Directors of Nursing
Nurses in New Zealand
Developments in nursing
International Year of the Nurse
Narrative for change
Primary Health Care Nursing Leadership
Sector update
Deanna Telfer
Acting Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Northland DHB
Website: Northland District Health Board
Jocelyn Peach
Director of Nursing, Waitemata DHB
Website: Waitemata District Health Board
I prepared as a nurse at Middlemore Hospital, registering in 1978. My post registration clinical specialities are trauma and cardiothoracic nursing and I continue to have a strong interest in clinical nursing. I am proud of leading the introduction of the Professional Development and Recognition Programme in 1988 which influenced the practice of nurses and the national programme. I have worked in Chief Nurse and Director of Nursing & Midwifery roles in the Auckland region since 1990.
I joined Waitemata in March 1999, serving the communities of North Shore, West Auckland and Rodney district. I am proud of the positive changes we have made together over the past ten years as the organisation has continued to grow in size, complexity and opportunity to serve the population of 520,000. I have enjoyed the challenge as we have put systems and processes in place to support the growth and to support the staff and to ensure patient safety.
My commitment is to support the safest clinical practice environment possible – with the right people in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing to achieve the right outcome for each service user. The skill of nurses or midwives is critical to safe clinical outcomes. I work to ensure that nurses and midwives have the support they need to practice professionally, to develop as innovative, dynamic practitioners at the leading edge of service delivery and to make a positive contribution.
Margaret Dotchin
Chief Nursing Officer, Auckland DHB
Website: Auckland District Health Board
Margaret completed her nursing training at Middlemore Hospital as a Registered General and Obstetric Nurse in 1985. Margaret worked in a variety of roles as a registered nurse both at Middlemore Hospital, National Women’s Hospital and overseas prior to her first senior nursing role as Charge Nurse Gynaecology Oncology, National Women’s in 1990.
Margaret was appointed to the role of Executive Director of Nursing, Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) in July 2012. Prior to this Margaret held the position of Director of Nursing for Adult Services, ADHB. Margaret has held both General Management and Nursing Leadership roles across Adult Health Services and Women’s Health Services in her long history of working at ADHB or its predecessors.
Margaret is passionate about nursing and the contribution the profession brings to the delivery of safe, high-quality, compassionate, family-centred care – balanced with financial sustainability.
Jenny Parr - RCompN, DipHE (Midwifery), DHSc
Chief Nurse & Director of Patient and Whaanau Experience, Counties Manukau DHB
Website: Counties Manukau District Health Board
Jenny Parr commenced as Chief Nurse and Director of Patient and Whaanau Experience at Counties Manukau Health in January 2017.
Prior to that Jenny held a number of senior nursing, professional and management roles over 24 years, both in New Zealand at Waitemata DHB and in London, England. She held a Board position as Executive Director of Nursing and Patient Experience at Kingston Hospital NHS Trust from 2010 – 2013. During this time, she led the Quality Governance agenda to achieve Foundation Trust status in 2013. She was appointed to the Health Quality Safety Commission Board in 2019.
As Chief Nurse and Director of Patient and Whaanau Experience, Jenny is working to bring the expertise around patient experience, standards and safety together to create a whole of system patient experience function within CM Health. Jenny is a Registered Nurse and qualified midwife with a Doctorate in Health Science. Her research interests include the relationship between leadership, engagement and quality outcomes, and fundamentals of care. She is a Steering Group member of the International Learning Collaborative.
Sue Hayward
Director of Nursing, Waikato DHB
Website: Waikato District Health Board
Sue Hayward has been Director of Nursing and Midwifery (DON/M) since February 2008, and has been nursing since graduating in 1977. Sue’s clinical background is neonatal, and has worked in neonatal units and services in the Hutt, Whangarei and Christchurch Women’s hospitals. Sue is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Nursing, Postgraduate Diploma in Health Management and Masters in Health Sciences.
The role of DON/M Waikato District Health Board (Waikato DHB) reports to the CEO providing advice and guidance to the CEO and Executive team. Sue heads a team of Clinical Nurse and Midwifery Directors who in turn provide professional oversight, delivery of education and all aspects of practice development to nurses and midwives.
On a national level Sue is:
Chair of the Nurse Education Advisory Team- reporting to the DHB Directors of Nursing
Chair of the Midland NENZ - reporting to National NENZ
Represents the DHB DoN’s on the Cardiac Surgical network.
Chair of the A.C.E (Accelerated Choice of Employment) Governance Group
Sue has also been the Chair of the NETP project group, and was a member of the Safe Staffing Healthy Workforce committee of Inquiry. She has been involved in setting up the ACE (Accelerated Choice of Employment) a centralised recruitment process for all newly graduated nurses going into NETP or NESP.
On a local level the key activities are set out in the Nursing and Midwifery strategic plan. In summary our focus is on:
Recruitment and retention.
Developing the right staff and skill mix for each specialty.
Developing a clear pathway for nurse practitioner development and inclusion within the organisation.
Leadership capability of nurses and midwives.
Implementing the recommendations of the COI Safe Staffing and Healthy Workplace
Develop a culture that expects and encourages nurses and midwives to be involved and engaged, at every level of the organisation.
Julie Robinson
Director of Nursing, Bay of Plenty DHB
Website: Bay of Plenty District Health Board
Julie has a B.A (Social Sciences) with a Masters in Health Management.
Julie works in conjunction with the Nursing Leadership Team to ensure nursing contributes to excellence in integrated patient and family centred care for the population of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
Nursing has identified the following strategic priorities for 2014 - 2017:
a strong confident nursing workforce
dynamic sustainable leadership
kaitiaki of health resources
integrated health.
BOPDHB Nursing Leaders want to recruit and retain high calibre staff with the proper balance of knowledge, skills and experience to have Bay of Plenty District Health board seen as a place of opportunities and excellence in nursing.
Serita Karauria
Acting Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Safety
Website: Tairawhiti District Health Board
Raised in Tokomaru Bay, Serita completed her undergraduate in Auckland before returning to Gisborne to start her career as a New Graduate Nurse. Since then Serita has expanded her career across the United States and New Zealand, gaining clinical credibility within the critical care setting, being certified as a Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) and Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN).
Switching gears from bedside to leadership in order to start a family, Serita first embarked on an education journey before managing a team of 100+ specialty nurses for a 5-Hospital health care system in San Diego, California.
Serita returned to Gisborne with her husband and two children. She understands the community in which she serves and is devoted to promoting optimal patient outcomes via nursing excellence.
Gary Lees
Director of Nursing, Lakes DHB
Website: Lakes District Health Board
Gary has been a Nurse for 25 years and has worked in a variety of mental health settings covering clinical, managerial and professional roles. He moved to New Zealand in April 2006 to the role of Director of Nursing and Midwifery for Lakes DHB.
Gary’s previous role was managing the learning and development system for an NHS Trust in the UK as well as being the Organisational Development lead. His main interests are organisational culture and how it is impacted by leadership practice, complex adaptive systems, partnership development and organisational learning.
There are about 500 Nurses employed directly by Lakes DHB. There are also large numbers of Nurses working in varied roles within the Lakes communities. The provider arm of the Lakes District Health Board provides secondary hospital and community based health care services to the people of the region. Lakes DHB has hospitals at Taupo and Rotorua that have a combined total of 210 beds.
Chief Nursing Officer (Hospital & Primary Care), Hawke's Bay DHB
Website: Hawke’s Bay District Health Board
Chris has been a nurse for 25 years and has worked in a variety of acute settings, largely in Intensive Care and Emergency Care, her career spanning a range of health leadership, managerial and education roles. Chris is well known in Hawke’s Bay and has been part of many health developments over the years, of late working with the PHO to strengthen linkages with developing nursing capability.
Chris has been Director of Nursing for Hawke's Bay DHB since 2010 and is a member of the Executive Management team plus a member of a number of health sector groups and represents HBDHB nursing at a governance level regionally and nationally.
Building sector relationships and developing capability and supporting clinicians across the sector to practice at the ‘top of their licence’ is core to the role. The role supports nursing working collaboratively and interdisciplinary, so as to provide a quality environment for our patients/clients. Chris has a Masters of Nursing.
Lyn Wardlaw
Director of Nursing, Taranaki DHB
Lyn Wardlaw commenced as the Director of Nursing for Taranaki DHB as of 20 May 2019. She has previously worked in Australia as a Director of Nursing/Midwifery and Facility Manager for Mareeba District Hospital and also Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Torres & Cape Hospital Health Service.
More recently Lyn was the Operations Manager for Theatres, PACU, Endoscopy, Inventory and CSSD across Waitemata District Health Board. Lyn originally trained and worked as a registered nurse and well child nurse in New Plymouth before undertaking her midwifery training.
Lyn looks forward to supporting, advocating and adding value to the nurses and midwives across Taranaki.
Website: Taranaki District Health Board
Lucy Adams
Director of Nursing, Whanganui DHB
Website: Whanganui District Health Board
Lucy took up the role of director of nursing at Whanganui DHB in May 2019. Prior to this she was employed at Waitemata District Health Board as an associate director of nursing and has had clinical governance nursing director positions in Queensland, Australia.
Lucy trained as a comprehensive nurse in the late 1980s and worked at Auckland DHB, and specialised in neurosurgery and neurointensive care before transferring to emergency nursing. During her tenure at Auckland DHB Lucy was involved in the change management programme and was an occupational health and safety advisor. Lucy then joined the New Zealand Police where she continued in an occupational health and safety role and was a key project manager for the implementation of stab resistant body armour, along with other projects. She was then appointed to St John as a health emergency manager where she implemented the MoH emergency management project, the Emergo Train system.
Lucy has worked in Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean, in public and private hospitals, on cruise ships and in rural and remote areas. Lucy has a Bachelor of Nursing, Masters in Health Sciences and an MBA.
Celina Eves
Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, MidCentral DHB
Website: MidCentral District Health Board
Celina has vast experience in healthcare provision. Celina has worked as both a nurse and a midwife and held executive director and very senior positions in both nursing and midwifery management, leadership, supervision, project management and staff development in the UK and in Saudi Arabia.
Celina joined MidCentral District Health Board as their executive director of nursing and midwifery in January 2018, she is accountable for ensuring high standards of quality patient care and services are maintained, including patient care and experience. One of Celina’s key roles is to ensure the on-going development of the nursing and midwifery services within the whole DHB to ensure that the needs of the patient underpin practice and care.
Director of Nursing, Hutt Valley DHB
Website: Hutt Valley District Health Board
Chris has worked in the New Zealand Health sector since completing her nursing training at the Wellington Hospital School of Nursing in 1983, with her nursing career including secondary and aged residential care, with a predominant focus in the primary care sector since 1992. Her primary care experience includes practice nursing; nurse manager of a Maori Health Provider; and clinical leadership for a large PHO.
Since 2009, Chris has held clinical leadership roles at Compass Health PHO, including Clinical Director, Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO. This work included reportable event management; complaints and privacy officer roles; sub regional District Health Boards (Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast) integrated care work, service planning, integrated care, development of new models of care, and emergency management.
Chris is a member of the Nurse Executives of New Zealand and College of Nurses groups.
She is passionate about nursing leadership; empowering and supporting nurses to work to the level of their expertise and training, and to adapt to changing models of care; the development of the nursing workforce so that nurses are equipped for not only today, but for the challenges facing healthcare in the future; and is committed to supporting the safest practice possible with a focus on patient safety.
Chris has completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Primary Care (with distinction) from Otago University - graduating in 2004. She has worked alongside the Health, Quality and Safety Commission promoting the reporting of and learning from adverse events, and contributing to the review of the National Adverse Event Reporting Policy (reviewed document released 2017).
Phill Halligan
Acting Director of Nursing, Wairarapa DHB
Phill joined Wairarapa District Health Board (WrDHB) in September 2018 as the Site Manager for the Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) Programme. Since then he has achieved several milestones in the implementation of CCDM as well as contributing to the development of nursing as a member of the senior nursing leadership team. He comes to the current role with over 25 years of experience as a Registered Nurse, health manager and strategic leader.
After five years post graduate experience as a staff nurse working in various NZ hospitals, Phill entered service with the NZ Defence Force (NZDF). Employed as a Nursing Officer, he deployed operationally several times in support of overseas missions before promotion and a move to health management.
Following a successful tenure commanding the Health Support Company at the Waiouru Military Camp, Phill spent three years strategically managing the careers of a range of specialist officers in the NZDF including nurses, doctors and dentists. After two years spent as an Associate Director of Nursing, Phill was then appointed Director Health Strategy where he was responsible for the development and delivery of strategic direction for all health services provided by the NZDF. He has risen through the ranks from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel and continues to serve in the Reserve Forces.
Following graduation from a joint, interagency, and multi-national leadership course at the NZDF Staff College, Phill completed a Master of International Security degree in 2015 and the United States Medical and Strategic Leadership Programme in 2016. He has been awarded both a Chief of Army commendation and Armed Forces Award for exceptional Service.
Phill believes that professional, holistic nursing practice is pivotal to delivering effective healthcare. Nurses must be ‘empowered to perform’ within the multi-disciplinary team through great leadership, enlightened teamwork, focussed professional development, and the freedom to innovate.
Website: Wairarapa District Health Board
Emma Hickson
Chief Nursing Officer, Capital & Coast DHB
Emma was appointed to the Chief Nursing Officer position at Capital and Coast DHB in 2019, having previously held the role of Director of Nursing, Primary and Community for the DHB. Emma is a registered nurse, has been a midwife and has a Masters in Nursing (Applied).
Emma began her career overseas and worked clinically in medical and maternity services before specializing as a Primary Health Care nurse. Her career in New Zealand for over twenty years has included working as a clinical nurse, an educator/lecturer, a researcher and a manager.
Emma believes that her role is to support and facilitate optimal provision of healthcare and equitable health outcomes for the people of her region within Aotearoa. Through strategic leadership, and focus on priorities such as safe, quality patient care, workforce safety and development, and commissioning of new models of care and services, Emma aims to enable the best health services and equitable health outcomes for all.
Emma considers the nursing and midwifery workforces are fundamental to the current and future sustainability of the New Zealand health system and feels privileged to hold her leadership role. With use of evidenced based information, collaboration with academic and interdisciplinary colleagues, use of developing technologies, she believes nurses and midwives will lead future developments to refine and advance an ever improving and sustainable health system.
Website: Capital & Coast District Health Board
Pamela Kiesanowski
Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Nelson Marlborough DHB
Website: Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
Pamela Kiesanowski was appointed Director of Nursing and Midwifery for the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board in December 2014.
Prior to this Pamela held a number of clinical and management roles within the Nelson Marlborough and Canterbury District Health Boards. She has also worked in the primary healthcare sector and held several clinical nursing roles in London.
The role of Director of Nursing and Midwifery for Nelson Marlborough differentiates from a larger city role due to its vast geographical spread. The District covers from Blenheim on the east coast to Takaka in the north and as far south as Murchison. Nelson Marlborough also has one of the fastest growing ageing populations within New Zealand, requiring a significant focus on integrated care, working closely with the primary healthcare sector.
As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Pamela provides input into the strategic plan to meet the overall goals of the District. Her vision for nursing and midwifery is to build a strong leadership team; develop the workforce; and support new initiatives to provide quality care, in an empowered and safe working environment.
Brittany Jenkins
Director of Nursing, West Coast DHB
Website: West Coast District Health Board
Brittany was appointed as a ‘home-grown’ Director of Nursing for the West Coast DHB in April 2019.
Brittany originally grew up in rural western Montana and came to New Zealand in 2004 to begin her nursing education and explore the outdoors. After meeting her Kiwi partner, she went on to complete her Bachelor of Nursing at Massey University in Palmerston North; graduating as a Massey Scholar. Brittany subsequently moved to the West Coast to start her nursing career with the DHB as a new graduate nurse in 2007.
Brittany’s clinical experience is rural and generalist by nature, and has mainly focussed on general surgery, general medicine, and critical care. Brittany moved into her first senior nursing role in 2013 as a casual Clinical Nurse Educator, which was soon followed by Resuscitation Service Leader, and Associate Director of Nursing for Workforce Development.
In 2015, Brittany completed her Master of Nursing at Massey University. Her research explored the experiences of Filipino and Indian qualified Registered Nurses working in Aged Residential Care in New Zealand, which was inspired by an academic internship with the Office of the Chief Nurse at the Ministry of Health (2013).
In her previous roles, Brittany has worked collaboratively with colleagues based in Canterbury and throughout New Zealand to facilitate implementation of a number of service improvements and initiatives, including: introducing a contemporary ventilation training programme enabled by Telehealth, establishing sustainable resuscitation service training and support across the DHB’s Primary and Secondary care services, and creating and leading the DHB’s Workforce Development Team. This work has served as the foundation for improving clinician’s access to various training and professional development, as well as improving the DHB’s early health workforce pipeline through empowering relationships between local communities and the DHB.
Brittany is extremely passionate about all things rural and remote and is especially interested in working to empower subjective wellness for the unique people, tangata whenua, and whānau who live in these unique places. Brittany has particular interests in equity and indigenous health, workforce wellness, advanced and rural generalist nursing, and interprofessional ways of learning and working.
Executive Director of Nursing, Canterbury DHB
Website: Canterbury District Health Board
Mary was appointed as Executive Director of Nursing for Canterbury in September 2002 and has been nursing since graduating in 1984. Mary’s clinical background has been diverse with a generalist focus across acute medical, surgical and cardiology. In 1990, she took a year out of practice for full time study to complete what was then the Advanced Diploma of Nursing at CPIT. Following this Mary returned to the West Coast and established the health promotion service working with health protection, public health nurses and rural nurses providing health education and health promotion campaigns.
In 1995, Mary was appointed as the nursing leader for the West Coast; whilst based in Greymouth she developed the nursing consultancy team that provided senior nursing leadership, professional direction and support to nurses throughout the West Coast region. Since then she has worked in Hawkes Bay, South Canterbury and Counties Manukau before returning to Canterbury in 2002.
Mary is a member of the Executive Management Team and works with her colleague Directors of Nursing and other nursing leaders within the Canterbury Health System to achieve the vision of an integrated health system for the people of Canterbury. Nursing is integral to achieving an integrated health system and our focus to achieve this and ensure we have a vibrant and sustainable workforce includes focusing on 5 strategic goals, these being:
Growing our Workforce
Attracting our Workforce
Enabling our Workforce
Extending our Workforce
This collaborative approach extends to the wider South Island within the Alliancing model; Mary chairs two of the SI Alliances, these being the SI Workforce Hub (also known as SI Regional Training Hub) and the SI Quality & Safety Alliance.
Mary is a member of Nurse Executives of NZ, College of Nurses, Aotearoa, Lead Directors of Nursing and until recently was a member of the National Health Board (2009-2014).
Lisa Blackler
Director Patient, Nursing and Midwifery, South Canterbury DHB
Website: South Canterbury District Health Board
Lisa Blackler is a Registered Nurse and Midwife. She commenced her career in nursing in general surgery before moving into a variety of other roles including community, education and staff development roles. She was involved in the new build of Southland Hospital in 2004 and was part of the leadership team in the Southland orthopaedic and surgical ward for a number of years. With a focus on Orthopaedics Lisa extended her knowledge by completing a diploma in Health Assessment – Speciality Orthopaedics.
In 2009 Lisa was seconded to lead the nursing and midwifery team in the Southland Maternity Service, which led her to undertake a diploma in midwifery in Queensland Australia. This evolved into leading the maternity, nursery and paediatric teams, and then the inclusion of the perioperative service, at Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services.
In 2016 Lisa returned to New Zealand and in her role at the DHB has professional oversight of nursing and midwifery in the region as well as Operational Leadership of Hospital Services and Child and Youth Community Services. This is a diverse role and as the Director of Patient, Nursing and Midwifery at South Canterbury DHB she gets the best of both worlds being Operational Executive and Professional lead. Lisa has a passion for modelling health and wellbeing, so as a leader and role model in health she sees it as essential to aim for optimal health in herself, wider whānau and staff teams. Lisa Blackler has been integral in building a better health system which ensures ‘every moment matters’ for patients and staff in South Canterbury.
Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer – Southern District Health Board
Website: Southern District Health Board
Jane was appointed to the role of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer in August 2017.
Prior to this, Jane was Director of the Commissioner’s Office (since October 2015) and Acting Director of Nursing Operations. Jane has held a number of nursing leadership positions at Southern DHB since returning home in 1991 after spending several years working and studying in London, including clinical nurse specialist, nurse educator, charge nurse manager, service manager and nursing director.
Jane is committed to working closely with colleagues across all disciplines and is continuously building connections nationally and internationally to advance clinical practice and build capacity and capability within the broader health system - all in the context of best serving her community. The most satisfying part of her role is getting out and about amongst staff and teams who work most closely with patients, clients and whanau to find out what she can do to improve their experience so they can improve the experience of others – doing more of what matters most.


After withdrawal from Lebanon crisis in Israel
Fred Weston
After 22 years of the military occupation of South Lebanon, Israel's withdrawal marks an important change in the situation. Fred Weston looks at the history of Israel's occupation, the current state of the "peace process" and outlines an internationalist way forward.
After 22 years of the military occupation of South Lebanon, Israel's withdrawal marks an important change in the situation. The election of Ehud Barak of the Israeli Labour Party to the position of Prime Minister was welcomed by the West as they see in this the possibility of speeding up the peace process.
Even before the Second World War, the Zionist dream of creating an Israeli state on Palestinian territory was totally reactionary. The creation of this state was only possible on the basis of a war and the expulsion of 800,000 Palestinians from their land. Trotsky had predicted that the creation of such a state would mean the Jews having to live in an "infernal trap", a state of almost permanent warfare with their Arab neighbours.
The history of the state of Israel is in fact one of a series of wars. Far from being a "safe haven", the "promised land" from the very beginning has been a besieged fortress, surrounded by hostile states.
The strategic importance of this region lies in the fact that three quarters of the world's oil reserves are concentrated there. First British then US imperialism have always based their strategy for the domination of the Middle East on the division of the Arab people into a number of autocratic and reactionary monarchies such as those in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates. And they have used Israel and Turkey to police the region. US subsidies to Israel to the tune of $5 billion a year have transformed it into a major economic and military power in the region.
The occupation of Lebanon
Israeli military strategy has always been based on occupying buffer zones on its borders in order to defend its basic interests. In 1967 Israel's victory in the six-day war led to the occupation of the Sinai peninsula, the Gaza strip, the Golan Heights and the West Bank, where a total of 1,400,000 Arabs lived.
These territories were colonised with settlers recruited among the most fanatical orthodox Jews who were armed and supported by the Israeli state. Their number has now risen to more than 300,000. They have gradually displaced the local people, thus leading to the building up of enormous, and potentially explosive, resentment on the part of the Arab masses.
When the civil war broke out Syria and Israel invaded the Lebanon in 1978. Israel established its own protectorate in southern Lebanon, resting on a puppet army, the South Lebanese Army (SLA), which it used to crush any rebellion on the part of the Lebanese population.
Again in 1982 Israel launched a large scale invasion of the Lebanon with the aim of uprooting Arafat's PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation). In the hunt for PLO supporters genocide of the Palestinian people was perpetrated. Between 16th and 18th September 1982 Christian militias, allied to Israel, massacred over 2,000 Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila.
The PLO apparatus collapsed and Arafat, together with 4,000 of his militants, had to flee to other countries. But at the same time the government and the ruling class of Israel found themselves, for the first time, facing mass opposition to the war inside Israel itself. This movement involved hundreds of thousands of Israeli workers and youth.
In 1985 the Israeli army was forced to withdraw, moving back to its former position in southern Lebanon. However, the Israeli debacle seriously affected the morale and discipline of the SLA and many cases of desertion and insubordination were reported. In these conditions it became almost impossible to contain the growing influence of the Hezbollah, an Iranian influenced Shiite Islamic movement. Thus a long, drawn out guerrilla movement developed. Israel's initial response was to increase the brutality of its reprisals, especially in July 1993 and April 1996 when it launched air raids on both military and civilian targets, thus killing hundreds of Lebanese. The SLA made an infamous name for itself by rounding up civilians and carrying out torture and murder in concentration camps such as the hated Al-Khiam prison.
A planned withdrawal or a debacle?
Sources close to the US government concluded that the withdrawal of Israeli troops would be a positive development, from their point of view, that would improve the situation in the Middle East. They saw it as a move aimed at gaining a strong position in Israel's peace negotiations with Syria.
Barak had already announced the withdrawal during the election campaign that was to bring him to power less than one year ago. The reasons he gave for the announced withdrawal basically come down to an admission that 50 years of Israeli foreign policy have been a failure and that a new relationship must be built up if security is to be guaranteed.
In twenty-two years of military occupation over 1,000 Israeli soldiers have been killed, but this has in no way served to stop the growing influence of the Hezbollah among the Arab population. Barak has had to admit that, "When we moved in there were no Hezbollah. They were created by the occupation" (Il Manifesto, 24.5.2000). Neither has security been guaranteed for the Israeli settlements near the Lebanese border. During these years the Hezbollah have managed to launch more than 4,000 missiles on Kiryat Shmona alone, a town in northern Israel.
The Israeli ruling class, together with western imperialism, had drawn the conclusion that their interests would be better served by withdrawal from southern Lebanon and reaching an agreement with its Syrian neighbour.
Barak abandons the SLA
The Israeli government had announced that the withdrawal of troops would take place at the beginning of July. So why did events suddenly develop so fast?
As always, the imperialists are not very generous with their own lackeys, when these are no longer of any use to them. In spite of 22 years of "honourable" service, at the same time as announcing the planned withdrawal Barak also declared that Israel would not give asylum to the SLA militiamen. Thus, in just a few hours, faced with the massive pressure of thousands of Arabs returning to their villages and to the homes they had been forced to abandon twenty years earlier, the SLA simply collapsed, abandoned even by its founder, general Lahad, who has fled to Paris. Hundreds of its soldiers refused to fire on the returning refugees and surrendered either to the Hezbollah or to the Lebanese army. Thousands deserted and fled with their families towards Israel. There was chaos and generalised demoralisation among the SLA soldiers.
The collapse of the SLA and the uprising of the Hezbollah transformed what was supposed to be an ordered retreat, with the "handing over of the keys" to the Lebanese army, into a chaotic rout. The prisons were abandoned, with the prisoners still in their cells. Even the Israeli military bases were left intact and now they will be used against Israeli air attacks, as one Israeli military expert commented bitterly.
The Hezbollah now dominate southern Lebanon. However, the Syrian army has a say in what it can and cannot do. Israeli reprisal air attacks could increase in the near future if the Hezbollah do fire on Israeli territory. This would include Syrian targets, who would get the blame for future Hezbollah raids. The Syrian regime is trying to achieve an agreement with Israel and doesn't want any trouble on the southern border of Lebanon.
The impact on Israel
The rout of Israel's puppets in southern Lebanon and the withdrawal of its troops has unleashed an offensive of the extreme right wing parties in Israel against the Barak government. The Barak government could thus be brought down. However, if this should lead to the Likud and the extreme right wing parties returning to government this will only serve to further aggravate the situation.
It would also lead to renewed social conflict along the same lines as what happened in the Spring of 1999, when the accumulated anger of the working class culminated in a series of strikes against the Netanyahu government and in a general strike of the public sector in April which involved 400,000 workers. The economic situation in Israel is placing a lot of pressure on the working class. Under this pressure, and with growing levels of inflation, the Histradut (the main Israeli Trade Union federation) has been forced to refuse the government's offer of a 3.1% increase in wages and has demanded increases of 14%. It was even forced to call a general strike, only to call it off later.
Three quarters of Israel's foreign trade is with the European Union and the USA. Therefore a crisis in the west means a crisis in Israel. On top of this, western aid is on offer only if the government of Israel applies IMF policies. That means cuts in welfare spending on such things as health and education. Already back in 1998 200,000 students in Israeli universities took part in a strike to stop the increase in university fees. They received massive support, with up to 91% of the population declaring they sympathised with the students' demands.
IMF policies have also meant widespread privatisation of Israel's large publicly owned industrial sector, involving job losses. In 1996 GDP growth in Israel was 4.5%. This had already declined to 1.5% in 1999. Unemployment has reached the level of 10%. This is a new phenomenon for Israeli workers, who were used to practically full employment for decades.
What is taking place is a huge differentiation between rich and poor. Zionism has always been based on the idea of "one-nation", but as in all capitalist countries there is no common interest between workers and bosses, and Israel is no exception. In 1999, 1.3 million Israelis, out of the total of 6 million, lived below the poverty line.
Strikes have already taken place and sooner or later the workers of Israel will have to take up the class struggle to defend their own interests against those of the Israeli ruling class.
The situation is much worse, however, when we look at the conditions of the Palestinian masses in the occupied territories and in the Palestinian Authority. In some areas one third of the work force is unemployed and of those that do have work less than a third have regular well paid jobs.
The Israeli bourgeoisie desperately needs to find new outlets for its products if it is to achieve the levels of growth required to avert a major movement, both among the workers in Israel and the Palestinian masses on its borders. This, together with pressure particularly from US imperialism, explains the attempts to keep the so-called "peace process" alive.
But on the basis of the crisis in the economy they will not be able to solve the basic underlying problems of the Palestinian masses. The unemployed will not get jobs. The housing problem will not be solved. Neither will the problem of water distribution. The Palestinians aspire to their own state where they can live in decent conditions. This will never be achieved so long as the capitalists dominate in Israel and the surrounding Arab regimes remain in the hands of reactionary cliques.
The crisis in Israel is a signal for millions of Arab youth and workers who are tired of being oppressed. In the occupied territories and in the Palestinian Authority the situation has become explosive, and the conditions for a new Intifada have developed. Thousands of Palestinians have come out onto the streets and have clashed with Israeli troops, like in 1987. The exchange of gunfire between Palestinian police and Israeli soldiers underlines the extreme tension which has developed.
Nationalism must be broken down on all sides and in its place workers' internationalism should be posed as the only alternative. If the problems are posed in a class manner then an identity of interests can be developed among workers in Israel and Palestinian workers. The task of linking up the growing struggles of workers and youth in Israel against the effects of the crisis of Israeli capitalism to that of the struggle of the Arab workers has to be a priority for all conscious revolutionaries. This is not an easy task. But the crisis of capitalism in Israel will create the preconditions for achieving this. However, what is essential is the building of a workers' party among the Palestinian masses, based on the genuine ideas of Marxism. Such a party would be able to make an appeal to the Jewish workers and thus build workers' unity. It would be able to explain the need for common struggle of all workers in the Middle East, for the overthrow of the capitalists in Israel and for the overthrow of the reactionary Arab regimes, for the building of a Socialist Federation in the region, where all peoples would be guaranteed jobs, housing, health care, and a decent standard of living.
As long as capitalism continues to dominate the region, then any peace agreement will only be temporary. Conflicts will break out again and again. In the end it is a question of either class struggle for socialism or wars, ethnic conflict and barbarism.


I’ve been listening to a stream of police dept. audio during the initial response to the Sandy Hook shooting.
This link has most of its action in the first four minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8uVR7TifS
At roughly 2:38, a police voice says: “Party in custody.”
Then at 3:49, “We have a suspect down.”
This next link, for me, was somewhat clearer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E-Ix_aaDhg&feature=endscreen
http://youtu.be/3E-Ix_aaDhg
Starting at roughly 3:13, there are relevant police comments:
“A teacher reports two shadows running past the building past the gym.”
“They’re shooting.” (??)
“Yeah, we got ‘em.”
“They’re coming at me down Kurt’s (sp) Way!”
“Got ‘em (?)…proned out.”
We get the distinct sense there are multiple shooters.
Whoever is proned out, whoever is in custody, whoever is “coming at me,” whoever is down…we don’t know what happened to them.
Reporters on the scene have, as far as I know, provided no information, and neither have police.
The suspects have disappeared down the memory hole.
Then we have these television interviews with families of the victims.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VizQGl8bu8&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmdXR3TtOvM&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddF6UzgoPiY&feature=endscreen
It’s astounding. Parents are smiling. They’re actors from Central Casting? One thing is for sure.
They’re androids, if you measure their responses against reports of what happened in the Sandy Hook School.
And as androids, they’re only matched by the TV reporters who are interviewing them.
If you’re tempted to say the parents and family members are in shock, or they’re reacting to being on television, forget it. Their attitudes don’t match a massacre by any stretch of the imagination.
Is Sandy Hook/Newtown a Stepford Village? Are these people all programmed to be pleasant and accommodating No Matter What?
It’s about as bizarre as the purported video footage of the Aurora theater during the shootings there this summer. As people exit the lobby and come out on to the street, there is no sign of blood and no one is coughing from the reported tear gas inside the theater.
With these Sandy Hook parents, we’re looking at a level of conditioning in which Being Nice can completely overwhelm even the murder of one’s own child.
Tears? Not one person in these interviews has actual tears running down his or her face.
One of the fathers, Robbie Parker, has had his interview played and replayed all over the planet on YouTube, and you can watch him smiling and grinning, for all the world looking like he’s just been appointed CEO of a company he works for…and then he steps to a podium to make his statement, and as one poster succinctly describes it, “gets into character.”
This isn’t just an internal event. You can watch Parker huffing and puffing and pushing himself into what he thinks is a tragic and grief-stricken state of mind.
He does it so badly you wonder why no one in the room calls him on it. It’s beyond strange. Yet reporters later talked about Parker “struggling through tears and suffering to make a heartfelt statement…” The reporters are just as deranged as Parker is.
This boggling show isn’t confined to Sandy Hook. A commenter below a Deseret News article on Parker replied: “Brave young father, wise to forgive early and choose to move forward—nothing can be gained by dwelling on what cannot be changed.”
At times, watching these interviews, I wondered whether the parents had been conditioned to believe, in the face of ANYTHING, that good and nice children all take a choo-choo train to heaven and there is nothing to regret about their murders at all.
In an earlier article, I pointed out that, indeed, at 1hr:58 of The Dark Knight Rises, Gary Oldman, talking about an impending attack on “Strike Zone 1,” is pointing to the words “Sandy Hook” on a map in front of him.
These are the only legible words on the map.
By happenstance, the production designer of Dark Knight Rises, Nathan Crowley, is related to the infamous British black-magic legend, Aleister Crowley, who was sometimes called The Great Beast 666.
http://www.theartnewspaper.com
In an interview, Nathan said, “Yes, Aleister Crowley is a direct relative, he’s my grandfather’s cousin, but we were never allowed to even mention his name because we were a very Quaker family.”
Nathan is also the production designer of Lady Gaga’s video ad for her Perfume, Fame.
In terms of “the dark side,” the full 5:41 version of the video-ad makes Dark Knight Rises look like a Disney cartoon by comparison.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az1-oLmxhHQ
But not to worry. What happened at Sandy Hook was exactly as the major media portrayed it, and nothing more. Sure. You bet.
Why Didn’t Anyone Fight Back? Questions Linger Over James Holmes Batman Movie Theater Shooting The James Holmes Conspiracy (2012 Full Documentary) Videos: More Than One Shooter Involved At Elementary School Massacre, Sandy Hook In Batman Dark Knight Rises Movie High-Ranking Mexican Drug Cartel Member makes Explosive Allegation: ‘Fast and Furious is not what you think it is’


Fall 2015 HIV/AIDS
The Fall 2015 Quarterly Conversations in Global Health focused on the spectrum of issues that surround and stem from H IV/AIDS. Topics discussed include current research being done in the field, HIV/AIDS as a global health concern, and the social effects of stigma related to HIV/AIDS.
The 1st Inaugural Quarterly Conversations in Global Health commenced on November 16th at the Great Hall at UC San Diego. The event brought in community resources who focus on HIV/AIDS prevention, education and awareness, as well as featured a photo booth, a faculty panelists and Q&A session. The Fall 2015 Quarterly Conversations in Global Health focused on the spectrum of issues that surround and stem from H IV/AIDS. Topics discussed include current research being done in the field, HIV/AIDS as a global health concern, and the social effects of stigma related to HIV/AIDS.
UCSD Students participated in a photo booth to fight the stigmas associated with HIV/AIDS.
Global Health Program Director, Dr. Thomas Csordas opened the event and introduced our inspiring speakers where we heard from:
Members of San Ysidro Health Center “Our Place” spoke about their personal experience being HIV positive.
Take away: Despite the greater awareness, people are still being affected bu HIV/AIDS at an enormous rate.
Ways of coming into contact with the virus: blood, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk but it is 100% preventable. There are resources, so people must use them!
Things have changed, like there are better medications, but people still get infected and many don’t know they have it because they feel “fine.” There are disproportionate stats among groups of people like African Americans and Latinos. The pandemic in San Diego is still going on and there is still work that needs to be done.
Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, Ph.D, Chief of the Division of Global Public Health in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine spoke about the HIV and AIDS crisis in Tijuana, specifically focusing on the River canal next to the border where many people live. San Diego and Tijuana both share the issue of HIV/AIDS. Sexual workers who use drugs or have partners that use drugs are affected by STDs (including HIV) more often. Barriers to HIV prevention in Tijuana include police malpractice and lack of access to health care, so she is working with the police in Mexico to prevent needle accidents and she has started programs toward HIV prevention in Mexico.
Many of the issues are rooted in social, political, and economic realities in the Mexico, San Diego border.
Dr. Radhika Sundararajan, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC San Diego spoke about the role of traditional healers for HIV. Traditional healers (TH) include herbalism, spiritual treatment, bone setting, and birth attendants (most use a combination of these). About 80% of people use traditional healers in some countries in Africa and Asia (but some use it rarely).
Beyond the need for traditional healers, people prefer to use traditional healers because they provides holistic care, aid for “possession/curses,” people have mistrust of bio medicine, and healers are respected members of the community. Traditional healers are the first point of contact when people get sick (not the doctors). HIV diagnosis is delayed when people visit TH. But there is lack of data for people who don’t have access to bio medical medicine.
To improve care, there needs to be collaborations between healers and bio medical providers, a better understanding of the needs and concerns of stakeholders, and formative research to understand how to best help people.
Dr. Robert Schooley, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and Academic Vice Chair, Department of Medicine, spoke about his research regarding HCV, influenza and HIV pathogenesis. He describes the advent of HIV in the early 1980’s and the stigmas surrounding HIV infections (especially towards gay men). Doctors didn’t accept gay men socially and thus did not want to treat them and they were also afraid of getting the disease if they helped them.
Bigotry allowed for a continuation of the epidemic. Clinical trials were done to provide drugs to HIV patients but the FDA did not want to approve initially, setting back access to aid for patients.
He began a study that had the people in other countries like India and Zimbabwe learn more about aid for HIV and persuade their governments to make drugs available to constituents.
However, most of the initiative is made by western countries since eastern nations don’t have as quality education for medicine. Therefore we need to work towards helping develop health care education in other countries.
The event ended with a speaker Q&A:
What common misconception should be cleared up?
Dr. Schooley: global health is more than medicine. Also, people in other countries with
limited resources do not lack knowledge, they just lack resources.
Dr. Sundararajan: there is so much more to global health than going and helping out- they already have the people for that. It’s about lending support intellectually and financially. It’s also about helping build infrastructure. Although it’s a slow process, it is lasting and is effective.
Dr. Strathdee: it’s also about social, political, and economic factors as well. You can’t just tell people to “not do something” that is deeply rooted in their lifestyles or culture.
How do you help women in particular?:
Dr. Strathdee: for example, sex working women are not doing their jobs because they want to, they are doing it because they need to support their families. We need to move upstream instead of saying “you shouldn’t do that.” Women should be given alternatives like microloans for example.
Dr. Sundararajan: there are different cultures and reasonings for why women do certain things. We need to understand why and not just make assumptions. For example, why do women use traditional healers more than biomedical aid. The more we engage with people, the more we can move away from making assumptions and actually learn more about people. There are many differences between different communities and we must learn about what makes each community unique by engaging with its people.
Dr. Schooley: when women are the leaders in the projects, they are able to help other women better. He agrees with Dr. Sundararajan in that people need to communicate with patients better about shortcomings and challenges and ways to open up.
Audience Question: What is the interaction between allopathic and biomedical medicine and are those interactions are impeding care?:
Dr. Sundararajan: most people discount allopathic medicine. For example, people in India visit healers because they didn’t know if they are cursed or actually infected with malaria. But doctors or practitioners of biomedical treatments claim healers are stupid and conducting malpractice. However, community members themselves respect healers more. Doctors and healers have the same goal but collaboration is lacking which impedes care.
Is it difficult to convince traditional healers that they are dealing with “western” problems/diseases as opposed to “possessions/curses?”:
Dr. Sundararajan: No because most of TH are knowledgeable. They hear the messages and have the knowledge of AIDS, for example, though the treatments aren’t perfect. It’s about respecting what they do and making suggestions nicely since they don’t often get positive reinforcement.
What would you say is the biggest barrier on the U.S. side?
Dr. Strathdee: The mindset that “it is their fault.” It is about creating international partnerships and see the HIV epidemic as a shared responsibility. We have held Mexico back and now it’s coming back to us and affecting people in San Diego. Therefore, we need to make sure we are helping people, not blaming them.
Dr. Schooley: it has become more about the agencies like USAID and CDC as opposed to actually helping the people. USAID for example, monopolizes care over certain areas and prevents other groups from the CDC from working with the people in those areas.
We should let ourselves listen a little more and make sure money is being spent the right way.
Final Thoughts and Announcements:
The 3rd annual Horizons Global Health Conference focusing on global mental health will be held on May 3, 2016.
The next Quarterly Conversations in Global Health will be focusing on gun violence, so stay tuned for updates with more information!
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Diversity In Our Workplaces
Having been born and raised in the islands, I have learned of the uniqueness of Women. How respected we are, and the values we maintain in our families. Coming into a community as diverse as Auckland’s is, I have met unique women and men with different values, backgrounds and upbringings. People that have been bought up in different environments than I. Through these experiences, I have been able to reflect on myself. I am proud of who I am. Working with Pacific Business Trust has especially increased my interests and dignity, as a Woman, a Pacific islander and a worker.
The work environment PBT has to offer runs on principles that allow for a healthy work life balance. It is through working with fellow Pasifika people, that I have seen the importance of diversity and unity. How the presence of diverse ideas in culture, community, work experience and skill sets, is vital to a well working team. We can teach each other, while also learning from each other. It is our role to showcase and highlight the talents and skills that we have, so that we can perform well in what we do best.
Diversity is also essential in an organisation such as this, because we cater to the needs of Pacific Entrepreneurs and Businesses nationwide. We have the chance to engage with Pacific people of different races, cultures and values, yet with similar interests as us. The uniting of talents, skills and experiences, enhance the capability of assistance our people can receive. We strive to reflect a high-performance culture, where differences in perspective is valued. By reflecting the community we serve and appreciating different ways of thinking, we aim for better problem solving and results. As a team, we recognise the value in different perspectives and experiences. How these perspectives can help us improve how we approach our work and our lives.
What is good about diversity, is that it has no end or limits. It be found in the workplace, people we help out, events and programmes we participate in. At PBT we do our best to contribute to the formation of a more productive and dynamic society. Improving our ability to see and connect with the communities around us. Our people need to feel included and valued for us to be successful in our work. Without inclusion, there is disengagement. Embracing all people means becoming a more successful team that recognises difference as a source of creativity, innovation and new connections. I stand for diversity and inclusion because it gives everyone the chance to work to their potential and that’s better in workplaces and communities.
Pacific leadership includes acknowledging and respecting people of all cultures that come through. Having no toleration for discrimination, and dealing with disagreements in a fair way. So join us, whoever you are! No matter what industry or generation! You help shape an active community culture which supports equality, fairness and the opportunity for all people to contribute. You will enjoy better business outcomes as a result.
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A theology of billboards
Tamara Hill Murphy • September 29, 2014
It makes sense for political figures to discuss the use of billboards in public spaces, but what if it also became a Christian conversation?
Three years ago my family moved to Austin, Texas. Our very first spring we got a front row seat to the effects of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, a legacy of former first lady Lady Bird Johnson. In a place known for heat and drought, springtime in Texas kicks off a wildflower parade up and down the state’s medians and roadways. Johnson’s concern about the increasing number of billboards crowding out the natural beauty of her home state energized her to become the first president’s wife to actively campaign for legislative action.
A recent NPR story described the new battle Texans are fighting against the billboard lobby’s request to heighten signs. It makes sense for political figures to discuss the use of public spaces, but what if it also became a Christian conversation?
Writing on the theology of culture, James K.A. Smith reframes our perception of public spaces as liturgical structures that actually shape our community’s thoughts and affections. In Desiring the Kingdom, Smith refers to billboards as part of a “wider web of practices and rituals associated with consumer capitalism.” What Lady Bird Johnson hoped to achieve by limiting the built environment (billboards) and cultivating the natural environment (wildflowers) speaks at least one truth: beauty is worth fighting for. In a decade of unrelenting national anxiety, the First Lady placed her bets on beauty. "Ugliness is so grim," she said. "A little beauty, something that is lovely, I think, can help create harmony which will lessen tensions."
It makes sense for political figures to discuss the use of public spaces, but what if it also became a Christian conversation?
The purpose of liturgy for the church congregation is to rehearse together the creative and redemptive work of Father, Son and Spirit in the world and to remember our rightful response of worship and mission. In the parallel view of cultural liturgies, public spaces present us with something larger than the individual and promote a particular community response, be it noble or demeaning. Pastor and author Eric Jacobsen describes this contrast: “The availability of places where we are invited to stop and enjoy our rest provides a tacit reminder of what is important. If these places invite us to stay because we are consumers or producers, we will learn to see ourselves as valuable only insofar as we contribute to the economy. If our public spaces are ugly or inconvenient, we learn tacitly that our value as human beings is minimal.”
Unfortunately, Christians have often added to the spread of ugliness, using billboards as 14-foot-high pulpits to threaten motorists with certain condemnation. On our cross-country drive to Texas three summers ago, my family lost count of the number of billboards warning us that hell is real and God is mad. Maybe someday we’ll discover someone benefitted from that message, but I fear that it is just more visual pollution where beauty could have been offered.
Last month a campaign called Art Everywhere used the abundance of public space meant for commercial advertising as a canvas to display great American art. The goal of the initiative is to provide millions of people who commute each day across the United States a chance to encounter beauty in public spaces. In a summer with a level of national and global tension not unlike 1965, I can’t think of a more Christian way to offer hope and human value than this sort of celebration of beauty. Can you?
Topics: Culture At Large, Business & Economics, Economics, Science & Technology, Environment, Theology & The Church, Theology, News & Politics, History, North America
Tamara Hill Murphy writes at This Sacramental Life, where she encourages her readers to see God’s presence through daily practices of art, liturgy and relationships. Born and raised in the Northeast, she now lives in the bright city of Austin, Texas, with her audacious and often-homesick family: two daughters, two sons, one husband. / Image of billboards via Shutterstock.
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How To Get Away With Murder Season 7 Details Of Release Date, Cast, Storyline And Much More
An American thriller television series, How to get away with murder. This show was created by Peter Nowalk and producer of this show is Shona Rhimes and ABC Studios.
The stars who became cast of this show were
Viola Davis, Billy Brown,
Alfred Enoch,
Jack Falahee,
Katie Findlay,
Aja Naomi King,
Matt McGorry,
Karla Sauza,
Charlie Weber,
Liza Weil,
Conrad Ricamora,
Rame Flynn,
Amirah Vann and Timothy Hutton.
The first season was released on September 5, 2014.
This show has 6 seasons and 84 episodes. The original network of this series is ABC. The second season of this show was released on May 7,2015.It had 15 episodes. On March 3, 2016 the third season was premiered. The series launched its fourth season on February 10,2017 and fifth season on May 11,2018. Lastly, the sixth season was released on September 26,2019.
In this show, the story of Annalise Keating is shown who’s a defense attorney and also a teacher who teaches at a University. She selects a group to work with. With this work, some secrets are discovered which leads to a murder. The students are forced to hide it using thier brain which they enhanced by working with Annalise.
Some time ago, any specific date wasn’t selected to release Season 7. But now, April 2,2020 is regarded as official date to release the 7th season.
Also Read Reason of BJ Hogg Death the Actor From Games of Thrones
The show will come to an end with this final season. The audience is really sad to know that the show will end and really happy to know that new season would be there. The audience is going through mixed emotions currently. The cast of the show who has worked for 6 seasons together will miss each other.
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U.S. Senate Bill Will Make It Easier For Vets To Get Medical Marijuana
According to estimates by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects 31 percent of Vietnam veterans, 10 percent of Desert Storm vets, 11 percent of Afghanistan vets, and 20 percent of Iraqi war veterans. It's hard to comprehend the scope of that suffering - and a growing movement of ex-military, doctors, and researchers has been pushing to have cannabis recognized as a legitimate, low-side-effect treatment for PTSD.
This week, that fight took a promising, albeit preliminary, shift. On Nov.10, the U.S. Senate voted 18-12 to pass the FY2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Bill. This means that Veterans Administration (VA) doctors can now recommend medical marijuana to their patients in legal states.
Currently, the VA specifically prohibits its doctors from offering recommendations or opinion to their patients about state medical marijuana programs. This policy is unfair, says Michael Collins, Drug Policy Alliance deputy director of national affairs,
"Veterans in medical marijuana states should be treated the same as any other resident, and should be able to discuss marijuana with their doctor […] It makes no sense that a veteran can't use medical marijuana if it helps them and it is legal in their state."
Doctors must still be willing to prescribe it
But just because doctors are legally allowed to talk to vets about medical marijuana is no guarantee they'll actually do it. Some vets, however, remain cautiously optimistic.
"We see this victory as a step toward a peace treaty with the government we volunteered to defend with our lives and as a step toward restoring our first amendment rights and dignity as citizens of the United States, " said TJ Thompson, a disabled Navy veteran.
Now, the bill must be negotiated as part of a more comprehensive omnibus spending bill to determine federal funding for the next fiscal year. Check out the video for a quick look at the bill and its potential impact.
Vubble | US veterans get new access to medical marijuana
The U.S. Senate passed a bill November 10, 2015, allowing Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend marijuana in states where it's legal. Studies have found that up to 20% of Iraq War veterans have PTSD -- and that marijuana can reduce symptoms by 75%.
h/t The Weed Blog, The Drug Policy Alliance


Title: Chandrapur
Subject: List of state highways in Maharashtra, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, Shantaram Potdukhe, Vidarbha, Ordnance Factories Board
Collection: Chandrapur, Talukas in Maharashtra
District HQ/ Municipal Corporation
Location in Maharashtra, India
Chandrapur Fort
Mrs. Rakhi Kancharlawar
Mr. Sudhir Shambharkar
77 km2 (30 sq mi)
Chandrapurkar
(+91), 7172
http://chanda.nic.in/
Chandrapur (meaning moon city) (formerly Chanda) (meaning moon) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district in Maharashtra state, India. It is also the headquarters of Chandrapur district.
The city of Chandrapur has ancient temples of the goddess Kalikankalini, a form of the goddess Mahakali, and of Anchaleshwar, a form of the god Shiva.
The city was founded by Gond King Khandakya BallalShah in the 13th century and is situated at the confluence of the Irai and Zarpat rivers.
The region is very rich in mineral wealth such as coal and limestone. Due to its large number of coal mines, the city is also known as Black Gold city. Many cement factories are also located in this region.
Kalikankalini Mandir 5.1
Anchaleshwar Mandir 5.2
Deeksha Bhoomi 5.3
Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan 6.1
Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS) 8.1
Places of interest 10
Notable people 11
As per legends, on the death of King Surja (alias Ser Sah) of the Gond in the 13th century A.D., his son Khandkya Ballal came to the throne. This prince had tumours all over his body. He was looked after by his wise and beautiful wife. When no remedy could heal Khandkya she induced him to leave Sirpur and reside on the northern bank of the Wardha, where he erected a fort named Ballalpur. One day, as the legend goes, while the king was hunting north-west of Ballalpur he grew thirsty and rode up to the dry bed of the Jharpat river in search of water. He discovered water trickling from a hole, and after drinking, washed his face, hands and feet. That night he slept soundly for the first time in his life. Next morning the queen was delighted to see that many of the tumours on her husband's body had disappeared. On enquiry the wonderful cure was ascribed to the water of Jharpat where the King drank water and washed his face. The queen requested Khandkya to take her to the spot where he had quenched his thirst. Both proceeded to the Jharpat and in a little while the hole was found. On clearing the grass and sand there were seen five footprints of a cow in the solid rock, each filled with water. The water source at the spot was inexhaustible. The place was holy - the Tirtha of Acalesvar of the Treta Yuga fame. When the king bathed in the water all the tumours on his body vanished.
That night the royal party encamped near the place, and in the visions of sleep Acalesvar appeared to the king, and spoke comforting words. On hearing the dream the queen advised the erection of a temple over the healing waters, and the king, approving of the idea, sent his officers to collect skilled architects for the work. He took great interest in its progress. One morning, after his daily visit, while he was riding he saw a hare darting out of a bush and chasing his dog. Astonished at this unusual sight he looked on and saw the dog running in a wide circle while the hare took zig-zag cuts to catch it. At one point it closed in with the dog which however shook it off and continued its flight. On nearing the point where the chase had commenced, the dog turned on and killed the hare. The king found that on the forehead of the hare was a white spot. Pondering what this might mean, he rode home and recounted to his wife all that he had seen. That wise woman counselled that the occurrence was a good omen, and that a fortified city should he built within the circuit of the chase, with walls following the hare's tracks. She further advised that special bastions should be erected, both where the hare had closed in upon the dog and where the dog had killed the hare. She expressed her belief that the latter point would prove to be dangerous to the city in the future.
The king lost no time in giving effect to her suggestions. A trench was dug along the hare's track, which was easily discernible by the footprints of the king's horse. The gates and bastions were planned, the whole marked out, and the foundations commenced. The work was under the management of the Rajput officers of the King, called Tel Thakurs. Thus began the building of the city of Chandrapur. Some scholars derive the name from "Indupur" (city of the moon), which stood near the Jharpat in the Treta Yuga, but the common people see its origin in the white spot (Chandra) which marked the forehead of the wondrous hare. Khandkya Ballal Sah thus founded the city of Chandrapur.
The name of the place was 'Lokapura' which was first changed to 'Indupur' and subsequently to 'Chandrapur'. During the British colonial period it was called Chanda district, which was again changed to its original name 'Chandrapur' around 1964. Other places of the region in ancient times include Wairangad, Kosala, Bhadravati and Markanda. Gond Kings ruled the area till 1751 after which Maratha period started. Raghuji Bhosale, the last King of the dynasty, died heirless in 1853 and Nagpur province together with Chandrapur was declared annexed to British Empire.
In 1854, Chandrapur formed an independent district and in 1874, it comprised three tehsils: Viz Mul, Warora and Bramhpuri. In 1874, however, upper Godavai district of Madras was abolished and four tehsils were added to Chandrapur to form one tehsil with Sironcha as its headquarters. In 1895, the headquarters of one tehsil transferred to MUl to Chandrapur. A new tehsil with headquarter at Gadchoroli was created in 1905 by transfer of zamindari estates from Bramhpuri and Chandrapur tehsil. An small zamindari tract from Chandrapur district as transferred to newly from districts in 1907. In the same year and area of about 1560 km2. comprising three divisions of the lower Sironcha tehsil namely Cherla, Albak nad Nugir were transferred to Madras State.
No major changes occurred in the boundaries of the district or its tehsils between 1911-1955. Consequent upon reorganization of the states in 1956, the district was transferred from Madhya Pradesh to Bombay state. In the same Rajura tehsil, a part of Adilabad district of Hydrabad state, was transferred to Nanded district subsequently it was transferred to Chandrapur district in 1959. the district became part of the Maharashtra since its creation in May 1960. For administrative convenience and industrial and agricultural development, this district was again divided into Chandrapur and Gadchiroli district after 1981 census. Chandrapur district now comprises the tehsil of Chandrapur, Bhadravati, Warora, Chimur, Nagbhir, Bramhpuri, Sindhewahi, Mul, Gondpipri, Pomburna, Saoli, Rajura, Korpana, Jivati and Balharshah.
The city is located at the confluence of the rivers Erai and Zarpat. The northern portion of the city is at a high elevation and the southern portion is low.
The old city is surrounded by walls called "parkots". These walls have four gates to enter and leave the old city, namely, Jatpura Gate, Anchaleshwar Gate, Pathanpura Gate and Binba Gate. Also they have four windows ("khidki" in Marathi) to enter and leave the old city: Bagad Khidki, Hanuman Khidki, Vithoba Khidki and Chor Khidki.
The Gaontideo Nala originates from the uplands of the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station. The Macchhi Nala originates from uplands of Central Forest Rangers College. These nalas merge to form the Zarpat river. River Erai has a long history of floods, and the flood marks appear on the fort walls of the city. In the north of the city, a dam is constructed on the river Erai, having the capacity of 207 million cubic meters.
Chandrapur, the headquarters of the district to which it gives its name, is the largest city in the district. The city is located at 19.57°N latitude and 79.18°E longitude in the eastern Maharashtra. It is situated at 189.90 meters above the mean sea level. The area of the city is about 70.02 km². The north-south length of the city is about 10.6 km, while the east-west length is about 7.6 km.
Chandrapur is known for its hot and dry climate. Humidity is very low in the region. Temperatures start decreasing in October with December being the coldest month, with a minimum average temperature of 9 °C and maximum of 23.2 °C. Temperatures begin to rise in February. May is the hottest month with a mean maximum temperature of 43 °C and minimum of 28.2 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Chandrapur was 49 °C on June 2, 2007 and the lowest was 2.8 °C on January 10, 1899.
Monsoons mark the rainy season, lasting from June to September, bringing most of the rainfall to the region. Chandrapur receives an average annual rainfall of 1249.4 mm. The average number of rainy days is 59.2.[1]
Climate data for Chandrapur (1971–2000)
Source: India Meteorological Department[2][3]
As the city passed the population limit of 300,000, with a population of 375,000 as per the 2011 census, in a decision made on 20th Oct, 2011 by the state cabinet, Chandrapur municipal council was elevated to the D-grade municipal corporation status,[4] along with Latur and Parbhani in the state, and has 67 wards.[5]
Kalikankalini Mandir
Kalikankalini Mandir (temple) in Chandrapur is an icon for Chandrapur. It is symbolic to Chandrapur and it has a prominent place in people's hearts. Devotes visit Kalikankalini Mandir every day, but Tuesdays are special days to visit. There are a small Ganesh temple and Hanuman temple inside the Kalikankalini Mandir premises. The temple has two entrances, both with small shops for puja supplies like coconut, flowers and cloth. Things for home décor and puja décor items are sold near the temple. There is also a Shani temple next to the rear entrance.
There are two idols (murtis) in the Kalikankalini Mandir. One standing murti is the main idol decorated with red, yellow and orange cloths. This idol is associated with Shiv Ling. The second murti is in a reclining position. This is actually below the ground level and to reach it, devotees need to walk in a tunnel.
Inside the temple is a priest to assist visitors with puja and offerings. Every year there is a fair during the month of April, and during this period all the devotees from different parts of state visit the Kalikankalini Mandir.
Now there is a trust formed to take care of temple administration. There were lot of improvements to the amenities of the temple in the last decade. The temple authority has made dharmashalas for devotees to help them stay near the temple for free, if they have traveled from distant places.
The annual fair (Jatra) that used to happen in the month of April used to be a big festival for the devotees of Kalikankalini and also for Chandrapur people. There used to be lots of activities and events for all ages and it used to be a time for joy and fun for everyone. Shops sold kitchen gadgets, toys, bangles, imitation jewellery, and clothes. Entertainers came from different parts of the district and state to show entertain and show their skills. There were small magic shows and a circus. The kids would wait all year for this event, a memorable festival for the family.
Anchaleshwar Mandir
A temple of Anchaleshwar, a form of Lord Siva, is situated near Anchaleshwar Gate on the banks of the Zarpat river. The official mausoleum or Samadhi of the Gond kings is also located in the temple's premises.
Deeksha Bhoomi
The historical embracing of Buddhism, the ‘Deeksha’ ceremony, by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and his followers took place in the city in 1956. Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with his family members on 14 October 1956 at Nagpur. Soon after that, he converted millions of his followers. On 16 October 1956, he gave Diksha of Buddhism to his followers at Chandrapur. Now the place is known as "Deeksha Bhoomi".
Dr. Ambedkar chose only Nagpur and Chandrapur for Dharmantar (conversion to Buddhism) and therefore Chandrapur has historical importance. Barrister Rajabhau Khobragade established the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar College of Arts, Commerce and Science in the Deeksha Bhoomi premises. A branch of Buddhivruksha from Bodh Gaya is planted in the premises and is growing gracefully. The two-day function of Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din is hosted on 15 and 16 October every year at this holy place. Thousands of pilgrims and monks visit Deeksha Bhoomi then.
Marathi is spoken by most of the people in Chandrapur. The people are also fluent in Hindi. English is spoken by a large section of the population.
Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan
Vaman Krushna Chorghade in 1979 and by Vasant Aabaji Dahake in 2012.
Chandrapur lies on major state highways MH MSH 6, MH MSH 9 and state highways MH SH 233, MH SH 243 and MH SH 264. [7] Chandrapur is connected to many cities in Maharashtra by MSRTC buses. The buses ply to Nagpur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Nanded, Shirdi, Aurangabad, Pune, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Hyderabad.
Chandrapur railway station comes under Nagpur division of the Central Railways. It is located on New Delhi - Chennai section of the Indian Railways. Another railway station is Chanda Fort railway station which comes under Nagpur division of South East Central railways. It lies on the Bangalore - Gorakhpur railway route. Other railway stations within its urban area are Babupeth, Vivekanand Nagar and Choti Padoli.
Chandrapur Airport is situated near Morwa village on MH SH 264, about 12 km from the city. The airstrip is 950 metres long and is operated by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company. MADC has no plans of developing this airstrip, owing to obstructions all around the site, particularly the thermal power plant.[8] The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur.
About 6000 small, medium and large scale industries are located at Chandrapur district. Chandrapur has large deposits of coal and lime stone. The mammoth coal mines around the city also contribute to the heavy industrialization of the city. Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), a subsidiary of Coal India, has many mines here. Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited is its biggest pit head thermal power station.
The city houses various cement factories in its vicinity. They are Manikgarh Cement, a division of Century Textile and Industries, part of the BK Birla group of companies, UltraTech Cement (formerly L&T Cement), a division of Grasim Industries, part of the Aditya Birla Group; Chandrapur Cement Works, a division of Associated Cement Companies, part of Holcim Group; and Maratha Cement Works, part of Ambuja Cements Limited.
The district also boasts of having Ballarpur Industries Limited, the largest manufacturer and exporter of paper in India.
Other major industries include a Chandrapur ferro alloy plant (formerly Maharashtra Elektrosmelt Ltd), a ferro-manganese plant, and a silico-manganese plant of Steel Authority of India Limited. Chandrapur's ferro alloy plant is the largest manganese-based ferro alloy producer in the country.
Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS)
The Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station, sprawling over 12212 hectares and employing a workforce of around 3460 people, is the biggest pit head thermal power station of the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited, located 6 km from Chandrapur city. The 3,340 MW power station complex contributes more than 25% of the electricity for the entire state. It is the first ever thermal power plant in India to have commissioned a 500 MW unit, which it did in 1991-92.
The first stage of the plant was sanctioned in 1976 and the Central Energy Minister Shri K. C. Pant laid the foundation stone on 16 January 1977. The first set of 210 MW unit was commissioned in August 1983 and the second set in July 1984. The first unit was dedicated to the nation on 8 Oct 1984 by the Hon. Prime Minister, the late Smt Indira Gandhi. The station has 4 units of 210 MW, 3 units of 500 MW and 2 units of 500MW. Durgapur and Padmapur Collieries of WCL are the pit head mines from where the coal is transported by Ropeway.
A 420-metre masonry dam, constructed on the river Erai at a distance of about 15 km from the power station, caters to its water requirements. It is a composite dam with a central spillway and earth saddle dams on left and right bank of 800 and 425 meters length respectively. MSPGCL acquired 7041 hectares of land for the construction of this dam. It has an effective storage capacity of 198 million cu. meters, of which 12 million cu. meters per year is released to Chandrapur city.
Chandrapur is well known for its education facilities. It is the second city in Maharashtra having GEC and GMC, after Aurangabad. Chandrapur has many engineering, polytechnic, medical, and law schools. Except medical, all graduation colleges in Chandrapur are affiliated to Gondwana University.
Entrance gate of GEC
Notable educational institutes in the city are:
Government Medical College, Chandrapur [16]
Government College Of Engineering, Chandrapur [17]
Renaissance Institutes of Management & Sciences Education [18]
Renaissance Polytechnic [19]
Purushottamdas Bagla Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital
Vimla Devi Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital
Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering, Research and Technology [20]
Bajaj Polytechnic
Shri Sai Polytechnic College [21]
Somayya Polytechnic [22]
Janta Mahavidyalaya [23]
Dr. Ambedkar College of Arts Commerce and Science
Female Education Society College [24]
Sardar Patel College [25]
Arts, Commerce and Science College [26]
Shantaram Potdukhe National Academy for Legal Studies and Research
Hislop Junior College
Karmavir Dadasaheb Kannamwar (ZP Jubilee) High School (previously known as Zilha Parishad High School, is the oldest institution in Chandrapur, established in 1906, by the British to mark golden jubilee of win in Indian Rebellion of 1857)
Lokmanya Tilak Vidyalaya
Marathi City Higher Secondary School
Hindi City Higher Secondary School
New English High School
Kendriya Vidyalaya, W.C.L. (Durgapur)
Mount Carmel Convent High School [27]
B.J.M. Carmel Academy
Bishop Januarius Memorial Carmel Academy [28]
St. Michael's English Medium School [29]
St. Mary's Convent High School and Junior college (Durgapur)
Vidya Niketan Higher Secondary School and Junior College
Narayana Vidyalayam [30]
Chhotubhai Patel High School
Murlidhar Bagla High School
Bhawanji Bhai Chavan High School and Junior College
Nehru Vidyalaya
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial High School
Tiger at Tadoba
Tadoba National Tiger Reserve
Anandwan Ashram for Leprosy Patients (Warora)
Ramala Talav (Chandrapur)
Ghodazari Talav (Nagbhir)
Asola Mendha Talav (Saoli)
Mahakali Mandir (Chandrapur)
Anchaleshwar Mandir (Chandrapur)
Bhadranag Mandir (Bhadravati)
Jain Mandir (Bhadravati)
Buddha Leni (Bhadravati)
Gaurala Ganpati Mandir (Bhadravati)
Gay Mukh (Talodhi Balapur)
Old Mahadeo Temple (Palebarsa-Saoli)
Lord Vishnu Temple (Korpana)
Karmavir Dadasaheb Kannamwar, the second chief minister of Maharashtra, was from Chandrapur.
Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, is from Chandrapur.
Balasaheb Deshmukh was a prominent advocate and a follower of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. It was due to his efforts that Tilak visited Chandrapur and laid the foundation stone of a school Lokmanya Tilak Vidyalaya.
Barrister Rajabhau Khobragade, former Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, leader of the Republican Party of India (Khobragade) and follower of B. R. Ambedkar, was from Chandrapur.
Shantaram Potdukhe, one of the ministers of state who had charge of the finance portfolio in Narasimha Rao's government, is also from Chandrapur.
Make In Maharashtra
^ India Meteorological Department. "Ever recorded Maximum temperature, Minimum temperature upto 8°C.". India Meteorological Department.
^ "Monthly mean maximum & minimum temperature and total rainfall based upon 1971–2000 data" (HTML). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
^ "Ever recorded Maximum and minimum temperatures upto 2010" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
^ Chandrapur is now municipal corporation with the population of 3.73 Lakh - TOI NEWS Article, Oct 21st, 2011
^ EC to declare reservation of CMC wards - TOI NEWS Article, Jan 26th, 2012
^ Marathi literary congregation concludes in Chandrapur.
^ List of state highways in Maharashtra
^ "MADC projects". Retrieved 24 April 2012.
Official website of Chandrapur district
Chandrapur information portal
Talukas in Maharashtra
Mumbai, Marathi literature, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Varkari, Marathi language
Maharashtra, Mumbai, Vidarbha, India, Hindi
Devanāgarī, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu, Hindi
List of state highways in Maharashtra
Maharashtra, Ahmednagar district, Amravati district, Buldhana district, Latur district
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project
Maharashtra, India, Chandrapur, Tiger reserves of India, Chandrapur district
Shantaram Potdukhe
Indian National Congress, 10th Lok Sabha, 9th Lok Sabha, Maharashtra, Chandrapur
Maharashtra, Nagpur, Marathwada, Amravati district, Marathi language
Ordnance Factories Board
Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Katni, Artillery


Why this country is calling for a six-hour workday
The ministers’ approach to work/life balance is a lesson for other countries
BY Rachel Ranosa 02 Sep 2020
Top officials in Finland are renewing calls to adopt the six-hour workday as well as similar measures that aim to promote a better work/life balance for Finnish employees.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin raised the idea of shortening the traditional eight-hour shift to just six hours when she urged her party to reconsider alternative working arrangements amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We need to create a clear vision and concrete steps as to how Finland can proceed towards shorter working hours and Finnish employees towards better working life,” said Marin, who championed the cause prior to becoming prime minister.
Marin believes a six-hour workday could spark greater productivity among workers, and that the arrangement would not hamper Finland’s public finances or its goal of raising employment to at least 75%, Reuters reported.
Read more: Long work hours waste time and lead to lower productivity
“The wealth brought about by the increase in labour productivity has to be split not only between owners and investors but also [between] ordinary employees,” Marin said.
Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, the country’s social affairs and health minister, shared Marin’s sentiments, tweeting: “The effects of a shorter work week could be positive especially in the care sector.”
“We should trial not only six-hour workdays, but also other ways to reduce working hours such as a four-day work week. The key in the trial should be to examine the effects of shorter working hours on labour productivity, sick leave and employee well-being,” she said.
Read more: Could four-day work week solve productivity puzzle?
Pekonen is asking the Finnish government to set aside funding to improve not only the country’s employment situation but also the quality of life in the workplace.
The government should therefore revaluate the impact of a shorter workday on the well-being and longevity of employees as well as on the country’s job creation programs, she said.
Finland has long enjoyed a reputation for having one of the best working conditions in Europe. In a 2017 study, the country emerged as the fourth best in the region in terms of work/life balance.
Finnish employees are said to devote an average of eight hours a day to leisure; 7.2 hours a day to staying in bed; and 1.5 hours to miscellaneous activities.