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Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday in a firefight with covert US forces deep inside Pakistan, prompting President Barack Obama to declare “justice has been done” a decade after the September 11 attacks.
The death of the reviled US enemy, after a massive manhunt, sparked jubilation across the United States, with a hug...See MoreAl-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday in a firefight with covert US forces deep inside Pakistan, prompting President Barack Obama to declare “justice has been done” a decade after the September 11 attacks.
The death of the reviled US enemy, after a massive manhunt, sparked jubilation across the United States, with a huge crowd gathering outside the White House just before midnight, chanting “USA, USA” and waving American flags as Obama made a sudden and dramatic nationwide address to Americans.
“Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children,” Obama said.
Obama said in the historic speech from the White House that he had directed US armed forces to launch an attack against a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Sunday acting on a lead that first emerged last August.
“A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties.
“After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body,” the US leader said.
“Justice has been done.”
Bin Laden’s demise marks the biggest triumph yet in the 10- year US war against terrorism launched after the September 11 attacks, which saw America embroiled in two wars, and changed many aspects of US life.
The operation will also likely go down as one of the most spectacular intelligence operations in US history, and provide a huge morale boost the oft-criticized US covert community.
Former US president George W. Bush who was in office at the time of the September 11 attacks said bin Laden’s death was a “momentous” achievement and congratulated Obama and US intelligence and military forces.
“This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001,” Bush said in a statement.
“The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”
Pakistani intelligence officials also confirmed bin Laden’s death.
Obama said he had called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari after bin Laden’s death and said cooperation with the uneasy US anti-terror ally had helped lead American forces to bin Laden.
US armed forces have been hunting the Saudi terror kingpin for years, an effort that was redoubled following the attacks by hijacked airliners on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon which killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001.
A fourth passenger jet crashed in a remote area of Pennsylvania, apparently brought down after passengers revolted and tried to prevent it from reaching its target, assumed to be Washington.
Until Sunday, bin Laden had always managed to evade US armed forces and a massive manhunt, and was most often thought to be hiding out in Pakistan and Afghanistan border areas.
The death of bin Laden will raise huge questions about the future shape of Al-Qaeda and also have steep implications for US security and foreign policy 10 years into a global anti-terror campaign.
It will also provoke fears that the United States and its allies will face retaliation from supporters of bin Laden and other Islamic extremist groups.
Bin Laden’s demise will also cast a new complexion on the increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan, where 100,000 troops are still battling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda after a decade of war.
Bush first said he wanted bin Laden “dead or alive” in the weeks after the September 11 attacks.
Bin Laden was top of America’s most wanted list, and was blamed by Washington for masterminding a string of other attacks, including the attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Africa in 1998.
He frequently taunted Bush, and Obama after he took office in 2009, with taped messages.
The US dollar rose against the euro and the yen when it emerged that Obama would announce bin Laden’s death.
The dollar went up against the euro, which fetched 1.4764 dollars from 1.4864 in earlier trade. The dollar was at 81.66 yen from 81.19 earlier.
The news was welcomed by Americans across the country, even though bin Laden’s death was only confirmed shortly before midnight Sunday.
“I’m proud to be an American tonight,” Kenneth Specht, a New York firefighter on 9/11, told CNN, paying tribute to the victims of the attacks in New York and Washington.
“Tonight they are first and foremost in our minds,” he said.
Amid fears of retaliation by Al-Qaeda or other groups, the US State Department issued a global travel alert to all US citizens.
“The US Department of State alerts US citizens traveling and residing abroad to the enhanced potential for anti- American violence given recent counter-terrorism activity in Pakistan,” it said in a statement.
New York’s police chief Raymond Kelly meanwhile called the killing of bin Laden a “welcome milestone” for the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks.
by Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE-2011)
May 29, 2011
CALL FOR PAPERS
*********************************************************** Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE-2011) October 3-5, 2011, Dublin, Ireland ([link removed]) ***********************************************************
Notification and Preliminary Call for Papers
The Ireland International Confer...See MoreCALL FOR PAPERS
*********************************************************** Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE-2011) October 3-5, 2011, Dublin, Ireland ([link removed]) ***********************************************************
Notification and Preliminary Call for Papers
The Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE) will be held from 3-5 of October, 2011 in Dublin. The IICE is an international refereed conference dedicated to the advancement of the theory and practices in education. The IICE promotes collaborative excellence between academicians and professionals from Education.
The aim of IICE is to provide an opportunity for academicians and professionals from various educational fields with cross-disciplinary interests to bridge the knowledge gap, promote research esteem and the evolution of pedagogy. The IICE-2011 invites research papers that encompass conceptual analysis, design implementation and performance evaluation.
The topics in IICE-2011 include but are not confined to the following areas:
Academic Advising and Counselling Art Education Adult Education APD/Listening Acoustics in Education Environment Business Education Counsellor Education Curriculum, Research and Development Competitive Skills Continuing Education Distance Education Early Childhood Education Educational Administration Educational Foundations Educational Psychology Educational Technology Education Policy and Leadership Elementary Education E-Learning E-Manufacturing
ESL/TESL E-Society Geographical Education Geographic information systems Health Education Higher Education History Home Education Human Computer Interaction Human Resource Development Indigenous Education ICT Education Internet technologies Imaginative Education Kinesiology andLeisure Science K12 Language Education Mathematics Education Mobile Applications Multi
Important Dates
Extended Abstract (Work in Progress) Submission Date June 15, 2011 Research Paper, Student Paper, Case Study, Report Submission Date June 30, 2011 Proposal for Workshops May 25, 2011 Notification of Workshop Acceptance/Rejection May 31, 2011 Notification of Extended Abstract (Work in Progress) Acceptance/Rejection June 25, 2011 Notification of Research Paper, Student Paper, Case Study, Report Acceptance /Rejection June 25, 2011 Camera Ready Paper Due July 10, 2011 Early Bird Registration Deadline (Authors and Participants) July 31, 2011 Late Bird Registration Deadline (Authors and Participants) July 31, 2011 - September 15, 2011 Conference Dates October 03-05, 2011
For more information please contact: [email removed].
by London International Conference on Education (LICE-2011)
May 29, 2011
CALL FOR PAPERS
*************************************************************** London International Conference on Education (LICE-2011) November 7-10, 2011, London, UK ([link removed]) ***************************************************************
The London International Conference on Education (LICE) is an international refere...See MoreCALL FOR PAPERS
*************************************************************** London International Conference on Education (LICE-2011) November 7-10, 2011, London, UK ([link removed]) ***************************************************************
The London International Conference on Education (LICE) is an international refereed conference dedicated to the advancement of the theory and practices in education. The LICE promotes collaborative excellence between academicians and professionals from Education.
The aim of LICE is to provide an opportunity for academicians and professionals from various educational fields with cross-disciplinary interests to bridge the knowledge gap, promote research esteem and the evolution of pedagogy. The LICE-2011 invites research papers that encompass conceptual analysis, design implementation and performance evaluation.
The topics in LICE-2011 include but are not confined to the following areas:
Academic Advising and Counselling Art Education Adult Education APD/Listening Acoustics in Education Environment Business Education Counsellor Education Curriculum, Research and Development Competitive Skills Continuing Education Distance Education Early Childhood Education Educational Administration Educational Foundations Educational Psychology Educational Technology Education Policy and Leadership Elementary Education E-Learning E-Manufacturing
ESL/TESL E-Society Geographical Education Geographic information systems Health Education Higher Education History Home Education Human Computer Interaction Human Resource Development Indigenous Education ICT Education Internet technologies Imaginative Education Kinesiology andLeisure Science K12 Language Education Mathematics Education Mobile Applications Multi-Virtual Environment
Music Education Pedagogy Physical Education (PE) Reading Education Writing Education Religion and Education Studies Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) Rural Education Science Education Secondary Education Second life Educators Social Studies Education Special Education Student Affairs Teacher Education Cross-disciplinary areas of Education Ubiquitous Computing Virtual Reality Wireless applications Other Areas of Education
Important dates
Extended Abstract (Work in Progress) Submission Date May 01, 2011 Research Paper, Student Paper, Case Study, Report Submission Date May 31, 2011 Proposal for Workshops June 5, 2011 Notification of Workshop Acceptance/Rejection June 10, 2011 Notification of Extended Abstract (Work in Progress) Acceptance/Rejection May 15, 2011 Notification of Research Paper, Student Paper, Case Study, Report Acceptance /Rejection June 1, 2011 Camera Ready Paper Due June 20, 2011 Participant(s) Registration (Open) January 01, 2011 Early Bird Registration Deadline August 15, 2011 Late Bird Registration Deadline October 30, 2011 Conference Dates November 07-10, 2011
For more information please contact: [email removed].
by guessandcheckdiscovery
Jul 6, 2011
I looked for similar posts, didn't find any so I'll start here. I am probably not taking the popular stance here, but I think the jury made the right decision. I didn't watch the trial, but saw bits and pieces on the news, so I might not have all my facts straight. I personally was shocked that she would be partying, living-it up at a time when it ...See MoreI looked for similar posts, didn't find any so I'll start here. I am probably not taking the popular stance here, but I think the jury made the right decision. I didn't watch the trial, but saw bits and pieces on the news, so I might not have all my facts straight. I personally was shocked that she would be partying, living-it up at a time when it seems she should have been worried about her daughter. But without at least a smoking-gun, I think the jury made the right decision. I think it would be wrong to jail someone for murder if they were innocent of the crime. Society would be at fault and would bear the blame for being wrongfully judgemental.
Via Rail will close its Victoria station next to the Johnson Street bridge Friday, laying off two employees.
The decision to close the station was difficult, said Via Rail spokeswoman Anne-Sophie Desmeules.
Via Rail was forced to suspend its rail service on the Island on March 19 due to poor track conditions. It has been using a b...See MoreVia Rail will close its Victoria station next to the Johnson Street bridge Friday, laying off two employees.
The decision to close the station was difficult, said Via Rail spokeswoman Anne-Sophie Desmeules.
Via Rail was forced to suspend its rail service on the Island on March 19 due to poor track conditions. It has been using a bus service to replace the Dayliner but that service ended Sunday.
The Island Corridor Foundation, made up of Island communities, has secured $7.5 million from the province and is waiting for this to be matched by the federal government. The money will go toward replacing rotten rail ties, a requirement to get the rail service on the 130-year- old line running again.
The City of Victoria is building a replacement for the Johnson Street bridge and is preparing by removing its rail portion this fall.
Construction of the new bridge, which won't have a rail component, is to begin in early 2013. The existing bridge is to remain open for cars until the new one is finished in 2015.
The city owns the land where the train station is located and leases it to Via. It is within the construction site for the new bridge, said city spokeswoman Katie Josephson.
"The city has been reviewing options for the building in anticipation of the construction of the east-side approaches next year," said Josephson.
Via isn't abandoning the Island customers, said Desmeules, since it is investing $5.5 million in refurbishing three diesel rail cars with the aim of putting them into service once the line reopens.
The people have spoken: The B.C. harmonized sales tax has been extinguished.
Elections BC released the results of the HST mail-in referendum Friday morning in Victoria – delivering the final death knell to the much hated tax.
A majority 54.73 per cent of voters sent in ballots to turn down the tax.
More than 1.6 mill...See MoreThe people have spoken: The B.C. harmonized sales tax has been extinguished.
Elections BC released the results of the HST mail-in referendum Friday morning in Victoria – delivering the final death knell to the much hated tax.
A majority 54.73 per cent of voters sent in ballots to turn down the tax.
More than 1.6 million people -- or 52 per cent of registered voters -- mailed in referendum ballots during the eight-week voting period that ended earlier this month. The number represents almost as many people who voted in the last provincial election.
The province will now return to a GST/PST system, in a process estimated to take between 18 to 24 months.
Former premier Bill Vander Zalm, who spearheaded a movement against the HST, calls the results a victory for democracy in British Columbia.
"It sent a message to politicians that they can't simply do things because it's the will of a premier or a party, they have to consult the people," he told reporters. "It's been two years coming."
An anti-HST petition garnered more than 700,000 signatures from across the province, and paved the way for the referendum.
During the voting period Premier Christy Clark tried to sweeten the pot by promising to cut the tax back to 10 per cent by 2014 if it was supported.
Clark said earlier this week there is a "Plan B" if the tax is extinguished, but has not said what that is.
Vander Zalm said the provincial government should tread carefully when rolling out any new tax plan to voters who have proven to be skeptical about new taxes.
"If Plan B goes the way of Plan A they're in trouble," he said, laughing.
The B.C. government will now have to plug a $3-billion hole in its finances. The province is now forced to repay the $1.6 billion it received from Ottawa to switch to the HST.
Finance Minister Kevin Falcon said he is disappointed in the results but the government must respect the will of voters.
He said there is an action plan in place to reinstate the PST and GST system, including some possible "common sense administrative improvements to streamline the PST."
Falcon said the PST will be reinstated at seven per cent with all permanent exemptions.
He expects the transitional period to take a minimum of 18 months, a number he attributes to an independent panel who studied the HST during the campaign.
"We will work as quickly as we responsibly can to return to the PST," he said. "Returning to the PST will take time to do properly."
Falcon has said the impact of killing the HST would be an immediate increase in next year's projected budget deficit. He has also hinted at cuts to government programs and social programs.
Opposition NDP leader Adrian Dix calls the results a victory "over the arrogance of the BC Liberals."
Dix says a return to the old system will make life more affordable for the average B.C. family.
The NDP has long maintained that the HST would hurt the economy and businesses because the average person will have less cash to buy goods.
Fallout
Some political insiders have speculated that the tax would be voted down, partially because of the way it was introduced.
Many likened the BC Liberal party's introduction of the HST two years ago to a sneak-attack on citizens.
The HST was first announced on July 23, 2009, just two months after the Liberals were returned to power under Gordon Campbell. The legislation to blend the seven-per- cent provincial sales tax with the five-per-cent federal GST was tabled eight months later on March 30, 2010.
When Vander Zalm announced his intention last year to harness voter anger about the tax and trigger action through B.C.'s petition law, the goal seemed nearly unreachable. The law requires campaigners to gather 10 per cent of signatures from registered voters in each of 85 electoral districts in just 90 days -- a total of 299,611 signatures.
But the outspoken former leader blew that goal out of the water, nearly doubling the required total with 557,383 signatures deemed valid by elections officials.
By law, a successful petition must be either voted on in the legislature or sent to a non-binding referendum. Much to the dismay of the Fight HST campaign, the Liberals announced last September that the petition would go to a binding, mail-in referendum.
Just came across this and thought maybe it would be useful to share: [link removed]
Would be neat to hear someone from our chatboard won this :-) Gen F.
Reinstating B.C. Ferries as a Crown corporation would open the door to political interference and is not required for government to keep a lid on fares, company president David Hahn said Tuesday as he announced he is to step down.
Hahn, 60, said he will leave at the end of December, 15 months before his contract expires. He has been in the...See MoreReinstating B.C. Ferries as a Crown corporation would open the door to political interference and is not required for government to keep a lid on fares, company president David Hahn said Tuesday as he announced he is to step down.
Hahn, 60, said he will leave at the end of December, 15 months before his contract expires. He has been in the job eight years.
His departure is part of cost-cutting package to generate $11 million this fiscal year after passenger numbers slipped to their lowest level in two decades. Losses this year could hit $20 million.
Consumers will likely not notice impacts other than a plan to cut up to 400 round-trip sailings on major routes, Hahn said. A wage and salary freeze, and hiring ban on non- essential positions, are also planned.
B.C. Ferries' outspoken president and chief executive was a New York aviation executive when hired to run the ferry service as an independent company under a user-pay system.
Hahn's departure will save salary costs. His compensation package is $1.2 million annually and he is not receiving severance. His $315,000 per year pension will be reduced because of the early departure.
Hahn has been a focus of controversy on issues such as his lucrative compensation package, and the decision to have new ferries built in Germany. "I made sure that I was the lightning rod when I started. There was no face of B.C. Ferries that somebody could look to hold accountable for issues when I got here."
His departure may soften some of the debate but not eliminate it, he said. "The real issue is fundamental — the policy for the last nine years in legislation is user pay." The new government policy will not be known until after the Ferries Commissioner's review, now underway, comes out in early 2012, he said.
Hahn urges maintaining B.C. Ferries existing corporate structure, saying it should not return to being a Crown corporation "because you get too much political nonsense and influence."
"The only thing I would hate to see happen out of this is to go back to that political interference agenda because it would just ruin it."
When Hahn took the job, some politicians were "pretty aggressive," he said. Some would call to say what they wanted him to do. "I would say, 'I'll do the opposite' just to make a point."
If it was turned into a Crown operation, "then you could have ministers calling up and saying, 'Give this to my friend or buddy.' Or you could have cockeyed contracts for service, mechanical breakdowns — pick whatever you want."
Hahn said most of his strategic initiatives were completed when he decided to leave. "It's my choice to retire and it is on my terms that I'm leaving. I believe it to be in the best interests of the organization, otherwise I would have never considered it."
Employees have done a "great job" in transforming B.C. Ferries, said Hahn. High points include seven new vessels and seeing the service operate like a business rather than a bureaucracy.
B.C. Ferries' chairman Donald Hayes praised Hahn as a "unique leader with unsurpassed vision, dedication and commitment." The company has been "fundamentally transformed, resulting in improvements in all areas of the company's business," Hayes said.
The board expects to announce a new CEO after its November meeting, Hayes said. The new chief's salary will be limited by provincial legislation brought in last year.
As for a possible replacement for Hahn, B.C. Ferries' executive team consists of Mike Corrigan, chief operating officer, Rob Clarke, chief financial officer, and Glen Schwartz, human resources and corporate development.
Blair Lekstrom, Minister of Transportation, said Hahn has "done a good job as the CEO of B.C. Ferries. He has delivered on what the government has asked him to do."
NDP ferries critic Gary Coons said B.C. Ferries is being run like a cruise ship experience rather than a highway. The minister should "take a leadership role to turn Ferries around."
Richard Goode, B.C. Ferries and Marine Workers Union president, said with the ferry review and a provincial election next year, a new CEO can change the direction and deal with fiscal matters. He is worried that the salary and hiring freeze and fewer sailings will hurt union members.
by Colin Neville
Oct 7, 2011
Hi
I am a (semi-retired) lecturer at the University of Bradford. I have written a novel: 'Millstone', highlighting the issue of false allegations made against teachers.
The novel is a compilation of recent cases, but with a fictious main character and incident, set in a UK primary school.
Although I have had four work r...See MoreHi
I am a (semi-retired) lecturer at the University of Bradford. I have written a novel: 'Millstone', highlighting the issue of false allegations made against teachers.
The novel is a compilation of recent cases, but with a fictious main character and incident, set in a UK primary school.
Although I have had four work related non-fiction books published, this is my first venture into fiction. I believe that fictionalising events, such as those depicted in the book, can be an important way of raising general public interest in this issue.
The book is currently on the Harper Collins review site for new writing, and I welcome your comments on it, particularly the way school life is portrayed. Do you recognise the scenes depicted? Are the teachers believeable?
Please do have a look at the book online. If you like it, you can register onto the site (free),leave a comment about it, and perhaps even back it by putting it on your virtual 'bookshelf'. This can help me to get the book accepted into print by Harper Collins or another publishing.
The book has been receiving good reviews from other authors on the site, and is now, after less than three months, ranked at around no. 200 of 4000+ books on the site. But I I particularly welcome comment and criticism now from teachers. See what you think!
[link removed]
Thanks
Colin Neville
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