Reverend Bob Levy Spelling Game. Bob Levy can’t spell. Game is simple. A caller guesses if Bob can spell the word or if Bob can’t spell the world. The only problem, Sal “The Stockbroker” Governale is in charge of the game and words. However, Sal gets the spelling of the words from Google. Then Sal starts to argue with BabaBooey. Hilarious radio! Order Sirius-XM and get the Howard Stern Show!

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Commonwealth non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have lent their support for a proposal from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for a financial transaction tax (FTT) in support of health and humanitarian projects across the globe. David Hillman, director of Stamp Out Poverty, a global humanitarian non-governmental lobby group, said the proposed tax has the potential to finance several global humanitarian funds that are struggling to reach their targets for delivering service and drugs to achieve their millennium goals.

Speaking at a press conference at the IFC Building C, at the media centre of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) yesterday, Hillman urged Commonwealth leaders to support the financial transaction tax, including a currency transaction levy for health. Hillman said the foreign exchange market amounts to trillions of US dollars daily and exacting a tax of less than half of one per cent will be unnoticed by traders, yet make a significant difference to the standard of life for disadvantaged and poor people worldwide. He said a 0.05 per cent tax could easily raise US$20 billion annually for these special projects. Other speakers included Dr John Foster of the North South Institute (Canada) and Basil Williams, director HIV and Aids Alliance Caribbean.

Tax to benefit poor
Hillman said key benefactors of the funds will be UNAids and several related funds seeking to deliver medication, food and humanitarian relief for poor and disadvantaged countries. “This is a very exciting time for us, with the breakthrough two weeks ago with the British Prime Minister and the United Kingdom government openly coming out in support of the financial transaction tax after years of extensive lobbying from civil society and NGO groups. “It has recently come to our attention that indications from Number 10 Downing Street—the Prime Minister’s Office—that they are proposing to use 50 per cent of the revenues to help pay for bank bailouts, while the other half will be split between international development funds and projects dealing with delivering healthcare and climate change. “These are extraordinary times, the issue of FTTs or a currency transaction levy (CTL)—sometimes referred in the media as a Tobin tax—was not being discussed seriously by world leaders a year ago,” Hillman said. “Due to the recent financial crisis, governments are no longer prepared to fall back to the ‘so-called’ wisdom of banks, and there seem to be an end to ‘no-go’ areas, such as taxing currency transactions.”

Fixing the financial system
Hillman said serious questions were being asked about the actions and operations of the international banking system and the attitudes of bank leaders. “The approach was that the banks could get away with this because all of society appear to benefit from their actions, and their ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ attitude— but the financial international system literally became broke, and it needs to be fixed,” he said. “This changing approach by world leaders first manifested itself in the G20 meeting when they tasked the IMF in their recent summit in Pittsburgh to explore options for the financial sector to pay for its own bail out. This opened the discussion and we are pleased that these issues are being dealt with. “Finally, this subject can now be discussed and moved on in a way not possible before,” Hillman said. “The truth is, taxing financial transactions are normal, commonplace and technically simple because the market is electronic and automated, and a simple change in computer code can set aside the funds for collection.”

By PETER D NEPTUNE

Source: http://guardian.co.tt/business/business/2009/11/27/support-uk-s-proposed-global-forex-trade-tax

A controversial new £6 tax on telephone lines to fund the introduction of superfast broadband internet will leave nearly two million households paying up to three times the levy initially proposed by ministers, according to leaked government documents seen by The Times.

The plans, drawn up by Revenue & Customs, show that ministers will tax households with more than one phone line — of which there are more than 1.7 million — for each line they rent, and will also levy VAT on the charge.MBT  

Families with one telephone connection, a separate line for broadband and another for a fax would end up paying £21.15 a year, instead of the originally announced £6. The Finance Bill, to be published early next year, will contain the plans for the 50p a month tax, which ministers hope will raise up to £175 million a year to fund superfast broadband connections for rural areas.

When the plans were announced in June it was assumed that the charge would be levied on each household only once.

The document, leaked to the Conservatives, shows that the Treasury stands to gain a further £30 million annual windfall, because ministers have decided to charge VAT on top of the new levy, essentially creating a tax upon a tax. They have also opted to widen the charge to also tax high-speed fibre-optic connections, and not only the standard copper lines. Mbt trainers

Internet service providers (ISPs), which have warned that the extra fees will drive 100,000 homes off broadband, are furious about the plans. Carphone Warehouse, the second-largest ISP, said that the plans “add insult to injury for consumers”. A spokesman said: “The original 50p a month tax is regressive and unfair. On top of all this now the Treasury will steal yet more off homes in VAT.”

Telecoms companies are also angry that the plans will encourage them not to separate the tax on itemised bills, which they claim is an attempt by the Government to hoodwink consumers into thinking that the new charge has come from their phone supplier.

The document states: “There will be no requirement on owners or retailers to show the duty separately on their billing to end users. This is to prevent costly systems changes for line owners that might arise from having to account for the tax on individual invoices.”

The Conservatives have already said that if they win the general election they will scrap the plans. Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “This Government is simply unable to level with the public. This tax hasn’t even been implemented, yet they are already looking to triple it. How can they possibly square a commitment to universal broadband access if they are massively hiking the prices consumers will have to pay for it?”discount Mbt shoes

Many businesses have multiple phone lines and will also be hit by the charge. The CBI said that the Government must come clean on the full extent of the plans.

Sara Draper, head of knowledge economy at the CBI, said: “Businesses will benefit from next-generation digital infrastructure and they are up for paying their fair share. But the costs must be kept proportionate, and so the Government needs to clarify exactly how the charges will apply to individual businesses with multiple lines.”

A spokesman for Sky, another ISP, said: “This is a question of basic fairness. A telephone licence fee will penalise the less well-off so that faster, premium-priced broadband services are available to an unknown number of people in rural areas who both want and can afford them. This is not a good basis for a universal tax.” Mbt Sport

A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on the contents of leaked documents. It is vital for jobs and growth that Britain has a world-class digital infrastructure. Next-generation broadband brings a range of innovative services and applications with wide business, health and social benefits.

“We want everyone to experience the opportunities that next-generation broadband offers, which is why we plan to introduce a 50p levy on all fixed lines to help the market to access homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas.” Mbt m walk

Indian Railways

The naxalites in India who claim to be voice of poor and oppose administrative “oppression” have shown their real colors once again. At least three passengers were killed and over 47 others injured when eight bogies of the 321 Tata-Bilaspur passenger train derailed after the Maoists terrorists blew up railway tracks on Thursday night at around 9:15PM local time, in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district. The blast comes ahead of a 24-hours statewide strike called by militants to oppose the assembly election in the state.

Three of the bogies, apparently ferrying central armed forces, were badly damaged. The Maoists appeared to have booby-trapped tracks elsewhere too, in a bid to delay the arrival of reinforcements. West Singhbhum district Superintendent of Police, Akhilesh Kumar Jha and other officials who were travelling by a special train to the site, were forced to halt after a blast near another station at 11pm.

Train movement on the busy Howrah-Mumbai route has been affected. Authorities expect the trains bound for western India from Howrah (Kolkata) could be either re-routed or delayed on Friday.

Jharkhand is one of the worst-hit states by naxal terror. Recently the naxalites had beheaded an intelligence officer. Blowing up train tracks, stations and schools is nothing new for these criminals who have been indulging in other activities like collecting “levy” or ransom to fund their operations from small businessmen in the terror zone.

A relief train has reached from Rourkela.

More details are awaited.

Update 1:

The railway authorities tonight announced helpline numbers following the derailment of Tata-Bilaspur passenger train in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district.

The telephone helpline numbers are:

• Chakardharpur: +91-6587-238072
• Rourkela: +91-661-2501072
• Jamshedpur (TataNagar): +91-6572-290324

Source: ibnlive.in.com

NowPublic

It is in your best interest to insist that the estate agent furnishes you with the following information:

1. The rules governing the scheme.
2. The names of the trustees of the Body Corporate and managing agents.
3. The amount of the levy payable in respect of the unit and whether any increase is anticipated.
4. The extent to which the body corporate has made provision for future maintenance to the scheme.
5. Financial statements of the Body Corporate.

• Não é por passar a sua vida interagindo que o homem se comunica – Dominique Wolton – da minha coleção de frases.
  

Existem dois autores básicos para sair da areia movediça das interpretações “afundantes” e “atolantes” sobre Internet.

As pessoas têm se perdido, ou por não terem lido, ou por não terem dado a importância devida a estes dois pontos de vistas fundamentais.

Recomendo que você escolha ler os dois para avaliar e ter opinão própria sobre os temas.

Pierre Lévy que procura na história outras rupturas similares à Web, tal como o surgimento da fala e da escrita, sugiro o Cibercultura.

Sem esta visão histórica de largo cenário, qualquer visão será limitada, superficial e pouco eficaz!

Cuidado!

Destaco ainda a relevância de Dominique Wolton que nos lembra que conexão é uma coisa e comunicação é outra, sugiro o livro: “O que é a Internet“.

Faço um mix dos dois em um liquidificador.

Existem dois movimentos que caminham em paralelo e não  se encontram naturalmente, só através de muito empenho: a plataforma da conexão e a plataforma da comunicação!!!

A plataforma de conexão é técnica.

É a novidade que a tecnologia da Internet traz ao mundo.

Lévy (e Castells também) afirmam, a meu ver com fortes reflexos na realidade, que é a primeira vez que temos um ambiente de troca de ideias que permite e conexão muitos para muitos, diferente da fase oral (um-um) e da escrita (um-muitos), onde se incluir o rádio, jornais e tevê.

Se você entrar no Facebook e publicar algo, caso não bloqueie ninguém, fala rá com muitos e se alguém comentar em aberto também todos poderão ler a réplica.

Ou seja, sem ideologia, opção, discussão, reflexão essa plataforma web estabelece, como princípio, esta possibilidade de todos falarem com todos a distância.

Diferente da anterior do livro, do jornal, do rádio, da tevê que era algo vertical de um para muitos, quando as pessoas não estavam presentes no mesmo lugar.

Esta é a contribuição fundamental que o Lévy nos traz.

1) visão histórica como princípio para a compreensão, discorde dele, mas apresente outra leitura histórica;

2) a grande novidade do muitos para muitos a distância, idem, idem.

Ou seja, ele é alguém que deve ser questionado, mas nunca ignorado!!!

Lévy

Do outro lado, Wolton, filósofofo, afirma que uma coisa é a conexão, mas outra bem diferente é a comunicação que não está dada com a Internet.

Ele chama a atenção que estamos cada vez mais conectados, mas nos comunicando cada vez menos.

O que é bem relevante.

E aí eu, pensando junto com ele, posso partir do princípio que há uma outra plataforma conceitual, acima da básica das máquinas, que é a iideológica e conceitual: a plataforma de comunicação, que se estabelece na possibilidade nova por sobre a da conexão.

Ou seja, apesar da conexão permitir o muito para muitos ela necessariamente pode não estabelecer a comunicação muitos para muitos, ou ainda, pode ser algo pobre, tão pouco aproximador das pessoas, que não estabelece mudanças.

Fica na superficialidade.

Wolton

Para que isso ocorra, comunicação, é preciso ter uma ideologia, descentralizadora e um conceito de se acreditar na rede como forma de administração de ações humanas.

Este conceito, aí sim, aplicado por sobre uma plataforma de conexão aberta e distribuída, que é uma opção de comunicação descentralizada que fortalece as pontas.

Note que essa ideologia de empoderar as pontas segue uma linha de Paulo Freire, Augusto Boal, Gandhi, Bill Wilson (fundador do AA), o projeto Linux, Wikipedia, etc.

São propostas ideológicas de rede, na qual a tecnologia é um dos elementos relevantes. Algumas propostas, inclusive, bem antes da Web.

Ou seja, naturalmente temos na Internet a tecnologia que viabiliza o muitos para muitos, mas não necessariamente este tipo de conexão desdobra-se numa rede de comunicação muitos para muitos com poder para as pontas.

O empoderamento das pontas é uma opção ideológica em cima da conexão tecnológica.

Pode, alías, haver uma sem a outra, como já tivemos vários exemplos antes da Web.

A conexão não impõe estas opção, apenas facilita, sugere, cria uma certa cultura, dá o gostinho, mas é preciso, para aprofundar a comunicação em rede muitos para muitos, uma opção ideológica e cultural para tirar todo o potencial dessa nova plataforma que estabelece a troca múltipla a distância.

Esta opção está basicamente na decisão de quem hoje detém algum tipo de poder (seja governo, empresa) perceber e procurar estabelecer esse novo tipo de compartilhamento.

A tendência é que todos os adotem, pois:

1) a velocidade atual, exige dinâmica;

2) a dinâmica é obtida dando-se poder às pontas;

3) a plataforma de conexão induz as mudanças e modelos, que influenciam os concorrentes, obrigando todos a migrar para o novo ambiente.

Mas, antes de tudo, é preciso mudar cabeças, filosofias, formas de se ver o controle da informação.

Estabelecendo-se, assim, as bases de uma nova sociedade, com modelos de instituição mais horizontalizados, dos que conhecemos hoje.

No qual aceita-se que o contro saia de em um núcle central e vertical e dê poder às pontas com a participação direta nas decisões de dado ambiente.

Empoderando, assim, as pontas.

Tenho para mim – e isso faz parte dos meus estudos de doutorado – com apoio de Aldo Barreto, que me levou à Galileu e suas teorias de sistemas.

Interpretando do meu jeito Galileu, acredito que essa necessidade de empoderamento das pontas se deve ao aumento do tamanho da população, que empurra, força uma mudança dos sistemas de conexão para que ganhem velocidade para atender às demandas de um planeta cada vez mais habitado.

Barreto

Em resumo, conectar estabelece um ambiente, mas é o primeiro passo técnico, para que um outro conceitual e ideológico aconteça que é o aprofundamento desse novo ambiente.

O primeiro está dado o segundo sempre será opcional e demanda trabalho, envolvimento e metodologia!!!

Este é o trabalho de quem quer trabalhar com informação, comunicação ou conhecimento.

O interessante, conforme li em diversos autores da história, com o tempo esse ambiente conectivo vai permitindo e influenciando, pois passa a ser utilizado por mentes brilhantes e visionárioa que o adotam para fazer as mudanças sociais, demandas e impossíveis na plataforma conectiva anterior.

Acredito que esta maneira de olhar o problema, ou a partir dela e modificando, vai nos ajudar bastante e pode tirar-nos de um certo atoleiro.

É isso, que dizes?

Je souligne, d’abord, la suprêmatie sans faille de M. Alain Lévy à l’Auberge du Moulinel. Mon enthousiasme pour son art devient-il un peu casse-pieds ? Mais regarde ces coquilles Saint-Jacques ! Les coquilles Saint-Jacques dans tous leurs états. Grillées, poêlées, tartare, en « carpaccio ». Je les ai commandées deux fois au moins. Je ne pouvais pas m’en empêcher. Chapeau bas, maître !

Cash is king – we’ve all heard it before.

A school district can protect itself from running out of cash by maintaining a cash reserve. If a school district could predict the upcoming expenses and budget properly with perfect accuracy, there would be no need for a cash reserve. But when changes occur, like the Governor’s budget cuts of approximately $375k in 2010 and $750K in 2011, there needs to be adequate cash on hand to absorb these changes until permanent adjustments can be identified and implemented.

In 2006, the school board adopted a policy to maintain a 10% of operating expense cash reserve for this purpose, but has not been adhering to their adopted policy. Policy DBDA states, “The Board believes that maintaining a cash reserve balance of 10% of operating expenses is necessary in the interest of sound fiscal management.” It is clear from the Treasurer’s Five Year Forecast that the current School Board has been not acting “in the interest of sound fiscal management.”

The following table reflects the data from the Treasurer’s forecast in $ Millions:
Year Op Exp 10% of Op Exp Cash Balance Shortfall
2006 $131.9 $13.19 $11.14 $2.05
2007 $138.7 $13.87 $15.38 ($1.51)
2008 $146.3 $14.63 $11.51 $3.12
2009 $151.0 $15.10 $13.15 $1.95
2010 $159.5 $15.95 $11.90 $4.05
2011 $166.6 $16.66 $ 3.81 $13.85
2012 $174.9 $17.49 ($13.45) $30.94
2013 $184.5 $18.45 ($42.27) $60.72

Why is the School Board failing to honor their own requirement? Rather than building up the cash reserve or even maintaining 10%, they spent down the cash reserve to continue funding operations without requesting another levy.

From the above data, we see that operating expenses are increasing $6-8 million per year. At the October 2009 board meeting when this five year forecast was approved by the Board, it was noted the need for a levy in 2011. The Board appeared in agreement that a levy was the solution. The levy will help get back some of the reserve, but the rate of Operating expense growth is the alarming factor. As this number grows, the Cash Reserve requirement grows. To simultaneously cover the forecasted expenses and rebuild a 10% cash reserve by 2017, it would take a levy in excess of 7 mills in 2011, 2013, and 2015.

The board has been non-compliant with this policy in the past and expects to be in non-compliance in the future, which puts our school district at risk of becoming like the cash-strapped South Western City Schools or Reynoldsberg City Schools.

The policy continues, “Upon receiving any indication that such a cash balance may not be achieved at any point within the rolling five-year financial forecast period, the Treasurer shall report such a finding to the Board. Upon such notification by the Treasurer, the Superintendent and Treasurer will propose options that the Board may consider to forestall such an eventuality.”

The only option I keep hearing is the need for more levies, cutting bus stops to save on diesel fuel, and program reductions. The main question is, why are expenses increasing approximately 5-6% a year?

The union labor agreements, negotiated by your current School Board, continue to increase salaries, which have exceeded 7% per year for most teachers in the past two contracts, and are projected to average 5.5% for most teachers in the next contract. With unemployment in Ohio hitting 10%, and those lucky enough to maintain employment receiving an average salary increase of 2-3%, our teachers and administration are forecasting guaranteed future raises of 5.5% – paid for by additional tax levies. The union contract is set to be negotiated at the end of 2010 along with a request for operating levy. This current school board will not take the tough road and reduce spending, but instead continues rely on more revenue through levies.

I am very thankful Paul Lambert was elected to the Board and will promote discussion on these matters. Will the other School Board members listen to Paul or continue on their path of higher expenses? Do you, the voters, want the same compensation increases to continue, without a fight by your representatives, causing our schools to run without the necessary reserves? Are you tired of expenses being the determining factor for the levies?

It would be to the benefit of our community that more people get involved by spending one hour a month at a School Board meeting and perhaps a 2 minute address to the Board about these concerns. Perhaps it is time for a change, and while I don’t propose cuts to salaries, I do propose a discussion about reducing the increase percentage to something the taxpayer can afford in the current economic climate.

A responsible contract negotiation is required to result in a return to adequate Cash reserve balances.

Issue 51 – Tallmadge CSD
          Proposed Tax Levy, Emer. Req., Addnl., 6.9 Mills, 5 Yrs.
          (Vote For Not More Than )  1
              (WITH 19 OF 19 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           FOR THE TAX LEVY .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,779   51.39
           AGAINST THE TAX LEVY.  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,574   48.61

You’re invited to join the gathering at Erie Station Grille Tues, 11-03-09, at 8:00 PM to await the outcome of the election. My vote is for a “Celebration!”

We Are Tallmadge!

It’s Election Eve and there is little more to be done. Now the difficult waiting will commence. This campaign has truly been a unified team of parents, school and city people, who believe every child deserves a quality education… and that the successful future of Tallmadge itself is irrevocably linked to the success of its schools.  Thank you for your efforts. Let’s see what tomorrow will bring…

Ende der unfreiwilligen umzubgsbedingten Pause.

It’s been very energizing to drive around town and see hundreds and hundreds of  “We Are Tallmadge” signs displayed everywhere. A limited quantity to signs are still available. If you know of a prominent location or need additional signs for corner lots etc, please give Kim Sabetta a call (330.633.9965). I’ve called her the “Sign Diva” in the past. She’s doing the work of an Empress this Fall. Thank you Kim. And thank all of you for standing up for kids!

Vendredi 30 octobre 2009  |  Istanbul (Turquie)

L’État en Turquie au XXe siècle. Contrôle social et production du citoyen

Résumé

Journée d’étude organisée par l’ANR Transtur, avec le soutien de l’UMR 8032 « Études turques et ottomanes » et de l’IFEA.

Annonce

Okay, we’re down to the final days of the campaign. One week from today the voters will be at the polls casting ballots . Think for a moment of the times over the past few months that you might have refrained from talking to someone about the levy. Was there a missed opportunity at a family gathering to talk about how important education is to your children?  Have you passed by a neighbor in the Giant Eagle cereal aisle without saying “please join me in voting YES for the school levy”? The list of opportunities to talk with other Tallmadgeites is long. And I’m guessing that each of us has let more than one chance go by without saying a thing.

But there’s some time… We each have one more week… one more Wed, Thurs, weekend, etc… to make a couple of phone calls, write an email, have a short conversation with someone in Rite Aid. Please don’t be the person who wakes up next Wednesday morning wishing they had done one more thing in support of their kids, your schools and our community.