text:
Q: Python: xml.Find always returns none So I'm trying to search and replace the xml keyword RunCodeAnalysis inside a vcxproj file with python.
I'm pretty new to python so be gentle, but I thought it would be the simplest language to do this kind of thing.
I read a handful of similar examples and came up with the code below, but no matter what I search for the ElementTree Find call always returns None.
from xml.etree import ElementTree as et

xml = '''\
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" ToolsVersion="12.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
   <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Protected_Debug|Win32'">
      <RunCodeAnalysis>false</RunCodeAnalysis>
   </PropertyGroup>
</Project>
'''

et.register_namespace('', "http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003")
tree = et.ElementTree(et.fromstring(xml))
print(tree.find('.//RunCodeAnalysis'))

Here's a simplified code example online:  https://ideone.com/1T1wsb
Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

A: Ok.. So @ThomWiggers helped me with the missing piece - and here's my final code in all it's naive glory.  No parameter checking or any kind of smarts yet, but it takes two parameters - filename and whether to turn static code analysis to true or false.  I've got about 30 projects I want to turn it on for for nightly builds but really don't want to turn it on day to day as it's just too slow.
import sys
from xml.etree import ElementTree as et

et.register_namespace('', "http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003")
tree = et.parse(sys.argv[1])
value = sys.argv[2]
for item in tree.findall('.//{http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003}RunCodeAnalysis'):
    item.text = value
for item in tree.findall('.//{http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003}EnablePREfast'):
    item.text = value
tree.write(sys.argv[1])

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
While thousands of engineering aspirants dreamt of getting into the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, around 750 JEE (Advanced) qualified candidate have opted out in IIT admission 2014.
As per the latest information available, about 18,061 candidates were declared eligible to seek admission in 16 IITs and ISM Dhanbad, whereas only 17,311 had registered themselves for admission. The number may probably go up as some candidates tend to drop out even after seats have been allotted," said an official.
Around 27,151 candidates got through JEE (Advanced) 2014 with 19,416 in common merit list, 6,000 in OBC (NCL), 4,400 in SC and 1,250 in ST merit lists.
If believe in what experts says, the one who have opted out may have chosen foreign universities, BITS or some other private universities.
This year, while the five older IITs still remained as the preferred choice of the aspirant, newer IITs in Bhubaneshwar, Ropar, Indore, Mandi, Patna, Jodhpur, Hyderabad and Gandhinagar lacked behind. These newer IITs have gained less popularity compared to Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) and National Institute of Technology (NITs) because of the poor infrastructure and quality teachers," said a professor.
"Moreover, the placement record and the salary package of the newer IITs are not so encouraging as compared to BITS and some of the NITs," said a student.
The seat allocation for the prestigious IIT & ISM is in process and the first merit list for the same has been declared on July 1, 2014. Over 9,784 seats are up for grab this year.
Topper aims IIT-Bombay for higher studies Shubham...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Patents Behind Your Box of Valentine's Day Chocolates
Before you sample a truffle or a coconut cream, consider all of the innovation that has been poured into the sweets and their lovely presentation
D. Lawrence Tarazano, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
In 1753, the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus named the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. "Theos" means "god" in Greek, and "broma" translates to food, giving the plant that bears cocoa beans, the source of so many delectable treats, a fitting name, "cacao, food of the gods." Even so, chocolate is elevated to a new height at Valentine's Day.
Chocolate is the ground seeds of the cacao tree, a plant native to the tropical regions of the Americas and part of pre-Columbian culture and food. The first European taste of chocolate was in the form of a rich and bitter beverage, which was given to the Spanish at their meeting with Montezuma in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1519. The Spanish took the concept back to Europe and added sugar first, and later milk to make it more like the hot chocolate and molded chocolate candy of today.
It takes about 9 pods—or approximately 550 seeds or beans, as they are called—to make one pound of unsweetened chocolate, and a lot of patented innovations to transform it into the product you see on shelves now.
Cocoa beans in a pod Wikimedia via USDA
Many of the improvements in chocolate in the 19th century and early 20th century related to improving ways of making it into a beverage. We often think of mocha, or a mixture of coffee and chocolate, as something relatively new; however, inventor Daniel Fobes of Boston was issued U.S. Pat. No. 64,856 on May 21, 1867, for a mixture of coffee and chocolate in the form of cakes or tablets that were to be eaten or mixed with water or milk and used as a beverage. In 1911, Servetus Achor of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, was granted Pat. No. 982,779 for a "Process of Preparing Emulsified Chocolate." The product comprises chocolate, along with sugar and milk, in such proportions that when mixed with hot water or milk it produced "a delicious refreshing beverage."
Of course, as wonderful as a chocolate beverage is, today when we think of Valentine's Day, it's a box of chocolate candy that usually comes to mind. The solid chocolate used to make beverages in the 19th century could be eaten as solid, and it was sold in that form, but it was grainy because the nib, or center of a cocoa seed, was present in discernible pieces. It was not until the Swiss chocolate manufacturer and inventor Rodolphe Lindt invented the "conche" in 1879, which would grind the chocolate nib in to very small particles that a product came about with a smooth mouth feel. The device was comprised of a granite roller that went back and forth in a granite trough grinding the chocolate.
Hershey used this granite roller and base of a conche in the early 1900s. WikiCommons
While conches have changed over the years, the continuous grinding of the chocolate over hours and hours remains a constant. German inventor Freidrich Schildener made his own refinement to the conching machine, a "device for treating chocolate masses or other materials" patented in 1923 that combined the roller action developed by Lindt with the attributes of a rotating scraper. The patent discloses how "Untreated raw chocolate is placed in a heated circular container T, in which it is continuously moved to and fro, similar to the mass in a longitudinal grinding mill" and "in order to subject all and any parts of the mass to the treatment a number mixing and scraping blades… rotate around the inner wall of the container."
Schildener's "Device for Treating Chocolate Masses or Other Materials," patented Nov. 20, 1923 U.S. Pat. No. 1,474,945
A decade later, Wallace Jones and Leonard Dotzer improved the conching process in yet another way by developing an apparatus and process that used multiple conching rollers and allowed the chocolate to be conched in a continuous stream as opposed to batches.
W. T. Jones et al's "Manufacture of Chocolate," patented Nov. 22, 1938 U.S. Pat. No. 2,137,294
A. Winkler et al's "Chocolate and the Like Coating Machine," patented Jan. 10, 1933 U.S. Pat. No. 1,894,077
A proper box of Valentine's Day chocolates comprises a variety of individual chocolate pieces; in the production of individual chocolates, solid pieces need to be molded and fondant or caramel centers need to be coated. This is either done by hand or by using different machines. In the 1930s, Alfred Winkler and Max Dünnebier developed and patented a multipurpose machine for "coating sugar bodies, biscuits and other articles with chocolate and the like." In 1938, chocolate making was often local business; candy would have to travel by rail, and the melting point of chocolate made it something that was not easy to ship. Small local companies needed flexible machines that could produce a variety chocolates. The machine developed by Winkler and Dünnebier could both coat fondant or caramel centers and mold both solid and hollow chocolates. While large commercial operations today would have separate machines to do these tasks as their scale would allow for the space, capital investment and capacity, a small operation could still use this machine today.
Maria Kestekides-Kesdekoglu for a "Chocolate Having a Heart Design," patented March 8, 1994 U.S. Design Pat. No. 344,843
Brent Anderson et al's "Confection," patented on Dec. 20, 2011 and assigned to Mars Inc., the maker of Dove chocolates. Dove script, as shown on the chocolate, has been used since 2005, and has had a registered trademark in the United States since Sept. 2, 2008. U.S. Design Pat. No. 650,556
Beressey et al's "Confection," patented on May 12, 2015 and assigned to Godiva Chocolatier Inc. The image of Lady Godiva on the top of the chocolate (an optional design feature, as noted by the dotted lines) is a registered trademark. U.S. Design Pat. No. 728,893
M. H. Connor's "Box Cover or Similar Article of Manufacture," patented July 22, 1924 U.S. Design Pat. No. 65,224
Clarence Pierce's "Candy or Like Box," patented Nov. 27, 1927 U.S. Design Pat. No. 73,983
Inez Craven's "Candy Box," patented on Nov. 15, 1949 U.S. Design Pat. No. 155,972
Charles A. Howe's "Candy Package," patented on Feb. 28, 1950 U.S. Design Pat. No. 157,495
Joseph Ehrenfeld's "Candy Box," patented on Nov. 12, 1968 U.S. Design Pat. No. 212,673
Even the configuration of the inside of the box can be patented, as in Lowell Elver's 1964 patent for a "Corrugated Heart-Shaped Confection Box." U.S. Design Pat. No. 199,646
Certainly, when it comes to chocolates for the holiday, presentation is a key element. In 1861, British chocolatier Richard Cadbury put "eating chocolates" in boxes decorated with cupids and rosebuds—a move that is part of an extensive design history in the presentation of chocolates. We've grown accustomed to receiving our chocolates, sometimes heart-shaped pieces of Dove or Godiva chocolate, in heart-shaped boxes, many of which have even been patented.
Learn more about the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
The Editorial Staff of Smithsonian magazine had no role in this content's preparation.


Sudoku is, of course, the global puzzling phenomenon that in the last five years has taken the world by storm. Where there was previously just a daily crossword in newspapers, now in the vast majority of them there is also sudoku, such is the popularity of the puzzle.
This puzzle magazine is a little unlike most of the puzzle magazines on here, in that it contains a puzzle that is extremely common where many others are rare variants that you may not have encountered before. However, this selection of fiendish sudoku puzzles contains puzzles geared towards those who are looking for something a little trickier than the easy and medium sudoku puzzles that are most commonly seen in mainstream media.
All 50 puzzles in this collection will require you to do more than simply seek out the single number that must go in a cell through either checking where each number can go in a row/column or what can go in an individual cell. The first 20 puzzles will require you to consider how numbers in one region can be used to eliminate numbers in intersecting regions, and also look at some deductions based on the candidates for cells in a region containing more than one candidate.
Later puzzles are along the same lines but the deductions based on the sets of values in a region may be trickier to spot, whilst the final ten puzzles will all require you to use the X-Wing strategy to solve. If you only normally do newspaper sudokus then there is a high chance this method will be unfamiliar to you, but it is quite easy to understand and the most accessible of the sudoku solving rules that are generally considered 'hard'. Essentially the technique looks to see if there are the same two cell positions in two rows or columns that must contain a given value, and if so eliminates it from other cells in those regions. For instance if you establish that '1' must go in cell 4 or 7 of row 2 and also the '1' in row 5 must go in either cell 4 or 7 then you can eliminate it as a candidate from other cells in rows 2 and 5.
You can view one of the X-Wing Sudoku Puzzles in the magazine here. The magazine contains 50 puzzles in PDF format on A4 paper laid out four a page, following by the solutions.


text:
Q: DownloadPipelineArtifact@2 get build artificat from select branch I have a installer pipeline that you can manually run after regular build pipeline (which produces the application).
However, I need the installer to fetch the same build that I select when I run "installer pipeline".
- task: DownloadPipelineArtifact@2
  inputs:
    source: specific
    project: '$(System.TeamProjectId)'
    pipeline: 23
    path: '$(System.ArtifactsDirectory)'
    artifact: 'drop'
    runVersion: 'latestFromBranch'

and in the debug of the pipeline I get:
##[debug]PipelineId from non-trigerringBuild: (and wrong id here)
I run the installing pipeline manually selecting a branch/commit so it cant be hard-coded.

A: From your error message

##[debug]PipelineId from non-trigerringBuild: (and wrong id here)

It indicates you have specified a invalid pipelineID, you could double-check this.
I have followed your steps to create an installer pipeline A to download the Pipeline Artifact from build pipeline B using DownloadPipelineArtifact@2 task
Latest Artifact from main is 1590 and dev is 1593.

Running the installer pipeline manually by selecting main and dev.
Main:

Dev:

Here is the task sample:
- task: DownloadPipelineArtifact@2
  inputs:
    buildType: 'specific'
    project: '{Proj Name}}'
    definition: {definitionID}
    buildVersionToDownload: 'latestFromBranch'
    branchName: 'refs/heads/{branch name}'


text:
The Meaning of Agility in Marketing
Delivered April 26th, 2021. Contributors: Maureen K.
According to Inc., the four most essential components of an agile marketing team are implementing daily standup meetings, utilizing user stories, holding agile retro meetings, and work-in-progress limits, where only a specific number of projects can be worked on at any given time. Covid-19 has challenged the operating and business models of many companies that have had to adapt to continue operating and thrive. For example, BestBuy had a plan for curbside pickup and delivery that was supposed to take 18 months to implement. However, when the lockdown hit, the company went operational in two days. Detailed information is below.
What is Agile Marketing
According to Cleverism, agile marketing is a strategy used by organizations to manage and improve the working of the marketing team by streamlining team structure, communication, workflows, and processes to increase quality and efficiency. It is the long-term, deliberate use of a designated agile methodology in project management for marketing departments.
Per Wrike, the agile marketing concept relies on continuous testing and duplication, measuring and quantifying results, and using the data that is available to drive and inform future marketing campaigns.
Agile marketing applies the concepts of agile project management like retros and sprints to marketing projects.
What Agile Business Models Look Like Post-pandemic
Covid-19 has challenged the operating and business models of many companies. Agile organizations have proven to be more resilient than the average company and are thus better suited to respond to economic shocks posed by the pandemic. Agile companies have had to create new operating models for the next normal.
Covid-19 has highlighted the huge variation from one industry to the next and from one geography to the next. The pandemic has also led to the acceleration of the pace and speed of business. For example, BestBuy had a plan for curbside pickup and delivery that was supposed to take 18 months to implement. However, when the lockdown hit, the company went operational in two days.
Majid Al Futtaim in the Middle East saw its cinema business hit hard by the pandemic. The company changed its operating model and retrained its ushers and ticket collectors in a matter of days to work in other parts of their business, including the grocery and retail business that was booming. Some luxury goods companies pivoted their operations and changed from running factories that were making perfumes to hand sanitizers.
Also, there has been a reduction in decision paths or decision structures in organizations, increasing efficiency. For example, a bank in Australia initially had decisions made through a long process and many committees. In the post-pandemic era, the bank resolved to effectively reduce to a model where three senior executives in the room every morning at 8:00 make these decisions. Decision making has accelerated and has been pushed further down in the organization.
How Brands are Consciously Building for Agile
Mckinsey says that agile companies have managed the impact of the COVID-19 crisis better than their peers. In post pandemic times, some similar patterns have been observed, like boundaries and silos being removed, and this has helped to accelerate the pace of decision-making. Different talent teams in companies have come together to focus on the most critical issues, reducing the time that they would have spent trying to get many departments and people aligned.
Leaders also connected with teams at personal levels, and collaboration, leadership, new technology, and remote working were adopted overnight. Companies are trying to learn from the change so that the new level of performance doesn't end during the crisis but is carried into the after-crisis era.
Brands in Asia have historically had a very high metabolic rate. This has accelerated further during the pandemic and challenged some beliefs. One belief is the speed at which the organization can work. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was the notion that large corporations faced complex decisions that took time. The pandemic made companies focus on a few decisions that matter and make decisions (that typically had to go through many committees) on the fly and with the same level or better in terms of risk and financial scrutiny. Focusing on the most important things allows companies to remove the hierarchy and unnecessary bureaucratic processes, leading to more productivity after quickly adapting and reacting to the crisis.
The second belief is efficiency. Many companies have gone after high levels of productivity over the years and getting rid of people they don't need. The "output of many organizations during the crisis was higher on certain dimensions than before with fewer people. For example, one bank in Southeast Asia found that the number of people that had dialed in via VPN was a third less. However, the productivity in terms of processing requests was 20% higher."
Companies that had adopted agile ways of working have weathered the Covid-19 pandemic "better and are coming out of it stronger and faster than those that didn't." The crisis has demonstrated the value and the amount of performance improvement that an organization can get when it adopts agile ways of working with real clarity of purpose and being dynamic on where and how you allocate resources given an incredibly fluid external environment.
Organizations are learning how to embrace agility as it has been proven to help in periods of huge uncertainty and in periods of business as usual. Since no one knows how long the crisis will last, one of the big challenges is how to make it more sustainable. Companies will have to reflect on what has worked for them through the crisis and what elements they want to retain post-pandemic. Some brands had to abandon their standard process of addressing and balancing multiple competing priorities and instead zero in on their most critical objectives.
Leaders at one European bank realized that since customers were quarantining and staying at home, it was a big risk for the company as its core services weren't optimized for online, and customers might decide to leave and join banks that had better digitalization. This bank "kicked its digitalization efforts into high gear and launched fully redigitalized offerings online in just eight weeks. Before the pandemic, it believed that such a full conversion would take years. But when it saw how critical the need was, it delivered the strengthened digital product in record time."
When the leader of plasma-derived therapies at Takeda realized that it might "speed the development of plasma-based COVID-19 medicines by partnering with others, it formed a nonprofit alliance with other companies. Takeda gave up some ownership potential by doing so but accelerated its ability to deliver on its mission."
Thanks to the pandemic, many companies have embarked on experiments in which they've organized around outcomes in flattened structures that replace physical colocation with hybrid models. Barclays is decentralizing decision-making by making local branches satellite offices for more employees, including investment bankers, call-center workers, and people who formerly had to commute to a central office.
India's Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) believes that its "new hybrid model, which frees associates from any need to spend more than 25% of their time in a TCS office, could improve velocity by about 25%, thanks to productivity gains."
People are reallocated, re-skilled, and re-energized. Much of the redeployment has been accompanied by retraining that gives employees more options in the long run. SWIFT, a European payments company, launched the "DevSecOps academy, a virtual-training system for employees to strengthen their engineering capabilities and become fit for the future. Verizon created new virtual training programs and retrained more than 20,000 workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of hourly staffers now take at-home customer-service and sales roles."
Brands are consciously building for agile by propelling technology to the front lines during the COVID-19 crisis. When the Covid-19 crisis hit, Verizon "suspended in-home installation appointments. Instead, the company developed a new tool designed to help Verizon customers install new equipment and troubleshoot issues at home with remote assistance from a technician. This remote-assistance tool has proved so successful that Verizon believes it will help the company gain access to new markets."
Key Components of an Agile Marketing Team Today
According to Inc., there are four most essential components of an agile marketing team:
It Implements Daily Standup Meetings
An agile marketing team holds daily standup meetings in the mornings and involves asking all those attending three questions; what they did yesterday, what they will do today, and any roadblocks preventing them from moving forward.
Daily standup meetings are among the best ways to improve project visibility and collaboration.
Inc. did a survey of marketing teams and found that of the 54% surveyed, 44% regularly engage in standup meetings.
Getting all team members in the same room for a brief rundown enables them to be aware of what is going on and help each other overcome any stumbling blocks before they sabotage the project's timeline.
It Utilizes User Stories
The second key component of an agile marketing team is that it utilizes user stories. User stories are a customer-centric way for the team to explain what it is doing. User stories ensure that marketers only implement what will benefit the target audience.
The marketing team documents the user story in a creative brief or project kickoff notes for reference.
In marketing, a user story highlights the content that the target audience would like to have to achieve an outcome.
Per Inc., 42% of agile marketers utilize the user stories.
Holds Agile Retro Meetings
An agile retro takes place once the project is completed. The retro meetings are limited to an hour and aim to give team members the chance to address the project's successes and any areas that need improvement. This enables the marketing team to continually reiterate and implement better practices for future projects.
In the agile retro meeting, the team discusses what went well and celebrates successes. The team also discusses what didn't go well and gets honest about its failures. Lastly, the team brainstorms ways to improve in the future by using failure as an opportunity to do better.
A study by Inc. found that 32% of agile marketers choose to use the agile retro feature with their teams.
Work-in-Progress Limits
Work-in-progress limits means that only a specific number of projects can be worked on at any given time. It forces the team to complete a project before it can start another one.
For example, if a company's content marketing team is creating three different content items like an eBook and two white papers, setting a work-in-progress limit means that the team cannot start a fourth item until one of the items being worked on is completed.
Work-in-Progress limits streamline the process of getting things down, while also increasing the quality of the deliverable.
The Inc. study found that 32% of agile marketing teams use the work-in-progress approach when managing their marketing projects.
Team Structure in Agile Marketing
Agile marketing teams have a flat structure, where there are no chains of command or siloed departments. Instead, the company encourages team members to collaborate freely on projects and work across departments to deliver results using whichever people and approach they prefer.
However, an element of leadership still exists in agile marketing. The senior team members keep making the big decisions on the direction the team should take. A project manager normally oversees the agile project management process and provides advice to team members where necessary.
Steps Involved in Preparing a Team for Agile Marketing
There are three key steps involved in preparing a team for agile marketing: Creating an agile team structure, setting up the agile processes and platform, and onboarding.
Creating an Agile Team Structure
The first step is creating an agile team structure. It is the most challenging as agile marketing requires a flat, integrated team. Any existing 'siloes' within the team may need to be broken down like the SEO or social media departments operating independently will be required to adapt to working on a level playing field with each other and other departments.
Switching to agile marketing should be reflected in an update to each team member's contract, which may involve reduced leadership responsibilities for some team members.
Setting up the Agile Processes and Platform
The second step is setting up the agile platform and processes. Once the team members agree to the new agile team structure, the platform and processes that will power the agile marketing should be implemented.
Agile marketing is mostly supported with a project management platform. This provides the basis for assigning tasks to team members, documenting progress towards goals, and collaboration on tasks. The platform should enable all three stages of the agile marketing cycle: build, measure, learn.
Most agile marketing teams also use software that helps with the data-intensive measure and learn phases of the agile cycle. Widely used examples include media monitoring tools that help identify PR opportunities in real time, and SEO tools that monitor website search performance. Each marketing team should choose a mix of tools to suit its unique strategy, which may evolve quickly through the agile methodology.
The marketing team's leadership will also have some decisions to make on the exact agile marketing setup they will use. The leadership should decide whether the team will use the popular scrum setup for agile working, how progress will be reported to senior stakeholders, and how the team members will be incentivized to fully adopt the agile way of working.
Onboarding is the last step in preparing a team for agile marketing. Team members and clients should be onboarded onto the new agile marketing setup. It's crucial to convey the excitement and opportunity of the moment to secure everyone's buy-in at this vital early stage. Agile marketing teams often use a project manager to lead the onboarding process and subsequently to oversee the team's use of the agile methodology.
Responsibilities for the project manager typically include training team members in the use of the project management platform, leading agile meetings, and adapting agile processes according to the specific requirements of the team.
The project should also consider developing a tailored agile marketing manifesto for the team. This document should combine the principles of agile working with the identity and objectives of the organization, resulting in a message that tells team members how agile marketing will help the team achieve its aims.
Agile Marketing: A Step-by-Step Guide
cleverism.com
What is Agile Marketing? | Wrike
wrike.com
These Are the 4 Most Essential Elements of Agile Marketing
The Ultimate Guide To Agile Marketing
teamwork.com
Building agile organizations for the next normal
How COVID-19 is redefining the next-normal operating model


Of course, with Chucky as your friend, the end comes much sooner than you ever expected.
is the latest perturbed plaything to be produced by Mezco Toyz.
The star of five CHILD'S PLAY films, Chucky features 7 points of articulation.
He also comes with a knife that he is sure to use for no good.


text:
By Sarah Hannan
The recent revelation made by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) on the cases of suicides recorded between January to May 2021, which amounted to 468, has turned the spotlight on the rising number of suicides amid the pandemic. In comparison to the annual total of 631 cases in 2020 and 609 cases in 2019, which averaged about two cases per day, this year, the average cases per day have almost doubled.
According to PDRM, the main reasons behind these incidents had been financial difficulties caused by debt, emotional pressure, and troubled family relationships.
The Ministry of Health meanwhile stated that in 2020, a total of 1,080 cases of persons who attempted suicide received treatment at government hospitals.
Director General of Health, Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, issuing a statement noted that the pandemic has severely impacted the mental health of people. He had further noted that certain individuals are more susceptible to mental health problems when they are disconnected from their support networks, such as friends and family, due to the ongoing movement control orders, and would experience episodes of depression that could even lead to suicide.
Suicide Is Criminalised In Malaysia
Malaysia being a country with a Muslim majority considers it a sin to take any life including one's own. Moreover, as an attempt to deter persons from taking their lives, the government has criminalised suicide under Section 309 of the Penal Code, where anyone who attempts to commit suicide and fails would be imprisoned for a term extending up to a year or imposed a fine or will be subjected to imprisonment and imposed a fine.
The law enacted in 1936 originated from the Indian Penal Code that was based on the British Common Law. While many other countries in the region that adopted the Colonial common law has by now repealed or has modified the section, we have yet to follow suite.
The country's Psychiatric and Mental Health Services Operational Policy, while recognising suicide attempts as a mental health issue that needs treatment, indicates that when an individual who attempted suicide is referred for medical care, they should be placed under strict supervision until they are considered to be in a stable condition and would not harm themselves.
However, Section 309 does not indicate that the individual should be referred to medical or psychological care after or during sentencing. Which calls for its immediate repeal or appropriate modification by concerned citizens.
Since suicide is criminalised by law, it may also discourage individuals from reaching out to counselling services or suicide prevention helplines, fearing that their situation would be compromised and they would have to face legal action.
Decriminalising Suicide Is Suicide Prevention
For many years, the civil society, mental health specialists and various other non-governmental agencies have been pushing for the decriminalisation of suicide in Malaysia. Highlighting the importance of decriminalising suicide, and the progress that the authorities have made so far towards achieving it, Bar Council Law Reform & Special Areas Committee Co-Chairman and National Coalition of Mental Wellbeing member, Datuk Seri M. Ramachelvam, noted that; "The World Health Organisation has called upon the countries around the world to decriminalise suicide, therefore the moment is now, and we should not delay anymore".
Adding that, in 2012 the government's Law Reform Committee conducted a study on reviewing the penal code section 309, and in the same year the then Minister of Health had stated that suicide should be decriminalised.
Ramachelvam also stated that, in 2019, the Minister of Law had said that a bill would be presented in Parliament to repeal Section 309 of the Penal Code, which was supposed to have happened in 2020. While in 2020 the federal government had said that the Attorney General's chamber was studying various jurisdictions on the issue of decriminalising suicide.
Ramachelvam further noted that; "People who are contemplating suicide or who have attempted suicide never gets reported to relevant mental health authorities through the doctors or family members. Because if the incident gets reported there will be a potential criminal charge over the person who attempted suicide and survived. The stigma caused by the criminalisation of the act itself can deter the individual from seeking and receiving mental health related care, counselling or rehabilitative care".
According to Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Consultant Psychiatrist at the National University of Malaysia, Dr. Lai Fong Chan, criminalising suicide does not act as a deterrent to prevent somebody from attempting suicide, and can actually have a negative effect, as it marginalises people who are in distress, from accessing help from mental health services.
Adding that; "When someone is in acute suicidal crisis, somebody who is crying out for help in that distress, it's unthinkable that you would dangle this punishment as a deterrent saying 'you are going to prison'. Emotional distress is not best dealt with a prison sentence".
Dr. Chan pointed out that there are already laws in place in the Mental Health Act that if someone is suspected to have mental health issues that puts the individual at risk of their own safety, PDRM and the registered social workers have the mandate to bring such persons to a mental health service provider or to a health service provider for assessment and care.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the Befrienders at 03-76272929.
Sign and share this petition to decriminalise suicide in Malaysia.
World Kindness Day: 5 ways to be kinder to yourself
"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. " – Lao Tzu


Fishing culture, family, community, the lobstering business, boatbuilding and more are documented by members of an experiential oral history class at College of the Atlantic.
WINTER HARBOR — Don't say "pig" on a lobster boat. Look out for other fishermen, even if you're in competition. Water temperatures are affecting lobsters, but in truth the fishing industry has always been fickle.
These are a few of the lessons learned by students who conducted an oral history project in Winter Harbor. Fourteen students from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor interviewed members of the community, covering issues such as global markets for lobster, the culture of fishing in the town and how to build a wooden lobster boat.


text:
ecosurety sponsors the Green Product Award at the Bristol Post Green Capital Awards
Sustainability | Ecosurety
We are proud to be a sponsor of the first ever Bristol Post Green Capital Awards, which gives recognition to outstanding environmental endeavors across the city.
In the year that Bristol is European Green Capital, the awards will focus on the people who work hard across the city to help the environment, communicating their story to a broad audience.
The wide range of awards up for grabs will recognise organisations, entrepreneurs, communities, individuals, buildings and innovations that have demonstrated environmental excellence.
James Potten, managing director of ecosurety, will be presenting the Green Product Award at the award ceremony being held tonight. The finalists for this award are:
Planglow– creators of The Street Box container for street food, featuring a unique home compostable plant-based laminate which may be disposed of in a residential compost heap.
GDS – designer and manufacturer of the worlds first LED candle lamp that can dim to absolute zero and in total unity across any size of auditorium using custom electronics built into the lamp itself.
OmniDynamics– creators of Strooder that makes plastic filament for 3D printers in any colour or material from recycled plastic or plastic pellets at a fraction of the cost of factory filament.
It looks to be an exciting evening and a number of the ecosurety team will be attending the event, we can't wait to meet all the award winners and worthy nominees at the ceremony.
Keep an eye on our twitter feed (@ecosurety) for photos and news from the evening!
Olivia Green
Olivia joined Ecosurety in October 2014 as a Graduate account specialist. Now, as a key account manager, her role involves working with our members to provide support across all aspects of the company.
Written by Olivia Green Published 12/11/2015 Topics Ecosurety
The future of textiles EPR - the start of shoddy recycling policy?
Last year textiles were identified as a priority for future EPR, here we look at the wider issues and how it could be implemented.
Support for your packaging, WEEE, battery and ESOS compliance
Budget 2018 – all you need to know about waste and recycling
Following HM Treasury's call for evidence on single-use plastics earlier this year, the Chancellor yesterday announced plans for a new tax on plastic packaging which contains less than 30% recycled plastic, subject to consultation.


the original shocks ran backwards.
the forests drifting into smoke.
smirked as one more creature disappeared.
In the north, the ice melting.
gathered to a senseless pile of dust.
now a symptom of the amnesia.
Ray Templeton is a Scottish writer and musician living in St. Albans, England. His poetry and short fiction has appeared widely on the web as well as in print, most recently in Eclectica, nthposition and qarrtsiluni. His e-chapbook The Act Of Finding was published in 2009 by Right Hand Pointing. He is a regular contributor to Musical Traditions and a member of the editorial board of Blues & Rhythm magazine.
These simple images carry such dreadful power. Even more since we took it, particularly here in America.
They take work which has been previously published.


Work Order Pricing can only view and edit fields in the Work Order related to the Field Ticket – fixed price, blanket discounts, etc.
"Asset Movements & Status" tab within Asset Details window is only editable by Administrators & Asset Administrators.
Green "X" signifies user can perform all functions available (e.g., Create, Edit, Delete).
Orange "Read-only" signifies user is only permitted to view the screen.
Administrator role can perform all functions by default.


Sticking with the theme of Halloween baking, we thought today we would bring another simple recipe to the blog. We recently made these delicious vanilla biscuits and since Halloween is SO soon, we had to use our bat cookie cutters! If you're looking for a recipe that doesn't take ages to prepare or require a tonne of ingredients, you need to try this!
The recipe is from a book called 'Home Baking' which is full of easy but yummy recipes. We've written up the recipe ourselves below so you can try it yourself this Halloween!
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mark 4).
Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the caster sugar and vanilla extract and mix together to form a dough.
Roll out the dough on a surface lightly dusted with flour and cut out the bats using your bat cookie cutter (we got ours years ago but we know you can find one similar from Hobbycraft)!
Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are just lightly golden and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
After allowing the biscuits to cool, we rolled out some black fondant icing and cut it out using the same bat cookie cutter. We then used a bit of water to stick the icing onto the biscuit, simple!
The cookies are so simple to make and the perfect treat for Halloween! They taste sweet but not overpowering and the icing makes them taste even better. If you want to bake something quick and easy this Halloween you should definitely give these a go, the presentation doesn't take a lot of effort either!
Very envious of having no bat- shaped utter right now – these look awesome!
You should treat yourself to a bat cutter haha! Never too late!!!
Ooo these look so good! I love how easy the recipe is as well, may have to give them a go. I just wish I was better at doing icing, I've attempted it before and it did not go well aha!
We're sisters, Lushies and lovers of Disney who blog about cruelty-free beauty, fashion & lifestyle.
We've abandoned our little blog so much 😱 we don't know how you all do it but we are so bad at juggling everything 😂😂 here's to summer & hopefully more time for blogging!
So so happy that the sun is out again & it makes us want to just sit outside with a book and a cold drink, anyone else?? ☀📖 head to our latest post to see what we're currently reading!


text:
'Our daughter was born sleeping - but she was perfect in every way'
The family were told there was only a five percent chance their baby would survive.
Jemma Page
Steve Maxine and Amelia Hosking donate a cheque worth £1000 to Steve Hale chair of Nottingham SANDS
It was supposed to be the year the Hosking family became complete – but instead of celebrating the birth of their second daughter, parents Steve and Maxine were planning her funeral.
The couple found out baby Heidi Ann was going to be stillborn just before Christmas, after Maxine's waters broke when she was 18 weeks pregnant.
After being admitted to King's Mill Hospital, the family were told there was only a five percent chance their baby would survive.
Maxine, 35, of Sutton-in-Ashfield, said: "There was also the chance I could catch an infection and my organs would shut down.
"My husband could have been burying his wife and his child so we made the decision to protect our first born and induce a miscarriage.
"If Heidi had better chances of survival, we would have given her that chance but her lungs wouldn't have developed properly.
"This all happened over Christmas – it was the worst time of year. We didn't tell our daughter anything so we had to keep a front up almost."
Steve, 48, and Maxine's second daughter, Heidi, was born sleeping on January 5, weighing a tiny 11oz.
Maxine – also mum to Amelia, five – said: "She was perfect in every way. Ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes, but she was sleeping.
"We told Amelia Heidi was poorly and had gone to heaven after she was born. She always talks about her little sister and we have photos up in the house.
"She's very much a part of our lives. If anyone asks me how many children I have, I'll always say two."
The couple decided to start fundraising to help them through their traumatic experience, raising £2,000, which has been equally split between two charities.
Maxine said: "We know we can't bring back what we want but we hate the thought that others have to go through it.
"You have no idea, you're completely oblivious to what it will be like. It's awful. I had to go through a full birth and we had a funeral – my daughter's funeral was the first funeral I ever attended.
"Fundraising gave us a focus. We wanted to help those people who will go through this in the future. You can't stop it from happening but you can make it that little bit easier."
This weekend the family handed over £1,000 to the Nottingham Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS), an organisation which supported them after their loss.
Another £1,000 will be donated to the Sherwood Birthing Unit at King's Mill, where Maxine gave birth, in due course.
She said: "Nothing can change what we are going through as a family and the loss of Heidi Ann but we want a lasting memory to be created because of her.
"While our pain is still so very raw and we realise we are still at the start of our journey, we always maintained that we wanted something good to come out of our sadness."
Nottingham SANDS supports anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth.
Steve Hale, chair of the charity, said: "We offer emotional support and information for parents, grandparents, siblings, children, families and friends, health professionals and others.
"We work closely with local hospitals and provide memory boxes for bereaved parents to help capture precious memories of their babies. Currently we are raising money to help fund the creation of a bereavement support room at the City Hospital.
"The money that Maxine and Steve have raised in the name of their baby, Heidi Ann, will be invaluable in helping Nottingham Sands carry on this work."


Orthotists and prosthetists help patients use damaged parts of their bodies or replace parts that patients have lost to accidents or illnesses. Orthotists fit braces to help support parts of the body or to correct malformations. Prosthetists fit artificial limbs.
Working with doctors' prescriptions, orthotists and prosthetists carefully measure their patients and design braces or artificial limbs that suit the patients' specific needs. Braces and artificial limbs are crafted from wood, steel, aluminum, leather, cloth, rubber, and plastic. Once the devices are made, orthotists or prosthetists fit them on their patients, often with the help of doctors and physical therapists. The team makes sure the devices work properly. Adjustments are made, if necessary.
Bachelor's degrees in orthotics or prosthetics are usually required. After a period of supervised clinical practice, college graduates are eligible for exams given by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics. Others become certified by earning associate degrees in any field; completing certificate programs in orthotics and prosthetics; working for four years in the field; and taking exams.
Job seekers can apply directly to hospitals, clinics, government agencies, and private companies. School placement offices, professional journals, newspaper classified ads, and job banks on the Internet may offer employment information.
The possibilities for advancement depend on education, experience, and skill. In large hospitals or clinics, orthotists and prosthetists can become department heads. Some start their own practices or become researchers, salespeople, or teachers.
Employment of orthotists and prosthetists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. The field is growing because an aging population needs more rehabilitative care and insurance companies are providing greater access to orthotic and prosthetic devices. Also, advancements in technology are allowing more people to have new devices designed for them.
Most orthotists and prosthetists work in combination shop-laboratories, which are usually inspected by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Orthotists and prosthetists must work well with their hands and machinery. They must also be able to communicative compassionately with their patients.
Salaries vary with education, experience, and place of employment. In 2006 the median salary for experienced, certified orthotists and prosthetists was $59,540 per year. Beginning workers with bachelor's degrees earned about $27,500 per year. Benefits generally included paid holidays and vacations, health insurance, and retirement plans. Self-employed orthotists and prosthetists provided their own benefits.


text:
ReviewsMobilesNewsMobile
LG Teases Dual Screen Smartphone Launches on September 14
LG is going to be have a going to announce on wednesday about Nevertheless, LG hasn't provided any specific details about the new model – apart from confirming its virtual the launch of its Explorer Project that is aimed to bring new smartphones with "distinctive and yet unexplored usability experiences". The first model under the new lineup will debut as early as September 14, the company said alongside releasing a teaser video.
The video suggests a handset with a rotating and dual screen experience. This hints at the rumoured "Wing" phone that was speculated to debut in the second half of this year. LG said that the new project is aimed to expand the current user experience and would focus solely on new usability.
LG said in a press release that the new smartphone would be a part of its Explorer Project. The company is working with partners including Qualcomm, Rave, Ficto, Tubi, and Naver to develop features for its new form factor.
"LG and platform partners feel it is vitally important to demonstrate to consumers new and differentiated user experiences in the smartphone space," said Morris Lee, president of LG's Mobile Communications Company, in a statement. "LG has always been a pioneer in pushing the envelope of smartphone form factors, the only way to bring about much needed innovation in the mobile market."
The rumour mill suggested that the T-shape design of LG's new smartphone could bring new use cases. One of the new use cases could be to let users watch one content horizontally on a wide screen while viewing the other one in a vertical position. The phone is also said to have a primary display of 6.8 inches, whereas its secondary display could be of four inches and has 1:1 aspect ratio.
LG may unveil the Wing phone with a premium price tag of around $1,000 (roughly Rs. 73,000). It is also rumoured to have some specifications similar to those of the LG Velvet that debuted with triple rear cameras and Snapdragon 765G SoC in May. The company in its release, however, highlighted that the new lineup under the Explorer Project would be unlike phones including the Velvet that are under its Universal Line and are marketed as competitive devices.
In the recent past, models including the LG G8X ThinQ and V60 ThinQ with detachable dual screens brought by the South Korean company to cater to the market of dual screens.
The company also has a history of providing early dual selfie camera phones and curved screen handsets to gain some traction. However, the new model is projected to take the company's presence in the smartphone market to a new level by bringing an all new mobile viewing experience.
Previous articlePUBG among 118 more mobile apps banned by Indian Govt
Next articleAsus Launches new graphic cards GeForce RTX 3070, 3080, 3090 Graphics Cards in Strix, TUF, Dual Series in India
Mobile Feature September 9, 2020
Source code of Android 11 uploaded on AOSP
Source code of Android 11 The source of the stable...
News July 29, 2020
Apple May Working on 3D Audio Sound Technology for Rumoured Apple Glass : says report
The patent was granted by USPTO just a day...
The US government has added a dozen more Chinese...
An unknown whale has just moved 9 million MANA...
Eternals — the new Marvel movie out Friday in cinemas...
MetalCore will likely borrow tradeable elements from existing GameFi...


Constant contact is an online marketing company that offers services for email, social media and event marketing primarily for small businesses. It features a drag and drop editor for building customized emails from various templates. Its contact management system lets you import contact files in various formats or from services like Gmail, Outlook and your CRM tools. Constant Contact has an auto-responder and a real time tracking and reporting tool for monitoring your marketing. It also supports social media sharing and has integrations with many services like Salesforce, Hootsuite, Formstack and more.


I am selling these items second hand from some very large and diverse collections. Being based near "Music City" in Tennessee I see all kinds of music related items coming and going. I know very little about the details of the items individual history however and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you very much for your interest and have a beautiful day.


text:
Q: send and receive SMS using GO langage and an USB GSM modem i have to develop a SMS gateway that receive and send SMS  throughout a USB Modem and that must  be done with GO language
hope that you can help

A: Rough outline

*

*Use goserial to speak AT commands to the GSM modem which will appear as a serial device

*Send SMS

*Receive SMS

*Profit!


Surgical technologists, also called surgical technicians or operating room technicians, are members of the surgical team who work in the operating room with surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other personnel before, during, and after surgery. They ensure a safe and sterile environment. To prepare a patient for surgery, they may wash, shave, and disinfect the area where the incision will be made. They arrange the equipment, instruments, and supplies in the operating room according to the preference of the surgeons and nurses. During the operation, they adjust lights and other equipment as needed. They count sponges, needles, and instruments used during the operation, hand instruments and supplies to the surgeon, and hold retractors and cut sutures as directed. They maintain specified supplies of fluids (for example, saline, plasma, blood, and glucose), and may assist in administering these fluids. Following the operation, they may clean and restock the operating room and wash and sterilize the used equipment using germicides, autoclaves, and sterilizers, although in most larger hospitals these tasks are done by other central service personnel. There are approximately 83,700 surgical technologists employed in the United States.
While the origins of surgery go back to prehistoric times, two scientific developments made modern surgery possible. The first was the discovery of anesthesia in the mid-19th century. Because the anesthesia eliminated the patient's pain, surgeons were able to take their time during operations, enabling them to try more complex procedures.
The second important discovery was that of the causes of infection. Until Louis Pasteur's discovery of germs and Joseph Lister's development of aseptic surgery in the 19th century, so many people died of infection after operations that the value of surgery was extremely limited.
During World War II, the profession of surgical technology grew when there was a critical need for assistance in performing surgical procedures and a shortage of qualified personnel. Shortly after, formal educational programs were started to teach these medical professionals.
Throughout the last century, the nature of most surgical procedures, with all of their sophisticated techniques for monitoring and safeguarding the patient's condition, has become so complex that more and more people are required to assist the surgeon or surgeons. While many of the tasks that are performed during the operation require highly trained professionals with many years of education, there are also simpler, more standardized tasks that require people with less complex training and skills. Over the years, such tasks have been taken care of by people referred to as orderlies, scrub nurses, and surgical orderlies.
Today, such people are referred to as surgical technologists, operating room technicians, or surgical technicians. For the most part, these medical professionals have received specialized training in a community college, vocational or technical school, or a hospital-sponsored program. They are eligible to earn certificates of competence, and, in general, enjoy a higher degree of professional status and recognition than did their predecessors.
Surgical technologists are health professionals who work in the surgical suite with surgeons, anesthesiologists, registered nurses, and other surgical personnel delivering surgical patient care.
In general, the work responsibilities of surgical technologists may be divided into three phases: preoperative (before surgery), intraoperative (during surgery), and postoperative (after surgery). Surgical technologists may work as the scrub person, circulator, or surgical first assistant.
In the preoperative phase, surgical technologists prepare the operating room by selecting and opening sterile supplies such as drapes, sutures, sponges, electrosurgical devices, suction tubing, and surgical instruments. They assemble, adjust, and check nonsterile equipment to ensure that it is in proper working order. Surgical technologists also operate sterilizers, lights, suction machines, electrosurgical units, and diagnostic equipment. When patients arrive in the surgical suite, surgical technologists may assist in preparing them for surgery by providing physical and emotional support, checking charts, and observing vital signs. They properly position the patient on the operating table, assist in connecting and applying surgical equipment and monitoring devices, and prepare the incision site by cleansing the skin with an antiseptic solution.
During surgery, surgical technologists have primary responsibility for maintaining the sterile field. They constantly watch that all members of the team adhere to aseptic techniques so the patient does not develop a postoperative infection. As the scrub person, they most often function as the sterile member of the surgical team who passes instruments, sutures, and sponges during surgery. After "scrubbing," which involves the thorough cleansing of the hands and forearms, they put on a sterile gown and gloves and prepare the sterile instruments and supplies that will be needed. After other members of the sterile team have scrubbed, they assist them with gowning and gloving and applying sterile drapes around the operative site.
Surgical technologists must anticipate the needs of surgeons during the procedure, passing instruments and providing sterile items in an efficient manner. Checking, mixing, and dispensing appropriate fluids and drugs in the sterile field are other common tasks. They share with the circulator the responsibility for accounting for sponges, needles, and instruments before, during, and after surgery. They may hold retractors or instruments, sponge or suction the operative site, or cut suture material as directed by the surgeon. They connect drains and tubing and receive and prepare specimens for subsequent pathologic analysis.
Surgical technologists most often function as the scrub person, but may function in the nonsterile role of circulator. The circulator does not wear a sterile gown and gloves, but is available to assist the surgical team. As a circulator, the surgical technologist obtains additional supplies or equipment, assists the anesthesiologist, keeps a written account of the surgical procedure, and assists the scrub person.
Surgical first assistants, who are technologists with additional education or training, provide aid in retracting tissue, controlling bleeding, and other technical functions that help surgeons during the procedure.
After surgery, surgical technologists are responsible for preparing and applying dressings, including plaster or synthetic casting materials, and for preparing the operating room for the next patient. They may provide staffing in postoperative recovery rooms where patients' responses are carefully monitored in the critical phases following general anesthesia.
Some of these responsibilities vary, depending on the size of the hospital and department in which the surgical technologist works; they also vary based on geographic location and health care needs of the local community.
During your high school years, you should take courses that develop your basic skills in mathematics, science, and English. You also should take all available courses in health and biology.
Surgical technology education is available through postsecondary programs offered by community and junior colleges, vocational and technical schools, the military, universities, and structured hospital programs in surgical technology. A high school diploma is required for entry into any of these programs.
More than 400 of these programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The accredited programs vary from nine to twelve months for a diploma or certificate, to two years for an associate's degree. You can expect to take courses in medical terminology, communications, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, medical ethics, and legal responsibilities. You gain a thorough knowledge of patient preparation and care, surgical procedures, surgical instruments and equipment, and principles of asepsis (how to prevent infection). In addition to classroom learning, you receive intensive supervised clinical experience in local hospitals, which is an important component of your education.
Increasing numbers of hospitals are requiring certification as a condition of employment. Surgical technologists may earn a professional credential by passing a nationally administered certifying examination. To take the examination, you must be currently or previously certified or be a graduate of a CAAHEP-accredited program. The Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist (LCC-ST), an independent affiliate of the Association of Surgical Technologists, is the certifying agency for the profession. Those who pass the exam and fulfill education and experience requirements are granted the designation of certified surgical technologist (CST). To renew the four-year certificate, the CST must earn continuing education credits or retake the certifying examination. The LCC-ST also offers an advanced credential for surgical first assistants; this exam awards the designation of CST certified first assistant (CST/ CFA). Another certification for surgical technologists can be obtained from the National Center for Competency Testing. To take the certification exam, candidates must either complete an accredited training program, attend a two-year hospital on-the-job training program, or have seven years of experience in the field. Upon passing the exam, surgical technologists obtain the designation of Tech in Surgery-Certified, TS-C (NCCT). This certification must be renewed every five years either through reexamination or continuing education.
Surgical technologists must possess an educational background in the medical sciences, a strong sense of responsibility, a concern for order, and an ability to integrate a number of tasks at the same time. You need good manual dexterity to handle awkward surgical instruments with speed and agility. In addition, you need physical stamina to stand through long surgical procedures.
It is difficult to gain any direct experience on a part-time basis in surgical technology. The first opportunities for direct experience generally come in the clinical and laboratory phases of your educational programs. However, interested students can explore some aspects of this career in several ways. You or your teachers can arrange a visit to a hospital, clinic, or other surgical setting in order to learn about the work. You also can visit a school with a CAAHEP-accredited program. During such a visit, you can discuss career plans with the admissions counselor. In addition, volunteering at a local hospital or nursing home can give you insight into the health care environment and help you evaluate your aptitude to work in such a setting.
Most surgical technologists are employed in hospital operating rooms, clinics, and surgical centers. They also work in delivery rooms, cast rooms, emergency departments, ambulatory care areas, and central supply departments. Surgical technologists may also be employed directly by surgeons as private scrubs or as surgical first assistants.
Graduates of programs are often offered jobs in the same hospital in which they received their clinical training. Programs usually cooperate closely with hospitals in the area, which are usually eager to employ technologists educated in local programs. Available positions are also advertised in newspaper want ads.
With increased experience, surgical technologists can serve in management roles in surgical services departments and may work as central service managers, surgery schedulers, and materials managers. The role of surgical first assistant on the surgical team requires additional training and experience and is considered an advanced role.
Surgical technologists must function well in a number of diverse areas. Their competency with multiple skills is demonstrated by their employment in organ and tissue procurement/preservation, cardiac catheterization laboratories, medical sales and research, and medical-legal auditing for insurance companies. A number are instructors and directors of surgical technology programs.
Salaries vary greatly in different institutions and localities. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary for surgical technologists was $34,830 in 2005, and ranged from $24,530 to $48,710 a year (excluding overtime). Some technologists with experience earn much more. Most surgical technologists are required to be periodically on call—available to work on short notice in cases of emergency—and can earn overtime from such work. Graduates of educational programs usually receive salaries higher than technologists without formal education. In general, technologists working on the East Coast and West Coast earn more than surgical technologists in other parts of the country. Surgical first assistants and private scrubs employed directly by surgeons tend to earn more than surgical technologists employed by hospitals.
Surgical technologists naturally spend most of their time in the operating room. Operating rooms are cool, well lighted, orderly, and extremely clean. Technologists are often required to be on their feet for long intervals, during which their attention must be closely focused on the operation.
Members of the surgical team, including surgical technologists, wear sterile gowns, gloves, caps, masks, and eye protection. This surgical attire is meant not only to protect the patient from infection but also to protect the surgical team from any infection or blood-borne diseases that the patient may have. Surgery is usually performed during the day; however, hospitals, clinics, and other facilities require 24-hour-a-day coverage. Most surgical technologists work regular 40-hour weeks, although many are required to be periodically on call.
Surgical technologists must be able to work under great pressure in stressful situations. The need for surgery is often a matter of life and death, and one can never assume that procedures will go as planned. If operations do not go well, nerves may fray and tempers flare. Technologists must understand that this is the result of stressful conditions and should not take this anger personally.
In addition, surgical technologists should have a strong desire to help others. Surgery is performed on people, not machines. Patients literally entrust their lives to the surgical team, and they rely on them to treat them in a dignified and professional manner. Individuals with these characteristics find surgical technology a rewarding career in which they can make an important contribution to the health and well-being of their community.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the field of surgical technology is projected to experience rapid job growth through 2014. Population growth, longevity, and improvement in medical and surgical procedures have all contributed to a growing demand for surgical services and hence for surgical technologists. As long as the rate at which people undergo surgery continues to increase, there will continue to be a need for this profession. Also, as surgical methods become increasingly complex, more surgical technologists will likely be needed.
An increasing number of surgical procedures are being performed in the offices of physicians and ambulatory surgical centers, requiring the skills of surgical technologists. As a result, employment for technologists in these non-hospital settings should grow much faster than the average.


There are certainly many challenges to face with your new gluten-free diet, and as with many of the challenges of life, I have found that one of the best ways of dealing with them is by connecting to others in the celiac community through celiac support groups and celiac forums.
First of all, a celiac support group will help you establish a network of celiac people who will be there for you in a welcoming, compassionate environment—with gluten-free refreshments, of course. Imagine what it would feel like if your circle of friends were all celiac patients as well, and you would all get together for gluten-free dinners, pot-lucks, and bake-offs. You'll find that you're on your way to building a circle of supportive celiac friends who will offer friendship and understanding.
Celiac support groups often have gluten-free veterans or offer the collective experiences of the individual members so that you can learn new ways of managing your gluten-free lifestyle. You can learn about gluten-free menus at local restaurants, gluten-free vendors, where to shop for your gluten-free fare, and how to cut down the costs of your gluten-free diet. Many groups invite vendors to bring gluten-free products to meetings for the members to sample, and members can buy what they like at a discount and don't have to pay for shipping.
Celiac support groups will motivate you to take more responsibility for your diet and health. Getting enough essential nutrients, such as fiber and B vitamins, can be tough with a gluten-free diet. By staying connected with people who are generally motivated to maintain a healthy, gluten-free diet, you'll find that you'll be willing to go that extra step and take care of yourself better. There were times when I felt overwhelmed by the changes required in my gluten-free diet, but by connecting to others I helped to stay motivated. In my celiac advocacy work, I often come across celiac patients who feel like giving up, but after a helpful chat, they find that they're more willing and able to tackle their dietary challenges. Similarly, you may find that you're able to help someone else yourself.
Celiac support groups will help you with all sorts of celiac issues, not just related to maintaining a gluten-free diet. For instance, how do you survive the holidays now that you must avoid gluten? How can you celebrate Halloween with your celiac child? How do you explain on a date that you must eat only gluten-free foods? These are some of the many subjects that your celiac support group friends will be able to help you through.
In North America, celiac families have a range of choices of local chapters of The Gluten Intolerance Group, The Celiac Sprue Association, The Celiac Disease Foundation, The Canadian Celiac Association, and Raising Our Celiac Kids (R.O.C.K.). To find a nearby celiac support group, use a search engine and type in "celiac support groups" and the name of your state, or look up a local group in MeetUp.com and type "celiac" in the search box on the home page. If there's no local support group, national organizations would be happy to help you launch one in your area, in which case I would recommend connecting with a nutritionist. You can also join online support groups and participate in online discussion forums. You can sign up for a weekly newsletter or blog, such as my own gluten-free blog. Celiac teens can also join celiac support groups on Facebook and MySpace.
Whether you're dismayed by your new gluten-free diet or excited to have found an answer to your painful symptoms, I highly encourage you to join a local chapter of a support group, or at the very least join an online forum. Since I started my gluten-free way of life and connected with others in the celiac community, my life has been more rewarding than ever and living gluten free has become second nature. Don't miss out on these benefits yourself or pass up the opportunity to offer to others your own gluten-free wisdom and experience.


Current worker shortages nationwide have begun changing community conversations about the future of the next generation and the value of trade-based occupations, according to Kate Lufkin with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.
On Wednesday, Flathead High School sophomores, juniors and seniors got the opportunity to explore some of those trades through hands-on learning with professors at Flathead Valley Community College and tours of local businesses.
Today's job market, according to Lufkin, supports seven trade jobs for every one position that requires a master's degree.
FVCC offered a unique opportunity for those students to learn about some of the training, equipment and real-life applications for trades such as welding, heavy equipment operation and electrical work.
Contrary to the stigma sometimes placed on manufacturing and trade jobs in the past, Lufkin said skilled workers in those fields have a better chance of finding a high-paying job earlier in life and avoiding some of the struggles plaguing college degree seekers.
Trade workers typically spend less time in school, with most positions requiring a minimum high school diploma or GED and maximum of a two-year associate's degree or certificate. This means they also accrue less debt than a college student.
Some trade skills, such as those taught in the Occupational Trade Department at FVCC, also equip students to enter positions that could earn them a starting wage of around $50,000 a year, according to Lufkin.
"This is just an attempt to show them that's not true," she added.
FOLLOWING AN orientation and safety briefing, students split up into 12 different breakout sessions, each offering around half a dozen students the chance to try their hand at plasma cutting, metalworking, non-destructive testing, heavy equipment simulations and driving or Computer Numerical Control machine operation.
Things got messy in the non-destructive testing lab where students, led by professor Blake Thompson, practiced magnetic particle testing.
Covered in red dust and displaying fascinated grins, students used electromagnets and iron shavings to find surface flaws in various mechanical parts.
Jack Morris, 18, experimented with the process of searching for flaws in a car part while taking time to marvel at the shapes he could create using the magnet and shavings.
Unsure of which trade he planned to pursue, Morris said he took the field trip as an opportunity to explore several in hopes of learning what interested him.
On the other side of the room, Vance Miller, 18, studiously bent over a metal cutout of an arrowhead clamped in a vice, shaping and filing down its rough edges.
Miller said his interests are primarily in woodworking, a skill he's been developing for the last two years using the tools bequeathed to him by his great-great-uncle. He said he plans to attend FVCC in the future, likely to learn more about the trade.
Each student was limited to trying two trades on Wednesday, but following the two hour-long sessions, they were encouraged to talk with one another about what they learned and experienced.
After lunch, all 65 students boarded their buses and split once again into groups to tour one of four local businesses, including Weyerhaeuser, Applied Materials, Central Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Electrical, and a Terry Homes build site.
There the students witnessed many of the same machines and equipment they'd seen at the college put to use in a real-world setting.
Donning a hardhat, reflective vest and headset, Miller toured the Weyerhaeuser facility with a group of his classmates for an up-close look at how the plant operates.
During a briefing preceding the tour, Weyerhaeuser employees informed them of the potential perks of working for the company, including pay, benefits and opportunities for advancement.
According to the presenter, entry-level workers as young as 18 can join the company making over $17 per hour, with opportunities to learn more skills and advance over time.
In an effort to combat workforce shortages in the Flathead, Lufkin said she hopes to continue offering and improving upon the "Pursuing the Trades" event, over time incorporating more businesses, more schools and more students.
She said she would love to start including middle school students as they first start developing their interests and would also like to see more girls participate.
With the success of the first event, Lufkin said she feels the solution to many of Montana's workforce problems lies in a continuous dialogue between schools and businesses.