Late this morning Awards Daily‘s Sasha Stone and I discussed Argo‘s PGA and SAG wins and the seemingly inevitable romp that will follow. It was mainly me interviewing Sasha because she’s more knowledgable (i.e., obsessed with) the stats and the histories and so on. But I got a few licks in.
When Lincoln‘s Tommy Lee Jones was announced last night as the recipient of SAG’s Best Supporting Actor award, my first thought was “is this a compensation gesture about SAG voters expressing admiration for Lincoln‘s parts rather than its whole? Because they knew it can’t and won’t win Best Ensemble, which is SAG’s version of Best Picture?”
I also asked myself “what happened to embracing Robert De Niro for being attuned and back in a galloping mode and on the emotional stick in Silver Linings Playbook when he nailed that bedside scene with Bradley Cooper?”
The other three acting races have been locked for some time now and hold no suspense —
Lincoln‘s Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor, SLP‘s Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress and Les Miserables‘ Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting Actress.
If I was approaching this marquee with a friend who doesn’t know much about movies and he asked what’s good, I’d urge him to see Mama, of course. But beyond that forget it. Films of this calibre are what January tends to be. No avoiding it, nothing to get excited or depressed about. Just focus on non-fiction books, TV, Blurays and DVDs of classics and/or well-reviewed films you didn’t get around to seeing in ’12.
Argo just won the SAG Ensemble Award instead of Silver Linings Playbook, and I think that settles it, don’t you? Argo wins the Best Picture Oscar. Done, settled, finito, sealed. And Lincoln is…how did a journalist I spoke to put it last night? “I know the Academy,” this person said. “They vote for what they like, and not what a guild goes for”…or words to that effect. There’s a limit to ignoring the signs.
Michael Cieply‘s 1.28 N.Y. Times piece about Joel and Ethan Coen‘s Inside Llewyn Davis, based on a recent interview with Joel, states the following:
Oscar Isaac in Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis.
(a) The film will privately screen next week in Los Angeles for “some music industry insiders and perhaps a few potential buyers.” Hey, Joel or Scott Rudin, what about a friendly columnist or two attending?
(b) Inside Llewyn Davis will probably screen in Cannes, with or without a U.S. distributor.
(c) “There isn’t quite as much plot as is usual for the brothers,” but then you knew that if you read my 3.9.12 screenplay review. An excerpt: “The Coen’s script, typically sharp and well-honed with tasty characters and tart, tough dialogue, is about lethargy, really. And taking care of a friend’s cat. And seeing to an abortion and trying to get paid and figure out your next move and…whatever else, man. It’s about a guy who isn’t even close to getting his act together, who just shuffles around from one couch to the next, grasping at straws, doing a session recording one day and trying to land a performing gig the next, like a rolling stone, no direction home.”
(d) “For the record Llewyn Davis doesn’t really resemble, or sound like, Dave Van Ronk, whose posthumous 2005 memoir, ‘The Mayor of Macdougal Street,’ written with Elijah Wald, served as source material for the film.” But you also knew that, etc. An excerpt: “I can tell you that the character of Llewyn Davis bears no resemblance whatsover to the Dave Van Ronk I’ve read about over the years. He was always a relatively minor, small-time figure in terms of fame and record sales, but he was heavily committed to folk music, to the West Village musician community, to his troubadour way of life and certainly to everything that was starting to happen in the early ’60s. If nothing else a man who lived large. Llewyn Davis as created by the Coen bros. (and played by the relatively small-statured and Latin-looking Oscar Isaac) is a guy who lives and thinks small, and who’s no match for Van Ronk spiritually either. He’s glum, morose — a kick-around guy trying to make it as a folk musician but not much of a go-getter. He’s vaguely pissed-off, resentful, a bit dull. He can sing and play guitar and isn’t untalented, but he has no fire in the belly. And any way you want to slice it Llewyn Davis is not Van Ronk. Or at least, not in any way I was able to detect.”
Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake in Inside Llewyn Davis.
(e) Inside Llewyn Davis “promises to be quintessential Coen brothers fare — but different,”
(f) “It has a certain kinship with Les Miserables” with almost all the principal actors — Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake — singing and “lots of duets and trios.”
Possibly significant question: Cieply doesn’t mention whether the film is presented in black-and-white or not (the stills illustrating the piece obviously suggest this), but a monochrome Davis would be delicious. For guys like myself, I mean.
Three and a half months have passed since Criterion announced its decision to issue its On The Waterfront Bluray (streeting on 2.19, or about three weeks hence) in three separate aspect ratios — 1.33, 1.66 and 1.85. And I’m still trying to understand how this doesn’t undermine if not discredit Bob Furmanek‘s advocacy of 1.85 as a general cropping standard for Blurays and DVDs of all non-Scope films shot from April 1953 on.
There’s no disputing that non-Scope films began to be projected in U.S. theatres starting in mid to late ’53 and that this standard gathered momentum and was pretty much the across-the-board deal by the end of that year, or certainly by early ’54. Nor is anyone disputing that Elia Kazan‘s On The Waterfront, released in July 1954, was shot by Kazan with the understanding that it would be projected at 1.85. I’ve looked at the 1.85 version on iTunes and while I don’t find it comforting or pleasing, it’s very nicely framed. Kazan was no bum. He knew what he was doing.
Why, then, did Criterion chiefs decide to ignore Furmanek’s research and issue three different versions of Waterfront? Uhm, gee….I don’t know. Because the film breathes much better at 1.33 or 1.66? Because they see merit in my argument about headroom being a really nice and desirable thing? Because they decided that distributors and exhibitors wanting theatrical films to be presented at 1.85 from mid-1953 on so they would look wider than TV screens shouldn’t be the end-all and be-all of watching films on Bluray in the 21st Century?
In my book the Furmanek 1.85 theology went out the window when Criterion decided on this triple-aspect-ratio approach. Criterion is by far the most purist, dweeby, grain-monky home-video outfit in the United States, and if these guys decide that 1.85 isn’t the King Shit of aspect ratios for a classic 1954 film…well, that means something. It means “all bets are off” if a company renowned for cinematically pure standards is willing to accomodate the headroom values that I’ve been espousing for years. It means that the game is basically over for the 1.85 fascists.
From here on the shape of every 1950s and ’60s film being mastered for Bluray is negotiable. If Criterion can play it loose and tap-dancey with the aspect ratio of On The Waterfront, any aspect ratio on any non-Scope film can be fiddled with.
Here’s how I explained it last October in a piece called “Glorious Furmanek Setback“: “Directors and dps of the mid ’50s used and composed 1.85 framings starting in 1953 because they were ordered to and not because they wanted to. I also find it hard to believe that anyone with any sense of aesthetic balance and serenity would have freely chosen 1.85 framing a when the much more elegant 1.33 or 1.66 framings were an option. And so I’ve always felt a profound resentment toward absolutist 1.85 advocates when it comes to evaluating the proper proportion of films of this era.
“I genuinely feel there is something cramped and perverse in the aesthetic eye of anyone who would consider these options and say, ‘It is better to squeeze the action down into this severely cropped-off aspect ratio…it is better to have the action in this or that film confined within a lowered-ceiling aesthetic straight out of Orson Bean‘s cramped office floor in Being John Malkovich.’
“And it is also my belief — my allowance — that the 1950s TV box aspect ratio of 1.33 is somehow more calming than 1.66, that it agrees with and flows naturally from the framing aesthetic of Hollywood of the ‘early ’30s to mid ’50s, which was deeply ingrained at the beginning of the studio-mandated transition era that began in the spring of 1953, and that it conveys a certain naturalism, a freedom, an atmosphere of gloriously spacious headroom…aahh, why go on? You can’t explain this stuff. Either the eyes of the beholder get it or they don’t. Mine know the truth of it. The concept of removing visual information from a frame of film strikes me as wicked and almost evil, in a way.”
“It is different today, of course. Our aesthetic eye, our sense of visual rhyme and harmony adapted decades ago to seeing movies in 1.85, and it’s as natural as breathing now…but not then. NOT then. At the very, very least, if the research-fortified, Movie God-defiant Forces of Furmanek insist on 1.85 framings for Blurays of films from this era, they should at least follow the example of the Masters of Cinema Touch of Evil and now — hark the herald angels sing! — the upcoming Criterion Bluray of On The Waterfront and offer dual or triple aspect ratios.”
I own Criterion’s Sunday Bloody Sunday Bluray, and have watched it at least twice since getting my copy two or three months ago. And up until yesterday I never knew that Daniel Day Lewis is the tallish, dark-haired kid scratching cars. Lewis was born in April 1957, so he was 13 when the film was shot in late ’70. He’s not even recognizable. I was inspired to check this after Scott Feinberg asked DDL about this last night.
Daniel Day Lewis, the presumed winner of the 2012 Best Actor Oscar for his Lincoln performance, sat down last night in Santa Barbara for a fairly solemn and somewhat revealing interview with Hollywood Reporter columnist Scott Feinberg. There was nothing playful, irreverent or spur-of-the-moment going on between them. It was strictly a “here’s a serious question” and “here’s my serious answer” type of discussion, and that was fine. I was into it. I felt on some level like I was studying for a final exam, and that it was important to listen carefully.
Daniel Day Lewis during last night’s conversation with Scott Feinberg at Santa Barbara’s Arlington theatre — Saturday, 1.26, 9:10 pm.
I found their talk absorbing because Lewis, it seemed, was being, in his mercurial way, as open and confessional as his personality allowed. He was “playing the game” as frankly as he knew how, and I respected that.
Before Ben Affleck‘s Argo won the Producers’ Guild Darryl F. Zanuck award last night, the blogger/columnist view was “the PGA winner won’t be a lock to win the Best Picture Oscar — we all remember Little Miss Sunshine — but a PGA triumph definitely ups the odds and makes an Oscar win very likely.”
After the Argo win (which happened as I was watching the Daniel Day Lewis tribute at Santa Barbara’s Arlington theatre, or a little after 10 pm), the blogger/columnist rumble became “well, uhm…it appears that Lincoln has some stiff competition! Could it be that the our very own, historically-fortified, Spielberg-default, Guru-endorsed Lincoln might actually lose? Well, one thing’s for sure…we have a horse race!”
Lincoln has won no significant Best Picture honors, Argo has won three (PGA, BFCA and Golden Globes), and Silver Linings Playbook is favored to win the Best Ensemble SAG Award at the Shrine Auditorium tonight…and certain blogger/columnists are concluding that Argo might win “but who knows…we have our doubts…the Academy is not the PGA…it has its own way of thinking…could Lincoln snag a win regardless? It’s possible!” (Last night in Santa Barbara a respected columnist conveyed this view in so many words.)
Take the needle out of your arm and listen to the sound of Oscar pollen blowing in the wind. As a Best Picture contender, Lincoln is dead, dead, deader than dead.
Argo is a soft contender, agreed. It doesn’t have anyone’s idea of a strong subtext or thematic undertow. Every since Telluride I’ve been calling it a very well-made caper film — a “secret CIA operation to put one over on the Islamic radicals” movie that is well written, very nicely acted and smoothly assured, that offers a few knowing cracks about film-industry phonies and delivers a satisfying finale in which the baddies are foiled…curses!
So yes, Argo‘s support is not as impassioned as it could be, but the support for Lincoln is even less impassioned. That’s obvious.
The Best Picture contender with the most ardent support is Silver Linings Playbook, or so it’s been observed, but the SLP Hate Brigade has colored the conversation on that film and the longstanding prejudice against Best Picture-ing a comedy or a romcom (despite the fact that SLP is more accurately described as a spirited meds-and-mental-illness dramedy) is as alive as ever.
In my humble view the other “secret CIA plot to put one over on the Islamic radicals and make them angry” film — Zero Dark Thirty — is a sturdier, more impressive achievement. It’s less “commercial,” more finely woven, a stronger dose and obviously more realistic. Compare Argo‘s pure-Hollywood finale at Tehran airport with the cars driving alongside the jet to ZD30‘s Seal attack on the Bin Laden compound in Abottobad. No contest. Three or four months from now Argo will be a Netflix favorite; Zero Dark Thirty will one day be a Criterion Bluray.
But the lazy brains have bought into the leftie-Stalinist bullshit that Kathryn Bigelow‘s film endorses torture, and that’s where the conversation has pretty much stopped.
In my heart of hearts and dream of dreams, Silver Linings Playbook — my emotional favorite of 2012 — pulls out a surprise win. But that’s a dream. Argo will win. It’s pretty much over.
Fair assessment: “Ben Affleck‘s Argo has sealed its comeback from Oscar-nomination disappointment to become the clear frontrunner in the Best Picture race. This year’s best-picture race has been wide open…but wins at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards gave Affleck’s CIA-meets-Hollywood thriller a boost, and the PGA win now edges it past Lincoln and suggests that Argo could well become only the third film to win the top Oscar without a Best Director nomination.” — Steve Pond at TheWrap.
Denial quote #1: “[The PGA win] was the latest triumph for Argo, which won the Golden Globes motion picture-drama earlier in the month. With the win, the film establishes itself firmly as a solid contender for the Best Picture Oscar after earlier being thought out of the running when Ben Affleck was snubbed for best director by the motion picture academy.” — Chris Lee, Julie Makinen, L.A. Times.
“Tentative” Semi-Denial Quote: “It’s starting to get serious. [The PGA] is the first guild to weigh in so we have a tentative frontrunner in Argo now for the Academy Awards’ Best Picture.” — Deadline‘s Pete Hammond.
Even-keeled assessment by Variety‘s Dave McNary: “The PGA winner has matched the Oscar Best Picture winner in the last five years with The Artist, The King’s Speech, The Hurt Locker, Slumdog Millionaire and No Country for Old Men. The PGA and AMPAS last diverged in 2006 when the Zanuck award went to Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed won the Oscar.
“The PGA uses the preferential balloting system employed for the Academy Awards and the PGA winner has matched the Oscar Best Picture in 16 of 23 years. There are 494 producers in the producers branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — about 8 percent of the AMPAS membership. “
I saw relatively few of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival award winners announced thus far: I missed Fruitvale (Grand Jury + Audience Award for Best Dramatic feature), saw Inequality For All (winner of Special Jury Prize, U.S. Documentary) and totally missed the following: Blood Brother (US Doc Audience Award), Metro Manila (Audience Award for Best World Narrative), The Square (World Doc Audience Award), This is Martin Bonner (Best of Next), A River Changes Course (World Doc Grand Jury Prize), Pussy Riot: A Pink Prayer (World Cinema, Special Jury Prize, Documentary)…to hell with this. I saw everything I thought I should have seen, and I missed out on a few and that’s that.
No way I’m not watching House of Cards, the David Fincher-produced, Kevin Spacey-starring Netflix series that begins on Friday, February 1st. Particularly the first two episodes, which Fincher directed. An initial run of 13 episodes followed by a second run…when? Cards is the first project made specifically for Netflix. $100 million smackers for 26 episodes. Here’s the original British series, which I watched so long ago I barely remember the particulars.
I announced this morning that I’ll jump off the Santa Barbara pier if Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln wins the Daryl F. Zanuck award at the conclusion of tonight’s Producers Guild Awards. (The announcement should come around 10 pm Pacific, give or take.) A little while ago I was going to walk down to the end of the pier to see how much of a jump it is and whether the water is deep enough as I don’t make idle threats. But I’m not getting wet tonight. You know it, I know it.
I’ve just spoken to Deadline‘s Pete Hammond, who’s on his way down to the Beverly Hilton as we speak. None of the handlers are certain what’s going to happen or not happen, he says, but Lincoln is probably not going to take it because “it doesn’t have the passion vote.” I’ve been saying that all along. It’s hard to vote for a combination civics lesson, grandfather clock and sleeping pill.
Either Ben Affleck‘s Argo or David O. Russell‘s Silver Linings Playbook will take the prize….but probably Argo, which “puts producers in a good light,” remarks Hammond. “That’s as good a reason as any other” to predict an Argo win.
I personally believe that Bill Clinton‘s Lincoln plug at the Golden Globes was the thing that cooked Lincoln‘s goose as it made Spielberg, who asked Clinton to show up, look too desperate, too hungry.
I’m betting on Silver Linings Playbook winning the SAG ensemble award tomorrow night. The 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards will air on TBS and TNT at 5 p.m. Pacific.
SAG ensemble could go to Silver Linings or Les Miz…they could well get the ensemble thing…..
- All Hail Tom White, Taciturn Hero of “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Roughly two months ago a very early draft of Eric Roth‘s screenplay for Killers of the Flower Moon (dated 2.20.17,...More »


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We are still waiting on weather in Brusand. The weather is better today (Thursday) than yesterday (see videos from yesterday below) but it is still breaking white all the way to the horizon on Thursday. And Hauge Dalane is a tough stretch to paddle with lots of confused reflex waves on the best of days.
Tomorrow is the plan to cross there. That will make it four nights at Brusand, the longest weather wait since Lotsvillan in March 2018..
Winter in Skåne vs Summer in Norway:-)
In stead we went to soaking wet Egersund to do some shopping and have lunch. “Biblioteket “ restaurant at Torget in Egersund comes highly recommended for their fish soup.
As a local said by way of recommendation, “it is heavily cremated”. But it didn’t taste smoky rather very creamy:-) lots of calories!
Tomorrow (Friday) we expect to get going again. WP.

domain: travel


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Tonight: Evening showers and storms, but they should fade late this evening. Spotty showers are possible overnight, but most areas will likely stay dry. Otherwise, partly to mostly cloudy with temperatures in the 70s. Areas of fog by the morning.
Friday: Showers and storms will likely begin to develop by the morning. Rain will grow in coverage and intensity as the morning progresses. The threat for localized flooding continues into Thursday.
Weekend: Rain coverage should come down a little bit into our weekend – It won’t be all too much, but rain coverage shouldn’t be as widespread. Showers and storms will likely be more confined to the peak-heating hours of the day, which means they would begin to pop up around mid-morning and lasting through the early evening hours. Highs will be in the upper 80s. Some spots may briefly top out near 90 degrees over the weekend.
Next Week: More daily storms in the forecast with highs in the 80s. Seven-day rain totals will be around 2 to 4 inches with isolated spots picking up over 4 inches.
Tracking the Tropics: A couple of tropical waves are being monitored by the National Hurricane Center. One wave is moving into the Caribbean and could eventually move into the Gulf. It’s not a guarantee, but it bears watching. No imminent threats for now. Keep in mind, most hurricanes develop during the months of August, September, and October, on average.

domain: news


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Hear KDKA Crystal-Clear on HD3 Channels of B94, Y108 and Star 100.7
PITTSBURGH – The world’s pioneer commercial radio station, NewsRadio 1020 KDKA, can now be heard on FM.
KDKA’s programming is now airing on the HD3 channels of its three CBS Radio Pittsburgh sister stations: WBZW-FM 93.7 (B94), WDSY-FM 107.9 (Y108) and WZPT-FM 100.7 (Star 100.7). The crystal-clear news-talk programming can be heard only on high definition receivers, available wherever radios are sold.
“I am pleased to see the distribution of KDKA’s programming expanded,” said Michael Young, CBS Radio senior vice president and Pittsburgh market manager. “This will provide our audience with additional ways to listen to KDKA’s news reporting and talk programs.”
“This is radio the way it was meant to be heard,” said KDKA program director Marshall Adams. “The sound is fuller and more brilliant. Our news and talk has never sounded better.”
HD technology allows FM stations to create subchannels, offering listeners more programming choices. One of the two subchannels on each CBS Radio FM station in Pittsburgh now simulcasts KDKA, 24 hours a day.
KDKA began simulcasting on WDSY and WZPT’s HD3 channels on Nov. 10, and WBZW’s HD3 on Dec. 2.
On May 21, KDKA began broadcasting its monster 50,000-watt signal on 1020 kHz in high definition. KDKA has been heard worldwide since March 14, 2005, when the station started streaming at KDKAradio.com.
* * *
Press Contact: Marshall Adams (412) 575-2320 [email protected]
Director of News/Talk Programming


“On this day in history” Royal Navy A-class submarine HMS A12 placed into commission.
Getty seem to have captioned this photo “HMS Aurora A12,” but this is a mistake. The Aurora with pennant no. 12 was an Arethusa-class cruiser. Definitely not a submarine.
The A-class were the Royal Navy’s first submarines built to a British design. All thirteen submarines in the class were built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness.
Flotilla of A-class submarines, including HMS A12.
Already obsolete by the outbreak of war in 1914, A12 and the other submarines in her class were used for harbour defence and training. After the war, A12 was placed on the disposal list and scrapped at Ardrossan in 1920.
HMCS Haida, a Tribal Class destroyer built in England, was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy in 1943, serving in many theatres of operation through the Second World War. After a post-war refit, Haida continued in service through Korean War and Cold War situations, until she was decommissioned in 1963. The ship was acquired by the Province of Ontario and moved to Ontario Place (Toronto) in 1971. The ship was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984 by the federal government, and ownership was transferred to Parks Canada in 2002. HMCS Haida arrived at Pier 9 in Hamilton Harbour on August 30, 2003, the 60th anniversary of her commissioning.


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8 tips for avoiding back pain at home and at work
April 14, 2016
Topic: 8 tips for avoiding back pain at home and at work
Musculoskeletal injuries and complaints are extremely common, and are one of the primary causes of missed days at work, the United States Department of Labor explained. Workers in an array of industries are vulnerable to a number of different musculoskeletal injuries, often caused by practices such as heavy lifting, pushing and pulling, sitting awkwardly, or executing repetitive tasks, such as typing. There is also the risk of musculoskeletal injury outside of the workplace, with a list of seemingly benign activities, such as sitting on the couch or lying in bed, potentially contributing to pain or injury.
By far one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints is lower back pain. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons elaborated that well over 75 percent of all Americans will experience back pain to some degree. There are a number of reasons why this occurs and they are usually associated with work and lifestyle activities. For example, bad posture, heavy lifting and muscle strain all lead to the complaint. According to Britain's National Health Service, back pain is a primary cause of days missed at the office, resulting in an estimated 15 million lost work days across the U.K. in 2013 alone.
"Over 75% of Americans will experience back pain at some point."
Despite the ubiquity of back pain, it's possible to carry out a number of simple preventative behaviors that can curtail the risk, both at home and in the workplace. Below is a guide to eight of the most effective:
1. Place a pillow under knees when resting
It's common knowledge that a bad mattress can lead to a poor night's sleep and subsequent back discomfort. Aside from investing in a comfortable mattress, a handy tip to preclude sleep- or rest-related back pain is to place a pillow under the knees, Healthline explained. The pillow will absorb as much as half of the pressure that is usually placed on the spine.
2. Make calcium and vitamin D a priority
Healthline detailed that back pain is often a corollary of aging and age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis. An important way to curtail the risk of developing the condition is through an increased intake of vitamin D and calcium. Dietary calcium can be found in dairy products such as milk and cheese, while high concentrations of vitamin D can be located in meats such as beef and fish. It's also advisable to take supplements in some cases, although a physician's consultation is recommended first.
3. Stand straight
Good posture can significantly slash the odds of developing back problems. This is because poor posture - i.e. not standing up straight - can place strain on the spine, and over time it can actually alter its composition, Healthline noted.
4. Keep active
It's important to keep muscles active and moving. After all, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the leading causes of back issues. The NHS suggested that a break from sitting or laying down should be taken at least every half an hour, whether it be at home or at work in the office. An ideal break time will last anywhere from 2-5 minutes.
5. Exercise more
According to Healthline, regular exercise, aside from providing a myriad of other health benefits, can cut the risk of developing back pain. Core exercises in particular are fantastic for reducing the probability of back spasms or strains.
6. Don't slouch while working on a computer
Many people report back pain after working in jobs that require them to spend long hours sitting at a desk, looking at a screen. Health.com asserted that it's a wise idea to keep the head up when looking forward at a screen. The head and neck should be firmly above the shoulders to stop the development of an unnecessary strain. While working at a desk it's also necessary to move the mouse and keyboard forward, placing them within easy reach.
7. Practice slow breathing
While this may not be an obvious step, effective breathing can actually do wonders for the lower back muscles. Health.com advised taking in deep and slow breathes before releasing: The practice gives the core a notable work out, which in turn can strengthen the back, rendering it less vulnerable to injury.
8. Learn how to lift properly
For individuals working in industries such as construction or manufacturing, heavy lifting and pulling or pushing cumbersome items can lead to severe back injuries and chronic pain. The key to this kind of injury avoidance is learning how to lift effectively. The NHS detailed the best way to lift a heavy item: Straighten the back, keep the head completely up and then lift with the legs. The NHS also advised that it's imperative not to lift too much at any one time. Lifting is by far one of the most common contributors to long-term back problems, so following sensible safety guidelines is important in efforts to curtail risk.
Research & Education news & articles
- Why do you feel less sore when you continually work out? ~ 7/4/2016
- The best and worst foods for arthritis patients ~ 6/20/2016
- What is gout? ~ 6/17/2016
- 5 tips for staying healthy while working in an office ~ 6/8/2016
- What is fibromyalgia? ~ 5/24/2016

domain: medical


From her morning sickness to her slender build... the clues that Kate's having a girl
- Hyperemesis gravidarum is more commonly found among women expecting girls
- A study also showed women who consumed lower-calorie diets were more likely to have daughters
While we now know that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby will be third in line to the throne whether it is a boy or a girl, we are still no closer to confirming its gender.
Yet science and folklore both give us clues that suggest William and Kate will have a daughter.
For starters, Kate’s debilitating morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum, is more commonly found among women expecting girls.
Slender: One study has indicated women who consumed fewer calories were more likely to give birth to girls
And the Duchess’s slim build may also hint at a royal daughter. A 2008 study at the University of Exeter showed women who consumed lower-calorie diets were more likely to have girls because female foetuses can survive on fewer nutrients.
William’s occupation as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot could also play
its part. An American study found pilots had an 80 per cent chance of
having girl babies.
One theory is that exposure to
radiation on planes reduces the number of sperm carrying male
chromosomes, but sperm carrying hardier female chromosomes are
And if Kate is spotted leaving a Kensington dermatologist, it’s odds-on for a daughter.
French researchers found that mothers who suffered acne while pregnant were 90 per cent more likely to give birth to a girl due to excess levels of the female hormone oestrogen.
Clues: The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to hospital suffering from debilitating morning sickness
On the other hand, there may be some truth in the idea that women who suffer cold feet will have a son.
Cold feet are a symptom of poor circulation — and German scientists have found that this condition during pregnancy is often experienced among women expecting boys, though they haven’t yet been able to explain why.
If all else fails, there is one final method of prediction: ask the Duchess whether she thinks she is expecting a boy or a girl.
According to scientists from Arizona, women’s intuition is the most accurate gender predictor of all.
Asked to guess the sex of their child, mothers-to-be are correct 70 per cent of the time.
So, Kate, spill the beans. Is it a boy or a girl?
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Brock, A. J., Sudwarts, A., Daggett, J. M., Parker, M. O., & Brennan, C. H. (2017). A fully automated computer based Skinner box for testing learning and memory in zebrafish. bioRxiv, 110478 [Preprint]. March 23, 2017.
Zebrafish are an important model species with unparalleled potential to advance understanding of the genetics and neurobiology of behaviour through genetic and pharmacological screening and mutant analysis. However, advances using this species have been limited by the lack of robust, standardised methodology and equipment suitable for assessing adult behaviour. Here we describe a simple, fully automated, computer based, operant system for measuring behaviour in juvenile and adult zebrafish and provide detailed protocols for appetitive and aversive assays to assess cognitive function in adult zebrafish. Applications include the study of cognition in zebrafish (and other similar sized fish species) and in zebrafish models of psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, Huntington's disease, frontotemporal dementia), and characterisation of the role of select brain regions, neurotransmitter systems and genes in zebrafish. Further, the scalable nature of the system makes the protocols suitable for use in pharmacological and genetic screening programmes.
zebrafish; behaviour; translational neuroscience; neuropsychological tests; automation

domain: biology


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Yesterday’s crop progress from the USDA shows that things are still behind and grain markets are starting to pay more attention.
“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.” – Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese writer)
US Crop Progress Supports Grain Markets
Grain markets this morning are slightly in the red after a mostly positive day in the green yesterday on crop progress speculation.
Canola prices are back below $530 CAD /MT this morning despite the Canadian Loonie weakening below 78 cents USD (which is thanks to the US Dollar approaching levels of resistance). Also pressuring canola prices is soy oil, which is down 8.2% for the year, including losing more than 4% alone in April.
Make sure to check out the FarmLead Insights page later today as we’ll be publishing our recap of April grain markets activity for all of the 12 crops that we cover in GrainCents: corn, soybeans, canola, flax, winter wheat, spring wheat, durum, barley, oats, peas, lentils, and chickpeas.
While canola got a bullish StatsCan report last Friday, canola prices haven’t caught on to any of the bullish indicators to help push values higher. One argument that’s being made is that canola prices are already expensive relative to other oilseeds, like soybeans.
On that note, Argentina has bought two more boatloads of US soybeans for September delivery as they deal with a smaller crop. Almost 500,000 tonnes of US soybeans have now been bought by Argentina. Conversely, out of their expected 38-40 million-tonne harvest, soybean farmers in Argentina are reported to have forward sold nearly 16 million tonnes of the crop this year, which aligns with last year’s sales.
Chicago, Kansas City Wheat Prices Improve
As Garrett mentioned in yesterday afternoon’s Grain Markets Today post, wheat prices led grain markets’ mostly green day. Specifically, SRW wheat prices in Chicago was up 3%, while HRW wheat prices in Kansas City gained a little more than 1%. The main reason for the boost was crop progress concerns as we came out of another cold weekend with the US winter wheat crop still exposed.
Later this week, on Thursday, May 3, we’ll get the final numbers from the US Wheat Quality Council’s winter wheat crop tour through Kansas. This year’s issue isn’t so much snow and cold weather, but rather the drier conditions that the crop is dealing with. The drought in the Southern Plains is no 2011, but the lack of moisture could certainly impact the germination of the crop.  Historically speaking, if the region receives some rains in May, then the crop tends to turn out pretty good.
Yesterday afternoon, the USDA crop progress report showed us that the portion of the US winter wheat crop rated good-to-excellent (G/E) gained 2 points week-over-week to close at 33%. That’s still a far cry from the 54% G/E rating we saw at this point a year ago and the five-year average of 45%.
Although they’re in the red this morning, spring wheat prices also improved yesterday by more than 1% and are still technically in the green for the week. This is mainly to do with the US spring wheat crop progress or lack thereof regarding planting. Just 10% of the US spring wheat crop has been planted as of Sunday. Sure, that’s up 7 points week-over-week, but we were at 30% planted this time a year ago. Also, the five-year average is 36% of the US spring wheat crop planted by now. There’s some work to do.
Crop Progress A Bit Slow?
On that note, the USDA’s crop progress report showed us our first real look at US soybean planting. 5% of the crop has now been seeded, up 3 points from last Sunday’s activity. This is in line with the five-year average but yesterday saw a hotter start with 9% of the US soybean crop planted before the end of April.
For corn though, it echoes spring wheat progress in the field. The USDA crop progress report showed us that just 17% of the US corn crop had been seeded. That’s almost half of the 32% of US corn acres that were planted at this time a year ago, and well behind the five-year average of 27% planted by now.
Check the variable crop progress in the major corn-producing states below, especially those in the US corn belt and major fringe-acre player Minnesota:
Overall, as I mentioned in yesterday’s Breakfast Brief how acres planted will continue to get scrutinized, we’ll also start to see more attention paid to crop progress in the coming weeks in the US, namely emergence of the crop.
In Canada, air drills are rolling in a few areas but
Plant into dust and bins will bust?
Considering where grain prices are, it’s not exactly what would be the absolute best situation, but personally speaking, I’d rather have more grain to sell than less.

domain: agronomy


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The Floating Garden by Emma Ashmere
(Spinifex Press $26.95).
Review by Sarah Armstrong
I must have driven over the Sydney Harbour Bridge hundreds of times, and have heard the familiar stories of the anxiously awaited moment when the two arches met, and the drama when a protester on horseback charged in to upstage the cutting of the ribbon at the bridge opening.
The story I’d never heard was about the dispossession and displacement of many hundreds of people whose homes in Milsons Point and The Rocks were razed to build the ‘reaches’ of the bridge. (Which brings to mind the recent NSW government decision to sell off Housing Commission terrace houses in Millers Point, and which gives this novel a particularly contemporary resonance.)
The demolition of Burton Street in Milsons Point – to make way for the bridge – is where The Floating Garden, Emma Ashmere’s very fine debut novel, begins.
The novel brings together the stories of two women: Ellis and Rennie. For years Ellis Gilbey has run a boarding house for women and girls, and she has a secret life as a pseudonymous columnist for a gardening magazine. Rennie Howarth is an upper-class artist who – when she escapes her abusive husband – ends up at Ellis’s soon-to-be demolished, down-at-heel guest house.
Emma Ashmere takes the reader inside rough-and-ready 1920s Sydney with extraordinarily evocative detail. Her description of what it was like to live in the demolition zone of Burton Street is particularly vivid and unsettling:
Grit stung her eyes as she navigated her way around dunes of silt which blew in and settled, blocking pavements, filling drains, heaping across the tram tracks like middens of shell and ash. She nodded to one of the men standing knee-deep in rubble. She didn’t recognise the others. They looked like dusted ants as they scuttled over the remains of houses, pickaxes slung over their shoulders, gnawing away at the dank innards of bathrooms and the surprised mouths of fireplaces.
Ellis and Rennie must find somewhere else to live, and housing in Sydney at that time – as now – was hard to find. Ellis dreams of having a garden of her own, and her reflections on gardening and plants – many of them in her columns – show her love of plants and her wry insight into questions of class and gender.
Ellis and Rennie dare to want more than society offered them at that time, and their dreams to make new lives for themselves symbolise the mood of this period after WWI, when there was hope and the promise of social change for women. Of course, the reader knows that another world war is coming, which adds greater poignancy to Ellis and Rennie’s plans.
As the story unfolds, Ellis relives her escape to the city at 16, when she was drawn into the dubious world of self-styled theosophist, the charismatic Minerva Stranks. Theosophy was popular in Australia in the 1890s (and again in the 1920s) and brought to conservative Australia notions of karma, reincarnation and astral travel. One of the unexpected delights of the book is the exploration of this rich seam in Australian history.
Emma Ashmere’s writing is subtle and lyrical, beautifully crafted and wise. The best books seem so complete, have such integrity, that we can’t imagine them existing in any other form, and we forget that they may have taken many drafts to get to this point.
But in the case of The Floating Garden, I witnessed the final drafts, and the thought and care that went into the version of it you can find in the bookshops today. Emma and I are in a writing group together, so I know that this book comes after years of refining her craft – writing short stories and essays – and years of thinking deeply about the issues that this book raises. She has a PhD focusing on the use of marginalised histories in fiction and her thoughtful inquiry in this area is evident.
• More can be found about The Floating Garden at www.emmaashmere.com.
• Sarah Armstrong is a Mullumbimby writer whose latest novel is His Other House (Pan Macmillan). Sarah and Emma will both be appearing at the 2015 BBWF.

domain: library


Gain instant access to the information you need, when you need it. Control your design files and engineering content, shorten approval cycles, and increase accountability with the enhanced collaboration that is required to decrease risk for comprehensive project delivery.
It's an excellent way to connect an entire company together and put all their data housed under one roof. Multiple offices or regions and can access each others client's information, projects and data simply by navigating through the same interface. File organization is very similar to your typical Windows explorer display and operates similarly. Recovering files, running audits and scans on project folders is a helpful tool included as well.
What do you dislike?
My experience led to slow performance of our major design projects. It was difficult to work on projects that were complicated in nature and had multiple files and folders and data associated to them within the projectwise network. the software is heavily reliant on your internet speed as well. If your office or company does not have decent internet speed, then your connection to projectwise documents will be slower because of it; keep this in mind if you have remote workers at their homes instead of the office as well.
Recommendations to others considering the product
I would first consider the size and complexity of your project before using projectwise. If you have several large files and copious amounts of data thats tied to the project, combined with the complexity of your team and who will be involved. That could determine if using a software is right for you. However, the program is easy to use and adapt to.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
its a great way to share files between teams that are separated, or if multiple teams are working on the same project.
* We monitor all ProjectWise Design Integration reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. Validated reviews require the user to submit a screenshot of the product containing their user ID, in order to verify a user is an actual user of the product.


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Anchovy Sauce for Beef
Hot Fish Savoury
tinned Anchovy Fillets
10 fl.oz Stock
pinch of Nutmeg
Rinse the anchovy fillets in cold water then dry, chop finely, coat well
with flour and
fry them in the butter until soft.
Add the stock, nutmeg, pepper and gherkins and simmer gently until slightly thickened.
Add the capers just before serving.
in Season |
Overseas Visitors: If you're
more used to measuring ingredients by the cup, we have the most comprehensive
weight to cups conversion table on the net - both solid ingredients and liquids
- so now you can easily convert our recipes to suit your preference.
to go to the chart. Why not print it off for future reference.
Convert all recipes written in metric or imperial quickly and easily. Metric/imperial users can do the same but the other way round - from
cups to grams or ounces.
If you've arrived at this page via a search engine, do take a few minutes to
look around the site. We're convinced you'll find lots more excellent recipes
and in depth culinary information covering a wide range of food related topics.

domain: food


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Top critical review
7 people found this helpful
Tiny print. Best for schemers and manipulators.
on August 8, 2013
If you're a "do what you love and the money will follow" enthusiast, this book will turn your stomach.
If you're ready to do anything at all, even compromising your values (if you have any) to get ahead, this book is what you're looking for. Waste no time clicking the button to buy this. It's easily one of the very best books for getting ahead in business.
Yes, the print is tiny. That's okay if you want to keep this in a jacket pocket, backpack, attache, or hidden in your desk or locker. In fact, the size of this book makes it ideal for anyone who'll want to refer to it regularly throughout the day... without co-workers noticing. (The red cover wasn't an ideal choice, but you can always cover it with an old-school book cover.)
Sure, if you have scruples, the advice in this book is appalling. Things like not letting your boss know how bright and clever you really are... so you're not perceived as a threat to his (or her) job, until it's too late for your boss to do anything about it.
That is the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the author opens with that kind of advice, building up to more devious tactics.
If you're looking for the very best, tried-and-true Machiavellian ways to lie, cheat, and (maybe) steal your way to the top -- and you didn't learn enough from Othello's Iago -- this is the book you want. It's loaded with tips, background information, and pithy quotations so you'll feel like these are venerable business practices.
(I could counter that by saying -- in true hippie style -- two things: 1) Karma!, and 2) What goes around, comes around, so watch your back if you rise to the top following the advice in this book.)
For many of us who wouldn't think about doing half of what's in this book, it's kind of stomach-turning. Yes, we know we may lose opportunities to people who play by the rules (or lack of them) in this book. It's okay. We'll sleep better at night.
If you're laughing as you read this, thinking, "That poor, deluded, excessively idealistic woman...," you will love every morsel of advice in this book. In fact, buy two copies, because you'll wear out the pages of the first copy.
Me...? I'm keeping this book as a writing reference. When I need a sleazy character, or someone who will reform in the course of my story, this is an ideal guide to understand his characters and the things he might do, on his way to redemption.

domain: literature


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Discover more from The Weekly Wintersberger
Although low inflation is generally good, inflation that is too low can pose risks to the economy – especially when the economy is struggling. - Ben Bernanke
We are all for quantitative easing in Europe, but it is not enough. Deflation and secular stagnation are the risks of our time. - Lawrence H. Summers
Those were the days! From 2008 and 2021, concerns of deflation, a fall in the general price level, have dominated the economic discourse. Ben Bernanke led the Fed on the unknown path of quantitative easing, but inflation did not want to pick up as Fed economists expected.
Shortly after that, the European Central Bank followed the Fed on its path, and Europe suffered from the same fate as the US as neither inflation nor the economy got restarted. QE failed miserably, just like it did in Japan and the United States. However, what should be memorized from those days is that the only thing QE did achieve was supporting higher government spending and fueling asset price bubbles. What it did not succeed was a return to higher economic growth.
On the contrary, continuously low consumer price inflation led to a feeling of false security from central bank policymakers and politicians. Lawrence H. Summers and others formulated thesis after thesis to explain why the continuous decline in interest rates was caused by something other than central bank interventionism.
Undoubtedly, carelessness should become one of the primary reasons inflation unexpectedly returned. When governments followed the Chinese example, shut down vast parts of the economy by decree, and pumped unprecedented amounts of money into the real economy, hardly anyone thought that artificially high demand and falling supply might do what QE did not achieve: creating inflation.
It took 13 years until forever low inflation became a relic of the past. Since 2021, one feels repeatedly reminded of the following quote from American humorist Sam Ewing:
Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.
But first, let us see what the market has done since last Friday. American and Japanese stock indices, gold (in dollar terms), 10y Bunds, and 10y Treasuries are slightly up, while commodities (Bloomberg Commodity Index) and Chinese and European stock indices are somewhat lower.
Europe is suffering from weak demand from China, where the re-opening did not cause the expansion many had hoped for. Yet, that might change soon, as an unexpected industrial activity pick-up suggests.
The drop in yields took me by surprise, but I am still not convinced that the time for longs in bonds has come, and I think we will see higher yields again in the coming weeks.
Lower-than-expected CPIs & PPIs in Europe have nourished hopes that the rate-hiking cycle of the ECB will end soon. While data was released that Spanish consumer prices rose only 2.9 % in May, while the consensus expected 3.3 %, and European bond yields dropped. On Wednesday, lower-than-expected inflation rates in France and Germany also drove bond yields lower.
Yet, the recent drop in consumer price inflation should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, they merely reflect the degree of how much governments in those countries intervened in markets. Simultaneously, eurozone countries that handed out extensive stimulus checks to the people have artificially elevated consumer prices.
While the recent drop in German consumer prices can be traced back to the introduction of the 49 euro ticket for public transport and the gasoline discount, the Spanish government intervened extraordinarily heavily in markets. Looking at the fate of the price controls back during the Nixon presidency in the 1970s should hint at what will happen when those price caps are lifted.
Simultaneously, the ECB urges governments to scale back on public spending support schemes as inflation rates drop. The problem is that once government spending increases, spending does never stop and even gets increased. Now, the Italian government under Giorgia Meloni wants to spend another billion to stimulate growth. A classical socialist economic policy that has failed for decades.
In Austria, inflation will likely stay elevated for longer as most worker unions achieved favorable wage settlements that will narrow profit margins. That contributes to a likely pick up in unemployment later that year.
Apart from that, energy-intensive industries in Europe look for places to relocate production since a previously important factor of production, cheap energy (from Russia), has also become a relic of the past. Stubbornly, Europe is unwilling to use its natural gas sources for environmental reasons.
Like the United States back then, Europe was a net energy importer. The end of the gold standard to finance a war (Vietnam) and a not restrictive enough central bank had weakened the currency and drove inflation up. Similar things are currently happening in Europe but accompanied by heavy regulations that dampen economic activity anyway.
Currently, the euro profited from the anticipation of market participants that the ECB will stay more restrictive for longer than the Fed. Nevertheless, this assumption will be a fallacy, even though a statement by Fed vice governor Jefferson (Philadelphia Fed) has led to a shift in market expectations regarding a June rate hike, which has been priced out since he said that he favors a pause.
Last week’s PCE numbers underline the problem for the Fed. Consumer spending remains solid and sustainable higher month-over-month rates of change are a sign that inflation has become more structural. It might be dangerous if the Fed gives up on being restrictive too soon. I think that a pause at the June meeting is nothing but a done deal, despite the pivot from the Market after Jefferson’s remarks.
There is a massive debate about what caused the rise in inflation. While economists like Isabella Weber have the thesis that high inflation is a result of greedflation, meaning that businesses are hiking up prices higher than it is justifiable, a paper by Francesco Bianchi, Renato Faccini, and Leonardo Melosi concludes that the significant increase in government spending has been the main driver.
In the meantime, home prices show a more nuanced picture. On the one hand, house prices fell year-over-year in April, suggesting that US consumer price inflation will go down further in the coming months. Housing inflation is showing up with a lag in CPI and (assumingly) topped at 8 % in April.
The drop in (NSA) home prices year-over-year was the first since May 2012. Home prices (NSA) were down 1.6 % on a month-to-month basis. A look at the state level gives a more nuanced picture. According to Zillow, home prices drop in the West while mostly rising in the East.
The Zillow Index and the (seasonally adjusted) Case-Shiller Index show the same picture month-over-month. Prices for homes start to pick up again, and several earnings calls from landlords support this and hence do not support the thesis that housing inflation will drop as quickly as it appeared.
If rent- and home price inflation rises again in the coming months, we will undoubtedly see additional rate hikes from the Fed. I do not assess Jerome Powell’s character, such as he will pivot at any minor turbulence.
Market participants still expect that the Federal Reserve will be done with raising interest rates in July and that the Fed Funds Rate will decrease gradually from September to mid-2025 to 3 %. Thus, I conclude that most market participants are forecasting a soft landing.
Under that scenario, the labor market would likely cool a little, but there would not be a sharp increase in unemployment. As long as consumption is not going down fast, that might as well be the case. Yet, consumer sentiment indices give mixed signals about that.
While the Conference Board’s Consumer Sentiment Index suggests only a slight increase in unemployment to approximately 5 %, the Index from the University of Michigan shows a whole different picture. It suggests unemployment could rise to about 7-10 % in the coming six months. Historically, the divergence between both has always led to a rise in unemployment: at the end of the 80s, in the year 2000, and in 2008, where the increase in unemployment was the strongest, and it more than doubled.
Discussions about the debt limit drove down the US Treasury’s General Account at the Fed. When Democrats and Republicans finally finish a deal, Janet Yellen will push it back up. The additional supply of T-bills and Treasuries should drive yields back up.
Let us remember the findings of Bianchi et al.’s paper, where they find that a fiscal shock mainly drives a significant increase in inflation. When the TGA was driven down during the pandemic, the fiscal transfer payments strongly elevated consumer demand, and as a result, consumer prices sharply rose.
I do not expect the Fed to end its restrictive monetary policy until inflation is back at 2 %, even if it probably brings the economy into recession. The fear of repeating the mistakes of the 1970s under Arthur Burns is too high.
Additionally, it can be doubted that the US government is considering significant spending cuts. The US government has promised big subsidies for companies if they shift production to the United States. That means fiscal spending will remain high with a debt/GDP ratio of 125 %. If the Fed stays restrictive, interest rates expenses pick up at the same time the economy takes a full braking and tax receipts drop.
If the government wants to spend the same amount of dollars or even wants to spend more, it needs to issue more bonds at higher rates. Simultaneously, re-shoring leads to a backflow of off-shore dollars (cash or dollars from bond sales) to acquire land, labor, and capital goods.
Mid-term, it is implausible, in my opinion, that the economy will return to a deflationary environment like the one of pre-2020. Mid-term and long-term, I expect higher inflation, interest rates, commodity prices, and precious metal prices.
Short-term, I stick to my forecast from last week because I assume that the latest drop in yields will reverse once again. Sir John Templeton once said that the time of maximum pessimism is the best time to buy, and the time of maximum optimism is the best time to sell. Times, where everyone is buying bonds in anticipation of a pivot/recession, and a leveraged long-term Treasury bond ETF gets inflows of a billion dollars since year-end, do not sound like the bottom of a bear market.
The disinflationary impulse is likely to continue in Europe and the United States. However, everyone knows that the most challenging part of bringing inflation back to 2 % is getting it from 4 -2 %. Central bank efforts are continuously torpedoed by European governments or the US government, who continue to spend as if it was still 2015. But there will be no going back to the low-inflationary environment of the 2010s.
We soar above all mistakes on bruised, and battered wings ascend
To bring back the light again, passed imagination
Above all mistakes on bruised, and battered wings ascend,
To bring back the light again, passed imagination
Raunchy - Warriors
I wish you a splendid weekend!
Thank you for reading! If you like my writing, you can subscribe and get every post directly into your inbox. Also, sharing it on social media or liking the position would be fantastic!
(All posts are my personal opinion only and do not represent those of people, institutions, or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity and are no investment advice. I may change my view the next day if the facts change)


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Avalue’s Industrial Touch Panel PCs Bring Customers Economical and Eco-Friendly Benefits
Avalue has brought a full range of screen-sized Atom-based Panel PCs into its product categories
The LPC Series, the slim industrial automation HMI touch Panel PC, which features 8, 10, and 12-inch panel display.
The FPC Series, the modularized touch Panel PC, which features 8.9-inch wide to 22-inch wide panel display.
The PPC Series, the thin client all-in-one cost-effective touch terminal, which features 15, 17, and 22-inch wide panel display.
The MTP Series, the medical-grade multifunctional touch Panel PC, which features 12-inch to 17-inch panel display.
Apart from Avalue’s extensive range of screen sizes and their widespread application mentioned above, the company offers cost-conscious customers different options, including embedded-computing boards, panel parts, and housing materials, all of which save time and money and serve a variety of needs. Avalue is continually exploring innovative products, and focuses especially on incorporating eco-friendly concepts in all its inventions. From the design to the production stage, Avalue’s Panel PCs are run with modular concepts to reduce costs. They also incorporate materials that will guarantee a long life, are safety compliant, and are environmentally friendly. Their slimmer appearance makes them more economical and easier to handle. At the packaging stage, Avalue endeavors to decrease the use of packing materials and shipping costs. With its exceptional attention to detail and its commitment to excellence, Avalue meets its customers’ needs for perfection in Panel PCs.
Intel® Atom™ Platform: The inevitable trend for Panel PCs is that they are becoming increasingly compact. Avalue has extended its original Panel PC series and the latest designs comply with the Intel® Atom™ platform, which brings many advantages like space-save, low power and cost, and making these products more compatible.
LED Backlight Panel: Avalue’s Panel PCs use LED backlights, which reduces heat generation in Panel PCs, thereby using less power than other types of panel PCs. The LED backlight panels are integrated with Avalue’s small screens of the FPC Series, which not only lowers the cost of the FPC Series due to greater power efficiency, but also prolongs the products’ life cycle.
Sunlight Readable (Optical Bonding): With the new technology of Optical Bonding, Avalue’s panel display literally has greater luminance and contrast, and reduced internal reflections. The screens have been designed to reduce glare, facilitate maximum light transmission, and remain durable. Generally, the higher transparency and lower reflection features of the Optical Bonding panel save backlight power and cost, and add to users’ visual enjoyment. The sunlight readable panel is widely applied in places like mass transportation and outdoor kiosk pavilions. Another innovation is a privacy filter, which protects the security of on-screen data. A specially designed film blacks out the screen at viewing angles greater than 30 degrees. The privacy filter is generally used for applications such as ATM and airplane passenger amusement.
Super Anti-Abrasion (Glass-On-Top):
Embedded OS and Technical Support: As a valued Windows Embedded Partner, Avalue provides embedded OS consulting and training. Avalue’s Panel PC supports embedded OS from Microsoft XP Embedded, CE, or XP Professional. Avalue’s OS-preinstalled smart terminal will save customers money, time, and technical effort in integrating hardware and software. Moreover, Avalue provides full technical support and training for BIOS, GPIO, Driver, and API, by project, and provides advanced ID modification as well.
About Avalue Technology
Avalue Technology is a professional industrial computer manufacturing company with complete product lines in embedded computers, single board computers, Systems-on-Modules-
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Avalue Technology is a professional industrial computer manufacturer with complete product lines in embedded computers, single board computers, Systems-on-Modules-

domain: design


Tasty Careers nominated for industry excellence awards
Tasty Careers, the game-changing industry careers education and recruitment programme backed by the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink, has been shortlisted in two categories of the Food and Drink Federation’s annual industry excellence awards.
The FDF Awards celebrate exceptional innovation, competitiveness and talent in the UK’s food and drink industry with entries from right across the food and drink supply chain.
“We are delighted that Tasty Careers has been nominated for both the Best Education Initiative and Best Digital Transformation project, said NSAFD CEO Louise Cairns.
“The goals of Tasty Careers are simple, to attract more new young talent into the industry challenge outdated stereotypes of industry jobs and demonstrate how the industry is open to ambition across a variety of disciplines. Tasty Careers has been successful in achieving this by talking in a language young people understand and making maximum use of the interactive digital spaces and social media they inhabit.”
The Tasty Careers.org.uk website receives around 175,000 pageviews a year and more than 500 young staff from 100 firms now visit local schools and colleges as Tasty Ambassadors.
“Importantly, Tasty Careers is about guiding young people into real jobs,” commented NSAFD Head of Marketing Amy Crooks.
“As well as informing young people about the incredible variety of career choices on offer and the study paths that lead to them, the ‘live jobs’ section of the website has now been used as an active, and free, recruitment channel by more than 100 businesses.”
The winners of the FDF Awards will be announced in London on September 15. A full list of nominees is available on the FDF website.


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Vital Mission Farm
Following nature as a design model, Vital Mission Farm is a regenerative farm and bustling ecosystem on Wadmalaw Island, SC. Jeff Siewicki, founder and environmentalist, set out to pioneer a more sustainable way of raising livestock locally -- pasture grasses provide space for animals to graze while fruit and nut trees add necessary food and habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators. The interconnection of the plants, livestock, and animals create a balanced, highly productive ecosystem. This efficient design allows for less land use without using fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. It also has clear climate benefits in CO2 reduction.
Silvopasture, the integration of trees into farmland, is listed as one of the Top 20 solutions to climate change by Project Drawdown. The practice provides maximum carbon sequestering potential, not to mention quality poultry, produce, and nuts.
The titular “vital mission” is to be part of the climate solution and grow food that is nutritious for animals, people, land and the environment. Jeff employs multiple climate friendly practices while seeking to achieve a net negative environmental impact, such as minimizing and reusing waste streams, using renewable energy sources (solar power), rotational grazing, and perennial crops.


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Hope you can join us as Liz & Brydge visit Hunter At Sunrise for the first time this Sunday
Liz & Brydge are Elizabeth Joy Terrell and Christopher Brydge, an acoustic jazz duo who you can see at a number of venues across the area. Elizabeth Joy Terrell has been working as a professional vocalist since 2009 and has played all over the 7 cities. She has performed in several music groups over the years including her band, Licita, pop/folk duo, Twenty South, and piano/voice duo, Liz and Roy. When she is not performing with Liz & Brydge you can find her as the front woman for jazz band, Modern Muse. Chris Brydge is a freelance jazz bassist who has been performing in and around the greater Hampton Roads area since 1995. Brydge is a member of the Virginia Symphony Jazz Orchestra, Roy Muth Big Band, Woody Becker Group, and Eddie Williams Trio. You can also find him performing with his own ensembles, the Chris Brydge duo, trio, and quartet. So we hope you will join us for this very special live acoustic session as Liz & Brydge visit Hunter At Sunrise this Sunday morning.

domain: entertainment


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Breakfast , Dinner
Mera peak climbing is probably the best permitted trekking peak of Nepal. It lies in the southern side of Mount Everest. The peak highlights the watershed amidst forested valleys Hongu Drangkas and Hinku. If you are an adventure lover as well as preacher of the tranquil trekking experience then Mera is the best place to be. Witness the feeling of being into the wild here in this peak climbing journey. Scenes of the Sherpa community grazing their cattle herds in the top of Hinku Kharka would be very pleasant and charming upon reaching the base camp for the peak climbing. The top of the Hongu Drangkas is splendid Mountain Wasteland having moraines, lakes as well as peaks like Baruntse and Charmlang. The spectacular views of the Kanchenjung, Cho Yu, Makalu and other peaks in the vicinity of Mera as seen from its top is magnificent. Unravel the wilderness adventure in peak climbing at Mera Peak. The trail consisting until the base camp possesses dense forest, lakes, waterfalls, rivers and astounding views of mountains.
Nepal Trekking Routes Treks & Expedition is extremely careful in planning your peak climbing activity. We offer safe and experienced climbing Sherpa as well as crew for the successful Mera Peak Climbing. We have best packages of Peak Climbing in Nepal.
Mera Peak Climbing is an excellent and beautiful climbing voyage which any climbers can enjoy novice or experienced. The beautiful two valleys alongside the peak and the less explored surrounding makes it wilderness adventure destination. Nepal Trekking Routes Treks & Expedition offers this climbing package with astute planning on safety.
Arrival in Kathmandu airport (1350m) and Hotel transfer; last minute shopping in Kathmandu. In evening meet Climbing Sherpa guide and check our equipment and conduct last preparations for the trek
We take morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla(2800m) and spend the rest of the day in Lukla for acclimatization. Lodge accommodation
Trek from Lukla to Chutanga(3050m) which take about four hours trek
Trek from Chutanga to Tuli Kharka (Chatra-La) (3900m) which takes about six hours. You trek via Zatrawa La Pass (4610m) and downclimb to Khartitang at 3900m.
Trek from Tuli Kharka to Kothe (4095m) this takes about five hours,
Trek from Kothe to Tangnang (4,350m) which takes about four hours trek. We will enjoy fantastic view of south face of Mera Peak throughout the day.
Rest and acclimatization day at Thangnak. In the day you will visit Sabal Tsho Lake and take an acclimatization hike to the cairn (5271m) on the flank of Kusum Kangguru (6367m).
Trek from Tangnang to Khare (5,045m): this takes about three and half hours.
Trek and climb from Khare to Mera Base Camp (5300m) ,This takes about four to five hours. you all have to become familiar with using crampons, rope and ice axe.
Trek and climb from Mera Base Camp to High camp (5,780m): 4-5hrs
Summit Day; Mera High Camp to Summit (6,654m) and return to Khare.
Trek from Khare to Kothe (3600m): This takes about five hours trek
Trek from Kothe to Thuli Kharka: this takes about six hours trek.
Thuli Kharka to Lukla: via Zatrwa La pass. This is last evening in the mountains, the ideal opportunity for a farewell party with our staff.
Early in the morning fly from Lukla to Kathmandu, which takes about 35 minutes, transfer to hotel. leisure and shopping day in Kathmandu
After breakfast sightseeing major world heritage sights in Kathmandu (Durbar square, Buddhist gompas, Swoyambhunath, Bouddhanath and Pashupatinat); Farewell-Celebration dinner with culture programming the evening
Transfer to the airport for final departure or alternatively join other activities.
- Three nights Hotel accommodations in Kathmandu on B/B basis;
- Pick up and drop from Kathmandu airport to airport.
- 3 meals a day (Breakfasts, Lunch and Dinners with a cup of tea or coffee) during the trek and climbing period.
- Full board Accommodation of Lodges, Guesthouses in Twin Sharing Bases during the trek and tent will be available during the climbing period
- All camping equipment in Base camp;
- Flight Ticket from Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu for member and Staff
- 10 kg baggage allowance in flight and 25 Kg during trekking (with porter or yaks);
- Surface transportation will be available as per itinerary;
- Trekking Permit (National Park entry fee)
- TIMS card (Trekking Information Management System) Permit
- Climbing permit for Mera peak
- Necessary staff during the trekking and climbing period With Experience Guide and Porter.
- Necessary experienced Government license holder Climbing guide during climbing period as per group size
- Facility of Food, accommodation, salary, insurance, equipment and medicine for all trekking staff.
- Group medical supplies (First Aid medical kit will be available)
- One tent will be available in the Base camp for 2 people on shared basis;
- High altitude food and all climbing crew will be available above base camp.
- Necessary fixed and dynamic ropes will be available during climbing period
- necessary kitchen crew will be available in base camp
- All necessary paper works, office Service charge and Government Taxes
- Complete pre-departure information, flight ticket reconfirmation and extend visa service(if necessary)
- Farewell Dinner in Kathmandu before departure.
- Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu.
- Emergency rescue evacuation if required.
- Personal accident insurance or Helicopter rescue.
- Airfare international flights
- Nepal entry visa fee, Visa issuance is easy at the arrival
- Any kind of Alcoholic, hot and cold drinks, hot shower.
- Alcoholic beverages, Mineral water, laundry, phone calls, internets.
- Personal climbing equipment
- All kind of Personal Expenses
- Ice fall fees Garbage Deposit (Sharing with other member) if applicable.
- Wake talkies &Filming permit.
- Any others expenses which are not mentioned on Price Includes section
Tips, gifts, souvenirs.

domain: geography


Since the Vietnam war US Navy (USN) and US Marine Corp (USMC) GP bombs are distinguished by a thick ablative fire-retardant coating, which is designed to delay any potential accidental explosion in the event of a shipboard fire. Land-based air forces typically do not use such coatings, largely because they add some 30 lb (14 kg) to the weight of the complete weapon. (Source: Wikipedia)
I'm always looking for ways to make my models that little bit more interesting, and it seemed that something as noticeable as the ablative coating shouldn't be that hard to reproduce. I never really tried to tackle it until I started my AV-8B Harrier. Around that time I was speaking to a friend at our local IPMS club and he was showing me how he applied a non-slip finish to his armour models. Figuring that the technique could be adopted for my purpose, I decided to give it a go.
Step 1: Masking
The first step is to mask off those parts of the weapon that should not have the ablative coating applied. Here I am using a GBU-16 from the Hasegawa Weapons set. In this case I had already painted the tail fins which is why they have been completely masked off using Gunze Mr Masking Sol NEO. Take your time in this step as having a sharp edge to the ablative coat helps ensure a realistic result.
Step 2: Prepare the coating
The coating itself is made by mixing a liquid styrene cement (in my case Testors) with a modeling putty (here I have used Squadron Green Putty). I have not experimented with other combinations of putty and glue, but assume it should work the same. If you give it a go, let me know how it works out.
Step 3: Mix the Coating
Now for the messy part. Squeeze a decent amount putty onto a clean surface (I am using a ceramic tile). Slowly add in small portions of the liquid glue and mix it into the putty with a toothpick. Once you get a consistency that is about that of honey, start applying it to the body of the bomb using the toothpick
Step 4: Apply the Coating.
One thing I found was that this goop dries pretty fast, so you probably only have a couple of minutes to move the mix around once it hits the model.
Step 5: Leave it to set/dry
At this point the goop has started to seriously set and grip the model. Having glue mixed with putty makes this stuff stick pretty well. Resist the temptation to try and fix any uneven bits at this stage as you'll only make a bigger mess. Once the coating dries you can even it out some by sanding it.
Step 6: Primer and sanding to even out.
Give the putty/glue mix overnight to dry properly. Here I have applied a primer coat to see how it looks. Now is the time to sand any high points.
Step 7: Painting
Once I was happy with the finish I applied an Olive Drab coat. Now you can see why I painted the tail fins first
Step 8: Finish Up
Next step is to remove the tape from the tail fins. Be careful here. Don't just rip off the tape as it will bring off parts of the coating. This is because the coating is brittle when dry. To avoid this, you will need to use a sharp blade to trace the edge of the tape. This will separate the coating that is applied to the model and the coating that is on the masking
I think you'll agree this is a pretty easy method for simulating this distinctive feature of modern USN/USMC aircraft. Good modelling.


New startup airline Avelo is adding Las Vegas, but will it work?
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Avelo Airlines is expanding its reach outside of its Burbank base.
On Thursday, one of America’s newest startup airlines announced its latest destination, Las Vegas. Avelo will fly a unique route — one that hasn’t been served since December 2019 — for its first (and only) service to Sin City.
Beginning on Sept. 16, the airline will fly four weekly flights from Sonoma County, California (STS), to Las Vegas (LAS), making LAS the second destination Avelo serves from the Charles M. Schulz Airport (the other is Burbank).
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As expected for the ultra-low-cost carrier, one-way fares begin at $39, with ancillary fees for seats, bags and other optional services available a la carte.
The airline will deploy one of its three Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route, outfitted with 189 seats in a tight 3-3 configuration. Extra-legroom seats are available beginning at $11.
While Avelo will have a monopoly on the Santa Rosa to Las Vegas route, the market has been served before by other low-cost airlines. Sun Country last flew the route between August 2018 and December 2019, before pulling out of the market. Allegiant also tried the route from May 2016 through July 2017. (Alaska Airlines had the longest run: from April 2008 through June 2012, according to Cirium schedules.)
Though Avelo certainly is hopeful that it’ll fare better than Sun Country, Allegiant and Alaska, it’ll face some strong headwinds.
According to Department of Transportation data from 2017 through 2019, there were between 70 and 140 weekly passengers on average flying between STS and LAS.
Avelo’s four weekly flights will offer a total of over 750 seats each week, so unless the demand pattern has changed, it’ll be interesting to see how the new flight performs.
To support the expansion, Avelo isn’t taking delivery of new jets. Rather, the carrier confirmed to TPG that it’s pulling out of two of its launch markets, Grand Junction, Colorado (GJT), and Bozeman, Montana (BZN), which will help free up aircraft time to support the new LAS route.
Related: What it’s like flying with Avelo
In addition, as part of the airline’s winter schedule, the airline retimed its flight from Burbank (BUR) to STS, leaving a nearly six-hour block of time between the outbound and return legs. It wasn’t immediately clear why the airline would park the plane in Santa Rosa for so long, but now we have the answer: the plane will continue on to Las Vegas and back during the six-hour downtime.
When confirming the route cuts earlier this month, Avelo teased new route announcements but didn’t have details ready to share. Now, we know at least one of the new markets, though the carrier told TPG there’s even more expansion coming soon.
For one, the airline is headed east. In early May, the carrier unveiled plans to open its first East Coast base in New Haven, Connecticut. The city’s Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport (HVN) is currently undergoing enhancements to facilitate commercial service with a Boeing 737. That work is still underway, which has caused Avelo to delay its New Haven launch until early November.
It’s anyone’s guess what’s coming next, but Las Vegas won’t be the end for Avelo.
Featured photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy
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text:
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me”: a school yard chant I said many times growing up. I now know that names can hurt, they can hurt for months, years, a lifetime. And beyond calling someone a name to intentionally hurt them, unintentionally making assumptions about a person can hurt them just as much.
I have been making it a priority in my life to try not to make assumptions about people. Not to assume their gender, their sexual orientation, who they are in a relationship with, whether or not they want to, or can, have children. It is usually not my intention to hurt someone’s feelings and I am sure this is true of most people, but we need to be more aware of how we do hurt people’s feelings unintentionally.
Using language that is inclusive — meaning to not make assumptions or leave people out — is something that I have been working on for years, both in my writing and speaking. Small changes in language can go a long way in the prevention of doing harm to others.
One example of inclusive language is using the pronoun “they” instead of “he or she” when you do not know which pronouns a person uses. It is essential to remember that you cannot tell what pronouns a person will use by looking at them. The pronoun “they” can be used both in the plural and singular and can easily fit in anywhere he or she does. If you know someone’s pronouns, it is important to use them when talking to, or referring to, that person. You can also use their name if you know it.
I use the words people and person a lot, instead of gendering terms such as man and woman. For example: “person who is pregnant,” instead of “woman who is pregnant,” as not everyone who is pregnant identifies as a woman. I refer to the body parts when talking about the body parts, leaving gender out of the sentence. For example: “the uterus shreds its lining during menstruation,” instead of “a woman’s uterus shreds its lining during menstruation.”
I talk about “parents,” “guardians” and “caring adults,” instead of “moms and dads,” as not everyone has a mother and a father. I ask people about their “partners,” “significant others” or “sweethearts,” instead of “girlfriends” or “boyfriends,” so not to assume sexual orientation. I do not walk up to a group of people and say: “Hi guys.” I say: “Hi everyone, everybody or folks.”
I absolutely make mistakes along the way. When I catch myself, I say sorry, correct my language and move on. I do not dwell on it. However, the more you practice, the easier it becomes, until one day you do not have to think about it at all. The inclusive words automatically come to you, you are making less assumptions about people, you are hurting less feelings and ultimately, that’s a good thing.
Stacey Jacobs is a sexual health educator for SHORE Centre.

domain: sociology


It wasn’t the answer that Pernell McPhee gave, so much as the smile that went with it, that will please past and present generations of Bears.
His “return” to the NFL — a start on a short week after nearly four years idle — was a mixed success but apparently enough of one to earn Jimmy Clausen a second look at backup quarterback to Jay C
Brandon Marshall was a fourth-round draft choice. Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett were both found in the second round. Green Bay’s Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson were both second-rounders.
The Bears have 18 players who are slated to become unrestricted free agents on March 10.
Because of the Olympian achievements of various personnel oversights – undrafteds and castoffs like Patriots hero DB Malcolm Butler and Seahawks insta-star WR Chris Matthews – a focused spotlight


text:
Following on from various posts in the past, including my 2014 post What is an open platform?, I thought it might be time to post a succinct (as possible) definition of the platform idea, for e-health.
As stated in that post, the key thing to understand about a platform is that it represents progress away from being locked-in to a monolith of fixed commitments, toward an open ecosystem. This is true both technologically and economically.
The Technical platform
The word ‘platform’ indicates the notion of a common base on which higher-level components can be built, obviating the need for those components (typically applications) to privately solve needs that are provided for by the platform. These are typically functions such as reliable persistence, versioning, identification, communication, various administration functions, certain types of reference data and so on. In order for applications and other components to be able to use a platform, they need to know:
- what resources it provides and
- how to connect to it.
To be usable, it must therefore have a published description, which includes the formal specification of its interface. To actually be used, it must also of course have implementations.
If we make the assumption that an information systems platform for major domains such as healthcare provision and research is likely to provide non-trivial functionality – in order to be a more attractive option than private implementation – and that its architecture will follow the basic principle of separation of concerns, we can assume that it consists of multiple components, each providing a well-defined function within the overall functionality.
Based on this minimalist analysis, we propose the following definition:
Platform: a published architecture whose component interfaces form the basis for independent development of conformant applications.
Here a component is any coarse-grained element of an architecture that corresponds to an identifiable business function or kind of information, for example patient record, terminology, medications list, etc. If we think of a component as a black box that performs certain functions, say persistent patient health records, then the interface of the component can be expressed in terms of a formal interface definition, often known as an Application Programmer’s Interface (API). This is the set of logical function and procedure calls that can be made by a calling application or other component. Such calls include typed arguments and in the case of functions, return types. Pre- and post-conditions for each call are commonly specified, as well as exceptions that may be raised under certain calling conditions. The types belong to one or more information models.
Following these considerations, we can now say that the published description of a platform includes at least the following elements:
- Component architecture: arrangement of components defining functional elements of the platform;
- Interface descriptions, interfaces of components enabling various modes of interaction by applications, defined by APIs (including usage protocols);
- Information model(s), i.e. models from which data are instantiated in real systems; these models encode the most basic universal concepts relevant to the domain of the platform, e.g. ‘clinical statement’, ‘order’, etc.
The word independent above refers to the ability of application developers to work independently of platform development companies, i.e. solely via the published interfaces.
Component-centrism and API publication are what distinguishes a platform from a non-platform technology.
The Model-driven Platform
A central challenge for a platform in most domains is how the semantics of the domain will be represented in the platform. For example, in health IT, where are entities such as ‘blood pressure measurement’, ‘Apgar result’, and ‘breast cancer treatment plan’ represented? One approach is to encode them directly into the interface and information models (or database schemas). For complex and information-rich domains such as healthcare, this entails numbers of information model entities that are not only very large (O(10k) – O(100k)), but constantly growing and changing.
The question then is whether such large numbers of entities should be directly modelled in the main Information Model(s) of the platform. To try to do so has been the classical approach of IT for decades, but invariably becomes unsustainable, meaning that deployed products gradually stop reflecting new requirements and domain specifics, as their vendors can no longer keep up with the numbers. Experience shows that classical information models, whether expressed in UML, RDBMS schemas or another form, are manageable up to around 150 classes or tables.
Size of information model isn’t the only problem, and might not even be the main one. The fact of constant change in domain content and process models means that a single information model or schema that tries to directly incorporate everything from the domain will never become stable. This is the last thing anyone from software engineering or product deployment wants to hear.
The alternative is to express domain semantics, i.e. the domain knowledge relevant to the purpose of the platform, as independent formal entities, which may be used to configure technical information entities, or may be directly consumed by the platform. For example, if a platform information model contains the formal type Document, definitions of the contents of the thousands of particular kinds of documents used in healthcare could be stated as formal models that defined particular headings and possible contents of each kind of document. Similarly, a workflow definition or guideline rule-set might be directly consumable by the platform. This approach enables the definition of a highly stable technical platform, on which back-end software and databases can rely, while providing separate means of expressing the ever-growing and changing domain semantics.
Not every platform is defined in this way. A model-driven platform is one whose domain semantics are explicitly defined by knowledge artefacts rather than being implicitly expressed in software and database schemas. Such a platform for healthcare includes the following additional elements:
- Domain content models, describing data-sets and their elements used in the domain;
- Computable guidelines and Care pathways, expressing diagnostic and therapeutic plans, and associated decision logic;
- Terminology value-sets expressing allowable values of coded elements within other models;
- Portable queries used to interrogate data, based on knowledge and information models, and terminology.
- Terminology sub-sets: the choice of available terminologies and/or limited subsets for use in the platform.
Underlying this are pure domain descriptions in the form of terminologies and ontologies, for formally describing domain entities (universals) and their natural relationships, i.e. domain ‘truths’.
The knowledge artefacts mentioned above are created as an ongoing activity when the platform architecture is put to use. These models provide the semantics to implementations of the platform services and other components. A major part of defining the platform for an organisation or geography is consequently the establishment of the knowledge modelling activity, and engaging domain specialists to work within it. We can think of this as establishing a knowledge factory run by domain experts, rather than IT staff.
The use of formal knowledge artefacts separate from the software and database, allows for the possibility for domain knowledge to be consumed at runtime by implementations. Back-end services and databases can then be constructed with no direct dependency on domain-level models, enabling them to be deployed and maintained with no modification required as new knowledge models are added. This is the same principle on which today’s rule and workflow engines operate, generalised to the totality of an information systems environment.
A foundational aspect of knowledge representation is the set of formalisms used to express domain knowledge artefacts. Well-designed formalisms are crucial to any platform’s success since they determine the sophistication and coherence of what may be expressed in the models. In particular, the formalism for each kind of artefact must be as close as possible to the cognitive models of the designers and users of that artefact. Cognitive distance forces model-builders to mentally translate their familiar concepts into unfamiliar primitives in the manner of developers working in old programming languages such as Assembler and C.
Formalisms of course need to be implemented in tools to be of any use, and the tool outputs need to be usable either to generate software or else directly in execution environments.
Thus, in order to create a model-driven platform, the following infrastructure is needed:
- Knowledge engineering environment: the large-scale use of knowledge-models requires the use of domain-oriented authoring tools, intelligent repositories and governance procedures;
- Knowledge artefact translation: tools used to translate knowledge models into developer-usable artefacts such as data schemas, JSON, APIs, source code etc used for application development.
We can visualise the model-driven platform and related elements as follows:
One crucial aspect of this platform concept may easily be missed: there is one library of knowledge models for the whole platform, that is, for all components, such as EHR, demographics, scheduling, orders and so on. This means that components that may be used in the platform not only obey the basic type system (core information models), API conventions and design, but are derived from a common set of domain definitions. Domain modelling thus becomes an independent activity, both for platform procurer and implementer alike.
What About Standards?
Many standards in e-health are essentially message-oriented rather than model-oriented, and they do not represent a good basis for a platform architecture, other than for specific data access interfaces required to implement each standard. Such standards come and go, and will always be replaced by new versions that define in some new way various specific information retrievals.
A well-designed platform is its own standard, and creates interoperability as an automatic outcome, not a post-hoc afterthought. Indeed, in a platform-based ecosystem, today’s message-oriented standards would be obsolete.
Some longer discussions about this:
Here I have defined the notion of a technical platform, and then a model-driven platform, where the models encode the semantics of the domain. Adopting the latter is a necessity in health IT, because the domain is too large and volatile to encode into the software and databases.
The model-driven platform thus presents the possibility of a major re-arrangement of industry effort, enabling far greater efficiency than today, where all products independently define their own version of needed semantics, inevitably in inconsistent ways.
I agree with the definition of ‘Open Platform’. I hope we can all agree.
Two comments about the explanatory text that follows the definition:
1- Referring to the picture, I agree with, the ‘Information Models’, that are domain specific, are models. So the next question to be asked is how they are modelled. What are the paradigms, rules, (quality) processes, used to model these artefacts at the domain specific content level. The domain must formalise and standardise that aswel.
2- In order for human Healthcare Providers to interpret what is documented in an Open System they need a lot of prior, often implicit knowledge. Knowledge that is NOT in the Information Model artefacts most of the time. This implicit knowledge must be reduced as much as possible and made explicit. This I consider the next level of Interoperability at the human level (as opposed to the technical interoperability of IT-systems) and I like to call this Interpretability.
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