although visible from the shore it took the rescue appliances some 14 hours to arrive on the scene by which time it was all over. The wreck was sold for £105, the cargo for £21 and the figure head can still be seen in the Port Adelaide Maritime Museum.
An underwater survey is currently being undertaken on the remains of the ship and aerial photographs of the wreck site can be viewed at http://members.ozemail.com.au/~austerj1/sog.html
STAR OF GERMANY was built in 1872 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1337grt, a length of 232ft and a beam of 35ft. The last of the trio she served on the India service until 1897 when she was sold to Foley, Aikman & Co. of London who were engaged in the same trade. In 1904 she was sold to Star of Germany Ship Co. of Belfast and managed by W.A. Rainford & Co. until the following year when she was again sold to Acties ‘Grid’ with A.Bech of Tvedestrand, Norway as managers and renamed Grid. In October 1906 she was dismasted during hurricane weather off Barbados and turned into a hulk. By 1907 she was one of five old sailing ships being used as hulks at Trinidad and in the 1920’s was still hulked there but not in use.
STAR OF BENGAL was built in 1874 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1870grt, a length of 262ft 10in and a beam of 40ft 2in. The first of two larger ships she remained with Corry’s until 1898 when she was sold to J.J. Smith of San Francisco. In 1903 she was sold to E.B. Smith of San Francisco who reduced her to a barque rig. She was sold to Alaska Packers Association of San Francisco and converted into a floating fish cannery without a change of name. The new owner added further ships to his fleet which were also given Star of… names. On 22nd April 1908 she left San Francisco for Fort Wrangel, Alaska where salmon commenced. She left Fort Wrangel on 19th September with 50,000 cases of salmon, a crew of 36 and 110 cannery staff under the tow of two towing steamers the Hattie Gage and the Kayak. At 03.50 on 20th September the ship was too close to land and drifting onto Coronation Island. Although crew members on the ship shouted to the towing vessels to steam to starboard they took no notice and as the weather was rapidly deteriorating into a gale they slipped the tow for fear of being dragged ashore. The Star of Bengal dropped her anchors but they dragged and at daybreak four volunteers lowered a lifeboat in an attempt to get a line ashore and rig a breeches buoy. They just managed to jump ashore as the lifeboat was smashed on the rocks but failed to get the breeches buoy rigged. At 09.32 the ship hit the rocks broadside on bringing down the masts. Those still on board the ship were washed overboard by the raging seas, many reaching the breakers but being killed by the swirling wreckage. During the 54 minutes following the stranding 110 persons drowned.
STAR OF RUSSIA was built in 1874 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1981grt, a length of 275ft and a beam of 40ft 2in. When launched on 12th December 1874 she was Corry’s largest sailing ship being marginally larger than her sister the Star of Bengal. Her maiden voyage from London to Melbourne which commenced on 25th April 1875 was completed in 81 days. In 1881 she carried the owner Sir William Corry to Australia. During a gale in 1885 the captain was aroused by a frantic ringing of the ship’s bell. On reaching the deck he found only the helmsman; the mate and the other watchkeepers had been swept overboard while handling the head sails. In 1886, although being nearly overwhelmed during a fierce gale, she made her fastest passage from Lizard Point to Calcutta in 74 days. She was sold to Shaw, Saville & Albion and then to J.J. Moore of San Francisco in 1898 and sailed under the Hawaiian flag shortly before the island was annexed to the USA. By 1901 she was owned by the Alaska Packers Association of San Francisco and was, in fact, the ship which set the precedent for prefixing their ship’s names with ‘Star of’. She made her final voyage from Tacoma to Samoa and the New Hebrides with a cargo of timber in 1926 before being converted into a warehouse by Burns, Philp at Apia, Samoa and renamed La Perouse. She was later moved to Noumea and served as a coal barge. In 1929 she had been moved to Sydney where Sir James Corry went aboard the hulk and found that her hull was still good although nothing else was. She eventually finished up in Port Vila Harbour, Vanuatu, where, stripped of her fine fittings, she was used as a floating warehouse. Sometime later she sank in 35 metres of water just to the north west of the main wharf where she still remains as an attraction to scuba divers.
(Photo: Steve W Lawson)
STAR OF ITALY was built in 1877 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1644grt, a length of 257ft 1in and a beam of 38ft. With her sister the Star of France she was a tall ship and shared the honour of being the fastest ship in the fleet. Her fastest passage to Calcutta was completed in 77 days during which she snapped nine deck beams. In 1892 she sailed from Cardiff to San Diego with a cargo of coal in 116 days. She was sold to J.J. Moore of San Francisco in 1898 and by 1903 was owned by Pope & Talbot of San Francisco and operated by the California Shipping Co. The following year she was sold to Puget Sound Commercial Co. of Port Townsend, Washington State and in 1906 was purchased by the Alaska Packers Association of San Francisco. In 1927 she was sold to Darling-Singer Shipping & Lighterage Co. of San Francisco and by 1935 she was being used as a hulk at Buenaventura in Columbia where all trace of her was lost.
STAR OF FRANCE was built in 1877 by Harland &Wolff & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1644grt, a length of 258ft and a beam of 38ft. The last sailing ship built for Corry’s by Harland & Wolff she was probably their consistently faster ship. Although she held no records her passage times were usually one or two days faster than any other ship in the fleet. In 1899 she was sold to J.J. Moore & Co. of San Franciso, then, in 1903 to Pope & Talbot of San Francisco. In the following year she was sold to the Puget Sound Commercial Co. of Port Townsend and by 1905 was under the ownership of the Alaska packers Association. She was being used to train Sea Scouts at San Francisco in 1928 and in 1932 was sold to Louis Rothenburg of Los Angeles. In 1933 she was re-sold to Capt. J.M. Andersen for use as a fishing barge but was much neglected. She was eventually moored off San Pedro breakwater where she remained until September 1940 when, in thick fog, she was rammed by a Japanese steamship and sank.
STAR OF AUSTRIA was built in 1886 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 1781grt, a length of 264ft 8in and a beam of 38ft 8in. The last sailing ship with the same basic specification as the Star of Italy she was the first ship built by that yard for Corry’s and was fitted with patent bulwark thwarts which remained shut when hit by the sea but opened to release water on the deck. In 1895 during a voyage from Santa Rosalia to Swansea with a cargo of copper ore she disappeared whilst rounding Cape Horn.
STAR OF VICTORIA (1) was built in 1886 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 3291grt, a length of 361ft 8in, a beam of 42ft 8in and a service speed of 10 knots. Corry’s first steamship she was delivered in January 1887 and began service on charter to India. In 1889 she was chartered to the Colonial Union Company, with Tyser & Co. as agents, for service to New Zealand with refrigeration plant and cork insulated holds having been installed by the agent at their cost. The cost of the refrigeration plant was reimbursed to Tyser’s by Corry’s in 1891 when they saw the potential for ships with refrigerated cargo spaces. In 1911 she was sold to Fratelli Cosulich of Trieste and renamed Frigida. Operated by Austro-Americana S.A. she was the first frozen meat ship in their fleet. On 18th December 1911 she was transferred to a new company, Societa Importazioni Carne Congelate. In October 1913 she was sold to Nicholas Mihanovich who were owned by Soc.Anonyme de Nav. Sud-Atlantica of Buenos Aires and renamed Moinho Fluminense. In early 1917 she was owned by Cia des Chemins de Fer Paris-Lyons with the name Marseille and later in the year was sold to Cie Nationale dÁffretements of Le Havre. She was finally broken up in 1919.
STAR OF ENGLAND (1) was built in 1889 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 3584grt, a length of 371ft 10in, a beam of 44ft 2in and a service speed of 10 knots. A slightly larger version of her sister the Star of Victoria she had a very similar career. She was chartered for one voyage on the India run before being refrigerated by the agents Tyser & Co for operation on the Colonial Union service to New Zealand. In 1891 Corry’s reimbursed Tyser’s for the refrigeration plant and continued to operate the ship on their own account until 1913 when she was sold to T. Gazzolo fu A of Genoa and renamed Purificazione. By 1915 she was owned by Soc.Anon. Liva and in September of that year sprang a leak and was abandoned at sea.
STAR OF NEW ZEALAND was built in 1895 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 4417grt, a length of 393ft 6in, a beam of 46ft 10in and a service speed of 11 knots. By 1902 she was deployed on the South American meat run in conjunction with the Star of Ireland. On 28th November 1915 she was wrecked near Molene, Brest during a voyage from Montevideo to Le Havre with a cargo of meat.
STAR OF AUSTRALIA was built in 1899 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 6179grt, a length of 440ft, a beam of 55ft 1in and a service speed of 12 knots. She entered service in 1899 square rigged on the foremast but this was removed within a year or so. In 1904 she rescued the crew of a Canadian barque that was breaking up in heavy seas during a voyage to South America. During a voyage in 1912 her propeller shaft snapped when she was some 600 miles east of Aden and was left disabled and drifting. Not being equipped with radio with which she could have sent an SOS two officers and four crew members set off for Aden in a lifeboat to seek help. Two days later they managed to contact the Glenlochy (Glen Line) which came to the rescue and towed the Star of Australia to Aden. From there she was towed to England for repairs by a tug owned by the Dutch company Smit. On 23rd January 1914 she was transferred to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line following its incorporation and in April 1916 she was renamed Port Stephens. On 1st August 1918 she was in collision with and sank Hugh Roberts & Son’s North Cambria some 70 miles west of Ushant. During a voyage from Australia and New Zealand to Hull via the Panama Canal in 1920 she took in tow the disabled American steamship Tashmoo and berthed her at Queenstown after experiencing gale force conditions. The salvage award was £9500 which was more than the book value of the Port Stephens at the time. She was eventually broken up in Italy in May 1924.
STAR OF SCOTLAND was built in 1904 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 6230grt, a length of 440ft 3in, a beam of 55ft 1in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister of the Star of Australia she was transferred to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line following its incorporation in 1914 and renamed Port Campbell in 1916. On 7th April 1918 during a voyage from London to New York she was torpedoed by U-53 115 miles south west of Bishop Rock and sank two days later.
STAR OF JAPAN was built in 1906 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 6236grt, a length of 440ft 3in, a beam of 55ft 1in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister of the Star of Australia she was wrecked at Pedro de Galha on the west coast of Africa during a voyage from London to Hawkes Bay with a general cargo without any loss of life.
STAR OF IRELAND was built in 1903 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 4331grt, a length of 380ft, a beam of 48ft 8in and a service speed of 12 knots. She was built specifically for the South American meat trade and virtually an updated version of the Star of Victoria. Although she was refrigerated and as large as some of the other vessels in the fleet she was not transferred to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line and in 1915 was sold to Nelson Steam Navigation Co. of Belfast with H & W Nelson Ltd as managers for use on a similar trade. She was renamed Highland Star by the new company in 1916. In 1927 she was laid up at Dunston-on-Tyne and broken up in 1930 by Thos. W. Ward at Inverkeithing.
STAR OF CANADA was built in 1909 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 7280grt, a length of 470ft 4in, a beam of 58ft 5in and a service speed of 13 knots. When she entered service in October 1909 she was the company’s first twin screwed ship. On 23rd June 1912, during a voyage from New Zealand to London, she was waiting offshore to load meat when a gale blew up causing her to drag her two anchors on the sandy bottom and was wrecked on Kaiti Beach, Gisborne.
STAR OF INDIA was built in 1910 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 7316grt, a length of 470ft 4in, a beam of 58ft 5in and a service speed of 13 knots. Sister of the Star of India she was transferred to the newly incorporated Commonwealth & Dominion Line in 1914 and renamed Port Pirie (3) in May 1916. She remained in service until November 1935 when she was scrapped by Thos. W. Ward at Briton Ferry, South Wales.
STAR OF VICTORIA (2) was built in 1914 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 9152grt, a length of 503ft 4in, a beam of 63ft 4in and a service speed of 13 knots. During her construction there was a shortage of riveters and compressed air rivet clenching was successfully substituted. She was designed for quick conversion into an emigrant carrier and in 1914 was converted to carry 1000 troops. She was completed on 10 January 1914 for J.P.Corry but on 23rd January was transferred to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line and in 1916 was renamed Port Melbourne. In March 1917 she was requisitioned by the Shipping Controller under the Liner Requisition Scheme and immediately re-deployed on the meat run as the carriage of meat had become a priority. In 1919 she reverted to normal commercial trade and the passenger accommodation was reduced to twelve. She had a reputation, as did her sister, for wandering off course and in 1925 was fitted with a gyro compass controlled steering gear which was a new innovation at the time and supposedly cut the passage time from Melbourne to London by two days. In 1929 the management decided that as she was only fifteen years old it was worth the expenditure to re-engine her with Bauer-Wach exhaust turbines which increased fuel efficiency by some 15%-25% and to recover the cost over the following six years. Unfortunately the sudden slump in shipping trade began later that year and by 1931 she was laid up in the River Blackwater. Whilst laid up a fire broke out and the hot plating was doused by crew members and volunteers from other ships until the fire fighting equipment arrived. She was repaired on the Tyne and immediately laid up there. During 1936/7 she was again laid up in the River Blackwater until she returned to the meat run where she remained unscathed for the duration of the Second World War. On 18th May 1948 she arrived at Blyth, Northumberland and was broken up by Hughes, Bolckow.
STAR OF ENGLAND (2) was built in 1914 by Workman, Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 9136grt, a length of 503ft 4in, a beam of 63ft 4in and a service speed of 13 knots. Sister of the Star of Victoria she also had air rivet clenching instead of traditional riveting on the hull. By the time she was completed the Commonwealth & Dominion Line had been incorporated and she entered service under that ownership being renamed Port Sydney in April 1916. She started her career as a troopship and in March 1917 operated under the Liner Requisition Scheme until she was decommissioned in the November and reverted to commercial use. In 1929 she was fitted with Bauer-Wach exhaust turbines. During the Second World War she continued to operate commercially but under government control and made some meat runs to the River Plate for the Royal Mail Line. On 19th December 1948 she arrived at Preston and was broken up by Thos.W.Ward. The woodwork and fittings in her saloon were so nice that they were removed and stored for eventual use in the crew lounge of the Port Sydney (2). (Photo as Port Sydney: Dick Henshaw)
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About Dr Gavin Sacks
Gavin completed his medical training at both Cambridge and Oxford Universities, including a degree in experimental psychology. He then trained further in clinical medicine in Leeds, Glasgow, London and Sydney.
At the same time, scientists were making ground-breaking advances in IVF technology. Gavin wanted to be a part of this medical revolution that was bringing real hope to infertile couples and is now one of Australia's leading IVF specialists.
Dr Gavin Sacks - Fertility and IVF Specialist shared a post.
Sad to hear this news.It is with great sadness we share with you the passing of Dr. Jeffrey Braverman.
Dr. Braverman was the founder and Medical Director at Braverman IVF & Reproductive Immunology with offices in Long Island and Manhattan. Dr. Braverman was honored as the youngest graduate at New York University where he was accepted at the age of 14. He went on to attend Medical School at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan and completed his internship and residency at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York. After completing his residency Dr. Braverman established a private medical practice in Long Island New York.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Braverman had been treating patients with all complications related to Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and has become one of the nation's leading authorities in the field of Reproductive Immunology. He had managed thousands of cycles of IUI and IVF with a large majority of his patients suffering from Recurrent Pregnancy Loss. He has consistently maintained one of the highest success rates despite the complexity of his caseload. Dr. Braverman had gained unequaled experience managing as well as delivering this High-Risk group of patients. In fact, Dr. Braverman had delivered well over 5000 babies in his career. He has been featured with his RPL autoimmune patients on Discovery Channels Baby Story, local TV news stations, and had hosted numerous radio shows on reproductive immunology and fertility.
He assisted and consulted with patients from around the world with problems related to RPL (Recurrent pregnancy loss) He has designed the most complete panel for the diagnosis and management of immune-related pregnancy complications, as well as one of the most comprehensive thrombophilia (blood clotting) panels available. His current office staff has all been part of this practice for at least 20 years and most, longer than that. This has also been one of the most important elements in maintaining excellence and consistency with the highest standard of care.
Dr. Andrea Vidali, who has worked side by side with Dr. Braverman for over 20 years, along with the entire medical and research staff, will continue to provide the excellent standard of care that was the hallmark of Dr. Braverman’s professional career. ... See MoreSee Less
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