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Delta's Testing Whether Some Of Their SkyMiles Members Will Sell Their Birthright For Some Porridge

Delta Airlines has emerged over the last decade as the most innovative and profitable of the Big Three conventional U.S. airlines. In 2013 it led in introducing reduced space-and-service “basic economy” sections on its domestic mainline flights, a trend since copied by rivals American and United. Now Delta’s testing the waters again by offering members of its SkyMiles frequent fliers program the opportunity to claim a domestic award ticket for (a few) fewer mileage points. If successful, the test program likely would be expanded, and copied by its rivals. it also would blow through the lower limit of what airline managers think consumers will put up with in terms of customer comfort and and service degradation. (Ron Antonelli/Bloomberg News)

You’ve worked hard and earned your big vacation to Hawaii, Asia, Europe, or wherever.

You’ve endured dozens of flights on cramped airplanes full of sweaty business travelers who just barely made their hub connection, frazzled families who stuffed every piece of baby equipment they own into two carry-ons and a diaper bag, and had to put up with way too many entitled jerks who just grunt when you ask if they will stand and allow you to crawl past them to your window or middle seat.

You’ve missed too many of your kids’ after-school events to count, and more dinners at home than you want to count.

Now, finally, you and your spouse are boarding that “free” flight you paid for with your airline frequent flier miles. You’re headed for an exciting-yet-relaxing visit to some beautiful, exotic, electric or grand historical destination that’s been on your bucket list since before you ever heard it called a bucket list.

Ah, but upon boarding the plane you discover that you have to shoehorn yourself into a 30 inch by 18-inch, wire rack covered by coarse, heavily stained upholstery that passes for a seat. Then it hits you: you’re going to be stuck in that seat for six or seven hours. And that if you get any food at all it’ll be a stale sandwich made and wrapped hours before you boarded and tossed into your lap by a flight attendant who has neither the time nor the desire to look you in the eye and carry on even the shortest of polite conversations. You’ll feel lucky if you’re even asked “the ham-and-cheese or the tuna salad?”

If that’s your ideal frequent flier award travel experience then you’re in luck. Delta’s offering something like that, albeit on a test basis and only a handful of shorter domestic routes (where no food will be served but the flight will only be maybe three hours long), as a way of giving some of their loyal customers a quicker, easier less “expensive” way of using their accrued mileage points in the carrier’s SkyMiles frequent flier program. Instead of cashing in 50,500 earned mileage points for a domestic award flight, Delta is allowing SkyMiles members flying between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Phoenix, and on routes to and from Charleston, S.C. for a mere 47,000 miles. But saving those 5,500 points will move the SkyMiles award traveler out of a regular coach seat and into the flying dungeon in the back of the plane that the carrier euphemistically calls “basic economy.” You know it better by its colloquial name:  “steerage.”

The 3,500 mileage points saved by a SkyMiles member would represent a 6.9% “discount” in the number of miles needed to claim an award ticket. To look at it another way, it’s roughly the difference of paying for a single additional roundtrip flight between Detroit and Los Angeles, which is not a big deal for real frequent fliers, though it could be for a SkyMiles member who flies only maybe once or twice a yea. But a frequent flier considering such a discounted frequent flier award trip must ask himself or herself whether the relatively modest savings in mileage points is worth the significantly degraded level of service?  Certainly a decade ago, when regular coach section seats offered 34 or more inches of “pitch” (effectively, leg room) most frequent fliers would have laughed in the face of a Delta agent – or a Delta senior executive – for even suggesting that such a step down was worth a measly 3,500 mileage points. But these days, sadly, with regular coach seats in most cases only offering 32 or even 31 inches of leg room, maybe the loss of another inch or two in exchange for 3,500 mileage point savings is an acceptable deal. That is the question Delta officials are trying to answer with the current, very limited test program. And here’s hoping the answer Delta gets from its SkyMiles members is not just “no” but a resounding “Are You Kidding? NO!”  That’s because if Delta’s test works three things are sure to follow.

The program will be expanded to the airline’s full domestic network at the very least, and quite possibly to its global network.

Rivals American and United will follow suit. Delta led the way nearly six years ago with the first installation of “basic economy” seats in the back of some of their planes. Now the other two members of the Big Three are playing catch up – or is it catch “down?” – in this bizarre race to be worse. So you can bet that the Monkey See/Monkey Do effect will be in play once again if Delta’s discounted-and-degraded frequent flier awards idea is successful.

Having then successfully devalued their basic product – a regular coach seat – yet again U.S. airlines will be spurred to come up with yet more ways to pack more – and even more uncomfortable – seats onto their planes.

When consumers, via their ticket-buying (or loyalty program claiming) behavior tell airlines, in effect, that they’ll put up with even less leg room and more discomfort in order to save a pitiful few extra dollars off the price of a ticket or a near-meaningless few hundred mileage points off the “price” of an award ticket they actually are telling airline bosses that their tolerance levels for poor customer service are even lower than the airline managers had dared to imagine. Airline executives, of course, will respond to that message eventually by finding ways to put more seats on the same planes, and more ways to degrade the already very minimal levels of customer service provided these days.

Yes, the average price of a ticket sold will fall slightly when that happens, and consumers will like that. But the increased passenger volume on each flight – load factors now hover in the mid-80% range – will rise. The net effect will be more passenger revenue per flight for the carriers.  And increased profits. That’s because it’ll cost the airline next-to-nothing to fly an additional six to 12 people per narrow body flight. But they’ll score six to 12 more tickets sold. Even at discounted prices that math always works in the airlines’ favor – and against consumers, or at least against those who care about comfort, leg room and the overall travel experience.

Airlines are businesses; economic entities. They’re supposed to do what earns them and their investors the most money. Only when consumers behave with intelligently in their own best interests – long term or short term – will airlines stop, or even reverse the diminishment of customer comfort and customer service about which so many today complain.

This article was written by Dan Reed from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

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Orange County, A Conservative Bastion, Turns Blue For The First Time In Decades

In 2016, the conservative bastion of Orange County, California, voted for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since the Great Depression. Two years later, Democrats succeeded in capturing all of seven of its congressional seats ― a stunning feat in what has traditionally been a seat of Republican power that catapulted both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan to the White House.

The densely populated county ― which comprises cities like Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, and Huntington Beach ― has been growing more diverse and less conservative for years. But what may have harmed its GOP House representatives most was President Donald Trump and his nativist rhetoric about immigrants and penchant for controversial remarks, which alienated both minorities and college-educated women there.

“Those forces finally combined in 2018 to wipe out the GOP in what was for decades the most Republican big county in America. It is a political failure of biblical proportions,” said California Democratic strategist Garry South.

Congressional districts in Orange County, Calif. in 2016 and in 2018 pic.twitter.com/TWRQ1pPzS4

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) November 16, 2018

Earlier this week, Democrat Katie Porter officially ousted Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.) in the state’s 45th congressional district ― the first time a Democrat has won there since it was drawn 35 years ago. Porter, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, is a progressive who supports single-payer with the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Walters attempted to cast Porter as an “extreme” and a “radical” by attacking her over her ties to Warren, but the attacks never stuck.

“Orange County is the New Blue,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who represents an area of Los Angeles, tweeted Wednesday after Porter’s race was officially called.

Katie Porter, the Democratic candidate for the 45th Congressional District, waves to supporters after speaking on election night in Irvine on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.

Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images via Getty Images

Meanwhile, in California’s 39th congressional district to the north, Democrat Gil Cisneros defeated Young Kim, a Republican, in the election to replace GOP Rep. Ed Royce, who did not seek re-election. Republicans invested millions behind Kim, a rising star who would have been the first Korean-American representative in Congress had she won. She held an early lead of several thousand votes on Election Day, but it evaporated as outstanding ballots continued to be counted there.

Democrats also succeeded in flipping districts carried by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), the infamous Russia-friendly congressman, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who led the Benghazi investigation before retiring this year.

What is stunning about the Democratic gains in Orange County, also known as the cradle of conservatism, is not just how many seats they flipped but how they did it. In the state’s 48th congressional district, for example, wealthy real estate executive Harley Rouda defeated Rohrabacher by campaigning on progressive issues like Medicare for all, tuition-free college, and a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage.

The Democratic sweep may have been foreshadowed by the retirements of longtime Republican stalwarts like Issa and Royce last year, but it took local GOP officials by surprise. Earlier this year, Orange County Republican Party Chair Fred Whitaker laughed off the notion of a blue wave in his backyard.

“They think we’re the new battleground ... It’s a Hail Mary play. It’s desperation,” Whitaker said in an interview in March.

“Let the Democrats spend tens of millions of dollars here,” he added. “Let them die on the hill in Orange County.”

This article was written by Igor Bobic from Huffington Post and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

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Deutscher Judo-Bund bedauert Bundesliga-Rückzug von Großhadern

München (dpa) - Der Deutsche Judo-Bund hat den Rückzug des TSV München-Großhadern aus der Bundesliga bedauert. «Das tut uns weh», sagte Präsident Peter Frese der Deutschen Presse-Agentur am Donnerstag. Das Bundesliga-Gründungsmitglied hatte seinen Rückzug in den vergangenen Tagen bekannt gegeben.

«Die Kosten für zwei Bundesligamannschaften und auch die Anforderungen von DJB-Seite werden zunehmend höher und stellen uns vor eine nicht mehr zu bewältigende Hürde», hieß es in der Vereinsmitteilung.

Zu hohe Anforderungen sieht Frese nicht, den Kostenfaktor sieht der Präsident als Problem an. «Spitzenvereine kommen nicht mit den Kämpfern aus dem Ort oder der näheren Umgebung aus, sondern brauchen auch Athleten aus dem Ausland und deutsche Spitzenkämpfer. Das kostet mehr Geld», sagte Frese.

«Ein Problem für die Bundesligaclubs ist die Olympia-Qualifikation. Die Olympia-Qualifikation ist für die DJB-Mannschaft verschärft worden. Sie dauert über zwei Jahre. Die Abwesenheit der Kämpfer erschwert es den Bundesligaclubs», führte Frese aus. «Auch für den Bundestrainer ist der lange Qualifikationszeitraum nicht einfach.»

Der Verein will sich auf die Förderung jugendlicher Sportler und Kaderathleten konzentrieren. «Durch unseren Rückzug werden wir verstärkt in der Lage sein, die zum Teil immensen Eigenbeteiligungen unserer Vereinsathleten für Landesverbands- und DJB-Maßnahmen zu unterstützen und Härten auszugleichen», teilte der Verein in dieser Woche mit.

«Dass sich Großhadern in einer Fußballstadt wie München so behauptet hat, ist imponierend. Denn in einer Fußballstadt ist es schwer, Sponsoren zu finden», sagte der DJB-Präsident.

# Notizblock

## Internet - [Judobund auf Twitter](http://dpaq.de/PnZE1) - [Mitteilung des Vereins zum Rückzug](http://dpaq.de/WzMXk)

## Orte - [DJB](Otto-Fleck-Schneise 12, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland) - [National Gymnastics Arena](125, Heydar Aliyev Ave, Baku 1029, Aserbaidschan)

This article was from dpa Europadienst and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

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AMD Climbs After Saying Amazon Will Use Its Cloud Server Chips

(Bloomberg) -- Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Intel Corp.’s largest competitor in the market for computer processors, said Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud-computing unit is a new partner for its server chips. AMD shares gained as much as 8.8 percent on the announcement.

Amazon, the largest provider of cloud computing services, is now offering three of its most popular products based on AMD’s Epyc server chips, Matt Garman, vice president of computing at Amazon Web Services, said Tuesday at an AMD presentation in San Francisco. The AMD chips allow for a 10 percent saving in computing costs, Garman said.

Separately, AMD said it has sent samples of a new chip design to customers. Those chips are being made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. with a technique called 7-nanometer production. That technology is equivalent to Intel’s announced 10-nanometer process, but will be in the market first, according to AMD’s Chief Technology Officer Mark Papermaster. Intel has announced issues with that 10-nanometer transition and said it won’t have server chips in the market until late next year.

“We have worked incredibly hard to bring AMD back to high performance,” Papermaster said.

AMD’s shares jumped 8.2 percent to $21.53 at 12:55 p.m. in New York, after earlier reaching $21.65.

Server buyers such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and AWS, who operate giant data centers that are the backbone of the internet, make up the largest group of purchasers of data-center equipment. They’re spending heavily on new gear to meet the exploding demand for cloud computer services.

AMD has been locked out of that lucrative market for more than a decade after its products either came too late or didn’t deliver their promised performance. Under Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su, the company said it’s fielding designs that are now capable of competing with those from Intel. AMD’s server business was restarted 15 months ago.

(Updates with new chip design information in the third paragraph.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Molly Schuetz

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.

  This article was written by Ian King from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

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Schools angry over Hammond's budget cash for 'little extras'

Twenty-four hours after giving schools a £400m budget bonus to “buy the little extras they need”, Philip Hammond appeared to have done little to assuage the anger of headteachers, despite a busy round of media interviews.

Far from building bridges, the chancellor risked making the situation worse by describing the one-off payment to schools in one interview as “a nice gesture”, which would help headteachers afford “a whiteboard, a couple of computers, whatever it is they want to buy”.

At a time when teachers and support staff are being made redundant, and pastoral and special educational needs services are being cut back after years of real-terms funding reductions, school leaders found Hammond’s choice of words galling and insulting. “We’ve been sneered at,” one said.

Another said: “Headteachers feel indignant about Mr Hammond’s ‘little extras’ rhetoric, but most of all we are shocked that the reasonable requests of parents and the profession as a whole have been ignored.”

At one point in an interview with Susanna Reid on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the chancellor – clearly having some problems hearing the question – appeared to reject her suggestion that some schools are so hard up they are considering shorter weeks and cannot afford essentials.

“Frankly, I reject that,” he said twice, then added: “Schools spending will be dealt with in the spending review. We put £1.3bn of additional money into schools funding last year to protect per pupil spending in our schools.

“What I did yesterday was nothing to do with that process. It was simply giving back a little bit of the money that we’ve saved this year so that schools can buy the odd little piece of kit that they need. I think that’s a nice gesture.

“Many of the schools I know will be happy to have £50,000 or even £10,000 to buy a whiteboard, buy a couple of computers, whatever it is they want to buy. It’s nothing to do with mainstream schools funding. It was a little extra.”

The shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, said: “The chancellor has cut billions from our schools and now he is offering them a ‘little extra’ whiteboard. This shows how desperately out of touch the Tories are when tens of thousands of teachers, teaching assistants and support staff have been cut, and headteachers are begging parents for money for basic supplies.”

Andrew Morris, the assistant general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Philip Hammond is hopelessly out of touch about the crisis in our schools. Parents, teachers and school leaders will know better than to be fooled by his ‘nice gesture’.”

The chancellor’s offer to schools amounts to an average of £10,000 for primaries and £50,000 for secondaries. The National Audit Office has estimated an additional £6.7bn is needed just to bring England’s school buildings back up to a satisfactory standard.

Jules White, the headteacher of Tanbridge House school in Horsham, West Sussex, and the leader of the Worth Less? campaign for greater school funding, said: “Headteachers are not going to turn their nose up at any money, and support for refurbishing classes, toilets or buying computers has to be welcomed.

“Overall though, there is a feeling of much too little, much too late. Billions of pounds have been taken out of school budgets, whilst hundreds of thousands of children are joining our schools.

“The effects of a diminished curricular offer and increased class sizes tell only part of the story. In short, schools are functioning on empty and a few thousand pounds here and there simply does not cut it.”

Jonathan Simons, an education policy commentator and former government adviser, said Hammond was guilty of a failure of presentation, rather than policy. “It’s not a bad budget for the Department for Education, but it could have been handled much, much better,” he said.

“A lot of budget speech language is not that heavily tested. A lot of it is written very late at night. Often things just slip through when they should not.”

All eyes are now on the 2019 spending review. With the DfE facing a possible cut in tuition fees as a result of the government’s forthcoming higher education review, schools have good reason to feel anxious about what lies ahead.

In the words of Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies: “Many public services are going to feel squeezed for some time to come. Cuts are not about to be reversed. If I were a prison governor, a local authority chief executive or a headteacher, I would struggle to find much to celebrate. I would be preparing for more difficult years ahead.”

This article was written by Sally Weale Education correspondent from The Guardian and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

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Word on the street: Reducing plastic use and littering

Public opinion on the streets of Muscat

Q1. A two-year campaign has been launched to minimise the use of plastic bags. What can be done to end the use of plastic bags?

Mohammed Afnan Engineer

Use of plastic bags as well as other disposable plastic items has created unprecedented environmental hazard, which will take years to rectify even if we stop using them now. But if we continue using plastic, the effects could be unimaginable and unmanageable. We should stop the use of single-use plastic bags or items now and replace them with other environment-friendly options.

Arshi Omar Manager

Consumers should be made aware of the harmful effects of plastic to our environment. Also, some kind of appreciation or rewards should be given to commercial centres for taking steps to minimise uptake of single-use plastics.

Badis Saleh Gharbi Lecturer

Plastic has become one of the biggest problems for almost all countries around the world. The problem is not only for sewage systems. Single-use plastic shopping bags also endanger wildlife. We cannot deny the tremendous harmful effects on turtles that come to Oman’s beaches to lay eggs. Plastic bags are mistaken for jellyfish, which are turtles’ best food. Shoppers should use multi-use or paper bags. The ministry can restrict plastic bag use and introduce bio-degradable plastic bags.

Eng Awadh al Sadooni Consultant

People should use biodegradable bags instead of plastic ones. We also need to teach our children the importance of nature conservation.

Khalid al Kharousi Agricultural pesticide specialist

Shoppers need to ensure that they carry eco-friendly bags. Shops should raise awareness on the issue and minimise use of plastic.

Khalil al Balushi Aviation technician

We must spread the culture of preserving the environment among the members of society as a whole. We also need to minimise the use of bags that are harmful to environment and look for environment-friendly bags.

Q2. Muscat Municipality will fine RO1,000 for littering in open spaces (wadis) and RO100 for other areas. Will it deter people from littering?

Selvin Rodrigues Advertising professional

Fines will not deter people from littering. Muscat Municipality should instead have surveillance cameras and display violators’ images on big screens at all public places.

Rashid al Ismaily

Private sector employee

I fully agree with and support Muscat Municipality in this. Hopefully, it will change the habit of most citizens and residents and we will have a cleaner city.

Halima Jamal Dentist

In addition to fines, violators should be shamed in public. There needs to be more awareness drives on the issue so that people understand the effects of littering.

Mousa al Rawahi Film editor

It is a good move, but I think the fines should be reduced to RO500 and RO50. However, I also agree that there are people who do not learn even after being fined. I have seen a lot of people dumping household garbage and old furniture in wadis.

Anoop Photographer

It is a great move and I welcome it. It will definitely deter people from disposing garbage in undesignated areas and we will see cleaner spaces. This should have been done much earlier though.

Bahaar Siddiqui Private sector employee

It is a good step to maintain cleanliness in the city. There are many irresponsible people who do not care for the environment and such a move will now make them think twice.

Q3. Often wadis and beaches are found littered after camping and picnics. Do you think there is a need to reduce the use of disposable cutlery?

Ziad Sawaya Branch head

Yes, plastic waste is a salient topic today. The good news is that alternatives are available and I am sure Oman will lead the way in elimination of single-use plastic items.

Faras Hamed Nasser al Hosni Cashier

Awareness is the key. And I’m happy that while single-use plastic items are still used in Oman, people – for the most part - are disposing them the proper way. Various branches of government are raising awareness. It is interesting to see that often schoolchildren encourage their elders to recycle and reduce waste.

Ammar al Battashi Private sector employee

Yes, raising awareness is the solution. Alternatives are readily available these days. A lot of items like straws made out of bamboo or macaroni, single-use wooden cutlery and bags made out of vegetable pulp are available. We just need to make the effort to use them.

Sonali Karande Businesswoman

There is no harm in carrying reusable cutlery when you are feasting near beaches or wadis. It helps a lot in keeping the surroundings clean and prevents garbage bins from overflowing. A lot of awareness campaigns in the recent past have been held, but you don’t see much change. Imposing fines is the best solution.

Sucheta Sable Homemaker

Both disposable and reusable cutlery can dirty a place. It is best to spread awareness on the importance of maintaining cleanliness. People should carry garbage bags with them so that they can collect trash if bins nearby are full. Imposing fines will not help, instead those who litter should be made to clean the place as punishment.

Pranali Mayekar Homemaker

Littering is at its worst after weekends or long holidays. Awareness campaigns and fines will not help, instead violators should be made to clean the place for a day as punishment.

© Apex Press and Publishing Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

This article was from Muscat Daily and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

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Present Yourself!

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Pret has power to stop more food allergy deaths, says coroner

Pret a Manger has the power to take action to prevent future deaths, a coroner at the inquest into the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse has concluded.

Ednan-Laperouse, then 15, died in July 2016 following a catastrophic allergic reaction after unknowingly eating sesame seeds contained in an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette, which she had bought from a branch of Pret at Heathrow. The teenager was with her father when she collapsed on board a flight to Nice.

Natasha’s father, Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, said she died because of “inadequate food labelling laws” and joined the rest of her family, from Fulham, south-west London, in calling for a change in the law to save lives. The baguette did not have any allergen advice on its wrapper. There was no requirement for it to do so because of reduced labelling requirements for food produced on site.

Ednan-Laperouse described the inquest into his daughter’s death as a “watershed moment” that should prompt a change in the law.

Pret announced last week that it will include full ingredient labelling on all its products following Ednan-Laperouse’s case, while the government said it is considering a change to the law.

In a report published on Tuesday, coroner Dr Sean Cummings outlined “matters of concern” identified in Natasha’s inquest and wrote: “In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.”

He said allergens were not “labelled adequately or clearly” on Pret packaging when products were prepared in their kitchens for direct sale under regulation 5 of the Food Information Regulations.

The regulations state that for items made in store it is sufficient for general allergen warnings to be posted around the shop, rather than on the packaging, and for specific advice to be given orally by staff. The rules make no distinction between small sandwich shops and large chains such as Pret.

“I was left with the impression that the ‘local kitchens’ were in fact a device to evade the spirit of the regulation,” Cummings wrote in his report.

He also said there had been “no coherent or co-ordinated system for monitoring customer allergic reactions” despite more than 200 million items being sold a year, adding that the current system “remains highly inadequate”.

“In my view, sales of 200 million items, some with expressly commissioned but hidden allergens, require a robust safety auditing system. The previous system was unsafe and the system proposed equally so in my view,” he said.

The coroner also highlighted concerns over the “inadequate” length of EpiPens and of adrenaline doses, the combination of which “raises serious safety concerns”.

Cummings concluded that Pret’s chief executive, Clive Schlee, the environment secretary, Michael Gove, the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the chief executive of Pfizer have the power to take action.

The named parties must respond to the report by 3 December 2018 with details of any action taken.

A spokesperson for Pret said: “Following the coroner’s conclusion at the inquest, we announced last week that we are moving to full labelling of all products produced in our kitchens as quickly as possible, with immediate measures in the meantime,” it said.

“We have also committed to improving our monitoring and complaints handling procedures to ensure allergy-related incidents are immediately escalated and reported on within 24 hours.

“We will be working with others, including the government, regulatory authorities, charity groups and industry peers, to secure legislative changes to better protect people with allergies and deliver what the Ednan-Laperouse family have called for.”

The coroner’s conclusion followed calls for answers from the family of a second person thought to have suffered a fatal allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger sandwich. Celia Marsh, 42, died on 27 December last year after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread containing a yoghurt that was supposed to be dairy-free but was found to be contaminated with dairy.

In a statement released on Monday, her family, from Melksham in Wiltshire, said: “We have kept a dignified silence since the death of Celia in December last year as the family has come to terms with her sudden and unexpected death. We are also awaiting the outcome of the investigations into how she died.”

Avon coroner’s office said Marsh died at the Royal United hospital in Bath, and that inquiries were continuing.

This article was written by agency and Aamna Mohdin from The Guardian and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

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HELLO

Another

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Ghosts and ghouls to fill downtown Johnstown streets

Calling all ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night.

The AmeriServ Johnstown Halloween Parade will take over downtown streets beginning at 7 p.m. Oct. 23.

The 50th annual parade, which has been organized by Forever Media for the past 10 years, follows the traditional half-mile route up Main Street from Sargent's Stadium at the Point to Clinton Street, turns left on Clinton and concludes on Washington Street.

John Barnes, general manager of Forever Media, said the parade continues to grow in size every year, attracting thousand of people who come to see the spooktacular event.

"It's become more of a tradition than anything else in Johnstown," he said.

"It's something that the people that are involved with get excited about, and once we start promoting that we're looking for floats and people to participate, we just get inundated with people wanting to be a part of it. It's going to be bigger and better than it was last year."

Barnes said people look forward to and get excited about the parade.

"It's a great community event and it's family-friendly," he said.

"You can go downtown and enjoy it, and we hope it brings more income to the businesses downtown."

Planning for the parade starts at the beginning of September.

"We started putting it on the air Sept. 10, asking for people to be a part of it. In the last two weeks, we're already up to 35 different floats," Barnes said.

"It's Boy Scouts, businesses and nonprofits who all want to take part in it, just people who want to promote themselves, be a part of it and have fun."

He added that without the support from the community and division and individual category sponsors, the parade wouldn't be possible.

"It's an all hands on deck and it's a labor of love," Barnes said.

"It does cost a lot of money to put this on and we have a number of sponsors who freely jump on board and get behind this because it is such an important thing to the Johnstown and surrounding areas."

In addition, assistance from local fire and police departments ensures that spectators are safe.

It's estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 people come out to watch the parade yearly.

"The streets are at least 10 people deep on either side of the road," Barnes said.

"The kids are there, but you also see a lot of seniors sitting along the side of the road in their lawn chairs because it is something to look forward to."

Barnes believes the Johnstown Halloween Parade is one of the largest parades in west central Pennsylvania.

"This year, we are expecting 130 to 140 units," Barnes said.

"This parade gives kids an opportunity to march and show what kind of talent they do have by playing in the bands or doing cartwheels down the street. It's also a way for businesses to showcase their services and hopefully it'll drive more attendance to their companies."

Those interested in participating in the Halloween parade can register through Oct. 12.

Registration for the event can be found online at www.foreverjohnstown.com/parade-registration-form or by calling Beth Thomas at Forever Media at 814-255-4186.

"We hope people will come out and enjoy themselves whether by watching it, clapping and cheering or being a part of it and enjoying the spirit of Johnstown," Barnes said.

Kelly Urban is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. She can be reached at (814) 532-5073. Follow her on Twitter @KellyUrban25. ___

(c)2018 The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.)

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This article is written by Kelly Urban from The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa. and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[sith-squad-blog]

EUA ameaçam aumentar resposta militar na Síria se houver novo ataque químico - SÍRIA CONFLITO

Washington, 10 set (EFE).- Os Estados Unidos advertiram nesta segunda-feira ao governo da Síria que sua resposta militar a um possível ataque químico do regime será a "mais forte" que lançaram até agora no país árabe e afirmaram ter o apoio de França e Reino Unido nessa postura.

"A resposta do governo de (Donald) Trump quando tivemos provas indiscutíveis em duas ocasiões, uma vez em abril de 2017 e outra vez em abril deste ano, foi usar a força contra o regime sírio pelo uso de uma arma de destruição em massa", disse John Bolton, assessor de segurança nacional do presidente americano.

"Nos últimos dias, expressamos que se houver um terceiro uso de armas químicas (desde que Trump chegou ao poder), a resposta será muito mais forte", afirmou Bolton durante um ato em Washington.

"Tivemos consultas com os britânicos e os franceses, que se uniram a nós no segundo ataque aéreo (na Síria), e eles também estão de acordo quanto a uma resposta muito mais forte a outro uso de armas químicas", acrescentou.

Nas últimas semanas, a ONU e as potências ocidentais advertiram que um grande ataque do governo sírio na província de Idlib, o último reduto dos rebeldes, pode criar uma crise humanitária sem precedentes.

O enviado especial da ONU para Síria, Staffan de Mistura, disse no mês passado que teme o uso de armas químicas em Idlib por parte das forças governamentais e da ex-filial síria da Al Qaeda, enquanto Damasco e Moscou acusaram os rebeldes de preparar um falso ataque químico para tentar culpar as autoridades.

Bolton criticou os governos "de Rússia e outros" por acusarem os EUA de estarem "dando uma autorização à Al Qaeda para que use armas químicas e tentem culpar o governo da Síria".

"Essa afirmação deve ter sido uma das mais degradantes que escutei na história da propaganda do século XX e XXI", acrescentou o assessor americano.

Em abril de 2017, Trump ordenou lançar dezenas de mísseis contra a base aérea síria da Al Shayrat, como represália pelo ataque químico na cidade de Khan Shaykhun, em Idlib, onde morreram mais de 80 pessoas e pelo qual a ONU responsabilizou o executivo de Damasco.

Em abril deste ano, os EUA, em coordenação com Reino Unido e França, atacaram com cem mísseis três instalações nas quais supostamente as autoridades sírias desenvolviam armamento químico, em resposta ao suposto bombardeio com gases tóxicos em Duma, tomada então pelos insurgentes.

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[sith-squad-blog]

Los Colegios Profesionales de Periodistas condenan la agresión a un cámara de Telemadrid - CRISIS CATALUÑA

Barcelona, 30 ago (EFE).- La Red de Colegios Profesionales de Periodistas, que agrupa a los nueve colegios de profesionales de los medios de comunicación que hay en España, ha expresado hoy su rechazo y condena de la agresión de la que fue víctima ayer un cámara de Telemadrid al ser confundido con uno de TV3.

La agresión se produjo durante la concentración convocada por Ciudadanos en el Parque de la Ciutadella de Barcelona para condenar la agresión que sufrió una mujer en una discusión cuando quitaba lazos amarillos y para rechazar los actos violentos.

"Es totalmente injustificable la agresión a cualquier periodista, cámara o fotógrafo, independientemente del medio en el que trabaje, ya que este tipo de incidentes suponen un ataque a la libertad de información, uno de los pilares básicos en los que se debe sustentar cualquier sociedad democrática", ha condenado la Red de Colegios de Periodistas en un comunicado.

Los colegios profesionales han trasladado "su total apoyo y respaldo" al cámara agredido y se ha solidarizado con todos los profesionales de la comunicación que en el desempeño de su labor tienen que enfrentarse en ocasiones a situaciones de riesgo, totalmente injustificadas, mientras desarrollan su labor profesional.

La Red de Colegios Profesionales de Periodistas se constituyó el pasado 14 de junio y está formada por los nueve Colegios Profesionales de Periodistas que actualmente existen en España: Andalucía, Asturias, Castilla y León, Cataluña, Galicia, La Rioja, Murcia, Navarra y País Vasco.

También la Agrupación de Periodistas de UGT ha condenado hoy la agresión al cámara de Telemadrid y ha rechazado este "ataque a la libertad de prensa".

"Son intolerables los insultos y las agresiones y que además fueran a un compañero que estaba haciendo su trabajo", ha señalado a Efe Mariano Rivero, coordinador de la entidad, que ha subrayado que estos hechos "demuestran el talante antidemocrático" de algunas personas.

Rivero ha expresado asimismo su rechazo a los gritos e insultos que se profirieron en la concentración contra profesionales de TV3. "Esperamos que los mossos identifiquen a los agresores y se inicien las medidas legales oportunas para que estos hechos preocupantes no se vuelvan a producir", ha remarcado.

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[sith-squad-blog]

Thai street kid skate champ 'Oat' sows seeds for Tokyo tilt

From runaway street urchin eating out of a trash can to Thai national skateboard champion, "Oat" Athiwat is a graduate of life's school of hard knocks.

But the 24-year-old, abandoned by his parents at a young age and beaten by relatives, is daring to dream about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a promising fourth place finish at the Asian Games in Jakarta.

Oat never knew his mother and his father left him to pursue a monk's life in a monastery.

At the tender age of eight, he shuffled around between different relatives living in Suphanburi, a city a couple of hours from Bangkok.

Often the victim of violence by those looking after him, he would sleep rough on the street, permanently feeling hungry and with nowhere to turn.

"I used to eat anything I could find, even gum on the floor or the leftovers I found in the trash bin," Oat told AFP, his voice faltering as he wipes a tear from his cheek.

"I didn't have any friends."

Oat's way out of poverty came when a university student showed him some skateboarding tricks one day and he became instantly hooked.

"I felt I could be a real skateboarder," he said. "When I mastered new tricks, I would go to sleep with good dreams."

A happy twist of fate saw the Thai national team train occasionally in Suphanburi.

Impressed by the boy's dedication, they brought a skateboard for him on their next visit as part of their outreach project.

"When we travelled throughout Thailand, there were boys like that all the time," said Apichat Rutnin of the Thailand Extreme Sports Association.

"It's a child's dream to run away with the circus."

- Waif skater -

At 11-years-old the waif skater stowed away in a bus to reach the capital, found his way to the team's training park and waited 10 hours for them to show up.

"We were moved by his tragic story and we took him in," said Apichat.

"Normally a guy who joins our team must qualify at a certain level but we thought we'd try him out."

Oat was not the most gifted skater, according to Apichat. But he was confident, determined and disciplined.

"He didn't watch TV or play games like other kids," he said. "He was always the first one there and the last one to leave."

Oat flunked his first competition -- coming in last -- but it only strengthened his resolve.

By 14, he ranked number one in the amateur skating ranks and joined the top tier.

Two years later, he was Thailand's number one skater, a place he has kept for the past eight years.

Grinning broadly, Apichat described the gamble to take in Oat as a "very good decision".

- 'It's a real sport' -

At the Asian Games, Oat narrowly missed out on a medal -- appropriately in the 'street' category -- demonstrating a slick array of tricks on the rails, stairs and ramps.

But he already has his sights fixed on Tokyo 2020 in the hipster sport's Olympic debut.

The Thai government has paid for the team to train in California, where Oat "hit a new level", according to coach Eric Kirkwood.

Skaters in the United States and elsewhere in the West have been able to carve out a career thanks to sponsorship deals, until recently resisting overtures to join the Olympics.

That's not the case for most skaters in Asia, which has few homegrown skate brands with cash to burn.

But training for an Olympic sport adds a degree of legitimacy -- for government ministries and concerned parents.

"The same guys that would have had to stop (skateboarding) are now being supported by the government," said Kirkwood. "They just get to skate."

Oat has been back many times to Suphanburi to train.

One day, he passed his aunt's house and when his relatives heard he was in the national team, they hugged him for the first time.

Gone were the days when they used to tell him off for "hanging out with drug addicts" at the skate park.

"They're not drug addicts," he would snap back. "They're athletes -- and it's a real sport!"

Copyright (2018) AFP. All rights reserved.

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[sith-squad-blog]

Rob Simmons reflects on his relationship with McCain

STONINGTON -- It was 1979 when now-First Selectman Rob Simmons was told by his boss, the late Rhode Island Sen. John Chaffee, to set up a trip for him to a half-dozen Middle Eastern countries.

That meant Simmons, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, had to make his way over to a basement office of the Navy's liaison officer to the Senate, a Capt. John McCain.

When Simmons entered, an enlisted woman told him he had to talk to a Marine Corps major who then said he had to talk to McCain.

"I began to feel like I was getting the runaround," Simmons recalled on Sunday.

When he pushed open the door to McCain's office, Simmons said he was overwhelmed by the cigar smoke.

All he could see were two feet up on the desk and someone hidden behind the newspaper he was reading.

Simmons first coughed to get McCain's attention. When there was no reaction, he coughed again. Then he spoke up.

The two feet stayed on the desk, but the newspaper slowly lowered.

McCain looked at Simmons for a few moments and then took the cigar out of his mouth.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked Simmons.

It wouldn't be the last time the two military officers would meet, as Simmons said they worked on veterans and other issues together when Simmons served three terms as U.S. representative from the 2nd District from 2001 to 2007. McCain died Saturday after battling brain cancer.

Soon after Simmons went to work as staff director for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and its chairman, Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, McCain announced he was running for congressman from Arizona.

Opponents pointed out he had lived in the state for less then two years, but McCain countered by saying the longest he had lived anywhere was the Hanoi Hilton, a reference to the six years he was held captive and tortured by the North Vietnamese after being shot down during a bombing mission.

First as a son of Navy officer and then as a Navy aviator, he frequently moved around the country. As a small child, McCain lived on Ocean Avenue in New London and attended Harbor School.

"He was just a natural politician, a people person," said Simmons, who worked with McCain's staff while he was with Goldwater.

"I don't claim to be a close friend of his. But he did some things over the course of our careers that were helpful to me," Simmons said.

One of them came in 2000 when Simmons was in a close contest with incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Sam Gejdenson. The national Republican Campaign Committee organized a group of Republican senators and congressman who were flying around the country to support GOP candidates and would be stopping at Groton-New London Airport to speak on behalf of Simmons.

Just before their arrival, two of Gejdenson's staffers leaked comments Simmons had made in the past about never torturing Viet Cong prisoners but using subtle pressure of persuasion when he worked with the CIA in Vietnam and southeast Asia during the war. Two college students then accused Simmons of being a war criminal.

"It was a blow to my campaign," Simmons said. "I had closed the gap from 25 percent to within the margin of error."

Simmons said that when the plane landed just a few days before the election at Groton-New London Airport, the door opened and just one Republican member of Congress walked out -- McCain.

All the others had abandoned Simmons in light of the last-minute allegations.

Simmons said a fiery McCain then strode over to the reporters and cameras to speak.

According to a report in The Day, McCain said he was proud to stand with Simmons at the rally, which attracted 600 of Simmons' supporters.

"He is good and decent American and he serves our support," McCain said of Simmons.

"'When is America going to come to grips with the fact that the war is over? Good people served in Vietnam. When the war was over, Rob Simmons and a whole generation of people should have been treated with the respect they deserved,'" Simmons recalled McCain saying on Sunday. "That's just the way he was."

A photo of confetti raining down on Simmons and McCain hangs in both Simmons' Town Hall office and in his home, the latter signed by McCain.

Simmons said that during his six years in Congress, he and McCain worked a lot on veterans' issues, and McCain, who headed the Senate version of the U.S.-Vietnam caucus, inspired Simmons to start the House version. They then worked on improving relations with Vietnam and bringing the country into the World Trade Organization.

A short time later, McCain came to Simmons' aid again after Simmons had convinced the House to designate New London as the site of the proposed national Coast Guard Museum. But New York Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer had passed a Senate version of the bill that designated New York, which was promising more funding, as the host location.

The House and Senate then jointly heard testimony from Simmons, Clinton, Schumer and others. McCain presided.

After the hearing, Simmons said he went to McCain's office to press his case for New London.

McCain reminded Simmons that he had lived in New London and attended school there as a child. More important, he felt the museum should be where the Coast Guard Academy is located. Simmons said McCain's influence was enough to sway members to support New London. Fundraising and planning for the $100 million museum continues with construction slated to begin in 2021.

"When I think of John, I think of a guy who was outspoken. Like most vets he was frustrated by their experience in the war, its political ramifications and how veterans were treated after the war," Simmons said. "But he turned that sense of anger into public life and tried to make the country better."

Simmons said he was honoring McCain by lowering the American flag in his yard to half-staff.

"It's sad day for me," he said.

j.wojtas@theday.com ___

(c)2018 The Day (New London, Conn.)

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[sith-squad-blog]

Organizations Not Presenting The Business Case For Gender Diversity

It will still take a while to convince men of the importance of gender diversity and it’s link to financial performance, according to a survey of more than 500 respondents across 30 countries. The responses were drawn from more than 30 countries ranging from Cambodia to Cabo Verde, however, the majority of respondents surveyed were from the US and UK. The “Gender Diversity: The Commercial Imperative” report commissioned by Selby Jennings found that although 69% of respondents personally believed that gender diversity improves financial performance: 40% of male respondents were convinced that gender diversity doesn’t improve financial performance.

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The findings suggest that gender diversity was presented as an “equalities issue” and that will only convince some of the people, warned Dr Ruth Sealy, associate professor of management at Exeter University.

It’s often very hard for people with innate privilege to see it. It’s interesting that research shows that men and women also see different reasons for the lack of women’s progress.”

The Female FTSE Board Report 2018 revealed that male and female operating board members cited entirely different reasons for women failing to progress to executive board level. Men cited individual reasons such as motherhood and ambitions while women cited structural and systemic reasons for their lack of progress and attributed the role of strong talent management processes as part of their success, unlike men, commented Sealy.

From a psychological point of view, men were more likely to attribute their success to themselves but from a structural point of view, women acknowledged that their organization had good talent management practices that enabled them to get into those roles.”

The “Gender Diversity: The Commercial Imperative” report also explored whether respondents received gender diversity training. Only a third of participants and 25% of women surveyed said they had received gender diversity training from their organization. Where respondents had received training, two-thirds said it didn’t include the business case for gender diversity and where a business case was presented, 42% said empirical evidence was not used to back it up.

There are hundreds of studies that show the link between gender diversity and financial performance, commented Allyson Zimmermann, director for Catalyst Europe.

The evidence is out there. The push-back comes in often when a group questions whether it’s causation or correlation? That is often why it’s not believed. It’s virtually impossible to prove causation when it comes to that. The key predictor for a man according to what men tell us what would engage and encourage them to take action on gender diversity, is a strong sense of fair play. It’s a real marker for a male champion. What blocks men is apathy and lack of awareness that gender issues don’t concern them because they are men. There is also ‘zero-sum’ thinking among men that if they help a woman advance then it’s going to hurt them. This is the elephant in the room.”

Men presented with the business case without empirical evidence were far less likely to believe that gender diversity impact financial performance, remarked Oliver Cooke, director and head of Selby Jennings.

Organizations aren’t supporting their argument with empirical data. Therefore, it’s no wonder so many respondents commented that they felt the drive to increase gender diversity in the workplace is due to a political or social agenda. People are adverse to change and in a complex landscape, such as the #MeToo movement, men may be feeling generally anxious about their place publically and privately. Especially when it comes to gender and diversity issue where men feel they could be scrutinized.”

The study also revealed that respondents believed that employees may disagree or be unaware of the business case for gender diversity as leadership doesn’t provide evidence. “You cannot argue with data and evidence if you’re trying to persuade a group of people to get on board with something,” said Sealy. An organization has to have a solid business case for gender diversity, argues Zimmermann.

This is what gives an organization a competitive edge. If you want to be a leader in any industry, then you need to understand that this is one way that you can have a competitive edge as innovation comes from talent and you need inclusive leaders who can engage talent and you’ll have better results.”

The study also found that gender diversity is still perceived as a ‘people-related’ issue rather than a ‘business-related’ issue by 70% of the respondents.

HR can be as well meaning as possible but it cannot change behavior or attitudes on their own, commented Sealy. “People pay attention to the leaders. The organization that does well has a clear business rationale with a predominant focus on talent and getting the best people to do the best job.”

HR are the gatekeepers but they are limited in implementing hiring policies and training initiatives that are a part of a business strategy, remarked Cooke.

Key stakeholders and corporate leadership must pitch the business case for gender diversity and support it with evidence. If they don’t champion it why should the workforce? The latter need to be convinced why it’s worth their time.”

This article was written by Karen Higginbottom from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[sith-squad-blog]

For A Great Show House, You Need A Great House

The 1906 Beaux Arts Frank Anderson House is home to rooms decorated by an eclectic collection of New Hampshire and Massachusetts designers.

For their first-ever New Hampshire Designer Show House, Home Health and Hospice Care of Nashua, New Hampshire, has a beauty: the imposing Frank Anderson House. The two and one-half story Beaux Arts manse on Nashua’s Concord Street was constructed by a shoe magnate in 1906 of red brick, trimmed with Vermont marble and crowned with a steep slate roof. Until recently the home of the Manchester Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, the building now belongs to Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. The college, the health care non-profit presenting the show house and the designers are fortunate: this historic house has retained its priceless architectural elements, including moldings, carved wood, built-ins, leaded glass and an extraordinary collection of early 20thcentury lighting.

Original architectural elements include the tile and paneling of the Men’s Scotch Lair

Home Health and Hospice Care has assembled a diverse collection of designers to decorate 19 rooms, plus several outdoor spaces. They include Frank Hodge, a fixture on the Boston design scene.

“I grew up in Nashua,” he says. “The school bus would drive by this house and I would study the architecture and dream about the interiors. Fast forward 45 years plus, and I am designing a room in the house that fueled my passion for architecture and interior design.”

Christian Boyer’s Music Room is a composition of gray, black and white.

His Library is rich with woodwork and a mix of antiques and new pieces. They suit the house, as does the Men’s Scotch Lair created by mother-daughter team Michaele Boehm and Kacey Graham. Christian Boyer’s Music Room packs a graphic punch in black, gray and white, while Meredith Bohn replaced lurid red wall panels in the Grand Foyer with neutral tones and subtle texture. In the oval Dining Room, also a Bohn project, the magnificent woodwork and built-in cabinetry required little more than fresh wallpaper, place settings and flowers to complete the picture. An especially appealing space on the first floor is the Powder Room located under the grand staircase, whimsically decorated by Deb McLaughlin and Brenda Baron. 

Old tiles and new whimsey in the below-stairs powder room

The upstairs room that acted as original owner Frank Anderson’s office still has his safe; it has been interpreted as – surprise! – a Home Office by Denyne Sanville and Paula Kifer. Bedrooms designed by Dianna Normanton and Marcia Fletcher are, in turn, girlish and tailored.

A young woman’s bedroom created by Dianna Normanton

Melissa Swidler’s Master Bathroom benefits from its original furnishings, including beautiful Arts and Crafts tiles and the needle shower located in one corner. Emma Carole Paradis and Kimberly Carole, another mother-daughter design team, do what show house designers are supposed to do: show us something new. Their dipped-in-pink-paint Upstairs Parlor will, no doubt, be the room most discussed by show house visitors.

The upstairs sitting room dipped in pink paint is sure to raise some eyebrows.

An upstairs sun porch became a Meditation Room designed by Lisa Law, the hallway is an Ode to Trees, and there is a small Nanny’s Bedroom in one corner. Outdoors, a terrace is a colorful container garden and a gift shop occupies what was once the kitchen.

Beautiful original Arts & Crafts tile in the upstairs bathroom.

The show house is open to the public until August 31. Tickets cost $35.00 and can be purchased on line or at the house.

This article was written by Regina Cole from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.