text:
Panama - Medical Equipment
Panama - Country Commercial Guide
Panama Country Commercial Guide
Disposable Medical Supplies
Trade Standards
2021 estimated
Total Local Production
Total Exports
Imports from the U.S.
Total Market Size
U.S. Dollar Millions.
Source: Office of the Comptroller General and estimates from industry sources. Note: As of April 2020, the recorded inflation rate in Panama for 2019 was -0.4%, below the recorded average of 0.8% for 2018, below the recorded average of 0.9% for 2017. The US dollar is legal tender.
The Cortizo administration pledged to allocate an estimated $6 to $7 billion to the health sector and has a priority to improve Panama's healthcare facilities. He announced the construction of several new projects, including a new Children´s Hospital, a new Oncology Hospital, a new hospital in Panama Norte, and an Autism Institute in Panama City, and pledged to complete the construction of the Ciudad de la Salud (Health City) which is in partial operation, a $900 million hospital complex started by the previous government. The government is also interested in fostering the development of the pharmaceutical sector, particularly production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
As with the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Panama's health sector. For the latest COVID-19 information visit www.minsa.gob.pa. Panama has received support from the international community, including the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), which announced a $400 million loan to help Panama deal with the economic crisis originated by COVID-19. Additionally, the IDB provided an $8.75 million loan to purchase medical supplies and services for the indigenous population living in remote areas (Comarcas). The United States donated 500,000 vaccines to Panama in July 2021 and vaccination rates are high.
Panama's medical equipment market is estimated to grow by at a minimum of 30% over the next three years. The medical equipment market in 2019 reached $170 million, with U.S. equipment holding a market share of 42% or $71 million. The public sector is the primary end-user of medical equipment, composed of the Social Security Fund (CSS) and the Ministry of Health (MINSA). The largest health care facilities are in the Panama City metropolitan area, which holds close to 50% of the country's population. The private sector is experiencing strong growth and has modern medical facilities.
There are 923 health centers, of which 844 are run by the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and 79 by the Social Security Fund (Caja de Seguro Social - CSS). Of these health centers, there are 33 general hospitals, 18 managed by the Ministry of Health, and 15 by the CSS. The Ministry of Health provides health services by contract to workers affiliated with the CSS. There are 2.3 beds per 1,000 inhabitants; 4,200 belong to the Ministry of Health, 3,187 to the CSS, while 1,043 are in private facilities.
The major hospitals managed by MINSA are the Hospital Santo Tomas; Hospital San Miguel Arcangel; Hospital Oncologico (Oncological Hospital) and Hospital del Niño (Children´s Hospital) in Panama City; Hospital Nicolas Solano in Chorrera; Hospital "Chicho Fabrega" in Santiago, Veraguas; and Hospital de David in Chiriqui. The CSS manages: Complejo Hospitalario Metropolitano "Arnulfo Arias" (largest hospital complex in Panama), the Susana Jones Hospital, the Hospital de Especialidades Pediátricas (Children´s Hospital) in Panama City; the Manuel Amador Guerrero Hospital in Colon, several regional hospitals in Chitre, Los Santos and Cocle. Major private hospitals in Panama City are: Clinica Hospital Paitilla (affiliated with the Spanish Hospiten Group), Hospital Pacífica Salud (affiliated with Johns Hopkins from the U.S.), Clinica Hospital San Fernando, Hospital Panama, Hospital Nacional, Clinica Hospital de Rio Abajo, and Hospital Santa Fe in Panama City. In the rest of the country, the most important hospitals are Hospital Cuatro Altos in Colon, Hospital David in Chiriqui, Centro Medico San Juan Bautista in Chitre, and Clinica Hospital Jesus Nazareno in Santiago. All of the private hospitals are general hospitals.
One of the Cortizo administration's challenges is to provide health care to the indigenous regions in east and west Panama (Ngobe Bugle, Embera, and Guna groups). These groups represent approximately 13% of the country´s population, but there are no major hospitals and clinics in those areas and they contain less than 5% of the country´s total health personnel.
Panama has a long-term goal of increasing medical tourism. To that end, private hospitals continue to make a substantial investment in increasing their capacity and quality of services. Reports indicate that more than 30% of the country´s total investment in hospital facilities and equipment has come from the private sector.
The public sector requires certification of medical equipment by the Ministry of Health and its Social Security Administration. The private sector has no restrictions regarding the procurement of medical equipment. The National Directory for Medical Devices is responsible for the registration and technical standards of medical devices. Medical equipment sold to government institutions must have a datasheet (Ficha Tecnica) which certifies the equipment is approved for government use. Private health care facilities do not require a Ficha Tecnica. There are several organizations that can certify the datasheet: the Ministry of Health, the Social Security System (CSS), the Santo Tomas Hospital, the Children´s Hospital, and the Oncology Hospital.
There is no local production of medical equipment. The market relies entirely on imports from Asia (Japan, Korea, China, and Singapore) and Europe (Sweden, Spain, Holland, and Germany). The United States has market participation of approximately 40 percent. The U.S. equipment is known for its high quality, reliability, and quick delivery. Furthermore, Panamanian medical equipment distributors representing U.S. brands have well-trained staff and offer excellent technical support. A shortlist of prominent U.S. brand names well-known in Panama are Baxter, Beckman, General Electric, Puritan Bennett, Hewlett-Packard, Abbot, Braun, Datascope, Medtronic, Zoll, and Welch-Allyn. Competing brands are Phillip from Holland, Siemens from Germany; Pantex from Japan, Purple Surgical from England, and Electa from Sweden.
To successfully compete in Panama, U.S. exporters should appoint a local distributor with extensive public procurement experience. The U.S. Commercial Service in Panama can assist in finding a distributor. For a list of our services visit www.trade.gov.
Leading Sub-Sectors
Intensive Care Equipment: ventilators, infusion pumps, cardiac monitors, endotracheal tubes, arteria lines, and infusion pumps.
Diagnosis Equipment: radiology, ultrasound, CAT, and angiographic equipment.
Cardiovascular Equipment: electro and echo-cardiographs, defibrillators, and blood testing equipment.
Surgical Equipment: anesthetic, blood-circulation, ventilators, and operating-room equipment.
Laboratory Equipment: chromatography equipment and clinical chemistry, hematology, and histology analyzers.
Demand from U.S.-trained Panamanian doctors who have a strong preference for U.S. equipment and technology.
Construction of new hospitals in Panama City.
Medical research by the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Services and the Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Services of Panama (INDICASAT)..
- Ministry of Health (MINSA)
- Caja del Seguro Social (CSS)
- American Chamber of Commerce in Panama:
- Panama Chamber of Commerce
- Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Services
- Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Services of Panama (INDICASAT):


In this post we're going to work with time series data, and write R functions to aggregate hourly and daily time series in monthly time series to catch a glimpse of their underlying patterns. For this analysis we're going to use public meteorological data recorded by the government of the Argentinian province of San Luis. Data about rainfalls, temperature, humidity and in some cases winds, is published in the REM website (Red de Estaciones Meteorológicas, http://www.clima.edu.ar/). Also, here you can download meteorological data (in .csv format) that has been recorded by weather stations around different places from San Luis.
To leave a comment for the author, please follow the link and comment on their blog: R – Monkeys Working.


On the picture in Kitzbühel: Esther Gons, NEXT.Amsterdam, Fabian Greiler and Berthold Baurek-Karlic from the Business Angel Institute and Timan Rebel, NEXT.Amsterdam. Photography by Tom Roschanek.
The Business Angel Institute is launching it's established training program for early stage investors in the Netherlands. The official announcement was released at this year's Business Angel Summit in Kitzbühel together with our local partner NEXT.Amsterdam, one of Europe's top accelerators.
Amsterdam is one of Europe's leading startup hubs.
Thanks to Amsterdam's international appeal, the Netherlands have grown the most in Europe due to startup migration, benefiting from a 31% net migration inflow. With relatively low burn rates and good access to capital and talent, Amsterdam has become an irresistible option for entrepreneurs on the search for a new location.
NEXT.Amsterdam was founded by serial entrepreneurs Esther Gons and Timan Rebel, who not only provide hands-on support for their portfolio companies but also own a co-working space. Participants of our training programs will also profit from their vast experience in the corporate environment, which Esther recently published as a co-author in a new book. We will be launching the training program in Q3/Q4 this year in a more compact version.
If you are interested, please give us a hint.


Buy Lenovo 10400 mAh Power Bank (GXV0Q56142, PA10400) for Rs.2999 online. Lenovo 10400 mAh Power Bank (GXV0Q56142, PA10400) at best prices with FREE shipping & cash on delivery. Only Genuine Products. 30 Day Replacement Guarantee.


text:
>Tomato plant aroma to protect crops
The aroma works by closing pores or 'stomata'. Shutterstock
https://blog.frontiersin.org/2019/03/11/tomato-plant-aroma-to-protect-crops/.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01855/full
11 March, 2019. Original research article: Front. Plant Sci., 18 December 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01855. Frontiers in Plant Science: Spraying crops with the tomato compound hexenyl butyrate could be a cheap, safe and straightforward means to prevent bacterial infection and improve drought tolerance
Spraying crops with the tomato compound hexenyl butyrate could be a cheap, safe and straightforward means to prevent bacterial infection and improve drought tolerance. Tomato plants emit an aroma in order to resist bacterial attacks. This aroma, or volatile compound, is named hexenyl butyrate (HB), and according to this study it has great potential for protecting various crops from infections and drought. "The application of this compound in fields will allow the industry to have a new natural strategy for improving crop yields: treatments will protect crops from biotic and abiotic stress easily, efficiently and at a low cost," says Purificación Lisón, researcher at the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP).
Advances in the identification of genes and enzymes responsible for biosynthesis of volatile compounds have made possible the development of metabolic engineering, enabling improvement of different plant characteristics, including reproduction, the quality of the aroma of the fruits and defense against herbivores (Dudareva and Pichersky, 2008). Chemical communication between plants has also received much attention because of the role of the VOCs as possible inducers of defenses in host plants. The study findings could lead to the use of metabolic engineering for improving the defense of plants against pathogens, by modifying GLV ester biosynthetic genes. The volatile nature of GLV esters would permit these transgenic plants to provide protection in non-transgenic neighboring crops. The aroma works by closing pores or 'stomata' on the underside of leaves. Image: Shutterstock.
>Opinion: Individuals Are Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts
1st March 2019. The study of evolution requires consideration of organisms' microbiomes. https://www.the-scientist.com/critic-at-large/opinion--individuals-are-greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts-65503.
Itzhak Mizrahi Associate Professor at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. Fotini Kokou is a postdoctoral fellow in his group. It is widely accepted that all animals and plants host diverse microbial communities that are vitally important for their functioning and survival. In many cases, these microbial communities (microbiomes) can be at least partially heritable, being passed from parent to offspring. Thus, when environmental changes occur, we would expect to see alterations not only in hosts' physiology over subsequent generations, but also in their microbiomes.
Husband-and-wife team Eugene Rosenberg and Ilana Zilber-Rosenberg of Tel Aviv University in Israel were the first researchers to propose this concept (FEMS Microbiol Rev, 32:723–35, 2008). A host organism and its resident microbes—the so-called holobiont—functions as a whole on multiple levels, they argued, from the gene and chromosome to the organism's anatomy and physiology, and acts as an independent unit of selection.
The study findings are no doubt just one example of coordination between a host and its microbes. As the evolutionary concept of the hologenome matures, researchers will likely document many more plant and animal communities that evolve with their microbiomes. It remains to be determined whether a microbiome's compositional changes directly affect its host's physiological response to changing environmental conditions. But the hologenome concept will undoubtedly influence our understanding of the evolution and ecology of all organisms.
>Gene-editing tool now being used to develop better antibiotics
January 11, 2019. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-018-0327-z
More brilliant innovative thinking from University of Wisconsin–Madison! Jason Peters, a UW–Madison professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and his collaborators at the University of California, San Francisco developed the new system to figure out new weaknesses in the disease-causing pathogens.
The gene-editing tool CRISPR has been repurposed to study which genes are targeted by particular antibiotics. The technique, Mobile-CRISPRi, allows scientists to screen for antibiotic function in a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. Using a form of bacterial sex, known as conjugation, the researchers transferred Mobile-CRISPRi from common laboratory strains into diverse bacteria - allowing researchers to identify how antibiotics inhibit the growth of pathogens.
>Bacteria resistant to antibiotics found in breast milk but Scientists at Helsinki University thinks breast milk can may still help protect babies from dangerous bugs.
Salmonella Bacteria
The paper, published in the journal Nature Communications, is titled: "Maternal gut and breast milk microbiota affect infant gut antibiotic resistome and mobile genetic elements." Download .pdf
Katariina Parnanen PhD student, University of Helsinki Sep 24, 2018
"We discovered that despite the fact that breast milk has relatively high concentrations of resistance genes, it turns out that babies who have been breastfed for at least six months, have lower abundances of resistance genes compared to babies who aren't breastfed."
Antibiotic resistance has been extensively discussed in the media in recent years, and for a good reason, since antibiotic resistant bacteria pathogens have become increasingly common. Babies don't have fully developed immune systems and antibodies to protect against infections the same way as adults do, so infections caused by resistant bacteria can have serious health effects in infants if treatment fails. Sadly, it has been estimated that more than 200 000 infants die annually due to resistant septic infections. I hope that our paper can give insight into the development of the infant resistome and that we as a scientific community will find possible solutions to the resistance crisis at hand.
Antibiotic resistance has been the focus of our research group for a long time. One day, my colleagues and I started talking about breast milk during a break. I had thought that breast milk was sterile but I found out, to my big surprise, that I was wrong - one drop of breast milk has dozens of bacteria and other microbes. I thought it was fascinating and I began to wonder if there were also antibiotic resistance genes in breast milk.
A few years passed and many new publications about the infant gut resistome came out. All of them told the same story, small babies, even the ones who have never had antibiotics, have even more resistant bacteria than adults, who on average have had several courses of antibiotics during their life. Still, nobody seemed to know where these resistance genes came from. We decided to dig deeper into this problem.
Read more at: https://naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com/users/170942-katariina-pa...
>Significant breakthrough by scientists at Manchester University developing the first non-antibiotic drug to successfully treat tuberculosis in animals.
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/scientists-develop-new-drug-t...
11.09.2018. One in three people across the world are thought to be infected with the TB, an infectious disease. It is most common in Africa, India and China, but on the rise in the UK with London often described as the TB capital of Europe. About 1.7 million worldwide die from the TB each year and 7.3 million people were diagnosed and treated in 2018, up from the 6.3 million in 2016. A TB vaccine was developed over 100 years ago but for the past six decades doctors have been able to use antibiotics against this killer disease. Now the TB bacteria are increasingly developing drug-resistance.
The breakthrough: Mycobacterium Tuberculosis secretes molecules called Virulence Factors -- the cell's secret weapon -which block out the immune response to the infection, making it difficult to treat. The Manchester team identified one Virulence Factor called MptpB as a suitable target, which when blocked allows white blood cells to kill Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in a more efficient way. The drug works by targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis' defences rather than the bacteria itself and, importantly, it can also take out its increasingly commonly antibiotic resistant strains. As there is nothing similar in humans the MptpB compound which blocks it is not toxic to the human cells. "Because the bacteria hasn't been threatened directly, it is less likely to develop resistance against this new agent, and this will be a major advantage over current antibiotics, for which bacteria had already become resistant.
The team hope the compound, developed after 10 years of painstaking research, will be trialled on humans within three to four years. The programme is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Source: Materials provided by University of Manchester
>Review of Evidence on Antimicrobial Resistance and Animal Agriculture in Developing Countries
http://a4nh.cgiar.org/files/2015/06/EoD_Consultancy_June15_Ag_Related_AM...
This report has been produced by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) for Evidence on Demand with the assistance of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) contracted through the Climate, Environment, Infrastructure and Livelihoods Professional Evidence and Applied Knowledge Services (CEIL PEAKS) programme, jointly managed by DAI (which incorporates HTSPE Limited) and IMC Worldwide Limited.
>Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescriptions Highest Among Urgent Care Facilities
-According to a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2...
July 27, 2018. Citation: Palms DL, Hicks LA, Bartoces M, et al. Comparison of antibiotic prescribing in retail clinics, urgent care centers, emergency departments, and traditional ambulatory care settings in the United States [published online July 16, 2018]. JAMA Intern Med.doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.1632
The inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics varies among retail clinics, urgent care centers, medical offices, and emergency departments, according to a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Antibiotic overprescription was highest among urgent care centers. Of 2.7 million visits to urgent care centers, 1,062,477 (39.0%) visits resulted in the prescription of antibiotics (95% CI, 39.0%-39.1%). Additionally, antibiotics were prescribed in 21,177 (36.4%) of 58,206 visits to retail clinics (95% CI 36.0%-36.8%), 660,450 (13.8%) of 4.8 million visits to emergency departments (95% CI 13.8%-13.8%), and 10,580,312 (7.1%) of 148.5 million visits to medical offices (95% CI 7.1%-7.1%).
Respiratory diagnoses related to inappropriate antibiotic prescription resulted in 441,605 (16%) visits to urgent care facilities, 10,009 (17%) visits to retail clinics, 257,010 (5%) of visits to emergency departments, and 9,203,276 (6%) visits to medical offices. Inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions were highest among urgent care facilities (45.7%), with emergency departments (24.6%), medical offices (17.0%), and retail clinics (14.4%).
The researchers concluded, "There was substantial variability between settings in the percentage of visits at which antibiotics were prescribed among all visits and among visits for antibiotic-inappropriate respiratory diagnoses. These patterns suggest differences in case mix and evidence of antibiotic overuse, especially in urgent care centers …. The finding of the present study that antibiotic prescribing for antibiotic-inappropriate respiratory diagnoses was highest in urgent care centers suggests that unnecessary antibiotic prescribing nationally in all outpatient settings may be higher than the estimated 30%."
>Researchers transform old drug into new fighter against antibiotic resistance.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/antibiotic-drug-resistance-solut...
6 March 2017. Pentamidine makes antibiotics effective when combined, McMaster University researcher says…
>Natural actives for wound healing: A review.
2 May 2018: Format: Abstract. Phytother Res. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6102. [Epub ahead of print] Artem Ataide J1, Caramori Cefali L2, Machado Croisfelt F2, Arruda Martins Shimojo A3, Oliveira-Nascimento L4, Gava Mazzola P4.
Nature has been a source of medicinal treatments for thousands of years, with the use of plants as prototypes for drug development and for the extraction of active compounds. Skin injuries occur regularly in everyday life, and the human skin has the ability to promote repair spontaneously under healthy conditions. However, some intrinsic and external factors may interfere with skin's natural ability, leading to non-healing lesions and chronic wounds, which directly affect health and quality of life. Thus, attention should be given to this health problem, using an appropriated management when necessary. In this scenario, phytotherapy may be an option for cutaneous wound treatment, although further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of plants. This article reviews traditionally used natural actives for wound healing, highlighting their characteristics and mode of action
>High levels of antibiotic resistance found worldwide, new surveillance data shows
https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2018/antibiotic-resistance...
WHO News release 29 .01.2018
First Release of Surveillance Data on antibiotic resistance reveals high levels of resistance to a number of serious bacterial infections in both high- and low-income countries. WHO's new Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS), launched in October 2015, reveals widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistance among 500 000 people with suspected bacterial infections across 22 countries.
The most commonly reported resistant bacteria were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by Salmonella spp. The system does not include data on resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis (TB), as WHO has been tracking it since 1994 and providing annual updates in the Global tuberculosis report.
Among patients with suspected bloodstream infection, the proportion that had bacteria resistant to at least one of the most commonly used antibiotics ranged tremendously between different countries – from zero to 82%. Resistance to penicillin – the medicine used for decades worldwide to treat pneumonia – ranged from zero to 51% among reporting countries. And between 8% to 65% of E. coli associated with urinary tract infections presented resistance to ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat this condition.
"The report confirms the serious situation of antibiotic resistance worldwide Some of the world's most common – and potentially most dangerous – infections are proving drug-resistant" ,says Dr Marc Sprenger, director of WHO's Antimicrobial Resistance Secretariat. "And most worrying of all, pathogens don't respect national borders. That's why WHO is encouraging all countries to set up good surveillance systems for detecting drug resistance that can provide data to this global system."
To date, 52 countries (25 high-income, 20 middle-income and 7 low-income countries) are enrolled in WHO's Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System. For the first report, 40 countries provided information about their national surveillance systems and 22 countries also provided data on levels of antibiotic resistance.
"The report is a vital first step towards improving our understanding of the extent of antimicrobial resistance. Surveillance is in its infancy, but it is vital to develop it if we are to anticipate and tackle one of the biggest threats to global public health," says Dr Carmem Pessoa-Silva, who coordinates the new surveillance system at WHO. GLASS will help estimate disease burden, plan diagnostic and treatment services, monitor the effectiveness of control interventions, and design effective treatment regimens to address and prevent future resistance.
Data presented in this first GLASS report vary widely in quality and completeness. Some countries face major challenges in building their national surveillance systems, including a lack of personnel, funds and infrastructure. GLASS is helping to standardize the way that countries collect data and enable a more complete picture about antimicrobial resistance patterns and trends.
NB: All data produced by GLASS is available free online and will be updated regularly.
>Resistance Fighter.
https://www.the-scientist.com/profile/resistance-fighter-35388
Stuart Levy has spent a lifetime studying mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and crusading to abolish the use of antibiotics in animal feed.
>High or Low Doses - which is better?
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6287/758.full
Evolutionary biologists are challenging old dogmas about the way antibiotics should be used. Combined with the resistant microbes that have emerged more recently in hospitals and the wider community, this means that in many infections, a few resistant bacteria may be present from the start, Read says. The key issue is not keeping resistance from developing—it's stopping its spread. This is why high doses of antibiotics may backfire: Resistance usually comes with a "fitness cost" that limits growth. A bacterium may have to expend extra energy to pump out an antibiotic, for instance. High doses of antibiotics will kill susceptible bacteria rapidly, leaving resistant ones without any competition—a phenomenon known as competitive release - and giving them the upper hand. With lower doses, in contrast, resistant bacteria would have to compete with susceptible bacteria, and would remain a minority. An antibiotic given this way simply holds the bacteria in check: The immune system—which seems able to kill resistant and susceptible bacteria equally well—then mops up the infection.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


These Corinthian Charismatics wanted the riches, blessings and places of honor; to them, serving God meant mainly high praises, authority and the power of daily healings and miracles, supposedly because of their great faith. "God also being them witness both with signs and wonders and with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will." (not theirs) ( Heb. 2:4; top ) Paul's life was an embarrassment to them. His body was weak and his speech and delivery weren't in good taste.
Paul's appearance, his sufferings and apparent physical weakness – and his preaching on the crucified Jesus – were repugnant to them. These Corinthians were convinced they had been delivered from such spiritual weaknesses. Paul's lack of strength and authority to rebuke his trials or to be delivered from the perils of robbers, imprisonments, beatings and seasons without food and clothing made him contemptible in the eyes of his spiritual opponents. So the Corinthians purposely accepted the false prophets, who preached another gospel.
Paul presents numerous arguments in which he firmly proclaims that the bottom line of the gospel is the lifestyle of the crucified Savior. Also, he presents the five-fold ministry as being of the foolish, weak, base, despised and "are nots" (so that no flesh should glory in God's presence), and not being a glamorous gospel.
Paul then shoots down his contentious brethren by accusing them of coming into the Kingdom without the other believers. Further, he defines the real dedication necessary for being a true apostle, which entails denying one's self and being partaker of the divine nature, rather than honoring our own selfish desires. Paul then is forced to silence those that claim to be operating as he did (through the gospel of the crucified Christ) by showing that they had a passion for something else, and Satan had entered in masquerading as an angel of light.
Paul's life was centered only on seeking Jesus, and everything else was to be set aside and abhorred because it detracted him from daily glorifying God.
Paul also called himself the "chief of sinners." ( 1 Tim. 1:15; top ) Many contemporary Christians call themselves "the righteousness of God." He kept his flesh under subjection and this act was instrumental in reminding himself that he was "the chief of sinners," and kept him in a daily state of repentance and seeking of God's grace. As a result, much grace operated through his life.
His hard work to support his own ministry.
Five times beaten with 39 stripes.
Three times beaten with rods.
Perils from his own countrymen.
Often in hunger and thirsting.
Near death often from pressures and stress in care of churches. .


On the days I'm working at my desk, I frequently use the Pomodoro technique to keep me on-track and efficient. If you aren't familiar with the technique, the idea is to use a timer (via the app, or a kitchen timer) to track certain amounts of time for work followed by a certain amount of time for a break in which no work related activities are allowed. After several short breaks, you get a long break. Traditionally, it's set up to work 20 minutes with a 5 minute break, but some people will do 30 minutes of work and 10 minute breaks or even 90 minute work sessions followed by 30 minute breaks. It all depends on the task you're trying to complete and what you think will work best for you.
For me, I usually stick to the 20 minutes on, 5 minutes off schedule, so I find myself with a lot of 5 minute windows throughout my day. When I first started using this technique, I didn't even know what to do with the 5 minutes. As someone who is constantly "on" and considers scrolling emails and Instagram as down time activities, I'd almost forgotten what it was like to do something non-work related. Five minutes felt like an eternal void to fill. But with a little time and practice, I've now managed to come up with a list of things that make me wish I had more than five minutes in a break.
I'd love to know- what do you do with a 5 minute break? Is there anything that I left off of this list?


A collection of end user manuals is provided. All can be opened and/or downloaded using the link below. The manuals are provided on several formats; PDF, EPUB and/or CHM. Selected manuals are also provided as separate websites.


text:
Calum Best to showcase his football skills for a brilliant cause
The Big Match is an annual charity football match featuring celebrities, ex-pros and members of the public
Calum Best and George Best
Calum Best will pull on his football boots for charity next month.
The Big Match is an annual charity football match featuring celebrities, ex-pros and members of the public.
The match raises money for The Brain Tumour Charity and Action for Children.
Starting in 2012 as a kick about on Reading's Madejski Stadium pitch and raising £10,000, The Big Match has evolved to become a family day out.
This year's match will take place at Newbury FC in Faraday Road on Saturday, June 18. Gates will open at 10.30am.
The Kidz Session begins at 11am and is especially for the new generation of footballers. They will have the opportunity to learn new skills and play small sided matches, guided by professional coaches and some ex pros. The big game kicks off at 2pm.
Model, star of the ITV show Celebrity Love Island and son of football legend George Best , Calum is game for this year's match.
He'll be having a kick about alongside former TOWIE star and fashion designer, Amy Childs.
TOWIE's Michael Hassini, MTV's Ex On The Beach star Nancy-May Turner and X Factor's Jay James are also lined up. Ex-pros ready to lace up their boots for the big game are:
Neil 'Razor' Ruddock - made his debut at Millwall, having been associated with the club since the age of 13, and also represented Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Liverpool, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers and Swindon Town during a professional career spanning 17 years.
Franny Benali - who was a professional who spent most of his career at Southampton before going on loan to Nottingham Forest.
Kelly Smith - Arsenal and England ladies football legend.
Chris Whyte - He made nearly 400 appearances in the Football League and Premier League for a variety of clubs including Arsenal and Leeds United where he was part of the 1991-92 League winning side, and was capped by England at under-21 level.
Jimmy Carter - During his career, he played for Millwall, Liverpool, Arsenal, Oxford United, Portsmouth and then Millwall for a second spell.
Early-bird tickets are available until Wednesday, May 18 for £5, then it's £7.50.
Calum Best advises youngsters about alcoholism after his own battle with drink
Calum Best loses his voice during panto run as Prince Charming jokes audiences are better off


text:
require 'minitest/autorun'
require 'rack/mock'
require 'rack/contrib/config'

describe "Rack::Config" do

  specify "should accept a block that modifies the environment" do
    app = Rack::Builder.new do
      use Rack::Lint
      use Rack::ContentLength
      use Rack::Config do |env|
        env['greeting'] = 'hello'
      end
      run lambda { |env|
        [200, {'Content-Type' => 'text/plain'}, [env['greeting'] || '']]
      }
    end
    response = Rack::MockRequest.new(app).get('/')
    response.body.must_equal('hello')
  end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


A former Clark County school custodian has been sentenced for making a terrorist threat.
In Clark County Circuit Court Friday, 38 year old Amanda Miller was given a four-year suspended sentence to the Missouri Department of Corrections and five years probation. Miller had pleaded guilty to one count of making a terrorist threat in December.
When Miller was a custodian in Clark County Middle School in October, she is alleged to have written a message that was found in a girls' bathroom, threatening to kill everyone in the school.
Miller was also ordered to complete an anger management course and not set foot on Clark County School District property, along with serving 75 days of shock time in the Clark County Jail with credit for time served.


text:
Twinning: Alan Cayetano, Mar Roxas share view that traffic means a healthy economy
Jeline Malasig
House Speaker Alan Cayetano believes that traffic is a sign of economic progress. (Artwork by Interaksyon/Uela Altar-Badayos)
House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano attributed the worsening traffic crisis in Metro Manila to progress, a belief that was similarly held by Mar Roxas when he was still the Interior secretary.
At a press conference at New Clark City in Tarlac on October 16, the Taguig-Pateros representative was asked whether or not he thinks foreigners will experience road congestion during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in November.
Cayetano answered that while heavy traffic is experienced everywhere around the world, it is a "product" of the country's supposed economic boom.
"First of all, hindi lang naman sa Pilipinas ang may traffic; may traffic naman talaga sa buong mundo. It's no excuse, but the irony kasi (is), traffic is also a product of your own success," he said, as quoted by reports.
"'Pag maganda 'yung ekonomiya, may pambili ng sasakyan ang mga tao," Cayetano added.
He mentioned, however, that he is hoping the development of cities like New Clark in Tarlac would help decongest Metro Manila.
His remarks baffled some Filipinos but it was not the first time that traffic congestion was perceived as a sign of supposed economic progression.
In 2015, then-Interior Secretary Mar Roxas also said that congestions on major metropolitan roads was a problem that "arises from prosperity."
Speaking at an annual convention of the Philippine Sugar Technologists Association Inc. in Cebu in August that year, Roxas said that 2014 saw an increase of 260,000 vehicles plying on the road.
"This is a problem in a sense that arises from prosperity. Because there is money. Because there is (an) economic activity," he said, as quoted by reports.
"When I was in DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), 60,000 vehicles a year was a big year. That was about 12 years ago. Today, 260,000 vehicles last year, 300,000 vehicles projected this year, and 10 percent to 15 percent projected into the future," Roxas added.
He served as the DTI secretary from 2000 to 2003.
MMDA enforcers check vehicles during a dry run of the High-Occupancy Vehicle traffic scheme on EDSA in Cubao, Quezon City. (The STAR/Boy Santos)
Then-Rep. Leni Robredo (Camarines Sur, Third District), who served as Roxas' running mate during that time for the 2016 presidential elections, disagreed with his statements and pointed out that "more progressive (countries) have less traffic."
What traffic congestion actually signifies
When Filipinos read Cayetano's remarks on traffic congestion, they listed down some factors which they think contributes to the problem, being part of the commuting public.
A Reddit user pointed out that first-world countries like Japan, Singapore and some nations in Europe do not suffer from traffic crisis despite having progressive economies.
"Then explain most countries in Europe, Japan and Singapore," user 'meiji626' wrote.
"Traffic is caused by poor governance, horrible policies and lack of urban planning," the user added.
Another Reddit user said that if the government attributes heavy traffic to a progressive economy, it should have the means to improve programs on transportation and road safety, among others.
"True, pero sana expected ng government na lalaki ang number ng vehicles due to 'progressing economy,' sana naman regular and improving 'yung programa hinggil sa transportasyon, road safety and worthiness at higit sa lahat, public transportation in which mas malaking (percentage) ng mga tao ang gumagamit," user 'FueledwCaffeine' said.
Top Gear Philippines in September reported that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has identified the top causes of traffic congestion in the metro.
According to the agency, these are "saturated demand, mixed traffic with pedestrians, boarding and alighting practices of public utility jeepneys at intersections, unruly driving behavior" and "illegal roadside parking."
MMDA culled the data from Metro Manila's local government units.
For a transportation and urban planning expert, however, the factors run much deeper.
In an interview with GMA News Online, Primitivo Cal, who is a former executive director at UP Planning and Development Research Foundation Inc., said that there is traffic crisis in Metro Manila for the following reasons:
Rapid urbanization is primarily concentrated in Metro Manila only;
There is a mono-centric urban form where most of the country's business districts are located in Metro Manila;
The country's rail transit network is limited to three trains only (LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT-3);
The ratio of Metro Manila's roads to the number of vehicles is low;
There is an institutional weakness due to the lack of a proper traffic czar who is supposed to supervise all transport-related agencies and improve coordination in solving the traffic and transportation problem.
Cal suggested that the government should encourage the development of business centers in other areas and embrace telecommunication instead of personal contact to reduce the need to go out in the metro.
He added that there must be a boost to the capacity of public transport and an expansion of the networks of highways in the country. — Artwork by Uela Altar-Badayos
2019 Southeast Asian Games
alan cayetano
mar roxas
road congestion
Duterte prolongs partial coronavirus curbs in Metro Manila to January 31
Seven dead as Typhoon Ulysses triggers Metro Manila's worst floods in years
Widespread flooding during 'Ulysses' onslaught triggers memories of 2009's 'Ondoy'
Probe sought into issues still hounding SEA Games 2019 facilities at New Clark City
Easytrip vs Autosweep: Things to know about the new cashless systems in toll expressways
Duterte extends GCQ in Metro Manila until Oct 31


Atherton, CA (Aug. 11, 2019) — KindredBio proudly helped sponsor the Menlo Charity Horse Show for the second year. The six-day event is recognized as one of the top horse shows in the country. In the past 20 years, the Menlo Charity Horse Show raised more than $6 million for the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The six-day event also hosts fierce competition among hunter/jumper competitors. It is recognized as a United States Equestrian Federation (– USEF) Heritage Competition and is designated as part of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) World Champion Hunter Rider Competition.
Adamus and Leslie Wright at the 2018 Menlo Charity Horse Show. Photo courtesy of the Menlo Charity Horse Show and © Alden Corrigan Media.


text:
The Handbag Project: The story of Sadiqe and the sewing lab
A group of six women create multi-use linen handbags during their time at the sewing lab. With the support of IOM.
"I wanted to become a nurse, but unfortunately got expelled from that school in Iran due to my Afghani ethnicity and then had to make a conditioned choice what to do and which path to take. This is how I choose sewing as a profession. I wasn't very happy with it in the beginning since I wanted something else, but as time passed I started to like it and I recognized my skills and discovered the beauty of this craft".
This is how Sadiqe Rasouli starts her story about her professional development and the decisions she had to take. Following this she started a sewing course in Teheran that took three years. Once Sadiqe got her diploma, she started working from home in order to improve her technical skills.
Sadiqe discovered that the creative part in sewing and cutting is something she likes and it's something that fulfils her. In a later stage during her working experience in Iran Sadiqe was running, for about four years, a sewing studio in cooperation with eight friends of hers, sewing mostly for female clothing orders. This resulted to be a very good experience for her, as she was able to learn and develop her own skills.
Currently, Sadiqe is a member of a female group that is frequently coming to the sewing lab in Filippiada, where they mostly perform some minor repairs.
The group decided to commence a small handbag project, sewing multi-use linen handbags that can be used from anything like grocery shopping to school bags, or just everyday use. A group of four to five women are involved in this action all of them doing their part, from pattern designing, cutting, ironing and assembling to produce the final result.
Mrs Zainab Muradi, one of the participants is very happy that they are doing this, she explained to us that despite their difficult situation and very uncertain future, these activities help them to think positively and feel useful. Besides that, they have fun and laugh a lot while working together.
Nazdana, an Afghani young woman is also part of this and she says that she simply loves socializing with other women and this activity gives her positive energy.
It took around three weeks to complete this idea and produce sixteen handbags.
Sadiqe Rasouli, is also a mother of four children and she would like to pass on her passion and sewing skills, but she says, she would be happiest if her children choose what they will like the most and she hopes they will be able to fulfill their dreams. For herself, she still would like to have an opportunity of opening a sewing studio one day.
Three (3) years lease agreement for three (3) five-seater diesel vehicles


UNISON, the UK's largest union, said that today's Office of National Statistics pensions trends survey* revealed that not enough people are saving for their later years – storing up a huge benefits timebomb for the taxpayer. The survey shows that the real pensions crisis is in the private sector – where membership of schemes has fallen sharply in the last decade.
"This survey shows just how few private sector workers are saving for their retirement. But for top bosses in the private sector, it is a different story. They award themselves generous pensions with low retirement ages, but shut their schemes to staff – leaving them facing poverty in their later years, with the only lifeline – means tested benefits.
"Even though this will cost taxpayers billions, it is used to attack pensions rights in the public sector. These pensions commentators come with a health warning. Their efforts to pit public against private sector worker will spark a race to the bottom, with poverty in retirement for all being the ultimate destination.
"What our country really needs is a decent pensions deal for all workers.
unnecessary plans to make them work longer, pay more and get less in their retirement.


Rummage Sale Breakdown - 5/5/17 Sale : Banker Gurl's More Bang For Your Buck!
We had a rummage sale the weekend of May 5th, and it was my town's city wide sale and we had great weather so it went really well!
Total sale made $4391.40, and MO and I made $1122.85!! Considering I usually sell between $20-$100 every single week the fact that we made that much at the sale is amazing!
My Bought to Resell Items: $264.50 in sales of which $217.72 was Profit!!
Joint Bought to Resell Items: $1526.75 in sales of which $950.19 was Profit!!
I'm not sure whats more amazing. The amount of sales, or that you kept track of all of that. I like to track stuff, but that is too much for me.
Single Guy - LOL! Yes it is a lot of work! I think if I couldn't see/remember how much I paid for something vs how much I sold it for it would drive me crazy! It's definitely a lot of extra work, but it's important to me to be able to see that I am making a profit. It also helps to see what kinds of items aren't selling so I avoid getting those in the future.


The first candidates from the promising class of small non-antibody protein scaffolds are now moving into clinical development and practice. Challenges remain, and scaffolds will need to be further tailored toward applications where they provide real advantages over established therapeutics to succeed in a rapidly evolving drug development landscape.
The first candidates from [s1] the promising class of small non-antibody protein scaffolds are now moving into clinical development and practice. Challenges remain, and scaffolds will need to be further tailored toward applications where they provide real advantages over established therapeutics to succeed in a rapidly evolving drug development landscape.


Digital revolution is helping India march towards a digitally connected nation by harnessing power of technology led innovations. Our citizens are increasingly getting connected via cutting edge technologies like 4G and WiFi which are helping them in improving and empowering their lives.
It is with this objective, DigiAnalysys is organizing the second edition of My India WiFi Summit & Awards 2018 to be held on 06th September 2018 in New Delhi, India. The one-day event is focused towards bringing multiple stakeholders - operators, government, vendors, application providers, enterprise users and allied sectors. Upholding a collaborative approach, the comprehensive participation will align industry influencers from different sectors to explore areas of working in hand in hand to bridge the digital divide.
For achieving large number of hotspots, TRAI has come out with Public Data Office (PDO) concept. The vision of this initiative is to establish an Open Architecture based WiFi Access Network Interface (WANI), such that any entity (company, proprietorship, societies, non-profits, etc.) should easily be able to setup a public WiFi access point and user should be able to connect one or more devices in single session through low denomination package. The PDO initiative needs to gain momentum for India to achieve 10 million milestone.
Recently, the Telecom Commission has also given a go ahead to inflight connectivity. With this, the airlines and the telecom service providers can offer voice and data services in Indian airspace once an aircraft reaches an altitude of 3,000 metres.
Reliance Jio plans to deploy around 1.5 million WiFi hotspots at stadiums, housing complexes, bus stops, public parks and tourist spots, schools and colleges, government buildings, and other places in the country.
Facebook has deployed 700 Express WiFi hotspots in states of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Gujarat by signing with local ISPs. The company has also partnered with Bharti Airtel to launch an additional 20,000 hotspots.
BSNL plans to deploy 100,000 WiFi hotspots of which 70,000 Wi-Fi hotspots will be from BSNL resources and 20,000 WiFi hotspots through Capex model.
Pune Smart City Development Corporation is planning to install 150 Google Stations as hotspots. Google Stations will be installed as a hotspot in Pune municipality area by Larsen & Toubro. Potentially, 3 million Punekars can now get online within seconds, to message friends, pay bills, shop online, watch music videos — and do millions of other things — at locations all around the city.
RailTel has provided high speed RailWire WiFi services to the rural areas by implementing WiFi facility at 298 designated rural railway stations close to the inhabited villages across the country. With the support from Indian Railways and Universal Service Obligatory Fund (USOF) RailTel is providing fast WiFi experience to the railways stations situated at remote corners of India. RailTel has taken a lead in providing fast WiFi for the use of passengers at A1, A category Railway stations through Google as the technology partner. Presently, RailTel has deployed WiFi hotspots in 392 stations and 33 stations are still remaining.
RailTel has invited tender for supply, installation, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of WiFi Services at 7,700 rural railway stations (D, E & F category).
Globally, total public WiFi hotspots (including homespots) will grow 6-fold from 2016 to 2021 from 94 million in 2016 to 541.6 million by 2021 as per Cisco VNI report.
The focus will be to try creating a meaningful and collaborative platform by bringing all the key stakeholders to chart out a mission for achieving 10 million WiFi hotspots by 2022 so that Digital India reaches every nook and corner of India.
Release of Whitepaper jointly drafted by Broadband India Forum & DigiAnalysys.
With the combination of DigiAnalysys service provider and industry contacts, we are poised to further expand our reach at My India Wi-Fi Summit & Awards 2018. The upcoming conference will be driven by a unique audience pre-qualification process.
For the second edition of My India Wi-Fi Summit & Awards 2018, we are targeting about 150 attendees from government, policy makers, telecom operators, ISP's, System Integrators and large enterprises.
Entry to the summit is by invite only and requires prior online registration for those wishing to attend the summit. Organizers have the right to decline or withhold nominations which do not qualify for complimentary entry passes.
Besides, delegates have an option of booking paid entry passes in advance for securing their entry to the summit. Prices for the same are INR 10,000 per entry for Indian delegates and USD 230 per entry for International delegates. Each delegate package shall include delegate kit, access to conference and plenary sessions, awards ceremony, networking expo, tea/coffee and lunch.
Registrations are closed now. Please check out the event gallery.


text:
Uropterygius is a genus of moray eels in the family Muraenidae.

Species
There are currently 20 recognized species in this genus:
 Uropterygius concolor Rüppell, 1838 (Unicolor snake moray)
 Uropterygius fasciolatus (Regan, 1909) (Blotched moray)
 Uropterygius fuscoguttatus L. P. Schultz, 1953 (Brown spotted snake moray)
 Uropterygius genie J. E. Randall & Golani, 1995
 Uropterygius golanii McCosker & D. G. Smith, 1997
 Uropterygius inornatus Gosline, 1958 (Drab snake moray)
 Uropterygius kamar McCosker & J. E. Randall, 1977 (Barlip reef-eel)
 Uropterygius macrocephalus (Bleeker, 1864) (Needle-tooth moray)
 Uropterygius macularius (Lesueur, 1825) (Marbled moray)
 Uropterygius marmoratus (Lacépède, 1803) (Marbled reef-eel)
 Uropterygius micropterus (Bleeker, 1852) (Tidepool snake moray)
 Uropterygius nagoensis Hatooka, 1984
 Uropterygius oligospondylus I. S. Chen, J. E. Randall & K. H. Loh, 2008
 Uropterygius polyspilus (Regan, 1909) (Large-spotted snake moray)
 Uropterygius polystictus G. S. Myers & Wade, 1941 (Many-spotted moray)
 Uropterygius supraforatus (Regan, 1909) (Many-toothed snake moray)
 Uropterygius versutus W. A. Bussing, 1991 (Two-holes moray)
 Uropterygius wheeleri Blache, 1967
 Uropterygius xanthopterus Bleeker, 1859 (Freckleface reef-eel)
 Uropterygius xenodontus McCosker & D. G. Smith, 1997 (Black snake moray)

Formerly included species
 Anarchias cantonensis – formerly Uropterygius cantonensis

References

Muraenidae
Ray-finned fish genera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia