http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/07-thar-s-plight-ha-05

Thar’s plight Dawn Editorial Sunday, 03 Jan, 2010

The water from wells is said to have dangerously high levels of salts while studies have confirmed that underground wells in parts of the region have amounts of fluoride far above safety levels. —Photo by Aroosa Masroor Business KESC, Oracle to set up Thar’s first coal power plant KESC, Oracle to set up Thar’s first coal power plant THE lack of access to clean drinking water and proper health facilities has made the residents of Thar vulnerable to disease. Though this sad state of affairs is not unfamiliar to many in Pakistan the situation in Sindh’s Tharparkar, Umerkot and Sanghar districts is particularly alarming. The residents of this arid, under-developed and remote area of the country have no option but to draw water from wells or store rainwater. The water from wells is said to have dangerously high levels of salts while studies have confirmed that underground wells in parts of the region have amounts of fluoride far above safety levels. Also, experts have warned that storing rainwater may lead to epidemics of gastroenteritis and other water-borne ailments. The effect of drinking impure water has led to health conditions such as bone deformity amongst the residents of Thar. The problem is so widespread that in some villages nearly every family has a member suffering from such ailments. Some Tharis have been suffering for the last three decades, yet this health disorder was first diagnosed in 2004. Sadly, the local health authorities are mostly in the dark about the plight of the affected persons. It is time the authorities turned their attention to this forsaken area. Apart from disease, parts of Thar have been declared calamity-hit due to drought and hunger. The Sindh health department recently took action when reports emerged in the media of ailments afflicting children in fishing villages on the outskirts of Karachi. Similar action must be taken in Thar. In the short term the government needs to provide Tharis with immediate medical attention. In the long term the provision of a dependable supply of clean drinking water to the area and the establishment of functioning medical facilities in Thar must be made the priority of the provincial and federal governments.

Part One The Death Squad – Making a name for himself by the Mid 70’s, Part One and the TDS crew helped to transition style trends. From the early 70’s loose bubble treatment in piecing, Part, Kool and crew stepped it up with hard edged and tech formulas of composing letters. Much of what Part painted back then is still used by writers today. This and the Sento book are my favorites from the FHTF series. A must have! Get your copy HERE

New York City Blackbook Masters – Featuring pages from some of NYC’s top stylists, past to present. Buy your copy HERE

Smash 137 Smash proof – A summary of Smash 137’s effort to master style. The book covers the work and philosophies of the artist. You can get your copy HERE




For more releases go to FromHereToFame.com

Notification No. 94/2009

Dated 18-12-2009

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 295 read with sub-section (2) of section 17 of theIncome-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Board of Direct Taxes hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Income-tax Rules, 1962, namely:-

1. (1) These rules may be called the Income-tax (13th Amendment) Rules, 2009.

(2) They shall be deemed to have come into force on the 1st day of April, 2009.

2. In the Income-tax Rules, 1962, for rule 3, the following shall be substituted, namely:-

3. For the purpose of computing the income chargeable under the head Salaries, the value of perquisites provided by the employer directly or indirectly to the assessee (hereinafter referred to as employee) or to any member of his household by reason of his employment shall be determined in accordance with the following sub-rules, namely:-

(1) The value of residential accommodation provided by the employer during the previous year shall be determined on the basis provided in the Table below:

TABLE I

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-rule shall apply to any accommodation provided to an employee working at a mining site or an on-shore oil exploration site or a project execution site, or a dam site or a power generation site or an off-shore site-

(i) which, being of a temporary nature and having plinth area not exceeding 800 square feet, is located not less than eight kilometers away from the local limits of any municipality or a cantonment board; or

(ii) which is located in a remote area:

Provided further that where on account of his transfer from one place to another, the employee is provided with accommodation at the new place of posting while retaining the accommodation at the other place, the value of perquisite shall be determined with reference to only one such accommodation which has the lower value with reference to the Table above for a period not exceeding 90 days and thereafter the value of perquisite shall be charged for both such accommodations in accordance with the Table.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this sub-rule, where the accommodation is provided by the Central Government or any State Government to an employee who is serving on deputation with any body or undertaking under the control of such Government,-

(i) the employer of such an employee shall be deemed to be that body or undertaking where the employee is serving on deputation; and

(ii) the value of perquisite of such an accommodation shall be the amount calculated in accordance with Sl. No. (2)(a) of Table I, as if the accommodation is owned by the employer.

(2) (A) The value of perquisite by way of use of motor car to an employee by an employer shall be determined in accordance with the following Table, namely:-

TABLE II

VALUE OF PERQUISITE PER CALENDAR MONTH

Provided that where one or more motor-cars are owned or hired by the employer and the employee or any member of his household are allowed the use of such motor-car or all of any of such motor-cars (otherwise than wholly and exclusively in the performance of his duties), the value of perquisite shall be the amount calculated in respect of one car in accordance with Sl. No. (1)(c)(i) of Table II as if the employee had been provided one motor-car for use partly in the performance of his duties and partly for his private or personal purposes and the amount calculated in respect of the other car or cars in accordance with Sl. No. (1)(b) of Table II as if he had been provided with such car exclusively for his private or personal purposes.

(B) Where the employer or the employee claims that the motor-car is used wholly and exclusively in the performance of official duty or that the actual expenses on the running and maintenance of the motor-car owned by the employee for official purposes is more than the amounts deductible in Sl. No. 2(ii) or 3(ii) of Table II, he may claim a higher amount attributable to such official use and the value of perquisite in such a case shall be the actual amount attributable to official use of the vehicle provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:-

(a) the employer has maintained complete details of journey undertaken for official purpose which may include date of journey, destination, mileage, and the amount of expenditure incurred thereon;

(b) the employer gives a certificate to the effect that the expenditure was incurred wholly and exclusively for the performance of official duties.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this sub-rule, the normal wear and tear of a motor-car shall be taken at 10% per annum of the actual cost of the motor-car or cars.

(3) The value of benefit to the employee or any member of his household resulting from the provision by the employer or services of a sweeper, a gardener, a watchman or a personal attendant, shall be the actual cost to the employer. The actual cost in such a case shall be the total amount of salary paid or payable by the employer or any other person on his behalf for such services as reduced by any amount paid by the employee for such services.

(4) The value of the benefit to the employee resulting from the supply of gas, electric energy or water for his household consumption shall be determined as the sum equal to the amount paid on that account by the employer to the agency supplying the gas, electric energy or water. Where such supply is made from resources owned by the employer, without purchasing them from any other outside agency, the value of perquisite would be the manufacturing cost per unit incurred by the employer. Where the employee is paying any amount in respect of such services, the amount so paid shall be deducted from the value so arrived at.

(5) The value of benefit to the employee resulting from the provision of free or concessional educational facilities for any member of his household shall be determined as the sum equal to the amount of expenditure incurred by the employer in that behalf or where the educational institution is itself maintained and owned by the employer or where free educational facilities for such member of employees household are allowed in any other educational institution by reason of his being in employment of that employer, the value of the perquisite to the employee shall be determined with reference to the cost of such education in a similar institution in or near the locality. Where any amount is paid or recovered from the employee on that account, the value of benefit shall be reduced by the amount so paid or recovered:

Provided that where the educational institution itself is maintained and owned by the employer and free educational facilities are provided to the children of the employee or where such free educational facilities are provided in any institution by reason of his being in employment of that employer, nothing contained in this sub-rule shall apply if the cost of such education or the value of such benefit per child does not exceed one thousand rupees per month.

(6) The value of any benefit or amenity resulting from the provision by an employer who is engaged in the carriage of passengers or goods, to any employee or to any member of his household for personal or private journey free of cost or at concessional fare, in any conveyance owned, leased or made available by any other arrangement by such employer for the purpose of transport of passengers or goods shall be taken to be the value at which such benefit or amenity is offered by such employer to the public as reduced by the amount, if any, paid by or recovered from the employee for such benefit or amenity:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-rule shall apply to the employees of an airline or the railways.

(7) In terms of provisions contained in clause (viii) of sub-section (2) of section 17, the following other benefits or amenities and value thereof shall be determined in the manner provided hereunder:

(i) The value of the benefit to the assessee resulting from the provision of interest-free or concessional loan for any purpose made available to the employee or any member of his household during the relevant previous year by the employer or any person on his behalf shall be determined as the sum equal to the interest computed at the rate charged per annum by the State Bank of India, constituted under the State Bank of India Act, 1955 (23 of 1955), as on the 1st day of the relevant previous year in respect of loans for the same purpose advanced by it on the maximum outstanding monthly balance as reduced by the interest, if any, actually paid by him or any such member of his household:

Provided that no value would be charged if such loans are made available for medical treatment in respect of diseases specified in rule 3A of these Rules or where the amount of loans are petty not exceeding in the aggregate twenty thousand rupees:

Provided further that where the benefit relates to the loans made available for medical treatment referred to above, the exemption so provided shall not apply to so much of the loan as has been reimbursed to the employee under any medical insurance scheme.

(ii) The value of travelling, touring, accommodation and any other expenses paid for or borne or reimbursed by the employer for any holiday availed of by the employee or any member of his household, other than concession or assistance referred to in rule 2B of these rules, shall be determined as the sum equal to the amount of the expenditure incurred by such employer in that behalf. Where such facility is maintained by the employer, and is not available uniformly to all employees, the value of benefit shall be taken to be the value at which such facilities are offered by other agencies to the public. Where the employee is on official tour and the expenses are incurred in respect of any member of his household accompanying him, the amount of expenditure so incurred shall also be a fringe benefit or amenity:

Provided that where any official tour is extended as a vacation, the value of such fringe benefit shall be limited to the expenses incurred in relation to such extended period of stay or vacation. The amount so determined shall be reduced by the amount, if any, paid or recovered from the employee for such benefit or amenity.

(iii) The value of free food and non-alcoholic beverages provided by the employer to an employee shall be the amount of expenditure incurred by such employer. The amount so determined shall be reduced by the amount, if any, paid or recovered from the employee for such benefit or amenity:

Provided that nothing contained in this clause shall apply to free food and non-alcoholic beverages provided by such employer during working hours at office or business premises or through paid vouchers which are not transferable and usable only at eating joints, to the extent the value thereof either case does not exceed fifty rupees per meal or to tea or snacks provided during working hours or to free food and non-alcoholic beverages during working hours provided in a remote area or an off-shore installation.

(iv) The value of any gift, or voucher, or token in lieu of which such gift may be received by the employee or by member of his household on ceremonial occasions or otherwise from the employer shall be determined as the sum equal to the amount of such gift:

Provided that where the value of such gift, voucher or token, as the case may be, is below five thousand rupees in the aggregate during the previous year, the value of perquisite shall be taken as nil.

(v) The amount of expenses including membership fees and annual fees incurred by the employee or any member of his household, which is charged to a credit care (including any add-on-card) provided by the employer, or otherwise, paid for or reimbursed by such employer shall be taken to be the value of perquisite chargeable to tax as reduced by the amount, if any paid or recovered from the employee for such benefit or amenity:

Provided that there shall be no value of such benefit where expenses are incurred wholly and exclusively for official purposes and the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) complete details in respect of such expenditure are maintained by the employer which may, inter alia, include the date of expenditure and the nature of expenditure;

(b) the employer gives a certificate for such expenditure to the effect that the same was incurred wholly and exclusively for the performance of official duties.

(vi) (A) The value of benefit to the employee resulting from the payment or reimbursement by the employer of any expenditure incurred (including the amount of annual or periodical fee) in a club by him or by an member of his household shall be determined to be the actual amount of expenditure incurred or reimbursed by such employer on that account. The amount so determined shall be reduced by the amount, if any paid or recovered from the employee for such benefit or amenity:

Provided that where the employer has obtained corporate membership of the club and the facility is enjoyed by the employee or any member of his household, the value of perquisite shall not include the initial fee paid for acquiring such corporate membership.

(B) Nothing contained in this clause shall apply if such expenditure is incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes and the following conditions are fulfilled:-

(a) complete details in respect of such expenditure are maintained by the employer which may, inter alia, include the date of expenditure, the nature of expenditure and its business expediency;

(b) the employer gives a certificate for such expenditure to the effect that the same was incurred wholly and exclusively for the performance of official duties.

(C) Nothing contained in this clause shall apply for use of health club, sports and similar facilities provided uniformly to all employees by the employer.

(vii) The value of benefit to the employee resulting from the use by the employee or any member of his household of any movable asset (other than assets already specified in this rule and other than laptops and computers) belonging to the employer or hired by him shall be determined at 10% per annum of the actual cost of such asset or the amount of rent or charge paid or payable by the employer, as the case may be, as reduced by the amount, if any, paid or recovered from the employee for such use.

(viii) The value of benefit to the employee arising from the transfer of any movable asset belonging to the employer directly or indirectly to the employee or any member of his household shall be determined to be the amount representing the actual cost of such assets to the employer as reduced by the cost of normal wear and tear calculated at the rate of 10% of such cost for each completed year during which such asset was put to use by the employer and as further reduced by the amount, if any, paid or recovered from the employee being the consideration for such transfer:

Provided that in the case of computers and electronic items, the normal wear and tear would be calculated at the rate of 50% and in the case of motor cars at the rate of 20% by the reducing balance method.

(ix) The value of any other benefit or amenity, service, right or privilege provided by the employer shall be determined on the basis of cost to the employer under an arms length transaction as reduced by the employees contribution, if any:

Provided that nothing contained in this clause shall apply to the expenses on telephones including a mobile phone actually incurred on behalf of the employee by the employer.

(8)(i) For the purposes of clause (vi) of sub-section (2) of section 17, the fair market value of any specified security or sweat equity share, being an equity share in a company, on the date on which the option is exercised by the employee, shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of clause (ii) or clause (iii).

(ii) In a case where, on the date of the exercising of the option, the share in the company is listed on a recognized stock exchange, the fair market value shall be the average of the opening price and closing price of the share on that date on the said stock exchange:

Provided that where, on the date of exercising of the option, the share is listed on more than one recognized stock exchanges, the fair market value shall be the average of opening price and closing price of the share on the recognised stock exchange which records the highest volume of trading in the share:

Provided further that where, on the date of exercising of the option, there is no trading in the share on any recognized stock exchange, the fair market value shall be

(a) the closing price of the share on any recognised stock exchange on a date closest to the date of exercising of the option and immediately preceding such date; or

(b) the closing price of the share on a recognised stock exchange, which records the highest volume of trading in such share, if the closing price, as on the date closest to the date of exercising of the option and immediately preceding such date, is recorded on more than one recognized stock exchange.

(iii) In a case where, on the date of exercising of the option, the share in the company is not listed on a recognised stock exchange, the fair market value shall be such value of the share in the company as determined by a merchant banker on the specified date.

(iv) For the purpose of this sub-rule,

(a) closing price of a share on a recognised stock exchange on a date shall be the price of the last settlement on such date on such stock exchange:

Provided that where the stock exchange quotes both buy and sell prices, the closing price shall be the sell price of the last settlement.

(b) merchant banker means category I merchant banker registered with Security and Exchange Board of India established under section 3 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992);

(c) opening price of a share on a recognised stock exchange on a date shall be the price of the first settlement on such date on such stock exchange:

Provided that where the stock exchange quotes both buy and sell prices, the opening price shall be the sell price of the first settlement.

(d) recognised stock exchange shall have the same meaning assigned to it in clause (f) of section 2 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956);

(e) specified date means,

(i) the date of exercising of the option; or

(ii) any date earlier than the date of the exercising of the option, not being a date which is more than 180 days earlier than the date of the exercising.

(9) For the purposes of clause (vi) of sub-section (2) of section 17, the fair market value of any specified security, not being an equity share in a company, on the date on which the option is exercised by the employee, shall be such value as determined by a merchant banker on the specified date.

Explanation. – For the purposes of this sub-rule, merchant banker and specified date shall have the meanings assigned to them in sub-clause (b) and sub-clause (e) respectively of clause (iv) of sub-rule (8).

(10) This rule shall come into force with effect from the 1st day of April, 2009.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this rule-

(i) accommodation includes a house, flat, farm house or part thereof, or accommodation in a hotel, motel, service apartment, guest house, caravan, mobile home, ship or other floating structure;

(ii) entertainment includes hospitality of any kind and also, expenditure on business gifts other than free samples of the employers own product with the aim of advertising to the general public;

(iii) hotel includes licensed accommodation in the nature of motel, service apartment or guest house;

(iv) member of household shall include-

(a) spouse(s),

(b) children and their spouses,

(c) parents, and

(d) servants and dependants;

(v) remote area, for purposes of proviso to this sub-rule means an area that is located at least 40 kilometres away from a town having a population not exceeding 20,000 based on latest published all-India census;

(vi) salary includes the pay, allowances, bonus or commission payable monthly or otherwise or any monetary payment, by whatever name called from one or more employers, as the case may be, but does not include the following, namely:-

(a) dearness allowance or dearness pay unless it enters into the computation of superannuation or retirement benefits of the employee concerned;

(b) employers contribution to the provident fund account of the employee;

(c) allowances which are exempted from payment of tax;

(d) the value of perquisites specified in clause (2) of section 17 of the Income-tax Act;

(e) any payment or expenditure specifically excluded under proviso to sub-clause (iii) of clause (2) or proviso to clause (2) of section 17;

(f) lump-sum payments received at the time of termination of service or superannuation or voluntary retirement, like gratuity, severance pay, leave encashment, voluntary retrenchment benefits, commutation of pension and similar payments;

(vii) maximum outstanding monthly balance means the aggregate outstanding balance for each loan as on the last day of each month.

3. After rule 40E of the Income-tax Rules, the following rule shall be inserted, namely:-

40F. Nothing contained in this Part, shall apply, in respect of any assessment for the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2010 or any subsequent assessment year.

Note :- The principal rules were published vide notification No. S.O. 969(E) dated the 26th March, 1962 and last amended by Income-tax (12th Amendment) Rules, 2009 vide notification No. S.O. 2227(E), dated 02-09-2009.

F.No.142/25/2009-S O (TPL)

This is wonderfully smart and funny, but the thing is, see, it isn’t really parody anymore, it’s quite literally news given the incredibly embarrassing number of Americans who are with our lovely FOX correspondent on the substance of the issue allegedly being parodied (yes, yes, I know it is cut and pasted; this just makes it worse for me), and this is not a healthy sign in any macro way.

Update: Enjoying my Comedy Central TDS/TCR tonight. Brokaw, to Colbert: “…it’s the OMG Decade, and we’re still working our way through it [Ed: Yes.]. I don’t think that we fully realize…”

Colbert: “Well what happened, 9 years ago, or 10 years ago in 1999, I mean, we were the ROPE that Rome should hope to be, we had all the money, all the power; 10 years later, our country might be destroyed by ACORN. What happened in those 10 years?”

Hmmm…especially including that political and economic policies have a lag, say 1-3 years (let’s call the 00’s 2002-2008, conservatively, policy impact-wise), what could it have been in those pesky ’00’s?

It’s hard to remember who controlled every lever of policy between ‘01-’05 inclusive.

By DAVID THOMPSON – dthompson@sungazette.com

More than 100 people turned out Wednesday for a public hearing regarding a Department of Environmental Protection proposal to set more stringent treatment standards on wastewater primarily associated with the natural gas industry.

The hearing was hosted by the state Environmental Quality Board and moderated by Patrick Henderson, executive director of the state Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Of the approximately 20 people who testified at the hearing, held at the DEP’s Northcentral Regional Office in Williamsport, most were either in favor of the proposed standards or advocated even stricter or wider-reaching standards.

Two who testified said they believed current discharge standards are adequate.

The proposal would impose restrictions on the amount of total dissolved solids – or TDS – sulfate and chloride that can be discharged by a treatment plant into a waterway.

It also regulates levels of barium and strontium that can be discharged from wastewater specifically from the natural gas industry.

Deb Nardone of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited spoke in favor of the proposed standards, calling it “a necessary tool” for the DEP to use to protect the state’s fresh water resources.

Nardone suggested that more stringent regulations may be needed in the future, but in the meantime, the ones proposed should be “in place as soon as possible.”

Anne Harris Katz of Fairfield Township said she and her husband were drawn to the area almost 20 years ago but now questions whether the move was a good choice.

Katz said she fears the gas industry will change the region’s “pristine environment, small-town atmosphere and the confidence that residents’ health and safety are adequately protected from the short- and long-term hazards of gas drilling and extraction.”

“The proposed new standards will decrease the amount of pollution, and in this instance, less is better,” Katz said.

Her husband, Harvey M. Katz, said the gas industry should bear the cost of treating its wastewater, not the public.

He added that water polluted by gas industry wastewater will impact the area’s aquatic life.

Nathan Sooy of Clean Water Action, which represents a consortium of environmental and watershed groups, spoke passionately about the impact gas industry wastewater could have on local waterways.

Sooy said the DEP proposal “will go a long way towards ensuring our drinking water supplies will not have unsafe levels of (TDS)” and urged the agency not to weaken the proposed discharge standards.

Sooy added that the rules should be put in place as soon as possible, that no drilling permits be issued until that happens and that discharge standards should be applied to other materials found in gas drilling wastewater.

City resident John Bogle said the gas industry will prove harmful to the state’s tourism industry, the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative, agriculture and property values.

Bogle suggested the industry could adversely impact the area in ways similar to the coal industry.

“A trip through the coal regions will show what pollution from an unregulated extractive industry can do to the economic future of a region.”

“The DEP’s proposed TDS strategy is a solid move in the right direction,” he said. “The DEP needs to stick to its guns.”

Jerry S. Walls, former director of the county planning department, said it is “vitally important for Pennsylvania to have effective policy standards for the discharge of total dissolved solids.”

According to Walls, clean water is as essential to a healthy environment and positive quality of life.

“Our groundwater, rivers and streams should not be viewed as easy, unlimited waste disposal systems,” he said.

Walls said he was involved in the planning, design and development of the Lycoming County landfill. The DEP has specific standards regarding the control of leachate from the landfill. However, frac water flowback impoundment lagoons at drilling sites “have no such standards” which ‘equals preferential regulatory treatment of the natural gas industry,” he said.

Walls lauded the industry’s efforts to recycle gas drilling wastewater, adding the proposed TDS standards would provide incentives to continue that practice.

John Tewksbury, a kindergarten teacher from Muncy, said he attended the meeting on behalf of his students who wanted him to speak in support of the regulations.

Tewksbury said the students were concerned with the impact pollution could have on rivers and streams.

F. Alan Sever, an engineer from Montoursville who worked for the DEP, said the Environmental Quality Board determined in 2001 that there “was no reason to assign statewide effluent limitations for total dissolved solids, chloride or sulfate.”

Sever said that except for isolated incidents on specific streams, the DEP has not shown that there is any reason to change that policy.

If the agency finds specific problem areas, it could assign “site specific” discharge limits at those sites, he said.

Sever also took issue with the cut-off date – April 1, 2009 – for when dischargers would fall under the new guidelines and those that would be gandfathered under the previous guidelines.

By grandfathering treatment facilities already causing problems and assigning stringent limits to those that did nothing to create a problem is unfair, he said.

He also cited an example of a discharge permit issued to a company several days prior to the cut-off day and suggested the permit was issued “in order to protect this company from having to meet these new limits.”

Ned Wheeler, president of Keystone Clear Water Solution Inc., said the oil and gas industry has been in Pennsylvania for 100 years and has a history of cooperation with regulatory agencies.

Wheeler said the proposed regulations are “unrealistic and unreasonable” and do not take into account regulations already in place.

According to the DEP, the expected results of the new rules would be to prevent the water quality issues that came to light in 2008 on the Monongahela River and ensure that the cost of treating gas industry-generated wastewater will not be borne by customers of drinking water systems.

In the fall of 2008, the river flow fell and concentrations of TDS, which mostly is salt, and sulfate in the river rose to historic highs.

According to the agency, the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and Moshannon Creek have a limited capacity for handling new loads of TDS and sulfate.

Stop the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from caving in to mining and gas industry pressure. These industries would like to transfer the water quality of the Susquehanna River to their bottom line by using it as an inexpensive dump for their salt and chemically laden waste water.

“Total dissolved solids (TDS) is comprised of inorganic salts, organic matter and other dissolved materials in water.”

“TDS causes toxicity to water bodies through increases in salinity, changes in the ionic composition of the water, and toxicity of individual ions.”

“Several studies on the potential impacts to aquatic life from these large TDS discharges were also conducted on major tributaries flowing into the Monongahela River in Greene County, PA. Each of these studies documents the adverse effects of discharges of TDS, sulfates and chlorides on the aquatic communities in these receiving streams. The former concludes that there is a high abundance of halophilic (salt-loving) organisms downstream from the discharges of TDS and chlorides and a clear transition of fresh water organisms to brackish water organisms in the receiving stream from points above the discharge to points below. It is evident from this study that increases in salinity have caused a shift in biotic communities.

The Monongahela River Watershed is being adversely impacted by TDS discharges and many points in the watershed are already impaired, with TDS, sulfates and chlorides as the cause.

In addition, watershed analyses conducted by the Department (DEP) of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and the Moshannon River Watersheds have documented that they are also severely limited in the capacity to assimilate new loads of TDS and sulfates.”

J. Public Hearings

The Board will hold four public hearings for the purpose of accepting comments on this proposal. The hearings will be held at 5 p.m. on the following dates:

The grant has been cut by 5% at all levels, and you can’t get the grant if you’re on back to education allowance.

Bye bye knowledge economy.

10^th December 2009

 

For immediate release:

 

USI Condemns New Restrictions on Student Maintenance Grant

 The Union of Students in Ireland has condemned the Government for placing new restrictions on qualification criteria for the student maintenance grant.

 As part of the Budget 2010, students in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance will no longer be eligible to receive the student maintenance grant.

 Similarly, students in Post Leaving Cert courses, who are in receipt of Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) allowances, will also no longer qualify for the grant.

 These new restrictions, which will apply to all new grant holders from January 2010, are likely to deter thousands of people from entering third level education.

 USI is calling on the Minister Batt O’ Keeffe and the Government to reverse these Budget measures.

 Peter Mannion, USI President, said:

 “These new student grant restrictions will seriously decrease the potential for thousands of students around Ireland to make the leap into Further and Higher Education.

 Mature students, in particular, were badly hit by yesterday’s Budget. Many of these students have children and will also feel the affects of the cuts in child benefit. How can people be encouraged to enter, or re-enter, education if at every turn the access is being made more difficult?

 It will be impossible to tempt the unemployed back to education, if financially it becomes unbearable to continue with further or higher education.

 USI has requested a meeting with Minister Batt O’Keeffe to discuss the major concerns of its student members as regards the student maintenance grant.”

Ends

9^th December 2009

 

For immediate release:

 

USI is Outraged by Decreases in Student Maintenance Grant

 The Union of Students in Ireland is outraged by the Government’s slashing of the student maintenance grant as part of today’s Budget.

 The student maintenance grant has been reduced by five percent.

 In addition to this, students in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance will no longer qualify for the student maintenance grant.

 These changes will apply from next month.

 Figures recently released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the cost of education had risen by 11.6 percent in the year to October 2009.

 These rises in education costs, coupled with the new grant restrictions, will bring about dire consequences for thousands of students around Ireland.

 The education of these students – who are already struggling to meet the everyday costs of living, including transport, accommodation, food and college supplies – is in jeopardy as a result of today’s Budget.

 The USI has requested a meeting with the Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe to discuss the cuts to the student maintenance grant with a view to protecting the future education of thousands of students.

 Peter Mannion, USI President, said:

 “USI is totally opposed to cuts in the student grant as part of the Budget today.

 Claims by Minister O’ Keeffe, which state that the reductions in the grants are in line with the drop in the cost of living, are contrary to recent reports by the CSO.

 Because reductions in the student maintenance grant are to come into effect in January 2010, students will be affected midway through their academic year. This will have serious consequences on the remainder of their time in college.

 I wish to meet personally with Minister O’ Keeffe to discuss the cuts in the maintenance grant and the meltdown in the processing of grant applications this year.

 It is imperative that we protect the most vulnerable students in Ireland.”

 Ends

Here is an email from the Responsible Drilling Alliance out of Williamsport, PA. please follow the link at the end of the message for more info.

Use your feet to protect our rivers.

Have your feet take you to the hearing in Williamsport on December 16th to support, with your presence, the proposed new rule for Total Dissolved Solids for gas industry wastewater.  Gas drilling waste water is extremely high in TDS.  Under current rules they are allowed to discharge this TDS content directly into the river.  The new proposed rules would greatly limit new TDS discharges.

Not surprisingly these new proposed rules have come under quite a bit of pressure from a number of industries not just the gas drillers.  It is important to note that these new rules will not apply to existing water discharges so they will not put anyone out of business. Only new discharges or large modifications to existing plants will come under them.

This September, more than forty miles Dunkard Creek in western PA was cleared of almost all its fish and other aquatic animal life by the toxins of an invasive algae.  Golden Algae, the culprit,  needed high levels of TDS’s to thrive. Last summer, even before the fish kill,  the Monongahela  River exceeded the TDS standard for potable water intake and its bromide content level required a health advisory to be issued.

Strong public support is needed to counteract industry’s efforts to lower the proposed standards.    We all need to show up to the hearing and speak or send in written comments.  Instructions on how at bottom of this email.

Excellent article on Civil Partnership from Una Mullally:

Unequal: a gay rights protest in Dublin earlier this year

Last Thursday, around 500 people gathered in the freezing cold at the gates of Leinster House to protest against the civil partnership bill which was being debated inside by the tiny clutch of TDs who had bothered to show up. When the debate was being streamed, the apathy displayed by elected representatives, simply by their absence, was astounding, as the wide shots of the Dáil chamber showed a sea of empty seats. Outside, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Senator David Norris joined the crowd, who were there to voice their dissatisfaction at an inadequate piece of legislation that is basically a measure to exclude gay, lesbian and transgendered people from liberties that their fellow heterosexual citizens enjoy.

In many ways, the civil partnership bill is important. It shows some progress. It shows that the Irish government is kind of willing to recognise that gay people should be able to legally register and acknowledge their relationships. But ultimately, it is legislating for discrimination, offering some rights, but denying what the hundreds of thousands of gay people in this country deserve – full marriage rights.

As Rory O’Neill, a key figure in the Irish gay community, put it: “Anyone else can get married. Any race, any creed, any gender… Hell! Any idiot, murderer, rapist, child molester. Any a**hole, racist, queer-basher. Any dumb-f*** soccer hooligan. Any mentally disturbed lunatic. But not the gays! The sky will fall down!” Of course, the sky will not fall. The sky hasn’t fallen in the countries where gay marriage has been made legal – South Africa, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Canada and Belgium. And the sky will not fall in Ireland. So what’s holding us back?

Minister for justice Dermot Ahern’s ultra-conservative persuasion is widely known. This is the man who during the 1993 Dáil debates on the legalisation of homosexuality was quoted as saying: “I do not often find myself in agreement with my constituency colleague, deputy McGahon, but on this occasion I am.” McGahon had just completed a homophobic rant featuring such choice extracts as: “I regard homosexuals as being in a sad category, but I believe homosexuality to be an abnormality, some type of psycho-sexual problem that has defied explanation over the years. I do not believe that the Irish people desire this normalisation of what is clearly an abnormality… Homosexuality is a departure from normality and while homosexuals deserve our compassion, they do not deserve our tolerance.”

Recently Fianna Fáil senator Jim Walsh defended his right to call gay people “fairies”. Can you imagine if an Irish senator decided it was perfectly okay to call black people “niggers”? Such is the tolerance of homophobia in our society and at government level.
And then there’s the religious objection, even though gay people aren’t looking for religious marriage, just civil marriage. The church’s hand-wringing over protection of children in gay families is stunning considering its approach to looking after the most vulnerable people in society has involved the systematic rape, mental, physical and sexual abuse of the very people they say they want to protect against the gays. The irony of course, is that for all the chatter about children’s rights, the civil partnership bill offers no protection for children, all the more reason to introduce civil marriage, not partnership.

We’re living in a society where Uganda is about to introduce the death penalty for homosexuality, following a campaign backed by American evangelical christians; a society where homosexuality is illegal in countless nations, carrying a death sentence in many; a society where the torture of gay people is frighteningly commonplace.

And in Ireland, we have a society where homophobic abuse both verbal and physical is common, occasionally leading to extreme violence and suicide; a society where a teacher can be fired from a school just for being gay; a society where delusional religious commentators are given legitimate media platforms; a society where the TDs we vote into government don’t even bother to show up to discuss crucial legislation.

The civil partnership bill is a way of making those pesky gays go away, throwing ‘crumbs from the table’, as gay rights campaigners LGBT Noise put it, enforcing the attitude that not only are gay relationships unequal to heterosexual ones, but that gay people are unequal to heterosexuals. How dare this government, or any government, legislate to enshrine such discrimination even further.

It’s time to recognise that if we as Irish citizens are all equal in the eyes of the law, then we all deserve the same rights, no matter what our sexuality.

umullally@tribune.ie

http://www.tribune.ie/news/editorial-opinion/article/2009/dec/06/una-mullally-the-civil-partnership-bill-is-a-way-o/

I came across this interesting, weird, funny but, serious article at http://www.wisebread.com

Actually it seems so true that most of the tax payers indulge into such weird tactics in order to save whatever chunk of tax they can. Its amazing, to what an extent a mind can imagine various creative ways. Its a pleasure to share the reading here.

Imagine the Tax Fraud Tactics: 20 amazing, outrageous and just plain weird tax deductions

Tax Fraud Tactic

Well, it’s that time again. The tax deadline is just around the corner. If you’re like me, you will have taken care of your taxes months ago and already be enjoying the cash your high-interest savings account is giving you on your return.

If you’re smarter than me, you won’t have any tax return at all. It’s best to come out owing nothing and getting nothing. Evens is best here. But if you still haven’t done your return, take a look at the top 20 funky, strange and outrageous deductions that folks have tried, and sometimes failed, to get away with.

It’s ironic that I was sweating over the deduction of office supplies for my home business, when some folks out there are deducting breast implants and beer. As I’m often told, God Bless America.

1 – Free beer – YES
Strange but true. A gas station owner gave his customers free beer (brand unknown…I doubt it was Stella Artois though) in lieu of trading stamps. And the Tax Courts said yes, this is a legitimate business expense and tax deductible. Which makes the next entry even stranger…

2 – Free whisky – NO
How ironic. A cunning fella thought a case or two of whisky would make nice client gifts, and thus tried to deduct them on his annual tax return. The category he chose was client entertainment. However, not only was it not allowed, it was a gift that violated state laws. Ouch.

3 – Cost of hiring an arsonist – NO
Hard to believe, right? A man with a failing furniture business decided to hire someone to burn it down. The store-owner’s plan was not only to collect the $500,000 insurance money, but also to deduct the $10,000 expenses of hiring the arsonist! He was denied. I’m sure it wasn’t too long before the police were also looking carefully at his return. Not a smart man.

4 – Fake Boobs – YES
This one is infamous. A stripper going by the name of CHESTY LOVE used her hard-earned savings to boost the size of her boobs, to the eye-popping size of 56-FF (do they even make bras in that size?) She figured it would get her more tips. And the write-off was allowed, being considered a stage prop essential to her act. Ha!

5 – Prostitution expenses – NO
Maybe in Amsterdam or at the Bunny Ranch in Nevada, but you can’t deduct expenses of illegal professions. Trying to deduct 4000 condoms or push-up bras are no good if you put down “prostitute” as your career. Similarly, drug dealers can’t deduct the cost of baggies or soil for Marijuana plants.

6 – Cat food – YES
Junkyard owners set out bowls of pet food nightly to attract wild cats. The wild cats also took care of their nasty snake and rat problem, making the junkyard safer for customers and providing a useful business service. Yep, you guessed it…the pet food is a business expense, it was allowed. I need to get the number of their tax attorney.

7 -Your own racehorse – NO
I can see how this would be a business expense to some people. But if you just go out and buy your own prize-winning horse, name it after yourself (the ego on some folks) and then take clients out to see your horse run, you cannot deduct this. It’s not a business expense, it’s a personal expense. But hey, if you can afford a racehorse and stables, why are you worried about the deduction in the first place?

8 – A fabulous African Safari – YES
If the IRS considers a business trip “ordinary and necessary”, you can take it as a deduction. For the owners of a dairy business, this included a wonderful African Safari, because many of the activities on the trip were focused on wild animals. Please note – going to see adult shows in Vegas would not count as viewing exotic wildlife.

9 – The costs of moving…the family pet – YES
Whether you’ve got a Great Dane or a Great White Shark, your pet is considered a personal effect. And that’s great news for you. When it comes to any expenses relating to any kind move associated with a job, the tax man says yes. But I suspect hiring a Hummer Limo to move your gerbil across the state may not be looked upon favorably.

10 – A Trip to Bermuda – YES, YES, YES
I love this one. I have to find a way to do it. ANY business convention held in Bermuda can be written off without even showing there was a special reason to hold your business meeting in paradise. And it’s not the only place. Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Mexico and all U.S. possessions also fall into this special tax treatment. But outside the U.S. is a different story. I guess I can’t hold a board meeting in England so I can go see my folks then

11 – Body Oil – YES
If you’re a regular Joe, body oil is a once in a blue-moon splurge. Maybe something to spice up an evening with your partner, but certainly not a write-off. However, if you’re a pro bodybuilder and need gallons of body oil to make your muscles glisten, then it is a genuine tax write-off. Just don’t turn up at a client meeting covered in oil, wearing nothing but a thong and a smile. It won’t be considered “ordinary and necessary.”

12 – A trip to the Super bowl – NO
I’d like to put this one in the ‘nice try’ category. Someone decided to take clients and their spouses to the Super bowl, but just could not prove that the shindig was in any way related to business. And even if it was, it’s an extravagant expense for a meeting and would have been disallowed anyway. Sorry bud.

13 – A Private Airplane – YES
A couple with a rental condo didn’t fancy the hassle of driving up to 7 hours to check on it. They didn’t want to be stuck to the schedule of the only daily flight available. So, they did what you ore I would do. They bought their own jet! They were allowed to deduct all expenses on the jet relating to the condo, including the high costs of fuel. That must have been some

14 – A Mink Coat – NO
And thank goodness, because I hate fur. Claiming that the Mink coat was a conversation piece when visiting clients with his wife (what was the topic…blood on the runway?) a man tried to deduct the garment. Fortunately, he was denied.

15 – Babysitting costs – YES
Believe it or not, you can deduct the cost of a babysitter as a charitable deduction, if the mother of the child is leaving the house to do volunteer work for a charity. Which, of course, we all do on a daily basis.

16 – A ‘Playmate’ Party – YES!
How he got away with this one is beyond me. The owner of a nightclub promotions firm decided that a regular party wasn’t good enough for his clients. So, he brought in a bunch of scantily clad “bunnies” as decoration. The tax man said sure, it’s a valid expense. Whether or not pictures of the bunnies were attached to the return is unknown at this time.

17 – A Nuclear Fallout Shelter – NO
This one bombed (ouch, sorry…bad pun). Yup, way back in the days of the cold war and the threat of nuclear meltdown, one clever chap built a nuclear fallout shelter on his property and then decided to list it as “preventative medicine.” The IRS gave that one a big thumbs down. But who’ll be laughing if Word War 3 does happen?

18 – A beautiful swimming pool – YES
This one’s a great example of lateral thinking. After being told by his doctor that he needed to exercise (after developing emphysema), the smart fella put in a swimming pool. The deduction was put down as a necessary MEDICAL EXPENSE and was allowed, along with the various chemicals, heating, cleaning and general upkeep of the pool. Now that’s using your head.

19 – Dancing lessons – NO
Dancing With The Stars may be popular, but it’s not going down well with the IRS as the subject of a deduction. You CANNOT take dancing as a deduction for medical expenses, and the following reason are outlawed – dancing to relive varicose veins, dancing to cure arthritis and finally, dancing to alleviate nervous disorders. Try any of these and you’ll be dancing all the way to the tax courts.

20 – Sperm donation as a loss – NO
It’s one thing to make a little extra cash as a sperm donor. It’s quite another to try and claim a depletion loss on the aforementioned sperm. Unless you’re an oil well, that kind of depletion is not really going to make much of an impact.

There’s nothing more confusing than press releasing on something, staying up REALLY late, then waking up to a million texts and emails from both friends and LGBT rights groups congratulating you on what you had said in the news, and to have NO idea what they’re talking about for like 20 mins till you wake up properly…anywho…

RTE News:

Ahern hails Bill as ’significant milestone’

 

The Union of Students in Ireland says the proposed Bill will offer a number of legal rights to lesbian and gay couples but falls short of offering many of the rights and protections covered by civil marriage.

The USI says the Bill ‘refuses to recognise the existence of same sex families, leaving children of same sex couples vulnerable and unprotected under Irish law’.

USI Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Transgender Rights Officer Laura Finlay said: ‘The implementation of this Civil Partnership Bill will only serve to enshrine in law the second class citizenship of LGBT people in this country.

‘It is wholly unfair and sends out the message that gay people in Ireland are not equal to their heterosexual counterparts.’

Keep reading: http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1203/civilpartnership.html

From breakingnews.ie:

Civil Partnership Bill ‘does not go far enough’

The call was backed by the National Lesbian and Gay Federation (NLGF), which urged the immediate introduction of a civil marriage option which would give full rights to gay people.

To ensure that LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people are treated equally in Ireland, the Government must move to provide equality by legislating for civil marriage,” said NLGF chair Ailbhe Smyth.

“The Government must admit that provision of civil partnership as the only relationship recognition option for LGBT people is a serious mistake.”

The Union of Students in Ireland also said the Bill falls short of offering many of the rights and protections covered by civil marriage.

A demonstration will take place outside the Dáil later this evening to highlight the limitations of the Bill.

Read more: http://breakingnews.ie/ireland/eymhgbidkfmh/#ixzz0YiZTmgLk

From the Irish Times:

Mixed reaction to Civil Partnership Bill

The Equality Authority said the legislation was a significant and groundbreaking step, but that full equality for gay couples must remain the ultimate goal.

It said the children of same-sex couples would continue to face questions on issues such as inheritance, guardianship and access, and would remain disadvantaged.

MarriagEquaility said it had written to Taoiseach Brian Cowen to ask that the Bill be upgraded to give equal civil marriage rights to same-sex couples.

The Union of Students in Ireland said implementation of the Bill would serve to enshrine in law the second-class citizenship of lesbian, gay and transgendered people.

For more see: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1204/1224260043897.html

From GCN.ie:

Civil Partnership is Discrimination Say Rights Groups

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) are also calling on the Government to amend shortcomings in the Civil Partnership Bill.

“The implementation of this Civil Partnership Bill will only serve to enshrine in law the second class citizenship of LGBT people in this country,” says USI LGBT Rights Officer, Laura Finlay. “It is wholly unfair and sends out the message that gay people in Ireland are not equal to their heterosexual counterparts.”

LGBT Noise will be holding a protest outside the Dáil from 6pm this evening, Thursday, December 3.

“If this Civil Partnership Bill becomes law it will force gay couples to participate in their own discrimination and the children of same-sex couples will remain vulnerable,” says Noise Organiser, Liam Connolly.

“The gay community should not be punished for their sexual orientation by being offered this second-class bill, nor should their children be punished by the lack of protection offered within it.”

See the rest: http://www.gcn.ie/Civil_Partnership_is_Discrimination_Say_Rights_Groups

There was loads of other press coverage of the Bill where USI wasn’t mentioned too.

The Examiner:

Civil Partnership Bill introduced

Thursday, December 03, 2009 – 09:02 PM

Legislation to give legal recognition to gay couples for the first time has been introduced to the Dáil this evening.

The Civil Partnership Bill will convey inheritance and other rights on the registered partnerships of cohabiting gay and heterosexual couples.

Some Fianna Fail TDs had sought a ‘freedom of conscience’ clause which would allow civil registrars to opt out of recognising the partnerships on religious grounds.

But Justice Minister Dermot Ahern has told the Dáil that gay couples have been deprived of basic rights for too long.

Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/breakingnews/ireland/civil-partnership-bill-introduced-436872.html#ixzz0YibysM9W

Greens welcome Civil Partnership Bill

Thursday, December 03, 2009 – 04:07 PM

The Green Party has welcomed the introduction of the Civil Partnership Bill to the Dáil this evening.

Speaking ahead of this evening’s debate on the Bill, Green Party justice spokesman Ciaran Cuffe said: “This bill marks substantial, purposeful progress on our equality agenda which I am very pleased to see introduced into the Dáil this evening.

“Civil partnerships will be of huge practical benefit to gay and lesbian couples across the country, creating rights, responsibilities and safeguards for same sex couples in loving relationships where there were none before.

“The bill amends over 130 pieces of legislation. Civil partnerships will enhance the law for same sex couples in areas such as taxation, pensions, social welfare, inheritance, property and employment law.

“Moreover, the bill sends a vitally important message to same sex couples that their unions are formally recognised by the State.”

Gay rights groups have however called for the bill to be bolstered to allow for civil marriage, placing same-sex couples on the same legal footing as married partners.

They say the legislation in its current form does not go far enough.

Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/greens-welcome-civil-partnership-bill-436845.html#ixzz0Yic81P4S

From the Irish Independent:

Bill heralds a new era for same-sex couples — Ahern

JUSTICE Minister Dermot Ahern has vowed his new civil partnership bill will “change the legal landscape” for gay and lesbian couples.

It will provide same-sex couples with almost exactly the same rights as married couples — with the exception of adopting children.

This has led to protests from gay rights groups, who have claimed the Civil Partnership Bill still leaves them as “second-class citizens”.

But in his speech to the Dail last night, Mr Ahern said the new bill would provide protections for same-sex couples that would have been unheard of in any jurisdiction until a few short years ago.

“The absence of official recognition and affirmation for same-sex relationships only helps to reinforce prejudice and inequality in society,” he said.

The bill has been welcomed by the Green Party, which had been pushing Mr Ahern for two years to introduce it. Green Party TD Ciaran Cuffe said that while he would have preferred a bill providing for full gay marriage, he was a “realist”.

“The bill is a key legislative priority for the Greens in Government and one we have worked hard to see implemented,” he said

For more, see: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/bill-heralds-a-new-era-for-samesex-couples–ahern-1964059.html

Civil partnership bill : What the new legislation will mean in practice

It gives gay and lesbian couples the right to have their relationships legally recognised.

They will be entitled to seek maintenance (financial support) from each other.

If one partner dies or the relationship breaks up, the remaining partner will be entitled for the first time to make a claim on the estate or seek financial support.

But while one partner may be raising children from a previous relationship, there is no legal recognition of the child’s relationship with the other partner. Civil partners will not be able to jointly adopt children.

There will also new protections in the bill for co-habiting couples of the same or opposite sex. If they are living together for three years (two if they have children), they can seek maintenance or inheritance rights if their relationship ends or if one of them dies.

Same sex marriages abroad will be recognised in Ireland as civil partnerships. Civil partnerships can be ended with a legally enforceable separation agreement.

Read more: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/civil-partnership-bill–what-the-new–legislation-will-mean-in-practice-1964058.html

RTE 9pm News:

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1061674

Go about 12 minutes in.

SixOne News:

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1061634

About 15 mins in.

Just one question in regard to the news…has Kieran Rose of GLEN actually read the bill?!

An Taoiseach,
Mr Brian Cowen, T.D.,
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2.

Thursday, 3rd December 2009

Dear Taoiseach,

MarriagEquality is a campaign working for equal civil marriage rights for same-sex couples in Ireland.

We ask you to consider upgrading the proposed civil partnership Bill to allow for access to civil marriage for same-sex couples. The introduction of civil partnership as the only option for same-sex couples to have their relationships legally recognised, sends a clear message that lesbians and gay men in Ireland are not considered as equals to heterosexual citizens.

MarriagEquality is conducting a marriage audit, comparing rights gained through civil partnership and those which accompany civil marriage. Initial results based on an analysis of the proposals in the Bill are startling. A same-sex couple who register under the proposed civil partnership scheme will have far fewer rights than a heterosexual married couple in Ireland.

Significantly, the majority of Irish people support the introduction of equal marriage rights in Ireland. Independent polls conducted show that over 80% of Irish people favour full equality regardless of a person’s sexuality (Lansdowne Market Research, October 2008).

We call on you Taoiseach to intervene to protect the equal rights of lesbians and gay men in Ireland through upgrading the current bill to allow for access to civil marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. This would provide protections for lesbian and gay adults, and also give rights to the children of same-sex couple families growing up in Ireland today.

Yours sincerely,
Moninne Griffith
Director
MarriagEquality

Mitch Ditkoff over on his Heart of Innovation blog has posted “56 Reasons Why Most Corporate Innovation Initiatives Fail”. Browsing through this list really rings true to me, as anything and everything that can and will go wrong on a new initiative. I’ve witnessed (and played a part) in more than one of these errors.

I took Mitch’s list and broke them down into three categories I mentioned in my earlier “understanding failure and success” post. Most of his reasons for failure are simply the nitty-gritty of executing any plan, while there’s also many items about fuelling motivation and buy-in. Buried within are few select gems which speak directly to the heart of innovation: visionary leadership and motivation.

My three categories are:

1. the vision – what to do and why it must be done now
2. the will – the fruits of leadership, the desire to do the vision
3. the way – reality check: time, resources and implementation

From his post, my bucketing returned the following results:

• 5 failures regarding vision and motivation
• 13 failures to inspire a passion for innovation
• 38 simple failures of execution

It’s interesting that his list of 56 directly reinforces the pattern in almost a mathematical way, as we get further along in the process, each step has 3 times as many things to go wrong with it. (Would it be naive to assume that there are 3 times as many people involved at each following step?)

I think the wrong way to read this would be to assume that we should focus the most on category 3, the way. Just because there are almost 9 times as many ways we can fail at execution doesn’t mean that execution is 9 times more important. On the contrary, I think a better way to read this is that useful improvements in vision and leadership will give you 9 times the leverage against your problem.

Ultimately, successful innovation requires all three of these parts and the total must add to “1”. This means that at an item level, vision is most important, followed by the will, and ultimately the way. Knowing the structure helps you prioritize where you should be focusing your energy, and whether you should be paddling upstream, downstream, or pulling your boat out of the water.

Noise condemns the limitations of the Civil Partnership Bill and demands Civil Marriage

Where: Dáil Eireann, Leinster House, Dublin 2

When: Thurs. 3rd December 6pm
 
_____________________________________________________________________
 
 Noise supporters will join together on Thursday, 3rd December, for a ‘flash demo’ in front of the Dáil to protest the ‘crumbs’ of the Civil Partnership Bill and to demand the full ‘wedding cake’ – Civil Marriage – for same-sex couples. Protesters will wear masks of the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, and Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern as they proceed to pull limited rights out of a Civil Partnership ‘lucky bag’, to demonstrate the gross limitations of what this bill offers to LGBT people and their families.
 
Noise believes that equality is not a half measure: either our relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships or they are not. Noise Organiser, Liam Connolly says: ‘If this Civil Partnership Bill becomes law it will force gay couples to participate in their own discrimination and the children of same-sex couples will remain vulnerable. The gay community should not be punished for their sexual orientation by being offered this second-class bill, nor should their children be punished by the lack of protection offered within it.’

Connolly also criticised the Catholic Church and right-wing groups such as The Iona Institute for their campaign against even basic forms of legal recognition for same-sex couples: “Civil Partnership creates a second-class citizenship for same-sex couples, yet even this is too much for vocal, hardline right-wing groups and their allies in the Oireachtas. In 2009, it is no longer acceptable that prejudiced views against LGBT people and their children be allowed to form the basis for public policy.”

TD’s and Senators will be invited to mingle with the protestors to hear their views; speaking at the event will be Noise Organiser Dr. Mark McCarron.

 We are no longer the silent minority: we are the ever increasing vocal majority. Noise calls on the Government to heed the dissatisfaction of LGBT people and, now, the wider community, with the half-measures inherent in this bill. There is only one way to bring full equality to the LGBT community: lift the ban on Civil Marriage for same-sex couples today.
 

The Civil Partnership Bill

The Government is debating the Civil Partnership Bill in the Dáil on Thursday 3 December. The proposed Bill will offer a number of legal rights, but will not carry all the same rights and protections as civil marriage, and civil partners will not be protected by the Constitution. Neither will it recognise same-sex families – a registered civil partner will be unable to adopt their partner’s child and there will be no recognition of de facto families. This means that the children they raise will have no legal rights with respect to one of their parents. Tax and social welfare provisions will be dealt with in separate legislation, and there is no guarantee that these will be the same as for married couples.

Law recognising transsexuals to go before Dáil

Source:www.examiner.ie
Date:30 Nov 2009

CONTROVERSIAL laws allowing transsexuals to be recognised in their acquired gender are likely to go before the Dáil next year following demands from the Green Party.

Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said work will get under way “immediately” to see how legal recognition for people who change their sex can be incorporated into law. This is likely to require new legislation.

Keep Reading:

http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/law-recognising-transsexuals-to-go-before-dail-106732.html

A worrying quote from the Article:

Green TD Ciarán Cuffe said his party argued that “a person should be legally recognised with the gender they wish to be recognised with.” However, Fianna Fáil were concerned that people would seek to change their gender for reasons other than psychological or medical, such as welfare or other entitlements.

Where do they get this tripe?! Who do they think is gonna wake up one day, and decide to change their gender to get social welfare entitlements?! Seriously like?!

I’m gonna ponder on this further to enable me to write a coherent article on the issues surrounding Gender Recognition, but I’ll be back to this!

In the meantime, I leave you with my hope that the Irish Gender Recognition Act doesn’t end up looking like this:

Picture by Kelly Mackey

(Thanks to Kelly Mackey for the above picture)

Hi all,

The LGBT NOISE Flash Demo will be outside the Dail on this Thursday, the 3rd December.

Be there! I’ll be in the public gallery watching the debate. Contact your local TD if you want to do the same.

Fianna Fáil senator in row over ‘fairy’ slur on gay people

Conor McMorrow, Political Correspondent

A FIANNA Fáil senator who has expressed annoyance that he can’t call gay people “fairies” and who claims women working outside the home are one of the main causes of depression in young people, has defended his views in the wake of strong criticism from members of the gay and lesbian community.
Jim Walsh from Co Wexford made his remarks in an interview with a member of the public he invited to talk to him after she complained about views he had previously expressed on the civil partnership bill. The bill will be discussed in the Dáil this week.
Christina Murphy, a supporter of LGBT Noise, a group campaigning for gay marriage in Ireland, said the senator had numerous “misconceptions” about the gay and lesbian community and “backward opinions about equality”. An account of her interview can be read on lgbtnoise.ie.

Keep reading:

http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2009/nov/29/fianna-fail-senator-in-row-over-fairy-slur-on-gay-/

Behind Enemy Lines- Meeting Bigot of the Month by Christina Murphy

When I first logged onto LGBT Noise’s website, little over a month ago, I was immediately drawn to an article which featured fellow Wexfordian, Senator Jim Walsh, entitled Bigot on of the Month. Sparked, by his outright, unapologetic discriminatory comments about the rights of same-sex couples and his views on the upcoming Civil Partnership Bill, I sent him a strongly worded email expressing my views as a member and ally of the LGBT community. What I didn’t expect was a chance to meet personally with the Senator after he extended an invitation to discuss my views on the Civil Partnership Bill directly with him.

The meeting highlighted the Senator’s numerous misconceptions about the LGBT community, backward opinions about equality and about those who are still struggling in its pursuit. “Well there are different reasons why people are gay,” he continued, “I have spoken to psychologists about this.” It must be stressed that homosexuality is a natural trait that a person is born with, not a mental illness that needs to be studied by psychologists. When I asked whether the psychologists to which he referred happen to be gay or lesbian, he quickly moved on to the next topic. These remarks by the Senator were the first indicators I had that this meeting would be about more than the Civil Marriage debate and that this was a chance for the Senator to put me in my place.

The Senator spoke strongly about his conviction in protecting the traditional family structure due to children, which – as he has indicated numerous times – has been the main factor in his decision to oppose equal rights for gay and lesbian couples. He believes that same-sex couples are of a lesser “merit” than heterosexual couples because of the position of children in these relationships. By this logic, therefore, are heterosexual couples that chose not to have children also of a lesser “merit” Senator? What seems most interesting to me is that for someone who places such a high emphasis on the interests of children, he seems to neglect the fact that the Civil Partnership Bill will offer no protection or rights to the children of same-sex couples. In fact, this Bill denies their very existence. Does Senator Walsh encourage the discrimination against same-sex couples being carried on to the next generation? This cycle of discrimination is hardly in the interest of our children?

 The Senator also focused on the breakdown of the family contributing to problems which young people – most specifically depression. He claimed that women working outside the home are a main factor in this. As a nineteen-year-old young woman I felt greatly offended by this remark, as I’m sure most women would be. Senator Walsh would appear to argue that a mother – like mine – having a career outside the home is too great a sacrifice to put on the cohesion of the family unit: I strongly disagree. This is 2009 and yet the Senator seems to disregard the Women’s Rights Movement. There are many ways for a mother and indeed a father to show love and support for their family. As my mother was the main breadwinner in my home, were it not for her, I quite simply would not have the same access to education and opportunities that I experience on a daily basis. Although my mother spends some of her time caring for us outside the home, our family have experienced no less love and support than a family who has a mother supporting from within it. It is my mother’s right to choose how she lives her life and supports her family.

And then to the question of LGBT equality. I asked the Senator if he believes in it. If by equality you mean that all people are born the same and deserve to be treated thus, then the answer unsurprisingly is no. He believes that because people are born with different traits and different abilities, such as being better at maths or talented musically (the Senator’s examples, not my own), that equality as an ideology is unfounded. From the meeting I gathered that he believes that equality is overrated. He completely belittled the pursuit of equal marriage rights by suggesting that it is simply the pursuit of having what you can’t have – a consumerism of rights if you like. He said that the gay community should realise that they simply do not need civil marriage and their desire for it is not based on looking for tangible rights, rather it is based on looking to “what other people have”: like an iPhone maybe Senator? To have my pursuit for civil rights belittled into something petty and pedantic infuriated me more than any of the comments the Senator had made before. He seems to believe that a consumerism of rights is what the civil marriage battle has been about, not the battle for equality. But then he doesn’t believe in that, does he?

The Senator broke for the last time from the topic when he asked me to explain how members of the LGBT community can be expected to be taken seriously when “men walk around half naked during demonstrations”. “You see the thing is,” said the Senator, laughing to himself, “If I were to call people fairies I would be called a bigot and all sorts of things, but David Norris says it all the time and nothing is said.” Yes I know the answers are quite obvious. Reason one: David Norris is a member of the LGBT community, who has done more to progress LGBT rights than anyone else in the country. Reason Two: Jim Walsh is not a member of the LGBT community and is doing his best to regress our pursuit of full equality.

I know that the events of this meeting will perhaps spark outrage, shock and hurt. But perhaps this is what is needed? What is more shocking, outrageous and hurtful is that this man has real power to influence the Civil Partnership Bill and further legislation concerning the rights of minority groups. So bigoted views like Senator Walsh’s cannot be ignored by us any longer.

In the words of Harvey Milk “I know you cannot live on hope alone but without it live is not worth living.” Following the meeting, I had a chance encounter with the great man who was behind the decriminalisation of homosexuality, Senator David Norris. Speaking with the Senator, he told me that he believed that Walsh’s opinions were influenced by his pursuit of support in his constituency of New Ross. This made me realise that the Senator Jim Walsh is merely a figurehead for the people. What we really need to change is our opinions as a society. Can we honestly say to our acquaintances, neighbours, friends, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, parents, sons and daughters that they are not equal simply because of their sexual orientation? Something tells me that the LGBT community will not accept such blatant bigotry any longer and will not settle for anything less than full equality. We, as a society, should stand and fight together in this ongoing pursuit of equality.

We must assert our equality to achieve our equality.

That was the full story as found on the lgbtnoise webpage…There are no words!

www.lgbtnoise.ie

If you want to write a letter to this senator, his contact details are:

Senator Jane Walsh
Seanad Eirean, Leinster House,
Kildare Street,
Dublin 2

jim.walsh@oireachtas.ie

I know I will be….

Just recieved this email to my inbox from LGBT NOISE about the views of esteemed senator Jim Walsh:

Recently, NOISE supporter Christina Murphy spoke with Senator Jim Walsh about gay rights, equality and civil marriage. It was a real eye-opener – she learned that some elected representatives, despite being paid to represent the welfare of all their constituents, prefer to push views that belong more in 1909 than 2009.

Here’s a flavour of what she learned:

Senator Walsh believes…

…that he should be able to call gay people ‘FAIRIES’;

…that women working outside the home are causing the breakdown of the family and psychological problems in young people;

…that the gay community should realise they simply DO NOT NEED marriage. They only want it because it’s what other people have. It’s just consumerism, a fad – a bit like an iPhone!

These are the views of someone who will get to decide if YOU should be treated as an equal, a human being and a citizen with the full suite of civil rights. Remember, as second-class partnership comes up for debate, that Senator Walsh doesn’t even think that gay people should get THOSE basic protections!

Go to www.lgbtNOISE.ie to read the report of one woman’s shocking conversation with the Senator.

Do you think his views are defensible?

If it makes you angry, spread this film far and wide.

If you disagree with Senator Walsh,  LET HIM KNOW – let ALL your elected representatives know!

The message is simple:

EQUALITY NOW!

CIVIL MARRIAGE NOW!
www.lgbtNOISE.ie

I don’t really know where to even start with this one….

I think maybe with the first point. Fairies. Sure why wouldn’t he call us faries…After all, I know all I do on a regular day is get up, adjust my wings and prance around Dublin…. Seriously Jim Walsh?! It’s 2009….

As for the women outside the home thing, I wonder is he married? His poor wife if so, spending her life chained to her kitchen sink, so as not to contribute to the breakdown of society… I love how he thinks that working mums are causing the psychological problems of their children. Let’s hope he never becomes a psychologist. “Dr, I’m depressed”. “IT’S YOUR MOTHERS FAULT!! Go say ten decades of the rosary and get out of my office!!”

Jim, I don’t have an iphone…. I actively refuse to follow fads. I want to get married and have kids someday. Somehow, I don’t think an iphone will change this. If iphones are the solution to inequality, then you’d think that sales of it in Ireland would have skyrocketed from day one!!

Stupid prick.

Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is to contact your TDs and senators and let them know what you want, tell them you want full equality. Get them to stand up on December 3rd and point out the flaws in the Bill. Get them to ignore the nutjobs and fight for your rights. Go in person, write an letter, type an email, make a phonecall. Do something.

Another day, another bunch of crazies band together to spread their religious bile.This new group, called RENEW, describe their mission statement as:

The mission of RENEW is to defend the dignity of the human person and the institution of marriage.  We work to protect the dignity of the human person and seek to change attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that allow for the total disregard of moral values.

 We believe that the continuing commericalisation of human sexuality, the objectification of women and the lack of moral values is immensely damaging to society, therefore we aim to influence, educate and lobby the industries responsible and the government so as to counteract this.

However, their main aim seems to be to petition against the Civil Partnership Bill. WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!! They couldn’t possibly allow gays to have a handful of the rights that they have. Sean Brady must be delighted!

Their site lists their campaign issues as:

•  
  • The promotion and protection of marriage and family life
  • To influence government legislation which protects and supports family life
  • The teaching of sex education is primarily the role of the parent and must be taught in accordance with Catholic principles which always respects the child’s natural modesty
  • The protection of children against sexualisation by the media and the entertainment and commercial industries.
  • To end the commercialization of human sexuality and the objectification of women through the media, sex industries and on the internet
  • To lobby the government to strengthen the obscenity laws and to impose heavy sanctions for the breaking of those laws
  • The regulation of the media and advertising industry by an impartial body, independent of the industries concerned

Ah, ye olde “protection of marriage and family life” argument. Please people, some originality. It’s getting boring. Seriously. Come up with a new argument. Or maybe even some backing evidence for this bullshit. How does two men or two women getting married in anyway impinge on your monotonous lives which lack so much that you must spend them peddling hatred and promoting discrimination? Like how sad do you have to be?!

In their events section, they applaude their own launch with the following article:

RENEW, a new national advocacy and lobby group, launched in Buncrana last week has been hailed a “vision for modern Ireland.”  The organisation has been founded by Mary Doherty from Buncrana.
RENEW seeks to influence and renew modern day thinking in regard to human behaviour and to position itself as an authoritative voice on Christian moral values.
Guest speaker, the most Reverand Bishop of Derry Seamus Hegarty, said he “saluted Mary Doherty in bringing her vision to this stage.  I’m here because I am in agreement with a lot of her aspirations. I acknowledge Mary’s vision which she has been articulating for a very long time and doing so very convincingly. RENEW has produced a valuable piece of work for people who care about the future of young people.”

RENEW has made a series of recommendations that it would like to see pursued by Government to protect children and families against the commercialisation of human sexuality in modern day Ireland. They include:

• The greater encouragement of marriage by the Government by offering affordable homes, incentivised tax laws and affordable childcare;
• A stated policy position on the promotion of marriage and the family unit;
• A Government information campaign against the commercialization of human sexuality and the objectification of women and the sexualisation of children by the media and entertainment and commercial industries;

We are supporting Media Watch UK in pressing for a European agreement on programme standards in the area of multi-media broadcasting.
Speaking at the launch Mary Doherty said her vision for change will continue around the country with a county-by-county publicity and media campaign.  “I was delighted with the turnout at our launch and the reaction from the public since it.”

Here are the lovely people behind this:

Perhaps most worringly of all is the letter that they are sending to TD’s. The only place I could find this letter was on the blog of Maman Poulet, so she did the work on this one. The text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Deputy,

 

RENEW is calling for the scrapping of the Civil Partnership Bill for the following reasons:-

 

It’s unconstitutional because it’s against Article 41 of the Irish Constitution. Article 41 states that ” The State recognises the family as the natural, primary and fundamental unit of society, and a moral institution. The State guarantees to protect the family because it is the necessary basis of social order and indispensable to the welfare of the nation and the State.

 

Making laws that recognise same-sex unions is legislating for immoral, perverse and deviant behaviour.

 

This Bill contradicts right reason because it is not in accordance with the natural moral law.

 

Therefore this Bill is not legitimate since it fails to recognise the inalienable and imprescriptible right of every human being.

 

It is grossly unjust and immoral because it is so harmful to the common good.

 

It is a blatant attack on Marriage and Family Life.

 

The government and the opposition parties assured the people that the “guarantees” secured by the government ensured that there could be no undermining of the Constitutional protections for the family and human life.

 

We call on you as our public representative to see that this Bill is scrapped and show the people that they were right to trust the government to protect the family founded on Marriage since this was one of the issues many people voted NO too in Lisbon 1, then voted YES in Lisbon 2 because of the guarantees.

 

We are asking you to respond to us via email at info@renewcampaign.com and outline your position on the Civil Partnership Bill.

 

Yours Sincerely,

 Mary Doherty

What the FUCK like?! My only hope is that the TD’s recognise this as being one of the crazy letters and puts it to one side. However, the worrying this is that if they get enough of these letters, that they may sit up and take some notice… There are some TD’s that are getting a letter/visit a day in opposition to the Bill.

Therefore, the LGBTQ community need to get up off their asses and go visit their TD’s and outline their concerns. MaarriagEquality are running a campaign on this. To learn more, go to www.marriagequality.ie and get involved. We can wait around on this one, as the Bill will be discussed on the 3rd of December if my sources are correct….

Don’t wait around on this. The crazies are rallying the troops. We should be too.