text:
Thursday, 21 May 2015 07:16 PM
Senators voted 62-38 to set up a speedy decision on the "fast-track" trade negotiating authority the president needs to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.
The TPP is part of Obama's so-called pivot to Asia, a strategy to counter China's rising economic and diplomatic clout in Asia.
Obama called the vote "a big step forward," adding that his trade agenda dovetails with the "strong labor standards, strong environmental standards" that his fellow Democrats in Congress are demanding.
Thirteen of 44 Democrats backed the legislation in the Senate's second procedural vote. Some supported moving ahead with fast-track after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, assured them he would set a vote next month on a bill to renew the Export-Import Bank's charter, according to leading Democratic senators. The charter is due to expire at the end of June.
They were joined by 49 of 54 Republicans, giving supporters of the legislation more than the 60 votes needed to proceed in the 100-member Senate.
With some of the Senate's arcane procedural underbrush cleared away, senators tried to focus on amendments to the bill - some of them contentious - and there could be yet another procedural vote requiring 60 supporters.
Senate leaders spent much of Thursday seeking agreement on which amendments to the bill would be considered on the bill that McConnell was aiming to pass by week's end, with only a simple majority needed to pass it.
Under fast-track, Congress can approve or reject trade deals such as the TPP, with 11 other countries ranging from Japan to Chile, but not amend their contents.
But the path is not clear yet. Amendments could include controversial sanctions on trading partners that manipulate their currencies, a move opposed by the partners.
The White House has said it will veto the bill if lawmakers insist on penalties. It instead prefers a diplomatic approach to dissuade countries from deliberately weakening their currencies to make exports cheaper.
The TPP, which is near completion after more than five years of negotiations, would create a free trade zone covering 40 percent of the world economy. Trading partners have said they want to see fast-track enacted before finalizing the pact, a goal the administration has set for this year.
The bill must also pass the House of Representatives, where an even tougher fight is expected. Some conservatives oppose giving the White House more power, and many of Obama's Democrats worry about the impact on jobs and the environment.
Obama has campaigned aggressively for fast-track over objections from the left wing of the Democratic Party, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, the influential liberal from Massachusetts.
Warren is pushing an amendment to take away fast-track authority for any TPP deal that allows companies to sue foreign governments, which critics say would allow them to dodge health and environmental standards.
Supporters of the provisions argue they will keep governments from discriminating against foreign investors.
The pact is the biggest trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement freed up trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
More than two decades later, many blame that deal for factory closures and job losses, and see the TPP as producing more of the same.
© 2020 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.
Newsmax Comment Policy
Keep discussions on topic, avoid personal attacks and threats of any kind. Links will not be permitted.
Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.


text:
NSW Aboriginal Safe Gambling Service manages Warruwi Gambling Help program. The Organisation is an Aboriginal owned service which has 100% Aboriginal staff. The Warruwi Gambling Help program consists of 6 key functions, they are:
Ashley is an Aboriginal Australian from the western-NSW community of Brewarrina, a descendent of the Gamilaroi (mother) and Ngemba (father).
After a successful career in rugby league with the Newcastle Knights, Ashley is actively involved in a variety of community issues with extensive experience working with Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. Ashley has vast experience in the field of problem gambling focusing on community education, program design, development and delivery for Indigenous peoples and communities.
However gambling is his passion highlighted by the appointment to the federal Ministerial Expert Advisory Group on Gambling and the Expert Advisory Group for the Australian Gambling Research centre. Previously a gambling counsellor with seven years' experience and four years has a gambling researcher with the Centre for Gambling Education and Research at Southern Cross University at Lismore. One focus of late is analysing Aboriginal Healing Programs and their effectiveness on Aboriginal problem gamblers.
He currently manages the NSW Aboriginal Safe Gambling Services funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund, Liquor and Gaming NSW. The State-wide program targets 30 Aboriginal communities across NSW each year.
As a consultant, Ashley has a long-term objective to be involved in the ongoing development and implementation of policies and programs that improve the well-being of Aboriginal people.
Listen to Stephen, Bernie, Thomas and Roy's stories as they describe the problems they experienced as a result of gambling.
If you are concerned about you or someone you love's gambling, contact us today.
Speak to an Aboriginal-specific phone counsellor for free, anytime
or call our Aboriginal Gambling Counsellors

subset: commoncrawl


text:
So I am what you would call an outlook junky, but at the same time I server as CIO for a start up so I am poor. Buying office, and the needed zimbra license for the connector is not an option, so we are looking for something decent as a replacement for outlook + connector.
Zimbra desktop is an amazing product, almost exactly what I want minus one very important thing. composing a new message or replying to a message in a new window is painfully slow. I am talking like 3 - 5 seconds. While I tollerate this at home, when I am at work this lag is a killer for the product.
Is there any way I can make replying or composing a new message in a new window any faster ? I am running the latest Zimbra Desktop on decent HW. I get this lag on my home PC (ubuntu), my laptop (osx), and my work computer (vista pro).
- Zimbra Collaboration 9.0.0 now available. Read the release notes.
- Zimbra Collaboration 8.8.15 LTS now available. Read the release notes.
- Are you a Zimbra Developer? You can find some interesting stuff in our Official GitHub, Blog and the Community Github.
- Zimbra is Open Source! Read the FAQ. You can also contribute and build binary from source!
Why is reply in a new window so god auwfull slow ?
General discussion about Zimbra Desktop.
6 posts • Page 1 of 1
- Advanced member
- Posts: 152
- Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:10 pm
Why is reply in a new window so god auwfull slow ?
I think this thread can answer your query.
Why is reply in a new window so god auwfull slow ?
Current load time is around 4 seconds, but that is even too slow compared to the Yahoo web client. Hope that gets fixed in the next version.
Why is reply in a new window so god auwfull slow ?
Perhaps it's not a bug since it's dependent of a direct connection in order to open a separate compose window. I'm off of a wifi router at home.
Why is reply in a new window so god auwfull slow ?
The new window in the Desktop client really shouldn't have anything to do with the network connection since it's supposed to be an offline client.. It's just a browser that connects to a local web server, really.. It appears the part that takes the longest is launching the new prism window. I use Firefox to connecto the local Zimbra Desktop server and it seems to be a little faster doing it that way.
Why is reply in a new window so god auwfull slow ?
file a bug please.
6 posts • Page 1 of 1
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


text:
New Show/Tickets Page
I added a show (and ticket) page on the site. The link is located in menu at the very top (and on the left column). Show/Tickets section will contain links to bands' webpages, mp3s and any information related to the gig.
This entry was posted on January 19, 2009 at 2:55 am, filed under News.
Bookmark the permalink.
Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
Previous Post: INTERVIEW: When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth & Pterodactyl (videos) | Next Post: The Coathangers added (videos)


text:
The number of new entrants reached 78 in half a year. Although PV experienced the 2008 Waterloo-like lessons of polysilicon, it still failed to block the new entrants. As the traditional domestic manufacturing industry has gradually reduced its profit margins and the higher gross profit margin of the photovoltaic industry, Zhejiang Province, with its strong capital, has once again witnessed a new round of photovoltaic expansion.
According to the Zhejiang Provincial Government's "New Energy Promotion and Application and Industrial Development Plan for Photovoltaic Industry in Zhejiang Province†(hereinafter referred to as the "planâ€) on November 24, 2009, the focus of Zhejiang's development of the photovoltaic industry is to increase the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells. Ling Yun, deputy director of Zhejiang Economic and Information Commission, once said that Zhejiang Province encourages the development of photovoltaic industry, but does not include polysilicon purification projects that are not allowed in the province's resources and environment. This also means that Zhejiang Province is encouraging the development of battery components, not silicon purification. The requirements for the capital and technology of components are much lower than those for silicon purification. For private enterprises with weaker financial strength, they are more willing to choose to enter the component packaging links in the middle reaches of the PV industry chain.
Hu Shushu, a senior practitioner in the solar photovoltaic polysilicon film and battery module market strategy research, said that the gross profit rate of photovoltaic industry components can often reach 15% to 35%. Even if some companies have insufficient technology and are not large enough, the gross profit margin can still be It is 8%-10%, which is quite attractive for many manufacturing companies in Zhejiang where the gross profit margin is about 5%.
Shen Fuxin, secretary general of the Zhejiang Solar Energy Industry Association, stated that of the 78 newly established enterprises after September 2010, 30 new members of the solar photovoltaic industry were from Wenzhou, a private enterprise in Zhejiang, and Kaihua County, a polysilicon purification base in Zhejiang Province. The number of new enterprises entering the photovoltaic industry reached 27, and the total number of PV companies owned by the county exceeded the record of 57 companies. It is understood that these newly recruited members are almost all small-scale investments. No one has an investment amount of 800 million yuan, and the 800 million yuan amount of investment is the basic amount of funds for investing in a production capacity of 1,000 tons of polysilicon production lines.
The prospect of new enterprises is worrying. According to a number of professional survey agencies, global PV module prices will fall by 9%-17% from last year. New module manufacturers will have no profit due to lack of stable and low-cost upstream battery supply. It may even be a loss.
Loss of production has been the first loss, the cost price is higher than the European market price. In this regard, Hu Shu said that now is not a good time to enter the photovoltaic industry on a large scale. "The newly-added companies have chosen the wrong time to enter the industry and the prospects are worrying.†Hu Weishu said that with the downward adjustment of the tariffs for the on-grid PV power prices in Germany and Italy, the module prices will inevitably continue to fall; according to iSuppli's research on the photovoltaic industry The report predicts that the average price of polysilicon solar modules worldwide will fall by 9% in the first quarter of 2011 and by another 6% in the second quarter.
Spoilers are making waves. Zhejiang Province proposed in the "planning" that by 2012, the output value of the photovoltaic industry in the province should reach 200 billion yuan. In 2010, the output value of the photovoltaic industry in the province was 90 billion yuan, which was 6.43 times the 2009 output value. However, some companies with no strength are playing the roles of industry spoilers in order to counterfeit well-known brands and conduct fake certification of substandard products to produce inferior products. In this regard, Shen Fuxin said: "This is hurting the industrial base of China's photovoltaic industry, and it needs the government to solve it. The government's focus is not to provide capital subsidies for on-grid tariffs, but to provide a platform for enterprises to improve industrial technology. , Focus on supporting leading companies in technology while also strengthening quality supervision, such as the customs can detect the quality of export components, so that substandard products can not be out of the country, and heavy penalties involved companies.
As of March 2011, there were 176 solar photovoltaic companies in Zhejiang Province, 78 of which were established after September 2010. Sixty-five percent of these new companies have joined the production of components. This is a set of data obtained from the Zhejiang Solar Energy Industry Association.


text:
Be our guest this Easter at Camberley Theatre!
Joseph Purdy Productions are delighted to return to Camberley this Easter with a tale that's as old as time, Beauty and the Beast.
Belle lives in the little village on the edge of the woods, she finds herself trapped in a kingdom deep in the depths of forest captured by the Beast for whom she must learn to love for who he truly is before the last rose petal falls. The Beast was transformed from a once handsome prince by the Enchantress of the rose who joins Potty Polly, Silly Willy and evil Gaston in this enchanting pantomime adventure
Join us on truly magical Easter adventure with glittering sets, sparkling costumes and a laugh a minute script. Make sure you get you ticket before the final rose petal falls.
View Time(s)
Theatre Club Members get discounted tickets to our shows and events plus pay no transaction or postage fees.
Click on the button below to find out more about becoming a member and save today.


text: While we're still open for business, most of the Super-Fly gang is in Chicago gearing up for one of the biggest comic conventions around: C2E2!!! Join Super-Fly sidekick and author of the Read My Library Blog, Max Lake, as he gives a run down on the first day and a half of Super-Fly's trip to the show! Continue reading


text:
We just found this post by Ole Jørgen Liodden (and we also showed off his Canon EOS-1D MKIV preview) where he took his Canon EOS 7D into some very harsh conditions in Antartica and was very pleased with the results. Please read the whole article on his CanonFieldTests.com site. Note that he's breaking the report down into 4 parts and this is only part 1. We'll update this when he posts the rest.
A snippet of his story:
"One issue I´ve been very interested in regarding the new 7D, is how well it performs under tough weather conditions. Some of my assignments and expeditions take me to extreme parts of the world, where cold temperatures, snow, rain, sand, or a mix of fine sand, rain and a splash of sea water are the norm. On my recent expediton to Antarctica I had a great opportunity to really test how well sealed and rugged this camera actually is. The other two cameras in my camera bag were the Canon 5D Mark II and 1DS Mark III.
This trip was almost the same 3.5 week photo expedition to Antartctica as last year, where I had a 50D and Canon HF10 HD video camera for testing. On that trip I destroyed the video camera on my first day at South Georgia, and the 50D camera had a one day "hangover†after a wet landing. After a few days I put the 50D away because it was not suited to those conditions. 3-4 photographers with Canon 30Ds and 40Ds broke their cameras during last year's expedition. NB: My workhorse, the 1DS Mark III worked flawlessly, even after 2 "baths†in cold sea water. After these experiences, I wasn't sure if the 7D and 5D Mark II would survive for the duration of the expedition this year."
Another note: he also had a Canon EOS 5D Mark II along and had some comments on its performance in the snow as well.
(Photo credit: snap from the lead photo in the article)


text:
We provide professional consultative information to help you pick what's best for your four-legged loved ones.
Discover helpful resources to ensure that your pet has a long, happy life.
If you wouldn't neglect your own skincare routine, then you also shouldn't forget about your cat's! Helping your cat maintain her...Learn more
There's nothing more rewarding than petting your favorite kitty. This show of affection is pleasing to both owner and pet. But what...Learn more
A dog's coat is often a great indicator of his overall health and well-being. A full, lustrous coat generally means your pup is feeling...Learn more
Copyright © 2017 Pet Med Zones. All Rights Reserved.


text:
GuildWiki has been locked down: anonymous editing and account creation are disabled. Current registered users are unaffected. Leave any comments on the Community Portal.
Source of Whispers
|Source of Whispers
Description[edit | edit source]
Source of Whispers is an NPC that gives out and accepts books for the Nightfall campaign.
Location[edit | edit source]
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Chantry of Secrets:
- "So now you come to the Source, <character name>. The Source administers the distribution of reports to our agents in the field. Be sure to carefully document your missions against those who would destroy the Light. Bring that written evidence to the Source and as your deeds become known, your reputation will grow within the Order.
- If you increase your reputation enough, you can even earn Hero skill points, which can be spent to teach your heroes new skills from any of the Hero skill trainers in Elona and beyond.''


text: Wahlgren is a playmaker with strong skating and soft hands. With his great mobility, he often quickly changes direction and gets past opponents, making him hard to stop. He has great puck control, able to pull of some slick moves, and uses them with his vision to find his teammates on the ice. Wahlgren prefers passing the puck over shooting it himself, even though he has a dangerously quick shot release. He has the ability to read plays and is very calm with the puck, not making many poor decisions. He has no problems delivering both short- and long-rang passes, and he has the ability to get pucks through lanes. He also proved that he can accept passes and has a good wrist shot. He does play a physical game, although inconsistently, as he throws his body around on the forecheck, but he does tend to use his skating and stick rather than his muscle and brawn. He has good hockey sense, shows the ability to read the opposition and steps up into lanes as he intercepts the puck. Wahlgren is strong on the forecheck and plays harder than anyone else on the ice. Although he is more offensive minded, he has no problem covering for his defensemen and helping them out in situations deep in the defensive zone where they might need support. He handles his defensive responsibility well. (May 2016)


text:
Palma Real
+52 (744) 484 0333
Hours:Monday to Friday 7:00 am - 3:30 pm, Saturday & Sunday 7:00 am - 10:30 pm
The Villa Vera Hotel, on the old coastal road high above Acapulco's present-day beaches, is the setting of Palma Real, a small and elegant restaurant that serves buffet breakfast and lunch every day, and dinners on Saturdays and Sundays. The menu is continental, but a few specialties are a blend of local and imported flavors, like the red snapper fillet in lobster sauce. The Palma Real is also a great place to try out some of Mexico's best white wines from Baja California.


text:
Article Text
Over the past couple of decades, there has been an ongoing, often fierce, debate about the ethics of biobank participation. One central element of that debate has concerned the nature of informed consent, must specific reconsent be gained for each new use, or user, or is broad consent ethically adequate? Recently, Thomas Ploug and Søren Holm have developed an alternative to both specific and broad consent: what they call a meta-consent framework. On a meta-consent framework, participants can choose the type of consent framework they require, for different kinds of use, different types of user and so on. Meta-consent involves a distinctive kind of design of the consent process. Here it is argued, first, that although a meta-consent framework does not wrong participants, Ploug and Holm understate the likely costs and burdens of such a framework, so there are good practical reasons not to offer it. Second, although Ploug and Holm allude to some ethical considerations that might seem to ground an ethical argument for providing meta-consent, they do not offer any sound argument, and it does not wrong participants in any way to fail to offer them the opportunity to design their own consent process.
- research ethics
- informed consent
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Contributors I am sole author.
Funding The author has not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Presented at Versions of this paper were presented at the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Science, and at the Center for Ethics, University of Zurich.
Request Permissions
If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center's RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.


text:
By Brian Klose
Elm Staff Writer
In their first conference meet since the break, the Shoreman dominated the Dickinson Red Devils, winning eight of 12 events. Sophomore Pat Elliot would account for two of the team's six individual wins while the Shoremen also took the 400 medley and 400 freestyle. The victory would put the team at 6-1 on the season.
After spending most of their winter break training and fine-tuning, the team rang in the new semester with a pair of dominating home wins, including two record-breaking performances from junior Lucas Morgan. Morgan had three individual wins in an effort that handed Widener University their first loss of the season.
The meet against Widener was WC's first of two back-to-back meets the weekend before students returned to campus. With the rest of the campus relatively deserted, the Casey Swim Center was the focal point of action in Chestertown. The Widener Pride entered the meet with six wins and one draw, giving the Shoremen a tough challenge. After winning 12 of 14 events, however, it was clear the squad maintained the confidence they had built through an already successful season. Morgan shined, winning the 1000 freestyle, the 100 breaststroke, and the 200 breaststroke, leading his team to a resounding 175-86 victory over their non-conference opponent. The win improved the Shoremen's overall record to 4-1.
The following day, WC faced visiting Elizabethtown College in the second of their back-to-back home stand. The impressive 131-36 win over the Blue Jays came with a strong showing from the underclassmen, including freshman Cody Weiler, sophomore Brent Hochstein, and freshman Kevin Mackenzie. Morgan, with a time of 17:02.78, broke the Eugene B. Casey Swim Center record for the individual 1650 freestyle event. The team of Yocum, Elliot, Lee, and Longnecker broke the second record, winning the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 7:17.18.
The meet against Elizabethtown showcased the increasing success of the team's underclassmen swimmers.
"We have three talented freshman that helped right away in our lineup," Head Coach Kim Lessard said. "Kevin Mackenzie already posted the second fastest 100 free time ever in WC history. Cody Weiler can swim so many events, he has really helped us with his diversity in events. Finnie Dorsch,recruited as a top distance freestyler, unfortunately had mono this fall, so he is still getting in shape, but will continue to be an important member of the squad."
For the remainder of the season the Shoremen will come up against Centennial Conference rivals Swarthmore, Ursinus, and McDaniel before heading to Conference Championships in late February. WC is doing all they can to prepare for the tough road ahead.
"We were training over the break so now we can start to rest and fine tune individuals," Lessard said. "There are many different events, 14 against Dickinson, so we are not focused on one specific event. It is how the 15 men can help the lineup. Some are distance swimmers, some are sprinters, some have to move around based on the team we are swimming."
The Shoremen's next meet comes on Jan. 31 against conference opponent Ursinus, who currently sits at no.4 in the standings with a conference record of 3-2.


text:
Orkin Fresno, California
Fresno CA Exterminator, Pest Control & Termite Inspector
Proudly Serving Fresno And the Surrounding Areas
- Atwater
- Bakersfield
- California City
- Chowchilla
- Clovis
- Coarsegold
- Delano
- Dos Palos
- Firebaugh
- Fresno
- Gustine
- Hanford
- Kerman
- Kingsburg
- Lemoore
- Livingston
- Los Banos
- Madera
- Mendota
- Merced
- Porterville
- Reedley
- Ridgecrest
- Sanger
- Tulare
- Visalia
- Winton
- Next day service available
- Over 115 years' experience
- Flexible appointment times
- 30-day Money Back Guarantee
Free Online Estimate
Or call to get service ASAP877-688-7831
Our Fresno Area Services
Pest control can take many forms, and for us, it's always about helping to protect your home and business. Choose a service to learn more.
Pest Control - Residential
Service for your home
Bed Bug Services
Get rid of bed bugs
Carpenter Ant Control
Treat carpenter ant problems
Flea Control
Protection for homes & pets
Mosquito Service
Spray for mosquitoes
Stinging Insects
Bees, wasps, hornets & more
Tick Services
Home & yard inspections
Wildlife Services
Squirrels, raccoons, bats & more
Termite Control
Inspection & treatment
Termite Bait & Monitoring
Sentricon, DryFoam, Termidor
Drywood Termite Control
Treat drywood infestations
Fumigation Services
Trained & licensed fumigators
Insulation Installation
Save energy & control pests
- Pest Control - Residential
- Pest Control - Commercial Service for your business
- Bird Control Pigeons, starlings & more
- Floor & Drain Cleaning Safe & effective cleaner
- Fly Control Fruit flies, drains flies, gnats
- Odor Control Scent control for business
- Rodent Control Removal of rats & mice
Common Pests in the Area
We Know About Pests, You Can Too. Visit our Pest Library for information on the habits and habitats of some of the most common pests, plus easy ways to control them.
Occasional Invaders
Bed Bug
WDO Report
Fresno Pest Pressure
Due to its proximity to the ocean, thriving population, and mild climate, Fresno, CA, is the perfect place for pests like mosquitoes and termites to gather. Since mosquitoes thrive in hot and moist areas, they are active nearly all year in the Central California city. These pests feed on human blood and are capable of transmitting dangerous diseases such as the West Nile and Zika viruses. Termites are structural pests that feed on wood. They create extensive tunnel systems in the wooden frames of homes, which undermines the stability of buildings.
Other common pests in the Fresno area include house flies and house mice. Both of these pests are known for spreading bacteria and generally being filthy. They congregate in kitchens and create unsanitary conditions by defecating on countertops and in pantries. While house flies are known to spread diseases like food poisoning, typhoid fever, and tularemia, house mice are associated with the transmission of Hantavirus and plague. Additionally, house mice chew through electrical wiring and create fire hazards.
We're not happy until you're happy.
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
- If pests return between treatments, your Orkin Tech will return for a touch up at no extra charge.
- If we are unable to solve your pest problem, we'll refund your last service payment for as long as you are our customer


text:
Queen's speech: Government appears to dump Mordaunt's WCA election promise
A Tory election promise to "dismantle" the work capability assessment (WCA) through new legislation appears to have been abandoned, with the Queen's speech containing no mention of any new social security bill.
The speech contains brief details of all planned legislation over the next two years – rather than the usual 12 months – so the absence of a social security bill suggests work and pensions ministers have abandoned planned reforms to the much-criticised "fitness for work" test.
The minister for disabled people, Penny Mordaunt, told a national disability hustings event a few days before the general election that a Conservative government would "legislate to reform the work capability assessment", which "treats people like they are part of a sausage factory".
She then added: "We have managed to get into the manifesto a legislative commitment to dismantle the work capability assessment."
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats promised in their general election manifestos to scrap the WCA.
Disability News Service (DNS) tried repeatedly after Mordaunt's comments to confirm what she meant by the promise to "dismantle" the WCA, as there was no mention of scrapping the assessment in her party's manifesto.
The manifesto did promise that a Conservative government would "legislate to give unemployed disabled claimants or those with a health condition personalised and tailored employment support".
When contacted about the failure to include a social security bill in the Queen's speech, a Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "We have been told not to say anything at the moment."
He directed DNS to the Number 10 press office, which had not commented by noon today (Thursday).
Ministers are expected to respond in the next few months to the consultation on its controversial work, health and disability green paper, which was published last October.
It is not yet clear how the absence of new legislation will affect proposals laid out in the green paper, which include a suggestion that all people on out-of-work disability benefits – even those who are terminally-ill or have the very highest support needs – could in future have to stay in regular touch with their local jobcentre or risk having their benefits sanctioned.
22 June 2017
Queen's speech: May 'abandons' election pledge on access
A Conservative election promise to tackle some of the discrimination faced by disabled people appears to have been abandoned, with no mention of the pledge in yesterday's Queen's speech.
The manifesto promise to "review disabled people's access and amend regulations if necessary to improve disabled access to licensed premises, parking and housing" was absent from the speech and the associated briefing notes.
The speech includes 27 bills and draft bills that the government plans to introduce over the next two years, with much of its focus on the process of leaving the European Union, and it also details 30 pages of non-legislative action the government plans to take.
But the only mentions of disabled people in the 82-page briefing document come in the pledge to "make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their sexuality, faith, disability, gender or race".
The associated two-paragraph section on disability refers only to measures the government has already taken, appointing 11 new disability sector champions, and continuing efforts to promote the use of social enterprises that support disabled people.
There was also no mention of the need for more accessible housing in the Queen's speech, or in the briefing notes.
But separate plans to address the discrimination faced by people with mental health conditions in the workplace were included in the speech.
The prime minister had promised before the election that there would be "sweeping changes to the Equality Act", and that a Conservative government would reform the act to prevent workplace discrimination, to protect employees with "intermittent" conditions such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.
Although yesterday's speech made no mention of such legislative change, there is a reference to the pledge in the briefing notes, which say the government will look at how to ensure "those with mental ill health are treated fairly, protected from discrimination, and employers fulfil their responsibilities effectively".
On its wider plans for mental health reform, there apparently will be no new bill in the next two years, even though the Tories had promised in their manifesto to introduce "the first new Mental Health Bill for 35 years".
Instead, the briefing notes promise to "work towards a new Mental Health Act" and "consider what further reform of mental health legislation is necessary, including changes in how the [Mental Health Act] is implemented on the ground".
This will include examining why rates of detention under the act are increasing, and why a disproportionate number of black people are being detained, as well as a review of community treatment orders, which are being used far more often than intended when they were introduced by the last Labour government.
The government also promises to publish a green paper on children and young people's mental health.
There will be relief among human rights campaigners that there was no mention in the speech of scrapping the Human Rights Act.
Last year, user-led organisations warned that the government's "horrifying" plans to replace the act with a British bill of rights would lead to a loss of vital legal protection for disabled people.
That bill was mentioned in last year's Queen's speech but was never introduced, and the 2017 Conservative election manifesto said that a Tory government would not consider replacing the Human Rights Act until the process of leaving the European Union had concluded.
Another omission from the Queen's speech likely to please many disabled activists was the prime minister's plan to increase the number of grammar schools.
Laws currently ban any new selective schools and prevent existing non-selective schools from becoming selective, but the government wanted to expand existing grammar schools, create new selective schools and allow non-selective schools to become selective.
Inclusive education campaigners say that expanding grammar schools – secondary schools which select pupils via an entrance test – will discriminate against disabled children and lead to more segregated education in special schools.
A spokesman for the Department for Education suggested yesterday (Wednesday) that the government had not yet abandoned its plans, despite there being no mention of grammar schools in the Queen's speech or the briefing notes.
He said the government would be responding to its Schools that Work for Everyone consultation "in due course", and added: "Grammar schools are part of that consultation. It will set out our plans for everything within the consultation."
22 June 2017
Queen's speech: Government will consult on social care funding, but silence on needs of working-age disabled people… again
The government has confirmed in the Queen's speech that it plans to consult on its proposals to address the funding crisis affecting older people's social care, but has again failed to make any mention of the needs of working-age disabled people.
Conservative plans for the funding of social care for older people – particularly on charging – were widely seen as one of the reasons the party failed to secure an overall parliamentary majority in this month's general election.
But it was also criticised for failing to include any mention of how it would reform the funding of working-age social care.
Yesterday's Queen's speech includes 27 bills and draft bills that the government plans to introduce over the next two years, with much of its focus on the process of leaving the European Union.
The speech includes a pledge to "bring forward proposals for consultation" on social care.
But the briefing notes published alongside the speech ignore the social care needs of working-age disabled people, and say instead that the government will "work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population" by "bringing forward proposals for consultation".
They also say that "further reform is required to ensure that the system is prepared to meet the challenges of the increasing numbers of over 75s", and that the consultation will "set out options to improve the social care system and to put it on a more secure financial footing, supporting people, families and communities to prepare for old age".
A Department of Health (DH) spokesman said that the consultation was likely to be via a green paper – although a white paper was also possible – which would be published "fairly soon" and "almost definitely" this year.
The controversial social care charging policy proposed by the Tories in their manifesto originally revolved around allowing every older person to retain at least £100,000 of their assets and savings, while the value of people's homes would be taken into account – when calculating charges – for those receiving domiciliary care as well as those receiving residential care.
But following widespread criticism, May announced that there would also be a lifetime cap on the amount spent on care charges, although she did not say at what level this would be set.
Asked if the consultation would include these proposals, the DH spokesman said: "She will consult on those limits, that is our understanding."
22 June 2017
Shock after inquest ignores 'fitness for work' and jobcentre concerns
A coroner has declined to explain why he failed to take evidence on the apparent links between the government's "fitness for work" test and the death of a disabled north London man.
An inquest into the death of 56-year-old Lawrence Bond, held on Friday, was expected to hear details of how he was found "fit for work" last autumn and then visited Kentish Town jobcentre hours before he collapsed and died in the street on 12 January.
Despite the failure of assistant coroner Dr Richard Brittain to examine those aspects of the case, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that it is carrying out an internal, confidential investigation – known as an internal process review – into the circumstances of Bond's death.
The former electrical engineer had visited the jobcentre earlier on the day he collapsed and died from a heart attack, and was awaiting the result of an appeal against being found fit for work.
There had been hopes that the inquest at St Pancras Coroner's Court would hear from the healthcare professional from the government contractor Maximus who had assessed Bond and found him fit for work, as well as jobcentre staff who had seen him on the day he died.
But no witnesses gave evidence at the inquest, with the coroner only reading out written statements from Bond's GP, the first paramedic to attend him after he collapsed, a police sergeant who investigated his death, and the pathologist who carried out a post-mortem.
Dr Brittain concluded that Bond's death was "non-suspicious" and that he had died of natural causes.
The inquest did hear detailed evidence which showed how ill he had been at the time he died, with conditions including heart disease, the lung condition sarcoidosis, diabetes, cirrhosis, depression, anxiety, agoraphobia and high blood pressure, and that he had been referred to a respiratory clinic.
His sister, Iris Green, who had not been able to attend the inquest, told Disability News Service (DNS) today (Thursday) that her brother had been desperately unwell, which would have been obvious to anyone who saw him, including the healthcare professional from Maximus who assessed his fitness for work last autumn.
She said her brother had visited the jobcentre on the day he died, and had been asked to climb some stairs.
She believes he told a member of staff that he would have a heart attack if he did so, and when told he could use the lift he asked if someone could accompany him because of his claustrophobia.
He was told this was not possible, but it was agreed that someone would come down to speak to him.
His sister said: "He was so distressed by then that [after leaving the jobcentre] he went to see a friend, who calmed him down, because he was very anxious and frightened."
He collapsed later that day at a bus stop.
She said the stress of what happened at the jobcentre "definitely" contributed to his death. "He was worried about work, about money. They weren't going to give him [disability benefits]. He didn't know how he was going to live."
She said that the decision to find her brother fit for work and the events that took place at the jobcentre should have been discussed at the inquest.
But she said the coroner may not have been aware of what had happened.
She said: "To look at him you could have seen that he was unwell. His breathing was terrible."
She said her brother – who also had Asperger's syndrome – had been told by his GP last June that he should not be working.
He had previously lost his job because of depression, and because he was falling asleep at work and experiencing serious breathing difficulties.
She said: "The doctor took one look at him and gave him a doctor's certificate for two months and said, 'You're in no way fit for work.'"
Despite that "fit note" from the doctor, he had started a new job within a few days because he had wanted to work.
But his sister said he lost that job within a couple of months because his new employer realised how unwell he was, and was worried that the work would cause him to have a heart attack.
He was then assessed by Maximus, which resulted in him being found fit for work.
His sister said she was also unhappy that the coroner had failed to read out a written statement she had made in which she criticised her brother's GP surgery for the repeated difficulties he faced in securing appointments.
Laila Victory, a close friend of Lawrence Bond, said she had been "very surprised" at the way the inquest had been conducted, and said she felt that he had been let down.
She said: "It wasn't thorough at all. I thought the reason for the inquest was partly to establish whether he had been let down by the system.
"Obviously he had health issues. It was obvious when he went to be assessed. It was obvious that he was unfit for work."
It is believed that Bond was assessed at the same north London assessment centre that found another disabled man, Mr A*, fit for work four years ago.
A different coroner at the same court found in January 2014 that Mr A had taken his own life as a direct result of being found fit for work and ineligible for employment and support allowance, the out of-work disability benefit.
That result, and the "prevention of future deaths report" the coroner sent to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – warning that other people with mental health conditions could die if DWP failed to take urgent action to make the test safe – have proved hugely significant in the continuing campaign to scrap the WCA and hold ministers accountable for their failings, and for the deaths of other benefit claimants.
Activists had hoped that Bond's inquest would have a similar impact.
Claire Glasman, from the disabled women's organisation WinVisible, said the inquest had been "shocking", and that questions about the death of Lawrence Bond needed to be asked and answered.
She said: "It's really upsetting. It's not justice. He deserves better."
She said there should have been statements from the Maximus healthcare professional whose assessment led to Bond being found fit for work, and from staff at the jobcentre.
She said: "They never even mentioned that he had been to the job centre just before what happened."
Another disabled campaigner who attended the inquest, Robin Brook, from the local men's group Payday, which campaigns on carers' issues, said: "Nobody was called. It wasn't justice.
"It just seemed like a paper exercise. They weren't treating him like a human being. It's wrong."
A spokeswoman for the coroner said: "Coroner Brittain is unable to provide comment, even to correct any factual inaccuracies, as this would be incompatible with his judicial role."
A DWP spokesman said: "The department is conducting an internal process review to ensure DWP processes were followed correctly."
Asked about links between Lawrence Bond being found fit for work, his attendance at the jobcentre and his death, he said: "This is a matter for the coroner to decide."
He said there had been no communication between the coroner's office and DWP in relation to the case.
After Bond's death in January, about 100 activists and their allies – including WinVisible – took part in a protest and vigil.
Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell spoke at the protest, as did film director Ken Loach, who drew a comparison between Lawrence Bond's death and that of the main character of his film, I, Daniel Blake, which was released last year.
The film features a man with a long-term health condition who is found fit for work through the WCA process, and eventually collapses and dies while trying to appeal that decision.
22 June 2017
Women left in her own urine has benefits slashed after 'dishonest' assessment report
A disabled women left to sit in her own urine for two hours by a physiotherapist who was assessing her benefit claim has had her benefits slashed, after the assessor wrote a report she believes is full of "lies".
Disabled people were outraged last week after Maria Lane described the "inhuman" experience she endured during her personal independence payment (PIP) assessment earlier this month.
She told – and showed – the assessor just 10 minutes into the assessment that she had had an accident and had emptied her bladder into her incontinence pad, and that urine was leaking into her trousers.
But she said the female assessor – who works for the government contractor Atos – "looked for a second at the pad" and then continued typing for the rest of the two-hour assessment.
Despite Atos launching an investigation and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) describing her claims as "very concerning", Lane has now been told that her benefits will be cut.
Maria Lane is just the latest PIP claimant to come forward – following the launch of a DNS investigation earlier this year – to describe how healthcare professionals employed by Atos and fellow government contractor Capita have been guilty of widespread dishonesty in the reports they compile after carrying out face-to-face PIP assessments.
The 59-year-old has a number of long-term health conditions, including diabetes, osteoarthritis – which affects all of her joints and has spread into her spine – sciatica, a slipped disc, high blood pressure, and depression.
She is waiting for a major operation on her bladder, because of severe incontinence which means she has to wear pads permanently.
Lane has now seen the report written by the Atos assessor, and she said she was "gobsmacked" when she read it.
She said the report states that she showed the physiotherapist her pad, but fails to point out that she also told her that she had emptied her bladder 10 minutes into the assessment.
The report also claims that she was asked to spell various words – which she said did not happen – while there were other "lies", including accounts of tests that did not take place, she said.
Lane has also provided further details of her ordeal at the assessment centre in Enfield, north London, describing how the assessor forced her to walk up a long corridor before the assessment began.
When she had to keep stopping because of the discomfort she was in, the assessor – who was walking behind her – told her to keep walking.
She said: "I was walking and kept stopping and she kept making me go and go. She was getting annoyed with me.
"She made me walk from one end of the building to another. I can't remember how many times I stopped. I said, 'I can't walk anymore.'"
As a result, the assessor wrote in her report that she could walk 50 metres, a finding which has been used by DWP to justify reducing her entitlement from the enhanced to the standard rate of the PIP mobility component.
She was previously receiving the enhanced rate of PIP for both the daily living and mobility components, but has been told that both will be reduced to the standard rate, which means a drop from £141 to £78 a week.
She currently has to spend up to £55 a week on incontinence pads, which is paid for with some of her PIP.
She had also been concerned that she would have to hand back her Motability vehicle, which she needs for her hospital appointments.
But because she has been a Motability* customer for 10 years, she will not have to return the vehicle for at least six months, thanks to a support package introduced by the charity for those who lose their entitlement to the enhanced rate of mobility support through the government's PIP reassessment programme.
Motability's chief executive, Declan O'Mahony, has also promised that no move to reclaim her vehicle will be made at least until the Atos and DWP investigations into her complaint have been completed.
She hopes this will be long enough for her to win her appeal against having her benefits cut.
Although she is appealing against the DWP decision, with the help of Citizen's Advice, she has been left terrified by what the cut in payments will mean.
She said: "What am I going to do? I am worried sick. I keep telling them that it is not food or clothes I have to buy – these things are for my condition.
"I am so upset. It is embarrassing for me to beg them to give me money to buy them."
One of her daughters is lodging a complaint about the assessor with the regulator, the Health Care Professions Council.
A DWP spokeswoman said: "We expect the highest standards from our assessment providers, and work with them continuously to ensure that PIP is working in the best way possible.
"All claimants deserve an objective, accurate and high quality service and we are working with Atos to look into the issues Ms Lane has raised.
"Claimants who disagree with a PIP decision can request a mandatory reconsideration (MR) in the first instance, and appeal to an independent tribunal if they still disagree after the MR.
"Due to recently announced changes to the Motability's transitional support package, those losing eligibility to the Motability scheme following DLA-PIP reassessment have the option to keep their car for up to six months after an initial PIP decision is made."
*Motability is a DNS subscriber
22 June 2017
New disabled MP was former campaigns officer for BCODP
One of the two disabled Labour MPs elected to parliament for the first time earlier this month is a former campaigns officer for the British Council of Disabled People (BCODP), it has emerged.
Jared O'Mara caused one of the shocks of the general election when he ousted the Liberal Democrat former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg from his Sheffield Hallam seat.
But it has now emerged that O'Mara was a press, parliamentary and campaigns officer for BCODP – at the time the country's leading representative organisation of disabled people's organisations – for a short period about 10 years ago.
In one BCODP newsletter from 2006, he wrote about working with prominent disabled activists such as Jane Campbell [now Baroness Campbell], Rachel Hurst and Tara Flood on opposition to a bill that would have legalised assisted suicide.
O'Mara, who until this month helped run a bar and live music venue in Sheffield, was also quoted in the now-defunct Disability Now magazine, in May 2006, calling on Gordon Brown, at the time Labour's chancellor, to do more to alleviate disability poverty.
Flood, now director of The Alliance for Inclusive Education, said: "I really hope that he takes what he learned when he was at BCODP and applies it now he is an MP."
She also welcomed the election of another new disabled Labour MP, Marsha de Cordova, who spoke in her post-election address of her passionate commitment to disability rights
Flood said: "It's great that the House of Commons is a tiny bit more diverse than it was on 8 June."
But she said that what was important was what the two politicians do now they are MPs.
She said: "What they do now as disabled people in parliament is what really counts."
Anne Pridmore, who chaired BCODP at the time O'Mara was working there, said she had been surprised to hear of his election.
She said: "He wasn't [at BCODP] very long. He was very young and quite new to disability. He was young and enthusiastic."
Pridmore – who also welcomed de Cordova's victory – said she was pleased to see the election of a former BCODP staff member to the House of Commons, and said it would "most definitely" be useful to disabled people to have an MP who had been so close to the disability movement.
Despite his experience with BCODP, there may be some concern among some disabled activists that O'Mara, who himself has cerebral palsy (cp), is also a long-standing trustee of Paces, a specialist centre in Sheffield for children with cp which specialises in conductive education and also runs a special school*, of which he is a governor.
Conductive education is still seen as controversial among many in the disability movement, years after Professor Mike Oliver described its reality as "oppressive to disabled people and an abuse of their human rights".
*The disability charity Scope, an advocate of conductive education, describes it as a system of learning that "teaches those with movement difficulties to learn actively to achieve purposeful movement which can then be applied throughout daily life and learning".
22 June 2017
Agencies 'should have been aware of risks faced by Lee Irving before his murder'
The agencies involved in supporting a disabled man who was imprisoned and tortured to death should have been aware of the risks posed by the people he was living with, according to an independent report.
The author of the serious case review, a former deputy chief constable, also suggests that the brutal murder of 24-year-old Lee Irving two years ago should have been treated as a disability hate crime by the judge who sentenced those responsible.
Irving's body was found on 6 June 2015 near the house in Newcastle where he had been living with the people responsible for his death, including James Wheatley, who is serving a minimum sentence of 23 years for his murder. Three others were convicted of complicity in his death.
Irving, who had learning difficulties, had been repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped on by Wheatley, in attacks that took place over nine days, leaving him with multiple broken bones, including 24 broken ribs.
A serious case review has now concluded that there had been "clear indications" of the threats he faced from those he was living with.
As early as his teenage years, there had been concerns about Irving being bullied at school, and that he "could be easily led, chose bad company and that he exhibited challenging behaviour".
The report also says that two safeguarding referrals that raised concerns of the "serious threat" to his safety "could have prompted greater consideration and action within the safeguarding process".
While all of the "many agencies" that were involved in his case – which included Newcastle City Council, NHS bodies, Northumbria police and the probation service – "tried hard to provide a service to Lee Irving and his family", those efforts were "not adequately co-ordinated or led".
Irving's family had made "specific warnings" to the authorities about his living conditions, and believe more should have been done to protect him, although they have now concluded that he was so determined to place himself at risk "that only secure accommodation would have protected him".
The report also says that it had become much harder to protect him once he made the transition from children's to adults' services in 2008.
Irving was reported missing 13 times between 2008 and 2013, and was arrested 30 times between 2011 and 2015, for offences such as drunkenness, possession of weapons, shoplifting, burglary, begging and assaulting his mother.
In September 2011, the National Probation Service carried out an assessment and concluded that he was "incredibly vulnerable to the influence and harmful behaviour of others", while it found the following year that he "seems to understand that he is being used and bullied but seems to put up with it rather than be rejected by his peers".
From 2012, his life "slid into a chaotic cycle of offending, being reported missing and associating with so called 'friends' who exploited him", and by 2014 the agencies supporting him were told he was being exploited by those he was living with.
The report also discusses the judge's failure to treat Lee Irving's murder as a disability hate crime.
His family were appalled that it was not treated as a hate crime, despite requests from Northumbria police and the Crown Prosecution Service for the judge to do so.
The review's author concludes that, although he was not allowed to question the judge's decision, Irving's death should still be considered as "directly connected if not motivated by his disability and vulnerability", and he later compares the murder to "other reported disability hate crimes".
Vida Morris, chair of Newcastle Safeguarding Board, said in a statement released alongside the report: "Although his case was not legally a disability hate crime, it is our opinion that it is still appropriate to view his death as connected or motivated by his disability."
The serious case review makes eight recommendations, in areas including disability hate crime training; partnership working and joint decision-making between agencies; the management of repeated safeguarding alerts; and the transition between children's and adults services.
Ewen Weir, director of people at Newcastle City Council, said it had become harder to care for Irving after he turned 18.
He said: "From then we had to take into consideration his wishes and could not always convince him, despite our best efforts, that he still needed care and the company he was keeping did not have his best interests at heart."
But he added: "While all agencies tried to engage with Lee, there was insufficient challenge and support among partners.
"I know that Lee's family felt excluded from some of the decisions that were taken about his care and that their warnings about his living conditions were not acted upon effectively. For that we are truly sorry."
22 June 2017
London 2012 legacy scheme questioned over links to local DPOs
A new research centre that plans to create a centre for "disability expertise" on the Olympic Park – as part of the London 2012 Paralympics legacy – has faced questions about its commitment to collaborating with local disabled people's organisations (DPOs).
The Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDIH) wants to spread innovative ideas across inclusive design, assistive technology, sport, arts and inclusive development and use the new centre as a "springboard for change" to improve the lives of disabled people in the UK and internationally.
GDIH says it wants to ensure that disabled people are involved in the leadership of all of its programmes and to "promote that ethos and that way of working" internationally.
Its aim, it says, is to "change the way we think about disability through co-design, collaboration, and innovation", and to become "the leading place to come to research, study, practice and share disability innovations".
This week, the hub's director, Vicki Austin, told Disability News Service (DNS) that she wanted GDIH to develop into a global centre for "disability expertise", drawing on local communities, DPOs and disabled people.
The hub launched last September, but only appointed its 15-strong board of directors – two-thirds of whom are disabled people – last week.
It is moving its current base to University College London's (UCL) new campus on the Olympic Park in east London.
But despite its commitment to ensuring that disabled people lead its programmes, there are questions over its apparent failure to work with local disabled people and DPOs.
When asked which DPOs it had worked with since its launch, Austin mentioned Together! 2012, which is led by the disabled artist and author Dr Ju Gosling, and has been working since the Paralympics to make the main London 2012 host borough of Newham into an international centre of excellence for disability arts.
Together! 2012 is the most prominent DPO in the borough, and the only cultural organisation in east London to have been developed in response to the Paralympic legacy, while Gosling herself has an international reputation as a disabled artist, based in Newham, and is a leader on work looking at the relationship between disabled people and technology.
But Gosling disputed Austin's claims that the hub had been working with Together!, and said she had in fact been frustrated by her attempts to set up a meeting with GDIH, and had been trying to do so since January, in a series of emails seen by DNS.
Her last emailed attempt to set up a meeting was on 16 May, which has still not received a reply from GDIH.
She said: "They haven't made any contact with us, and we have tried and tried and tried.
"I find it discourteous and disrespectful and very disappointing. They clearly don't know what co-production means."
A spokeswoman for the hub did not dispute the six-month delay in arranging a meeting, although she claimed that Austin had had "discussions" with Gosling as the hub was being developed.
Austin said that GDIH had also been working closely with members of the Olympic Park's built environment access panel (BEAP), and that it had been using them "as our initial sounding board", as an interim arrangement before its board was appointed.
One meeting was apparently held in the hub's current home on the Olympic Park, so panel members could meet the team, while the panel's chair, Peter Lainson, is a member of the hub's working group, and two of his fellow disabled panel members have now been appointed to the GDIH board.
But DNS has spoken to one member of the panel who said they were surprised to hear that GDIH was claiming such a close connection with BEAP, and believed the panel had not been involved with the hub in any significant way.
The hub emerged from work at UCL and has some post-London 2012 funding from the London Legacy Development Corporation, although that is due to run out next year.
None of GDIH's other founding partners – the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability, the University of the Arts London's London College of Fashion, Loughborough University in London, Saddler's Wells Theatre, the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, and London's Victoria and Albert Museum – are user-led organisations.
The GDIH board will be led by the disabled Conservative peer Lord [Chris] Holmes, former disability commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and London 2012's director of Paralympic integration.
He said he was "delighted" to be "part of a project with such potential to transform lives".
He said: "I have personally benefited from assistive technology and believe truly inclusive design not only removes barriers to disabled people but also, essentially, benefits everyone by leading to ground-breaking technological solutions or applications and truly excellent design."
Early GDIH projects include working with an "innovation lab" set up by a disabled people's organisation in India and the International Committee of the Red Cross to develop new products to help disabled people, particularly in the global south.
The hub is also involved in the development of a masters programme in disability design and innovation, which will begin in September 2018.
Another project is the development of a digital/audio "wayfinding" tool that would help blind and partially-sighted visitors find their way around the Olympic Park.
Austin said a crucial part of its approach was to ensure that disabled people were involved in leading its programmes.
She said: "If there is an opportunity to amplify that message, and also the talents of those people, then that is what we intend and want to do.
"We are particularly interested in harnessing the power of technology as it develops and a lot of that technology is being developed in institutions by non-disabled people.
"If we are able to challenge some of that and engage people in both academic and non-academic programmes and also challenge some of the academic approaches in a way that puts co-creation and co-design right at the heart, not only are better products made but also it challenges the status quo."
Next month, the hub will host a disability innovation summit, running alongside the 2017 World Para-Athletics Championships, to "explore research and ideas, looking at innovation in tech, design, development, culture and art".
22 June 2017
Disabled voter secures legal settlement over polling station discrimination
A council will have to carry out an audit of disability access at every one of its polling stations, after agreeing to pay compensation to a wheelchair-user who was prevented from voting at elections in 2014.
Adam Lotun said the settlement showed that Kingston council in south-west London regarded disabled people as "second-class citizens".
Last week, Disability News Service reported how a partially-sighted voter said he believed he had been discriminated against at a polling station when trying to vote in the general election earlier this month, while the disability charity RNIB said it was responding to "a steady stream of complaints about blind and partially-sighted people's experience of the voting process".
Lotun's incident happened as he was trying to vote at the 2014 local authority and European elections.
He has since seen documents which show there were complaints made about access at the Sunray Community Centre, where he tried to vote, dating back to the early 1980s, as well as at other polling stations in the borough.
And he has questioned why the council had failed to make reasonable adjustments for disabled voters at the community centre, years after the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and the subsequent disability equality duty, which came into force in December 2006 and required public sector organisations to promote disability equality.
Lotun said that although the Sunray polling station was now accessible to people with physical impairments, he did not believe it was "fully accessible" to those with other access needs, which meant the council risked being challenged again on accessibility.
Lotun, who was represented by the disability discrimination law specialists Fry Law, also questioned why the council had employed an expensive QC to fight the case, when the discrimination was so obvious and could have been settled far earlier through mediation.
And he has said that he received threats and abuse in the streets after he first lodged his legal claim against the council, and that those people who made those threats should now "hang their heads in shame".
Lotun had been unable to enter the community centre in 2014 because it was not wheelchair-accessible, and staff were unable to let him in through the rear fire exit because a gate was locked and they did not have a key.
Lotun's wife, who uses hearing aids, was able to enter the polling station but discovered there was no hearing loop to help her communicate.
At one point, the staff suggested carrying Lotun and his wheelchair into the building.
By the time council staff had ensured wheelchair access to the polling station, it was early evening, and he had decided he was not going to return to try to vote.
He said: "I wasn't going to go out again. I have been mugged so many times in the dark."
Kingston council has agreed to pay Lotun compensation – although he is not allowed to say how much – and carry out an audit of access at every polling station in the borough.
Chris Fry, founder of Fry Law, said: "The Equality Act enshrines the principle of universal participation, and local authorities offering venues for the purposes of voting should all follow Kingston's lead by ensuring that they are accessible.
"We have seen a marked improvement in suitability of venues since I began looking at this as part of the #PolledOut campaign three years ago."
A Kingston council spokeswoman said: "At the May 2014 European and council elections a resident, who was a wheelchair-user, was unable to vote at their polling station, the Sunray Community Centre.
"Since then the council took steps to ensure that the Sunray Community Centre was fully accessible to people with disabilities and the necessary work was completed prior to the general election in 2015.
"The council is not aware that there were any complaints regarding access to polling places at the recent parliamentary election."
She added: "The council is aware of its responsibilities under equalities legislation and strives to ensure that buildings that it uses as polling places at elections are accessible to those with disabilities.
"To this end the council will be reviewing access arrangements at all buildings currently used as polling places as part of the next polling place review."
But the council has refused to say if it would apologise to Lotun, why it spent money employing an expensive QC to fight the case when there appeared to have been a clear breach of equality laws, and which adjustments it has made to the community centre.
The Electoral Commission's report on this month's general election – which will include its views on voting accessibility – will be published in September.
It is also part of a group, led by the Cabinet Office, that is looking at how voting can be made more accessible.
A commission spokeswoman said: "The Electoral Commission provides guidance to help ensure that there is equal access to voting for all.
"Polling station staff must ensure that disabled voters are not offered a lower standard of service than other voters.
"Our guidance includes guidelines on the layout of a polling station and recommends that polling staff make sure that the needs of voters with a range of disabilities are considered."
22 June 2017
Disability-related honours handed to special school heads and service-providers
The Cabinet Office has defended the diversity of the UK honours system, despite the latest disability-related recipients being dominated by special school teachers and other professionals recognised for providing services to disabled people.
The Queen's birthday honours list, announced this week, includes MBEs, OBEs and CBEs for at least 10 people for their work in special schools, and at least another 10 for recipients who work for organisations providing services to disabled children.
Another four are recognised for volunteering or service provision in disability sport, and three for providing employment support services to disabled people.
But the list appears to include only two or three disabled people recognised for campaigning around inclusion and disability rights.
The Cabinet Office has pointed to its own figures which show that 6.5 per cent of those recognised in the list consider themselves to be disabled people, while it insists that the process of selection is "transparent and robust".
Nominations are considered by one of nine expert honours committees, each chaired by a non-civil service chair and with a majority of non-civil service members.
The main honours committee usually takes the collected recommendations for approval to the prime minister, but this year, because of the general election, Theresa May played no part in the process.
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "The independent honours committees introduced a diversity and inclusion group in 2014 with the objective to increase the diversity of the UK honours system.
"The recently published Queen's birthday honours list is the most diverse ever, with 69 (6.5 per cent) of the successful candidates recognised considering themselves to have a disability.
"We need to continue to raise awareness of the honours system in all communities and we welcome more nominations from people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity."
Among those few disabled people recognised in the area of inclusion and rights was John Binns, a trustee of the mental health charity Mind, and a leading advocate of promoting openness about mental health in the workplace.
He is a former partner at the international accountancy and consultancy giant Deloitte and after a period of depression in 2007 he launched a programme within the company to raise awareness of mental health, including setting up a mental health champions network.
Mind's chief executive, Paul Farmer, said Binns had "used his own experience of depression to inspire others to share and work together to achieve real change in how businesses approach mental health".
Another disabled person recognised with an MBE was wheelchair curler Angela Malone, who won a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games.
British Curling's performance director Graeme Thompson said the MBE was "recognition of her achievements as a great ambassador for our sport and her contribution in inspiring others to participate in wheelchair curling".
22 June 2017
News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com


text:
Career Paths
"The role of genius is not to complicate the simple, but to simplify the complicated."
Professional know-how is often where Architects shine most brilliantly. They easily take in complex principles and techniques and change them into clear and actionable strategies. No other personality type comes close to their ability to assess and organize concepts.
Architects can usually sort out the "noise" of a situation, then find the core thread that needs to be pulled to unravel messes – which they then put back together again. In the process, they produce the most elegant solutions to problems. As they grow, their confidence, enthusiasm, and creativity typically lead them to more interesting work. In time, they are likely to earn the independence they typically desire.
The real problem for Architects is that they need their new and creative ideas to be heard. They need to have someone in charge listen to them. But forming relationships with people who make decisions is not exactly part of the Architects' core strengths. In their early careers, Architects often have to do boring tasks that don't challenge them and deal with having their ideas repeatedly rejected. But, with time, they are likely to develop their abilities into skill sets so effective that they get noticed.
Working Best, Working Alone
People with the Architect personality type usually prefer to work alone or in small groups. There, they can make the most of their creativity and focus without constant interruptions from curious coworkers or supervisors who call too many meetings. Architects are unlikely to be drawn to management roles or anything that involves nonstop interaction and teamwork, often preferring more "lone wolf" jobs. They like a drawing board more than a boardroom meeting. Like so many others, Architects get along best with leaders who understand their style of working and can help advance their visions.
The other side of that coin is that Architects dislike anyone who gets ahead by playing the office politics game well or working a company's social scene just right. They judge their coworkers by what they can do and not who they know. Architects have high standards – if they view a colleague or supervisor as being not up to those standards or otherwise ineffective, respect can be instantly and permanently lost.
People with the Architect personality type value personal resourcefulness, grit, insight, and commitment in themselves and in others. They believe that everyone should complete their work and meet the highest possible standards. If a social butterfly at work breezes through without carrying their own weight, they may find Architects using their ingenuity to find ways to stop their nonsense.
Earning the Right Positions
As their careers progress further and their reputations grow, so will the difficulty of the tasks and projects Architects are offered. Architect personalities demand progress and evolution, and they love to explore new ideas. They often satisfy this by pushing themselves into more active strategic positions. While they don't care for the spotlight, Architects do enjoy controlling their ideas. They often take on low-profile but influential roles as project managers, systems engineers, marketing strategists, systems analysts, and military strategists.
But really, Architects' vision, creativity, and skill in carrying out their plans make these personalities possible candidates for just about any career. Some careers, such as sales and human resources, don't necessarily play to their strengths, but that shouldn't stop them if they decide to take up these kinds of work. Architects have the qualities necessary to work in just about any organization if they decide to. And if they find nothing out in the world, they usually have in abundance what it takes to start their own businesses.


text:
Assembly touches on empathy, leadership
Laura Mogannam, Managing Editor
February 1, 2019
WEB EXCLUSIVE Students discussed the qualities of being a leader, specifically empathy and kindness, after watching two videos on the topic during assembly. The first video titled "Empathy" gave stories of patients and family members in a hospital while prompting watchers to imagine standing in others' shoes. "It made me tear ...


text:
NATIONAL League 1 side Rams have been deducted five points for supplying incorrect information over the payment of their players.
The Berkshire club are fourth in English rugby's third tier prior to the punishment, one point and one place behind Oxfordshire side Chinnor.
Chairman Andy Lynch explained in a statement that the judgement related to Rams mistakenly ticking the wrong box on a question via the RFU's Game Management System (GMS).
He said: "As this was the first case of its kind we have been made an example of how the RFU apply the regulations.
"Those of us who signed the inaccurate declaration and the executive as a whole deeply regret that our collective failing has led to this outcome for the club.
"The whole experience has been extremely stressful for everybody involved."
Lynch confirmed the club would not be lodging an appeal against the punishment, which also includes a 15-point deduction, suspended for two seasons.


text:
Hey all!
We had about 50 orders for Caster t-shirts. Since each shirt ships with an original hand drawn pencil sketch by yours truly, that means I did 50 of those as well.
Today I just finished the last of those and went ahead and scanned them all in and uploaded them for your viewing pleasure here:
I've submitted the t-shirt order and things are looking good.
It will still be a little while until the shirts are done, but I will let you all know once I've mailed them out. Oh, and the shirts have a little something extra to make them true "Caster" shirts…. Any guesses what that might be?


text:
Alexander Mack is feeling "Brand New".
by Mike_Squid
Alexander Mack may be one of the most uniquely talented artists I've seen in quite a while. The versatile vocalist is dropping in on our pages today with the video for his addictive single, "Brand New". Mack displays an incredible knack for creating a nostalgic feel while innovating and incorporating his own signature sound. The resulting music is unlike anything you've heard.
The jazzy "Brand New" gets a vibrant new visual that finds Mack delivering silky melodies between dizzying bars. Mack needs to be on your radar if he isn't already. The lively video shows Mack confidently embracing the spotlight and sharing the screen only with himself on several split-screen shots throughout.
Mack is a dynamic young artist that we're excited to hear more from in 2019 and beyond, but get familiar below with his "Brand New" visual.


text:
Community Involvement
Dave genuinely enjoys meeting new people while maintaining lasting friendships and is able to do so through his philanthropic efforts. He has built strong relationships within the Tampa Bay community especially through his efforts to fundraise and sponsor local events.
Dave is highly involved in the following organizations and groups:
The Children's Cancer Center is a local non-profit organization dedicated to serving Tampa Bay families of children with cancer or chronic blood disorders with emotional, financial, and educational support necessary to cope with their life-threatening illness. While other organizations are committed to finding a cure tomorrow, the Children's Cancer Center is committed to helping every family member cope today through their 24+ support programs.
Dave's recent involvement: Gelatin Plunge, Charity Polo Classic & KNEAD for Knowledge Scholarship Committee
University of Tampa
The Board of Fellows, established in 1972, sees its mission to serve as "goodwill ambassadors" within the community, as well as to provide financial and other support to the University. Made up of over 150 business leaders and professionals, the Fellows increase the University's visibility through special events and outreach, and raise funds for scholarships. Through their activities, members of the Board of Fellows also find rewarding opportunities to network with peers who share their belief in the value of higher education.
The Advisory Board at the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center consists of a carefully selected, diverse group of regional and national business community members. The purpose of the board is to provide non-binding guidance to maximize the center's strategic development, growth and success. Each member brings in expertise from their specialized fields in a variety of industries, creating a well-rounded resource for the center.
Shriners Hospital For Children: East-West Shrine Game
Created by the Shriners in 1925, the East-West Shrine game was the nation's first college all-star football game. The game is driven by the desire to support Shriners Hospitals for Children in its mission to help children in need of expert medical care. More than 1 million children have benefited from Shriners Hospitals' unique way of providing hope and healing, regardless of the families' abiliity to pay for services.
Easter Seals Florida
Easter Seals provides exceptional services, education, outreach, and advocacy so that people living with autism and other disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities.
Dave's recent involvement: A Pair To Remember
Buddy Baseball
Buddy Baseball is a non-competitive, non-profit recreational league for boys and girls with special needs in Tampa. The league pairs each player with a "Buddy" to assist the player as needed. This organization fosters friendships, breaks down barriers and not only allows players to experience the thrill of participating, but also team play and camaraderie.
Dave's recent involvement: Annual Buddy Baseball Run
Alex's Lemonade Stand
Alex's Lemonade Stand is Northwestern Mutual's national philanthropy. In the last year, our Tampa office has raised over $55,000 towards fighting childhood cancer and volunteered nearly 1,100 hours. Northwestern Mutual Greater Tampa Bay was awarded the 2016 Childhood Cancer Impact Award for being the most exceptional in our efforts.
Dave's recent involvement: The Lemon Drop, Night at The Museum


text:
WAUKEE, Iowa – A seventh grade student in Waukee has a big heart with a big idea to help other children in need. She hopes it inspires others to make a difference in the community.
Izabella Arndt is a natural leading an interest group at South Middle School in Waukee. The group is making posters for her big project. She said, "When I turned ten, I wanted to help out my community because I have a whole room of toys in my house, and I don`t need any more toys in my house."
Instead of presents for her birthday, Izabella collected items to fill backpacks for foster kids. She collected enough to fill 39 that year. Now, she is asking classmates to bring hair brushes, tooth brushes, hand sanitizer and more. "We have these adorable stuffed animals because my friend said that when she was ripped out, she didn`t get to take her favorite stuffed animals," she said.
Izabella can imagine what that would be like. She was an orphan until Lisa and Dan Arndt adopted her when she was three. Lisa said, "We spent 21 days in China with her, and then we brought her home."
Dan Arndt said, "I'm very proud of all this. Everything she`s accomplished. Her goals that she has in life."
Lisa said, "She has grown up to be the biggest blessing. She has the biggest heart."
The backpacks will go to Four Oaks Foster/Adoptive Family Connections Program. Bambi Schrader said, "In the state there`s about 4,000 children in the foster care system, but in Polk County alone last year there were 450 children placed in foster care. Unfortunately, we only had 275 foster homes."
She said there is a big need to help in a variety of ways. "There`s a need all the way around. Everything from backpacks to coming in to the need for more foster and adoptive parents that will take children zero to 18," she said.
The Arndts know they can't adopt all those needing a home, but Izabella can help one backpack at a time. "I hope this inspires others to help out their community," she said.
The students are bringing the items this week. The classroom pods will compete to see who can collect the most. You can drop off items at South Middle School.


text:
Hello everybody!
Today, I would like to introduce Karnburg, a town we've been running with couple of guys on the Freebie TFC server. You might know us as Holzdorf, or probably you remember Karnburg/Geistberg from the previous TFC world - yes, that's me and the tradition is back!
This time, however, I've picked a genuinely sequoia spot (the only one in the world! hehe) which means we have enough wood for our projects.
We were given a head start thanks to plenty of items moved using the Ark project, that means we can provide pretty much from the end-game stuff. Mining and gathering is our main priority, and besides being building-involved, many current residents take care of the ore supplies
Karnburg can also provide many public services and buildings to help a resident with their progress in the game. We run a public smithy, a town orchard, food preparation shelter, block storage building etc.
Also the town outposts focused on farming and food-preserving are worth mentioning.
Some of these are still WIP and many other services are planned to be added
(please check the screenshots attached)
We also want to emphasize our attitude to newcomers and people interested in joining our town. Basically, we are open to anybody who would like to contribute to the welfare of the settlement and is willing to stick up with the simple rules of ours. Everyone like this is welcome
Besides that, we also run a small nation called Hallstatt, which is open for everybody to join as well.
Interested in joining our town? Send a message to somebody of the town staff listed below:
- Town staff:
- Elborax, the mayor
- Vladimir_Lenin_, town assistant
- Kodo98, town assistant
- The_MoSS, town assistant
Do you have a town already? Are you looking for a nation? We can provide you some trade offers, large community to play with, and a good claim bonus, too. Hallstatt welcomes you!
- Nation staff
- Elborax, the leader
- Vladimir_Lenin_, nation assistant
- Spieler4096, nation assistant
And if you want to just look around, feel free to visit us! We will be glad to show you around anytime possible.
Enjoy your stay!
Have a nice day,
Elbe97/Elborax, the mayor


text:
Job Details
Sorry, this job is no longer available
Please use the search to find another job.
Site Safety Advisor - Ipswich
Salary: £200 per day
Location: Ipswich
Job Type: Temporary
Posted: 27/01/2020
Job Ref: 441103839
HSE Recruitment are currently exclusively working with a leading Irish consultancy, who specialise in expert Health, Safety and CDM advice for clients throughout UK and Ireland, on the recruitment of a Safety Coordinator for a project in Ipswich. This project will start in January and run for approx 28 weeks.
As a Safety Coordinator you will be responsible for working closely with the end client, on general day to day safety such as RAMS, site inductions, tool box talks etc -whilst also liaising with the PC on a busy and expanding site. Ideally you will have experience of working on busy and expanding sites, and will have knowledge of electrical contractor works. You will have NEBOSH Certificate (or equivalent) as a minimum, although NEBOSH Construction Certificate and additional construction qualifications would be a bonus.
In return you will receive a day rate of £200 per day. For more information, or for a confidential chat please contact firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
The Bride compares two moves and finds that, surprisingly, she felt more lonely when surrounded by family
Before I moved to Hyderabad when I was 23 years old to pursue a Master's degree I had lived at the same address in Mumbai with my parents my entire life. I was only stirred out of my complacency by the need to follow a man across the country. Because following a man was too pathetic to contemplate on its own, I decided to make it worthwhile by enrolling in a Master's programme. This meant that I landed up in a different city from the man in question, thus somewhat defeating the purpose, but nevertheless close enough that we'd see each other more frequently.
I was excited about moving. I looked forward to living alone and to the college experience. Unfortunately, I was disappointed on many counts. I opted not to stay in the hostel, mainly because the loo put me off, and lived with my uncle and cousin instead. Although staying with family had its advantages, ironically, I found myself lonely, knocking about in an empty house much of the time. Because I lived away from college, I was left out of many of the activities that presumably went on in the hostel. Overall, I found myself with too much free time on my hands. I had been used to full-time work, and the Master's programme was structured so that I didn't even have class every day. Because I couldn't ride a two-wheeler, and there was nowhere near enough to walk to, I found myself marooned at home in a city where anyway women don't sit around in public alone.
After the first semester, my boyfriend got a job overseas and moved. So the main reason I had moved to Hyderabad ceased to exist. My boyfriend was coping with his own adjustments and grew distant. I found myself in frequent bouts of angst, loneliness and despair. In the midst of it, I was involved in trying to plan a wedding with a man I found emotionally distant and who I believed had betrayed my trust by moving away. Even my uncle noticed and in an attempt to help, bought me a cooler. My cousin gave me the name of a counselor and for the first time in my life I saw one. I am not sure we made much progress, but I gained clarity into at least some of my own defense mechanisms and unhealthy patterns. By the end of the Masters I had a more active social life, but I still was happy to get as far away from Hyderabad as I possibly could.
Two years later, I got married and moved to Hong Kong. Again, for a man. Strangely enough, although I knew no one in Hong Kong except my husband, I adjusted fairly quickly. It helped that my husband and I were in a sweet spot, and so one source of my angst was gone. I also got a job that provided me with a built-in social life so my adjustment was even easier. I was still haunted by the loneliness of my time in Hyderabad and found it triggering to come back to an empty house when my husband travelled, which I solved by socializing after work.
Later, I began having marital problems. Maybe they were problems that had their roots in my earlier dark phase in Hyderabad, or from parts of my childhood. I haven't really figured out the roots of my demons. Hong Kong has been great to me, but good psychological support is extremely expensive. Strangely enough, I am convinced that I am better off in a foreign country than back home, even with the lack of support. If I had to move back, I fear I would face culture shock a third time.
The writer is a media professional of Indian origin based in Hong Kong. She blogs at www.thebluebride.wordpress.com
This story is from Beyond Relocation, a series on migration and how it impacts our emotional and mental health. Read more here:
1. We need to acknowledge the emotional impact of migration: Dr Sabina Rao
2. Organizations must help employees transition: Maullika Sharma
3. Moving was all of these: a challenge, and adventure and an opportunity to learn about myself: Revathi Krishna


text:
A great new menu for a new week! It is so hard to believe that Easter is just around the corner. I need to really get my act together and take my plans from paper to reality! I have the menu more or less figured out, but I need to finalize the grocery list. I am really excited, but starting to feel the weight of crunch time! At least this week's dinners are figured out.
These Simple Sourdough Pizzas from Jonesin' For Taste look like the perfect dinner after a long day of work and errands.
This Savory Spinach and Cheese Pie has been on my mind with Easter around the corner. I need to make another one of these for sure!
Just look at this Hamburger Pie from Joyful Homemaking. I can't wait to dig into that!
We love all things BBQ, so I know we will love these Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches from New South Charm.
Next up are some Beef and Black Bean Enchiladas from A Day in Candiland.
And just look how cute these Meeple Cookies from Budget Girl are!


text:
Research Project
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
A living body, which is continuous almost by definition, does not allow true rotation which requires indefinite sliding of one part against another. At the level of molecules, however, sliding is commonly encounterd, and repeated use of identical subunits leads to the formation of helical structures including rings and disks. Sliding along a helix results in rotation. Thus, biological molecules may well rotate during function. Although observation of molecular rotation has so far been scarce, except for the irregular Brownian rotation, the reason could be technical difficulties in detecting rotation of an object as small as a molecule.In this research project, we proposed, and have realized, two approaches toward detection of molecular rotations. One is the real-time measurement of the orientation of a fluorophore through fluorescence polarization imaging. The other is to attach a huge probe to the molecule of interest and directly observe the rotation.As an example of the former approach, we have been able to detect quantitatively the axial rotation of an actin filament sliding over myosin. For the latter, we have been able to demonstrate that a single molecule of F1-ATPase, a part of ATP synthase, is by itself a rotaty motor in which a central rod-shaped subunit rotates against surrounding subunits. We have also been able to quantify the torsional Brownian motion of a single actin filament by attaching to the filament a pair of plastic beads.The successful imaging of molecular rotations above demonstrates that conformational changes (which necessarily involve reorientation) of a single protein molucule can now be detected during function. The techniques should help develop the new research field of single-molecule physiology.
Published: 1995-03-31
Modified: 2016-04-21
User Guide
Terms of Use
Attribution of KAKENHI