African Bank Named South Africa's 'Bank of the Year' - Ventures Africa

VENTURES AFRICA ? South Africa?s African Bank has been named South African Bank of the Year by the Banker magazine, the award citing the Bank?s complex business and risk models as helping steer businesses through the financial crisis.

Africa Bank is the biggest unsecured lender in South Africa ? a country widely considered to be relying too heavily on the use of unsecured loans, with this type of financing growing quickly across the country.? Unsecured lending currently accounts for 131 billion rand ($14.95 billion) of South Africa?s 1.36 trillion rand ($155 billion) outstanding receivables.

As such the decision to grant the award for Bank of the Year to an unsecured lender is somewhat surprising.

However, the Banker made the award ? which was handed over in a ceremony in London ? based on the Bank?s stability through-out the financial crisis, noting that its business and risk models are serving to increase credit responsibility across the South African financing sector.

?African Bank?s business model has been robust through the recent financial crisis and provided through the cycle profitability and attractive returns,? the Banker said in making the Award.

?The group has rolled out innovative products to make it easier for customers to access responsible credit and widened the bank?s distribution network through the establishment of kiosks and carve outs in its retail division which has helped drive the growth in loans,? the citation added.

Receiving the award on behalf of the company, Tami Sokutu, an executive director at African Bank Investments congratulated the Bank?s employees, and thanked customers for their continued loyalty to Africa Bank.? She went on to underline: ?We remain cognisant of our customers? requirements and needs as we assist to enhance their lives through the provision of responsible credit.?

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Gabriella

Gabriella Mulligan is a journalist with a special interest in business and legal issues, having come to journalism following a successful career in consultancy. After completing her legal education at the esteemed law school at Cambridge University, and prior to that at the University of Kent, Gabriella went on to work for a ?Big Four? financial and business services firm. She now enjoys writing on topical issues that affect businesses and the economy today. Gabriella is British and Hungarian. She has travelled widely, but harbours a passion for Africa and has made Nairobi, Kenya her home.

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Source: http://www.ventures-africa.com/2012/11/africa-bank-named-south-african-bank-of-the-year/

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Kuwait's rifts highlighted by election boycott

Kuwaiti supporters of one of the parliamentary election's candidates walks by a polling station in Salwa during election day in Kuwait on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. The general election to appoint a new Parliament is the fifth since mid-2006, and the second this year.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari)

Kuwaiti supporters of one of the parliamentary election's candidates walks by a polling station in Salwa during election day in Kuwait on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. The general election to appoint a new Parliament is the fifth since mid-2006, and the second this year.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari)

Kuwaiti citizens wait in line to cast their vote at a polling station in Rumaithiya, Kuwait on Saturday, Dec. 1st, 2012. The general election to appoint a new Parliament is the fifth since mid-2006, and the second this year.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari)

Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition groups gather to protest the Kuwait government's amendment of the electoral law and support a boycott on the country's election on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 in Kuwait City. More than 15,000 protesters rallied in the first government-authorized demonstration in Kuwait since a ban on political gatherings earlier this month. The election to be held Saturday, Dec. 1 is the fifth since mid-2006, and the second this year.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari)

A Kuwaiti citizen casts her vote at a polling station in Saalwa, Kuwait on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. The general election to appoint a new Parliament is the fifth since mid-2006, and the second this year.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari)

KUWAIT CITY (AP) ? Kuwait's deep political rifts took center stage in parliamentary elections Saturday as backers of the ruling establishment cast ballots while a broad opposition alliance staged a boycott and vowed to reject the outcome.

The voting capped months of political upheavals and showdowns in the oil-rich Gulf state ? a strategic Western ally ? and the polarized atmosphere suggested more tensions ahead.

Kuwait has the Gulf's most politically powerful parliament and the election is certain to restore control to pro-government lawmakers. Yet that doesn't guarantee any extra breathing space for the ruling system amid claims it is overstepping its powers.

A wide-reaching coalition of opposition factions ? ranging from hard-line Islamists to Western-leaning liberals ? already has challenged the legitimacy of the new parliament because of the boycott and could increasingly take their grievances to the streets.

Kuwait has largely escaped the unrest sweeping the region, and any potential for greater unrest is closely watched by Washington, which has thousands of U.S. ground forces in Kuwait as part of the Pentagon's military counterweight to Iran in the Persian Gulf.

Islamists and tribal allies won control of the 50-seat parliament in February elections, but the chamber was later dissolved over a legal challenge by the ruling establishment over electoral districts. Kuwait has been left without an effective working parliament for more than five months.

Complaints against authorities include increasing efforts to muzzle free speech and failure to have Kuwait's economy and growth keep pace with other dynamic Gulf centers such as Qatar's capital Doha and the United Arab Emirates' hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Last month, four people were arrested on charges of insulting Kuwait's emir in Twitter posts.

Security forces watched over polling stations across Kuwait, but no disturbances were reported. The voting sites vividly displayed the country's divides with pro-government areas showing steady turnout, but areas loyal to the opposition were almost deserted. Boycott backers tied pieces of orange ribbon ? the adopted color of the opposition ? around tree branches near some polling sites.

Some opposition groups predicted turnout could be well below 50 percent, compared with near 60 percent for the last parliamentary elections in February that were won by Islamists and their allies.

"I'm certain that the boycott will have an effect on the turnout," said Information Minister Mohammad al-Abdullah Al Sabah, a member of the ruling family.

He appealed, however, for the opposition to confine their objections within the country's "legal framework."

The anti-government groups have bitterly denounced a decree in October by Kuwait's emir to end an unusual balloting system that allowed four choices per voter.

Critics claim the new one-vote-per-person rule will make it easier for state authorities to potentially influence the outcome. They also say the emir went beyond his authority by changing the voting rules without public debate.

On the eve of the election, more than 15,000 people joined a peaceful pro-boycott march in the first rally permitted by authorities since a ruling last month banning gatherings of more than 20 people.

Kuwait's parliament has the most powers of any among the Gulf Arab states. Opposition lawmakers have often fired off accusations of corruptions and abuses against government officials, including the prime minister and other members of the ruling family.

The country also has some of the widest political and media freedoms in the region, but key government posts and policies remain under the control of the ruling family.

Yet Islamists and their backers also worry many Kuwaitis for open support of stricter Muslim codes such as censoring artists and imposing death sentences for those convicted of denigrating Islam.

The concerns about the rising clout of Islamists also reflects wider battles across the Gulf as authorities crack down on groups suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which has taken control of Egypt following elections in the past year. Gulf leaders view activists inspired by the Arab Spring as potential threats, but Kuwait's Islamist leaders claim they are a homegrown force that only seeks a greater say in the country's affairs.

A 29-year-old voter, Ali Boushehri, said he was frustrated with both sides.

"I hold the government accountable for many of our shortcomings in Kuwait, and that is why I am voting," he said. "I don't agree with the opposition. Boycotting is not a good thing to do ... I want to vote because I believe in democracy."

A businessman, Khaled al-Qahtani, 38, decided to join the boycott even though he also has misgivings about Islamists. Many liberals have joined the unusual alliance of convenience with Islamists over their shared anger against the ruling system, but remain far apart on ideology.

Islamists and their backers "aren't to be trusted with the future of Kuwait, so I don't support them," said al-Qahtani. "Although, sadly, the government lost the support of many others by failing the people repeatedly."

The region's popular uprisings have not spilled over to Kuwait in a major way as in nearby Bahrain, and it remains unlikely opposition groups would wage an all-out challenge to the current system and risk losing the generous cradle-to-grave benefits provided by the state.

But clashes last month between protesters and security forces displayed the potential for violence to escalate.

Kuwait also was hit by a wave of labor unrest and strikes earlier this year, including walkouts that grounded the state carrier, Kuwait Airways, and temporarily closed customs posts and left several hundred trucks stranded at the border.

Calls for better working conditions have grown louder in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings. Kuwaitis are used to well-paid government jobs and benefits that increasingly have become a burden on state finances despite the country's huge oil wealth.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-01-Kuwait/id-4b0175e4bffe4e54bc11e04446f9037c

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Yale Drops Dramatic Five-Setter to Bowling Green in NCAA First ...

November 30, 2012

Down 2-1 in Sets, Ivy League Champ Yale Forced Fifth Game

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Bulldogs dropped a heart-stopping fifth set to Bowling Green in their NCAA First Round match at Rec Hall on Friday evening.

The scores of the match were 16-25, 25-15, 25-21, 13-25 and 15-11.

In its fourth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Yale came back from a 2-1 set deficit to force a deciding fifth. The loss snapped Yale's 15-match win streak, and the Bulldogs ended the season 18-6 overall and 14-0 in Ivy Play.

Mollie Rogers and Kelly Johnson led a balanced Yale attack with a team-high 12 kills each, while senior team captain Haley Wessels ended her Bulldog career with 11 kills, 6 block assists and five digs.

The fifth set was pulsating volleyball and featured eight ties and five lead changes.?

Yale recovered from a 7-5 deficit to score the next four points.? After three straight Bowling Green errors, Kendall Polan rifled an ace along the left side to give Yale a two-point edge.

After a Yale error, Lindsey Butterfield gave the Falcons back the lead with two straight kills.? McHaney Carter and Rogers teamed up for block assists on the next point to tie the set at 10.?

Carter finished with nine kills, hit. 391 and five block assists.? Rogers, a first-team All-Ivy selection, added 17 digs and four block assists.

Leah Shaw's kill put Bowling Green back in front, and the Falcons never trailed the rest of the way. ?

Bowling Green improved to 9-0 in five-set matches this season, while Yale was playing in its first five-setter of the year.?

Yale ended the season as the second team in Ivy League history to finish a conference season 14-0 and featured five All-Ivy selections.

Bowling Green will face the winner of Binghamton and Penn State tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. in a NCAA Second Round match.

Check back later for more details.

Report filed by Ernie Bertothy, Yale Sports Publicity

Source: http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-volley/2012-13/releases/20121130bwhke1

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Choosing the Best Window Company in DFW (DFW 817-484-5613 ...

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Denny's new Las Vegas restaurant puts weddings on the menu

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Denny's, the 24-hour American diner, opened a restaurant on Thursday in Las Vegas with a wedding chapel where couples can tie the knot after a meal of bacon, peanut butter and bananas between two slices of French toast finished off with a bacon vodka chaser.

The restaurant is near the Las Vegas strip on historic downtown Fremont Street. Its modern curves, neon and steel are meant to fit in with the city's "over the top" feel, said Frances Miller, chief marketing officer.

"A normal Denny's is not going to cut it in Vegas," she said, adding that the restaurant is the first of 1,700 Denny's worldwide that will have a wedding chapel and photo booth. It is one of fewer than 50 Denny's with a full bar.

The chapel is scheduled to start hosting nuptials in the first quarter of 2013, with a celebrity wedding slated for February. Details of the wedding were not disclosed.

"I kind of hope it's Kim Kardashian because then you could have repeat performances," architect James Wines quipped at the ribbon cutting.

With this new restaurant, Denny's Corp, based in South Carolina, hopes to capitalize on redevelopment that is underway in the downtown Las Vegas area.

The restaurant's neighbours include a zip line that carries visitors above street-level traffic and a restaurant that holds a Guinness Record for the highest-calorie burger. The area soon expects to have what is being billed as the world's largest gay nightclub.

Miller said that at 6,400 square feet (6,000 meters), the Fremont Street Denny's is among the company's 10 largest in the world. She said the restaurant, owned by the parent company instead of being franchised, is also among the most expensive Denny's to build, but she declined to say how much it cost.

P.S. The French toast plate is called the "King Stack." As in Elvis.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dennys-las-vegas-restaurant-puts-weddings-menu-201543954--finance.html

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Wednesday Musings - A's Give to Charity, New Baseball Rules, Checking In

Happy Wednesday! How is everyone holding up this holiday season?

In case you haven't heard this fabulous story, let me recap: The A's players voted to donate an entire playoff share ($34,325.16) to charity. It's not such a noteworthy story if we have a team full of millionaire superstars, but with our payroll, and our group of guys, this is truly a touching gesture, and as the article puts it:

Despite having one of the lowest payrolls in the Major Leagues, the A?s showed how closely connected the team is to the community. The generous gesture by the Oakland A?s just adds another reason why the team has been rekindling the passion for baseball in Oakland.

I decorated my Christmas tree last night, and as all the A's ornaments went up, I just felt again the magic of the 2012 season. Last year at this time, I no more could have imagined an AL West Championship than I could have a real visit from Santa, but look at how that turned out. I feel so lucky to have the A's as my main rooting interest, and despite being in the middle of a fun year with my other teams (49ers, Stanford football, and the Warriors), I still think of A's baseball the most, even during the off-season.

Sports Illustrated published this article yesterday, and I thought it was worth a quick glance. Titled "The Nine Rules Baseball Needs to Change", it delves into the benefit of replay, the disadvantage of having umpires makes calls out of position, and body armor.

I absolutely disagree with the assessment that the playoffs are too long, and a seven game series should be shortened to five; personally, I would like all playoff series to be 7. I also found the argument against September expanded rosters to be interesting:

It's time for general managers to stop talking about it and do something about it. It's a quick and logical fix. Teams should play all games with the same number of players. I advocate using a 25-man roster all year long. The difference is that in September you can call up as many players as you want but you must designate a game roster each day of 25 players. A manager, for instance, might leave off his other four starting pitchers, for instance, to include four September call-ups. Some GMs have advocated a standard but expanded roster for September games -- say, a daily roster of 28. Twenty-five is plenty, and brings uniformity to the season.

What do you think? So how IS everyone? Are you watching any other sports, or are you counting down the days until A's baseball is back on the air? Catch me up!

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Source: http://www.athleticsnation.com/2012/11/28/3702218/wednesday-musings-as-give-to-charity-new-baseball-rules-checking-in

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Spaceplane engine passes key test

The UK company developing an engine for a new type of spaceplane says it has successfully demonstrated the power unit's enabling technology.

Reaction Engines Ltd (REL) of Culham, Oxfordshire, ran a series of tests on key elements of its Sabre propulsion system under the independent eye of the European Space Agency (Esa).

Esa's experts have confirmed that all the demonstration objectives were met.

REL claims the major technical obstacle to its ideas has now been removed.

"This is a big moment; it really is quite a big step forward in propulsion," said Alan Bond, the driving force behind the Sabre engine concept.

The company must now raise the ?250m needed to complete the next phase of development.

Skylon

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This would essentially take the project to the final designs that could be handed to a manufacturer.

Although the British government has put significant sums into REL's technology in the past, the company's preference is to pursue city finance.

"The project to date has been more than 90% privately funded, and we intend to continue with that type of structure," explained Tim Hayter, the CEO of Reaction Engines Ltd.

"Yes, we would encourage government money but we're not reliant on it and we're certainly not depending on it.

"What is more important to us is government endorsement. That gives everyone the confidence that the UK is behind this project."

REL's idea is for an 84m-long vehicle called Skylon that would do the job of a big rocket but operate like an airliner, taking off and landing at a conventional runway.

The vehicle would burn a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen but in the low atmosphere the oxygen would be taken from the air, in the same way that a jet engine breathes air.

Only once it had achieved very high speeds would Skylon switch to full rocket mode, burning onboard fuel supplies.

Taking its oxygen from the air in the initial flight phase would mean Skylon could fly lighter from the outset with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio, enabling it to make a single leap to orbit, rather than using and dumping propellant stages on the ascent - as is the case with current expendable rockets.

If such a vehicle could be made to work, its reusability should transform the costs of accessing space.

But its success depends on the Sabre engine's ability to manage the very hot air entering its intakes at high speed.

These gases have to be cooled prior to being compressed and burnt with the onboard hydrogen.

REL's solution is a module containing arrays of extremely fine piping that can extract the heat and plunge the inrushing air to about -140C in just 1/100th of a second.

Ordinarily, the moisture in the air would be expected to freeze out rapidly, covering the piping in a blanket of frost and dislocating their operation.

But the company's engineers have also devised a means to control the frosting, permitting the Sabre engine to run in jet mode for as long as is needed before making the transition to full rocket mode to take the Skylon spaceplane into orbit.

It is the innovative helium cooling loop with its pre-cooler heat-exchanger that REL has been validating on an experimental rig.

"We completed the programme by getting down to -150C, running for 10 minutes," said Mr Bond. "We've demonstrated that the pre-cooler is behaving absolutely as predicted."

The UK Space Agency asked Esa's propulsion division to audit the tests, and the Paris-based organisation has declared its satisfaction with the outcome of the experimental programme.

"One of the major obstacles to developing air-breathing engines for launch vehicles is the development of the lightweight high-performance heat exchangers," it said in a statement.

"With this now successfully demonstrated by REL, there are currently no technical reasons why the Sabre engine programme cannot move forward into the next stage of development."

Dr Mark Ford, who heads the propulsion engineering group at the agency, added: "The gateway is now open to move beyond the jet age."

The next phase is a three-and-a-half-year project. It would see a smaller version of Sabre being built on a test rig. The demonstrator would not have the exact same configuration as the eventual engine but it would allow REL to prove Sabre's performance across its air-breathing and rocket modes.

"Its parts will be spread out slightly; there's no need for us to package it as we would a real engine," said Mr Bond.

"Also, we will want the ease of access to exchange parts, so it will look a little bit like an anatomy exhibition."

The UK government is currently assessing what its involvement should be in the next phase of Skylon/Sabre, but David Willetts, the science minister, was keen on Wednesday to add his personal support to the project: "The engine being developed by Reaction Engines is a potential game-changer in terms of space technology," he said.

"This successful testing validates the assessment made of the engine concept by the UK Space Agency back in 2010 and is yet another example of the UK's world class space industry. It would be a fantastic achievement if we could one day use this home-grown technology for our own commercial space launches."

Esa is certain to do more study work with REL. Although it is currently working on new versions of its Ariane rocket - a classic expendable vehicle - the agency also wants keep an eye on future launcher technologies.

REL itself is considering other applications for its technology. These could include incorporating Sabre-like heat-exchangers into existing gas turbine jet engines to improve their fuel-burn efficiency; and also into desalination plants.

Sabre engine: How the test campaign was conducted

Continue reading the main story David Shukman and Skylon engine cooling

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Our science editor David Shukman watches a pre-cooler test run

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20510112#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Mursi decree stirs debate on Brotherhood role

CAIRO (Reuters) - The decree that expanded President Mohamed Mursi's powers and plunged Egypt into crisis came as a shock to some of his team; a step with huge legal ramifications, it appeared to have caught even his justice minister off guard.

The surprise move on November 22 has fueled debate on how far the Muslim Brotherhood is dictating policy and ignoring cabinet members and others in an administration that Mursi presents as being inclusive of Egypt's political forces and not dominated by the Islamist party whose electoral muscle put him in office.

Signs that Mursi failed to consult those formally appointed as his advisers on a decree that has set off countrywide protests and violence have given ammunition to critics.

These paint a picture of a man with autocratic impulses who either heeds only his own counsel or, what is more troubling to many, is in thrall to old friends in the Brotherhood, a movement long banned by the old regime and which many Egyptians still view with suspicion as a secretive cabal with radical aims.

That is the very perception he has been trying to fight since he came to office, when the Brotherhood pledged to free Mursi of partisan pressure and he himself promised to be a president for all and to build a broad-based presidential administration. Much of that work has been undone.

"There is a lot obscurity linked to how decisions are taken in the presidency," said Nabil Abdel Fattah, a political scientist. "There is a certain party that is taking this decision," he said. "And the most likely answer is that it is members of the Muslim Brotherhood."

RESIGNATIONS

At least two of Mursi's advisers have resigned in the days since he issued a decree opponents see as a major threat to the country's nascent democracy. One of them, a Christian, had the title of Mursi's assistant for "democratic transformation".

Like most Egyptians, Samir Morkos only learnt of what was in the decree when it was read on state television late on Thursday, he told the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

Another adviser, Emad Abdel-Ghaffour, told Reuters he had not been consulted either. Head of the hardline Islamist Nour Party, he is still serving as an adviser on "social outreach". He is in almost daily contact with Mursi, an aide said.

"Our opinion was not sought," Abdel-Ghaffour said of the decree, adding that he had reservations on the text, but like other Islamists, was broadly supportive of it.

It is the second time Mursi has surprised Egyptians with a dramatic move that has challenged perceptions of him as an accidental president - the man who ran only because the Brotherhood's first-choice candidate was disqualified.

Khairat al-Shater, the group's original candidate, has largely stayed out of the public eye since Mursi took office.

Mohamed Habib, a former Brotherhood deputy leader who left the movement last year, said he had no doubt Mursi had consulted the group before making such a controversial move: "It's clear that some were consulted, and others were not," he said.

"He is in great need of their backing, especially when a decision is expected to face attack," he said, referring to the Brotherhood. "He has not and will not break with them until he is on a firm footing in the presidency," Habib told Reuters.

Mursi, a 61-year-old, U.S.-trained engineer, similarly made waves with an August decision that forced into retirement Hosni Mubarak-era generals who had established themselves as a rival source of authority. That time, Mursi enjoyed broad support for sidelining Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. Not this time however.

OBSCURITY

Critics of Mursi's decree fear it puts at risk the entire democratic transformation in Egypt, run for decades by army-backed autocrats. Among other controversial articles, it shields from judicial review decisions taken by Mursi until a new parliament is elected some time next year.

The Mursi administration has defended the decree as a temporary step needed to smooth the transition to a new system of government. It guarantees new steps to investigate violence against protesters during the uprising against Mubarak.

The president's only public appearance since the decree was to Islamist supporters outside his presidential offices.

Liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei said Mursi had not given "a whiff of an indication" that he had anything of the sort in mind when they met in the days before the announcement.

"You assume that if somebody, the president, is going to take sweeping measure grabbing all powers that he will at least consult before. There was no consultation at all. That doesn't show the best of good intentions or good will," he told Reuters.

"He didn't mention anything of that kind," added Amr Moussa, the former Arab League secretary general who ran in the presidential election and met Mursi three weeks ago. He was also speaking to Reuters.

Brotherhood spokesmen routinely refer questions about Mursi to the president's staff, saying they cannot speak for him.

Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan dismissed the accusations that the group shapes presidential policy as one of an endless list of fabrications against the group.

"The president has many legal experts and I think they wrote it," he said, referring to the decree.

Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky, a judge broadly respected for his independence in the Mubarak era, has studiously avoided answering journalists' questions on whether he knew about the decree in advance. He has since expressed his "reservations".

(Additional reporting by Edmund Blair; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mursi-decree-stirs-debate-brotherhood-role-104901029.html

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    The No Touching Rule In Sheepdog Trials

    #1 User is offline ? geonni banner?

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    Posted 26 November 2012 - 09:49 PM

    I was reading in the livestock management thread, and something struck me as interesting.

    Under discussion was an unruly ewe that stood off a young dog with threat displays. It was pointed out that a whack on the bridge of her nose would have likely sorted her. I'm sure this is a regular practice in sheep farming as even the most affable ruminants can sometimes get stroppy.

    I was thinking about so many videos of sheepdog trails - usually at the penning - that a well-placed knee to the butt of a static sheep would have dramatically improved the penning time of the contestant.

    So if trialing is meant to be a display of the work of a stock dog and its handler, why is this sort of thing, which must come up routinely in real work situations, not allowed at trials? Is it an attempt to avoid the issue of "how much force is too much force"? Or is it that the judges want to see the dog do the lion's share of the close work?

    Do dogs that normally work livestock for a living in a farm or ranch setting ever seem puzzled at a trial by the handler's lack of willingness to help things along with a well-timed smack to a sheep's butt or nose?


    #2 User is offline ? Liz P?

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    Posted 26 November 2012 - 10:03 PM

    The trial is supposed to showcase the dog more than anything. People want to know if the dog has the skills to do what needs to be done. If handlers were allowed to interfere too much you would have a harder time sorting out how much was the dog and how much was the handler. As it is, that can sometimes be hard to determine. Remember, people often use what they see in a dog at trials to make decisions about breeding or purchasing a pup.


    #3 User is offline ? DeltaBluez Tess?

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    Posted 26 November 2012 - 10:29 PM

    At home if a ewe is slow to go into the stall, I do the boot in the butt encouragement....doesn't work at trials...as for a ewe standing up to a dog, a quick nip might work...or the dog slowly advancing....at trial you want to showcase your dog. At home, i need to get the job done. I teach my dogs to gip on commands so at home, if a ewe is being a snot, a quick grip changes her mind. BUT i you run on a farm flock and have sour ewe that won't move even if a dog grips her, then you are out of luck. either way, your dog must be able to show that he/she can stand up and move a unrury ewe.

    (Note: the boot in the butt is me putting my boot on the sheep hind end and pushing her in...not kicking. I do not kick or hit my sheep)


    #4 User is offline ? geonni banner?

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    Posted 26 November 2012 - 10:48 PM

    OK, I get it, but I'm imagining the poor dog, having not won the trial because some ewe was standing just outside the pen until the clock ran out, thinking, "What's up with mom/dad? He/she usually has my back in these situations..."

    Of course, the dog probably doesn't go over the run in his mind on the way home. But that moment at the gate, when the handler is watching the clock run out, tendons singing like high-tension wires - and not whacking that ding-busted ewe in the rear. Do you think the dog ever thinks WTF? :blink:


    #5 User is offline ? DeltaBluez Tess?

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    Posted 26 November 2012 - 11:05 PM

    ghot it, if that happens I just retire and help push the ewe along with the dog following.....then tell dog, "good girl/boy......"


    #6 User is online ? juliepoudrier?

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    Posted 26 November 2012 - 11:22 PM

    I'm sure we've all seen (or done) handler antics at the pen to try to remove that reluctant sheep. Like Diane, if we fail for some reason, I'm always sure to get the sheep moving on the way to the exhaust and let the dog know it was a job well done.

    I don't think dogs think WTF.

    J.

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    #7 User is offline ? Gloria Atwater?

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    Posted Yesterday, 12:44 AM

    View Postgeonni banner, on 26 November 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

    OK, I get it, but I'm imagining the poor dog, having not won the trial because some ewe was standing just outside the pen until the clock ran out, thinking, "What's up with mom/dad? He/she usually has my back in these situations..."

    Of course, the dog probably doesn't go over the run in his mind on the way home. But that moment at the gate, when the handler is watching the clock run out, tendons singing like high-tension wires - and not whacking that ding-busted ewe in the rear. Do you think the dog ever thinks WTF? :blink:/>/>/>

    I don't think the dogs really see it that way. Unless the situation is totally horrible and the dog is completely stressed, I doubt the dog is aware of much but the job at hand. He's not, or shouldn't be, thinking in terms of the human taking up his slack. If a dog lacks confidence and is caught in a nasty situation, i.e. a ewe that charges him or just stamps and faces him off for several minutes, then yes, I can see a dog suffering some sort of setback.

    But I also think that we as handlers practice enough at home, (or should,) in encouraging the dog to do as much of the work as possible, that the dog is not really expecting us to step in. Also, at the pen, there is so much that we can do: step forward or back, wiggle the rope, waggle our crook, stomp our feet, crouch or bend, (once I leaned over and BLEW in a ewe's face - she went in, lol) that I don't think the dog will really feel hung out to dry. Not unless we're just standing there like a lump.

    My tuppence, anyhow. :)/>/> And if things really go bad, I just try to let my dog know that I appreciate their effort and they are still a good dog.
    Respectfully submitted,

    Gloria

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    #8 User is offline ? Donald McCaig?

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    Posted Yesterday, 05:19 AM

    Dear Trainers,

    The boot to the butt or the crook across the bridge of the nose will, indeed, get the sheep's attention shifted from what you might want her to do to you - the new threat on the block. After decades of working sheep, I am trying to think of an instance where brute force made a sheep do what she didn't wanna. Still thinking . . .

    Donald McCaig


    #9 User is offline ? geonni banner?

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    Posted Yesterday, 01:30 PM

    View PostGloria Atwater, on 27 November 2012 - 12:44 AM, said:

    But I also think that we as handlers practice enough at home, (or should,) in encouraging the dog to do as much of the work as possible, that the dog is not really expecting us to step in.
    Gloria


    This explains it best for me. Do you train a dog that is primarily a farm/ranch working dog on a trial type course to get it ready to work in a trial?

    I'm assuming that the work interaction on a trial course is at least a little different from when the dog is at home. IE - the handler never touches the stock and stays at the post for the outrun, fetch, and cross drive.

    Would a shed at home be materially different from that on a trial course? Meaning, would the handler be helping to split the sheep using the crook or doing a bit of pushing?


    #10 User is offline ? geonni banner?

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    Posted Yesterday, 01:32 PM

    View PostDonald McCaig, on 27 November 2012 - 05:19 AM, said:

    Dear Trainers,

    The boot to the butt or the crook across the bridge of the nose will, indeed, get the sheep's attention shifted from what you might want her to do to you - the new threat on the block. After decades of working sheep, I am trying to think of an instance where brute force made a sheep do what she didn't wanna. Still thinking . . .

    Donald McCaig


    Well, maybe not the handler, but as for the dog but isn't that what a grip is for?

    #11 User is offline ? Smalahundur?

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    Posted Yesterday, 03:20 PM


    #12 User is offline ? Donald McCaig?

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    Posted Yesterday, 04:39 PM

    Dear Wouldbe Sheepdoggers,

    When I suggested that whacking a sheep rarely gets her to do what you wish, Ms Banner wondered: but isn't that what a" (dog) " grip is for?"

    Like other violence, there are times when a grip is effective and more times when it just makes things worse.

    Effective: some neighbor kids brought their ten pet sheep to be sheared with ours. Big Suffolk recovering bottle lambs, never seen a dog before. Luke promptly bit the leader on the nose to inform her she was a sheep.

    Makes things worse: Maiden ewe defending her newborn, sick sheep won't move, single sheep fleeing, terrified lamb . . .

    Donald McCaig


    #13 User is offline ? geonni banner?

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    Posted Yesterday, 04:53 PM

    View PostDonald McCaig, on 27 November 2012 - 04:39 PM, said:

    Dear Wouldbe Sheepdoggers,
    ...Like other violence, there are times when a grip is effective and more times when it just makes things worse...
    Donald McCaig


    I wish more folk could see this in day-to-day dealings. :(

    #14 User is offline ? TEC?

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    Posted Yesterday, 04:55 PM

    View Postgeonni banner, on 27 November 2012 - 01:32 PM, said:

    Well, maybe not the handler, but as for the dog but isn't that what a grip is for?

    A well-placed grip with just the right force, timing and duration certainly has its place in trialing and farm-work. Most handlers do not want to train the grip out of a dog, as it likely takes a little keenness with it. IME it's a fine balance that has to be maintained, so that your dog is not consistently getting DQ'd, yet retains good keenness along with a justified grip when reasonably needed. Parameters of what's justified varies among judges and handlers.

    My little dog has an ,"Are you talking to me?" snap toward the nose (never seen her connect) that usually turns the sheep another direction. Infrequently she has the standard run-along-side and briefly grip wool behind front shoulders, which tells me she was out of position, and she knew it. Little like the "blatant foul" in basketball. We're working on that one, chiefly by getting her into correct position from the beginning.

    Do good and experienced handlers humanely manhandle stock when need be? In event the dog, for instance, isn't successful pushing sheep through gate into muddy half of pen, handlers sometimes have to, for example, take hold of sheep to get a few through so that others will follow. The task needs to get done, nevertheless it would be poor training to have his dog try with all its ability, yet fail.

    I liked everything Gloria said, especially about handler (and dog) from time to time "stepping back", also known as pressure-and-release. This tactic can be especially effective for close-in work. Sometimes the dog and handler him/herself can inadvertently over pressure stock. When stock feel too much, too close, too forceful, or too fast they freeze in-place and/or turn assertively toward the dog. A dog and handler: 1) stepping back (or moving left/right) from the packet to be shed in order to spread the group, or 2) opening the gate only halfway, so that if stock stall in entrance, there is room to swing it further-still...these are examples of releasing pressure. It's best, I believe, to find ways to invite stock to do what they likely want to do in any event.

    I try to build my dog's confidence by placing her in progressively more difficult situations. If my estimation is off, and we find that she was moved along too soon, it may be best to set-up a more appropriate training scenario, or if a chore has to be done, step-up and use reasonable measures. Does a dog feel let-down by a handler who will not directly assist? I believe the dog loses a notch or two of confidence in his/her own abilities. IME herding dogs are resilient, and an occasional training error can be overcome by a little extra patience and better choice of difficulty levels. Incorporating intangibles of pace and flow can obviate many stock-dog-handler confrontations. -- Kind regards, TEC

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    #15 User is offline ? Smalahundur?

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    Posted Yesterday, 06:05 PM

    View PostDonald McCaig, on 27 November 2012 - 04:39 PM, said:

    Makes things worse: Maiden ewe defending her newborn, sick sheep won't move, single sheep fleeing, terrified lamb . . .


    Not to put a finer point on it, but nobody with any sense of stock would use violence, be it a nose grip or a whack from a staff in the above situations.
    But maybe I wasn?t in the group you adressed, what exactly are "wouldbe" sheepdoggers...?

    #16 User is online ? juliepoudrier?

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    Posted Yesterday, 07:02 PM

    View Postgeonni banner, on 27 November 2012 - 01:30 PM, said:

    This explains it best for me. Do you train a dog that is primarily a farm/ranch working dog on a trial type course to get it ready to work in a trial?

    I don't have panels or a pen so I personally don't train on a trial type course on a regular basis. But one can use the natural obstacles in a field to practice the elements of a trial course. I don't own a freestanding pen, so if I want to practice that I'd need to go elsewhere, but I can send sheep through gates or put them in barn stalls and really the principle is largely the same.

    Quote

    Would a shed at home be materially different from that on a trial course? Meaning, would the handler be helping to split the sheep using the crook or doing a bit of pushing?


    From a practical standpoint, if I needed to sort sheep at home, the fastest and easiest way to do so is to gate sort. This means that you man the gate and use your dog to bring the sheep up and then shift them around so the sheep you want end up at the gate opening and you can let them through. I almost never have a need to shed in an open field, but on occasions when I need to do that, how much I help or train or anything else would largely depend on why I'm separating a sheep and how pressed for time I am.

    Likewise, I wouldn't take the time to park a trailer in the middle of a field and then proceed to try to load it. It would be an interesting training exercise to do so, but if I'm loading a trailer it's usually because I need to get the sheep somewhere on time and so I need to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. So in that case, I'd pull the trailer along a fence or in a gateway or something similar so that I could create something of a chute that would funnel the sheep toward the back of the trailer. That would make it easier for me and the dog(s) to get the sheep loaded as efficiently and non-traumatically (for the sheep) as possible.

    ETA: I went back and looked at your original question, and I think you need to consider context as well. In the livestock management section the discussion was about a ewe facing off and stomping at a *pup.* Youngsters can be seriously set back if they are hit, chased, etc., by a ewe. So in a case like that, as I said there, I'd probably go over and help turn the ewe. Normally just getting between her and a pup and wavings one's arms would be enough to turn her, but if not, then yeah, I might whack her on the nose. But you have to remember that it's a special circumstance and not an everyday occurence.

    J.

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    #17 User is online ? juliepoudrier?

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    Posted Yesterday, 07:06 PM

    Quote

    Makes things worse: Maiden ewe defending her newborn, sick sheep won't move, single sheep fleeing, terrified lamb

    Not to put a finer point on it, but nobody with any sense of stock would use violence, be it a nose grip or a whack from a staff in the above situations.

    Well, to be honest, if I have a single fleeing and the dog gets in front of it and stops it with a nose grip I don't consider that a situation where a grip *isn't* warranted. But for the other cases, I generally agree.

    J.

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    #18 User is offline ? Gloria Atwater?

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    Posted Yesterday, 08:51 PM

    View Postgeonni banner, on 27 November 2012 - 01:30 PM, said:

    This explains it best for me. Do you train a dog that is primarily a farm/ranch working dog on a trial type course to get it ready to work in a trial?

    I'm assuming that the work interaction on a trial course is at least a little different from when the dog is at home. IE - the handler never touches the stock and stays at the post for the outrun, fetch, and cross drive.

    Would a shed at home be materially different from that on a trial course? Meaning, would the handler be helping to split the sheep using the crook or doing a bit of pushing?

    I'm just moved up to Open, so still a newbie to higher levels of trialing, but for my own part, I like my dogs to understand both work and trialing. I don't own sheep, but whenever I can help friends or even just help out at a trial, I jump at the chance.

    For my level of trialing - i.e., not world-moving - I'm not training a trial course, per se. I'm training the segments of it. I want a nice, long drive on my dogs, so I work to encourage steady driving. I want pace when coming into a panel and alacrity when turning into the cross drive, so I train and encourage solid stops, an honest "steady" and clean flanks. (We can discuss another time whether I get those! :D)

    One thing I can see that can catch a handler up, when taking a dog from farm work to trialing, is that in daily work, the dog is permitted to make more of his own decisions. There's a job to do, the dog 'gets' the job, so we aren't requiring as much precision or obedience.

    So, if I have a trial coming up, I'll take time out to put on extra polish, sharpen up the stops, focus on the pace, and in general make sure the dog's responses are a little crisper and cleaner than in daily work. I'm reminding him that hey, pal, right now I need you to give a little more focus to what I'm telling you, not just what you think we're doing. ;)

    I'm still fairly shaky on the shed, but when practicing shedding at home, (read, at my friends' places) my focus is on helping my dogs understand and become eager about the shed, so I am doing a fair bit of helping. I'll step in more, use my crook more, stamp my feet, etc., to make that opening happen. (In practice/training, I'm dealing with fairly doggy farm-flock sheep.) But in a trial, I think judges prefer to see minimal human input, in the shed. We get to pick the place to make the cut, but I would expect the judge to nick me pretty hard, if I step in to make the gap.

    That said, though, being as I'm still starting out, I'll do what I think it takes to make the shed happen. Someday when I'm better at this, I'll worry about making my shedding more judge-approved. ;)

    Respectfully submitted,

    Gloria

    You ask of my companions. Hills, sir, and the sundown, and a dog as large as myself that my father bought me. They are better than human beings, because they know but do not tell. ~ Emily Dickinson

    To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace. ~ Milan Kundera


    #19 User is offline ? DeltaBluez Tess?

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    Posted Yesterday, 09:31 PM

    View PostDonald McCaig, on 27 November 2012 - 04:39 PM, said:

    Dear Wouldbe Sheepdoggers,

    Donald McCaig

    Don,

    Who are you referring to "Wouldbe Sheepdoggers".....this kinda implies none of us are sheepdog folks but wannabes....which is not true for me as well as some of others who have sheep and/or are Open trial folks...or you just only addressing those who are not folks who do not have sheep and/or do not trial?

    Diane


    #20 User is offline ? geonni banner?

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    • Interests:Photography, dog training, samurai movies, anime, illustration

    Posted Yesterday, 10:12 PM

    Well, as for myself, I'm a would-like-to-be-but-probably-never-will-be-sheepdogger asking academic questions. There are probably lots of us here. And lots of the-real-deal-sheepdoggers and a number of people with zero interest in sheepdogging. And I'm sure we all know which category we fit into. I don't think any disrespect was intended.

    I started this thread because I really do care about Border Collies - the real ones that work sheep. Despite the fact that money, mobility issues and agoraphobia will likely conspire to keep me and sheep in very different environments, I want to know as much as I can about these dogs and their work - in the paddock or on the trial field.

    I want to hear more about how these dogs and their handlers do things. I want to hear Julie explain why she thinks dogs don't have WTF moments, because my dogs all seemed to me to have them, like the time my Collie saw me in a gorilla suit. (Don't ask) And the time my Doberman went to guard dog evaluation and one of the testers came out banging a bamboo cane on the ground, wearing a burlap bag over his head, singing "Camptown Races" and walking like a drunk. Her mouth snapped shut, she watched him with amazement for a moment and then gave me a look that said, plain as day, "Are you seeing this? WTF?!"

    ETA: My Doberman flunked the guard dog evaluation - "Smart, a great dog, but not at all protective." The following week she caught a guy trying to pry a screen off one of the back windows of the house. She went for him, chased him to the 6-foot back yard fence, which he tried to clamber over, and held him by the calf of his leg until the police arrived to rescue him. He required sixty-some stitches.


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