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It has often been said that war is the health of the State – but the argument could also be made that the reverse is more true: that the State is the health of war. In other words, that war – the greatest of all human evils – is impossible without the State.
The great Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises was once asked what the central defining characteristic of the free market was – i.e. since every economy is more or less a mixture of freedom and State compulsion, what institution truly separated a free market from a controlled economy – and he replied that it was the existence of a stock market. Through a stock market, entrepreneurs can achieve the externalization of risk, or the partial transfer of potential losses from themselves to investors. In the absence of this capacity, business growth is almost impossible.
In other words, when risk is reduced, demand increases. The stagnation of economies in the absence of a stock market is testament to the unwillingness of individuals to take on all the risks of an economic endeavour themselves, even if this were possible. When risk becomes sharable, new possibilities emerge that were not present before – the Industrial Revolution being perhaps the most dramatic example.
Sadly, one of those possibilities – in all its horror, corruption, brutality and genocide – is war. In this section, I will endeavour to show that, in its capacity to reduce the costs and risks of violence, the State is, in effect, the stock market of war.
All economists know the “fallacy of the broken window,” which is that the stimulation of demand caused by a vandal breaking a window does not add to economic growth, but rather subtracts from it, since the money spent replacing the window is deducted from other possible purchases. This is self-evident to all of us – we don’t try to increase our incomes by driving our cars off cliffs or burning down our houses. Although it might please car manufacturers and home builders, it neither pleases us, nor the people who would have had access to the new car and house if we did not need them for ourselves. Destruction always diverts resources and so bids up prices, which costs everyone.
(In fact, breaking a $100 window removes more than $100 from the economy, since all the time spent returning the window to its original state – calling the window repairman, deciding on the replacement, cleaning up the shards of glass, etc – is also subtracted from the economy as a whole.)
There will always be accidents, of course, and so repairs are a legitimate aspect of any free market. However, war can never be said to be an accident, is never part of the free market, and yet is commonly believed to be good for the economy – and must be, for at least some people, since it is pursued so often. How can these opposites be reconciled? How can destruction be economically advantageous, when it is so obviously bad for the economy as a whole?
We can imagine an unethical window repairman who smashes windows in order to raise demand for his business. This would certainly help his income – and yet we see that this course is almost never pursued in real life in the free market. Why not?
One obvious answer could be that business managers are afraid of going to jail – and that certainly is a risk, but not a very great one. Arsonists are notoriously hard to catch, for instance, and there are 61 |
so many hard-to-trace sabotages that can be undertaken. Poison can be added to the water supply that would incriminate a water supplier, which would take months to resolve – at which point the trail would be long cold. Foreign hackers could be paid to infiltrate competitor’s networks, or mount denial-of-service attacks on their web sites – sure doom for those who sell over the Internet.
Not convinced? Well, what about eBay? If you have a competitor who is taking away your business, why not just get a hundred of your closest friends to give him a bad rating, and watch his reputation – and business – dry up and blow away?
All of the above practices are very rare in the free market, for three main reasons. The first is that they are costly; the second is that they increase risks, and the third is the fear of retaliation.
THE COST OF DESTRUCTION
If you want to hire an arsonist to torch the factory of your competitor, you have to become an expert in underworld negotiations. You might pay an arsonist and watch him take off to Hawaii instead of setting the fire. You also face the risk that your arsonist will take your offer to your competitor and ask for more money to not set the fire – or, worse, return the favor and torch your factory! It will certainly cost money to start down the road of vandalism, and there is no guarantee that your investment will pay off in the way you want.
There are other tertiary costs to pursuing a path of “competition by destruction.” You can only target one competitor at a time, which is only partially helpful, since most businesses face many competitors simultaneously – some local, and some overseas and probably out of reach. Even if you are successful in destroying your competitor, you have opened a “hole” in the market, which will just invite others to come in – and perhaps compete even more fiercely with you. When it comes to competition, in most cases it is better to stay with “the devil you know.” It wouldn’t make much sense to knock out a small software competitor, for instance, and end up giving Microsoft a good reason to enter the market.
Also, if you are a business owner, competition is very good for you. Just as a sports team gets lazy and unskilled if it never plays a competent opponent, businesses without competition get unproductive, lazy and inefficient – a sure invitation to others to come in and compete. Successful businesses need competition to stay fit. Resistance breeds strength.
Also, what happens if you do manage to successfully sabotage your opponents? If you do it well, no one has any idea that you are behind the sudden spate of arson. What happens to your insurance costs? They go through the roof – if you can even get any! Furthermore, you will not be able to meet all the new demand right away, thus ensuring that clients will find alternatives, which will likely remain outside your control. Thus you have increased your costs, created incentives for potential customers to find alternatives and alarmed your employees – creating a dangerous situation where competitors are highly motivated to enter your field just when you are the most vulnerable to competition! Overall, not a very bright idea!
THE RISKS OF DESTRUCTION
Let us say you decide to pay a man named Stan to torch your competitor’s factory – well, the basic reality of the transaction is that Stan, as a professional arsonist, knows how to work the situation to his advantage far better than you do, since you are, ahem, new to the field. Stan knows that no matter what he does, you cannot go to the police for protection. What if he tapes your conversations and then blackmails you? Then your exercise in amoral competition suddenly becomes a lifelong nightmare of expense, guilt, fear and rage.
As mentioned above, what if Stan decides to go to your competitor and reveal your plans? Surely your competitor would pay good money for that information, since he could then go to the police and destroy you legally even more completely than you were hoping to destroy him illegally. A basic fact of criminal activity is that once the gloves come off, the results become very hard to predict indeed!
What if Stan goes to your competitor and says: “For $25,000, I was supposed to torch this place – for $30,000 I can just turn around and set quite a different fire!” This pendulum bidding war can turn into a desperately stressful money-loser for everyone concerned (except Stan, of course).
And who is to say that Stan is even a “legitimate” arsonist? What if he is an undercover agent of some kind? What if he has been sent by someone else in order to get some dirt on you? What if it turns out to be blackmail, or a set-up by your competitor? How would you know? Again – it is all very risky!
THE RISKS OF PERSONAL RETALIATION
Let us say that all of the above works out just the way you want it and Stan actually torches your competitor Bill’s factory – what might happen then? You have just created a bitter enemy who suspects foul play, knows that you have a good motive for torching his factory, and has nothing to lose. He might complain about you to the police, hire private investigators and put an ad in every local paper offering a cash reward of a million dollars for information leading to proof of your participation – so he can sue you and recover far more than a million dollars!
Either your new enemy will find out actionable information, and then go to the police, or he will find out unactionable information – hints, not proof – in which case he may choose to retaliate against you. Since you’ve been able to do it in a way that cannot be proven – and he now knows how – you have just educated a bitter and angry man on how to torch a factory and escape detection. Are you going to sleep safe in your bed? Are you sure that he’s going to target only your factory?
What does all this look like in terms of economic calculation? Have a look at a sample table below showing the costs and benefits of competition through arson. If we assign arson a cost of $50k, with a 50% probability of success, and a resulting economic benefit of $1m, we see a net benefit of $450k (50% of $1m – $50k in costs). So far so good. But if we include a 10% risk of blackmail, a 20% chance of retaliation, a 25% chance of increased competition – all reasonable numbers – and finally $100k in increased insurance and security costs – we can see that the economic benefits are erased very quickly (see below).
(Note that the above table only shows the economic calculations – these do not include the emotional factors of guilt, fear and worry, which are of great significance but hard to quantify. This is important because even if the above numbers were less disagreeable, the emotional barrier would still have to be overcome.)
As the above conservative example shows, it is not really worth it to attempt economic gain through the destruction of property – and that is exactly how it should be. We want people to be good, of course, but we also want strong economic incentives for virtue as well, to shore up the uncertain integrity of free will!
How does this relate to war and the State? Very closely, in fact – but with very opposite effects.
THE ECONOMICS OF WAR
The economics of war are, at bottom, very simple, and contain three major players: those who decide on war, those who profit from war, and those who pay for war. Those who decide on war are the politicians, those who profit from it are those who supply military materials or are paid for military skills, and those who pay for war are the taxpayers. (The first and second groups, of course, overlap.)
In other words, a corporation which profits from supplying arms to the military is paid through a predation on citizens through State taxation – and under no other circumstances could the transaction exist, since the risks associated with destruction outlined above are equal to or greater than any profits that could be made.
Certainly if those who decided on war also paid for it, there would be no such thing as war, since war follows the same economic incentives and costs outlined above.
However, those who decide on war do not pay for it – that unpleasant task is relegated to the taxpayers (both current, in the form of direct taxes and inflation, and future, in the form of national debts).
Let us see how the above analysis of the costs of destruction changes when the State enters the equation.
THE COSTS OF MILITARY DESTRUCTION
If you want to start a war, you need a very expensive military – which must also be trained and maintained when there is no war. There is simply no way to recover the costs of that military by invading another country – otherwise, the free market would directly fund armies and invasions, which it never does. Or, if you would prefer another way of looking at it, you can only invade another country by destroying large portions of it, killing many of its citizens, and then fighting endless insurgencies. Given the costs of invasions and occupations – always in the hundreds of millions or billions of dollars – what profits could conceivably be extracted from the bombed-out country you are occupying? That would be like asking a thief to make money by fire-bombing a house he wanted to steal from, and then staying and keeping the occupants hostage. Madness!
Thieves don’t operate that way – and neither would war, without the presence of the State and the money of the taxpayers.
Since the taxpayer’s money pays for the war, the costs of destruction for those who start the war are very low – how much does George Bush personally pay for the Iraq invasion? While it is true that those who profit from the war also pay the taxes needed to support the war effort, the amount they pay in taxes is far less than they receive in profits – again, facts we know because there are always people willing and eager to supply the military.
THE RISKS OF ANNIHILATION
Those who decide on war and those who profit from war only start wars when there is no real risk of personal destruction. This is a simple historical fact, which can be gleaned from the reality that no nuclear power has ever declared war on another nuclear power. The US gave the USSR money and wheat, and yet invaded Grenada, Haiti and Iraq. (In fact, one of the central reasons it was possible to know in advance that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction capable of hitting the US was that US leaders were willing to invade it.)
Avoiding the risk of destruction was the reason that the USSR and the US (to take two obvious examples) fought “proxy wars” in out-of-the-way places like Afghanistan, Vietnam and Korea. As we shall see below, the fact that the risk of destruction is shifted to taxpayers (and taxpayer-funded soldiers) considerably changes the economic equation.
THE RISKS OF MILITARY RETALIATION
The “risk of retaliation” in economic calculations regarding war should not be taken as a general risk, but rather a specific one – i.e. specific to those who either decide on war or profit from it. For example, Roosevelt knew that blockading Japan in the early 1940s carried a grave risk of retaliation – but only against distant and unknown US personnel in the Pacific, not against his friends and family in Washington. (In fact, the blockading was specifically escalated with the aim of provoking retaliation, in order to bring the US into WWII.)
If other people are exposed to the risk of retaliation, the risk becomes a moot point from an amoral economic standpoint. If I smoke, but some unknown stranger might get lung cancer, my decision to continue smoking will certainly be affected!
EXTERNALIZING MILITARY RISK
The power of the State to so fundamentally shift the costs and benefits of violence is one of the most central facts of warfare – and the core reason for its continued existence. As we can see from the above table regarding arson, if the person who decides to profit through destruction faces the consequences himself, he has almost no economic incentive to do so. However, if he can shift the risks and losses to others – but retain the benefit himself – the economic landscape changes completely! Sadly, it then it becomes profitable, say, to tax citizens to pay for 800 US military bases around the world, as long as strangers in New York bear the brunt of the inevitable retaliation. It also becomes profitable to send uneducated youngsters to Iraq to bear the brunt of the insurgency.
EXTERNALIZING EMOTIONAL DISCOMFORT
The fact that the State shifts the burden of risk and payment to the taxpayers and soldiers is very important in emotional terms. If the “arson” example could be tweaked to provide a profit – say, by reducing the risks of blackmail or retaliation – the other risks would still accrue to the man contemplating such violence. Such risks would cause emotional discomfort in all but the most rare and sociopathic personalities – and the generation of negative stimuli such as fear, guilt and worry would still require more profit than the model can reasonably generate.
Thus the fact that the State externalizes almost all the risks and costs of destruction is a further positive motivation to those who would use the power of State violence for their own ends. Once you throw in endless pro-war propaganda (also called “war-nography”), the emotional benefits of starting and leading wars funded by others can become a definitive positive – which ensures that wars will continue until the State collapses, or the world dies.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE STATE IS WAR
If the above is understood, then the hostility of anarchists towards the State should now be at least a little clearer. In the anarchist view, the State is a fundamental moral evil not only because it uses violence to achieve its ends, but also because it is the only social agency capable of making war economically advantageous to those with the power to declare it and profit from it. In other words, it is only through the governmental power of taxation that war can be subsidized to the point where it becomes profitable to certain sections of society. Destruction can only ever be profitable because the costs and risks of violence are shifted to the taxpayers, while the benefits accrue to the few who directly control or influence the State.
This violent distortion of costs, incentives and rewards cannot be controlled or alleviated, since an artificial imbalance of economic incentives will always self-perpetuate and escalate (at least, until the inevitable bankruptcy of the public purse). Or, to put it another way, as long as the State exists, we shall always live with the terror of war. To oppose war is to oppose the State. They can neither be examined in isolation nor opposed separately, since – much more than metaphorically – the State and war are two sides of the same bloody coin.

domain: politics


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text:
Journalist Peter Doocy questioned White House Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday over the Biden family’s connection to a Chinese energy firm. KJP avoided answering his query once more.
Doocy inquired, “House Oversight has bank records showing a Chinese energy company paying three Biden family members. What were they paid for?”
Jean- Pierre answered, “I don’t even know where to begin to answer that question, because it’s been lies and inaccuracies for the past few years, and I’m just not going to get into it.”
Hunter and Joe Biden’s dubious business practices have been the subject of ongoing investigation by the House Oversight Committee and Rep. James Comer.
Comer stated that the probe turned up bank records of many transactions with Chinese business partners. The Republican Oversight Committee even displayed a picture of the purported bank documents on Monday, showing more than $1 million from many beneficiary accounts.
Doocy: "House Oversight has bank records showing a Chinese energy company paying three Biden family members… What were they paid for?"— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 22, 2023
Jean-Pierre: "I don't even know where to begin to answer that question because it's been lies and inaccuracies for the past few years." pic.twitter.com/6Fe44EeeD8

domain: economics


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Trott Law Litigator Kevin Hammons Spent 19 Years Trying To Weasel Out Of Paying A $7,050 Student Loan
Kevin Hammons is one of best-known as Top Gun litigators for Detroit-based Trott Law. He is known around Michigan as a take-no-prisoners type foreclosure mill attorney. Hammons is also known for his refusal to work deals or offer loan modifications to homeowners.
This is a much different attitude than he had during is pre-Trott Law days. Hammons abused the judicial system for 20 years to avoid paying $7,050.00 in student loans. Ironic, since Hammons is a proponent of kicking people out of their homes as quickly as possible by any means necessary.
Hammons Was Once A Deadbeat Who Abused The Legal System
Hammons borrowed $7,050 in student loans from the Detroit Teachers Federal Credit Union from October 1974 to October 1977. The Credit Union loans were to pay for law school and insured by the U.S. Department of Education.
The Trott Law Top Gun defaulted on the loans when the loans came due. The DTFCU filed a claim with the Department of Education for payment and assigned all its rights to the United States Government.
Hammons was then sued by the U.S. Government on April 25, 1985, to recover losses on the loan. A consent judgment was entered against him in the United States District Court on August 5, 1985. Hammons now faced a judgment of $4,867 plus accrued interest. A post-judgment interest then accrued pursuant to federal law.
The Law firm of Holzman and Holzman was given the case in December of 1989 after Hammons didn’t make payments. Holzman and Holzman contacted Hammons in order to avoid more litigation. The future Top Gun lawyer indicated that he was working as a substitute teacher and earning only minimal amounts of money. Holzman and Holzman agreed to accept payments of $50 per month based on what Hammons told them.
Hammons Gets Busted Misleading The U.S. Government About His Income
Holzman and Holzman obtained a credit report on the Trott Law lawyer in the Spring of 1995. The review indicated that Hammons had leased a new Jeep. Holzman and Holzman then subpoenaed a copy of the credit application Hammons submitted to lease the Jeep.
The application indicated that Hammons was a self-employed attorney earning $5,500 per month. Hammons had indicated on the application he had an account at DTFCU. The DTFCU auto loan application also disclosed the price of the vehicle was $28,000 and indicated that Hammons’s monthly payments were $411.07. Hammons was advised by Holzman and Holzman that they expected payments of $300 per month beginning August 1, 1995.
The Federal Court Garnishes Hammons’ Paychecks And Bank Accounts
Hammons also refused to divulge any financial information to Holzman and Holzman and refused to pay $300 per month. The future Trott Law Top Gun submitted a payment for only $50 in August. As a result, the court issued two writs of garnishment.
The first was directed to Wayne County and the second to Detroit Teachers Credit Union. Detroit Teachers Credit Union filed a disclosure indicating that Hammons had $9,757.87 on deposit and Wayne County sent a check for $2,173 to Holzman and Holzman.
As a result, Hammons filed a motion to dissolve the writs of garnishment. The motion was heard on October 3, 1995. The court dissolved the writ of garnishment against Wayne County because the garnishment against DTFCU fully satisfied the claim of the United States. The court, however, refused to dissolve the writ of garnishment against DTFCU.
Hammons Files Frivolous Appeal With 6th Circuit OF Appeals
Hammons appealed his case to the 6th Circuit Court of appeals and attempted to raise five grounds for overturning the district court’s order denying his motion to dissolve the writ of garnishment.
The Trott Law Lawyer attempted to argue that the writ should have been dissolved because he was never served with a copy of the writ or given an opportunity for a hearing prior to the writ being issued. This is a requirement under 28 U.S.C. §§3101(a) (2) and 3101(a) (3).
Hammons then attempted to argue the writ was defective because the United States failed to comply with the requirement under 28 U.S.C. § 3205(b) (5)”.
The Trott Law Lawyer then attempted to argue that the writ was defective because the United States failed to serve Hammons a copy of the writ and failed to certify to the court that it had done so. This is required under 28 U.S.C. §3105.
Hammons then attempted to argue that only the judge and not the court’s clerk was required to issue the writ. This would then nullify the writ.
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Hammons’s claims were baseless and without merit.

domain: finance


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Supervisor, NMR & MS Systems and Operations
Tel: 778-782-4464 (office)
|The facility provides mass spectral services to researchers at SFU, other universities, hospitals, not-for-profit entities, as well as external commercial clients.
Please contact us to discuss your MS needs. Pricing is available on request.
The mass spectrometry facility's sample drop-off box is located just outside the entrance to the NMR and MS facility on the 6000 level of the Chemistry Department (Shrum Science Centre), near Science Stores. The top and bottom compartments are for sample-drop off and pick-up, respectively.
Samples must be submitted with a completed sample submission form.
For samples that are not stable at room temperature, please contact Hongwen Chen to arrange special receiving.

domain: chemistry


text:
In Stock - Usually ships in 1-3 (M-F) days - Guaranteed Same Day Shipping for Orders with UPS 1, 2 or 3-days shipping method selected (not USPS)
The Schirmer edition of Prokofiev's Sonata Op. 94 is based on previously printed editions and recordings of his Op. 94. This edition retains the solo flute and solo violin parts in the piano score showing the differences made by the composer for both versions of his work.

domain: artistic


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text:
The finalization of the contract between France and Saudi Arabia to provide Lebanon with $3 billion worth of military assistance is being delayed because it requires the signature of the Lebanese president that so far does not exist according to Saudi sources.
A $3 billion Saudi grant to the Lebanese army was announced under president Michel Suleiman’s tenure last December.
Last month, French diplomats said Saudi red tape had delayed the Lebanese army’s purchase of the French weapons under the $3 billion deal financed by Riyadh.
But Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri denied the accusation, saying the $3 billion was awaiting the spending mechanism and hinged on the final deal between Lebanon and France, meaning between the seller and the buyer.
French Foreign Minister spokesman Romain Nadal said Tuesday: “We are putting the final touches on the contract.”
“The delivery of the military equipment needs time,” he added.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 25 when Suleiman’s six-year term ended with MPs unable to find a successor over their differences on a compromise candidate.


Removing one interchange bridge and replacing it with another is the kind of job that can give a contractor more than a few headaches. But when the job is in the heart of Chicago on an expressway that sees an average of 260,000 vehicles daily, that headache can quickly morph into a major nightmare.
That was the task contractors faced this June as they brought down the Ontario Street bridge exit onto I-90/94, also known as the Kennedy Expressway, as part of the Ohio Street interchange project. The project was slated for three weekends when they would close parts of the expressway to traffic and create detours around the work.
The potential for any number of problems was great, but instead the work went off with barely a hitch and with the rare outcome of not only finishing on time — but early.
The bridge was originally constructed in 1959. It was a three-unit, eight span concrete structure cast in place, said Jae Miller, spokesperson of the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“It needed to be repaired and they felt that just rebuilding it would be more cost effective in the long run rather than repairing it here and there,” Miller said. “They’ve been working on it for years. Anything of this nature takes funding, so there was much legwork to get the project completed. The last couple of months, we worked really closely with city of Chicago. Because it was over a major expressway and that involved closing it down. We had to really work closely to make it move smoothly. The city was really concerned what it might do to the city and the traffic flow. So many events happening. We had to be really careful to be sure we had the necessary equipment.”
The $16.5 million project originally called for backhoes to be on the site, but at the height of the job, the contractor more than doubled that, bringing 10 backhoes to the scene.
They closed off the expressway, sanded the road beneath it to protect the pavement from crumbling concrete and the equipment operators went to work.
“You’re talking a lot of folks on the road,” Miller said. “They created a two lane diversion so that in theory if you were traveling along the Kennedy you could still get through. The challenge was to make sure the public was well aware of the alternate routes. There was a huge media effort. The local media and media in surrounding states were aware months in advance making sure people were off the roadways. We were able to get the trucks in quicker because less vehicles on the road. Those backhoes just pinched away at the bridge. They kept chipping away, chipping away and it came down.”
The new bridge is already in place and features a three-span, steel girder structure over I-90/94 and a single span, steel girder structure over the eastbound I-90/94 to eastbound Ohio Street exit ramp. The project also involved the extension and deck beam replacement of the westbound Ontario Street to westbound I-90/94 ramp tunnel structure. Other minor work included the construction of a retaining wall along the westbound Ontario Street to the eastbound I-90/94 ramp, drainage improvements and new roadway lighting under the tunnel structure.
In the course of the project, contractors worked with backhoes with breakers as well as backhoes with processors to separate rebar, two front end loaders, one bobcat, two sweepers, 16 dump trucks and two steel haulers. A crew of 124 worked in two shifts of 62 each, along with four Illinois State Police on continuous service and staff from the IDOT communications center and Office of Emergency Management.
In the end, despite the inauspicious starting date and full moon of Friday the 13th, something few failed to notice, the project finished a full week early, an unexpected bonus that Miller credits to the contractor bringing in the extra equipment at the start.
“It was smooth sailing both weekends,” Miller said. “We got so much completed that first weekend, were able to shave down that one weekend.”
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News from Nowhere: What the…?
I don’t wish to be unnecessarily crude, so I’ll just say that any reasonably normal and sane person witnessing recent events in British politics might be forgiven for asking what the blooming-buds-of-June is going on.
In 2021, under pressure from opposition parties and the press – and from several of his own backbenchers rightly (or sometimes far-rightly) concerned by a number of his administration's more unusual decisions – Boris Johnson established an independent public inquiry into his own government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis.
Billions lost to fraud and wasted on useless personal protective equipment and IT tracking and alert systems that didn’t work were just the tip of the fatberg. There were also the dithering delays in the implementation of lockdown measures and the belated enforcements of border restrictions, as well as the allocations of lucrative contracts to unqualified cronies – including one senior figure’s former pub landlord whose experience in the procurement of specialist medical supplies seemed sketchy to say the least.
That’s not to mention the various social distancing rule breaches at the very heart of Mr. Johnson’s administration, which many might consider indicative of the seriousness, or otherwise, of the blustering braggart’s approach.
Perhaps the biggest issue though was the Conservatives’ long-term underfunding of public healthcare in the UK, a decade-long mismanagement of a once-treasured institution that had led the nation to be woefully unprepared for the catastrophe that unfolded.
Earlier this month, the British Cabinet Office refused to hand over to the public inquiry sets of WhatsApp messages sent by senior government figures at the height of the crisis, citing issues of relevance and confidentiality, and sought a judicial review of the inquiry’s demands.
The chair of the inquiry responded that it was up to her to decide what was and wasn’t relevant to her own investigation.
The Cabinet Office said it didn’t want to set a dangerous precedent whereby the fear of future public disclosures would impede full and frank discussions between ministers and senior officials.
However, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he’d already handed over his own WhatsApp messages to the Cabinet Office and urged that they be released immediately to the inquiry. He added that he’d pass them directly to the inquiry if requested to do so.
The next day, he said he’d then done so.
Yet The Times newspaper reported that he’d only delivered messages dated from May 2021 onwards, thereby missing those from the crucial first fourteen months of the Covid crisis.
Johnson responded that he was unable to access those earlier messages “safely” as they had been on an old phone whose number had been made generally available online.
You didn’t have to be an expert in cybersecurity to suspect that this excuse didn’t make a whole heap of sense.
What in the name of sanity was the blond buffoon talking about… and what the freaking heck might he be attempting to conceal?
(Admittedly, it’s not especially difficult to imagine what the notorious old liar and Lothario might have been trying to hide. Indeed, in this context, it also seems worth pointing out that Boris Johnson had already been referred by the Cabinet Office to the Metropolitan Police for documents he’d earlier disclosed to them as part of the inquiry, papers which may suggest further breaches of the Covid rules.)
Meanwhile, the former Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said he’d be happy for his texts to be published, but nobody much cared about this as those messages had already been leaked to the press by the journalist whom he’d hired to ghost-write his own pandemic memoirs for him.
Many members of the British public were somewhat taken aback by the idea of government by WhatsApp, rather than key deliberations and decision-making taking place through formally structured and recorded processes, especially at the time of an unprecedented peacetime global crisis.
(This scenario was denied by one former minister who has argued that “most of the messages are about coffee and about who wants to have what kind of coffee at what kind of meeting”. Somehow, however, this depiction of a crisis administration's priorities also wasn’t especially reassuring.)
So, what the flaming sambucas, we asked ourselves, had been taking place in the core machinery of government during those critical months, and what seventeen shades of shambles were still apparently rampant in the works these tired old shysters continuing to haunt the halls of Westminster?
None of this seemed to make any sense. As the BBC observed, this was “thought to be the first time a government has taken legal action against an inquiry it has set up”.
This felt like government by paradox, an alternative reality landscaped in the mind of M. C. Escher, and scripted by Lewis Carroll from a story by Dr. Seuss – with a few surreal brushstrokes by Salvador Dali thrown in to properly stir things up.
Franz Kafka couldn’t have made the situation seem more absurd. Jonathan Swift would have found the convoluted politics of it too fantastically silly to be believed.
This unmitigated madness meant that the British taxpayer was paying for lawyers to defend the government against a government inquiry whose lawyers were also funded by taxpayers’ money to argue against the first set of advocates. In addition, the legal team representing Mr. Johnson were also paid out of public finances.
However, Boris Johnson’s decision to bypass the Cabinet Office and provide documentation directly to the inquiry prompted the Cabinet Office to threaten to stop paying his legal fees if he continued to send such material straight to the inquiry rather than via their censors, and thereby to “frustrate or undermine the government’s position in relation to the inquiry”.
In other words, he wasn’t supposed to be helping an inquiry which he had himself set up, as that would be counter to the interests of the government for which the inquiry was working. That government now appeared to be attempting to bribe the former Prime Minister to keep his mouth shut.
What a bunch of Muppets! What the Fraggle Rock?!
The same day that the government effectively took itself to court, one of its ministers commented that he had “very little doubt” that the Cabinet Office would lose its case at judicial review and eventually be forced to hand over the disputed set of unredacted documents to the public inquiry.
So, in effect, the government was spending lavish sums of public money, at a time of economic hardship and spending constraints, suing itself in a case which it didn’t even expect to win… indeed, one which it positively expected to lose.
The fact that the inquiry is being led by a retired and highly respected senior judge, one now elevated to the House of Lords, might of course have suggested that she herself had a reasonably strong idea of the scope of her own legal authority to require the Cabinet Office to hand over the documents she felt she needed.
“Ministers go to war with judge over Covid WhatsApps,” the headline on the front of the Daily Mail trumpeted with typical glee. (It’s a newspaper which enjoys depicting the judiciary as a bunch of leftist crackpots, especially when judges rule against the excesses and transgressions of its beloved Tory governments.)
The Cabinet Office that morning offered its assurances that it would “continue to cooperate fully with the inquiry” at precisely the moment that it was announcing that it had decided not to cooperate fully with the inquiry.
An average, ordinary, and fundamentally rational citizen may at that point have looked at this Whitehall farce and wondered what in the name of the weeping angels and all their blinking victims was really going on.
Conspiracy theorists might have considered this a ham-fisted attempt to cover up a major scandal. More moderate commentators supposed that certain ministers and their officials were worried about being caught out by minor indiscretions, private disclosures and unprofessional remarks.
Many people asked if there might be something among these thousands of messages that could embarrass current premier Rishi Sunak – perhaps Boris Johnson’s unfiltered opinion of the diminutive multimillionaire – but most just felt that this was most likely a case of civil servants seeking to protect their own professional reputations, occupational pensions and prospects of well-remunerated future careers in the private sector.
Whatever the truth behind all this might have been, it was starting to look to the watching world like an utterly crazy mess – even madder than the chaos the inquiry had been set up to investigate.
You honestly couldn’t have made it up. As a satire on the deceit and dysfunctionality of an exhausted administration which has long since lost any trace of moral probity, decency and basic common sense, it would be thought too improbable a fiction to ever get into print.
But this was only the start of these shenanigans. Baroness Hallett’s inquiry is set this week to open its series of public hearings, grilling a range of political heavyweights under the unforgiving glare of its forensic scrutiny.
On the evidence of what we’ve seen so far, one might reasonably suspect that’s when the full extent of the lunacy will truly begin, there on our screens for all the world to see.
What, indeed, the flipping flack! But, at least for now, let’s not even start to speculate upon the degree of further flack with which this crumbling administration will almost certainly then get hit.


The second Hope College Faculty Recital Series concert of the 2002-03 season will feature a world premiere, and a variety of works and instruments.
The concert will be presented on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music. The public is invited, and admission is free.
"Sonata for Violin and Viola," by Will Gay Bottje, will have its world premiere performance. Mihai Craioveanu, violinist, and Deborah Craioveanu, violist, will be the performers.
The afternoon recital will open with "Improvisation et Caprice" by Eugene Bozza, and will be performed by alto saxophonist Ryan Janus.
The piece is followed by a work by Johannes Brahms, "Auf dem Kirchhofe." Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth La Grande will be featured, along with accompanist Sheryl lott Richardson.
The concert ends with Andrew Previn's "Sonata for Bassoon and Piano." The piece will be performed by bassoonist Steven Ward and pianist Jennifer Wolfe.
Nykerk Hall of Music is located in the middle of the Hope campus, between College and Columbia avenues along the former 12th Street.


Wednesday, December 24, 2008
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." While it may be hyperbole on both accounts to use Dickens' (possibly most) often cited quote to describe our current state of affairs in Buenos Aires, it does help illustrate the situation in which we found ourselves at this time. Even though many Porteños flee the city with their families to enjoy the holidays on the beach or simply away from the hustle and bustle of BsAs (with buses running less and with so many people outside the city, traffic and noise pollution are at an all-time low, which you know is pleasant for us if you've read previous posts), a tangible excitement still sweeps the streets and illuminates the night sky. As a predominately Catholic country, Christmas reigns supreme in Argentina. While it may not get as done up as other cities, Buenos Aires does a good job of bringing Christmas cheer to is residents, although it looks quite silly to, as Julia puts it, "have snowflakes on the windows of stores selling air conditioning units". The northern half of the northern hemisphere definitely has a clear advantage in terms of realizing dreams of the white Christmas in which Santa's sleigh treads softly atop snow covered rooves before placing presents underneath the Christmas tree, but that doesn't stop Buenos Aires from lining store fronts with wreaths, Holiday Lights, and other staples of North American Christmas/Holiday/Winter decorations.
In a way, it reminds me of being home during this holiday season, this being the first that I will spend completely away from Great Barrington. But, as occurred when most of my family came for Thanksgiving, our homes will come to us to celebrate the holidays! In five days, just in time for New Years but just after Hanukah ends, Julia's sister Mia and her boyfriend Kenny will arrive in Buenos Aires to spend a few weeks with us (note: I wrote most of this post some time before I actually published it, so bear with the Lost-like bending of the space-time continuom). I know they are excited since they bought their tickets months ago and have had an entire semester to look forward to escaping the bitter cold of the Northeast in favor of the summer breezes of South America, and we are definitely excited to welcome more visitors to our newly adopted city. It gives us an excuse to act like tourists and go out to dinner more often than usual, which is always fun, and we'll try and do some day trips so they can see as much of the region as possible. We'll definitely be going to Uruguay for at least one day, for Julia and I have to renew our tourist visas, lest we remain in Argentina illegally...
All in all, it looks to be an exciting few weeks of romping around the city, but not nearly as much once January rolls around because...we finally got jobs! I know, some of you thought this may never happen, but truth be told, we finally obtained some sort of steady employment. Granted, it's only 12 hours a week between the two of us, at 24 pesos an hour, and the hours (8:15-9:45AM) are not ideal for two people who have been lazily rolling out of bed much later than they should, it's still a start and may develop into something more profitable down the road. And given the fact that we have visitors for the next bunch of weeks (Julia's parents arrive a few days before Mia and Kenny depart), the time and volume of our hours will allow us to be gracious hosts while still bringing in some dough.
"The worst of times" does not refer to our impending forfeiture of unlimited free time - but after we are waking up every morning at seven, it very well may - but rather to the departure of so many of our friends in the past few weeks. We knew many of these students from all over the world for just two months or so, but they left an impression on us so strong that the city will feel very different without them. These are the people who welcomed us to our new home, initiated us into a new culture, and welcomed us into the lives they had been building long before we arrived. Whether members of Julia's class or our Frisbee team, they helped make our introduction to Buenos Aires so pleasant and rewarding. One of our friends, Austin, urged us to continue what everyone started in bringing good spirit and friendship everywhere we go, persist in our self immersion into this wonderful city and culture, and take advantage of the incredible opportunity afforded to us. Overall, I do sense that I carry myself with a more positive and energetic air, much of which I credit to the company that I've kept since coming to Buenos Aires. Their enthusiasm for life and seeking out new and exciting experiences, however cliche it may sound, continues to rub off on me. I only hope that we can do the same for someone else who comes to BsAs in the future, wherever they're from, whatever their story.
So here is a big thank you to any of them that read the blog. To those of us who are still here, going strong, I'm incredibly excited to start a new year in Buenos Aires. And to everyone back in the States, Happy New Year, may it be better than the last, and I'll be thinking of how cold you are while I'm (hopefully) on my way to the beach tomorrow. Cheers!


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If there’s one reason why Instant Pot has exploded with popularity, it’s because Instant Pot is fast. Like, really fast — no more “Oh my goodness, I forgot to turn on the slow cooker before work and now we don’t have dinner.”
If you have an Instant Pot, you know that’s not ever an issue. Just toss in the ingredients for your favorite recipe and voila: Dinner’s ready in a jiffy, even in the least expensive Instant Pot models. While they’re not as automated as a Roomba, Instant Pots are a great side kick in the kitchen.
To help you understand just how fast Instant Pots truly are, we broke down the cooking times for more than 50 different ingredients, including potatoes, oats, shrimp, steak, and so much more.
Grab a free copy of our full Cooking Times Cheat SheetDownload PDF
Instant Pot Cooking Times for Vegetables
Everyone needs more veggies in their lives. It’s important to load up on all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in vegetables. But if you’re anything like me, you’re just at a loss for how to cook them. I’ve tried everything: roasting, steaming, boiling, grilling, sautéing… But nothing ever did the trick.
Enter: Instant Pot. In the Instant Pot, veggies of all types — from starchy to non-starchy — cook to perfection in mere minutes. Take sweet potatoes for example. In the oven, sweet potatoes can take upwards of an hour to cook, depending on their size and your preferred consistency. But in an Instant Pot, a whole sweet potato takes as little as 12 minutes! Pro tip: If you cube them first, it takes less than five.
Instant Pot Cooking Times for Meat and Eggs
Did you know that protein is the most satiating nutrient? That’s right: Eating a lot of protein can make you feel fuller faster and help you eat less. There’s a reason that fitness pros encourage their clients to eat more protein! With an Instant Pot, whipping up a protein-rich meal is easier than ever.
Gone are the days of slaving over a grill or waiting hours for a chunk of meat to cook in the oven. Also, no more accidentally overcooking cubed chicken on the stovetop. In an Instant Pot, like the Ultra, most meats cook in less than half an hour, and many cook in less than 20 minutes. You can even cook an entire chicken in just eight minutes — yes, eight!
Not only is that far less time than it takes to cook chicken in the oven, but it’s also less time than it takes you to go to the grocery store and get a rotisserie chicken when you don’t feel like cooking dinner.
More on protein: How to BBQ like a grill master with your Instant Pot
Instant Pot Cooking Times for Rice and Grains
Grains are a staple of most households (unless, of course, you’re on a keto or paleo diet). Otherwise, a hearty heap of grains can keep you full, help you focus, give you energy, and much more. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of fuel, after all. Luckily, you can prepare a batch of grains in as little as one minute in your Instant Pot. Seriously — quinoa takes just one minute to cook in an Instant Pot.
Other grains, like brown rice, wild rice, and barley, take a bit longer to cook all the way through. This difference is due to the resistant starch content in grains. The more resistant starch, the longer it takes to cook (and the more fiber to keep things running smoothly). Most grains, however, sit in the two- to 10-minute range — keep an eye on them from afar with the Instant Pot Smart WiFi model.
P.S. if you’re on the hunt for pasta, check out these seven mouth-watering macaroni and cheese recipes for Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Cooking Times for Beans and Lentils
Beans and lentils are chock-full of fiber, along with other important nutrients. Like protein, these fiber-rich foods help to keep you full and are a great addition to any meal. How long it takes to cook beans in an Instant Pot depends on whether you start them dry or soaked. Dry beans take significantly longer to cook than soaked beans, so it’s always a good idea to soak them if you know you’ll be short on time.
Cooking beans in an Instant Pot is exponentially easier than cooking them on a stovetop, regardless of whether you cook them dry or soaked. On a stovetop, you have to babysit the pot to make sure the water doesn’t boil over and the beans don’t burn, as well as poke the beans with a fork periodically to check for doneness. In an Instant Pot, all you do is pop them in with your preferred cooking liquid (broth or water) and pressure cook.
Instant Pot Cooking Times for Seafood
Raise your hand if you avoid cooking seafood because you botch it every time! (*Timidly raises hand*). Before I entered the wonderful world of Instant Pot, I never even glanced at the seafood aisle in the grocery store. Nope, you wouldn’t find me there — I’d stick to proteins I knew I couldn’t mess up, like chicken and eggs. Once I got an Instant Pot, though, I garnered some courage.
The thousands of Instant Pot seafood recipes online inspired me to brave the seafood aisle and expand my cooking horizons. And boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I realized that I could simply place my favorite seafood in my Instant Pot for a few moments and it would come out perfect every time. I started to make miniature versions of the seafood boils I enjoyed when I lived in South Louisiana — a delicacy you just can’t find in the state of California.
Read next: Don’t know which kind of Instant Pot to buy? We detail all of the models here.

domain: food


Project 636-M / 636.3 Varshavyanka
The Russian Navy had problems developing the new Project 677 Lada diesel-electric submarines, whereas Project 877 Paltus (Kilo class) submarines continued to age rapidly. As a result, the Navy had to order upgraded Project 636-M (Kilo class) submarines once again. In August 2010, the keel of a lead Project 636-M submarine was laid for the Black Sea Fleet.
Project 636.3 diesel electric submarine Novorossiysk was laid down at Admiralteyskie Verfi shipyard (ST. Petersburg) 20 August 2010 at 12 pm. The sub was to be delivered to the Navy in 2013; later on, other two submarines of the project were to be laid down and in 2014 dispatched to south Russia. Vladimir Aleksandrov, Director General of JSC Admiralteyskie Verfi said the submarine laid down represents one of the most successful series. It was designed by Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering and has no analogs.
The three Varshavyanka-class submarines were delivered by Admiralty Shipyards to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in 2014. Work on building the first sub, the Novorossiisk, began in August 2010, followed by Rostov-on-Don in November 2011 and Stary Oskol in August 2012.
Vietnam ordered a fleet of six Russian-made submarines in 2009 in a step seen as an effort to counterbalance China’s expanding maritime influence in the region. The contract, which also stipulates the training of Vietnamese submarine crews in Russia, is reportedly worth $2 billion. The submarines were built at the Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard in St. Petersburg. All six boats were due for delivery by 2016.
"The construction cost is $2.1 billion, but the building of all necessary coastal infrastructure and the delivery of armaments and other equipment may bring the total to $3.2 bln, which makes this deal the largest in the history of Russian exports of naval equipment," the Export of Arms magazine says in an editorial published in its June 2010 issue.
The first of six Varshavyanka class (Project 636M) diesel-electric submarines was delivered to Vietnam in 2013 as scheduled. “The first vessel is undergoing sea trials. It will be delivered to Vietnam this year," Rubin design bureau general director Igor Vilnit told reporters at the LIMA-2013 arms show in Malaysia 29 March 2013. Vilnit said construction on the craft is going according to the schedule specified in the contract. The first craft in the order was loaded on a stevedore barge on November 11 and towed to Vietnam, where it was officially transferred to the country’s navy. The second vessel was delivered in the beginning of 2014, while the third was also transferred in 2014.
The final Kilo-class Project 636 diesel-electric submarine for the Vietnamese navy under a 2009 contract was laid down 28 May 2014 in St. Petersburg, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti. "Today, we had the ceremony of laying down the sixth submarine for Vietnam. This is the latest submarine in this series," the source said. Under the $2 billion contract, two submarines have already been delivered to Vietnam, the third is undergoing sea trials, a fourth was floated out in late March, and the fifth and sixth are now under construction. "Two submarines have already been transferred to the Vietnamese Navy, the third is to be transferred this year and the remaining three in 2015-2016," according to the source.
The second multipurpose, low-noise and highly maneuverable Varshavyanka-class (Project 636.3) submarine, named after the city of Rostov-on-Don, was launched 25 June 2014. Construction began at the Admiralty Shipyard on November 21, 2011. It is the second Varshavyanka submarine out of six planned for the Black Sea Fleet by the end of 2016. Unlike the fleet’s main forces stationed in Sevastopol in Crimea, these new submarines will use the port of Novorossiysk as their home base. By mid-2014 the prototype Varshavyanka submarine ‘Novorossiysk’ was undergoing tests in the Baltic Sea, and in early 2015 was expected to make a two-month journey around Europe under its own power to its home base.
The second Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine Rostov-on-Don designed for the Russian Black Sea Fleet was officially taken into naval service 30 December 2014. The St. Andrew naval flag was hoisted on the submarine, from which moment it is considered officially taken into combat service of the domestic Navy. The Russian Navy chief commander’s decree was read out to enrol Rostov-on-Don in the 4th separate brigade of the Black Sea Fleet with a base in southern Russia’s Krasnodar territory the city of Novorossiisk.
The Varshavyanka class is an improved version of the Kilo class submarines, featuring advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets. The Project 636 class boats displace 3,100 tons, reach speeds of 20 knots, can dive to 300 meters and carry crews of 52 people. The submarines, which feature 533-milimeter torpedo tubes and are armed with torpedos, mines, and Kalibr 3M54 (NATO SS-N-27 Sizzler) cruise missiles, are mainly intended for anti-shipping and anti-submarine missions in relatively shallow waters.
Diesel-electric submarine "Krasnodar" - the fourth in a series of modified Project 636 - was launched 25 April 2015 at JSC "Admiralty Shipyards" in St. Petersburg. The ceremony was attended Navy Commander Viktor Chirkov, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Sergei Movchan and CEO "Admiralty Shipyards" Alexander Busachi. "It is symbolic that today on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory we launches the fourth submarine of this series for the Russian Black Sea Fleet," - said Chirkov. "Ahead, - he said - a lot of work. It is necessary to finish two more boats and more boats will be a new generation - Project 677". The fourth diesel electric submarine of Project 636.3 "Krasnodar" was transferred to the Navy of the Russian Federation on 05 November 2015.
The final series of "Novgorod" and "Kolpino" are built in various stages of readiness. Works are conducted strictly in construction schedule. All six ships of the series named after the city, bearing the honorary title of "City of Military Glory." Fifth and sixth submarine - "Veliky Novgorod" and "Kolpino" - to be transferred to the Navy in November 2016. In total, the Black Sea Fleet must get six submarines of Project 636.3 (code "Warszawianka").
The last of six Varshavyanka-class (NATO reporting name Improved Kilo-class) diesel-electric powered submarines for the Russian Black Sea Fleet was launched at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg on 31 May 2016. Deputy Navy Commander-in-Chief Vice Adm. Alexander Fedotenkov, President of United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov and governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko were present at the ceremony.
The Russian Navy has made a final decision to order the construction of six Varshavyanka-class (NATO reporting name Improved Kilo-class) diesel-electic powered submarines for the Pacific Fleet, Deputy Navy Commander-in-Chief Vice Adm. Alexander Fedotenkov said 31 May 2016.


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The Compassionate Change and Dignity Coalition seeks a city built for the dignity of every resident: A city that engages, elevates clients in online casino with no deposit slot bonus, and protects from violence all of its residents, regardless of identity or status, and ensures each resident an equal, democratic voice in local governance and equitable access to public resources necessary for human dignity.
The CCD Coalition works to promote this vision of a compassionate community where we all can thrive by:
- advocating for legislation that supports the right to rest and decriminalizes unhoused people’s ordinary life activities;
- advocating for the replacement of Business Improvement Districts/Enhanced Services Districts by Compassionate Change Districts;
- working to mitigate the harms of BIDs/ESDs through peer-run and peer-designed solutions and programs that emphasize self-determination of targeted communities.
I run a shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness in the Central Eastside and I see firsthand that our policy of shuffling people around isn’t working. This proposal has the solutions we need to begin to actually play in the best slots and book of ra free with online casino bonus ohne einzahlung. I fully support these ideas and this proposal.”
– Dan Trifone, Clark Center Shelter Manager
All our neighbors, regardless of housing status, deserve safe and stable places to sleep, wash, and organize their daily lives. These are the basic building blocks of civic health and well-being.
– Sandra Comstock, R2S
Our “CCD” includes a clean-up program that helps solve the hygiene and trash issues that result from unequal access to sewer and garbage services. It includes a security program that centers the right to safe sleep and safe parking and is trauma-informed. It includes a jobs development program using peer-run systems to support the functioning of the clean-up and security components, and will all be transparently and democratically run by a governing board that includes representation from all stakeholders, with annual independent audits.
Clean Up Program. Peer-run “equal access” to water, bathrooms, showers, and laundry. Learn More
Security Program. Peer-run safe sleep & park encampment with green space. Learn More
Jobs Development Program. Peer-run waste management program to complement the current Central City Concern program. Learn More
Democratic Governance. We call for a transparently and democratically elected governing board representing all community stakeholders. Learn More

domain: sociology


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The Kids Are All Right star Julianne Moore looks absolutely stunning on her cover shoot for InStyle's May issue, chatting to her pal Tom Ford about all things acting, motherhood and fashion.
Looking every inch the iconic star, Julianne posed for the gorgeous shots in wow-worthy looks from Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and of course Tom Ford - to name a few.
Talking openly to Tom, Julianne reveals how she looks so incredible at 50: "Stay out of the sun! I have very fair skin and it would have been super-damaged. I always wear sunscreen and I walk on the shady side of the street."
To find out what Julianne has to say about her dream profession, motherhood, her guilty food secrets, along with her top fashion and style tips - pick up your May issue of InStyle - out now!

domain: celebrity


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Description, Causes and Risk Factors:
Herpes simplex virus type 1 or 2 infection transmitted from the mother to the newborn infant, often during passage through an infected birth canal; severity varies from mild-to-fatal generalized infection, the latter especially with primary maternal genital herpes.
Neonatal herpes is acquired during one of three distinct periods: intrauterine (in utero), peripartum (perinatal), and postpartum (postnatal). Among infected infants, the time of transmission for the overwhelming majority (85%) of neonates is the peripartum period. An additional 10 percent of infected neonates acquire the virus postnatally, and the ?nal 5 percent are infected with HSV in utero. The ?ve factors known to in?uence transmission of HSV from mother to neonate are:
Maternal antibody status.
Duration of rupture of membranes.
Integrity of mucocutaneous barriers.
Mode of delivery (cesarean versus vaginal delivery).
Type of maternal infection (primary versus. recurrent).
Infants born to mothers who have a ?rst episode of genital HSV infection near term are at much greater risk of developing neonatal herpes than are those whose mothers have recurrent genital herpes. This increased risk is caused both by lower concentrations of transplacentally passaged HSV-speci?c antibodies (which also are less reactive to expressed polypeptides) in women with primary infection and by the higher quantities of HSV that are shed for a longer period of time in the maternal genital tract when compared with women who have recurrent genital HSV infection. The largest assessment of the in?uence of the type of maternal infection on the likelihood of neonatal transmission involved almost 40,000 women without clinical evidence of genital HSV infection who were cultured within 48 hours of delivery. Of these, 121 women were identi?ed who both were asymptomatically shedding HSV and for whom sera were available for serologic analysis. In this large trial, 57 percent of babies delivered to women with ?rst episode primary infection developed neonatal HSV disease compared with 25 percent of babies delivered to women with ?rst-episode, non-primary infection and 2 percent of babies delivered to women with recurrent HSV disease.
Neonates with higher neutralizing antibody titers are less likely to become infected with HSV after perinatal exposure during passage through an infected birth canal, illustrating the protective effects of preexisting antibody in preventing the acquisition of neonatal HSV disease. Among HSV-infected neonates, anti-HSV neutralizing antibody titers also correlate with the extent of the disease, with babies with higher neutralizing antibody titers being more likely to have localized disease (and less likely to have disseminated disease) once they are infected. Similarly, high maternal or neonatal anti-HSV ADCC antibody levels or high neonatal antiviral neutralizing levels each are associated independently with an absence of disseminated HSV infection.
HSV infections acquired either peripartum or postpartumcan be classi?ed as (1) disseminated disease involving multiple visceral organs, including lung, liver, adrenal glands,skin, eye, and the brain (disseminated disease); (2) CNS disease, with or without skin lesions (CNS disease); and (3)disease limited to the skin, eyes, and/or mouth. This classi?cation system is predictive of both morbidity and mortality.Patients with disseminated or SEM disease generally present to medical attention at 10 to 12 days oflife, whereas patients with CNS disease on average presentsomewhat later at 16 to 19 days of life.
The current estimated rate of occurrence of neonatal HSV disease in the United States is approximately one in 3200 deliveries. Thus, the United States, with approximately 4.0 million deliveries per year, has an estimated 1500 cases of neonatal HSV infection annually.
Signs and symptom include,
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).
The diagnosis of neonatal HSV infections has been revolutionized by the application of PCR technology to clinical specimens including CSF and blood. Direct comparisons of the results of these studies are complicated by differences in the methods used in different laboratories. In the largest series, CSF specimens from 77 neonates in the United States with culture-proven HSV disease were evaluated retrospectively by PCR. The results of this analysis both enhanced the understanding of the spectrum of the natural history of neonatal HSV disease and validated the utilization of PCR in the management of such infants.
In the pre-antiviral era, 85 percent of patients with disseminated neonatal HSV disease died by the time they were 1 year of age, as did 50 percent of patients with CNS neonatal HSV disease. Evaluations of two different doses of vidarabine (VIRA-A™) and of a lower dose of acyclovir (30 mg/kg/d for 10 days) documented that both of these antiviral drugs reduce the rate of mortality to comparable degrees, with mortality rates at 1 year from disseminated disease decreasing to 54 percent and from CNS disease decreasing to 14 percent. Despite its lack of therapeutic superiority, the lower dose of acyclovir quickly supplanted vidarabine as the treatment of choice for neonatal HSV disease because of its favorable safety pro?le and its ease of administration. Unlike acyclovir, vidarabine had to be administered during prolonged infusion times and in large volumes of ?uid.
Lethargy and severe hepatitis are associated with mortality among patients with disseminated disease, as are prematurity and seizures in patients with CNS disease.
NOTE: The above information is educational purpose. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.
DISCLAIMER: This information should not substitute for seeking responsible, professional medical care.
Here is the list of nine user-friendly gym machines for women that are intimidated by barbells, bumper plates, and squat racks by Robin Cortez, director of team training for Chuze Fitness, which has clubs in California, Colorado and Arizona: Smith machine — used for...
A new study from Imperial College London suggests that higher levels of iron may cut the risk of clogged arteries. On the other hand, they are linked to a higher risk of blood clots. Within the scope of the study, the scientists used genetic data from 500,000 people...
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domain: health


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We backed OnBeep because we love this idea and we believe they will fundamentally change the way the world communicates.


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FYI, the Firewalker missions are really boring and easy. The Hammerhead controls well (much, much better than the Mako ever did) and the planets are pretty, but don't expect much more than 45 minutes of play, if that.
Don't look a gift hovertank in the mouth.
Sadly he's right. Finished the missions in about an hour. There are a few platforming-type missions and only two combat missions. On the plus, the hover tank controls well. On the negative there is no real strategy to the combat. The armor must be paper thin because if you get too close to the enemies, you're on fire. I loved the Zaeed DLC because the renegade choice was Really harsh, but this one just didn't do it for me. Hopefully the Kasumi DLC delivers something better.
Spot on assessment. I love Bioware and Mass Effect 2 was great fun to play. But I'm definitely hanging for some meatier content. I'll happily pay for it too.
What exactly is the Bioware site counting down to? Firewalker DLC came out today and Kasumi isn't due out until April.
I'm curious too, love the Mass Effect games and this DLC is just awesome, such great value. I don't mind saying that if they release more I'll buy it all.
It's on the Bioware, Mass Effect and DA:O sites. So it's probably something broad. Maybe something to do with The Old Republic?
May I be the first to say that I might actually be willing to pay 2 dollars for how hilarious Thane looks.
I'm almost willing to pay it to have Garrus's armor fixed.
what about his face? Even if you build the face reconstruction machine in the med bay, he's still ugly.
His face is a battle wound. And a damn cool one at that. But damn it. I had hundreds of armors laying around after Mass Effect 1. There has to be a weapons cache somewhere where I can get hims some armor that isn't broken.
i played a bit of this just now. I kind of wish there was a gun. The missiles are cool, but you just circle strafe + click. At least the Mako had a scope.
Yes. How it should be done. Vaguely.
I'd rather pay for aesthetics than a mission pack. Not that I'll buy the costumes.
Wow is bioware even trying? that Alternate Appearance Pack was garbage
Ugh, age gates, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.
A subreddit for (almost) anything related to games - video games, board games, card games, etc. (but not sports).

domain: entertainment


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Escape to Europe with Pitchup.com
Mar 31 2015 Posted by Samantha Marsh
--Explore the best outdoor holidays Europe has to offer--
--Spain, France, Italy, Croatia--
Want a break from the British weather and landscapes? Why not try something different for your next holiday? Pitchup.com has rounded up some of the most amazing sites in Europe for a great outdoor escape.
Surrounded by the Serranía de Ronda mountains, Eco Camel Adventure campsite in Andalucia offers a spectacular outdoor escape to Europe with stylish accommodation. Guests sleeping in the site's bell tents have the opportunity to stargaze; enjoy delicious, homemade continental breakfasts; and have dinner on the terrace with stunning views. What’s more, this eco-friendly site’s water supply is harvested from rain water and its energy is provided from wind turbines. Pitchup.com offers accommodation here from just £32.50 per person per night. The site is open from 2 May.
Explore the Vendée region of France while on a holiday at Camping L’Albizia - a four-star campsite near Notre Dame de Monts with comfortable and modern holiday homes for guests. Surrounded by a forest and just 900m from the beach, guests at the site can enjoy the Atlantic coast which offers many opportunities for watersports and bike rides. To complete the stay, the campsite has a host of facilities and activities: a heated pool, spa, aquagym, mini golf, wifi, themed entertainment, a snack bar and a restaurant. Pitchup.com offers accommodation here from just £13 per person per night and has plenty of availability for this spring and beyond.
Forest Camp is a real eco paradise for campers in the mountains of Italy. Located 750m up and among the trees of the Parco della Fessa natural forest, the site offers pitches for tents, tourers and motorhomes. It is in a prime location for exploring the surrounding area, including Monti Sibillini, Ascoli Piceno, Macerata and many medieval villages. The Italian coastline is also nearby. The site organises additional incentives for guests including hiking trips, excursions with donkeys, educational courses and workshops, and mountain bike rental is available on site. Pitchup.com offers pitches at this site from just £11.82 per night or for a little extra comfort there are tipis which can sleep up to eight and start from £31.52 per night. The site currently has good availability for spring and summer.
Camping Village Poljana in Croatia offers stress-free, relaxed camping. Located on the island of Lošinj, this unspoilt site sits within natural surroundings on the Adriatic coast. Guests can explore the beauty of the archipelago and admire wonderful views of the island by hiking, mountain biking or on sailing trips. While maintaining a peaceful and natural appearance the campsite also offers a full range of facilities, including a restaurant, café-bar, children’s playground, entertainment and a multitude of sports. The site is also upgrading its technology to create wifi hotspots for guests. Pitches start from just £14.58 per night.
For more information visit www.pitchup.com. All prices correct at time of writing.
- Ends -
For media information:
Contact Samantha Marsh or Fran Stephan at White Tiger PR
firstname.lastname@example.org 07711 265666
email@example.com 07901 338854
Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of outdoor accommodation in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland and Switzerland. Pitchup.com, which currently lists over 5,800 sites, provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book an outdoor holiday with total ease: the customer journey from landing on the homepage through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages. The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for accommodation based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions. It’s also possible to check out water bathing water quality in the surrounding area with data provided by the European Environment Agency. Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available.
In 2013 Pitchup.com became the first business of its type to launch a bookable mobile app and site, making the site easily accessible to users of mobile and tablet devices. The mobile site, m.pitchup.com, now accounts for 21% of bookings.
Pitchup.com enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one-off campsites and unique outdoor accommodation options, which may not have previously had a web presence.
Awards include Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011, and most recently Best Travel / Leisure / Sports / Mobile Strategy / Campaign at the Marketing on Mobile Awards 2014.

domain: travel