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FEES for vulnerable people requiring residential and nursing care in Barnsley’s care homes will rise by 10.6 per cent following discussions with providers, it was revealed this week.
The hike - which is expected to be signed off by ruling cabinet members - will mean the base rate for standard residential care will stand at £652.82 a week, rising from £607.44.
For dementia sufferers, the weekly charge will be £708.65 - a rise on the previous fee of £654.94 - or £36,849.80 annually.
A council report said: “In 2019, the council developed a cost of care model for determining the average cost of delivering residential care in Barnsley.
“The cost of care model was shared with the Barnsley Independent Care Home Association as part of the council’s consultation on fees.
“The association has previously rejected the costs of care model’s fees, however fee rates based on this model have been accepted for 2022/23.
“Following discussions, the council has now reached an agreement on a 10.6 per cent increase in the fees for residential and nursing care.
“The agreed fee rate for 2022/23 reflects the 6.6 per cent increase in national living wage and takes account of other cost pressures such as the 1.25 per cent National Insurance levy, inflation and energy costs.
“There is no standard methodology for agreeing annual uplift - it is based on individual requests from providers and agreed on a case-by-case basis.
“However, work is currently ongoing with providers to establish a framework contract and an approach to determining fees.
“Concerns continue to be expressed, in discussions with care providers, regarding the council’s fee rates and the impact on capacity and market sustainability.
“This means that the council needs to consider market costs and other pressures facing providers in setting fees and deciding on annual uplifts.”
The care sector - which was responsible for a stand-off between the council and the association due to the local authority’s ‘Excellence In Care’ scheme which asked providers to pay staff £1 more than the national living wage - has faced staffing issues owing to the pandemic and wages.
It was envisaged the pay rise - agreed by the council as part of last year’s budget - would help retain staff and encourage more to begin a career, as well as address the ‘transient’ nature of employee turnover in the industry.
It’s estimated the rise to £9.72 an hour equates to an annual increase of around £3,000 a year for workers.
A total of 31 out of 43 care homes in the borough have implemented the scheme - almost three-quarters of facilities.
The report added: “Providers have shared their concerns around the high levels of staff turnover, recruitment and retention, stating that they may be unable to meet the demands for good quality care as specified in the contract.
“Some homes continue to reject the enhanced rate for affordability reasons due to the balance of council-funded and self-funded people they support.”


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Sold Paintings by Thelma Batchelor
All the paintings sold on this site are originals by Thelma Batchelor and are sold mounted, but unframed, unless otherwise stated.
Postage and packing is included in the prices. Thank you for your support and happy browsing.
If you have any questions regarding the paintings please contact Thelma Batchelor HERE

domain: artistic


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Vrolijkheid MTB Trail
About Vrolijkheid MTB Trail
Vrolijkheid Mountain Biking Trail is described as a pleasant 8 km circular route on footpaths and gravel roads through the Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve. Cyclists must remain on the designated route.
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Distance 8 km
Warning: Extremely high temperatures occur from November to March. Bikers are advised to start early in the morning and avoid cycling during the hottest part of the day.
Accommodation near Vrolijkheid MTB Trail
Vrolijkheid MTB Trail Map
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling

domain: geography


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Gold star nutrition labels work: study
PORTLAND, Maine—A nutritional rating system using gold stars affixed to price labels on grocery store shelves appears to have shifted buying habits—potentially providing another tool to educate consumers on how to eat healthier, according to a new study.
The independent study examining a proprietary gold star system used in Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets suggested it steered shoppers away from items with no stars toward healthier foods that merited gold stars.
It’s the most rigorous scientific study focusing on Guiding Stars, which was instituted in 2006 in Hannaford stores and now is licensed for use in more than 1,800 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the University of Florida focused on the cereal aisle, where it can be challenging to make healthy choices amid conflicting health claims and a multitude of sugary offerings targeting children.
They compared data from 134 Hannaford grocery stores in the U.S. Northeast against an equal number of similar stores and found that sales of no-star cereals dropped 2.58 percent more at Hannaford stores compared with the control group.
Cereals getting one, two, or three stars at Hannaford, meanwhile, saw modest but measurable gains of 0.5-1.0 percent during the first 20 months of the program.
“Although the percentages are small, if you think in terms of the actual quantities or boxes of cereal sold in the national market, this could have some important implications on the nation’s health,” said Jordan Lin, an author of the study and scientist at the FDA.
Hannaford, consumers and others have touted the rating system as simple and easy to understand.
“My daughter, Emily, she’ll count the stars. The more stars, the better the food,” Angela Buck said this week while shopping with her three-year-old daughter in a Hannaford store in Colonie, N.Y.
Besides Guiding Stars, the United Kingdom experimented with a traffic light system that uses the colours red, yellow, and green to highlight calories, fat, saturated fats, sugar, and salt on labels.
The NuVal system ranks food on a scale of one to 100 while the Grocery Manufacturers of America and Food Marketing Institute have created a Facts Up Front system.
Unlike nutrition labels on the products themselves, these programs aim to put easier-to-understand nutritional information in consumers’ faces, on shelves or in aisles.
Some nutrition advocates want the federal government to step in to avoid confusion caused by competing systems.
FDA officials said in 2009 that they were working on federal standards for front-of-package calorie labels, but those labels still are in the works.

domain: news


Police Officer - Costa Mesa, CA
$31.05 per hour
- be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien who is eligible and has applied for citizenship.
- possess a valid driver's license
- be at least 21 years of age
- 20/20 each eye corrected, 20/80 each eye uncorrected
- possess a high school diploma or GED
- written entrance exam
- oral interview
- polygraph test
- drug screening test
- background investigation
- medical examination
- physical agility test
HOW TO APPLY
You can apply at the City of Costa Mesa's Human Resources website. Please be sure to complete any supplemental application materials. You can also call the City of Costa Mesas Job Line at (714) 754-5070 and request an application.
Written examinations are typically held Wednesdays at 1800 hours at CMPD. CMPD is located at 99 Fair Drive, next to City Hall and across from the fairgrounds. Please check in at the front desk.
Walk-ins are NOT accepted at examinations. You must submit your application in advance to the Human Resources Division and be invited to testing.
Costa Mesa Police Department
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Telephone: Recruitment Hotline 714-754-5600
Web Site: Costa Mesa PD Recruitment
Return to the See Who Is Hiring page.


2021 Honda CB1300 Series With 4 Models Teased | India Soon | Gets New Features, Spec, Engine & Moreって動画が話題らしいぞ
This is description
New Honda CB1300 series of motorcycles has been showcased on the brand’s official Japanese website. The new range will consist of four models which will be revealed globally on 21 December. The four motorcycles that come under the new Honda CB1300 series include the CB1300 Super Four, CB1300 Super Four SP, CB1300 Super Bold’or, and CB1300 Super Bold’or SP. All of them will share the same in-line 4-cylinder engine whose details will be revealed soon. Some of the key features of these motorcycles consist of a gorgeous 4-into-1 exhaust system, ride-by-wire for crisp and precise throttle response, 3 riding modes for different terrain conditions, and cruise control for quality and comfortable cruising. We can also see a single-piece seat in the images. The CB1300 Super Four and CB1300 Super Four SP feature a round headlamp with no fairing. The former has golden alloy wheels and red frame whereas the latter gets both in black. There is also a slight difference in their paint schemes. We also expect the SP model to have a higher-quality and performance-oriented suspension setup. As for the braking, there are twin rotors upfront and a single rotor at the rear. The CB1300 Super Bold’or and CB1300 Super Bold’or SP are likely to be identical to their Super Four counterparts. Perhaps, the two eye-catching elements in these models are the addition of a semi fairing along with a larger and differently-designed headlamp, and the rearview mirrors. More details regarding the new Honda CB1300 series are expected to come into the light on 21 December when the company will officially reveal the motorcycles.
#NiksAutomotive #Honda #CB1300


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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.
Flash Sale at Blurb this weekend!
This is one of my favorite sites to make books. They do photo books, homemade written and illustrated books, make-your-own and even cook books. They do wonderful printing and are very easy to use for everyone. This weekend only 4/10/15-4/13/15 you can save 35% off of your order!
Don't delay, now is the perfect time to make that book you have been thinking of. Just in time for you to create a Mother's Day book of memories, Blurb is having a Flash Sale - Save 35% on your Blurb order with code APRILFLASH35. Save 35% now through Monday, after that this offer is gone!
Don’t forget we are running a giveaway for Two Jars of Wonderful Skin Care Wonderful Mommy,Wonderful Baby lotion! Be sure to enter for your chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

domain: hobby


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Well I have a 2001 Katana that I am wanting some input on some custom made fairings. Im just drawing a blank right now I know I have a few ideas of my own. It's just I cant come up with the rest I know imma have vents near my carbs but the rest is just a blank so how about some ideas of some fairings for my bike. so any help will be appreciate thanks guys.
484 KB Views: 150

domain: design


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Should I try cancelling Sky to get a better deal?
Despite the fact that there are so many different TV providers and opportunities for us to watch TV shows and movies at home more than ever, prices are increasing. Sky is included in that. Plenty of people, in fact, are dropping their Sky TV package altogether to save a bit of money here and there.
But what if you miss their box-sets? For example, Sky is the only place in the UK right now where you can legally watch the final season of Game of Thrones when it airs. And what about their movie packages?
The question remains – can you threaten to cancel or knock down your Sky package to get a cut in subscription costs? Possibly. Let’s take a closer look.
How to Get Cheaper Sky As An Existing Customer
Before you go any further it’s worth pointing out that Sky currently have a few great offers so it’s worth investigating what cheapest sky deals for existing customers are on offer which could save you a bit of money right away! Click here to check out the current offers. Alternatively if you would rather speak to someone you can give them a call on the number below:
Sky Deals for Existing Customers Contact Number: 0333 7591 018
Will Sky Reduce My Bill?
If you don’t ask, you don’t get. However, there are a number of circumstances and factors which may tip your chances of getting a cheaper deal more in your favour.
- Have you got plenty of coverage from other providers in your area? Can BT, Virgin Media or TalkTalk offer you a more comprehensive deal?
- Are you at the end of your contract term, or have you been out of contract for a while?
- Have you continued to pay in full, on time, without any major discounts or reductions applied?
If you can answer ‘yes’ to any or all of the above, you may be in a good position to haggle a package with Sky. If you are at the end of your minimum contract term and are on the cusp of moving elsewhere, they will be especially keen to keep you. This will also likely be the case if you have been a loyal customer – long-running, and have always paid your bills on time.
How to get Sky to Reduce Your Bill
Once you’ve thought about your chances of getting a fee cut, you’re going to need to think about how you’re going to get it. Here’s a plan of action to bear in mind:
- Research the wider market, current deals from other providers, and local coverage. Offering a comparison to Sky while discussing your future with them will put you in a powerful position.
- Don’t fob them off. Be honest! Tell them that you’re looking to cut costs. Say that while you’re happy with the service (if, in fact, you are), you can no longer justify the monthly expense. Add in the fact you’ve seen better deals elsewhere if you can.
- You should also casually mention your tenure to the team. If you’ve been paying Sky bills since 1998, for example, it’ll put you in good stead. However, retention’s staff should always have this data to hand.
- Stick to your guns! While you may feel like a drop in the ocean to a big company like Sky, they HATE losing customers to the competition. Which agent really wants to face up to that when they get their monthly review? Therefore, don’t be afraid to hold out for a better deal if you only get given a few pounds off a standard package, and if you’ve been a loyal, full-paying customer.
- Do, however, be realistic. If you have a history of months of paying bills late, you’ll be less likely to hold sway with the firm.
How Much Discount Could I Get?
This really depends on your history with the firm, and all the circumstances listed above. For example, I myself have recently been lucky enough to haggle a £30 reduction in my monthly bills. That’s more money saved for essential stuff elsewhere. There’s no telling quite what deal you could get.
Avoid Getting Greedy
As mentioned, Sky isn’t ever going to feel obliged to give you a cut in costs if they feel it’s not worth keeping you. What many people make the mistake of doing is to keep haggling and haggling until Sky actually just let them leave. This isn’t productive for anyone involved!
Sky will have set criteria in mind when it comes to customer retention deals. Ultimately, everyone has their limits and prices! If you push things too far, you risk getting transferred through to cancellations and getting your cut-off without any deal. And oftentimes, there’s no going back on previous deals.
Beware the Extended Minimum Contract period!
This is a honey trap you’re going to want to avoid. Certain deals come in with an added contract extension. For example, for £25 off per month, you could be tied in for another 12 months. Always, ALWAYS check with a member of staff whether or not you’ll be tied in for a longer period. If you’re happy to stay with Sky for longer, there’s no problem. But do make sure you get all of this in writing.
Generally, you will get an email confirmation of your new deal – and you’ll have a 7-day cooling-off period if you want to renege on it. Well worth bearing in mind if you’re unsure.
What Are Cheaper Sky Alternatives?
If you’re on the lookout for cheaper deals to what Sky have on offer right now, you’re in luck. You could consider any of the following:
- NOW TV is Sky’s pay monthly boxset/movie streaming service. From less than £10 per month, you can access the TV and films you want without minimum contract fuss.
- Freeview is obviously the cheapest alternative – it’s free. Check out the channels they have on offer, and if you’re not bothered about box-sets, movies or sports, you’ll be well away.
- Streaming services offer stacks of great entertainment for low monthly fees. Look at Netflix, Amazon Prime and more.
- Sports fans can even save money by subscribing to online services such as Eleven Sports, which supplies international football, NFL, UFC, F1 and more for as little as £5.99 per month.
- You can, of course, also research the competition. However, regardless of whether or not you pick Virgin, TalkTalk or BT, you may well end up paying similar costs. Do your homework!
You can also check out our roundup of cheaper alternatives to Sky TV that may be a bit more budget friendly.

domain: finance


The Age of Austerity is over. This is not a prediction, but a simple statement of fact. No serious policymaker anywhere in the world is trying to reduce deficits or debt any longer, and all major central banks are happy to finance more government borrowing with printed money. After Japan’s election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the undeclared budgetary ceasefire in Washington that followed President Obama’s victory last year, there were just two significant hold-outs against this trend: Britain and the euro-zone. Now, the fiscal “Austerians” and “sado-monetarists” in both these economies have surrendered, albeit for very different reasons.
The Great Debate UK
from Reihan Salam:
The dog’s breakfast of a deal that “resolved” the fiscal cliff fell far short of expectations. In the hours after it passed, deficit hawks at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the tag team of former Senator Alan Simpson and former Clinton White House chief of Staff Erskine Bowles all expressed disappointment in a bargain that was anything but grand. Senate Republicans gritted their teeth to accept a small increase in taxes on America’s highest-earning households while Senate Democrats made permanent the bulk of the Bush-era tax cuts. A number of tax provisions that hark back to the 2009 fiscal stimulus law were extended, as were unemployment benefits, thus delivering a modest income boost to a large number of low-income households. But the Social Security payroll tax cut, a Republican-backed replacement for the more narrowly targeted Making Work Pay tax credit that was part of the stimulus law, which benefited a wide range of affluent households as well as families of more modest means, was allowed to lapse. Long-term spending levels, meanwhile, were left largely untouched, which is why rebellious House Republicans came close to scuttling the delicately constructed compromise.
from Lawrence Summers:
It is the mark of science and perhaps rational thought more generally to operate with a falsifiable understanding of how the world operates. And so it is fair to ask of the economists a fundamental question: What could happen going forward that would cause you to substantially revise your views of how the economy operates and to acknowledge that the model you had been using was substantially flawed? As a vigorous advocate of fiscal expansion as an appropriate response to a major economic slump in an economy with zero or near-zero interest rates, I have for the last several years suggested that if the British economy – with its major attempts at fiscal consolidation – were to enjoy a rapid recovery, it would force me to substantially revise my views about fiscal policy and the workings of the macroeconomy more generally.
The government’s latest plan to boost growth by relaxing planning permission rules has attracted a mixed reaction. In fairness, allowing homeowners who have detached houses to build an 8 metre long-extension is never going to get the UK economy out of the bolt hole it has found itself in. Likewise, the perceived U-turn on the plan to build another runway at Heathrow is unlikely to happen in time for Cameron and Osborne to take credit for the growth boost.
Throughout history it has always been difficult to take something away from someone once you have given it to them. Europe is finding that it is extremely difficult to reign in public finances once they start to go out of control. Democracies don’t like to vote for austerity, which is why Sarkozy lost the Presidency in France, why a radical left party came second in the Greek elections and why the Conservatives got a drubbing at last week’s local elections in the UK.
from The Great Debate:
It was the Welsh sage Alan Watkins who remarked that a budget that looked good the day it was delivered to the British Parliament was sure to look terrible a week later, and vice versa. The avalanche of new information dumped by the Treasury is simply too much to grasp at a single sitting, and governments tend to bury bad news in a welter of statistics. And so it proved with finance minister George Osborne’s budget served up last week.


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South Korean businesses prioritize Hanoi for office lease
The Asian investors in Vietnam want to choose locations near their business community.
South Korean businesses prioritize Hanoi for setting up an office when deciding to invest in Vietnam.
|Capital Place 29 Lieu Giai project in Hanoi. Photo: Capital Place|
Hanoi, with the vision to be Asia’s innovation hub by 2045, is an attractive destination for the South Korean business community.
South Korea’s Samsung, the leader in terms of foreign investment capital in the north of Vietnam, set up its two largest manufacturing and technology development centers in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen, the neighboring localities of Hanoi.
According to real estate consultancy Savills Vietnam, office space by South Korean companies in Hanoi is 60% higher than in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).
Meanwhile, the office space leased by Japanese companies targeting the manufacturing sector is roughly equal in both cities, showing that they see the potential and business scale in both Hanoi and HCMC.
Most companies from the two Asian countries leasing premium office are operating in fields of tech, property, manufacturing, finance and insurance.
The office supply in the city hasn’t met the huge demand of businesses, according to Hoang Nguyet Minh, Director of Commercial Leasing of Savills Hanoi. “However, they may look for Grade A offices in the West or the mid-town for a wide range of flexible options,” she told Hanoitimes.
Hanoi market witnessed prime office segment expanding, from focusing on the central business district (CBD) Hoan Kiem area, to two non-CBD areas including the mid-town (accounting for 38% of total Grade A office supply) and the West (35%) over the past 10 years.
Though the rent in two new areas is lower than the CBD, tenants enjoy certain benefits and the high-quality of the buildings. “This made lease price in two areas increase compared to the previous years,” she said.
|Source: Savills Vietnam, May 2021|
By the end of quarter one (Q1), Vietnam’s office market recorded positive signals of recovery.
Hanoi saw the launch of new prime office projects including Capital Place, jointly developed by CapitaLand Vietnam and Mitsubishi Estate Asia, Thaiholdings Tower invested by the Vietnamese Thaiholdings, and Leadvisors Tower developed by LeadvisorSanei Hospitality Holdings (a joint venture between the Vietnamese Leadvisors Capital Management and the Japanese Sanei Architecture Planning Co., Ltd).
By 2023, the city will have more Grade A projects concentrating in Ba Dinh district (situated in mid-town area) and Cau Giay district in the West. The average rent is expected to increase up to US$35 - US$37 per square meter per month.
- “Green channel” - a key to speed up Vietnam's real estate revival
- Housing prices in Hanoi suburbs predicted to hike by year-end
- Real estate firms long for support policies
- Hanoi's old apartments turn hot properties
- Vietnam's property market to stay intact despite Covid-19 impacts
- Industrial property’s prospective drives growth of Hanoi’s serviced apartment
- Realtors urged to adapt to changes in customers behavior
- Close supervision required on foreigners' home buying in Vietnam: experts
- Vietnam’s 10 most prominent property projects honored
- Low-budget apartments fast becoming attractive long-term investment
Vietnam calls for flexible adaptation to Covid-19 in ASEAN
Business matters a lot to ASEAN recovery plans: Vietnam
It's time to promote underground spaces for Hanoi of the future: experts
Vietnam in need of national strategy for veggie exports to EU
Vietnam donates Laos US$2 million for pandemic fight
Mao Bookstore - the oldest bookstore in Dinh Le Street
Vietnam’s biggest Covid-19 makeshift hospital to be closed
UN Security Council holds emergency meeting over North Korea
“Banana” millionaires along Hanoi’s Red River


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A new roadmap is causing Darkest Dungeon 2 to be delayed on consoles.
Since 2019, Red Hook Studios has been working on a sequel to the role-playing game Darkest Dungeon.
Recently, the developer for Darkest Dungeon 2 released The Shroud of the Deep update on the Epic Game Store, where the game is in Early Access.
At the same time, a new roadmap for the title was drawn. This shows that a changed structure will now bring out faster, but smaller updates.
Version 1.0 of Darkest Dungeon 2 is scheduled to hit PC in February 2023. Only then will you take care of the version for consoles, as the developer writes.

domain: game


text: ||Artemisinin 8, an active component in a traditional Chinese herb called qinghao, has been extensively used to treat severe malaria. However, mode of action of artemisinin 8 and derivatives is still not clear. Current proposals state that the drug potency is due to following species: the secondary C-4 radical species 58, the Fe(IV)=0 species 41 and epoxide 59, and the adduct formed between hemin and artemisinin 8. In light of the limitations to these current models, a different model has proposed in this thesis. In the specific case of artemisinin 8, unzipping of the tetracyclic ring by a nucleophile is proposed to generate free hydroperoxide 87. In the case of dihydroartemisinin 9, ring opening is effected by a base which abstracts the hydroxyl proton. The open hydroperoxide intermediate 87 is proposed to give hydroxyl and alkoxy radicals, or act as a source of electrophilic oxygen which can damage biomolecules in the malarial parasites. The presence of the hydroperoxide 87 was proved by using tertiary amines 122 to intercept the hydroperoxide oxygen atom to give the corresponding N-oxides 124. In the case of artemisinin 8, it is found that the ultimate deoxy products resulting from reduction of the hydroperoxide depended upon how the reaction mixture was worked up. In the case of dihydroartemisinin 9, although its ring opening is believed to be more facile than artemisinin 8, the generation of N-oxide 124 was found to be less significant, whereas formation of deoxyartemisinin 29 was prominent. The reasons for this may be due to the inability of the tertiary amine to effectively intercept the opened hydroperoxide. The solution of this problem may rely on the use of a suitable Lewis acid which can selectively complex with the peroxide linkage and thus facilitate the ring opening process. Future work will be focused on this aspect.

domain: chemistry


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|Home | About | Journals | Submit | Contact Us | Français|
Patients with frequent hospitalizations generate a disproportionate share of hospital visits and costs. Accurate determination of patients who might benefit from interventions is challenging: most patients with frequent admissions in 1 year would not continue to have them in the next. Our objective was to employ a validated regression algorithm to case-find Medicaid patients at high-risk for hospitalization in the next 12 months and identify intervention-amenable characteristics to reduce hospitalization risk. We obtained encounter data for 36,457 Medicaid patients with any visit to an urban public hospital from 2001 to 2006 and generated an algorithm-based score for hospitalization risk in the subsequent 12 months for each patient (0=lowest, 100=highest). To determine medical and social contributors to the current admission, we conducted in-depth interviews with high-risk hospitalized patients (scores >50) and analyzed associated Medicaid claims data. An algorithm-based risk score >50 was attained in 2,618 (7.2%) patients. The algorithm’s positive predictive value was equal to 0.67. During the study period, 139 high-risk patients were admitted: 60 met inclusion criteria and 50 were interviewed. Fifty-six percent cited the Emergency Department as their usual source of care or had none. Sixty-eight percent had >1 chronic medical conditions, and 42% were admitted for conditions related to substance use. Sixty percent were homeless or precariously housed. Mean Medicaid expenditures for the interviewed patients were $39,188 and $84,040 per patient for the years immediately prior to and following study participation, respectively. Findings including high rates of substance use, homelessness, social isolation, and lack of a medical home will inform the design of interventions to improve community-based care and reduce hospitalizations and associated costs.
The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11524-008-9336-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Patients with frequent hospital admissions comprise a small percentage of all individuals, yet account for a disproportionate share of visits and costs.1 Four percent of all Medicaid enrollees account for almost 50% of all Medicaid expenditures.2,3 Medicaid patients in the fee-for-service sector comprise a minority of enrollees, yet account for the majority of Medicaid spending due to their disproportionately high use of health care services.4 These high-cost cases have caught the attention of policy makers and have contributed to a movement by states to shift Medicaid patients from fee-for-service into managed care models or “high risk” case management programs. Such state initiatives create an impetus for hospitals and health care providers to better understand and control expenditures for the highest users of health services.4 However, it remains unclear exactly what such initiatives should entail in order to be successful in improving care and reducing costs for this population.
While high levels of medical service use and costs may not be preventable in the face of severe illness, other factors associated with high service utilization rates may be amenable to intervention, including housing insecurity, lack of social support, substance use, mental illness, and lack of a medical home.5,6 One recent study of frequently hospitalized urban residents found diagnoses of substance use and mental illness to be strong predictors of fragmented care and admissions to multiple, unrelated facilities.7
The majority of studies examining risk factors associated with frequent hospital admissions focus only on patients with specific diagnoses such as HIV, congestive heart failure or psychiatric disease, or in specific age ranges such as infants or the elderly.8–10 This limits the ability of policy makers and providers to determine whether unifying factors that could be targeted for intervention exist amongst a more general population of patients with frequent hospital admissions.
States are beginning to focus on hospital admissions as a point of intervention for persons with Medicaid because reimbursements by insurers for other services such as ED visits are orders of magnitude lower and thus offer little opportunity for cost savings.11 New interventions targeting high-cost beneficiaries will need to pay for themselves by generating cost savings and improved health outcomes, and the most substantial source of Medicaid expenditures, aside from long-term care, is hospital admissions.3 Among persons with Medicaid, prospective data on the attributes and predictors of frequent hospitalization are necessary before resources can confidently be deployed to diminish individuals’ hospitalization risk. Such data can then be used to develop interventions with the potential to improve health and social services for this high-risk patient population while simultaneously reducing hospital admissions and costs.
Accurate identification of frequently hospitalized, high-cost patients who might benefit from intervention can be challenging, in part because frequent use is often temporary, resulting from acute illness or injury. In fact, most patients with frequent admissions and concomitant high health care expenditures in 1 year will not have frequent admissions in the next (regression to the mean).12,13 This phenomenon has been demonstrated both for patients with frequent ED visits and patients with frequent hospital admissions.
A predictive case-finding methodology to identify persons at highest risk for continued frequent admissions in the future, who may therefore stand to gain the most from intervention, would help address this issue by channeling intervention resources effectively, particularly if it could be employed for use across diverse health care settings. However, the majority of published trials of interventions to reduce recurrent hospitalizations and ED visits by high frequency users do not employ predictive methodology.14–16 This can result in misclassification bias, with interventions being directed to patients who may not benefit because their heavy use of costly health care services would have regressed on its own, with no intervention. Because health care resources are limited, it is essential that interventions target patients whose heavy use of the hospital will continue. This requires the ability to case-find patients likely to continue to have frequent admissions in the future, with attendant high costs.
Previously, we developed and validated a regression algorithm that uses hospital administrative data to identify patients in real time, as they are admitted to the hospital, who are at high risk of subsequent rehospitalization in the following 12 months, based on their diagnoses and service utilization history services (e.g., emergency department visits, inpatient admissions, outpatient primary, and specialty clinic visits). This algorithm uses New York State Medicaid data and thus captures patients’ visit histories and diagnoses across all health care facilities state-wide.3,17 While previous work validated its accuracy at the state-wide level, it has not yet been implemented in a health care delivery setting as a potential tool to identify patients who might benefit from more intensive services.
The purpose of our study was twofold. We aimed to determine the accuracy of the algorithm in identifying high-risk patients when applied to the database of a large, urban, public hospital. In addition, we sought to define, through in-depth interviews with algorithmically identified high-risk patients, remediable risk factors contributing to hospitalizations that could be the basis of a future intervention to improve health and reduce costs. We considered remediable risk factors to be conditions or situations that if specifically addressed by an intervention, might result in improved health and use of outpatient and community services and less frequent ED and inpatient services use.
We hypothesized that the case-finding algorithm, when applied to our patient population, would have a positive predictive value (PPV) for readmission in the subsequent 12 months similar to that demonstrated (0.67) in the initial state-wide validation population.4 We also hypothesized that patients interviewed would have high rates of chronic disease as well as social risk factors for frequent hospital admission that would be amenable to intervention.
A case-finding algorithm developed by methods previously reported was adapted for use at the hospital level.4,17 Briefly, the most recent 5.5 years of Medicaid fee-for-service data were abstracted from the study hospital’s financial database (January 1st, 2001 through June 30th, 2006). Using a “triggering admission” in the fourth year of data (2004–2005), we applied logistic regression techniques to hospital service utilization data (hospital admissions, emergency department, and outpatient clinic visits) and diagnoses for each patient over the previous 3 years (2001–2002 through 2003–2004) to refine an algorithm predicting the probability of admission during the fifth year (2005–2006) of data (i.e., during the 12 months following the triggering admission). Coefficients from the algorithm were then applied to the last 3 years of the dataset to generate a score for each patient predictive of patients’ risk of readmission in the subsequent 12 months, which included the study period. (See Appendix 1 for a list of all variables included in the algorithm.)
Algorithm-generated patient risk scores could range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater likelihood of hospital admission in the following 12 months. We focused on patients whose risk scores (>50) indicated a substantially increased risk for rehospitalization in the ensuing 12 months.4
Medicaid fee-for-service patients aged 18–64 with a risk score for readmission of greater than or equal to 50 and who spoke either English or Spanish (due to study staff fluency in English and Spanish only) were eligible for inclusion. We conducted a daily computer query to ascertain whether any patient admitted to the hospital in the preceding 24 h was on the list of patients identified by the algorithm as being at high risk for future rehospitalization and met eligibility criteria. Since many states are focused on reducing costs of persons with fee-for-service Medicaid, those with other forms of insurance were excluded. In addition, patients institutionalized in nursing homes or prisons were excluded because they may have important factors affecting hospitalizations that differ from the non-institutionalized population.18 Because there is no current plan to transfer persons with HIV from fee-for-service Medicaid into Medicaid managed care, these individuals were also excluded, as were patients who were unable to communicate. An enrollment target of 50 patients was defined because in addition to quantitative data, qualitative data were collected from each patient, and 50 qualitative interviews were determined to be more than adequate to obtain theoretical saturation yet still provide a representative sample of patients. The qualitative data are not described in this analysis. Eligible patients were approached promptly following admission and offered study enrollment. The Institutional Review Board of New York University School of Medicine approved the study.
After obtaining informed consent, we collected data to define the major medical and social factors that patients identified as contributing to their frequent hospital admissions. Patient interviews were conducted by either the principal investigator (MR) or a research assistant. To ensure internal consistency, interview techniques were standardized prior to subject recruitment, through PI-led interviewer training sessions conducted with patients who were not actual subjects.
Quantitative Interview Tools It has been demonstrated that in addition to chronic disease, other factors such as mental illness, substance use, housing status, use of a medical home, medication adherence, and social networks influence use of health services.7,19–21 Thus, in addition to demographic information, we used previously validated tools to collect data on general health status,22,23 substance use,24 social support,25 mental health,26 patient participation in his/her own health care,27 usual source of care,28 living situation, hunger,29 and medication adherence.30 Tools were selected by investigator consensus and input from experts in the areas of interest. These tools were compiled into a comprehensive quantitative instrument. (See Appendix 2 for a detailed description of quantitative interview tools.)
Claims Data At the conclusion of the study period, we extracted diagnostic and outpatient services utilization information for our subjects from the 5.5 years of the study hospital’s financial data used to develop our case-finding algorithm.
We used descriptive statistics to analyze demographic data. We compared scores on quantitative interview tools (SF-12, ASSIST, etc.) to the published mean scores for each instrument to determine how our study population compared to the general population on each measure. Claims data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including means and frequencies. Differences between groups were tested using Chi-square analysis. All analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 14.0.
Of 36,457 adult fee-for-service Medicaid patients seen at Bellevue Hospital Center (BHC) over the prior 5.5 years, 2,618 (7.2%) had an algorithm-based risk score for rehospitalization during the subsequent 12 months of 50 or greater. From August 7, 2005 to October 5, 2005, we identified and approached all high-risk patients admitted to BHC until we attained our enrollment target of 50 participants (Figure (Figure11).
Of all 139 algorithm-identified high-risk patients with an admission during the 2-month study period, 55 (39.1%) did not meet study criteria (21 due to a diagnosis of HIV, 20 due to institutionalization in a nursing home or prison, seven due to primary language other than English or Spanish, seven due to inability to communicate). Twenty of the identified high-risk patients were discharged prior to approach by study staff due to extremely short (<24 h) lengths of stay, and four left the hospital against medical advice prior to approach. Ten patients refused to participate.
The sample was 72% male. The majority was between 35–49 (42%) and 50–64 (38%) years of age. Fifty-four percent of subjects self-identified as Hispanic, 24% as African American, 14% as White, and 8% as other. Most (60%) had less than a high school education. Public Assistance and Social Security/Disability were the primary income sources for 72% of subjects; only 4% worked.
When applied to our hospital’s Medicaid data, the algorithm, using a risk score cut-off of >50, correctly identified 67% (1,754 of 2,618) of patients in the dataset who would have a hospital admission in the subsequent 12 months (PPV 0.67), the same PPV identified when the tool was originally developed and validated using a larger dataset.4 The average risk score for our interviewed sample was 74.6.
Health Status and Services Utilization Based on diagnoses listed in the fee-for-service Medicaid claims data and patients’ medical records, 62% of subjects had a previous diagnosis of at least one of the following chronic medical conditions: diabetes, chronic renal disease, chronic liver disease, congestive heart failure, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke, cancer, or lupus, and 80% had a concomitant diagnosis of substance use and/or mental illness.
Among the 38% of subjects with no history of chronic disease, the vast majority (17 of 19, or 89% of patients) had diagnoses related to mental illness, substance use, or both, which accounted for their identification by the algorithm as being at high risk for future admission. SF-12 results indicated low self-rated health status: 70% of subjects rated their health as fair or poor, and subjects’ mean score for self-rated health was nearly two standard deviations below that reported by the general population. Fragmentation of care was evident; the majority of patients reported no usual source of care other than the emergency department. Subjects had an average of 3.4 hospital admissions in the year prior to study entry. Although 41 subjects (82%) had accessed some type of outpatient clinic visit at Bellevue Hospital in the past 3 years, regular use of outpatient services in the previous year, including mental health and substance use services, was low: only 30% of subjects had accessed the primary care clinic in the past year.
To minimize misclassification bias, data regarding the primary reason for admission (Table 1) were ascertained from a combination of patient interviews, patients’ medical charts, and interviews with patients’ in-house physicians and social workers.
Substance Use Thirty-five (70%) subjects had ASSIST risk scores indicating moderate or high-risk substance abuse or dependence (vs. low-risk or no use), including eight patients who used tobacco only. After tobacco, alcohol was the most commonly used substance (36%), followed by cocaine and opioids. Seven subjects were current or former injection drug users. The primary diagnosis on admission for 21 (42%) participants was either substance use or a medical condition attributable to chronic substance use, making substance use or a related condition the single most common reason for the admission during which the interview was conducted. Primary substance use-related diagnoses included detoxification services, intoxication, or withdrawal (n=11), alcohol-related trauma (n=3), infections attributable to injection drug or chronic alcohol use (n=3), CHF exacerbation due to a period of heavy drug use during which no prescribed medications were taken (n=1), alcoholic hepatitis (n=1), alcoholic gastritis (n=1), and advanced liver disease due to chronic alcohol use (n=1). Diagnostic (ICD-9) codes in Medicaid claims data indicated that the majority of study patients (54%) had a formal diagnosis related to substance use. Further examination of hospital records and patient interviews identified five additional patients with substance use disorders for a total of 64% of the sample.
Mental Health We employed two quantitative measures of mental health status. Participants’ responses to the SF-12 Mental Composite Score indicated that 76% had greater levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 defines high risk for psychopathology based on a composite score of anxiety, depression, and somatization; 68% of our sample met case-definition criteria. These two summary measures had 70% concordance.
Taken together, substance use and mental health diagnoses identified from the Medicaid claims data were more prevalent in our study population than other medical diagnoses. Participants had high rates of hospital admission for substance use and mental health issues in the year prior to study entry, while use of outpatient services for these conditions was low. The proportion of patients with at least one inpatient admission per year due to a substance use-related condition (28%) or mental health condition (17%) was higher than the proportion using any outpatient addiction treatment (6%) or mental health services (12%).
Housing Status Sixty percent of patients interviewed were either homeless (on the streets or in a shelter) or precariously housed with family or friends. Fifty percent identified themselves as homeless within the past 2 years. Housing status was significantly associated with usual source of care: patients who were homeless or precariously housed were over six times more likely to name the ED as their usual source of care or to say they had no usual source of care than patients who had stable housing (OR=6.4, 95% CI, 1.8–22.5). In addition, homeless patients were far more likely to have a hospital admission associated with substance use or related illness (OR=28.5, 95% CI, 3.4–242.1). Finally, 22 of the 30 (73.3%) patients who were homeless or precariously housed were admitted with mental health or substance use-related diagnoses, compared to only one of 20 housed patients.
Social Isolation The majority of participants lived alone (52%) and had never been married (56%). Sixty-four percent had a limited social network or none at all, as reflected by their naming only two or fewer friends or relatives they felt they could talk to about important issues.
Health Care Expenditures and Utilization Mean Medicaid cost per study participant was $39,188 in the year prior to the study (Table 2). Notably, in the year following study participation, the same 50 patients interviewed generated a per-person average of $84,040 in Medicaid expenditures at our hospital alone, for a total of $4,201,981 across all participants. As in the year prior to study participation, the vast majority (86.5%) of expenditures were generated by hospital admissions, while 10.7% were generated by outpatient clinic visits and 2.81% by ED visits.
We report the results of an investigation undertaken to evaluate the feasibility in a real-world hospital setting of using a case-finding algorithm to identify patients at high risk of future hospital admission and to define remediable medical and social risk factors that might be addressed by an intervention to improve health and reduce admissions and costs among the frequent hospital users identified. The algorithm’s robust PPV in our setting and our ability to identify hospitalization risk factors among frequently admitted persons suggest that we have identified an approach that hold promise for informing interventions to improve care for this patient population.
The majority of the high-risk patients we studied had no usual source of primary care. Unstable housing, substance abuse, and mental illness also emerged as strong drivers of hospitalization. The 50 interviewed patients consumed a per-person average of nearly $40,000 in Medicaid funds during the prior year, most of which was spent on hospital admissions. As a point of reference, mean New York State Medicaid payments for all Medicaid enrollees were $7,583 during the same year.31 Billings and Mijanovich have demonstrated that patients identified by this algorithm will not only generate high costs in the 12 months prior to an index admission but will also generate even higher costs in the 12 months following discharge if no intervention is undertaken to reduce health services use. This was indeed the case for our study population, whose costs more than doubled in the year following study enrollment.4
These figures are a reflection of the Medicaid reimbursement structure and are helpful in guiding the use of intervention resources for this population: Inpatient admissions are reimbursed at much higher rates than ED visits; thus, while study patients had twice as many ED visits as inpatient admissions in the year after study participation (7.44 ED visits vs. 3.54 admissions), attempts to reduce admissions will provide the most savings to Medicaid. This may not be true for other insurers. These findings are another indicator that the case-finding algorithm accurately identified patients who would continue to generate high costs and might benefit from intervention.
By conducting in-depth, real-time interviews with patients identified by a validated statistical case-finding algorithm as having high risk for future hospital admission, we were able to obtain far more nuanced information on patients’ circumstances than is available from administrative data alone. While study participants were diverse, with a wide variety of diagnoses and social circumstances, they shared many risk factors for hospital admission that have traditionally been challenging for health care delivery systems to address, including homelessness, social isolation, substance use, depression and anxiety, and fragmented primary care. Patients and caregivers cited these factors as contributing substantially to their hospital admissions, consistent with other reports.8
Much of the literature examining characteristics of patients with frequent hospital admissions has substantial limitations, which our study sought to overcome. Some studies are focused on patients with specific conditions, limiting the generalizability of potential interventions.9,32,33 In others, characteristics of patients with frequent hospital admissions are defined by retrospective or administrative data,34 which lacks the depth and nuance of information obtained during interviews. In addition, definitions of being a “frequent” or “high” user of hospital services vary from study to study, and in many cases, frequent use is defined within a single year, rather than over a longer period of time.7,12,16
To our knowledge, this is the first study to employ a validated predictive case-finding algorithm to identify, in real time, patients at risk of future hospital admission. Our algorithm was developed to promote accurate patient identification, an important feature if it is to provide a basis for interventions targeting patients with frequent hospital admissions. Identifying patients using non-validated techniques can lead to patient misclassification and misallocation of limited intervention resources. While our hospital was the first to test the use of this algorithm, it can be applied to any hospital’s multiyear dataset.
This study has several limitations. We did not interview a comparison group of low-risk patients to define more clearly the risk associated with specific drivers of hospitalization. We used visit data for a single hospital only; visits that participants made to other hospitals could not be accounted for and most likely resulted in our having undercounted prior hospitalizations, ED visits, and outpatient clinic visits. By using ICD-9 codes from claims data to define the prevalence of chronic disease, including mental health and substance use, we have likely underestimated their prevalence.35 Because study patients were interviewed in the hospital, it is possible that scores on such items as mental health measures were biased, either toward depression and anxiety given the hospital setting or perhaps in the other direction, if some patients found being in the hospital comfortable compared to their usual circumstances. Finally, the study was focused on English- and Spanish-speaking fee-for-service Medicaid patients at Bellevue Hospital Center, an urban hospital that cares for an underserved patient population, which may limit the generalizability of our findings beyond the safety net hospital system.
What can be done to address the complex factors we have identified as contributing to frequent admissions among study participants? Effective interventions will require partnerships between hospital- and community-based providers of care. Innovative, rational service models to address diverse yet often related conditions, including homelessness, substance use, mental health, and fragmented health care, could result in improved health and cost offsets or even savings achieved through decreased hospital utilization. Non-medical drivers of frequent hospital admission such as social isolation and homelessness must be addressed if interventions to reduce high hospitalization rates are to succeed. Yet, the defined focus and funding objectives of most health and human services agencies often limits integration of interventions across disciplines. For example, many providers of homeless services are hesitant to take on medically frail patients due to inadequate linkages with health care providers, and patients with comorbid substance use and psychiatric problems may have case workers who are restricted to managing only one of these issues. If state agencies such as Medicaid begin to test partnerships with organizations that can help improve care for high-cost patients and expand the scope of what the health care system alone can provide, opportunities for shared benefits in both improved health and reduced costs will likely emerge.
We have shown that a predictive case-finding algorithm, applied in a large, urban, public hospital, is reasonably predictive of risk of admission in the subsequent 12 months. This innovative application is being used to target a multidimensional intervention for high-risk patients in our municipal hospital system, with the goal of improving the quality of out-of-hospital care and reducing rates of hospital readmission. Wider application of this algorithm should be encouraged to identify high-risk patients who could benefit from tailored interventions in other hospitals and health care systems.
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material
This research was supported by a grant from the United Hospital Fund and by a research fellowship training grant: CDC T01 CD000146. An abstract of this research was presented at the Society for General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Annual Research Meeting in 2007 and at the Academy Health Annual Research Meeting in 2007.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11524-008-9336-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

domain: medical


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The Assassin’s Masque (Palace of Spies #3) by Sarah Zettel
Things are turning around for seventeen-year-old Peggy Fitzroy, a once-orphaned spy. Her father is back from the dead, and her unwanted engagement has been called off for good. But when a mysterious veiled woman shows up, Peggy uncovers a fresh slew of questions about her past, present, and future.
Now Peggy is back at the palace, unsure of the loyalties she thought she held. With the Jacobite uprising stalking ever closer to the throne, it’s imperative that Peggy discover who she can really trust. Can she save herself and the royal family, or is she doomed as a pawn in this most deadly game?
Forbidden by Eve Bunting
In early-nineteenth century Scotland, sixteen-year-old Josie, an orphan, is sent to live with an aunt and uncle on the rocky, stormy northwest coast. Everything and everyone in her new surroundings, including her relatives, is sinister, threatening, and mysterious. She’s told that Eli, the young man she’s attracted to, is forbidden to her, but not why. Spirited, curious, and determined, Josie sets out to learn the village’s secrets and discovers evil, fueled by heartless greed, as well as a ghostly presence eager for revenge. An author’s note gives the historical inspiration for this story.
An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet
The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm.
When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.
Madly by Amy Alward
When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn.
Enter Samantha Kemi – an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent. Sam’s family were once the most respected alchemists in the kingdom, but they’ve fallen on hard times, and winning the hunt would save their reputation. But can Sam really compete with the dazzling powers of the ZoroAster megapharma company? Just how close is Sam willing to get to Zain Aster, her dashing former classmate and enemy, in the meantime?
And just to add to the pressure, this quest is ALL OVER social media. And the world news.
No big deal, then.
Soundless by Richelle Mead
From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.
For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.
When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.
But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.
Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever…
What five books do you need now?

domain: literature


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Bobbi Kristina is now single. Perhaps not by choice though. And what’s worse? Following her break up with her unofficial step-brother Nick Gordon she got into an unfortunately car wreck, Thursday afternoon (November 28th), while driving her Chevy Camaro in Alpharetta, Georgia.
As for her breakup, boyfriend Nick Gordon tweeted recently for the world to see, “@REALbkBrown (Bobbi Kristina) and I are not engaged or dating. Just close like we have always been.
Although Bobbi did not confirm whether she and Nick have broken up she has been tweeting some telling messages. Here’s one of several she’s written lately. She writes, “I guess it’s time 4me2stop depending on anymore. It’s my time2follow what Mom & The Lord put out on this path for me. #Thankful. Mom xxo.”
I’m sure the news comes as a sigh of relief for the Houston family. It’s no secret the family did not approve of the relationship.
On Bobbi’s car crash TMZ reports, “ Bobbi Kristina has miraculously emerged unscathed after wrecking her Chevy Camaro in a frightening car crash…”

domain: celebrity


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EXHAUSTED, sweating and covered in dust as we crawled out of a pyramid, I feared asking my wife if she was still enjoying the relaxing holiday I had organised.
We had planned to laze on a beach for a week but Liz and I had spent the last few days camel riding, swimming with fish, partying in nightclubs, exploring museums and visiting 2,000-year-old mummies.
There was only one place in the world we could be Egypt and we were both loving every second.
Seeking a quiet week in the sun, we headed for Sharm el Sheikh, which our friends recommended.
We stayed at the luxurious Laguna Vista, in Nabq Bay. Built on a gentle slope overlooking Tiran Island, it was an ideal spot.
The enormous theme-parkstyle hotel has its own private sand and shingle beach, as well as duplex chalets, rooms and bungalows.
All-inclusive facilities include split-level swimming pools, an indoor heated pool, pool bars, beach bars, lounge bars, a gym and spa, a buffet restaurant and Italian and seafood a la carte restaurants.
Our superior room also had private access to a pool and a terrace with views of the Red Sea.
Guests can pay extra to take advantage of an underground cave bar or the stunning outdoor Pataya Beach bar, which serves cocktails during the day, before transforming into a club in the evenings.
Theres even a Bedouin tent where you can sip exotic tea and smoke flavoured tobacco on shisha pipes.
Sharm is famous for excellent snorkelling and diving, and we spent an afternoon swimming out by the coral reef off the hotels beach.
After some initial pessimism, (I think my comment was, once youve seen one fish, you've them all), I was surprised by how much I enjoyed swimming in a real-life fish bowl, surrounded by hundreds of tropical species.
Back at the hotel, the staff were very friendly and helpful, despite having to deal with hundreds of guests most of whom were Russian or Italian.
We decided to get a bite to eat and were spoiled for choice. Nabq Bay has loads of restaurants and cafes, but it is also just a 15-minute drive from the busier Naama Bay, where there are even more options, including Hard Rock Cafe, Little Buddha Bar and Pacha nightclub all good nights out, especially with cheap taxis and the hotels daily shuttle bus.
Refresh: A host of places to eat and drink in Sharm
With all this, you could quite easily enjoy yourself without ever leaving the hotel grounds. But we felt we would be letting ourselves down if we didn't get out and explore a little.
Thomas Cook run a one-day flight trip to Cairo for around s175 per person. It sounds like a lot but the lure of the pyramids was too difficult to resist and the price is actually pretty good value for money.
Now is also a perfect time to go it is safe again and the hordes of tourists have yet to descend on the place.
We were picked up from the hotel at 4am and driven to the airport. A very short flight later, we landed in the famous capital.
Our first port of call was a guided tour of the Egyptian Museum home to 120,000 fascinating artefacts.
My personal favourite was the Royal Mummy Room which had loads of important mummies from pharaonic times. It also contains the haul of different treasures found in King Tutankhamuns tomb. After a quick lunch and a short boat trip along the River Nile, we were whisked off to the pyramids, on the outskirts of the city.
Get the Hump: Tom on a Camel ride
There are more than a hundred pyramids in Egypt, but it is the three just outside Cairo that, along with The Great Sphinx, make up the famous Giza Necropolis.
When you first approach the only ancient wonder of the world still in existence today, it is hard not to be incredibly impressed.
There are amazing photo opportunities at every turn. Tourists are even allowed to climb up on to the pyramids to pose for snaps.
We paid a small fee to get into one pyramid. We were led down some stairs and along a narrow corridor into one of the many ancient burial chambers hidden deep underground.
It took about 10 minutes in all. It was a tight squeeze and I would not recommend it to people with claustrophobia, but once you get to the mausoleum at the end it all seems worth the effort. Do not listen to those nay-sayers who tell you it is just a dark, empty room. It does not take much of an imagination to figure out the historical significance of the spot on which you find yourself standing.
Its an eerie experience, and on the way out, as you pass a network of other mysterious corridors leading into the dark depths of the pyramid, you half expect to bump into Indiana Jones with some stolen treasure.
We then had a quick look at the Great Sphinx, before heading back to the airport and returning to the hotel by midnight.
Set in stone: The Sphinx
It is an exhausting day but it was easily the highlight of an amazing week.
After some much-needed sleep, we spent the next day resting our aching muscles by the pool, a cocktail firmly in hand at all times.
I adored Egypt, but we just did not have enough time there. Not only was there a seemingly endless amount of things to keep us occupied in Sharm el Sheikh, but we could have also spent a few days in Cairo or Luxor.
Visiting Petra in nearby Jordan would have been great, too.
For people who like to laze and learn while on holiday, I cannot think of a more ideal location.
We will definitely return and for much longer next time. We have many more pyramids to explore, although I have a sneaking feeling that my wife might prefer to sit by the pool.
FACTFILE: Tom and Liz travelled to Sharm el Sheikh with Thomas Cook, flying from Gatwick. Seven nights at the Laguna Vista Hotel starts at s491 per person all inclusive, including flights. Trips to Cairo and Luxor cost extra and can be arranged via a Thomas Cook rep at the resort. To book or for more details go to www.thomascook.com


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Hey guys. In this video i'll be showing you a very quick and easy way to create a cool wallpaper for either your phone or your desktop. It's very simple to create and the end result is stunning. The final result will appear as if sparks are jumping out from the center of the screen. We will mainly be using the compositor to achieve this effect. Please share in the comments below what you came up with. I hope you learned something new. If you have any suggestions for future tutorials, feel free to leave them in the comments as well. Thanks for watching!
If you want to know how to create a Hyperspace effect in blender using a similar method, click here: https://youtu.be/RP53HmM3wxQ


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2011
TEMPLE GRANDIN IN UTAH TO HONOR THE LEGACY OF THE REAL RAIN MAN
GRANDIN NAMED FIRST RECIPIENT OF PEEK DISABILITY IN MEDIA AWARD
Salt Lake City Utah – With more than 400,000 Utahns living with disabilities and the third highest rate of Autism in the nation, Temple Grandin’s visit to the state in celebration of the life and impact of the real Rain Man, Salt Lake City native Kim Peek, promises to be a deeply impactful and personal experience.
Jessica Kerr, a Utah mother of an 11 year-old with Autism says that “Temple’s story has helped us so much in dealing with the times that people tell us all of the things that our son will never be able to do. Her story has helped our other children to see that people with disabilities can do amazing things in life and have the ability to change the world.”
The Utah Film Center together with support from the Utah Autism Foundation, the Disability Law Center, O.C. Tanner, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, and countless community partners have joined forces to produce three days of events aimed at increasing community awareness about disability and the critical role that media can play in promoting understanding and acceptance.
The events kick-off with a free showing of the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-Winning HBO Film Temple Grandin at the Salt Lake City Public Library on November 1st. Dr. Grandin will be on hand for a Q&A immediately following the film. She will spend Wednesday the 2nd at Utah State University meeting with students, faculty and community members and agriculture professionals. On the 3rd, Dr. Grandin will visit with parents and faculty at schools serving children with Autism and participate in a book signing at Art Access Gallery.
Events will culminate Thursday evening at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center with Barry Morrow, the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of Rain Man, presenting the Peek Award to Dr. Grandin and permanently loaning his Oscar® statuette for the people of Salt Lake City to enjoy through the Utah film Center, in celebration of the legacy of Kim Peek, who served as the inspiration for the film Rain Man. Dr. Grandin will give an exciting keynote address about her ability to “think in pictures” and making the case that people on the Autism spectrum have an important role to play in society.
The purpose of the Peek Award is to annually honor an actor, filmmaker or subject of a film who best embodies the energy and passion of Rain Man and Kim Peek and is helping to promote positive images about people with disabilities in our society. Joining Dr. Grandin in this exciting celebration will be Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and father of the real Rain Man, Francis Peek. The evening will be emceed by journalist Carole Mikita. For a complete schedule of events and additional information about the participants and the award, please contact Levi Elder or Eric Mitchell.
For more information, please contact:
Levi Elder, Utah Film Center at 801-746-7000
Eric Mitchell, Fifth Ocean Consulting at 801-366-4548

domain: library


Given that the US$2,499 MacBook Pro already has 4GB of RAM, however, you probably won't need to do anything RAM-related for the foreseeable future. If you opt for the US$1,999 model, which comes with 2GB of RAM, you can upgrade to 4GB for US$150, which isn't as out of line as Apple's RAM prices have been in the past.
With a faster front-side bus, better graphics, 6MB of shared Level 2 cache, an updated Core 2 Duo processor and other under-the-hood tweaks, Apple's new MacBook Pro should readily handle almost any task thrown at it. A quick benchmark test using Xbench 1.3 returned an overall score of 123. By way of comparison, last year's top-end 17-in. MacBook Pro with a 2.4-GHz processor scored 118 on the same test, and a 2006 model with a 2.33-GHz Core 2 Duo checked in at 108. In other words, the speed gains are there, but they're not so dramatic that you're likely to see much difference if you're upgrading from a relatively recent MacBook Pro.
Of course, if speed is important to you, you'll want to upgrade the hard drive to one that spins at 7,200 rpm for an extra US$50 and move to the optional 2.8-GHz processor, which together will add US$300 to the price of the system, making for a total of US$2,849. That's a lot of money for bragging rights. Unless you're doing high-end data crunching or video work that can really take advantage of that processor, save your money.
Incidentally, if, for some reason, you want to go with the solid-state drive option, you lose a lot of storage space -- the only SSD available holds 128GB of data -- and it'll add US$500 to the system cost. Though solid-state drives have come a long way in the last year or so, you'd be spending more money for less space. That's not a good return on investment.
Battery life is good, although squeezing out the Apple-advertised five hours of use is easier said than done. With the screen brightness turned all the way up, the graphics and energy-saver settings set to best performance, and Wi-Fi on, I managed three hours of use doing routine Web surfing and text editing. Turning down the brightness and tweaking the energy-saver settings will easily extend that time.
All in all, Apple's new MacBook Pro represents a definitive leap in design, and a more modest advance in technology. The combination of the two, however, makes this a major update to what has become an increasingly important product for Apple's bottom line.
More important, with almost everyone looking to stretch their dollars as far as possible, Apple's new laptop lineup -- including the new MacBook -- should stand the test of time, offering good value for years to come.


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Football predictions – FC Astana vs Zalgiris – Champions League
Date : 20.07.2016
Kick off : 15:00
Wednesday, 20.07.2016, set to debut at 15:00, the FC Astana vs Zalgiris clash will determine the winner of one of the most balanced duels from the 2nd preliminary round of the Champions League.
FIRST LEG RESULT
Zalgiris (0) – (0) FC Astana
|Team facts and news:|
|Betting predictions for FC Astana vs Zalgiris – 20.07.2016|
Both teams to score @ 1.45
|To consider:||Under 1.5 goals @ 3.00|
FC Astana is a very hard nut to crack at home and they rarely concede, proof of that being the 4 goals conceded in their past 10 official games in front of their supporters. As far as Zalgiris is concerned, they may be known as an offensive side, but they will struggle against the Astana defence, as in the first leg. The most likely outcome for this fixture would be another scoreless draw that sends this game into ET.
In order to back up our theory, there is an even more valuable odd for a maximum of 1 goal to be scored, in case either team gets lucky.


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text: Arella specializes in thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas and calzones. Kick off your meal with an order of bruschetta, garlic bread or chicken wings before jumping into a pizza. Pizza options run the gamut from a traditional Margherita or white pizza to an excellent barbecue chicken pizza. You can also create your own pizza or calzone from a lengthy list of ingredients that includes caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and Brie. The salads are generously portioned, and there’s also beer and wine available. Wonder where the name Arella came from? It comes from “mozzarella,” which is featured prominently in most Arella pizzas.

domain: food


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Finn Russell held his nerve to kick Glasgow Warriors into the Pro12 final with the decisive conversion in Friday's 16-14 win over Ulster.
The Glasgow fly-half calmly slotted the ball through the posts with four minutes to play to complete a late comeback, after Ulster had looked on course to reach the final in Belfast at the end of May.
Chris Henry ran in the only try of the first half as Ulster - finalists in 2013 - took an 8-6 lead into the break, Russell and Stuart Hogg kicking Glasgow's points in a nervy encounter.
Ruan Pienaar, who had opened the scoring with a penalty in the first minute, added another two in the second half to give the visitors a 14-9 lead going into the closing minutes.
However, their defence was unable to withstand the constant pressure from Glasgow and eventually Gregor Townsend's side - who finished top of the table after a 32-10 win over Ulster last weekend - found a way through.
Russell's stunning pass found DTH van der Merwe on the right wing and he crossed the line and level the scores.
It fell to Russell to cap an excellent personal display and convert the points to take his side to the final, where they will face either Munster or Ospreys.


Due to mega block at Chennai Central Station for yard work in connection with conversion of points, the following changes have been made in the pattern of train service:
Train No. 12676 Coimbatore – Dr MGR Chennai Central Kovai Express leaving Coimbatore at 15.15 hrs on 02.04.2024 will be diverted and terminated at Chennai Egmore instead of Dr MGR Chennai Central. Additional stoppage will be provided at Chennai Beach
This is the Portal of Indian Railways, developed with an objective to enable a
single window access to information and services being provided by the
various Indian Railways entities. The content in this Portal is the result of a
collaborative effort of various Indian Railways Entities and Departments Maintained by CRIS, Ministry of Railways, Government of India.


Photographers in Publishing: An Interview with Tom Price
Photographers in Publishing is a series of interviews that gather insights from those who balance both making and publishing photography.
Interview By Scarlett O’Flaherty
Continuing with our series, I talk with Tom Price about starting a magazine, the collaborative design process and the future of independent publishing. Run for Your Life tells the stories of eleven inspirational runners, and is a magazine both aimed at both those who run, and those who enjoy a great story.
Scarlett O’Flaherty: I’d like to begin by saying what a lovely story it is that inspired you to initiate Run For Your Life, I want to meet Ken already. Can you talk a little about his story and how it came to inspire the mag?
Tom Price: You’d love Ken! He’s one of those characters that has somehow weathered the high winds of postmodernity and kept his classic charm and genteel charisma intact. He’s an absolute gent, who just happens to love running marathons in his seventies. The idea began when Luke (the editor) was working in Sweden, in a job he didn’t like, and burnt off a lot of the emotional frustration by running around the beautiful forests and lakes that were on his doorstep. It struck him then that this really life-giving thing that he was doing was also something he shared in common with others he knew or had heard of. This was maybe 3 years ago now, and he just began to explore what running meant to those people, how they used it to process difficult things they were facing, or ground them in something difficult but rewarding, or simply challenge themselves and have fun. There were loads of stories, quite different, but this thread of ‘running is important to me’ was in them all, so we explored that. And then at some point decided it should be made into something tangible for others to enjoy.
SO: Other than the stories of everyday runners, where do you take inspiration from? Are there any magazines out there that you particularly admire?
TP: In terms of this project, The Great Discontent was a major inspiration. Long-form interviews, where the voice of the subject really gets a chance to breathe, paired with beautiful portrait photography laid out in a way that lets it shine – we’re big fans.
SO: What are your thoughts on the the rise in independent and self-publishing? Where do you think the publishing industry will be in a few years time?
TP: We’d got a bit burnt out with the pace of reading and looking at things online. In the same way that running was a discipline that calmed our frenzied minds and soothed our anxieties a little, making something physical and beautiful that people could enjoy slowly, away from screens, was key for us. Essentially, we did it because we wanted to.
I’m hesitant to talk more generally, but I think it’s true that there are now a lot more photographers looking for publishers, and fewer publishers with decent budget. The smaller magazines can offer a niche audience and nice paper, but if you’ve got a good idea and it’s not getting picked up elsewhere, I don’t think there’s a massive difference in publishing with a small indie publication and just doing it yourself. Obviously it’s more work, but you get to make it your way. Which is nice.
I have no idea where publishing will be in a few years if I’m honest. There seem to be a lot of brands and agencies creating magazines now as a vehicle for promoting their own thing. Content advertising is on the rise, and the lines between articles and ‘paid features’ are getting progressively more blurred. But I guess it’s the same with online platforms like Instagram and Twitter who are struggling to monetise their products and turn them into sustainable businesses. People become very suspicious when they feel like they’re being marketed at, but I imagine there will still be advertisers trying to get people to look at and buy things and people stubbornly finding a way to express themselves their own way, even if only a small group of people get to see it. Maybe the print resurgence is only a little nostalgic blip, but I hope not.
SO: The Kickstarter campaign, with its well designed mock ups, demonstrated that the magazine is worthy of becoming printed matter. Tell us about the process of visualising the concept of the magazine in the images you take.
TP: The great thing about this project was that everyone on the team had the creative freedom to make their own decisions. Regarding the photography, I decided early on that I didn’t want the magazine to look anything like a normal running magazine. This was largely because the stories we were telling weren’t about fitness, or herculean feats of human strength – the whole point of the magazine was to move away from this idea that running is best left to the professionals, and explore how it worked for everyday people. For me, this meant moving away from the usual sports tropes of people ‘in action’, ready to spring into a toned, sweatless world record from a carefully art-directed starting line. Instead I wanted to make images that were calmer, and focused purely on the person, in their normal clothes and in places that made sense to their routines and story.
I also wanted the images to show something of the material culture. Obviously, when you’re taking pictures of running kit, you run the risk of it looking like product placement. But the clothes we wear and the uniforms we put on to mark exercise as a different sort of time (and to stop chafing, of course) are interesting to me, so I wanted to show them.
SO: It’s said that you’d like “these eleven stories to be something that people spend time with away from a screen.” How important do you think it is for there to be magazines in print? How often do you intend on launching an issue of Run For Your Life?
TP: Principally, for me, the unbounded nature of the internet, allowing viewers to disrupt their own reading experience by making a potentially unending journey – sometimes mid-article – from page to page, link to link, creates all kinds of problems for attention span, memory and cognition. The nice thing about a magazine is that it’s a curated, bounded experience that has limits to how it can be consumed. I think creativity thrives with certain kinds of limits, and I think the magazine is a fantastic and enduring format for presenting information on a theme. I’m not at all anti-internet, but I don’t think it’s either/or and right now, I wouldn’t want that to end. The experience of holding pictures and words in my hands, knowing their weight, seeing the thickness of the magazine diminish as I approach the end of an article, watching the pages age and change with my use – it’s a beautiful thing, I love it.
In terms of the next edition, that’s currently up for debate. The whole team has to be into it as it’s a lot of work, so it’s something that we’re discussing at the moment. Whether the theme remains with running, or simply things that ‘give you life’ is also undecided.
SO: Run for Your Life has been extremely successful through Kickstarter, you raised more than you had hoped and this is not the first project you have successfully raised funds for. Have you any advice on writing a successful funding bid?
TP: Luke is a master of this, but the principles are fairly basic – tell a good genesis story, illustrate the process of making it well through words and images, think about what your audience might want in exchange for supporting you – then give them a bit more – and then it’s a bit of a marketing slog.
SO: You have an extensive background of engaging with people in your photographic career. This experience clearly helps you to create beautiful portraits. Could you tell us a little about the previous ventures you have undertaken?
TP: Photographically I’ve shot all kinds of things over the years, but I’m always drawn back to using it as a tool for empathy and understanding. Before I was a photographer, I studied languages and transnationalism, which took me to Latin America where I spent nearly a couple of years living, studying and working. There I saw a vibrancy in history and politics that I hadn’t encountered before, which took me on a bit of a journey and ultimately got me involved with relief and development work. Since then, I’ve worked for a variety of NGOs producing images, films and articles in Africa, Asia and South America. I’m probably at my happiest when I’m getting alongside communities in the majority world to help tell stories of empowerment and that celebrate who they are. Obviously, this has been a huge privilege, and I think that ultimately good portraiture is brought about firstly by connecting with people, overcoming the equipment and technology. For me, portraiture is about listening.
SO: Do you have any particular plans for the future of Run for Your Life? We’re looking forward to hearing more stories of inspirational runners.
TP: Watch this space…
SO: Thank you for taking the time to chat. It’s been great to hear about your experience with Run for your Life so far. Lastly, do you have any advice for other creatives out there who may be thinking about a start-up of some kind?
TP: My greatest barrier to getting anything done is overthinking things, so it’s good to find people who help me overcome that in some way. Finding people who compliment your strengths and weaknesses and who you can have fun with is gold in making things happen.
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Mother in Residence: Riley Sheehey•
Posted on March 07 2024
Photo by Abby Grace Springmann
Riley Sheehey is a watercolor and multimedia artist and textile designer. Before becoming an artist full-time, she taught elementary school art and developed a love for whimsical styles and playful details. Her artwork reflects this childlike view of the world with fun color palettes and an attention to detail that evokes a viewer’s curiosity. She specializes in watercolor illustration and surface design, and has enjoyed the challenge of expanding her practice to incorporate textiles and wallpaper. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia, with her husband, daughter, and dog.
Hot Beverage of Choice:
Early Mornings or Late Nights:
Early mornings- I have always been a morning person and am in bed by 9 if I can be, ha!
Currently listening to (audiobook, podcast, music):
I am a weirdo who mostly works in silence- but while running, I usually listen to audiobooks or my 90s playlist!
Can't live without _______________
Best Mom Advice / Tip:
Put your blinders on- you (usually) know what’s best for you/your family, so try not to pay too much attention to what everyone else is doing (something I am constantly working on)
How did becoming a mother alter your approach to creativity and workflow? For example, did motherhood lend expansion to your craft or define clearer boundaries from a role perspective?
Becoming a mom has made me feel much more creative in many ways- while playing with my daughter and watching her interact with the world for the first time, I have had more ideas than I’ve ever had before- but I also have much less time to make them happen! Because I have less time now to work, I have gotten (a little!) better about setting boundaries for myself to protect my time with my family.
How would you spend a slow morning alone?
With coffee and a paintbrush in hand!
Where, who, or what are your fondest memories connected to?
Baltimore, MD (my hometown) will always hold a special place for me in my heart- I grew up there with my parents and three younger siblings, and every time I go back to visit my parents, I leave feeling so nostalgic! My parents are actually moving soon- the good news is they will be closer to us, but I am really going to miss my childhood home.
If you could teleport yourself into any gathering of women throughout history, who would you choose and why?
I would love to hang out with Mary Cassatt and the other (few!) women who held their own in the mainly male group of Impressionist painters.
What is the mark you wish to leave on the world as a mother?
Oh my gosh if this isn’t “the” question that sums it all up- and I am embarrassed to say that right now, I genuinely don’t have a great answer- I have been a mom now for almost three years, and I am learning new things every day but unlearning twice as many. Please come back to me in fifteen years and I am hopeful that I will have a semi-worthy response!
If you could leave your children with one distinct value or philosophy, what would you hope for them to carry on?
My dad wrote me this really great note when I graduated from high school and I have it framed above my desk. I am going to share the whole thing because it’s impossible to paraphrase, and apologize in advance because it’s probably longer than what you were looking for, but it sums up everything I hope to pass on to my daughter:
“Take time to dream (we are nothing without our dreams), thank the Lord for all of your blessings (you have so many), start planning how you will use your many blessings to achieve your dreams, enjoy the journey (my experience is that the journey is far more rewarding than the outcome), let your family participate in the journey. We will always be there for you.”
What are your favorite pieces in the current Sun House collection?
Love it all but the Smocked Dress in Gretl Bloom is my personal favorite! I also love love love the sweet little girls’ quilted jackets, and am dying for one in my own size!


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“We climbed up the hill to the theatre whence we overlooked the splintered treasures of the gods, the ruined temples, the fallen columns, trying vainly to recreate the splendour of this ancient site.” Henry Miller
I woke quite early because when I am on holiday the first thing I have to do is check the weather, this is a huge responsibility and although it doesn’t take a great deal of preparation I can’t possibly slouch around in bed too long. I freed myself from the creaky camp bed and banged about the room in a disorderly fashion in an effort to make sure that I woke the girls up as well. My mission was thoroughly accomplished when I threw back the curtains and a blazing light flooded into the room and revealed a gloriously sunny morning with a big bright sky so magnificently blue that it made me squint just to gaze up into it.
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Prayut lands in Phuket to welcome first sandbox arrivals
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his entourage landed in Phuket’s Thalang district at 10am on Thursday to visit local officials and witness the passenger screening process.
Phuket opened its doors to foreigners on Thursday for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak early last year. Tourists are allowed to land under a sandbox scheme if they can prove they have been fully inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative. Those approved can move freely on the island without having to quarantine.
After staying in Phuket for 14 days, they can travel to other provinces if they test negative for a second time.
“I realise that reopening Phuket is risky, but it is a risk we have to take for the sake of our country,” Prayut said. “The most important thing is to monitor the situation closely and act swiftly in case a situation emerges.
“We need to ensure that the sandbox scheme runs smoothly and contributes to the goal of fully reopening Thailand within 120 days,” added Prayut, referring to the promise he made in a June 16 televised public address on the Covid-19 situation. “If successful, data from this scheme will be gathered and shared among other provinces to design their reopening campaign.”
The premier first visited the Tha Chat Chai checkpoint before moving on to check out Phuket’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), which functions as a central unit to monitor tourists via the Thailand Plus and Mor Chana applications. All tourists must install the apps and allow themselves to be tracked on GPS during their entire stay.
Prayut also traveled to Royal Phuket City Hotel in Muang district to chair a meeting with provincial officers regarding the progress of the Phuket Sandbox scheme.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand reported that 300 foreigners are scheduled to land in Phuket on Thursday on Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, El Al Israel Airlines and Singapore Airlines flights. The PM is scheduled to visit the airport in the evening to welcome tourists arriving on the Singapore Airlines flight.