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'The Witch' feels like a creepy classic
In 1999, when the Internet was young and our hearts were blithe and bonny, the found-footage horror film “The Blair Witch Project” was brought to market on a production budget of well under $1 million. It went on to make nearly a quarter-billion worldwide. Its aesthetic seemed novel back then, before “Paranormal Activity” and its sequels and visual copycats. With its shrieky, hand-held, shaky-cam approach to fright, the scruffy li’l movie connected with a new generation eager to get freaked out by this thing that seemed to be some sort of snuff film that snuck into the multiplex.
The new film “The Witch” is the opposite of “The Blair Witch Project,” visually, tonally, every way.
Writer-director Robert Eggers’ “New England folk tale” film isn’t likely to go bonkers in the popular culture the way “Blair Witch” did. But it’s an infinitely richer, more meticulous, more elegant and more unnerving horror film — the best since “The Babadook,” and very likely a 21st century classic in its hardy yet malleable genre.
The time is 1630, a few decades before the Salem witch trials. Relatively new arrivals from England, farmer William (Ralph Ineson), wife Katherine (Kate Dickie) and their five children are banished by the church leaders in their community for shadowy reasons. They relocate to a remote edge of a forest, with their goat, Black Phillip, and the hope of a decent if isolated new life.
But the eldest child, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), is watching her youngest sibling one day, and the child’s disappearance is sudden and definitive. Thus begins a steadily enveloping story of dread, recrimination, bone-deep misogyny, Puritan ideals and rampant scapegoating, in addition to the presence of a real, not metaphorical, goat, the aforementioned Black Phillip.
Like the wobbly domestic unit at the heart of “The Shining” (a key influence on “The Witch”), the family here turns on itself in the face of demonic forces. I don’t want to give any more away regarding what happens in “The Witch,” because, for once in a modern horror film, the tactics and developments are simple yet surprising, and the filmmaking captures its chosen time, place and dark corners beautifully.
Eggers conducted years of research, drawing on all sorts of 17th century material ranging from witch pamphlets to Puritan diaries to court documents. The language sounds authentic, neither too slavishly devoted to the argot of the day nor too contemporary-sounding in its texture. The actors are all terrific, particularly Dickie, a “Game of Thrones” alum whose performance in the Andrea Arnold film “Red Road” — see it if you haven’t — pointed to a great career that hasn’t quite materialized. Yet.
Eggers has worked mostly as a production and scenic and costume designer, in film and in the theater, and his remarkable debut feature looks and feels right and true and certain in its details, from the ashen tone of Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography to the exceptional musical score by Mark Korven. The music accompanying Thomasin’s wide-eyed transformation from one sort of teenager to another includes the Swedish nyckelharpa, the hurdy-gurdy and a vocal choir straight out of “The Omen.” It all works. By the end, in a key close-up of pure ecstasy, Eggers reminds modern audiences of the perils of a binary society, where nothing can exist comfortably in between the worlds of Puritan repression and satanic freedom.
For the record, the official spokesperson for The Satanic Temple recently declared “The Witch” a “transformative Satanic experience.” That’s swell, but you don’t have to be a devil worshipper to admire Eggers’ craft, his swift yet careful pacing, his fluid way with the camera or his film’s spellbinding aura.


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A California man, 81, has revealed how he spent 30 years building his ‘dream house’ before it was burned to ashes this week in one of the state’s biggest wildfires on record.
Hank Hanson is just one of hundreds of homeowners and residents who have lost everything in the devastating blazes that continue to rip through the Golden State.
He told how he and his wife fled for their lives from their home in Vacaville Wednesday morning, just moments before the LNU Lightning Complex fires destroyed it, leaving his tomato plants the only thing unscathed.
‘I worked on it for 30 years. It was pretty nice,’ the 81-year-old said of his home.
Hanson revealed how he was awake at around 1 a.m. Wednesday because his electricity was out and the stifling 95-degree (35C) temperature prevented him from sleeping.
He said he looked outside and saw the ridge line of the hills by his home lit up by the raging fire.
‘It started pouring toward us like a waterfall,’ he said.
Hanson said the couple often hear sirens after living nearly 30 years in the wildfire-prone wilderness of Northern California between San Francisco and Sacramento, but he realized the scale of this week’s blazes was different.
There was no evacuation warning for the couple and their neighbors, due to firefighting crews being stretched thin.
Hanson said he quickly woke up his wife and they fled the roaring fire in their diesel truck, as they and other neighbors rang their car horns to alert other residents.
The couple made it to a hotel room in the nearby community of Fairfield and found out later their home, that they spent decades renovating, had been completely destroyed.
Hanson, who owned a business that made patio enclosures, bought the property in 1974.
At the time it was a small redwood home originally built in Vacaville in the 1930s.
He spent weekends there for the next 17 years, planting walnut, peach, fig and eucalyptus trees.
In 1991, Hanson completed a 3,000 square-foot addition to that house complete with a wine cellar, indoor and outdoor pools plus three fireplaces.
The only thing that survived was his tomatoes which somehow did not burn.
‘They escaped the whole deal,’ he said. ‘About the only thing I have left in the world is tomatoes.’
Hanson said they won’t rebuild their home because ‘I wouldn’t want to do it on a lesser scale, and I don’t got time to top the old one.’
Instead, he said he plans to turn the lot into a park and a campground for himself and his friends for the next few years.
Hanson said he and his wife are grateful to be alive and are treating the fire and their terrifying escape as ‘an adventure’.
The fire that ripped through Hanson’s home was one of more than 500 wildfires ignited across California this week from what state firefighting officials are calling a ‘lightning siege’ – summer thunderstorms that produce little or no rain but have prompted nearly 12,000 lightening strikes across sun-scorched terrain.
More than 13,700 firefighters are battling the blazes, the most severe of which are focused in Northern California west of the state capital in Sacramento and east of the San Francisco Bay.
The extraordinary reach of the flames has pushed firefighting resources to the point ‘we have not seen in recent history,’ said Shana Jones, chief of the Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit of the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Donald Trump issued a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration Saturday to boost the state’s emergency response to the wildfires, after Governor Gavin Newsom pleaded with the president to grant the declarations Friday.
The National Guard has also been activated and is ready to send in helicopters and 240 crew members to help the embattled fire crews that have got the blaze only 15 percent contained.

domain: news


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August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble to Play Winter Center at Millersville University, 9/28
The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble (AWCDE) celebrates African American cultures by preserving, presenting, interpreting, celebrating and shaping the art, culture and history of African Americans.
Named after the late Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilson, AWCDE is a company that is dedicated to performing dances that are rooted in the African American dance tradition. In 2012, the young, but quickly rising Dance Company was placed on Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" list. They wrote, "The August Wilson Dance Ensemble...claims the spotlight with quicksilver agility, fierce athleticism, finely honed Horton technique, and innate theatricality."
"When I saw this dance ensemble perform a year ago, I felt we had to get them on our schedule and to Lancaster," Laura Kendall, Director of the Ware & Winter Centers said. "I was not only mesmerized by their modern dance professionalism, but also by their athletic abilities...the ensemble simply took my breath away. So, I booked them on the spot."
In the spring of 2009, Greer Reed was awarded the coveted title of Fellow at the August Wilson Center to create the ensemble. Reed's vision for the novice Dance Company was to provide a bridge in the dance community, reaching across ethnic and socio-economic lines to bring different dancers, of different backgrounds and styles together to celebrate the diversity of dance. Ms. Reed was the Artistic Director for Dance Alloy Theater, Pittsburgh's premier modern Dance Company. She has been affiliated, danced and or choreographed and taught for numerous prestigious organizations including Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ailey II, Bates College, and the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts.
"Dance brings people together, instilling hope and renewing the soul. The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble has the power, fearlessness and soul to do just that," Adrienne Totino, Pittsburgh Dance Examiner.
The performance takes place at the Winter Center on the Millersville University campus, 60 Cottage Avenue, Millersville. Parking is free and within a half a block of the Center.
Tickets are $20; $17 seniors; $5 MU students, all reserved seating. Tickets may be reserved by calling the Ticket Office at 717-872-3811; online at artsmu.com; Or in person at the Ware Center Box Office, 42 North Prince Street, Lancaster or the SMC Building on campus. Ticket Offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM- 4:00 PM, and one hour prior to the performance. This show is family friendly and is suitable for people of all ages.

domain: artistic


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Face masks: Due to the sharp rise in Covid-19 infections in our communities and on our wards, we require that all staff, patients and visitors wear face masks in all clinical and public areas, in all health and care settings, unless exempt.
Going digital has not only improved kidney care across South West Wales it has also led to the Morriston Hospital-based renal unit being shortlisted for an NHS Wales Award.
For people with kidney failure, dialysis is a life-saving treatment.
Some people can have dialysis at home, but others attend a hospital dialysis unit three times a week, for around 4.5 hours a time, at one of the region’s six units in Swansea, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest and Aberystwyth.
Across the region, around 1,200 dialysis treatments are performed each week and around 5,000 drugs are administered to enable dialysis.
With this level of activity, Morriston’s renal unit staff were all too aware of the growing mountain of paperwork surrounding its patients.
Managing and tailoring these treatments for individual patients was no easy undertaking.
So they set themselves the task of creating a bespoke in-house digital system that could deal with the complexities of dialysis, yet be simple and intuitive for staff to navigate.
The results have been remarkable, leading to a significant improvement in quality and efficiency. The way staff work has been modernised and patients can also access their medication and blood results on the smartphones.
The quality of information has also improved, as well as the safety and efficiency of the service, freeing up time for clinicians to spend more with patients rather than being burdened with vast amounts of paperwork.
The project team comprised Chris Brown, consultant renal pharmacist, James Chess, consultant nephrologist, Dafydd James, renal pharmacy technician, Mike Wakelyn, renal IT engineer and Debbie Hopkins, renal dialysis sister.
Mr Brown said: “Paper-based prescribing is a logistic problem for our regional centre that covers a large geography across South West Wales.
“Our objective was to improve the quality, efficiency and safety of our renal service and improve outcomes for patients.
“We had three key targets: to avoid missed drug doses, to prevent treatment delays and to liberate administrative time for clinicians to spend on face-to-face care.
“We decided to create a bespoke in-house digital system that could deal with the complexities of dialysis and would be intuitive for staff.”
But, Mr Brown added, going digital was not just for staff.
He said: “We worked with patients to develop the patients-portal so they could access their medication and blood results on the own smart phones and we automated patient friendly output for those who preferred paper.
“This improves our communication with patients and empowers them to become actively involved in their own care.”
Dafydd James explained that, previously, medication administered on dialysis was prescribed on paper charts.
However, this sometimes meant changes to medication could be delayed until a visiting clinician could attend the dialysis unit.
“Urgent medication changes would require fax machine to send prescriptions from the coordination centre in Morriston Hospital,” said Mr James.
“Mistakes were often difficult to identify with a paper system, but now our virtual pharmacy and digital surveillance allows us to quickly screen prescriptions across the region form the coordination centre in Morriston.”
Mike Wakelyn said digital records were far more efficient and could be accessed quickly anywhere across the region.
He added: “Information is accessed quickly and reliably where it is needed, regardless of where the clinician or patients may be.
“We have created a number of tools that helps clinicians day to day. For example the system identifies any drugs that may have been missed, and alerts the dialysis nurses, which ensures the patient receives the intended treatment.”
Sister Hopkins said: “The bespoke touch-screen eChart enables nurses to interact directly with the patient’s record at the bedside, which means we have everything we need at the point of care.
“Renal treatments are complicated and regularly adjusted. The digital system not only makes the prescription much easier to read, it also allows the team be more responsive to changes in the patient’s condition by enabling timely changes to treatments.”
Dr Chess said designing the renal EPMA in-house meant it could be developed specifically to meet the renal service’s requirements.
“Changes or additions to medication can now be made instantly at the main centre and immediately accessible to the nurse in the satellite units. There are no treatment delays.
“Going digital has made a significant impact on the efficiency, and quality and safety of prescribing, enabling timely initiation or alterations to over 5,000 treatments a week administered against an electronic prescription.’’
Dr Chess said it also meant clinicians were freed from administrative duties to spend on patient care.
“They no longer need to travel across west Wales just to make administrative changes to paper records. Medication charts no longer need rewriting and cannot be lost.
“This saves time for the prescriber and eliminates the risks caused by the discrepancies between the paper medication chart and renal electronic patient records.”
Judging panels, drawn from across NHS Wales, the public sector and professional bodies, have visited each finalist to find out more about the projects and see first-hand the benefits they’ve brought to patients. The winners will be announced in a ceremony in Cardiff on 19 September.

domain: medical


The Data Futures Partnership has released the eight questions New Zealanders should expect organisations seeking to use their personal data should answer.\nThe questions are part of A Path to Social Licence: Guidelines for Trusted Data Use, launched by the Parntership, an independent group appointed and funded by the government.\nThe draft guidelines provide a way for organisations to be transparent about what they want to do with data, in a way that is easy to understand. \nThe 8 questions (Source: A Path to Social License: Guidelines for Trusted Data Use)\nRelated reading: \u2018We need to be careful that just because we have that data we can use, doesn\u2019t mean we should,\u2019 says Dame Diane Robertson\nIndividuals and communities can consider the plan and decide whether or not their trust has been earned. The ultimate goal is trusted data use and social licence.\n\u201cComfort around data use is contextual. Organisations should always aim to proceed with social licence \u2013 trusted use \u2013 particularly when the data use is novel or affects vulnerable groups,\u201d says Dame Diane Robertson, chair of the Data Futures Partnership Working Group.\n\u201cHow personal data is used is not always clear to New Zealanders. People want to know how the Government, businesses, not-for-profits and other organisations are collecting and using their data.\u201d \nDame Diane Robertson with two other members of the working group: Figure.NZ founder Lillian Grace and AUT Prof Rhema Vaithianathan (photo by Divina Paredes)\nPeople want to know why the data is being collected, what it is being used for, and who will benefit, whether they will be identified, and whether their data could be sold or shared.Dame Diane Robertson, Data Futures Partnership\nDame Diane Robertson was joined at the launch by two other members of the working group tasked to draft the guidelines, Figure.NZ founder Lillian Grace and Dr Rhema Vaithianathan,co-director of the Centre for Social Data Analytics at Auckland University of Technology.\nThe other members of the panel are Tourism New Zealand CEO Stephen England-Hall and former Secretary of the Treasury John Whitehead.\nThe Data Futures Partnership will work with public and private sector organisations to test and refine the draft Guidelines over the next six months.\n\u201cNew Zealanders, rightly, have many questions about how their data is collected, used and shared. In order to trust any proposed use of data, they need to hear answers to the questions that matter," says Robertson. "The sorts of things they really want to know are: why the data is being collected, what it is being used for, and who will benefit? They also want to know whether they will be identified, and whether their data could be sold or shared."\nTo develop the guidelines, the Partnership worked with thousands of New Zealanders to understand how they feel about their data being shared in different situations. These were done through a series of workshops, hui and online sessions.\nSource: Maori Engagement on Social License Report (June 2017)\n\u201cEvery country is trying to address the same issues as we are,\u201d says Dr Rhema Vaithianathan of AUT, in a report released during the launch.\n \n\u201cThe problem is that most countries like New Zealand have something similar to our Privacy Commissioner and the Privacy Act which has done a good job for many years of maintaining people's confidence in the collection and use of their personal data. \n\u201cThis was thought to be enough but increasingly there is a need for data use to be not only lawful but also trusted. This is a very fast changing environment and there is a balance we need to strike. If we\u2019re too prescriptive in how organisations should collect and use data then we risk making New Zealand unable to take advantage of data use that could really improve people\u2019s quality of life. On the other hand, you want people to be able to trust the way their data is being used.\u201d \n \nShe says during the consultation with the various groups, they found many of the people were concerned about how their data was being collected and used. \n\u201cWe felt the first thing we should do was to encourage organisations to be straight up with people and we found people responded to that well. They understood that data was a resource and they weren\u2019t completely averse to providing their data to organisations to use, they just want transparency about it.\u201d\nRelated reading:The \u2018fast and furious\u2019 collection of data spawns privacy and economic issues. "We cannot just put our heads in the sand like the scientists who tamed atomic energy but said something like, \u2018We just invented the bomb but we did not use it.'"\nMany groups were concerned that uncomfortable that short-term\ndecisions about data use and sharing might be made by New Zealand\npeople and their leaders that could later be regretted.\n\nSend news tips and comments to email@example.com\nFollow Divina Paredes on Twitter:@divinap\nFollow CIO New Zealand on Twitter:@cio_nz\nJoin us on Facebook.


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‘I was afraid. I had no choice. I had no way to go home,’ says Su Thandar from Burma.
When she was 17, she was trafficked against her will from her home near Yangon to China where she was forced to marry a man she’d never met.
‘I was very unhappy. I tried to run away three times. But the Chinese police arrested me and sent me back to my husband. Very often, I was beaten by my husband. I have a scar,’ she says, lifting her chin to show me. ‘I cried a lot. I wanted to go home.’
Su (not her real name), now 22, is one of hundreds of women trafficked from Burma across the border into China where they are forced into illegal marriages and to have children.
A recent report from the Burmese government said 80 per cent of human traffic cases in Burma over the last five years involved women being smuggled to China for forced marriage.
Women are trafficked across other borders too, to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Many are exploited as sex workers or labourers. But the majority are sold as ‘brides’ to China, the trade driven by China’s one-child policy, which has created a gender imbalance and a shortage of females to marry. A trafficked ‘bride’ can be sold for between 30,000 Chinese yuan (£3,000) to 50,000 yuan (£5,000).
‘The situation is very serious,’ said Wah Eh Htoo, who works for the charity World Vision in Burma.
‘We know many rural Chinese men are desperate to find a wife, so they can have descendants.
‘Because of the one child policy, Chinese people prefer to have a male, rather than a female. There’s a big gap. That’s why rural Chinese men are trying to get a bride from other countries, like Burma, Vietnam or Cambodia. Burma is one of the main ones.’
Police Colonel Nyunt Hlaing, from Burma’s Transnational Crime Department’s anti-trafficking unit, said: ‘China’s one-child policy is the main cause of the problem,
‘If a village man has 30,000 yuan, a Burmese or Lao woman can be easily acquired. In some cases, the Chinese men are disabled and have no way to be married with Chinese women, so their parents try to search out Burmese women for child-bearing for the next generation.’
According to the government report, 731 trafficking cases (many cases include multiple victims) were reported between Jan 2006 and Aug 2011, including 585 cases in China.
A total of 1305 people were rescued over the past five years, including 780 from China. It’s suspected the reported figures are the tip of the iceberg.
‘China needs to do more to stop this,’ said Colonel Hlaing. ‘But they’re not very effective for the moment because of the great demand.
‘If Burmese women are found, the police arrest them, seize them for one month in prison and deport them to their place of origin.
‘Therefore, most of the women who married Chinese men are prohibited to go out for any purpose. Very few stay in good conditions. They’re beaten by their husbands, father-in-law, mother-in-law, relatives… and are provided insufficient food.’
This is what happened to Su. She came from a poor family and was tricked by a neighbour who offered to help her get a job in a fabric factory in China to send money home.
She was handed over to traffickers and sent to China. The job evaporated. After days of travelling, she met a man at a train station.
‘With sign language, I was told he would be my husband. I didn’t understand. But a Chinese lady, the wife of a trafficker, phoned me and explained in Burmese I had to marry this guy.’
Su lived with her ‘husband’ for five years, somewhere in Yunnan Province, and had two children, a boy and a girl. ‘I thought I was a child, not child-bearing age, but I had no choice,’ she says.
She tried to escape several times, teaming up with other trafficking victims living as ‘brides’ in the area.
‘I met three Burmese women in the same village. There were a lot of trafficking victims around the other villages.’
Eventually, she succeeded. It took six days to reach Burma and alert the authorities. She was forced to leave her children behind.
Even today, she isn’t sure of the exact location where she was held. Her father died while she was away and she lost the family home. She now works as a cleaner in Yangon.
She’s talked to her children on the phone and is trying to find a way to see them, but it’s difficult.
I hear other accounts of girls as young as 14 trafficked to China. Victims are often beaten, intimidated, imprisoned and tortured, isolated and unable to speak the language, receiving no medical treatment.
One striking aspect of the women’s stories is that 65 per cent of the people who trafficked them were other women.
‘Here, people are very desperate because of poverty,’ said Wah Eh Htoo. ‘Women become brokers because they can approach the young women and cultivate their trust. It’s quite shocking. But people are desperate to get out of poverty.’
As well as poverty in Burma, the demand for brides in China needs to be tackled and the criminals who traffic women need to be stopped.
Burmese police authorities are trying to have discussions with Chinese authorities to set up task forces in border towns, Colonel Hlaing said.
It is hoped a memorandum of understanding can be reached. But much more needs to be done: action, not just discussion. So far, there seems to have been reluctance from China to confront the problem. The Chinese embassy in London did not respond when asked to comment.
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domain: sociology


FILE - In this April 30, 2014, file photo, former Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox speaks to reporters on the floor of the House Chamber at the Statehouse in Providence, R.I. Fox has been charged with bribery, wire fraud and filing a false tax return according to court documents unsealed Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Fox is accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars to help grant a liquor license to a bar near Brown University when he served as vice chairman of the Board of Licenses. The investigation began when the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and state police raided Fox's home and Statehouse office March 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Former House Speaker Gordon Fox was charged and agreed to plead guilty to bribery, wire fraud and filing a false tax return following an investigation that included a dramatic federal raid on the Statehouse, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.
The details from the documents bring an end to nearly a year of speculation about what the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and state police were investigating when they raided Fox's home and Statehouse office March 21, 2014.
Fox, once considered among the most powerful politicians in state politics, was scheduled to be arraigned and plead guilty at noon in U.S. District Court in Providence.
In the documents, Fox acknowledges he received a $52,500 bribe in cash and checks in 2008 to help grant a liquor license to a bar near Brown University when he served as vice chairman of the board of licenses for the city of Providence. He's also accused of making about 28 interbank transfers totaling $108,000, taking the money from his campaign account and using it to pay for personal expenses.
Prosecutors and Fox agreed to request a three-year prison sentence.
U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha grew angry as he described what he called "political corruption amnesia" in Rhode Island.
"You can have someone who's violated the public trust, and they're back running for office again eight years later," Neronha said in an apparent reference to former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor last year after twice being convicted of felonies.
"It's in incredible privilege to serve the people," Neronha continued. "It's a privilege, not a right."
Prosecutors say the personal expenses Fox paid with campaign money included mortgage payments, car loan payments, his American Express bill and purchases at Tiffany's, Urban Outfitters, TJ Maxx, Target, Walmart and Warwick Animal Hospital. They say the diverted funds represent about 15 percent of the campaign donations he received, and he overstated the account balance in campaign finance reports to hide his actions from the board of elections.
He's accused of filing false tax returns by knowingly failing to include the personal income he received from the bribe and the fraudulent transfers.
Neronha left the door open for going after the business that paid the bribe, Shark Sushi Bar & Grill, saying it was "under review." He would not comment on whether the people who paid the bribe, not named in the indictment, cooperated in the investigation.
The bar's owner, Raymond Hugh, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he didn't know his bar was involved in the case and was accused of paying a bribe.
"That's news to me. I have no idea what's going on. We'll get to the bottom of it. I'm sure my lawyer is working on it," he said in a brief phone conversation.
Fox was forced to resign his speakership after the raids, when federal agents were seen carting out boxes of evidence from his home and office at the Statehouse.
The Democrat announced he was stepping down as speaker the following day, but he finished out his term in the House, representing a neighborhood on Providence's upscale East Side. That term ended in January.
Since the raids, investigators have mostly refused to detail what they were looking at. However, other information has trickled out about the investigation and about how Fox managed his campaign finances and business affairs.
Fox is an attorney with a solo law practice and had held a seat in the part-time General Assembly since 1992. He became the state's first openly gay House speaker in 2010, making a salary of $30,000 annually. He and his husband also owned a Providence hair salon that closed its doors a few months before the raids.
In his law practice, Fox had represented businesses before the city's board of licenses and performed loan closings. He paid a $1,500 civil fine to the state ethics commission before the raids happened last year for failing to disclose more than $40,000 in loan closing work he did for a Providence economic development agency.
Fox also had a Statehouse employee doing his campaign books and acted as his own campaign treasurer, practices criticized by watchdog groups.
In June, Fox disclosed to the ethics commission that he had received a personal $10,000 loan from a registered legislative lobbyist in 2009 and had not paid it back over a period of years. He had not disclosed it in any of those years.
All content copyright ©2015 Daily Journal, a division of Home News Enterprises unless otherwise noted.


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Professional Reference articles are designed for health professionals to use. They are written by UK doctors and based on research evidence, UK and European Guidelines. You may find the Cushing's Syndrome article more useful, or one of our other health articles.
Treatment of almost all medical conditions has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. NICE has issued rapid update guidelines in relation to many of these. This guidance is changing frequently. Please visit https://www.nice.org.uk/covid-19 to see if there is temporary guidance issued by NICE in relation to the management of this condition, which may vary from the information given below.
Cushing's syndrome is caused by prolonged exposure to elevated levels of either endogenous or exogenous glucocorticoids. The degree of cortisol overproduction is very variable. When presentation is florid, diagnosis is usually straightforward. However, the presentation may be subtle and the combination of nonspecific clinical manifestations and variable cyclical biochemical parameters often makes the diagnosis difficult. Because of the significant morbidity and mortality of Cushing's syndrome, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential.
Causes of Cushing's syndrome can be divided into two groups:
- Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent disease: excessive ACTH from the pituitary gland (Cushing's disease), ectopic ACTH-producing tumours or excess ACTH administration.
- Non-ACTH-dependent: adrenal adenomas, adrenal carcinomas, excess glucocorticoid administration.
- The true incidence and prevalence of Cushing's syndrome are not known, but it is estimated to be nearly 40 per million. The prevalence of the disease is highly variable across different ethnic and cultural groups and depends upon the frequency of medical conditions requiring steroid-based therapy.
- Of the known cases iatrogenic hypercortisolism outweighs the endogenous causes; of the endogenous causes pituitary-mediated ACTH production accounts for up to 80% of cases of hypercortisolism.
- In obese patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those with poor blood glucose control and hypertension, the reported prevalence of Cushing's syndrome is between 2% and 5%.
- Cushing's syndrome due to an adrenal or pituitary tumour is more common in females (ratio 5:1).
- The peak incidence of Cushing's syndrome caused by an adrenal or pituitary adenoma is between the ages of 25 and 40 years.
- Ectopic ACTH production due to lung cancer occurs later in life.
The most common cause of Cushing's syndrome is the use of exogenous glucocorticoids. Endogenous Cushing's syndrome is divided into corticotropin-dependent and corticotropin-independent causes:
- Corticotropin-dependent causes account for about 80-85% of cases:
- 80% are due to pituitary adenomas (Cushing's disease).
- The remaining 20% are due to ectopic corticotropin syndrome, which is usually due to small-cell carcinoma of the lung and bronchial carcinoid tumours but may occur with almost any endocrine tumour - eg, phaeochromocytoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, medullary thyroid cancer, gut carcinoids.
- Corticotropin-independent Cushing's syndrome:
- Is most often due to a unilateral tumour: adrenal adenoma in 60% and adrenal carcinoma in 40% of cases.
- Very rare adrenal causes of Cushing's syndrome are corticotropin-dependent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia, primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease and McCune-Albright syndrome.
- Truncal obesity, supraclavicular fat pads, buffalo hump, weight gain.
- Facial fullness, moon facies, facial plethora.
- Proximal muscle wasting and weakness.
- Diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.
- Gonadal dysfunction, reduced libido.
- Skin: skin atrophy, purple striae, easy bruising, hirsutism, acne; pigmentation occurs with ACTH-dependent causes.
- Psychological problems: depression, cognitive dysfunction and emotional lability.
- Osteopenia or osteoporosis.
- Women may complain of irregular menses.
- Thirst, polydipsia, polyuria.
- Impaired immune function: increased infections, difficulty with wound healing.
- Child: growth restriction.
- Patients with an ACTH-producing pituitary tumour may develop headaches, visual problems and galactorrhoea.
- Destruction of the anterior pituitary may cause hypothyroidism and amenorrhoea.
Pseudo-Cushing's syndrome: all or some of the clinical features of Cushing's syndrome, combined with biochemical evidence of hypercortisolism (but not caused by pituitary-adrenal axis problems). Causes include:
- Chronic severe anxiety and/or depression.
- Prolonged excess alcohol consumption, which can cause a Cushingoid appearance.
- Poorly controlled diabetes.
- HIV infection.
No single test is perfect and several different tests are usually needed.
- Investigations are usually carried out following referral; it is often easier to co-ordinate the investigations in secondary care and ensure earlier diagnosis and effective management.
- Investigations should be performed when there is no acute concurrent illness (eg, infection or heart failure), as these can cause false positive results.
Investigations to confirm the presence of Cushing's syndrome
The recommended diagnostic tests for the presence of Cushing's syndrome are 24-hour urinary free cortisol, 1 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test and late-night salivary cortisol.
- FBC: raised white cell count.
- Electrolytes and acid-base balance: hypokalaemia (common with ectopic ACTH secretion as a result of mineralocorticoid activity), metabolic alkalosis.
- 24-hour urinary free cortisol:
- Ideally three collections. Measure creatinine excretion at the same time.
- Cushing's syndrome can be confidently diagnosed if two or more collections measure cortisol excretion as more than three times the laboratory upper limit of normal.
- Need to repeat the test if creatinine excretion varies by more than 10% between collections.
- False positives may occur with pregnancy, anorexia, exercise, psychoses, alcohol and alcohol withdrawal. Strenuous exercise and illness raise cortisol secretion.
- Low-dose dexamethasone suppression test:
- A useful screening test in those who are unable to reliably collect a 24-hour urine sample.
- 1 mg of dexamethasone is ingested at 11 pm and serum cortisol is measured at 8 am the next morning.
- Mild Cushing's syndrome is often difficult to distinguish from normal cortisol secretion or pseudo-Cushing's syndrome and both false positive and false negative test results occur.
- Midnight cortisol levels:
- Taken between 11 pm and 1 am. Demonstrate loss of normal diurnal variation of reduced cortisol production in the evening compared to the morning.
- Need to take blood from an indwelling cannula with the patient in a relaxed state.
- Inconvenient but reliable test for Cushing's syndrome.
- Late-night salivary cortisol measurement is a simple and reliable screening test for Cushing's syndrome.
- Dexamethasone suppressed corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) test:
- Modification of the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test.
- IV CRH is given 2 hours after 48 hours (eight doses) of 0.5 mg dexamethasone. Serum cortisol is measured 15 minutes after ovine CRH administration.
- Very reliable test for Cushing's syndrome.
Investigations to identify the cause of Cushing's syndrome
- Secretion is pulsatile and shows a diurnal variation, with the plasma concentrations highest at 8 am and lowest at midnight. The secretion of ACTH is increased by stress.
- An undetectable plasma ACTH with an elevated serum cortisol level is diagnostic of ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome, which is due to a primary cortisol-producing adrenal adenoma or carcinoma, or exogenous glucocorticoid use. This should then be followed by an abdominal CT or MRI scan if exogenous glucocorticoids are excluded as the cause.
- An elevated ACTH level is consistent with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome.
- If the plasma ACTH level is detectable then the following tests are indicated:
- High-dose dexamethasone suppression test:
- The 8 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test and the 48-hour high-dose dexamethasone test may be useful when baseline ACTH levels are equivocal. They also help in determining whether a patient has pituitary or ectopic ACTH production.
- Greater than 90% reduction in basal urinary free cortisol levels supports the diagnosis of a pituitary adenoma; ectopic ACTH causes lesser degrees of suppression.
- Inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPS):
- Performed with CRH stimulation to aid in determining the source of excess ACTH.
- A baseline and stimulated ratio of IPS to peripheral ACTH of less than 1.8 is suggestive of ectopic ACTH, while a ratio of IPS to peripheral ACTH of greater than 2 is consistent with a pituitary adenoma.
- MRI of the pituitary gland.
- Chest and abdominal CT scans: for patients with suspected adrenal tumours or ectopic ACTH.
- Plasma CRH: ectopic CRH production is a very rare cause of Cushing's syndrome.
Definitive therapy of endogenous Cushing's syndrome involves tumour resection. Indications for medical therapy include acutely ill patients in preparation for surgery, patients with unknown tumour location or unresectable lesions, patients unfit for surgery and patients with persistent raised glucocorticoid levels postoperatively.
- The treatment of choice in most patients is surgical but the metabolic consequences, including increased tissue fragility, poor wound healing, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, increase the risks of surgery.
- Drug therapy remains very important for normalising cortisol levels while awaiting the impact of more definitive treatment.
- Cortisol hypersecretion must be controlled prior to surgery or radiotherapy if at all possible.
- Metyrapone, ketoconazole, and mitotane can all be used to lower cortisol by directly inhibiting synthesis and secretion in the adrenal gland.
- Metyrapone and ketoconazole are enzyme inhibitors and have rapid onset of action; however, control of hypercortisolism is often lost with corticotropin oversecretion in Cushing's disease. These drugs are not usually effective as long-term treatment and are used mainly for preparation for surgery or as adjunctive treatment after surgery or pituitary radiotherapy.
- Mitotane acts as an adrenolytic drug with delayed onset but long-lasting action, but control of corticotropin oversecretion in Cushing's disease is maintained.
- Medical treatment can also be used in patients who are unwilling or unfit for surgery. Treatment can be used long-term for patients with ectopic corticotropin secretion; however, adrenalectomy may be preferred. Multiple agents are more effective than monotherapy.
- Etomidate can be used for acute control of severe hypercortisolaemia.
Is the treatment of choice for the following conditions:
- Pituitary tumours: trans-sphenoidal microsurgery. Radiation therapy may be used as an adjunct for patients who are not cured. Bilateral adrenalectomy may be necessary to control toxic cortisol levels.
- Adrenocortical tumours: require surgical removal. Laparoscopic surgery is now the treatment of choice for unilateral adrenal adenomas.
- Removal of neoplastic tissue is indicated for ectopic ACTH production. Metastatic spread makes a surgical cure unlikely or impossible. Bilateral adrenalectomy is indicated if necessary to control toxic cortisol levels.
- Persisting hypercortisolaemia after trans-sphenoidal surgery can be treated with pituitary radiotherapy.
- Conventional fractionated radiotherapy is very effective but is associated with long-term hypopituitarism and can be very delayed in effectiveness.
Patients with Cushing's syndrome often develop:
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes.
- Hyperlipidaemia: raised LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Coagulopathy: thrombophilia.
- Perforated viscera.
- Impaired immunity, including opportunistic fungal infections.
- Nelson's syndrome, which may follow bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease.
- A primary pituitary tumour, which may cause panhypopituitarism and visual loss.
- Early studies reported a median survival of 4.6 years and five-year survival of only 50%; however with recent advances in treatment, the standard mortality ratio is similar to the age-matched population.
- The causes of premature death in untreated Cushing's syndrome are vascular disease (myocardial infarction/stroke), uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and complications of diabetes, and infections.
- The usual course is chronic, with cyclic exacerbations and rare remissions.
- The prognosis is guardedly favourable with surgery.
- The rare adrenocortical carcinomas have a five-year survival rate of 30% or less.
Further reading and references
Debono M, Newell-Price JD; Cushing's Syndrome: Where and How to Find It. Front Horm Res. 201646:15-27. doi: 10.1159/000443861. Epub 2016 May 17.
Pivonello R, De Martino MC, De Leo M, et al; Cushing's disease: the burden of illness. Endocrine. 2017 Apr56(1):10-18. doi: 10.1007/s12020-016-0984-8. Epub 2016 May 17.
Nishioka H, Yamada S; Cushing's Disease. J Clin Med. 2019 Nov 128(11). pii: jcm8111951. doi: 10.3390/jcm8111951.
Chaudhry HS, Singh G; Cushing Syndrome
Nieman LK; Cushing's syndrome: update on signs, symptoms and biochemical screening. Eur J Endocrinol. 2015 Oct173(4):M33-8. doi: 10.1530/EJE-15-0464. Epub 2015 Jul 8.
Fujii Y, Mizoguchi Y, Masuoka J, et al; Cushing's Syndrome and Psychosis: A Case Report and Literature Review. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2018 Sep 1320(5). doi: 10.4088/PCC.18br02279.
Vassiliadi DA, Tsagarakis S; Diagnosis of Endocrine Disease: The role of the desmopressin test in the diagnosis and follow-up of Cushing's syndrome. Eur J Endocrinol. 2018 May178(5):R201-R214. doi: 10.1530/EJE-18-0007. Epub 2018 Feb 22.
Nieman LK; Recent Updates on the Diagnosis and Management of Cushing's Syndrome. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018 Jun33(2):139-146. doi: 10.3803/EnM.2018.33.2.139.
Broersen LHA, Jha M, Biermasz NR, et al; Effectiveness of medical treatment for Cushing's syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pituitary. 2018 Dec21(6):631-641. doi: 10.1007/s11102-018-0897-z.

domain: literature


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Rho family GTPases is ubiquitous molecular switches that control extraordinarily diverse cellular processes. They are activated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that are roughly 5-fold more numerous than the GTPases themselves and integrate the many cellular inputs controlling GTPase function. GEFs and GTPases form complex networks that are constituted transiently and locally for specific purposes. Biochemical, genetic, molecular, and structural analyses have unraveled a great deal about these critically important pathways, but the most important functional property, their spatio-temporal regulation, can only be fully understood in the context of intact cells. This PPG brings together team members with diverse expertise to develop innovative technologies enabling the study of GEF/GTPase networks in vivo, computational tools to extract network architecture and signaling kinetics from imaging data, and in-depth knowledge of cell behaviors critically dependent on GEF/GTPase dynamics: (Project 1- Hahn) will deliver GEF biosensors based on designs addressing different GEF structural classes. In a collaborative effort with Sondek, expert in GEF structure, different biosensor designs will report GEF activation by specific upstream inputs, and activation of endogenous GEFs. (Project 2- Danuser) will develop the ability to simultaneously image and/or photomanipulate the activity of any pair of GEFs and GTPases, for high resolution studies of GEF/GTPase spatio-temporal coordination. New computational tools will combine data from different experiments to model large networks, and to extract network architecture and signaling kinetics from imaging data. These methods will be tested in studies of complex GEF-GTPase feedback interactions. (Project 3- Hall): This biologically focused project will extend our work to multicellular systems. We will focus on GEF activation in cell-cell junctions and cryptic lamellipodia, and identify GEFs regulating collective migration. (Project 4- Burridge) will address the role of GEF/GTPase netvvorks in mechanotransduction, exploring novel findings regarding the mechanical regulation of RhoA signaling at cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesions during initiation of protrusions, and in the nucleus.
Little is known about how the cell uses networks of 'signaling proteins'for many purposes by controlling when and where they assemble. We will generate tools to address the dynamics of such networks in space and time within living cells, and study specific networks composed of GEFs and GTPases, ubiquitous proteins involved in many basic cell behaviors and diseases.
|Lawson, Campbell D; Fan, Cheng; Mitin, Natalia et al. (2016) Rho GTPase Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Oncogenic Roles for Rho GTPase-Activating Proteins in Basal-like Breast Cancers. Cancer Res 76:3826-37|
|Nguyen, Trang Thi Thu; Park, Wei Sun; Park, Byung Ouk et al. (2016) PLEKHG3 enhances polarized cell migration by activating actin filaments at the cell front. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113:10091-6|
|Marjoram, R J; Guilluy, C; Burridge, K (2016) Using magnets and magnetic beads to dissect signaling pathways activated by mechanical tension applied to cells. Methods 94:19-26|
|Wang, Hui; Vilela, Marco; Winkler, Andreas et al. (2016) LOVTRAP: an optogenetic system for photoinduced protein dissociation. Nat Methods 13:755-8|
|Hodgson, Louis; Spiering, DÃ©sirÃ©e; Sabouri-Ghomi, Mohsen et al. (2016) FRET binding antenna reports spatiotemporal dynamics of GDI-Cdc42 GTPase interactions. Nat Chem Biol 12:802-9|
|MacNevin, Christopher J; Toutchkine, Alexei; Marston, Daniel J et al. (2016) Ratiometric Imaging Using a Single Dye Enables Simultaneous Visualization of Rac1 and Cdc42 Activation. J Am Chem Soc 138:2571-5|
|Burridge, Keith; Guilluy, Christophe (2016) Focal adhesions, stress fibers and mechanical tension. Exp Cell Res 343:14-20|
|Wang, Hui; Hahn, Klaus M (2016) LOVTRAP: A Versatile Method to Control Protein Function with Light. Curr Protoc Cell Biol 73:21.10.1-21.10.14|
|Scott, David W; Tolbert, Caitlin E; Burridge, Keith (2016) Tension on JAM-A activates RhoA via GEF-H1 and p115 RhoGEF. Mol Biol Cell 27:1420-30|
|Zaritsky, Assaf; Welf, Erik S; Tseng, Yun-Yu et al. (2015) Seeds of Locally Aligned Motion and Stress Coordinate a Collective Cell Migration. Biophys J 109:2492-500|
Showing the most recent 10 out of 19 publications

domain: biology


text:
Clear groups of matching colored jellies in over 100 levels of Jelly Crush! Complete the goals in each level to earn up to 3 stars for completing the level. Complete levels and collect enough stars to unlock new levels. Play every day to unlock new power ups that you can use in the game.
Place blocks onto the hexagon-shaped game board to fill rows and columns to clear them and earn points.
Help the brave crab rescue the fish from the cage by clearing blocks to get the crab to the cage without falling in 30 levels.
An all-time classic of board games is back on your computer and mobile device with upgraded graphics and sounds!

domain: game


text:
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Got to thinking about that question on a plane ride home from a trip out to Palm Springs, CA this week. I was all-set to pack some discs in my suitcase and play a few rounds while I was out there this week...only to see on pdga.com that the nearest disc golf course wasn't even in Palm Springs...it was around 12 miles away in Palm Desert. I couldn't believe it...a city of over 43,000 in the State that gave birth to our wonderful sport, didn't have a single disc golf course within a 15-mile cab ride.
I'm sure there are MUCH, MUCH bigger cities out there without any disc golf courses, but in California?! Sheesh. Looks like somebody is going to have to write a few emails to mayors and city council members of that fine, fair city...saying "What gives?!" ;-)

domain: geography


text:
I'm so incredibly awed and deeply humbled that I got the chance to witness this. It feels like I should have had to pay more or wait in huge long lines or something, because this is truly spectacular -- I feel like I went for a walk and accidentally walked through a portal into a faery world. I expected it to be lovely, but I didn't expect it to be so overwhelmingly magical!
And you know, I was a little worried that integrating dancers who use wheelchairs would be used as a sort of gimmick, or that they'd be the background dancers, but it absolutely was NOT. Instead, the wheelchairs were used like skates in figure skating -- to create entirely new ways of moving -- and the choreography balanced the wheeled dancers with the non-wheeled perfectly. All of the dancing spoke to me of embracing differences and working WITH them rather than trying to eliminate them. Is there anything more beautiful than that?
I didn't get any good photos or videos, partly because of the lighting and partly because I just couldn't bear to tear my eyes away from the stage. I was too busy experiencing it to observe it. But here's a video someone else made:
That video does not at ALL do it justice -- I think that must have been from a few years ago, they have more dancers now and that clip didn't show much that I remember so I think they must have changed up the routine also. Ohh, which reminds me -- one of my favorite bits was this intertwined thing where the wheeled dancers spun around the stationary standing dancers and glided off to be caught by another standing dancer and spun around. It looked like they HAD to crash but of course they didn't.
If you live anywhere near here and you have $15, go see it today (Sat, 6th) at 2pm or 8pm at 7 Stages Theatre. If you have plans, change them -- it's worth it.


text:
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domain: design


The past few months have been difficult for our family. In April, our mother, Evelyn Hannon, founder of Journeywoman, passed away after a three-year warrior-strong battle with cancer. She was a fighter – and as her daughters, we can honestly tell you we have never witnessed such bravery, dignity and courage.
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But this is not the end of Journeywoman. We believe her life's passion, and her legacy, must continue.
When our mother started Journeywoman in 1994, she unknowingly became the world's first female travel blogger. She inspired a sisterhood of women, a grassroots movement, to inspire women to travel safely and well, and to connect women travellers around the world.
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As we envision a world without my mother, knowing that Carolyn will be leading Journeywoman brings our family much joy. We cannot imagine anyone better suited to sustain our mother's legacy. We know that our incredible Journeywoman community will absolutely adore Carolyn just as we do.


WIKA stainless steel case pressure gauges are ideal for process, chemical and petrochemical applications; oil & gas exploration and production; power generation; pollution control and any other application that requires safety, quality, & long lasting pressure measurement instrumentation. Monel pressure gauges are suitable for applications in seawater or sourgas service.
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Bourdon Tube Pressure Gauges
Capsule Pressure Gauges
Schaeffer Diaphragm Gauges
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For further information about Pressure Gauges visit WIKA Australia at http://www.wika.com.au
Use the IndustrySearch e-mail feature and one of the WIKA Australia team will respond to your enquiry directly.
WIKA Australia | Pressure, Temp, Level, Flow & Force measurement
Over the past 60 years WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG has built a reputation for innovation and quality in the manufacture and service of pressure and temperature measuring instruments. On the basis of steadily growing efficiency, innovative technologies are applied when developing new products and system solutions. The reliability of the products and the readiness to face all challenges of the market have been the key factors for WIKA to achieve a leading position in the global market.
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Fiberglass: This is the preferred material of aftermarket bumper makers. It’s lightweight and durable, can be sanded and painted, but tends to crack more easily than plastic. Plastic: Poly resin is the most commonly used type of plastic in bumpers.
What are aftermarket bumpers made out of?
These days, most aftermarket bumpers are constructed using pressed sheets of steel and steel pipes. They’re cut into varying sizes and placement ensure that the bumper achieves the intended shape. These differ from model to model as well as when creating a front bumper versus a rear bumper.
What are custom bumpers made of?
A custom front bumper is made of thick, welded steel, giving increased protection to the front end of your vehicle over a stock bumper.
What are offroad bumpers made of?
Out of all the materials available, most custom bumpers for trucks are still made of good old-fashioned steel. There may be fancier alternatives out there such as aluminum, fiberglass or even carbon fiber but steel truck bumpers are the top choice for the rigors of off-road use.
What is the material of bumper?
Bumpers of most modern automobiles have been made of a combination of polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) called PC/ABS.
What are BMW bumpers made of?
Most BMW bumpers since about 2002 use impact-modified talc-filled polypropylene compounds. These are sometimes also called thermoplastic polyolefins or TPOs. Behind them you will typically find one of 2 impact absorbing structures made of foam.
What are Audi bumpers made of?
Polyurethane (PUR), Reaction Injection Molding (RIM), Reinforced reaction injection molding (RRIM), Thermoset polyurethane — Most common on domestic vehicles.
What kind of steel are bumpers made of?
Made from chromium-plated steel, bumpers on cars from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s are large, heavy, and shiny. While relatively durable, they are also expensive to manufacture. They are also more prone to denting than plastic, but at the same time they are more difficult to repair.
How much do aftermarket bumpers weigh?
Generally speaking, a full-width aftermarket steel plate bumper can weigh as little as 100 pounds or more than 200 pounds.
Are aftermarket bumpers safe?
Unlike OEM parts, aftermarket pieces have not been safety-tested by the manufacturer for use on the vehicle. Even if the vehicle manufacturer designated the part as safe, an incorrect installation could make it very dangerous. New tires and rims can change your vehicle’s alignment, suspension and brakes.
Are aftermarket bumpers worth it?
Most Popular Aftermarket Bumpers
At the end of the day, if you off-road or just want your vehicle to look like you do; then yes an off-road bumper is worth it. Also, don’t forget to take a look at our wheels and tires. We offer wheel and tire packages where you will get free shipping, and free mounting and balancing.
Do aftermarket bumpers work?
A well-designed aftermarket steel bumper can immediately transform the appearance of your truck. It gives the vehicle more presence and is designed to improve your vehicle’s off-road capabilities by increasing approach and departure angles. But like most vehicle modifications, it comes at a price.
Are car bumpers plastic or fiberglass?
What are bumpers made of? Bumpers on today’s cars generally consist of a plastic cover and underneath, a reinforcement bar made of steel, aluminum, fiberglass composite, or plastic.
Is my bumper plastic or metal?
Most OEM bumpers are made out of plastic and feature an aluminum or steel reinforcement bar hidden in the middle. Some bumpers may also contain polypropylene in order to help absorb energy during an impact.
Why is polypropylene used for bumpers?
What’s Polypropylene (PP)?
Rugged and highly resistant to many chemical solvents, acids, and bases. It possesses a relatively slippery surface, making it suitable for low-friction applications like gears. … In the automotive industry, PP’s commonly used for bumpers, chemical tanks, cable insulation, and gas cans.


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Engineers with competencies in construction and mechanical engineering are involved in the development of new and better solutions for products, mechanical components, production equipment, and industrial installations. The focus of the solutions may range from microstructures—such as parts for hearing aids or mobile phones—to engines, turbines, wind turbines, ships, and offshore structures.
Study programme focus
The MSc programme in Mechanical Engineering and the related disciplines cover systematic engineering design methods within engineering design and product development as well as analysis, numerical simulation, and optimization with focus on the strength of structures, fluid flows, and energy conversion.
The study programme allows you to apply systematic engineering design methods and advanced mathematical models. Applied mechanics is used in many contexts requiring extensive knowledge of physical principles, strength of structures, fluid flows, and energy conversion.
The teaching includes lectures, individual work, and class exercises in group meeting rooms, databars, and laboratories. The final MSc thesis is related to the programme disciplines and is written in collaboration with an active research group or carried out as a project in collaboration with one of our business partners.
The Mechanical Engineering programme covers five delimited focus areas or disciplines, allowing you to design your own study plan with main focus on one of these disciplines.
- Engineering Design and Product Development
- Strength and Dynamics of Structures
- Industrial Fluid Mechanics
- Energy Engineering
- Maritime Engineering
Find examples of study programmes with main focus on one of the five disciplines.
Read more about the structure of the MSc programmes at DTU.
Most Mechanical Engineering graduates are employed in development and research departments of industrial companies manufacturing high-tech products, in firms of consulting engineers, or in research institutions.
Read more about your future career under the ‘Career’ tab.
Academic requirements for this programme
Expectations to applicants
Applicants are expected to fulfill all academic prerequisites before enrollment (see below). A clear and realistic study plan should be established before entering the programme in order to complete the 120 ECTS within no more than 2 years. Students at the MSc proogramme Engineering Design and Applied Mechanics should be able to work independently as well as in groups, keeping deadlines, and be able to deliver well written technical reports (individually or in groups) in English.
Bachelors of Science in Engineering (Produktion og Konstruktion) from DTU
Applicants holding a bachelor from DTU in Mechanical Engineering (Produktion og Konstruktion) are entitled to study the MSc proogramme Engineering Design and Applied Mechanics.
In order to obtain full benefit from the MSc study the right prerequisites are to be ensured from the BSc education. Students from the BSc programme in Mechanical Engineering are therefore encourage during their BSc studies, in addition to their mandatory courses, to complete a minimum of 15 ECTS points among the following courses:
|41271||Ship design||10||point||Spring F5 (Wed 8-17)|
|41401||Fundamentals of engineering thermodynamics||5||point||Spring F2B (Thurs 8-12)|
|41502||Strength of materials 2||5||point||Autumn E2B (Thurs 8-12)|
|41560||Mechanical vibrations||5||point||Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17)|
|41612||Product design and documentation||10||point||Autumn E4 (Tues 13-17, Fri 8-12)|
|41617||Advanced CAD||5||point||Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17)|
|41812||FEM-Light (applied finite element modelling)||10||point||Autumn E1B (Thurs 13-17) and January|
|41814||Heat transfer||5||point||Autumn E4A (Tues 13-17)|
It is emphasised that the above list of courses does not ensure all necessary prerequisites for the courses of the MSc programme. Depending on the focus area of interest different courses from the list are recommended and choices should then be done in order to secure the necessary prerequisites for master courses of interest.
Bachelors of Engineering (diplomingeniører, maskinteknik) from DTU
Applicants are encouraged to have two years of industrial experience as a professional engineer before applying. Applicants should provide a one page motivation letter emphasized the focus area of interest as well as highlighting courses of interest among the normative and technological specialization courses given (at least 20 ECTS in total).
Applicants may be admitted after an individual evaluation of their academic qualifications, provided they fulfill the requirements corresponding to the ones mentioned above. Specifically, applicants must have followed one of the following specializations (30 ECTS):
In addition, the BEng study should also include at least 10 ECTS among the following courses in mathematics:
|01034||Advanced Engineering Mathematics 2||5||point||Autumn E1A (Mon 8-12)|
|01035||Advanced Engineering Mathematics 2||5||point||Autumn E2B (Thurs 8-12), Spring F2B (Thurs 8-12)|
|01037||Advanced Engineering Mathematics 2 (Summer University)||5||point||August|
|01237||Differential geometry and parametric design||5||point||Autumn E4B (Fri 8-12)|
|02405||Probability theory||5||point||Autumn E4B (Fri 8-12)|
|02413||Statistical Quality Control||5||point||Autumn E1B (Thurs 13-17)|
|02601||Introduction to Numerical Algorithms||5||point||Spring F1B (Thurs 13-17), Autumn E4B (Fri 8-12)|
|42101||Introduction to Operations Research||5||point||Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17), Spring F2A (Mon 13-17)|
The above courses cannot be substituted by any other courses.
The head of studies recommends the courses: “Advanced Engineering Mathematics 2”, and “Introduction to Numerical Algorithms”. Applicants that do not have passed 10 ECTS (as a minimum) from the list above, will not be accepted.
Other Bachelors of Science in Engineering from DTU and Bachelors of Science in Engineering or Bachelor of Engineering from other national or international universities
May be admitted after an individual evaluation of their academic qualifications, provided they fulfill the requirements. Details on the academic requirements are given below.
A very strong, working knowledge of mathematics and mechanics is a prerequisite. A year’s full time study at DTU amounts to 60 ECTS points. The MSc programme builds on a bachelor of science curriculum with at least the following content of mathematics and engineering sciences:
- Mathematics: 25-30 ECTS
- Physics: 10-15 ECTS
- Statics, strength of materials incl. continuum mechanics: 10-15 ECTS
- Fluid mechanics, engineering thermodynamics, and heat transfer: 10-15 ECTS
- Materials science, and production technology: 10-15 ECTS
- Engineering design methodology: 5-15 ECTS
- Computer programming (MatLab, Python, C or similar to the DTU-course 02631): 5 ECTS
A very strong working knowledge at bachelor level of the following subjects is prerequisite for the central courses of the MSc programme:
- Engineering design methodology
- Statics, strength of materials incl. continuum mechanics and mechanical vibrations
- Fluid mechanics (Euler equations and Navier-Stokes equations)
- Engineering thermodynamics and heat transfer
- Applied mathematics, numerical methods, CAD, and computer programming (MatLab, Python, C or similar)
Applicants are assumed to have the necessary prerequisites for the MSc programme courses when entering the programme. The description of the DTU-courses may be used to assess the required level of knowledge and skills. At the MSc programme, students should be willing to aqcuire any prerequisites that they may be missing by themselves.
All steps in the admission procedure are handled through DTU’s Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs, whereto inquiries about formalities should be directed. Questions about programme content should be directed to the head of studies. No prescreening of applications or transcripts are offered.
General admission requirements
Only applicants holding either a relevant Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a Bachelor in Engineering or a Bachelor of Natural Science degree can be admitted to a Master of Science in Engineering programme. The bachelor degree must be less than 10 years old.
The individual MSc Eng programme states in detail which bachelor programmes qualify and whether applicants have to complete supplementary educational activities.
Requirements for supplementary educational activities can equate to up to 30 ECTS credits and are specified in the form of a list of courses under the individual MSc Eng programmes.
The specific requirements must be met before graduating from the bachelor programme or in connection with conditional admission to a particular MSc Eng programme. The courses must be passed prior to the commencement of studies within one year from the conditional admission.
Supplementary educational activities in connection with conditional admission to an MSc Eng programme do not form part of the MSc Eng programme, and partial tuition fees are charged. If the supplementary courses have not been passed within the deadlines specified, the conditional admission to the programme is withdrawn.
The Master of Science in Engineering programmes are offered in English. Therefore applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English (B-level, IELTS, TOEFL- or Pearson test).
DTU offers Honours Programme as part of all MSc Eng. programmes. The admission requirements are described at http://www.dtu.dk/english/education/msc/honours-programmes
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text:
Venue: Arena Zagreb
Event: Zagreb 360° NYE
Young hyper-talented dance music producer from the Netherlands has already collaborated with house legends like Sander van Doorn on ‘Kangaroo’ and Martin Garrix on ‘BFAM.’The young powerhouse discovered classic techno via his older brother and since then, has been committed to pursuing his passion of creating stunning house music. Recognized by Spinnin’ Records as a rare new talent, Jordan’s debut ‘Rock Steady’ was picked up by many A-list DJs immediately following its release. The massive collab with TV Noise, ‘Oxford’ followed.

domain: entertainment


text:
If there’s a time of day that every dog loves it’s when you grab their lead and shout “walkies!”, but maybe not so much when it’s cold, wet and windy outside. Walks are something every dog looks forward to, and we humans aren’t the only ones that need protection against the elements – our dogs do too! With the cold, harsh weather on its way, why not invest in a dog coat for a more enjoyable walk for you and your four-legged friend!
Thermal Self-Heating Dog Coat – from £23.99
Available in multiple sizes and colours (our favourite being the burgundy one), keep your dog’s shivering at bay with this cosy coat by Scruffs that provides warmth to your dog’s muscles, making those chilly morning walks that little bit more bearable! The softshell exterior gives the coat excellent protection against wind and rain while retaining its breathable qualities. The reflective technology lining, combined with a hollow fibre core maximises the dog coats thermal properties, while a fleece collar and chest pad provide greater comfort, improve fitment and allow unrestricted movement.
Comfitec Parka 1200D Deluxe Dog Coat – from £24.99
Say goodbye to mud splattered walls and floors after wet day walks with this waterproof and breathable dog coat by Weatherbeeta. It features a super strong 1200 denier triple weave outer and a polyester lining with 220g of polyfill to keep your pooch nice and warm. Additional features include a full chest and belly wrap with easy to use touch tape closures, a large collar featuring a leash hole and reflective strips for added safety and extra visibility at night.
Orange & Navy Puffer Jacket – from £34
That awkward moment when a dog jacket is cooler than your own one… Why not treat your four-legged friend to a Hugo & Hudson reversible puffer jacket? Practical and stylish, these jackets are water-repellent and filled with a high quality stuffing making them super warm and cosy. With a zip fastening, what’s especially good about this great jacket is that it’s reversible if one side gets a bit muddy or you just want to switch things up, and its machine washable on a cold and gentle cycle.
Expedition Parka – from £59.99
Available in multiple sizes and in three different colours (you can choose from Blackberry, Bilberry or Beetroot), this easy-to-use coat by Hurtta is just the thing for keeping your dog dry and warm. Ideal for short-haired canines, and those without an undercoat, this parka will help protect your doggo and keep them shielded from the cold. The coat is made with a waterproof, breathable material, and features 3M reflectors which is handy for low light walks as well as an adjustable back length.
PAW Patrol Adjustable Mesh Fabric Pet Harnesses – from £10.99
Here’s one for the kids! While it’s not the warmest of walkies outfits, it’s certainly one of the cutest! Perfect for your four-pawed pals when you’ve got a PAW Patrol fan in the fam, the PAW Patrol Adjustable Mesh Harness is great for pups that pull! This PAW Patrol soft dog harness is designed to shift the point of restraint from the neck to the body, helping to prevent accidental neck injuries. Made using a durable, padded mesh fabric for comfort and breathability, it comes in three sizes with adjustable straps. Plus, when it gets grubby, you can pop it in the washing machine!
Fancy winning some PAW Patrol pet accessories? Click here to enter our PAWsome competition!
Does your pooch have a dog coat or have we convinced you to invest in one? Let us know by commenting down below or over on social media!

domain: pet


- For the umpteenth time, another explosion on Wednesday rocked one of the pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the Arepo area of Ogun State and reportedly killed several pipeline vandals.
- The pipeline carries oil products to Lagos and the southwest region.
- Nairametrics gathered from sources that one of the camps had first stormed the pipeline in order to tamper with the valves and then siphon fuel into their waiting jerry cans.
- In the process of siphoning the product, the other camp got to the scene to perpetuate the same act, but ran into the first group.
- A supremacy tussle over who should steal petrol from the pipeline area then ensued and when dialogue could not solve the problem, they resorted to violence.
- The country’s emergency response agency, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said that blast took place on the oil products pipeline near the town of Arepo on the edge of Lagos state. NEMA said the explosion was the result of a clash between groups of vandals.
“The situation is still tense, we can’t go in there to check but there has been loss of life,” Onimode Bandele, the NEMA head for the southwestern region, said.
NNPC has been alerted about the explosion and they have immediately shut down the supply valve to stop feeding the fire.
- The latest incident occurred barely a month after vandals struck in the area and six weeks after vandals ambushed and shot in cold blood five policemen deployed to secure the area.