text:
Start Date: 11/29/2017 4:00 PM EST
End Date: 11/29/2017 7:00 PM EST
Venue Name: London Jewelers @ the Oculus Location:
Westfield World Trade Center, 185 Greenwich Street
London Jewelers - Suite LL 4045
New York, NY United States 10007
Women's Jewelry Association
The Women’s Jewelry Association & London Jewelers Present
Emerging Designers Spotlight Reception
WJA Members are invited to an exclusive reception at the breathtaking Oculus location of London Jewelers, featuring designers Fern Freeman, Gigi Ferranti and Lindsey Scoggins.
The reception highlights the unique partnership bewteen WJA and London Jewelers that showcases the contributions and artistry of emerging jewelry designers and provides an exceptional opportunity for retail exposure and exclusively features WJA-member designers on a rotating basis.
WJA Members should RSVP to the free reception to Meet the Designers:
RSVP today as space is limited.
Free for WJA Members. Your membership must be current to attend.


text:
Leading facilities attract world's scientists
As the old Chinese saying goes, “sharp tools make good work.” To become a city at the forefront of innovation, Shanghai needs the foremost infrastructure facilities.
Currently, 14 nation-level major science facilities have been built or are being built in the city. They are set to be completed by the end of 2025, attracting scientists from around the world to engage in cutting-edge studies in Shanghai.
Many of the facilities are in the city’s major innovation engine of Zhangjiang in the Pudong New Area.
Ten years ago, the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, known as the “Shanghai light source,” became the first nation-level major science facility in Zhangjiang.
The second was the National Center for Protein Science Shanghai, the world’s first comprehensive protein research facility. With the total investment of 756 million yuan (US$110 million), it started trial operation in 2014 and passed national evaluation to officially open in 2015.
The light facility, acting like a super X-ray machine and super microscope, allows researchers to discern the structure of even an atom. The protein facility especially carries out nuclear magnetic resonance tests on proteins.
“Protein is nearly 10,000 times smaller than a single hair,” said Liu Zhijun, technology director of the facility's nuclear magnetic resonance system. “We have five machines to conduct nuclear magnetic resonance tests on proteins to discern what they look like.”
One of the five machines has magnetic fields at 900 MHz, and it is in the top two in China, second to one at 950 MHz in Beijing. However, its output tops the country. Across the world, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United States have machines at 1,000 MHz, Liu said.
On average, the five machines are used by 30 research teams, including some overseas teams.
From 2015 to 2018, the facility has served more than 290 companies and research institutes at home and abroad for about 467,000 hours. Overseas users are from Japan, Spain, France, Britain, South Korea, New Zealand and the United States.
The facility has greatly improved China’s protein research. A number of great scientific breakthroughs have been made, including insights into the fatal Ebola virus and possible new approaches to treat cancer.

domain: news


text:
We are used to thinking of the First World War as the moment when society was confronted with the new horrors of industrialised warfare. Indeed, the scholarship of the war has focused in recent years on how far the conflict encouraged the development of the ‘modern age’.[i] New concepts of art, literature, politics and society are regarded as emerging from the war as societies adjusted to the legacy of bereavement and trauma. However, for many observers, the war was a return to a distant past rather than an embrace of an unknown future.
Historians have noted the reference to classical or medieval motifs in wartime writing but to many the conflict was comparable to a prehistoric age where now extinct animals roamed the Earth. By asserting this vision of the ancient past, a war which wrought death on a previously unimaginable scale, was rendered understandable and meaningful. Far from some confrontation with modernity, the war marked a return to the past.
Visions of a prehistoric landscape dominated the reporting of the battlefields in letters, diaries and memoirs. The British war correspondent William Beech Thomas (1868-1957) described the battlefields of the Somme after the 1916 offensive on the Western Front as a scene of ‘primeval slime’.[ii] The history of the 12th Bermondsey Battalion detailed how the conditions on the Somme created soldiers who ‘bore no resemblance to human beings, haggard, sleepless, filthy, like creatures of the primeval slime’.[iii] In his memoirs, the British Army veteran Charles Carrington stated how the war had reduced Flanders to a ‘primeval marsh’.[iv]
In this environment, it was perhaps inevitable that references to dinosaurs begin to appear as a way of explaining both the terror and the excitement that the war induced. As has been noted by scholars such as Santanu Das and Trudi Tate, allusions to dinosaurs were particularly popular in explaining the use of tanks on the battlefields.[v]
From their first introduction in 1916 by the British Army, these armoured vehicles were immediately regarded alongside the dinosaurs which had been excavated, studied and displayed in the museums of Europe and North America since the nineteenth century. Just as visitors to exhibitions were enthralled by the sublime sight of such creatures, this new military technology was regarded on similar lines.
‘…(the tanks) must have recalled the terrors of prehistoric man when dinosaurs and pterodactyls, assailed his primitive cave dwelling.[vi]‘
The American historian Arthur Riggs (1879-1952) wrote of his experiences with the British Army Tank Corps as a journey back through time where he was confronted with the extinct animals of a primeval Earth. In his description of a scene of a collection of tanks, Riggs was moved to comment:
‘…other tanks rested at various angles…all of them terrible, ludicrous, inspiring — monsters from some prehistoric age who had gallantly come to help their puny masters (Riggs 1917: 102).[vii]‘
Reporters and commentators for newspapers in the United States and Britain in their explanation of the progress of the war on the Western Front in France and Flanders described the tanks of the battlefields through similar references:
‘After some two hours of progress we came, in that devastated district near the front, to an expanse where many monsters were clumsily cavorting like dinosaurs in primeval slime…[viii]
‘…the return to earth of ichthyosaurs or dinosaurs spouting bullets from their nostrils could not have been more amazing.[ix]‘
The effect that the tank was regarded as having upon the enemy was also asserted in the same manner so the confrontation with modern warfare was rendered into a presumed brutal and savage past:
‘And the effect upon the morale of the enemy was not, indeed, unlike produced if some prehistoric dinosaur suddenly appeared upon the battlefield’.[x]
The size, ferocity and capabilities of the tanks were all explained by reference to dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The advances made through these machines were described as evidence of the power of the military against the enemy and the inevitability of victory. Indeed, Max Pemberton (1863-1950) writing in the popular British magazine, War Illustrated, reported to the public that the new mode of waging war harnessed the power of prehistoric animals which would secure success on the battlefields:
‘Huge saurians and steel pterodactyls which eat houses as elephants eat hay’.[xi]
The ‘steel pterodactyls’ referred to within this statement indicates the use of this allusion for other new weapons of the war as the aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps were represented through this prehistoric association. Prehistoric references to the weapons, conduct and politics of the war can be noted. Indeed, in the account of the 1st Battalion of the Cambridgeshire Regiment, Brigadier-General E. Riddell and Colonel M. C. Clayton stated that despite ‘modern weapons’ the war was ‘still prehistoric in its conduct’.[xii]
The enemy’s weapons were also placed in this context but instead of emphasising the terror and force of the army these references asserted the brutality and savagery of the German Army. For example, in the anonymous poem, ‘Death of a Zeppelin’, published in the highly popular anthology in Britain, The Muse in Arms, the German Empire’s airships were described as ‘the man-made Dinosaur that haunts the night’.[xiii]
Away from the battlefields, pacifist groups decried the ‘dinosaur’ mentality of the countries that waged war upon one another and stated that they would follow the animals into extinction.
The ways in which the conflict was regarded as a return to the past not a new era demonstrates how contemporary observers used these allusions to make sense of the anxieties, fears and the excitement of the war. The image of the prehistoric era was evoked to demonstrate the significance of the event. This was a war which was comparable to the great creatures which once dominated the Earth.
Despite the innovations and inventions brought by the war, it was understood not as the advent of the modern age but as comparable to the great ages of prehistory.
*This image has no known copyright restrictions, available via Library and Archives Canada. http://data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a002916-v8.jpg. Credit: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada.
[i] Fussell, P. (1975), The Great War and Modern Memory, Oxford: Oxford University Press; Winter, J. (1992), Sites of memory, sites of mourning: the Great War in European cultural history, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[ii] Thomas, W.B. (1917), With the British on the Somme, London: Methuen, p.8.
[iii] Aston, J. and Duggan, L.M. (1936) The History of the 12th (Bermondsey) Battalion East Surrey Regiment, London: Union Press, p.125.
[iv] Carrington, C. (1965), Soldier from the Wars Returning, London: Hutchinson, p.198.
[v] Das, S. (2005), Touch and Intimacy in First World War Literature, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press; Tate, T. (1998), Modernism, History and the First World War, Manchester: Manchester University Press.
[vi] Anon, (1916a), ‘Tanks Proved Their Worth’, New York Times, September 17.
[vii] Riggs, A.S. (1917), With Three Armies On and Behind the Western Front, Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, p.102
[viii] Churchill, W. (1918), A Traveller in War-Time, New York: The Macmillan Company, p.84.
[ix] Anon, (1916b), ‘Secret of Death-Dealing War Autos Closely Guarded by British Officials’, New York Times, September 17.
[x] Townsend, R. (1917), “Tanks” and the “Hose of Death”, The World’s Work, 33: 195-207.
[xi] Pemberton, M. (1916), ‘The Battle of the Tanks’, War Illustrated, October 7: 179, 182.
[xii] Riddell, Brigadier-General E. and Clayton, Colonel M.C., (1934), The Cambridgeshires, 1914 to 1919, Cambridge: Bowes and Bowes, p.50.
[xiii] Anon, (1918), The Muse in Arms. London: John Murray, p.117.

domain: library


text:
Yes, Coffee Might Be Good For Your Teeth
If you have a desire to stain your teeth, consuming multiple cups of coffee a day is a sure way to get you there. That much you likely already know. What you may not know, though, is that drinking coffee in moderation can actually help you protect your teeth, because of coffee’s unique anti-bacterial properties. And, coffee isn’t alone in this regard. Tea, too, has some pretty marvelous properties, despite its propensity to stain teeth as well!
Trigonelline is what’s known as an alkaloid. And this alkaloid appears to be of specific benefit to our teeth. It’s found in its highest levels in Arabica coffee beans, and research suggests it interferes with cavity-causing bacteria’s ability to adhere itself to tooth enamel. Research is ongoing, but it does seem to be another feather-in-the-cap of your morning “joe.”

domain: chemistry


text:
Musician JJ Cale, wrote hits for others
Published 5:39 pm, Saturday, July 27, 2013
Born John Weldon Cale in Oklahoma City, he cut a wide path through 1970s rock 'n' roll, influencing some of the most famous musicians at the time with songs that were laid back and mellow, yet imbued with a driving groove.
A former member of the Grand Ole Opry touring company, Cale never rose to the level of success of his admirers, but his fingerprints could be heard all over the genre in the 1970s, and his music remains influential.
His album with Eric Clapton "The Road to Escondido" won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2007.
In 2006, Cale told the AP in an interview "I'd probably be selling shoes today if it wasn't for Eric."
Clapton also recorded Cale's "Cocaine," "Travelin' Light" and "I'll Make Love To You Anytime."
Cale was asked on his website if it bothers him that "contemporaries and critics list him amongst legends, and fans might love his songs yet not even know his name?"
"No, it doesn't bother me," he said with a laugh. "What's really nice is when you get a check in the mail."

domain: celebrity


text:
According to coach Gary Williams the Terrapins collection of upperclassmen still doesn't know how to handle success. After winning an emotional and critical game against a very good Clemson squad on Saturday the players failed to show the same intensity and focus against a wounded and desperate Virginia squad last night. The focus on defensive rebounding and running efficient half court offense was gone from Saturday. That, coupled with a hot Virginia back court, resulted in a 103-91 loss that was actually worse than the final score would indicate.
After getting down by as many as 20 points in the first half Maryland clawed its way back into the game and escaped at the halftime buzzer with only a seven point deficit. That was mostly due to the scrappy play of freshman Greivis Vasquez who scored 8 points in about 30 seconds as the half drew to a close. The Terps would close to within 3 points two different times in the 2nd half but squandered the critical five minute stretch after closing the gap with Virginia. They trailed by double digits for most of the rest of the game and never got closer than eight points.
There were a slew of reasons why Maryland lost. At times it seemed the players thought they could just duplicate the formula that helped beat Clemson. Unfortunately they just outscored the Tigers and did a good enough job in defensive rebounding to pull out a win. Not a formula to win in the ACC. Virginia had enough success pushing the tempo to get some easy baskets in transition while being the latest opponent to trash Maryland on the offensive glass with 17 offensive rebounds. Virginia did make eight 3-point baskets but merely shot well enough, because without the incredible 39 points from free throws they would not have won the game. Maryland played poor position defense most of the night and failed to stop the efficient dribble penetrations of Sean Singletary and JR Reynolds. It wasn't bad calls or any home cooking by the referees, it was a continuation of the troubling trend of poor defense by the Terps.
Maryland has had a season long problem with giving up offensive rebounds. No surprise as everyone who reads this blog regularly is probably sick of reading about it. Ekene Ibekwe and James Gist are not great rebounders. They never have been and never will be. They are weak at positioning themselves for rebounds and are too easily pushed out of position by inferior players. However, guards also play a large roll in defensive rebounding and the guards for Maryland are failing miserably in this roll. All too often you'll see Mike Jones, Eric Hayes or even Greivis Vasquez flailing around under the basket as an opponent grabs the offensive rebound and scores. Hayes has responsibilities as the point guard usually so I'll give him a slight break for his dreadful 5.3% offensive rebounding rate, which is the worst by far of any regular point guard in the ACC. For comparison shrimpy Tyrese Rice has a 6.3% defensive rebound rate. Worse in my estimation is that at 6-5 with great strength senior Mike Jones is a virtual non-factor as a rebounder. Even Parrish Brown has a better rate of offensive rebounding than Jones. We'll get back to Jones in a bit.
The offense scored 91 points, including an incredible 36 points in the last 9:34 seconds of the game, but that was mostly a product of some lazy defense by Virginia with a large lead. In the critical first half Maryland's offense stalled. There were too many long scoring droughts with little ball movement. Too often the Terps would settle for the 2nd or 3rd look at the basket instead of working the ball around for a better shot. This quick trigger also set Virginia up with good scoring chances and made it impossible for Maryland to set up their defense. It was an atrocious and too often selfish display in the first half. If they don't work on this Maryland's opponents will know they only have to defend for about 10 seconds before the Terrapins will settle for a shot they could have at any time in the possession. They needs to be aggressive when the opportunity presents itself but then have the poise to work for the best scoring chance.
Maryland was forced to play zone in the second half, it was a mistake by Williams not to turn to it earlier, and acquitted themselves only slightly better. Williams did go to his bench early but there were no heroics by Will Bowers and Parrish Brown in this game. The duo combined for 5 points, 1 rebound and 6 fouls in 21 minutes after chipping in 14 points on Saturday. Bambale Osby had a rough first few minutes off the bench and got hooked despite almost outscoring Bowers and Brown combined with 4 points on 2-4 shooting. The substitution patterns baffle me sometimes.
DJ Strawberry didn't play like Maryland's leading scorer in the first half. He often passed up shots and deferred to less dynamic players before getting in foul trouble. Strawberry needs to assert himself more as a leader and offensive threat. He is the closest thing to a "creator" on offense for Maryland and has one of the lower turnover rates of any player on the team. Even though he shot very poorly in the game, going only 2-11, Terps need him to be more of a focus. If he doesn't take over those duties Maryland's NCAA chances will get weaker and weaker. James Gist is in a similar position. He disappears too often in games. After scoring 10 points in the first half he only took 2 shots the rest of the game and finished with 11 points in 28 minutes. He must do more for Maryland to dig itself out of a 1-3 hole.
Lastly let me get to some unpleasant business. A few years from now someone may look at the box score of this game and see that Mike Jones scored 18 points and that Ibekwe scored 17 with 14 rebounds and think they both played great games. Sadly the truth is nowhere near that conclusion.
Mike Jones seems like a nice kid who has kept out of trouble the last few seasons on a team full of kids that attracted all the wrong kind of attention. He's affable and took sitting behind unremarkable starters in stride with nary a complaint. He is also a terribly flawed player that doesn't seem to get anywhere near the scrutiny that he deserves. Far from being in Gary Williams' doghouse he played 32 minutes, a team high, against the Wahoos including almost all of the second half. His defense was absolutely wretched. If you're wondering how Virginia's Mamadi Diane was able to score 26 points when his season average was a shade over 10 points and had only scored in double digits twice in his last six games, you need only look at who was guarding him most of the night. Jones has never been a competent defender but it was embarrassing to watch him get abused by an ordinary sophomore like Diane. A particularly cringe worthy sequence in the second half had freshman Eric Hayes pointing the clueless senior to his position in the zone defense that Maryland had switched to and then seeing the ball swing to his wide open area for another Virginia 3-pointer. I won't belabor the point because I don't want to be gratuitous, but for those who see Mike Jones as the answer to Maryland's problems you have to recognize that trading 26 on the defensive end for 18 on the offensive end is a losing calculus. Gary Williams could do a better job of hiding Jones glaring flaws while trying to highlight his weaknesses but he was a large part of the loss to Virginia.
I'm not sure why Gary Williams continues to believe that Ekene Ibekwe is the kind of offensive player that you force your offense through. For the number of touches he gets in the post you'd think he was Maryland's answer to Tyler Hansbrough. It is the same story for Ibekwe that is was when he came to Maryland as an emaciated freshman. He is a terrible passer from the post and lacks the ability to score with his back to the basket. Think I'm being too harsh? Let's examine the numbers from Ken Pomeroy. His offensive efficiency rating and assist rating are the worst on the team out of the regular players. His turnover rate is also the third highest, behind only freshmen point guards Hayes and Vasquez, on the team. One of the few things Ibekwe does well is get to the free throw line but only a recent spurt of foul shooting has made his free throw percentage respectable, while still being the worst among the starting rotation. This is the player that Gary Williams wants to continually feed the ball to in the post? It is a strategic mistake last night and it will continue to kill Maryland if Williams insists on forcing the offense through such a flawed player. Leave Ibekwe to do what he is best at, being an opportunistic scorer off of rebounds and dribble penetrations by guards. Virginia's Jason Cain is a player that no one, not even Virginia fans, appreciates yet in spite of having no offense run to him he manages to scrape out 13 points and 16 rebounds by shear hustle. Hopefully Ibekwe took notes because Cain got those numbers right under his nose.

domain: sports


text:
Henry Wong in Harborne has been on my list of restaurants to try for a long time; its reputation for delicious Chinese food and luxurious dining experience precedes it. Though I rarely venture into Harborne (as I live on the other side of the city and, frankly, I’m lazy) when I was invited to a VIP blogger night at Henry Wong, I jumped at the chance.
Greeted with Laurent-Perrier Champagne on arrival and led through to a beautifully dressed table in the dining room, first impressions were VERY good. The menu had been devised especially for the night with 4 courses, each matched to a wine, although I was driving so sadly my one glass of Champers was all I had. Though when the food started arriving it was obvious that this wasn’t going to be your usual Chinese meal.
The Hors D’oeuvre was a trio of prawns with honey pepper, wasabi cream and garlic glazes. Large, sweet, juicy prawns were hidden in a light coating of batter with sweet and spicy honey pepper dressing, punchy wasabi and crisp garlic. The honey pepper glaze was my favourite, giving an almost candied feel to the prawn.
The lobster was presented to impress. Delicate lobster meat had already been extracted from the shell, while the head and claws were stood upright. The lobster had a subtle garlicy flavour and was cooked very well, I just wished there was more of it!
Alongside the lobster we also had spare ribs with chilli and pepper which were falling off the bone, spicy and spiked with peppercorns. I love ribs, so it isn’t hard to please me with them, but these were very good and I was pleased that they weren’t drowned in a sticky sauce, much easier to eat in polite company!
The mains consisted of sirloin steak in teriyaki sauce, crispy sea bass with sweet chilli sauce and Cantonese crispy chicken.
The sirloin steak was intensely savoury with a sprinkling of sesame seeds for crunch and nuttiness. The seabass was interesting, as I’d never seen it presented like this before. It was cut into strips, coated in a light batter and doused with sweet chilli sauce.
I must say though I felt the strength of the garlic and chilli in the sauce did overpower the seabass a little bit, and it would have been lovely to have seen it presented whole, but the dish as it was, tasted delicious.
My favourite though was the Cantonese crispy chicken. The chicken was presented in thick slices with crisp, crunchy skin, almost resembling duck. The chicken itself was very moist, and the crispy skin was to die for! I would certainly order this again.
Everything was served with bowls of Singapore noodles and fried rice. The Singapore noodles were really good, fresh, crunchy vegetables, thin vermicelli noodles and a good curry flavour with no greasiness at all. The fried rice was served with pineapple which I found unusual but actually quite pleasant when served alongside the savouriness of the teriyaki beef and the Cantonese chicken.
As much as it pains me to say it though, the service was slow. We had to wait a long time for the food to start arriving, and in the end I had to leave before dessert as it had got to half past 10 and I had an early start for work the next morning. That said, there were over 20 of us and the waiting staff were very attentive all night, so I can’t fault them on that, it was just a shame that I didn’t get to try the puddings. Next time I’ll be in for the night! Although I ducked out early, I was given a really generous goody bag with Chinese ingredients to take home, a bottle of wine from the night’s selection and even some Henry Wong chopsticks, which was a lovely touch.
The standard of the food was what really impressed me though, this was Chinese food but not as we know it. No cloying, sickly sauces, no deep fried balls of questionable stuff, just fantastic fresh ingredients, punchy, authentic flavours and a wonderful atmosphere. It could easily be the best Chinese I’ve had in Birmingham and I’m definitely keen to go back and sample more of the menu.
There’s a reason Henry Wong has been open for over 30 years. Long may it continue!
My meal was complimentary, many thanks to the team at Henry Wong & FU Media.
Special thanks to Jas Sansi for the use of his beautiful images of the evening.

domain: food


text:
By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian
Every policeman is required to maintain a scorecard as his or her daily guide in the performance of his or her official functions and responsibilities.
Chief Supt. Samuel Mahusay Yordan, deputy regional director for administration (DRDA) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Region 7, stressed this during a briefing with police officers all over the province at Camp Francisco Fernandez Jr. in Agan-an, Sibulan on Thursday.
Yordan was at the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) the whole day to cascade the integrated transformation program, performance governance system.
He said the regional command is now in the process of developing an operational dashboard for every police command in the four provinces and tactical dashboard in every police station.
The DRDA explained the policeman will bring along with him the scorecard as his guide on what he is supposed to accomplish in relation to his job as a police officer.
Yordan said Negros Oriental is lucky and fortunate that there is not much report about policemen who are involved in unscrupulous activities, like what happened in Manila.
He attributed this to the fact that most of the policemen are from this province, that would have restrained them from indulging in nefarious activities to protect the integrity of their families and from humiliation.


Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund (MPOWCF)
is keen to learn from Sabah’s experience in developing palm oil
downstream industries and palm oil industrial clusters (POIC).
Its Land Development Minister Dr James Masing said the oil palm
plantation sector was expanding rapidly in Sarawak and the state aimed
to ensure that it was moving in the right direction in downstream
“We have heard a lot about your POIC development and
we believe we can learn much from your experiences,” Masing said during
a visit to the POIC project in Lahad Datu.
On hand to brief the visitors was POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Dr Pang Teck Wai.
Masing’s 16-member delegation included senior officials from the
Ministry of Rural Development, State Planning Unit, Bintulu Development
Authority, Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corp, Sarawak Oil Palm
Plantation Owners Association and Malaysia Palm Oil Board Sarawak.
He said that Sarawak currently has about 700,000ha of oil palm, compared with 1.4 million hectares in Sabah.
The state has targeted to cultivate about two million hectares of oil palm over the next five years.
Sarawak is also developing land in Bintulu, known globally as a port
for liquefied natural gas, to attract investors in palm oil downstream
Dr Pang said the oil palm industry in Sabah has
the potential to generate economic value of RM100 billion, four times
that of the state’s gross domestic product currently.
with visitors his views on the critical factors for a successful
industrial cluster and highlighted the importance of infrastructure and
the need for the government to underwrite the funding.
Views were exchanged on issues of plantation labour and mechanisation.
The plantation sector faces a major labour shortage from an exodus of Indonesian workers back to their home country.
Mechanisation may help address the labour woes in addition to raising efficiency and productivity.
Source : Business Times
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
We are all things to all people
ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Café invites you to come in and experience our expansive space in a warm, bright and friendly atmosphere. Take a seat and relax in one of our cozy lounge areas while enjoying a latte, or sit at a table with a friend, family member or your laptop and take pleasure in our daily lunch specials created and made by our own in-house team of expert chefs.
We offer a full menu of fresh, seasonally prepared artisanal food for you to enjoy, both hot and cold. Our specials change daily. Delight in delicious salads, sandwiches, muffins, baked goods and more.
Week of Feb 24th:
Soup of the Week:
MONDAY: Grilled Beef Kebabs
cucumber salad, brown rice, tzatziki, and pita
TUESDAY: Sweet Potato Taco Bowl
WEDNESDAY: Chicken Teriyaki - gluten-free
THURSDAY: Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl - gluten-free
sushi rice, spicy mayo, pickled cucumber, avocado, crisp nori
FRIDAY: Balsamic Lemon Chicken Quinoa Bowl
Pulled Pork Enchilada with Chef Dinorah's Mole Sauce, Red Pepper Salsa, and Rice
Beef & Tomato Bolognese Lasagna
Thai Green Chicken Curry with Coconut Jasmine Rice
Beef Stroganoff with Creamy Mushroom Sauce, Buttered Egg Noodles
Take-Away Meals are available at the BFK Café WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, and FRIDAY until 6PM.


text:
I’ve always like to follow NASA planetary missions. I believe I drew this the first day the mechanical arm for scooping up soil was deployed.
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail
© 2008-2012 Skineart.com | Posted images are property and copyright of their respective creators and/or owners.
Disclaimer: Moleskine® is a registered trademark of Moleskine Srl. We are not affiliated with Moleskine Srl.

domain: artistic


text:
The good, bad and frantic of raising kids in a foreign land
Missionary mums open up about parenting across cultures
“Have I got what it takes? Will I get depressed and lonely? Get eaten by crocodiles? Wreck my kids’ education? (When I discovered I would need to homeschool our three kids, I cried.)
“When I found out we were moving to Milingimbi [Northern Territory], I threw myself into reading books of amazing women who thrived living in the outback.
“That was demoralising as I’m clearly nothing like those chicks.”
That is an extract from Red Fulton’s contribution to new book For The Joy: 21 Australian Missionary Mother Stories on Cross-Cultural Parenting and Life. The book brings together testimonies of parenting from Australian women serving on the mission field.
Eternity caught up with two other contributors from the book to find out what it’s really like to raise kids overseas.
Tamie Davis is serving as a missionary in Tanzania, and says, “being a mum in Tanzania is central to your identity. You are referred to by the name of your oldest child, rather than by your own name. Very few people call me Tamie. Lots more people call me Mama Eli.”
But she points out that because maternity leave in Tanzania is three months and unpaid, many women have no choice but to return to work, so it’s also normal to be a working mum.
“It is a mother’s job to provide for her family, including financially, so working mothers are good mothers.
“Spending quality time or playing with your children is less of a focus of motherhood.”
“When we got back to Australia, I was constantly being paged to come and collect my son when someone had found him by himself …” – Tamie Davis
Davis says, “I thought I was parenting like an Australian until I returned home and saw all the ways I had picked up Tanzanian parenting.
“In Tanzania, I never thought twice about leaving my child alone in a crowd, or allowing him to run off from me, because I knew that there would always be someone looking out for him, because parenting is a community task in Tanzania.
“When we got back to Australia, I was constantly being paged to come and collect my son when someone had found him by himself, and even though he was perfectly happy, they assumed he was lost, and dutifully took him to a front desk to be collected by his presumably frantic parents.”
But lots of parenting as a missionary is about helping your child navigate the tension between their host country and their passport country.
“You still have a home base in Australia, and expect to return to it one day,” explains Davis. “You can never be fully ‘present’ in your host country because at some level you’re always preparing your child to live in your passport country, either for home assignment, or for your eventual return. But then, you also aren’t parenting in your passport country so are influenced by your host country.”
“You need to be aware that your child’s experiences and emotional attachment to a place may be very different from your own.” – Tamie Davis
Even though your child’s passport country is legally their home country, this may not feel true for many missionary kids. They may not know things that seem blatantly obvious to other Australian kids. For Tamie Davis, this meant a necessary lesson in how to cross the road.
“I remember drilling my kid in what traffic signals mean before we left Tanzania for home assignment in Australia, and that you watch the lights rather than just doing what seems right according to what everyone else on the road is doing. I told him that the green man means ‘go’ and the red man means ‘stop’.
“I neglected to mention that if the red man is flashing, you can finish crossing, and had to hastily explain this added dimension to my child when he stopped in the middle of the road as soon as the red man came up, thinking he was obeying the rules!” says Tamie.
“This can result in a mismatch between how a parent feels about visiting Australia and how a child feels about it. What is familiar or relaxing to the parent may be scary and foreign to the child.
“As a parent, you need to be aware that your child’s experiences and emotional attachment to a place may be very different from your own.”
One key responsibility missionary parents have towards their kids is to help them develop healthy responses to the constant transition they experience.
“They do not have the stability that other children their age experience. Moving is a part of their life, which means leaving behind friends and family, or being left behind by them. This means that a missionary kid’s life is sprinkled with grief, so as a parent you are constantly trying to help them to come to terms with loss.
“Many missionary kids develop coping mechanisms to deal with this, such as keeping others at a distance so they can’t get hurt, or becoming very intense about relationships very quickly because they know time is limited.”
“I had to work hard to decide what was important and what wasn’t.” – Sally Swan
On the other side of the world, Sally Swan, who was a missionary in South America, says children in Chile are the boss of the family. They go to bed very late – toddlers can crash around 10pm or later – and they also eat a lot of sugar and drink a lot of soft drinks.
“I found it difficult to have no Chilean friends who were likeminded in parenting and likeminded in theology and who could understand me – my history, my background, my family of origin.”
“But being a mother in Chile is the same as it is in Australia, but without any of the usual supports and without the comfort zone I had become accustomed to. So I had to change myself, and I had to challenge myself.
“I had to work hard to decide what was important and what wasn’t.”
At one point, this meant changing her mind about where to school her kids. Before becoming a missionary, Sally believed she would be happy to homeschool her kids if the local area education wasn’t good enough.
“But when our oldest finished year one, we took him out of the local Chilean school, and sent him to the Missionary Kid (MK) school,” remembers Sally.
“He was now fluent in Spanish and had Chilean friends, but we really needed to improve his standard of education, and also the Chilean children were incredibly ill-behaved in the classroom which he found more and more difficult. So that surprised us.
“I guess you can have all the plans in the world, but you have to wait until you’re in the situation to properly assess its effects on your family. The MK school, although not perfect, was a terrific blessing to our family, and it meant I was free to serve in other ways, other than just in the home.”

domain: psychology


Celtic Way journalist Anthony Haggerty believes Celtic may have to ‘bite the bullet’ and secure Aaron Hickey’s return to Parkhead.
Hickey, who was born in Glasgow, had a spell in the Bhoys’ youth academy before moving onto Heart of Midlothian in 2018.
The 19-year-old left-back departed Scotland for Serie A side Bologna in September 2020.
Would Aaron Hickey be a good signing for Celtic?
However, it seems as though Hickey could be set to return to his homeland less than 12 months after heading to Italy as Celtic are keen to acquire his services.
The Bhoys have already seen a £3.5million bid rejected by Bologna for the star on Ange Postecoglou’s radar, with boss Sinisa Mihajlovic claiming he wants to keep the Scotsman, but they are likely to return with another offer.
Lengthy lay-offs, both through injury and after contracting coronavirus, led to Hickey being restricted to just 12 appearances last season.
But Haggerty, a reporter for The Celtic Way, believes new boss Ange Postecoglou should make signing Hickey a priority if the price is right.
Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Haggerty said: “I think Celtic would baulk at paying £5million for a player they had in the door. It’s an admission of not being able to see what others saw but they might have to bite the bullet on that one at some point if they really like him and think he can do a job.
“At Bologna, they rate him really highly. Celtic may have to say they called it wrong and here’s a second chance.”
Click here to comment on this articleor
Give us feedback on your Football Transfer Tavern experience


text:
It came really surprising when Vista Network sued Philip Piccolo and his associates as well as their company Travelada under the charges of fraudulent and criminal misconduct. The lawsuit was filed in California.
To give a little intro, Vista Network was started by Armen Temurian in late 2017. Armen is the CEO of the company. The matter of fact is that the company itself started as an Ethereum doubler Ponzi. However, a statement by Armen cleared that the doubler Ponzi scheme was ceased by January 2018.
After the termination of Ponzi Doubler, Vista presented a cryptocurrency mining opportunity for investors. They attached hardware mining with the cloud mining to make it look legit. They also added AlexaCoin and VistaCoin through the non-publicly network. They did not even register to SEC and kept offering unregistered securities to investors.
Later in November 2018, Armen started that the company was never a Ponzi. According to him, the investors were returned their part truly. However, he did mention that the license was never there.
He further said that he would be getting the SEC to license the first thing in January 2019 and the coins (AlexaCoin and VistaCoin) would be available on the first exchange listing on DutyFly.
The complaint against Phillip Piccolo, Paul Morris, Joseph Reid, Kevin Dalton Johnson, and the company was made on 9th November 2018. In the lawsuit it was made clear the defendants were hired for developing affiliate back-office for the Vista Network.
The complaint said that the PJM Defendants after gaining access to Vista’s confidential trade secret documents and cryptocurrency accounts, being hired as the software developers, furtively set out to defraud Vista by misappropriating its trade secrets and stealing its assets.
As per the complaints, the total loss that Armen incurred was about $700,000. The defendants also deleted shipping information, shipped the products to unknown people and even canceled real orders to keep that money with themselves.
This is not it. As per the statement, Johnson and Piccolo even went way ahead and threatened Armen for extortion. They threatened by blackmailing to delete all the crucial information and data from the software forever unless they receive a large amount of money.
Armen even filed a TRO only two days after filing this complaint. However, it was rejected.


text:
Because psychologists and psychiatrists often work together for the well-being of the client, their job descriptions overlap. The fields of psychology and psychiatry are both essential in researching and developing treatment for improving mental and emotional health. This is how a child psychiatrist enters the profession. They have a strong role in providing support and guidance and can help patients make decisions, understand what they're going through and clarify their feelings to determine their next step better. Psychologists are licensed in a particular state, and they can't practice outside of that state. Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theories and Interventions. Psychiatrist When you think psychiatrist - think medication.
A coach is someone who is trained and devoted to guiding clients to develop new life skills, overcome obstacles and increase confidence. No other mental health discipline can lay claim to such an extensive investigation of the human psyche and this longevity is one of the primary reasons the field of Psychology is held in such high esteem in society in general. Psychiatrists are trained in a variety of treatment techniques, including medication therapy and psychotherapy. Besides clinical psychologists, there are neuropsychologists who work with children with autism, epilepsy, brain injuries and other neuro-development disorders. Therapists might include marriage or relationship counselors or those who work with social care to help people with disabilities adjust. In fact, a therapist can be a lot more flexible because they're not strictly bound by licensure and codes so they work with much more varied techniques.
For many conditions, psychological care psychiatric care and vice versa. Psychiatrists attend medical school and are trained in general medicine. Both types of mental health practitioners play an important role in understanding how humans behave and interact with each other. Psychiatrists will assess whether you're on the right medication and the right dosage. However, there are differences in the techniques they use.
Do not be afraid to ask for recommendations to other practitioners who can meet your specific needs; most mental health professionals want to see patients get better, regardless of who is treating them. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards' Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology is used by many state boards. Psychiatrists specialize in prescribing and monitoring medications. Let's look at some more information about these distinct careers. With your permission, and if appropriate, they may also work with your family members or others who may be involved in your treatment plan. After completing medical school, psychiatrists must get a state license to prescribe medication. Coming from a psychiatrist, I would say it would depend on your interests.
As is the case with all unlicensed professions there are both fantastic individuals and those who are simply trying to profit at your expense. This should help you clarify the difference between a as well as a few others. Federal Psychologists Psychologists employed by the federal government work for a variety of agencies, and tend to make somewhat more than school and counseling psychologists. Psychiatrists Psychiatrists tend to make significantly more money than most psychologists. Treatment by medication in conjunction with various forms of may be undertaken and has proved most effective in successful treatment.
The career outlook for both positions have been and will continue to be good career options. There are, however, many different types of psychologists. Learn about degree programs, job duties and licensure requirements. What are the pros and cons? They're focused on helping you achieve your dreams, goals and quality of life. Psychiatrists specialize in prescribing and monitoring medications. Your child may be experiencing difficulties at home, at school or both.
While both study the brain, emotions, feelings and thoughts, there is a distinct difference between the two fields of study. During your first appointment with a psychiatrist they will ask you to describe your problem, give you a diagnosis if you have one, and will usually discuss medication options with you. A Psychologist is a mental health professional with specific training based on clinical psychological research into human behavior. Coaches tend to be future-oriented, and unlike psychologists, they don't focus on past pain. Differences in license to practice In the U. Those who earn a Ph. Psychology has been studying the mental processes of human beings for over a century and has developed numerous effective methods for dealing with mental illnesses.
What are the pros and cons? In the last 15 years, this distinction has started changing, albeit at a slow pace. Psychologists focus extensively on psychotherapy and treating emotional and mental suffering in patients with behavioral intervention. Anxiety coaches work in similar ways for anxiety issues. About Clinical Psychology Clinical psychologists are extensively trained to assess and diagnose psychological disorders, but they may also help patients suffering from minor adjustment disorders or other problems that might interfere with mental health and well-being. Psychology is a discipline that has been working on the study of mental processes and behavioral patterns of human beings for over one hundred years.

domain: medical


I wouldn’t say I’m a TV Show buff, but I’ve definitely watched my fair share of TV Shows, so to commemorate their hard work, I thought I’d list my top five saddest moments, because we all like a good cry now don’t we? I’ll also include sketches from sketch shows because like most of these episodes it’s usually just a short segment of the episode. Obviously there’s going to be a fair few spoilers for a few shows so you’ve been warned.
Ah Scrubs, I absolutely adore this show, it made me laugh so much and it had a really successful run, so much in fact that, like all good comedy shows, it inflicted more than one emotion, which was sadness. While there are a few tear jerkers such as the death of Ben and Dr. Cox killing three people, but I thought I’d kick the list off lightly with the retirement of Dr. Kelso. No death’s in this one, unless you count the ending of a career a death, then I suppose there’s a death included in this one.
Season 7 allowed Dr. Kelso for some major on-screen time and it eventually resulted in a very heart warming episode in which the staff of Sacred Heart try to save his job. They succeed, but Kelso ends things on his own terms, thanking Ted for his hard work and driving off into the morbidly obese American sunset.
What made this episode special for me was that we’ve seen Kelso be this complete arsehole for the past seven seasons with only one or two hints of emotion in him (see the Jiggly Ball episode) so it was a fitting closure to the character’s time at the hospital.
And then they brought him back in Season 8 because they opened up a coffee shop the end.
This one’s pretty heart warming. Steve Carrell (who plays Michael) had decided to leave the show to focus on his acting career, this led to an episode consisting of Michael saying the final goodbyes to his employees and friends. Jim finds out that Michael is actually leaving on the day, not on Friday, so the two exchange tears with each other and have a good cry on because they can’t have any lunch.
With TV Show’s it’s very difficult to execute goodbyes well, it’s also difficult to execute people well (see Skyrim for proof of this). The Office did this goodbye so well and managed to make a song out of it, of all the things they did, they did a song. But that’s not what I’m focusing on, in the earlier seasons Michael seems to want to be Jim, so Jim offering him lunch together must have hit home pretty hard with Michael. Anyway, just watch the video, it’ll be explained much better.
Of course this was going to be on the list. I was considering putting this at number four but then I re-watched the clip and realised I didn’t need to. I think everyone who’s ever heard the word “Futurama” would’ve had it instantly followed by “Jurassic Bark”. It’s one of the most memorable episodes in the entire show, let alone the series.
Fry trys to get his dog back, that’s an extremely simple concept for an episode. But Fry’s dog was in the year 2000. Not 3000. Eventually they’re about to reincarnate Seymour (the dog) or as the Professor describes it “a monstrosity to God” until Fry stops the machine by hitting it with a crowbar. He says that Seymour lived a full life and he didn’t want to bring him back at the ripe old age of fifteen (in dog years).
After Fry’s heartfelt speech about how Seymour probably had a happy life, it’s revealed that Seymour actually waited the entirety of their life to see Fry again, literally sitting on a street corner while “If it takes forever” plays over the animation, flipping through seasons until the dog is about to die and then the credits roll with that song still playing.
The only reason I mentioned I wanted to put sketch shows into the list was so I could share this magnificent sketch with everyone. It’s genuinely moving and comedic at the same time and I can’t give enough praise to the way Mitchell and Webb delivered the sketch. In it, Mitchell plays a much older version of Holmes, living in a care home, Watson (played by Webb) comes by to visit him. It’s obvious Holmes isn’t in the right mind when he smears jam on his face and calls himself a Chinaman, try’s to play the Stradivarius by blowing into it and throws some mashed apple onto the floor and proceeds to yell “Delicious!”
At the end of the sketch Mitchell delivers the most heart wrenching lines possible, “I can’t get the fog to clear”. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that this will make Webb’s character upset at the fact that there’s a small chance that his friend could recover or the fact that Holmes is obviously aware of his condition but there’s nothing he can do about it.
Then he pisses himself and they end the sketch.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find a clip for this but you can get the whole episode if you search for the 2010 Christmas Special on Dailymotion, if you skip about 45 minutes in then you’ll see the clip I would’ve used. For those of you who haven’t seen Benidorm, it’s a comedy show about some British holiday makers and the antics they get up to in the country. It’s a very funny show and the actors obviously have extremely good chemistry together. In season two they brought in Geoffrey Hutchings to play Mel, who would soon marry Madge and buy the “Benidorm Palace”. Unfortunately Geoffrey Hutchings passed away in June 2010, so with that, the show wouldn’t have Mel in it before. But the way this is upsetting is how they wrote his character out of the show.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to find a clip because YouTube gave me an instant copyright strike for uploading it so I took it down, I’ll try again on DailyMotion because it really is a great scene.
What the show creators did was say that Mel was on a business trip somewhere round the world and throughout the show the character Mick Garvey (Steve Pemberton) receives phone calls from Mel, one of which saying he was in hospital and it was only a minor problem. Later on, while “I wish it could be Christmas everyday” plays in the background (oh yeah, this was on the Christmas special of Season 4), Mick receives another phone call and is told that Mel passed away. After this, you’ll go through what I like to call “an emotional rollercoaster ride”. I can’t explain it very well but it’s pretty obvious they aren’t acting, they’re genuinely upset because of the loss of a college and friend, which makes it even more upsetting.
I commend the writers and actors of the show for doing the Christmas Special so well and making it a good tribute to Geoffrey was a difficult thing to pull off but they definitely did it extremely well.
Christ that was all very upsetting wasn’t it? Here, have a picture of a hamster.
That’s not a hamster is it? Thought hamsters had more teeth.


Each of the films discussed in this blog post is targeted to a specific age group, under 25 minutes in length, and accompanied by a few after-viewing questions. The intention of the questions is simply to provide conversation starters as you take a break, watch some films, and chat together. Enjoy!
Posts Tagged “Ice Breakers”
The following films showcase the spirit of young athletes who have defied cultural stereotypes and redefined not only themselves but the sport in which they’ve competed.
NFB Education is thrilled to tell you that we have a great line-up of films and interactive projects being released in 2020 that will fit right in with your curriculum.


J. Cole is targeted in one song and featured on another in this week’s New Music Friday. Here’s the latest in the culture.
(NOTE LANGUAGE) Youngboy Never Broke Again, Richest Opp — Along with the release comes the single “F*** the Industry Pt. 2,” which finds lyrics directed toward Drake, Lil Yachty and J. Cole.
Lil Durk featuring J. Cole, “All My Life” — The rappers teamed up for the track, which is accompanied by a music video. It will appear on Durk’s Almost Healed, which has been delayed.
A Boogie wit da Hoodie ft. G-Eazy, “MVP” — Boogie’s song is filled with NBA references, as it will be played by ESPN for the remainder of the NBA Playoffs.
Killer Mike, “Don’t Let the Devil” & “Motherless” — The rapper released videos for both songs, which pay homage to his late mom. He says they’re “a celebration of a BAD ASS BLACK GIRL from the westside of Atlanta.”
Russ, Chomp 2.5 — The six-song EP has no features, but production credits include Mobb Deep‘s Havoc, The Alchemist, 9th Wonder and Statik Selektah.
Kevin Gates, “Do It Again” — Gates’ new video finds him at the gym, on a yacht, flaunting a nice home and driving a Lamborghini alongside his love interest.
Chinx, Cocaine Riot 7 — Released in honor of the eighth anniversary of Chinx’s death, the album features 12 songs and appearances from French Montana, Offset, Jim Jones and more.
Chase B ft. Quavo, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Ty Dolla $ign, “Ring Ring” — Chase produced the star-studded song alongside BRYVN and released it on Thursday, which happened to be his birthday.
Soulja Boy, Soulja Season
Dave East + Young Chris, “Naughty”
Victoria Monét ft. Buju Banton, “Party Girls”
DaBaby, “Shake Sumn”
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


We asked ITV News' Facebook followers what they thought about today's boycott protest of Twitter as a protest against the recent spate of online abuse against several high profile women. Here is a selection of the responses:
One of my friends was one threatened with rape on Twitter. The Police need to crack down on these cowards and never allow [them] access to social media.
Trolls use words of hate. We don't need to shut up, we need to ignore them and speak louder than they can. Women have had enough of being sexualised and discriminated against.
They are just standing up for what the believe in. I just don't think it was the best cause of action to take.
No. It's stupid. So victims of bullying should shut up should they? Caitlin Moran has got everything wrong. Trolls are pathetic but this is giving them the attention they crave.
More top news
New research has found those who consumed two cups had a 35% reduced risk, and for those who drank five cups, the risk halved.
New research has found #Brexit was the most commonly occurring hashtag for abusive tweets.
Leader Paul Nuttall said: "We cannot be cowed or allow our way of life to be undermined by those who wish to do us harm."


Fresno police released the new and improved computer-aided delivery system or “CAD” late last month.
Designed for the last four years in collaboration with the company AXON.
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderama says the system provides real-time mapping for dispatchers and officers.
They can respond faster with security in mind and police officers can go to a scene more prepared.
“If there is a lot of white noise, the officers do not really know what they are responding to, so this will help us understand this information all the time it takes for a person to call a phone and an officer to get there,” said the captain. of Fresno Police, Don Gross.
Police say Fresno has an average of 1,100,911 calls a day and thousands of non-emergency calls.
At any time, information may need to be sent to more than 750 officers and a few hundred city officials.
The old system worked for more than 20 years.
The chief said they have already seen success with the system being the first of its kind.
“We are the first city in the world to launch AXON CAD and we are very proud of that. We have something at the forefront that is the highest quality in technology,” said Balderrama.
Copyright © 2022 KFSN-TV. All rights reserved.
Fresno Police launch new dispatch system to help officers respond faster Source link Fresno Police launch new dispatch system to help officers respond faster


text:
Did you just feel knots build in your stomach?
Girl! You are NOT alone! I promise you that!
It is So hard, for some, to feel comfortable in front of a camera. You feel you need to look and even act a certain way, that you need to know exactly how to pose and what your "best" side is. And because you don't feel like you know these things, you start to sweat, get tense, and become very awkward, not even close to who you really are.
I will admit, I do quite a bit of self portraits and I even get awkward with myself! I am embarrassed in front of me! BUT! I am learning to embrace the other side of the camera and to really embrace me! It's time for you to do the same!
You are more than you see when you look in the mirror...
Sometimes I wish I could shake my clients into realizing how beautiful they are! Sometimes, I need to shake myself...
There is so much empowerment that surges through us when we can accept all of our flaws and still look in the mirror and say, " I look damn good today!"
There is a new love for yourself when you can look at that new wrinkle and remember the laughter and joy that brought that wrinkle out.
Point is, we are all beautiful women. Created in our own uniqueness and for a purpose. We need to show it
Don't underestimate who you are and what you are capable of! Your story deserves to be told!
You are beautiful, you are worthy, you are valuable, you are YOU!


text:
found a new home!
Plenty of my friends are looking
for one too. Find a pet to adopt.
Find a pet to adopt
My name is Annalisa ADOPTION PENDING!
Facts about Annalisa ADOPTION PENDING
- Breed: Spaniel (Unknown Type)/Labrador Retriever Mix
- Color: White - With Red, Golden, Orange Or Chestnut
- Age: Puppy
- Size: Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
- Sex: Female
Annalisa ADOPTION PENDING's Info...
I am already spayed, up to date with shots, good with kids, good with dogs, and good with cats.
Annalisa is about 12wks old spaniel mix, she is very playful and gets along great with all other dogs, cats and great with kids
they are spayed, had 2 full sets of puppy shots and are healthy.
please fill out an application on our website at www.packleadersrescue.com

domain: pet


text:
I wonder if you could help a new artist. My oldest and best friend,
John Kolano who used to DJ with me at the start of my DJ career has a
daughter who has just released a great single on download, please check it out and
give it any plugs that you can.
It is available on iTunes and Spotify “Fly – Lisa Kolano”
I am asking this because
I really think this has a chance to be a massive hit and she is still looking for a record deal.
It is a song that she has written herself and she has more to come the next one should be a big club hit


text:
Chapters sought for an anthology by librarians who are not archivists who've worked with local historical societies in preserving local history, newspaper preservation, managing manuscript/book collections of local authors, local photography collections, kept student oral and written interviews of community members, and have done/are doing related activities. Tips needed on overcoming liability and invasion of privacy issues, what to save, ways to preserve local material for current and future generations. Librarians are often the last chance that important aspects of local culture have of being conserved.
No previously published, simultaneously submitted material; 3,000-3,500 words. Concise, how-to chapters, using bullets, headings, sidebars. Compensation: a complimentary book, discount on additional copies.


Just like a year ago, Olimpia’s EuroLeague debut takes place in Munich against Bayern. At that time, Olimpia found an arena full of opposing fans, this year the scenario will be different, as everywhere (11 teams will start the season playing behind closed doors). Olimpia is still unbeaten, it defeated two EuroLeague teams, Zalgiris and Alba during the Kaunas tournament, but now the situation is much more complicated because of the absences of Vlado Micov (left elbow) and Kevin Punter (right leg). With 182 minutes and 115 points scored over eight official games, Punter has been the most productive and most employed Milan player, so far. Without him and Micov, 13 players remain available, but clearly something will be missing on the perimeter. The game will be played at the Audi Dome on Friday 2 October at 8.30 pm.
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “We begin the most important European competition after a very good preseason. We face a very aggressive and athletic team like Bayern. We’ll need energy and finding resources among our bench players will be crucial to overcome the impact of missing two key players. The leadership of some of our players who were able to perform at a very high level in the EuroLeague for years will be fundamental while approaching a long and very demanding season.”
SERGIO RODRIGUEZ – “We are very focused on this Munich game, it’s a game we were waiting for a long time and now it is here. It’s the season opener and we start from the very same place we began last season with a loss, so we know what to expect. On top of it, we are missing two important pieces of our team. At the same time, we are have a lot of confidence in our strengths.”
THE OPPONENT – Bayern has not dramatically changed since last season. The newcomers are Wade Baldwin and Nick Weiler-Babb among the guards, while JaJuan Johnson, Jalen Reynolds and Malcolm Thomas are going to strenghten the front-line. There are many players returning. Including Nihad Dedovic, in his eighth consecutive season in Munich, Vladimir Lucic, in his fifth year with Bayern, Paul Zipser, who played in the NBA in Chicago (83 appearances) but was playing at Bayern even before moving overseas, Alex King, also in the fifth year here, and for the third year there’s still Leon Radosevic. There is also TJ Bray, who has practically not played last year due to an injury, and of course the knockdown Finnish shooter, Petteri Koponen. Baldwin has played 62 games in the NBA and last year was at Olympiacos where he began the season along Kevin Punter. Weiler-Babb is making his EuroLeague debut after a promising year (13.3 points per game in Ludwisburg) after three seasons in Iowa. JaJuan Johnson is new to the EuroLeague, but he has played four seasons in the Eurocup, the last in Kuban and in Italy he played for Pistoia and Cantù. Reynolds played in Reggio Emilia, but finished the season in Tel Aviv last year. Thomas played for Khimki and Fenerbahce, so he has considerable EuroLeague experience.
THE REFEREES – Miguel Angel Perez (Spain), Saso Petek (Slovenia), Spiros Gkontas (Greece).
NOTES – Sergio Rodriguez is riding a 24- made free throws streak and has made at least one three in his last 13 EuroLeague games… Zach LeDay has scored in double digit in his last five appearances and has made at least a three in five consecutive games… Gigi Datome has a streak of 13 consecutive made free throws… Kyle Hines is two steals away from 200 for his career.


Jorge León - Mática Partners
April 18th, 2023
Imagine that your everyday routine is to wake up, have coffee, brush your teeth, take a shower, get dressed, grab your keys, and leave the house. Now, imagine millions of people with different routines than yours and different from each other. Where would you start to analyze them to obtain behavior patterns, similarities, or any information you need?
Process Mining is the solution to this type of problem that, when applied to the business world, directly affects strategic decision-making and, therefore, its costs and revenues.
Process Mining is often perceived as a difficult process to understand. However, understanding this discipline is not as difficult as it seems, and it provides significant advantages for organizations. We'll tell you about them in this article.
What is Process Mining? Dealing with initial obstacles
Process Mining is a discipline that combines data mining concepts, business processes, and information systems with the aim of improving efficiency, reducing costs, improving quality, and increasing transparency in business processes.
To implement this process and ensure that the results obtained are accurate and reliable, data quality is crucial. However, this is a recurring problem that arises in the initial stages of implementation. This is because the data recorded in information systems may be incomplete, inconsistent, and contain errors, which negatively affects the results obtained.
Another common obstacle when performing Process Mining is the lack of standardization in data. Sometimes, the data recorded in information systems is in different formats, making it difficult to integrate, analyze, and obtain accurate results. In addition, organizations often have many different processes, and it may be difficult to identify which ones are relevant to analyze.
Once these initial hurdles are overcome, how is this process carried out? What phases are involved, and what benefits does it bring in each one?
To perform Process Mining correctly, it is necessary to carry out a data preprocessing phase that allows us to normalize and clean all this information. This first phase requires systems designed to process large volumes of data. To do this, at Mática, we use AWS, which is a public cloud platform that has a series of ideal services to perform all the necessary actions, sometimes even without code.
This phase is divided into 4 stages:
Data ingestion: where the necessary data for analysis is obtained, even from SaaS systems, using an AWS No-Code service.
Data Quality: where the quality of the data is analyzed, and those that do not meet certain quality rules are eliminated. To do this, Mática has its own product, Aqtiva, which allows rules to be created, validated, and deployed on the AWS platform easily and efficiently.
Transformation: data is prepared for visualization, normalizing and joining information from different sources. AWS provides Low-Code services to address this phase without provisioning.
Storage and Service: information is stored definitively and made accessible to internal or external tools through AWS DataLake construction services.
In general, preprocessing is a critical step in Process Mining, as it allows for clean and consistent data to ensure accurate and reliable results. Once we have completed this step, we move on to the final phase.
In the final phase of Process Mining analysis, the actual process mining is carried out. There are several solutions on the market that adapt to the client's needs. Among them, Celonis stands out, the best-known Process Mining tool that provides great analysis and automatically generates the necessary metrics to understand and analyze business flows.
Another option is Power BI, the BI tool from the Office package that has multiple visualizations to generate the necessary metrics and third-party paid applications to paint the flows and visualize any problems. Recently, it also incorporated a Process Mining tool called Process Advisor through Power Automate. Tableau is a very similar alternative to Power BI, which can be used if you don't have Windows to develop with Power BI and also has third-party applications for this purpose.
There are various tools and solutions in the market to perform Process Mining, and all of them have the ability to connect with AWS. This connectivity capability allows for greater efficiency in process analysis and facilitates the identification of areas for improvement and opportunities to optimize business efficiency.
Why do you need to apply Process Mining in your company?
Basically, to be able to...
Detect bottlenecks in processes
Detect non-compliance with established processes
Extract measurements such as average, maximum, and minimum task times
Detect blocked processes
Establish average, maximum, and minimum time to complete the entire Flow.
Do you want to control the processes in your business and be able to get the most out of the data they generate?
With the tools and services from AWS and Matica, you can apply Process Mining in your organization to obtain the key data that will help you improve your business processes. With our team of experts, it won't matter how many millions of routines you have to analyze, you'll know where to start and have a clear idea of what information to collect and analyze to make successful decisions.


The Craig Lawrence Dance Band has been creating the elements of great dancing, energy, and good times for private functions since 1984. We pride ourselves in providing the perfect music selections for your function, whether it is a wedding ceremony/wedding reception, private party, or corporate event. Our band is known for pleasing the crowd and packing the dance floor. We appeal to all ages because of our ability to perform a variety of music, which includes: Top 40, Classic Rock, Oldies Rock, Big Band, Swing, Motown, Disco, Country, Jazz, Latin and Ethnic Music.
Our Band primarily works as a six-piece group, which offers the largest variety and selection of music. We are able to work in smaller configuration according to your specific needs.
Craig, "Thank you for playing at our reception at the Harbor Club. We got so many wonderful comments as the music and your selections were just right. It helped make our wedding reception very special. ----Lots of fun and dancing!" Thanks again Paul & Dana Turner
Dear Craig and Band, "We just want to tell you how much we enjoyed your band at our wedding reception! Everyone had a great time dancing; you picked a great selection that everyone liked! We especially liked how you got people involved and singing. We hope to see you again!" Sincerely, John and Amy Gallaher
"Craig Lawrence Dance Band, Rick and I want to thank you for being such an important part of our daughters wedding. The music was perfect and the dance floor was busy all night. You are a class "A" act." Thank you again, JoAnn Walters


text:
A former Labour mayor and trade union figure from the north of England has urged people in Scotland to vote for independence.
Craig Johnston, the former mayor of Carlisle, says a Yes vote will “energise the debate about devolution” across the UK.
Mr Johnston, a regional organiser for the RMT union, also hopes a new constitution in an independent Scotland will implement workers’ rights and “instil a bit of fairness in the workplace”.
Criticising the Labour Party, he said:
“I don’t want the Labour Party to be like it is.
“I can’t support a Labour Party that introduced the private finance initiative and let the moneylenders into the NHS – Nye Bevan’s temple.
“This is the party that oversaw the crisis, bailed out the bankers and started selling off the NHS. These are the people who are trying to scare us now.”
Dennis Canavan, chair of Yes Scotland’s advisory board, said:
“This is yet more evidence of the breadth and sheer energy of the Yes campaign.
“Craig Johnston is a highly-respected civic and political figure in Carlisle, which of course sits very close to the border and for centuries has had strong links with Scotland.”
Steve Bowditch, current Labour mayor of the city disagreed and said a Yes vote would be “extremely damaging for Carlisle”.
Source – Newcastle Journal, 17 Sept 2014
Department For Work And Pensions Director, Neil Couling, has claimed that there is no relationship between the increased used of benefit sanctions against unemployed jobseeker’s and the rising number of people turning to food banks.
According to the Scottish National Party (SNP), the claim was made during a Scottish Welfare Reform Committee session, where Mr Couling was standing in for the conservative Employment Minister, Esther McVey MP.
The SNP also claim that Mr Couling ‘took issue’ with existing evidence showing there has been a 209 per cent increase in the number of sanctions handed out against benefit claimants in Scotland since 2006, and Mr Couling joked that sanctioned benefit claimants were bringing ‘Thank You’ cards to his office.
Figures suggest that the number of instances where a benefit claimants has had their benefits cut or stopped completely, as a result of having their benefits sanctioned, more than tripled between 2006 – 2013, from 25,953 to 80,305.
Under the new system benefit claimants who fail to adhere to tough new requirements could find their payments being docked for four weeks, increasing to up to three years for repeat offenders.
A growing number of politicians, charities and benefit claimants themselves are drawing attention to instances where unemployed people have had their benefits slashed for long periods inappropriately.
These include not applying for enough jobs in a single week, even though the unemployed person has evidence that they had applied for dozens of job vacancies, as well as instances where jobseeker’s have had their benefits sanctioned for failing to turn up to a jobcentre appointment, despite having informed their adviser that they were attending a hospital appointment or the funeral of a family member.
Speaking after the committee session at the Scottish Parliament, Kevin Stewart MSP said:
“Mr Couling should visit the food banks in Scotland to speak to the people who have had their welfare benefits sanctioned and now face huge difficulties feeding themselves and their families.
“Perhaps if Mr Couling listened to the expert evidence the committee heard today from the Head of Policy at Barnardo’s Scotland; Citizens Advice Scotland; the Head of Oxfam Scotland and others including Dr John Ip, GP of the British Medical Association, then he might have had a better understanding of the reality of the situation.
“Mr Couling may have been joking when he claimed that Welfare sanctions were bringing ‘Thank-you’ cards from benefits claimants to his office but there is nothing funny about people who have to line up in order to receive vital food parcels for their hungry children.
“Amidst Mr Couling’s contradictory claims he did concede that ‘the chances of having a sanction is going up’ and that is the grim reality of people unable to find work – which means they have no income and are forced to use food banks.
“As Labour MSP Ken Macintosh pointed out, the Scottish Government has indeed given a further £1million towards food banks – but as Mark Ballard from Barnardo’s highlighted, the Scottish Government hasn’t the powers to totally mitigate the harmful Westminster benefit cuts.
“Instead of people in Scotland being forced to rely upon a Westminster welfare system that is being aggressively cut and sanctioning thousands people who need support, we need a system that truly reflects Scotland’s values.
“With the powers of an independent Scotland we can build that kind of system and ensure that the priorities of people in Scotland are truly reflected in our welfare system.
“It is only a Yes vote in next year’s referendum that will secure that opportunity for Scotland and restore people’s faith that they will receive the support they need from the rest of society when they are facing difficult times.”
Source – Welfare News Service 30 April 2014
The Scottish National Party has told the North East an independent Scotland would welcome its workers with open arms.
The SNP said the region should see independence as offering an alternative to London’s dominance over the North East, a claim few of the region’s MPs appeared to agree with.
Instead, there were warnings yesterday of border chaos and towns reduced to “currency exchange kiosks” if a yes vote is returned in this year’s referendum.
Phil Wilson (Sedgefield – Blair’s successor) led MPs yesterday in a parliamentary debate on the impact of independence on the region’s economy.
Citing a Journal report from last year in which First Minister Alex Salmond told the North East it had no better friend than Scotland, the Sedgefield MP questioned the reality of that relationship.
He said: “To the SNP’s internal Scottish audience, the English are those from whom the SNP wants independence, but to the North East of England, according to Alex Salmond, we are Scotland’s closest friends.
“Call me old-fashioned, but I would not close the door on my closest friends by asking for independence from the rest of the UK.”
> Scotland is our next door neighbour – a good deal closer than the London city state.
SNP MP Angus MacNeil denied the possibility that a new border would hinder trade.
He told MPs: “The point of the SNP is to put the Scottish people first, rather than power struggles in London, which, unfortunately, is the point of the London parties.
“It is all about who is in government in London, and that is not for the good of the people of Sighthill, Skye or Lewis.
“That is an awful tragedy. It should also be in our interest in Scotland to ensure that the good people of the North East of England are benefiting as much as those in the regions of Scotland.
“I look forward to the day I witness people from the North East of England finding chances of employment in Scotland, rather than having to go far afield to the South East of England.”
> Amen to that !
Berwick Liberal Democrat Sir Alan Beith said the fact was that day-to-day trade would be changed if Scotland broke away from the United Kingdom.
He said: “That activity is not impossible with independence, we should not overstate the case, but it would become more difficult and the likelihood of administrative barriers being erected is that much greater.
“There are a whole series of reasons why anyone living near the border, unless they see their future entirely as a town of currency exchange kiosks and smugglers, would think that we are much better together.”
Also warning against a yes vote was Hexham Conservative Guy Opperman. He told MPs: “The boundary between Scotland and the rest of the UK would, by definition, become an international border between two separate states, with everything that entails.
“The evidence locally in the North East, whether from farming bodies or the North East chamber of commerce, is extensive.
> farming bodies or the North East chamber of commerce… oh yes, very representive of the population at large – and, I suspect, two groups from which Mr Opperman draws his support come election time.
“There is huge concern that this will have an impact on trade, businesses and jobs.
> Bigger than that caused by policies imposed by the London-based ConDem government, unrepresented in the NE except by Mr Opperman ?
The possible problems rising from Scottish independence are conjecture. The problems caused by policies imposed from the London posh boys are REAL.
“I met a number of oil and gas producers, several of whom are building huge sites on the Tyne at the moment. The two biggest construction sites are for construction projects in the North Sea.
“The producers are concerned that, if there were independence, those projects would be affected, and there would be greater difficulties.”
Source – Newcastle Journal, 05 Mar 2014


text:
Manage episode 226288289 series 2479918
Courtney Alexander is the maker of Dust II Onyx: A Melanated Tarot, a Tarot deck designed for a black audience. Dust II Onyx was an instant hit, but the emotional toll of success almost destroyed Courtney. Was it worth it?
Senior Supervising Producer
Jason ‘Metal’ Donkersgoed
12 episodes available. A new episode about every 0 hours averaging 22 mins duration .

domain: entertainment


text:
Biological treatment is effective in maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis (UC), although the effect on colectomy rates remains unclear. In the UK the use of antitumour necrosis factor and anti-α4β7 treatments for maintenance therapy in UC was restricted until 2015. The aim of this study was to describe the impact that this change in the prescribing of biologicals had on colectomy rates for UC.Method
All patients (adult and paediatric) with a diagnosis of UC who received maintenance biological treatment and/or underwent a colectomy in Lothian, Scotland between 2005 and 2018 were identified. Linear and segmental regression analyses were used to identify the annual percentage change (APC) and temporal trends (statistical joinpoints) in biological prescription and colectomy rates.Results
Rates of initiation of maintenance biological therapy increased from 0.05 per 100 UC patients in 2005 to 1.26 in 2018 (p < 0.001). Colectomy rates per 100 UC patients fell from 1.47 colectomies in 2005 to 0.44 in 2018 (p < 0.001). The APC for colectomy decreased by 4.1% per year between 2005 and 2014 and by 18.9% between 2014 and 2018. Temporal trend analysis (2005–2018) identified a significant joinpoint in colectomy rates in 2014 (p = 0.019).Conclusion
The use of maintenance biological therapy increased sharply following the change in guidance. This has been paralleled by a significant reduction in the rates of colectomy over the same time period.
|Early online date||21 Dec 2020|
|Publication status||E-pub ahead of print - 21 Dec 2020|

domain: health


Powerworks Power 12-R3000.00!
PowerWorks POWER-12: 12″ Active Ultra-Low Frequency Wooden Bass Speaker with 4-way input mixer with dual channel power amplifier + one Passive 6 x 3″ Speaker Wood Column array cabinet
Availability: In stock
Introduction：POWER-12 Column Speaker System is a multi-functional composite audio system specially developed for small and medium-sized mobile performance, conference, speech amplification and other places. The system is easy to assemble and can be set up in minutes.
As an active, multi-in-one solution, POWER-12 is a super compact and powerful vertical array speaker system for many purposes. It includes 6×3 ‘full-range speakers for perfect clarity of instruments and vocals.1 inch high precision drive unit provides wide dynamic and clear treble.
The subwoofer has a professional 12′ rubber side low frequency speaker that provides powerful, well-defined bass. The built-in 4-channel mixer can be used in many applications. POWER-12 can be used by connecting different sound sources such as microphones, instruments, players and even wireless Bluetooth. Built-in DSP with graphical display upgrades the sound to high definition.


text:
We've all been saturated with political analysis since the election results started to emerge, but one important implication of these elections has barely been addressed in the mainstream media: the Midterm elections represent a tremendous blow to Christian extremists in America.
I know that we won't see the end of Christian extremism anytime soon, but I think it is worth noting that these election results may indicate a major decline in their influence over national politics. According to the Secular Coalition for America, some encouraging signs include the lack of atheist-bashing in political speeches and no clear efforts to dismantle church-state separation. I also expect to see increased support for stem cell research and women's reproductive rights, opposition to proselytizing military personnel, and support for the right to marry whoever one wants. In a recent interview, Pelosi indicated that she thought policy should be based on reality. How refreshing!
People for the American Way had a similar take, suggesting that the election can be interpreted as a victory for progressive values and a defeat of the Religious Right. If nothing else, it appears that the right's holier than thou attitude ended up working against them. This was echoed by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
Personally, I believe that the single most pivotal result was the defeat of Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania. CNN described Santorum as the 3rd most powerful Republican in the Senate, and I know he is also a prominent political figure of the Religious Right. Thus, his defeat was a big deal and should be celebrated by freethinkers everywhere.
Naturally, it wasn't all good news. Several states passed legislation to restrict one's right to marry who one wants. In addition, the Secular Coalition is correct to point out that few politicians of either party are going to be eager to speak on our behalf. As they note in their analysis, many Democrats had to promise that they would fight to keep supernatural entities and belief in them protected in the public arena. However, we may be able to make progress here if our numbers continue to grow and we strive to make our voices heard.


Draft legislation circulated by Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin would ban civilian possession of hollow point and frangible ammunition that, according to state Department of Natural Resources regulations, are required for hunting deer and bear, Media Trackers reported on Friday.they also want to reclassify this ammunition with a scary sounding name...
Standard self defense and hunting ammunition are now classified as “assault bullets” and are felonious violations for everyone except law enforcement. Almost every currently manufactured semi-automatic firearm in existence - and countless bolt action hunting rifles - are now a prohibited device merely because they have the ability to accept detachable magazines.
in case you were curious, and i know you are, here is the Wisconsin statute...
Under s. NR 10.09 (1)(c)2., ‘no person shall hunt any deer or bear with any air rifle, rim-fire rifle, any center-fire rifle less than .22 caliber, any .410 bore or less shotgun or handgun loaded with .410 shotgun shell ammunition or with ammunition loaded with nonexpanding type bullets or ammunition loaded with shot other than a single slug or projectile.’and California's...
Legal Methods of Take for Big Game in California:
• Rifles using centerfire cartridges with softnose or expanding projectiles, bow and arrow, or muzzleloading rifles may be used to take big game.
meanwhile, logical thinkers of the past have found that hollow point ammunition is actually safer... oh, and this was determined thirty years ago...
'The energy of the bullet is absorbed very quickly, and although it produces a wider hole, it's not as deep, so it is much less likely to bore through a person and hit someone else,'' he said.speaking of California and Wisconsin...
That is essentially the conclusion reached by a Federal Bureau of Investigation study almost a decade ago [in 1983], as well as studies conducted by the Los Angeles, Dallas, and Newark departments since then, experts say. Several Federal agencies and the police in Washington, Baltimore, Chicago and Boston use hollow point bullets.
When the Los Angels Police Department started using hollow point ammunition, the Department’s chief said that the ammunition was being used after a study found that the rounds were actually safer for officers to use because they did [not] jeopardize bystanders with over-penetration or ricocheting off of the target.
Reaching back into the past, when the Milwaukee Police Department started using hollow point ammunition in the 1980s, an expert who studied the matter told officials that using the ammunition would increase public safety by reducing collateral damage and minimizing the number of rounds police officers would fire in a situation.
and in other news... the federal government thinks hollow point ammunition is to die for...
The Department of Homeland Security is set to purchase a further 21.6 million rounds of ammunition to add to the 1.6 billion bullets it has already obtained over the course of the last 10 months alone, figures which have stoked concerns that the federal agency is preparing for civil unrest.
The solicitation asks for 10 million pistol cartridge .40 caliber 165 Grain, jacketed Hollow point bullets (100 quantities of 100,000 rounds) and 10 million 9mm 115 grain jacketed hollow point bullets (100 quantities of 100,000 rounds).
We Are All Californians Now!
Published on Friday, February 08, 2013
Wisconsin Democrats circulate legislation to ban hunting ammunition
Democrats Seek to Ban Hunting Ammunition in Wisconsin
California Hunting Digest - California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Hollow Point Ammunition Saves Lives, Backers Say
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS - Published: March 06, 1997
Ammo Ban Advocates Retreat, Experts Say Hollow Point Ammo Safer
By: Brian Sikma
Study Cites Advantages of 'Hollow' Bullets
By David Doege - Milwaukee Sentinel - July 8, 1983


text:
For my photographic project I intend to take a series of photos on and around the Hornsea coastline. This will illustrate the techniques learnt over the semester in Creative Futures, Photography. Most importantly to demonstrate my understanding of composition, aperture and shutter speed.
It will include images taken from various angles at different times of the day. I would like to show photos which reflect changing light. I also want to highlight the natural beauty of the sea and coast.
I will use a Canon EOS 750D for most of the images, although, if a photo opportunity presents itself, my Samsung S7 mobile phone has a powerful camera.
The project will develop over several weeks. Numerous shoots in varying weather conditions and different locations. Sometimes involving a ‘machine gun’ technique, taking as many photos as possible and then selecting the interesting ones to narrow down to my final choice.


text:
In Saudi Arabia, the average healthcare claims rejection rate is around 20% - 25% for small and medium-sized hospitals. This translates to delays and loss of revenue amounting to 3.5 – 4.5 billion SAR every year. This figure is poised to increase further as the healthcare market gears up to increase its market size to 141 billion SAR by 2030.
Getting around the issue of claims rejections requires specialized knowledge of what causes these rejections in the first place. Here are 9 reasons that contribute to the rejection rate for healthcare claims in Saudi Arabia.
Medical necessity adjudication is a complex process, especially in the local market. It is primarily due to the lack of standardized medical documentation and clinical practice guidelines. Ideally, medical claims should serve a well-defined diagnosis/problem as a clear justification. However, most of the local medical practitioners have been trained to rely on exploratory testing to formulate an understanding that has shown to be cost-ineffective—as a result, submitting a claim with an inaccurate or inappropriate diagnosis mostly leads to a denial for excessive or unnecessary service. Using GlanceClaim™ Checker, 40.5% of the analyzed claims lack appropriate justification.
One of the uniquely disruptive factors that affect the medical claim quality is the patient (policyholder) influence on the decision-making. For instance, patients may influence the medical practitioner to gain certain services without a justified medical reason.
In January 2020, the Saudi health council mandated the Australian coding standard for inpatient encounters. However, it has been challenging to implement this change due to insufficient medical coding personnel. We found that 27.8% of the analyzed claims suffered from coding errors.
Medical claim filing in Saudi Arabia follows specific standards and requirements appointed by the local regulator, i.e., the Saudi Council of Health Insurance (CHI), to ensure adequate and fair claims processing/reimbursement. Standards include utilizing the unified claim and approval form (UCAF / DCAF 2.0) and the claim’s minimum data set (MDS v3.1). Failure to comply with these requirements jeopardizes the claim’s integrity and fair reimbursement. We found that most of the healthcare providers are not fully compliant. Financial limitations, operational restrictions, and technical immaturity played a major role.
Accurate transmission of data between stakeholders is one of the most significant challenges in the Saudi market. The reason for this appears to be a lack of standardized data transmission protocols. However, the new regulatory changes adopting the National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (NPHIES) standards, which are a local modification of HL7-FHIR standards, will significantly improve the market's technical infrastructure, allowing for greater interoperability and better data exchange. Reflecting on the sampled EHR systems, 2 out of 3 are non-compliant with the minimum data set (MDS v3.1) requirements due to limitations in the system’s data architectural design.
Contractual terms and policies govern the reimbursement process, which includes pricing, communication standards, pre-approval policies, financial considerations, etc. However, translating these terms into effective processes is operationally challenging, expensive, and potentially restrictive to the workflow. We found that 2.9% of the studied claims lacked adherence to medical policies.
Payers consider expired subscriptions, invalid relationships, or inaccurate plan details invalid membership. This issue was more prevalent among busy HCPs with poor internal processes. However, NPHIES ensure current and accurate data transmission for instant validation.
The policyholder may consume more benefits than the policy allows, which creates a reason for denial. Due to the lack of transparency in information exchange between stakeholders, policyholders may abuse loopholes. Consequently, we found that HCPs rely heavily on requesting pre-authorization to mitigate the risk of claims rejection.
When adjudicating claims, some of the major insurance companies in the Saudi market consider patient safety as a denial measure. For example, prescribing an intravenous antibiotic without proper indicative documentation or co-administering multiple drugs without checking for interaction are the bases for many reimbursement denials. Without appropriate clinical decision support systems, patient safety should remain a valid reason for claims denials in the market.
With the overwhelming daily operations, submitting claims on time is one of the HCP’s most stressful tasks. Without supportive workflow, infrastructure, and policies, HCPs continue to trade between claim quality versus timely monthly filing.
GlanceClaim™ is designed to improve the quality of medical claims by detecting and resolving medical and technical vulnerabilities. This solution has been developed keeping the Saudi healthcare sector in mind and helps 3 key stakeholders of the healthcare-insurance claim cycle – the medical team, the RCM team, and executive management. GlanceClaim™ also reduces coding discrepancies by up to 87%. Read the whitepaper or learn more about GlanceClaim™ here.


text:
The 17-year-old star showed off her latest look on Instagram, and it’s quite the change from what we’re used to seeing her in.
Ditching the candy-colored highlights and dip-dyes she’s been so fond of for the past year, Kylie showed off a more mature look, thanks to the addition of long black extensions.
Kylie posted a picture of her look to Instagram, captioning the photo, “pacsunn whaaaaart @joycebonelli long hair don't care.” (Check out her current look in the video below!)
While Kylie’s latest look may be temporary, it it likely comes as a relief to her family, who were vocal about their disapproval of her rainbow-hued locks.
“They’re all really pissed,” the Keeping Up With the Kardashianssaid of her blue locks earlier this year. “My mom was like, ‘You look like a Skittle.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna have this for two years now that you said that.’”
We think Kylie’s return to the dark side suits her, but what’s life as a teenager without a little rebellion? If hair dye is the worst of it, it seems like Kris Jenner is getting off pretty easy!
What do you think of Kylie’s latest look? Do you prefer her hair long or short? Sound off in the comments!