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How To Protect Teens' Mental Health: Important Issue
James Trotta
Imagine the COVID-19 scenario again. The primary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 worldwide has been isolation and social distancing. Hence, since March 2020, schools, institutes, and sports centers have been closed in many countries. These will subsequently reopen after the summer. These circumstances have affected the entire population. Sadly, it seems that children and adolescents (along with the elderly) are the most vulnerable to these preventive measures. Hence the significant prevalence of psychological symptoms (stress, anxiety, sadness, addictions) and mental disorders among youth. If you wonder how to protect teens' mental health, rest assured, as you will find plenty of information to help you.
Compared to adults, the adverse consequences of the pandemic on the mental health of adolescents may be more prolonged and intense. Their impact depends on several factors. Age, educational status, disabilities, history of mental disorders, low social status, parental illnesses – including covid-19 – and degree of family structuring.
The most frequent psychological manifestations in adolescents who are attending the emergency department are many. Suicide attempts, eating behavior problems, and depressive symptoms with predominant irritability and inability to enjoy the things they used to enjoy. The leading causes of this crisis are because family, school, and friends have lost their buffer effect. Youg people use human and social interactions to develop and have a stable emotional mindset.
Let us name some of the causes. The loss of family customs and routines. The absence of the structured environment of the school. Difficulties in participating in sports activities. The lack of interaction with their friends and peers.
The long months of the pandemic have generated, in many of them, great uncertainty about their academic and work future. They have turned to compulsive activities linked to the Internet. Behaviors as such resulted in isolation from positive social relationships and increased exposure to bullying and abuse.
Parents and authorities need to know about adolescents' mental health. Treat them before a situation arises and try to prevent the situation from escalating. COVID-19 has made apparent how fragile and essential it is for our children to have good mental health. For years, mental health has been taboo and not discussed; that was a mistake that needs fixing!
Recommendations For The Present And The Future
Some make us all reflect on the following recommendations to answer the question: how to protect teens' mental health?
Parents are the primary role models that their children learn from. Therefore, they should learn to cope with disappointments, difficulties in emotional control, and problem-solving at home. The uncertainty of exams and young people's future employment should not become stressful for the family. Finding alternative responses other than disappointment and taking a positive outlook would be recommended.
The integration of adolescents into the decision-making of the family can be of great assistance and help. This may be a good time to delegate some family responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, shopping) to young people to feel responsible for the family's upkeep.
Excessive use of the Internet should not be allowed. In particular, if they are searching for news related to the pandemic. Since it is a source of anxiety, abusive and compulsive use of social networking sites is a known source of low self-esteem.
Creative activities can counteract certain risky behaviors, such as music, painting, dancing, and writing.
Relationships with friends are fundamental for young people. Therefore, people should encourage the maintenance of supportive relationships with their friends.
In schools, teachers should emphasize protection and responsibility measures. This will help avoid the transmission of the virus and be attentive to particular dangerous or unhealthy behaviors. Classroom interaction should ramp up, and they need to give information to manage anxiety or stress, especially in high schools. Teachers can detect problems that sometimes go unnoticed by parents and facilitate consultation with mental health professionals.
Pediatricians and family doctors can recognize the physical manifestations of emotional problems (pain, self-injury). When left unattended, these ailments can become the gateway to different, more severe ailments. This enables them to inform and educate parents and to make referrals to mental health professionals.
Child and adolescent mental health professionals have a decisive role in managing this crisis and combine face-to-face and online interventions. Professionals are required to make an effort to coordinate with families, teachers, and volunteers to serve as a support network for adolescents. Psychiatric admissions should be the last option, as it represents the failure of community support. If necessary, efforts should be made to reduce the stress and stigma associated with psychiatric hospitalization. Mental health teams have an essential task in training pediatricians, family physicians, and teachers to detect mental disorders in young people.
Clinical psychologists should design and implement short-term behavioral interventions to manage common mental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance abuse, and other mental health issues. Professionals need to also focus on psychoeducational techniques where parents are included.
Psychiatrists should be more cautious, if possible, when choosing pharmacological versus psychotherapeutic strategies. Mental health professionals must organize longitudinal studies to assess the consequences of the pandemic.
Adolescence is a crucial period for developing a person's social and emotional habits throughout his or her life. It is a unique stage between the ages of 10 and 19 when the most significant physical, emotional and social changes occur.
In that sense, adolescents who can be near risks factors such as poverty, violence, or bad experiences are more vulnerable and more likely to develop mental health problems.
James Trotta is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University. He is a degree holder in political science. His studies were a success after emerging among the top students in his class with an honors degree. James' passion was deeply rooted in politics and news reporting, and he immediately joins the giant news company where he worked as a reporter and news editor for three years. The company locates in New York, and he is so much into US politics. James later quits the job to venture into something more focused on the needs of the people.
Trotta Now works as a writer delivering up-to-date news. He writes up-to-date information about politics, business, and entertainment because these are the lead Niches that directly influence people. James also participates in empowering young talents, where his focus is to mentor upcoming talents in the same field. James acknowledges that his happiness is when he sees young talents becoming an inspiration to many.
He is happy to live in New York since it is a center where he gets first-hand information from the US government. James Trotta hopes to be an ambassador of correct and up-to-date news to all US and international consumers.
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The first Pilot's Watch - Double Chronograph made a springtime debut at the Basel Watch Fair in 1992, straight after IWC engineers had completed the project in February of that year. The green light to build a prototype was initially given by Günter Blümlein to IWC watchmaker Fred Ehrensperger, and although it was an ambitious project, Ehrensperger readily accepted the challenge. The aim was for IWC to become the first manufacturer to launch a wrist watch with a split-seconds chronograph and an automatic movement. Time for the project was extremely limited but in just three weeks – and after a series of long, sleepless nights – Ehrensperger managed to complete 15 watches to be presented at the Basel Watch Fair. The innovative design featured an extremely delicate module, which enabled the user to mechanically measure two different times simultaneously, or an unlimited number of intermediate times.
The W.W.W (or watch, wrist, waterproof) is the most well-regarded of all the British Army watches by some margin. It is possible that this is because they were the first wrist watches specially designed for general British Army service. Prior to this, civilian wrist watches, which were not always suitable for requirements, were used. IWC were one of 12 companies supplying the British Army with the W.W.W. models, and by doing so, the business gained invaluable experience of dealing with the challenging specifications of the British authorities. Some 6,000 watches were made for the British Army in total and they were supplied to the UK from May to June 1945.
The Big Pilot's Watch was supplied to the Luftwaffe German Air Force in 1940 in an edition of 1,000 pieces. Constructed according to strict criteria for observation watches, it is the biggest wristwatch ever built by IWC, with a case diameter of 55 mm, a height of 16.5 mm, and a weight of 183 g.
From a very early stage IWC focused on the production of technically advanced watches, designed especially for aviation, and the company is a real pioneer in this field. The progress made in flying and navigation had created a growing need for equipment which offered maximum reliability under tough conditions. Ernst Jakob Homberger (1869-1955), IWC Managing Director during the 1930s, had two sons who were so passionate about aviation that they decided to manufacture the first IWC "Special Watch for Pilots" in 1936. The design included shatterproof glass, a rotating bezel with an index for recording short periods of time, an antimagnetic escapement, together with high-contrast luminescent hands and numerals. The watch was particularly robust and resistant to fluctuations in temperature within a range of -40 to +40 degrees Celsius.
In response to a product order from the British Government in 1948, IWC developed a service watch for pilots in the Royal Air Force (RAF). The technical specifications stipulated by the RAF were very strict with a special demand that the movement be protected against magnetic fields. The production of the legendary Mark 11 began in 1948 and by November 1949, the watch was being supplied to airborne personnel of the RAF and other Commonwealth nations. It remained in service until 1981. The watch features the original radium RAF dial used between 1949 and 1952, which is often referred to by collectors as the "White 12" dial.
The Mark 11, with a hand-wound 89 caliber movement, is the most famous IWC pilot's watch, and was used by civilian and military navigators and pilots from 1948 onwards. The company had supplied watches to the British Army and Navy throughout the Second World War and, as a result, was well used to the exacting demands of the British authorities. The earliest design changed slightly in 1952, with this edition of the watch featuring a white triangle index marker at the12 o'clock position to enable pilots to discern the time at a glance. By 1963, the RAF had decided to exchange all the radium dials with tritium dials clearly marked with an encircled "T". The Mark 11, in its different variations, completed over 40 years in service, proving its quality and reliability in even the toughest of conditions.
IWC continued to strengthen its tradition of designing aviation watches throughout the last quarter of the twentieth century. Forty eight years after the legendary Mark 11 was launched, the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph (Ref. IW3740) was designed, whilst in 1994, IWC launched a Pilot's Watch Chronograph (Ref. 3705) for modern aviation. This edition came with another top-flight feature: a zirconium oxide case. This high-tech ceramic is as hard as sapphire and virtually indestructible.
In 1998, IWC reacted to growing mobility in an increasingly globalized world with the launch of the IWC Pilot's Watch UTC. This timepiece was synchronized with "Universal Time", so not only could the wearer read different times and dates around the world, but they could also change the time and date by simply using the watch's crown. Since 2003, the Pilot's Watch UTC became part of the newly designated Spitfire Family, featuring the collection's specific classic design codes.
Since 2003, IWC Pilot's Watches have been available in a style that takes its name from the supremely elegant and technologically advanced Spitfire aircraft. The collection includes four different models: the Chrono-Automatic,the UTC watch with its two time zones, the classic Mark XVI and the Spitfire Midsize. The dials and hands were modified slightly and the case sizes were adapted to those of the classic models.
In 2007, the first "Top Gun" watch joined IWC Pilot's Watch squadron. Named after the legendary accolade given to the "Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" course of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, it had a masculine design with a black color scheme. In 2012, during IWC's "Year of the Pilot's Watches", the Top Gun collection was established as an independent line with five new models.
For the world-famous poet and author of "The Little Prince", Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, literature and aviation technology were two sides of the same coin. 2016's Big Pilot's Watch Annual Calendar Edition, "Le Petit Prince", brings these two very different two worlds together. Three windows display the day, date, and month, with an advanced mechanism automatically taking the length of individual months into account. The back of the watch features an engraving of the Little Prince gazing at the sky with wonder. He stands on an asteroid, which is also the watch's revolving rotor.The caliber includes a two barrel design which has enough torque to drive the three date display discs and, when fully wound, can supply enough energy for a full 7 days' power reserve. This highly advanced watch only requires manual correction via the crown annually, at the end of February.
In 2006 a special edition of the IWC Pilot's Chronograph commemorated French author and aviation pioneer Antoine de Saint Exupéry. Marking 75 years since his celebrated "Vol de Nuit" or "Night Flight" novel was published, the stunningly beautiful watch features a tobacco-colored dial, special protection against magnetic fields, and a case-back engraving of the book's flying hero. Limited to 1,931 watches, 1,630 were crafted in stainless steel, 250 in rose gold,50 in white gold, and a single edition in a platinum case. The platinum watch was auctioned together with a first edition of the book in French for the benefit of the "Vol de Nuit/Vuelo Nocturno" association. Over the years that followed, IWC has launched different Pilot's watches which also included the remarkable Saint Exupéry design.
The Top Gun design first joined IWC Pilot's Watches collection in 2007, before establishing itself as an independent line within the family from 2012. The 2012 edition drew on the long tradition of manufacturing unusual deck watches and was elaborately equipped with a host of advanced features. These included a perpetual calendar with a four-digit year display, moon phase display, and a seven-day power reserve.
Launched in 2012, the Big Pilot's Watch Top Gun united the clear-cut utility look of the 1940s with ultra-modern technology. Offering a more contemporary take on functionality with new materials and design elements, it featured a clear-cut dial with a striking black-and-white contrast, an impressive power reserve, and straight forward date displays.The most distinctive addition to the popular cockpit design was the small red aircraft motif on the seconds hand. It was packed with high-tech materials including the zirconium oxide ceramic case, which was hardwearing, scratch-resistant, and water-resistant to six bar. The crown was crafted in extremely rugged titanium, whilst the strap was soft and black to secure the 48 mm case comfortably to the wearer's wrist.


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2, resulting in the seizure of cement process of follow-up questions: Paving tiles before the first dip wet brick wall before construction. Porcelain in the process of soaking inhalation of many water, water molecules after paving some can follow the gap discharge, some water molecules still remain in the brick, and then lead to different shades of color. As for paving a period of time, the tiles show empty drums, falling and other scenes, the first by the cement itself, the characteristics of the resolution. Cement construction for the thick slurry construction, dehydration after curing, easy aging, cracking, and thus affect the tile hollowing, drop.
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Previous: How To Prevent Tiles Show Empty Drums, Fall Doubt?


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Air Force World
By Aaron M. U. Church
Three Airmen Killed in Afghanistan
Three airmen died when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle near Shir ghazi in Afghanistan's Helmand province Jan. 5, DOD announced.
The deceased were: TSgt. Matthew S. Schwartz, 34, of Traverse City, Mich.; SrA. Bryan R. Bell, 23, of Erie, Pa.; and A1C Matthew R. Seidler, 24, of Westminster, Md.
Schwartz was from the 90th Civil Engineer Squadron at F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
Bell was a member of the 2nd CES at Barksdale AFB, La.
Seidler's home unit was the 21st CES at Peterson AFB, Colo.
First Female USAF Four-Star
President Obama nominated Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger to become a four-star general as head of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, the Pentagon announced Feb. 6.
If the Senate approves her nomination, she will become the Air Force's first female four-star. She will replace Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, who has led AFMC since November 2008.
Wolfenbarger currently serves as the military deputy in the Air Force Secretariat's acquisition office at the Pentagon, where she began work last September.
No stranger to AFMC, she served as vice commander from December 2009 to September 2011 and had overseen the B-2 System Program Office and C-17 Systems Group and served in several roles in the F-22 program.
A 1980 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Wolfenbarger began her career as a technical analyst with the Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Fla.
Hoffman, Van Buren To Retire
Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, announced he will retire after 38 years of service.
Before taking charge of AFMC in November 2008, Hoffman served as military deputy in the Secretariat's acquisition office and as Air Combat Command requirements director.
Since graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1974, Hoffman has commanded two fighter wings; been assistant chief of staff for operations for Allied Air Forces Northwestern Europe, NATO; and logged more than 3,400 flight hours in various aircraft types.
David M. Van Buren, the Air Force's acquisition executive since April 2009, also announced his imminent retirement in February, effective the end of March. At press time, the President had not yet named a nominee to replace Van Buren.
The President has nominated Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger for a fourth star, with assignment as AMC head.
Over and Out in Afghanistan
US and NATO forces in Afghanistan will transition from combat operations to a purely training and advisory role beginning in 2013, said Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta.
Troops will remain in Afghanistan through 2014 as planned, Panetta said Feb. 1, briefing the press aboard a military flight en route to a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels.
"Hopefully by mid- to the latter part of 2013, we'll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise, and assist role," he said. However, this "doesn't mean we're not going to be combat-ready," noted Panetta, rather that NATO forces won't be in "the formal combat role that we are [in] now."
F-35 Commuted Sentence
The F-35B's two-year "probation" has been lifted by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta after only one year because of improvements in the pace of testing and developing the short takeoff and vertical landing fighter variant intended for the Marine Corps.
"As of today, I am lifting the STOVL probation," Panetta said in a town hall-style meeting at NAS Patuxent River, Md., in January, congratulating developers for achieving "real progress" in correcting the F-35B's deficiencies.
In January 2011, then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates placed the F-35B on probation, frustrated with the aircraft's cost, schedule, design, and engine issues. He promised to cancel the STOVL version if the joint industry-government team didn't resolve its problems within two years.
"We now believe that because of your work the STOVL variant is demonstrating the kind of performance and maturity that is in line with the other two variants of the [F-35]," Panetta said.
No Nuke Cuts Until 2014
Nuclear bomber and ICBM cuts to meet Air Force obligations under the New START agreement with Russia will begin in Fiscal 2014—not before, said USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz.
"There are still decisions pending on how to go about reaching those New START central targets," Schwartz told the press in a Pentagon briefing Jan. 27. "I would expect that that would unfold in the [Fiscal 2014] program."
Under the terms of the treaty, the United States must reduce its strategic nuclear arsenal to no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and 800 total launchers (i.e., long-range ballistic missiles and bombers) by February 2018.
A total of 700 of the launchers may be in deployed status at any given time.
Schwartz reiterated the Air Force's consistent message that maintaining the triad of nuclear-capable bombers, ICBMs, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles will become increasingly important as the strategic force diminishes in size.
"The diversity, the variety, the attributes associated with each leg of the triad actually reinforce each other to a greater degree," said Schwartz.
Tanker Realism
The KC-46A tanker test program "is not executable" as outlined by the Air Force, warned J. Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation.
Citing deficiencies in the KC-46 Test and Evaluation Master Plan in his office's Fiscal 2011 annual report, Gilmore highlighted that the proposed monthly flight hours per aircraft "exceed the historical averages" of previous large military aircraft programs.
He further emphasized that operational testing could require twice as long as the four months allotted.
Gilmore challenged the service to "provide a TEMP that contains a realistic schedule using historical military flight-test parameters."
An Air Force spokeswoman said the service respectfully "does not agree" with DOT&E's assessment, asserting the KC-46 test plan "is comparable to other commercial-derivative test programs, such as the KC-10, and in line with [Federal Aviation Administration] testing efficiencies."
Since the Air Force selected Boeing as the winner of the KC-X tanker competition in February 2011, this is the first time the KC-46 has come under the scrutiny of DOT&E's annual review.
Industry in Peril, Group Warns
The next decade's flat defense budget "will stifle the ability of the defense industry to deliver innovation and urgent wartime capabilities," warned analysts with the Defense Industrial Base Task Force.
Possible reductions approaching the $1 trillion sequestration level outlined in the 2011 Budget Control Act "would severely damage the defense industrial base as a commercially viable enterprise, as a reliable and responsive provider of urgent wartime needs, and as a national strategic asset that is indispensable to the defense of the United States," according to a report released Jan. 6.
Based on a survey of several dozen companies, "this report paints an alarming picture for the future of the aerospace and defense industry," said Aerospace Industries Association President Marion Blakey.
The task force comprised AIA, the National Defense Industrial Association, and Professional Services Council.
Tougher Scrutiny for EELV Program
Congress is requiring the Pentagon to keep a close eye on the Air Force's proposed block-buy plan for space boosters to ensure the service's promised cost savings are realized.
The Government Accountability Office warned last fall the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle block-buy strategy could actually lock in higher prices under the current plans, negating its value.
Language in the Fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill now requires DOD to report—along with the Fiscal 2013 budget request—how the Air Force is incorporating GAO's cost-saving recommendations.
Congress also mandated that the EELV program revert from a sustainment program to an acquisition program. This means the Air Force will be under more stringent reporting requirements for EELV cost, schedule, and performance.
RPA Pipeline Pilots Fly RQ-4
The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif., welcomed the first two RQ-4 Global Hawk operators specifically trained as remotely piloted aircraft pilots under the service's new 18X specialty code.
"It's a privilege to be the first in this platform at this capacity … and pave the way for the rest of the pipeline students," said one of the pilots, a second lieutenant.
The two immediately began flying operational missions in support of combatant commanders worldwide, according to Beale officials.
"With these pilots not coming from traditional training and not being experienced aviators, this is untested territory," said the unit's commander during the Jan. 13 wing-pinning ceremony.
However, "based on the performance of these two airmen, I have high hopes for the future of the program and the 18X pilots," he said.
The new classification 18X is for RPA pilots who are newly commissioned officers or those transitioning from nonrated career fields.
STOVL Trainers for Eglin
The first two production-model F-35B fighters destined to train Marine Corps pilots and maintainers arrived at the Lightning II schoolhouse at Eglin AFB, Fla., in January. They were flown directly from the production line at Lockheed Martin's plant in Fort Worth, Tex.
Aircraft BF-6 and BF-8 touched down separately at Eglin, joining the 33rd Fighter Wing, which oversees joint-service F-35 training.
The two fighters added to Eglin's growing complement of F-35s, which already numbers six Air Force F-35As.
The schoolhouse's first regular F-35 pilot training course was originally scheduled to begin in January, but as of midmonth, the Air Force was not yet sure when courses would begin. For the time being, the F-35s at Eglin will be flown by test-qualified pilots in familiarization missions around the region, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz said at a Feb. 3 Pentagon press conference.
P&W Gets F-35 Engine Contract
Pratt & Whitney received a contract worth at least $1.1 billion to power 30 F-35 low rate initial production strike fighters. The contract covers the F135 engines for LRIP Lot 5.
"We anticipate contract negotiations with the F-35 Joint Program Office that will reflect the great progress being made on F135 affordability," said Bennett Croswell, president of Pratt's Military Engines business unit.
Under the contract, the company will supply engines for 21 Air Force F-35As, three Marine Corps F-35Bs, and six Navy F-35Cs, beginning in late 2012.
The contract includes spare parts, management and engineering services, sustainment, and field support, as well as the power plants themselves.
Pratt & Whitney received $138 million for long-lead engine materials for the aircraft last year, and Lockheed Martin cinched the $4 billion Lot 5 LRIP deal just last December.
10K for F-15E
An F-15E operating from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, topped 10,000 accumulated flight hours, becoming the first F-15 of any model to reach the mark, according to Bagram officials.
Assigned to the 335th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., the Strike Eagle has been flying for more than 21 years, including combat sorties as far back as Operation Desert Storm.
"It has taken more than 21 years of qualified maintenance technicians performing more than one million hours of inspections and repairs in all types of environments … to ensure aircraft #89-0487 was available," said CMSgt. John Parrott, superintendent of Bagram's 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit.
He also credited all the other airmen, such as weapons loaders, involved in keeping the aircraft operating.
A crew from Seymour Johnson flew the aircraft to the historic milestone on a sortie over Afghanistan, Jan. 13.
Turkish F-35 Deal Moves Ahead
Turkey's defense procurement ministry expects to formalize a purchase deal for F-35 strike fighters after clearing a key government hurdle early this year, reported Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News.
Purchase negotiations with Turkey have resumed after stalling last March —allegedly over US refusal to share sensitive software coding.
"Lockheed Martin is pleased that the [Turkish] Defense Industry Executive Committee has authorized the procurement of the F-35," company F-35 program spokesman Michael Rein said Jan. 6.
"Turkey is an essential partner in F-35 production, development, and sustainment activities, and we remain ready to support its future fighter aircraft requirements," he added.
One of the nine F-35 development partners, Turkey plans to purchase some 100 F-35s, with delivery expected to begin in 2015.
WGS-4 Comsat On Orbit
WGS-4, the fourth Wideband Global Satellite communications spacecraft, blasted into orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., Jan. 19.
"The 45th Space Wing is proud to work this important Air Force launch of WGS-4 with Space and Missile Systems Center, United Launch Alliance, and Boeing," said the wing vice commander, Col. Rory D. Welch, who was also the launch director.
WGS-4 transmitted its first on-orbit signals indicating that it "is healthy and ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing," reported Boeing.
WGS-4 joins three WGS Block 1 satellites already operating on orbit. It is the first spacecraft in the series in the Block 2 configuration incorporating ultrahigh bandwidth and data rates to support airborne intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance assets.
A Worldwide Global Satellite
In mid-January, the United States sealed a long-term Wideband Global Satellite communications partnership with Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The arrangement secured the funds to purchase the ninth WGS military communications bird, WGS-9, which the Air Force ordered the following day, Jan. 18.
The five partner nations agreed to contribute a combined $620 million toward WGS-9's $1 billion price tag. The ninth satellite is slated to launch sometime around 2018.
"International participation in WGS is a win-win," said Craig R. Cooning, Boeing space program vice president. "The partners bring additional funding to expand the constellation and make it more resilient, and for a relatively modest investment … receive immediate access to worldwide services," he added.
B-1 Tests Bomb "Lite"
A B-1 Lancer successfully dropped a BLU-129 low-collateral-damage bomb, proving the aircraft's compatibility with the weapon, in tests over the Utah Test and Training Range.
The BLU-129 is a 500-pound guided munition featuring a composite warhead in place of more typical metal versions. It is designed to destroy targets while causing minimal collateral damage.
"The goal of this test was to verify if a B-1's software would be compatible with the weapon," said Maj. Thomas Bryant of the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron, at Dyess AFB, Tex., which conducted the trial Jan. 27.
Bookending Combat Shadow
Two MC-130P Combat Shadows from the 9th Special Operations Squadron closed the unit's start-to-finish support of Iraq operations, returning to Eglin AFB, Fla., on Jan 6.
"Since February 2003, our people and assets have steadily deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn," said Col. James C. Slife, commander of the squadron's parent unit, the 1st Special Operations Wing, at Hurlburt Field. Fla.
The 9th SOS alone flew some 8,221 sorties, accumulating more than 12,000 flight hours in the Iraq theater, according to wing officials.
Ski-borne Salvation
A ski-equipped LC-130 departed the snowpack at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, battling bad weather to evacuate seven critically injured fishermen to Christchurch, New Zealand.
The sailors were part of a crew pulled from the deck of a burning Korean fishing vessel in the Ross Sea off Antarctica, Jan. 11. A US research vessel took them to McMurdo.
The badly burned fishermen were scheduled for further evacuation by an Air Force C-17 from Christchurch. However, due to fog and persistent poor weather, officials delayed and ultimately scrubbed the C-17 mission, Australia's Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Instead, the New York Air National Guard LC-130 crew—members of the 109th Airlift Wing who were already at McMurdo—elected to make the roughly eight-hour haul to Christchurch. They touched down with the injured men late in the evening Jan. 13.
The Gift of Airspace
New Mexico has granted 11,000 acres of state land to USAF to allow Air Force Special Operations Command more space for live-fire ranges and desert and urban warfare training on the Melrose Air Force Range, adjacent to Cannon Air Force Base.
"Ranges and airspace are the lifeblood of our ability to train and be ready to fight those conflicts the nation asks of us," said Terry A. Yonkers, the Air Force's assistant secretary for installations, environment, and logistics.
"It's an honor for me to be here today to accept this very gracious gift," he added, accepting the land transfer on behalf of the Air Force from New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R), in Sante Fe, Jan. 18.
Valued at approximately $3.2 million, the gift is the result of a June 2008 memorandum of understanding between the Air Force and New Mexico.
Engine Seizure
A dual engine failure caused the crash of an A-10C on a functional check flight, following its overhaul last September, according to an Air Combat Command inquest.
ACC's accident investigators determined the pilot, assigned to Moody AFB, Ga., inadvertently stalled the aircraft at 34,000 feet, causing the engines to seize at high altitude. The mishap took place Sept. 26, 2011.
Unable to recover the aircraft, the pilot located a controlled bailout area and safely ejected from the crippled aircraft. He sustained no serious injuries, but the Warthog was destroyed.
The A-10's stall warning system malfunctioned earlier in the flight, at 15,000 feet, but without any evidence of further problems, the pilot elected to continue the check flight. Both the pilot's inexperience and lack of adequate training were cited as factors—though not the cause—of the accident.
The A-10 was valued at about $14.7 million. The cost of cleaning up the crash site, roughly 20 miles northwest of Moody, is estimated at an additional $150,000.
First In, Still on Watch
The 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron—the first air control unit on station in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and the last one out late last year—now monitors air traffic in the Persian Gulf.
Deployed from the 606th ACS at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, the airmen now work with E-3 AWACS and Army air defense controllers to guide and deconflict military aircraft movement through the Gulf.
The 727th began its new tasking Dec. 30.
Nine Rocket Deal
United Launch Alliance received a $1.5 billion Air Force contract for nine Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles to support upcoming national security space missions.
Five of the rockets will be of the Atlas V type, for the launch of the Air Force's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-19 weather satellite, the Navy's Mobile User Objective System-3 communications satellite, and three National Reconnaissance Office payloads.
The remaining four will be Delta IV boosters for the launch of DMSP-20, two Global Positioning System Block IIF satellites, and a mission designated Air Force Space Command-4, according to the Defense Department.
Raptor Center Open
The Ogden Air Logistics Center's new F-22 heavy maintenance facility is now open for business at Hill AFB, Utah.
The 96,000-square-foot building accommodates seven F-22s at a time, in addition to a specialized shop dedicated to the Raptor's unique composite structures, reported Utah's Standard-Examiner.
"This facility greatly expands our capability," said Ogden commander Maj. Gen. Andrew E. Busch.
The new addition is the second phase of a $45 million project establishing Raptor depot maintenance at Hill.
Work on the first phase, a 70,000-square-foot facility, was completed in mid-2010. In addition to the work at Hill, F-22 prime contractor Lockheed Martin performs Raptor overhaul work at its facility in Palmdale, Calif.
Rep. Robert Bishop (R) cut the ribbon, opening the new facility Jan. 12.
GPS III Satellites Ordered
The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $238 million contract for production of Global Positioning System III satellites No. 3 and 4.
"The acquisition of the next two GPS III satellites at one time will allow the Lockheed Martin-led team to maximize efficiencies in satellite manufacturing," stated the company in a January news release.
With the first GPS III satellite scheduled for launch in 2014, the new satellites will begin transmitting more accurate and jam-resistant signals than the GPS satellites currently on orbit, according to the company.
USAF awarded the contract for satellites one and two in May 2008. Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William L. Shelton highlighted GPS III as a "model" of project cost and schedule discipline.
Minuteman Terminals Get a Boost
Minuteman ICBM launch control center strategic satellite communications terminals will be modernized under a $9.4 million contract awarded to Raytheon.
A critical component of strategic command and control, the terminals handle the emergency action messages that authorize nuclear weapon launch.
The modernized systems will be able to communicate with the new Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites, according to John Gould, program manager for the Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network Program Upgrade.
Raytheon will modify the 46 existing terminals linking operational Minuteman facilities and test sites.
Initial fielding of the terminals is scheduled for 2013, with completion of the entire terminal upgrade expected by the spring of 2015.
Okinawa Shuffle
Pacific Air Forces wants to keep Kadena AB, Japan, separate from a Marine Corps air station, said PACAF commander Gen. Gary L. North.
"I'm very comfortable with the lay down that we have at Kadena right now," said North, when asked about relocating Marines from Futenma to nearby Kadena, reported Japan's Kyodo News agency.
Led by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), a group of senators recommended last year that the Defense Department consider moving Marine Corps assets to Kadena, relocating a portion of the USAF assets on the base to Guam.
However, the US agreed to a deal with Japan in 2006 to construct a new Marine Corps air facility adjoining the existing USMC base at Camp Schwab, also on the island.
The Senators contended that moving Marine Corps aircraft to Kadena could be significantly cheaper than the cost of constructing a new air station at Camp Schwab.
North remains convinced that the original plan is a "very solid proposal, adding that the United States and Japan should "continue to do the work that they have agreed upon."
Tanker Brotherhood
The French air base that hosted Air Force KC-135s from RAF Mildenhall, Britain, last year during operations over Libya recently sent a French KC-135 tanker on a reciprocal visit. Deployed as the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, airmen of Mildenhall's 100th Air Refueling Wing operated alongside French KC-135FR tankers at Istres during the NATO-led Operation Unified Protector.
"In the long term, the goal is for us to be ready for any future conflicts and for us to operate together even more seamlessly than we have in the past," said Lt. Col. Robert Ricks, 100th ARW staff director and former 351st EARS commander.
"Hopefully we can keep this relationship going," he added. French personnel toured Mildenhall operations and "flew" the unit's new KC-135 Block 40 simulator during the visit Jan. 4-5.
Pullout in Style
Army civil engineers completed final construction of the strategic airlift apron, freight loading dock, and new passenger terminal at Shindand Air Base in western Afghanistan.
The $18 million expansion project "will play an important role as the coalition begins to move equipment and personnel out of theater," said Col. John Hokaj, Shindand commander.
The 67,000 square yards of apron and taxiways, completed in January, allows USAF to keep the runway in operation as it loads and unloads large strategic-lift aircraft, added Hokaj.
Before construction of the passenger terminal, Shindand officials processed transient personnel in a makeshift tent.
The civil engineers turned the apron over to the Air Force Jan. 11.
Fairchild Vies for First KC-46 Unit
Washington State officials are pressing to host the Air Force's first operational KC-46A tanker unit at Fairchild Air Force Base, near Spokane, following Boeing's recently announced shift of KC-46A work to its facility in Everett, north of Seattle.
"The first place for the first planes off the assembly line is only a short flight away," said Sen. Patty Murray (D).
Fairchild recently completed a $43.6 million runway renovation and upgrades to its landing approach system and currently hosts KC-135 operations, making it an ideal site for the new tankers, said Murray and Sen. Maria E. Cantwell (D) at the kickoff of the "Fairchild First" campaign, reported Spokane's Spokesman-Review.
As the KC-46 begins rolling off the assembly line around 2017, gradually replacing the KC-135, "the end of one mission is the beginning of the next," said Murray, meeting with local leaders Jan. 9. "The assets this region provides are the best."
Aerostat Accident Explained
A tethered aerostat radar system was destroyed in a thunderstorm at Lajas, Puerto Rico, last August, because airmen on the ground delayed their response, Air Combat Command accident investigators concluded.
Caught in gusting winds, the tethered aerostat radar system dragged its securing winch truck into an embankment—partly due to the ground crew's additional failure to properly chock the vehicle.
Grounded against the embankment, the blimp's tether was drawn taut against a safety cable. The resulting kinetic friction severed the blimp's mooring, allowing it to rise above 7,000 feet, where it ruptured, according to the Dec. 15 accident report.
The rig caused no injury on the ground, but the total loss of equipment is estimated at $8.1 million, excluding cleanup.
Last Wright-Patt Galaxy
The last C-5A Galaxy assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, with Air Force Reserve Command's 445th Airlift Wing, has been retired to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
"I'm glad it has found its final resting place," said Lt. Col. Philip A. Pierce Jr., 89th Airlift Squadron, the pilot for the Jan. 31 mission.
Tail #70-0457 was the last of the wing's 10 C-5s to depart, making room for nine C-17s that the 445th will now operate.
The wing flew its final formal C-5 mission, a training sortie, in September and hosted the farewell ceremony for its C-5s in October.
The Air Force is now proposing the retirement of the last 27 C-5As in the fleet, describing them as excess to USAF needs. They would leave between Fiscal 2013 and Fiscal 2017.
Laughlin T-38s Moved to Randolph
Twenty T-38C trainers from Laughlin AFB, Tex., arrived at nearby Randolph Air Force Base, completing USAF's consolidation of Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals training.
Laughlin's 434th Fighter Training Squadron relinquished the aircraft to Randolph's 435th FTS, which now gains 11 active duty instructor pilots and more than 30 support positions. The 435th FTS will train 80 additional students annually, according to service officials.
The Air Force announced the end of IFF training at Laughlin and Vance AFB, Okla., last May, leaving IFF training to Randolph, Columbus AFB, Miss., and Sheppard AFB, Tex.
The final T-38C arrived at Randolph—a part of Joint Base San Antonio—on Jan. 18.
Nine Lives Critical Care
The first all-Air Force Critical Care Air Transport and Aeromedical Evacuation team is now operating with HC-130P King aircraft assigned to the 76th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The team completed its first mission earlier this year, according to squadron officials.
Lt. Col. Peter Dominicis, 76th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron commander, explained that his unit first flew with only Air Force pararescue teams, but "as we flew more, we started seeing patients that were more critical and needed more attention," requiring CCAT's specialized skills.
For instance, on Jan. 18, CCAT medical personnel joined with AE personnel on a 76th EQRS HC-130P, evacuating a marine with burns over 80 percent of his body to treatment at Kandahar.
"I don't think he would've survived if it hadn't been for the [CCAT and AE teams]," Dominicis said. The CCAT members complement their AE counterparts by attending to those wounded who are in an unstable condition.
Jammin' GPS
There's no way to operate a proposed commercial wireless broadband network alongside DOD's Global Positioning System without significant interference, a joint governmental committee has ruled.
Civilian telecommunications company LightSquared's plan "would cause harmful interference to many [Global Positioning System] receivers," and "there appear to be no practical solutions or mitigations" to allow the systems to operate side by side, asserted Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari. They are the co-chairmen of the National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Executive Committee.
The unanimous conclusion was reached after "substantial federal resources" were expended in analyzing the company's original plan and subsequent modifications, Carter stated in a letter to the Commerce Department's communications chief Jan. 13.
Analysis by the FAA added further clout to the findings. The agency noted that LightSquared's proposals "are not compatible with several GPS-dependent aircraft safety-of-flight systems," according to the committee co-chairs.
Senior USAF space officials warned early on that the LightSquared network would likely cause significant jamming of and interference to GPS signals.
Despite this specific case, Carter and Porcari said, "the Excom agencies continue to strongly support" the President's aim to make spectrum available for civilian broadband use.
Carter and Porcari proposed drafting "new GPS spectrum-interference standards that will help inform future proposals for nonspace, commercial uses in the bands adjacent to the GPS signals."
No Relief for DMSP
Congress terminated the Defense Weather Satellite System in the newly enacted 2012 defense appropriations bill, compelling the Air Force to devise a new strategy for future space-based weather monitoring.
DWSS, which was intended to succeed the current Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft on orbit, was born out of yet another canceled program, the tri-agency NPOESS constellation of satellites.
Lawmakers warned last year that scrapping the program, refining requirements, and holding a new competition might be preferable to continuing with DWSS, which suffered protracted cost and schedule problems.
Lawmakers stripped all but $43 million of the service's $445 million request for DWSS development, stipulating the Air Force use the remaining money to cover termination penalties.
Congress then designated $125 million in separate funding for "weather satellite follow-on activities." Though an Air Force Space Command spokesman said AFSPC is "still determining the appropriate future path given these reductions," it will extend the operating life of the current DMSP spacecraft.
The Air Force halted work on the DWSS in January, preparing instead to launch the two remaining legacy satellites—DMSP-19 and DMSP-20—while a new system is devised.
Air Force officials stress that DMSP is able to continue providing the US military with "high-quality and timely weather data" into the 2020s.
Stability Conversation
It's a good time to talk and a bad time to negotiate with Russia on the next round of bilateral nuclear reductions following the New START agreement, said Ellen O. Tauscher, then undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.
Instead, the United States and Russia are laying the foundation for future negotiations the Obama Administration is keen to pursue, through a series of "strategic stability talks" over the next six to eight months.
"We would like to get back to talks on what we call deployed and nondeployed and strategic and nonstrategic [assets]. But I think we are sanguine about that fact that they are not ready to do it," Tauscher said speaking in Washington, D.C., Jan. 12. (In February, Tauscher became the State Department's special envoy for missile defense.)
In the meantime, the Administration hopes to foster "a much more mutually assured and stable relationship," she said.
With Russia preoccupied with presidential elections this month, the Administration facing its own election cycle in November, and NATO still conducting its defense and deterrence posture review, Tauscher said further nuclear reduction talks will have to wait.
Instead, the two nations have identified a "baker's dozen" of topics to discuss, including conventional weapons in Europe, cyber issues, missile defense, and piracy, maintaining open lines of communications for when opportunity does arise.
By Feb. 17, a total of 1,884 Americans had died in Operation Enduring Freedom. The total includes 1,881 troops and three Department of Defense civilians. Of these deaths, 1,492 were killed in action with the enemy while 392 died in noncombat incidents.
There have been 15,343 troops wounded in action during OEF.
F-16s and A-10s flew close air support covering the Dec. 30 rescue of an Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crew that crashed in northern Afghanistan.
A second Apache relayed his wingman's distress call to an E-3 AWACS via a KC-135 tanker orbiting nearby. The E-3 broke off to assist in coordinating the recovery, calling in tactical support on the downed aircrew's position.
"We knew the guys on the ground were going to need armed overwatch, so we called in the F-16s," said Maj. Paul Lankes, AWACS mission crew boss during the mission.
Low on fuel, the Vipers rendezvoused with the KC-135, then resumed guarding the aircrew from overhead until relieved on station by a pair of A-10s that remained until a rescue convoy arrived to extract the two-man Apache crew.
"That kind of orchestration is what we do," said Capt. Joel Doss, AWACS electronic combat officer.
The Air Force has concluded that the Afghan Air Force officer who shot to death eight USAF air advisors and a US contractor in Kabul last April acted alone.
The investigators "did not determine a conclusive motive," but Col. Ahmed Gul's attack "appeared to be premeditated," according to an Air Force news release discussing Air Force Office of Special Investigations findings on the April 27, 2011, incident.
The release divulged that multiple witness statements "indicated Gul may have had personal issues that were possibly compounded by alleged financial problems." Available evidence did not support early press rumors that Gul had argued with US service members earlier on the day of the shooting.
Gul died of wounds inflicted during the incident.
Rescuing the Rescuers
Braving minus 15-degree Fahrenheit temperatures and hazardous mountainous terrain, US and Afghan airmen rescued 31 Afghans from an avalanche in northern Afghanistan.
They also helped the crew of an Afghan Mi-17 helicopter that had crashed attempting to save the survivors. The joint US-Afghan team set out in two additional Afghan Mi-17s for an area near the city of Fayzabad.
The helicopters climbed 9,000 feet to the rescue site, which was tucked into the difficult-to-traverse Hindu Kush mountain range.
"The landing zone was much smaller than we anticipated. Not too many teams could've pulled this off," noted Lt. Col. John Conmy, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron commander and an Mi-17 pilot who participated in the Jan. 24 rescue.
"The crews of all the aircraft worked together as a team to make this [rescue] happen," said Afghan Air Force Maj. Farid Samin.
Senior Staff Changes
RETIREMENTS: Lt. Gen. Daniel J. Darnell, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Remington, Maj. Gen. Harold L. Mitchell.
CHANGES: Maj. Gen. Mark A. Barrett, from DCS, Strat. Plans & Policy, NATO, Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk, Va., to C/S, EUCOM, Stuttgart, Germany … Brig. Gen. Casey D. Blake, from Dep. Cmdr., Jt. Theater Support Contracting Command, CENTCOM, Kabul, Afghanistan, to Vice Cmdr., Army & Air Force Exchange Service, Dallas … Maj. Gen. Michael R. Boera, from Dir., Rqmts., ACC, JB Langley-Eustis, Va., to Dir., Prgms., DCS, Strat. Plans & Prgms., USAF, Pentagon … Maj. Gen. (sel.) Steven L. Kwast, from Dep. Dir., Politico-Mil. Affairs, Europe, Jt. Staff, Pentagon, to Dir., Rqmts., ACC, JB Langley-Eustis, Va. … Brig. Gen. James K. McLaughlin, from Dep. Dir., Global Ops., STRATCOM, Offutt AFB, Neb., to Dir., Space & Cyber Ops., DCS, Ops., Plans, & Rqmts., USAF, Washington, D.C. … Brig. Gen. Robert D. Thomas, from Cmdr., 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, AMC, Travis AFB, Calif., to Cmdr., Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions & Citizen Dev., AU, AETC, Maxwell AFB, Ala. … Brig. Gen. David D. Thompson, from Dir., Air, Space, & Cyberspace Ops., AFSPC, Peterson AFB, Colo., to Dep. Dir., Global Ops., STRATCOM, Offutt AFB, Neb. … Brig. Gen. Roger H. Watkins, from Cmdr., Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions & Citizen Dev., AU, AETC, Maxwell AFB, Ala., to Cmdr., 379th AEW, ACC, Southwest Asia … Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, from Dir., Prgms., DCS, Strat. Plans & Prgms., USAF, Pentagon, to Dir., Air, Space, & Cyberspace Ops., AFSPC, Peterson AFB, Colo.
SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE RETIREMENTS: Joe G. Lineberger, James W. Salter Jr.
SES CHANGES: Audrey Y. Davis, to Principal Dep. Dir., Defense Finance & Accounting Service, Arlington, Va. … Richard Philip Deavel, to Dir., AF Review Boards Agency, OSAF, Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Washington, D.C. … Sharon K. Puschmann, to Asst. Auditor General, Field Offices Directorate, OSAF, Pentagon … Gordon O. Tanner, to Principal Dep. General Counsel, Office of the AF General Counsel, Pentagon. n

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


So today we talk about Epic Ships in X-wing! So thematically these ships are fun to play with. As for Epic play, they can really change the way you look at and think about X-wing. This is especially true when compared to the normal 100 points 6 asteroids format. So lets take a quick look at the ships and then go over a battle report and show one off.
Rebel Transport – GR-65: With no primary weapons the GR-65 is a true support ship. It does not have "Hardpoints" to equip weapons. It's biggest assets are it's Jam Action and some of it's cargo. Including an upgrade that says once a ship is stressed is similar to Splicer Tools without removing the stress.
CR-90 Corvette aka Tantive IV: at 90 Points it's basically going to be a 3rd of your list. It's ability to hold upgrades and overall defensive abilities can make it appealing. It does have a drawback in that it doesn't have a forward facing arc so unless it is ramming a ship it's blind to ships right in front of it when dealing with fire.
Gonzati Class Cruiser: The beautiful ship that carries your TIES into battle. Similar to the GR-65 points wise it can equip a weapon. However with just one forward arc and PS of 2 the output may not be appealing. With upgrades it can act like a GR-65 with its own Jam action. Needless to say the ability to Launch TIES after normal ships from a position outside your starting zone is what makes it so appealing.
Imperial Raider: 100 points out of the box and no upgrades. Start adding upgrades and you can quickly get up to 150 points if you are not careful so half your list in one spot. It makes up for this though with sheer firepower. Up to 5 attacks a round, though they are unmodified normally. The other issue is unless you equip weapons that can deal with it the Raider has a natural R1 bubble that it cannot shoot into. So your fleet has to cover it close while it works hard on the outside bubbles.
C-Roc Cruiser: In the same category as the Gr-65 and Gonzati size wise. The C-Roc is typical scum it's titles helping define it's role. Coming in at a base of 35 points it leaves lots of room for Bounty Hunters or other Scum Fighters to fill in. Toss on Jabba the Hutt and enjoy even more fun with even more uses of your illicit upgrades.
So it was a Raider vs the GR-65 today. My opponent brought 11 fighters and his Gr-65. Which felt appropriate given we were using the Hoth map and an open starfield. I countered with my Raider, Capt. Jonus, Quickdraw, Maarek Stele (Defender), Epsilon Ace and 3 Epsilon Squadron Pilots.
Prepared for an Epic Battle at Hoth.
The interesting thing about the Raider is with a Range 4 weapon it can fire in the first round of moving if an opponent comes up far enough. In the Second Round is when the Raider really goes to work. Destroying 3 Ships and damaging several others by itself allowing the Swarm to do it's thing. Using "Ordnance Tubes" to launch a pair of Harpoon Missiles along with a Cluster Missile, along with its own primary weapon, the output it was getting was well worth the 137 points put into it.
End of Round 2 and Already the Rebels are down 1/4 of their Fleet.
The GR-65 blocked the Raider to prevent it's own destruction and actually getting a damage to the hull of the beast. The block as the added benefit of protecting a T-70 from being run over and destroyed without an attack. The bad part was the Raider could still shoot at the T-70 with Harpoons and it did. Dealing 10 damage to various ships in the area as the Harpoons went off. My opponent Conceded left with Just 2 A-wings, 2 T-70s that were down to 1 hull each, a Y-wing down to one 1 hull and the GR-65 down to 3 hull.
With the Rebels in Trouble they have hard decisions to make.
The Gr-65 Blocked but it was not enough to save the Fleet overall. Game Over.
Correction: The CR-90 has a Turret Primary weapon, so it CAN indeed shoot forwards.
Previous story When Dice Don't Matter… and Other Battle Reports.


Twin Peaks is an iconic development of fine architectural design and ready-to-live-in apartments, fully furnished with sophisticated pieces by renowned designers such as Charles & Ray Eames and Hans Wegner. Tribù has the honour to stand beside these great names with its Tosca collection by Monica Armani.
Formerly known as The Grangeford, this development comprises two identical 36-storey blocks situated in an oasis of serenity and tranquility, and yet located close to the heart of Orchard Road. Twin Peaks's luxurious facilities include lush tropical gardens and a resort-style swimming pool. It provides a sublime escape with a choice of luxurious amenities such as stylish jet spas, exclusive dining suites and state-of-the-art three-storey high sky gyms offering inspiring views of the city. Open-air sky loggias on the 36th storey, together with a rooftop bar, form the ideal setting for private parties against the backdrop of a glittering skyline.


FlowWorks Inc. named as a "Top 10 Big Data Solution Provider" by Gov CIO Outlook. Gov CIO Outlook is a monthly magazine that brings you real-world solutions, news, and product trends. The magazine cover various key topics such as Identity Access Management, Citizen Relationship Management, Open Source, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Saas and more.


1. Blog Photography - if you are using natural light as your best friend and appear to be a pro at flat laying then your blog will catch my eye no doubt about. In terms of travel photos, I prefer light and airy with not too much going on.
2. Content - As much as I'm brought in by your photography, if your content isn't any good then I won't be returning. I like blogs that are varied that include lifestyle posts as I like to relate to the writer. I also get put off if spelling and grammar is poor, the odd mistake is fine but a post full of them is a big no no so proof read!
3. Template - This is really important too as too many background colours and an unstructured layout will put me off your blog. White backgrounds make your photos pop and stand out, it doesn't need any further jazzing. Plus if your site is easy to navigate then I will be able to engage with it more.
4. Engagement on social media - If you're active on social media and I can see a snippet of your life outside your blog and I like the way you come across I will tend to enjoy your blog more and keep returning.
5. Being Unique - I find the best way for bloggers to be unique in my eyes is to write personal lifestyle posts. Offer your opinion and tell me what you enjoy outside of beauty products and fashion and I'll return. It's very difficult to be unique when it comes to reviewing products as lots of people will review the same thing and potentially have similar opinions.
6. Your face! - As funny as that sounds, if I cannot see your face then it puts me off. I don't mind what you look like, I like to see the writer with my own eyes.
7. Your header - This is important to get right as it's your header on your blog page and should appear on each. A lot of bloggers are including personal animations in their header which is a really nice idea for a personal touch.
8. Accessible social media buttons - If I like your blog then I will definitely follow you so if you have your buttons displayed clearly, it makes it easier for me to return to your blog when you promote a new post.
9. Pets - If you have a pet, include them on your blog/social media as lots of people own pets and love to follow a fellow pet lover - this truly makes me like you more.
10. Be yourself - If you are genuine then you will come across this way. If all of your work is your own and reflects your personality then I'm sure to return.
What makes you return to somebody's blog? I'd love to know so leave a comment below.
I completely agree! It's really important to get you design right.
This is such a good post, i agree with them all. Number 4 is probably my most relatable as i like to get to know the bloggers I'm following.
Thank you Helena. Definitely, I am really nosey when it comes to bloggers! haha.
This is a great post! A lot of these reasons is why I go back to a blog too!
REVIEW | Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set Vol. 2.


It's referred to as the 'classic car' in some circles, due to the heightened number of breakdowns it's had recently, putting its parts on at the most inconvenient time. But, classic car it might be, on Monday night, my 1994 Polo GT was the star of the show. Or our drive at least.
Yes, the exhaust has fallen off recently (Eurovision night to be precise, and more than likely down to perished rubber hangers), resulting in a very noisy journey home from Mark's, and the cambelt has been changed too in the last few weeks, really as a precautionary measure. In all other respects, though, my faithful motoring companion shows little sign of its 157,000 miles and 15-year life.
It still feels as solid as a modern day Volkswagen (and hewn from granite when compared with its French or Italian contemporaries), and while the paint is starting to show rust freckles in certain areas, I was told on Monday night that 'Evo Car' (so-called because of the evo magazine sticker on the back window) was one of the best examples of the breed that Justin had seen.
He came to collect the spare front bumper I sold to him on eBay for £1, and had a G40 which was in the garage being repaired after being shunted by a Volvo. We stood chatting on the drive for around 45 minutes. I'd have offered him and his ferrying friend a cup of tea if I'd known we'd be that long. I don't get engaged in that long a conversation when we attend Volkswagen events.
It was fun, though, and as we discussed the merits of the Mk1 and Mk 2 Polos, the sun making the light and sky more orange, I realised that maybe the silver shed isn't quite so bad after all. It's gone past the stage of economical repair yes, but that doesn't mean it has to be run into the ground. It's lucky if it does 6,000 miles a year now, and is quite literally a shopping car these days, but 19-year old Justin was impressed.
Which sometimes, is all that matters. Polo GTs are getting fewer in number, and only last weekend did I read a letter by a similarly pleased GT owner to one of the classic car magazines stating that she thought they are ripe to become a future classic. While that would be nice (and I'd like to agree), the handling and 'fun factor' probably isn't up to the best in class, and the car didn't get overly rave reviews at the time its tyres first rolled onto tarmac.
But, it's what it means to us owners that matters most. And as most cars get bigger, heavier, and less individually styled, older cars are appealing to me more. Alongside the Polo, I'd like a metal-bumpered Mk 1 Golf GTI, a BMW 2002, and an Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior/1750 GTV among others. Are classics fantastic? Oh yes.
Another week, another new Polo TV commercial. Volkswagen is clearly pushing the car relentlessly, this spot appearing in the car's home market launch week in its home market 29 June. Partnering the 'Neon' spot that aired around the same time, the young and trendy still feature, with the Polo being the young and trendy transport of choice.
Volkswagen has also launched a technically amazing new configurator for the car. If you're in Germany, choose your paint and wheels here.
These hip young things have seen the light. There are no surprises for the demographic Volkswagen is aiming the new Polo at. Here's the first proper commercial for the new Polo, which launches this week in Germany, and has attracted over 24,000 advance orders.
A little harsh I think. I think they've been sniffing too much petrol at Sniff Petrol. Yes, sensible the new Polo may be, but it is different to the bigger Golf, and has got a style of its own. Don't they realise that the more daringly-styled new Ford Fiesta will date much quicker?
Fresh from its international press launch in Sardinia (the location for the Mk 2 Polo launch, fact fans), more details on the 2009 Volkswagen Polo have been released. Volkswagen has listed details on the three trim levels in Germany, more information on engines, and plans for the roll-out.
Mainland Europe is to get the car first, at the end of June, with other markets to follow. Cars for the UK are scheduled to land around September or October. Initial drive reports from the Italian outpost claim that the car is big-car impressive, but ultimately not as fun to steer as dynamic arch rival, the Fiesta. The same old story then; has Volkswagen missed a trick?
In other Polo-related news, Volkswagen has received over 13,000 advance orders for the new fifth-generation model (remember that the public hasn't actually seen the car in the metal yet), and the rumour mill still reports that a deal for the US market has all but been done, although we'll reserve judgment on that one until we hear a green a light has been given. It could well be true, though; the first UK road tests point to the top trim level in this country being 'SEL', which was used on the top-of-the-tree US Corrado a few years ago.
Fresh from its international press launch in Sardinia (the location for the Mk 2 Polo launch, fact fans), more details on the 2009 Volkswagen Polo have been released. Volkswagen has listed details on the three trim levels in Germany (the traditional Trendline, Comfortline and Highline), more information on engines, and plans for the roll-out.
In other Polo-related news, Volkswagen has received over 13,000 advance orders for the new fifth-generation model (remember that the public hasn't actually seen the car in the metal yet), and the rumour mill still reports that a deal for the US market has all but been done, although we'll reserve judgment on that one until we hear a green a light has been given.
It could well be true, though; the first UK road tests point to the top trim level across the Atlantic being SEL, which was used on top-of-the-tree US Corrados and Passats a few years ago.


Abstract : Video on mobile devices is a must-have feature with the prominence of new video-centric services and applications such as streaming or conferencing. By improving the compression performance by a factor of two with a similar image quality, the new video standard High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is an appealing technology for service providers. Besides, with the recent progress of Systems-on-Chip (SoC) for mobile devices, software video decoders are now a reality. They offer a high flexibility of implementation as well as a means to rapidly deploy HEVC on existing devices without waiting for compatible hardware solutions. In this context, a challenge is to design a power efficient system that fits the compelling demand for long battery life on mobile devices. In this demo, a subjective evaluation of a low power HEVC decoder is presented on a big.LITTLE ARM-based embedded development platforms. It shows the performance of a standard compliant decoding system versus a low power decoding system in a side-by-side format on two 9-inch displays. Power savings close to 7% have been demonstrated on the whole energy consumption of a mobile device by using low power decoding.


It's not always so great to leave all your decisions to other people.
If you do, there is a really good chance that you might want to live some part of your life in some way that the all-powerful leader doesn't think is best for the 'common good', whatever that might be. In such case, you won't be able to do anything you want because you gave away your freedom.


Bugs in Google Cloud Platform, Google-developed apps and extensions (published in Google Play, in iTunes, or in the Chrome Web Store), as well as some of our hardware devices (Home, OnHub and Nest) will also qualify. See our Android Rewards and Chrome Rewards for other services and devices that are also in scope.
New! In addition, significant abuse-related methodologies are also in scope for this program, if the reported attack scenario displays a design or implementation issue in a Google product that could lead to significant harm.
An example of an abuse-related methodology would be a technique by which an attacker is able to manipulate the rating score of a listing on Google Maps by submitting a sufficiently large volume of fake reviews that go undetected by our abuse systems. However, reporting a specific business with likely fake ratings would not qualify.
Vulnerabilities in *.bc.googleusercontent.com or *.appspot.com. These domains are used to host applications that belong to Google Cloud customers. The Vulnerability Reward Program does not authorize the testing of Google Cloud customer applications. Google Cloud customers can authorize the penetration testing of their own applications (read more), but testing of these domains is not within the scope of or authorized by the Vulnerability Reward Program.
Logout cross-site request forgery (read more.) For better or worse, the design of HTTP cookies means that no single website can prevent its users from being logged out; consequently, application-specific ways of achieving this goal will likely not qualify. You may be interested in personal blog posts from Chris Evans and Michal Zalewski for more background.
Email spoofing on Gmail and Google Groups. We are aware of the risk presented by spoofed messages and are taking steps to ensure that the Gmail filter can effectively deal with such attacks.
User enumeration. Reports outlining user enumeration are not within scope unless you can demonstrate that we don't have any rate limits in place to protect our users.
Bypassing the limit of accounts that can be verified with a given SMS number. We often receive reports about users being able to bypass our SMS limit for verifying accounts. There are actually two different quotas per number for account verification, one via 'SMS' and a different one via 'Call Me'.
 This category includes products such as Google Search (https://www.google.com and https://encrypted.google.com), Google Wallet (https://wallet.google.com), Google Mail (https://mail.google.com), Google Inbox (https://inbox.google.com), Google Code Hosting (https://code.google.com), Chromium Bug Tracker (https://bugs.chromium.org), Chrome Web Store (https://chrome.google.com), Google App Engine (https://appengine.google.com), Google Admin (https://admin.google.com), Google Developers Console (https://console.developers.google.com), and Google Play (https://play.google.com).
New! Rewards for abuse-related methodologies are based on a different scale and range from USD $100 to $5,000. The reward amount for these abuse-related bugs depends on the potential probability and impact of the submitted technique.
 The impact assessment is based on the attack's potential for causing privacy violations, financial loss, and other user harm, as well as the user-base reached.
 The probability assessment takes into account the technical skill set needed to conduct the attack, the potential motivators of such an attack, and the likelihood of the vulnerability being discovered by an attacker.
A: The reward panel consists of the members of the Google Security Team. The current permanent members are Daniel Stelter-Gliese, Eduardo Vela Nava, Gábor Molnár, Krzysztof Kotowicz, Martin Straka, and Michael Jezierny. In addition there is a rotating member from the rest of our team.
Q: My report has not been resolved within the first week of submission. Why hasn't it been resolved yet?
A: Reports that deal with potential abuse-related vulnerabilities may take longer to assess, because reviewing our current defense mechanisms requires investigating how a real life attack would take place and reviewing the impact and likelihood requires studying the type of motivations and incentives of abusers of the submitted attack scenario against one of our products.
Q: My account was disabled after doing some tests. How can I get my account restored?
A: We recommend that you create an account dedicated only to testing before beginning any tests on our products, since we cannot guarantee that you will get access back to your account if it is disabled due to your testing activities. If you accidentally used a non-test account or you suspect your personal account was disabled due to your testing, you can request to have your account restored by Signing in to your Google Account and selecting Try to Restore.


Makes a great home decor gift for the garden.
Our elegant metal herons appear ready to lift off and dance through your garden. These life-size statues are made of textured and layered metal sections, hand painted with delicate details for an amazing feather-like appearance. Wonderful adornments for any lawn or garden space. Measures 32-1/2" tall.


The "It" silhouette of the season, the Selena ankle boot is perfect with your favorite denim or dress. Comfort lovers, rejoice: the kitten heel is still going strong this fall.
Outsole: German • Heel Height: 2.5 " • Shaft Height: 5.5"


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All-new Ford Focus ST is on the way
By admin On July 24, 2019
The all-new Focus ST has been developed under the leadership of Ford Performance. As a result, it delivers nimble hot-hatchback thrills in what is a stylish, comfortable and practical family car. Priced from €39,595, the new Focus ST will arrive here in August.
This new ST builds on the class-leading driving dynamics of the fourth generation Focus in five-door and wagon body styles. Ford's new C2 architecture is enhanced with unique suspension, braking and powertrain configurations for what Ford promises is the most responsive and agile Focus ST driving experience ever – on road and track.
A new engine line-up promises up to 12 per cent more power and 17 per cent more torque compared with the previous generation Focus ST. Ford's 280 PS 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol and 190 PS 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engines both deliver a broad spread of power and torque across the rev-range, for fast-revving sports performance.
Ford's first application of an electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD) for a front-wheel drive vehicle further enhances as standard the cornering and stability of the EcoBoost-powered variant – sharpening responses to changing grip levels and driver inputs using computer-controlled pre-emptive actuation.
A choice of six-speed manual or promised quick-shifting new seven-speed automatic transmissions is offered, and Selectable Drive Modes technology is introduced to the Focus ST for the first time. This enables drivers to adjust the vehicle's character to suit the driving scenario.
Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD) is standard for five-door EcoBoost variants. It enhances the short long arm (SLA) independent rear suspension configuration for claimed ultimate refinement.
"Intelligent technologies like eLSD and CCD make our all-new Focus ST the most 'Jekyll and Hyde' yet, able to switch from refined tourer to focussed performance car at the push of a button," said Leo Roeks, Ford Performance director, Europe.
"We've incorporated learnings from programmes including our Ford GT supercar and the acclaimed Focus RS to develop a mid-size performance car with a degree of flexibility that's unique in its segment."
The all-new Focus ST will be manufactured with best-ever craftsmanship and quality following a €600 million investment at Ford's Saarlouis assembly facility, Germany.


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1. This is a petition for a new trial filed by the petitioner under Section 194(c) of the Code of Civil Procedure seeking the Court for an order to set aside an ex parte judgment given against him in the original suit Civil Side 120 of 2008. The petitioner and the respondent herein were respectively the defendant and plaintiff in the original suit.
3. The original plaint was first filed in May 2008, wherein the plaintiff claimed that she had been living in concubinage with the defendant for over 15 years. Out of their concubinage three children were born. Throughout their concubinage the plaintiff contributed/invested all her earnings for the construction of a house, the family home on a plot of land belonging to the defendant. Their concubinage came to an end in 2005. Parties separated. The plaintiff was driven out of the family home with her three children. Since then the defendant has been in sole possession and occupation of the house. The plaintiff requested the defendant to compensate her for the loss due to such contribution/investment she made. The defendant initially agreed to refund, compensate or reimburse the plaintiff for the same; but, subsequently refused to do so. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant has been unjustly enriched from the contribution/investment made by the plaintiff in the construction of the house. Despite several requests, the defendant neglected or refused to compensate the plaintiff. In the circumstances, she came before this Court seeking justice. She filed the suit in 2008 seeking a judgment against the defendant in the sum of Rs 250,000/- so that she can be compensated or refunded of her hard earned money invested in the construction of the family home.
4. In the original suit the pleadings were not closed until September 2011. Going by the record, it appears that the defendant has been applying delay tactics to procrastinate the case abusing all procedural rules and technicalities, asking for better particulars, change of counsel at least for three times and giving false hopes of settlement and other maneuvers. The case had been fixed for hearings at least on 3 occasions but all aborted because either parties were absent or Counsel were in others Courts or for some other reason. However, on most of the occasions neither the Defendant nor his Counsel was present. The defendant changed his counsel three times, for reasons best known to him only. On first two occasions, when the case came up for hearing the Court encouraged the parties to settle their dispute amicably, in the interest of justice. However, despite several attempts by the Court, no settlement was reached.
5. On 4th June 2014, the Court had finally fixed the case for hearing on 16th January 2015. The date was set, when both parties and their respective counsel were present in court. The hearing date had also been cause-listed in the weekly cause-list. However, when the case came up for hearing on the appointed date, the plaintiff and her counsel Mr. Elizabeth were in attendance in court; well prepared for the hearing, whereas the defendant and his counsel were absent without any excuse. At the request of the plaintiff's counsel, and having considered the entire background facts of the case as found on record and in the interest of justice the court proceeded to hear the case ex-parte and on the same day that is, the 16th January 2015 and delivered an extempore ex-parte judgment in the sum of Rs 250,000/- for the plaintiff and against the defendant with interest on the said sum at 4% per annum as from the date of the plaint and with costs.
6. Neither the defendant nor his counsel did take any steps to check what had happened to their case that had been set for hearing on 16th January 2016. They waited exactly for three months for reasons not disclosed to the court. On a sudden realization of the ex parte judgment, the petitioner has now come before the Court with the instant petition dated 16th April 2016, for an order for a new trial invoking Section 194 (c) of the Code of Civil Procedure, which reads thus: A new trial may be granted on the application of either party to the suit, when it appears to the court to be necessary for the ends of justice.
7.In essence, the reason given by the petitioner for his absence in court on the date of hearing is that his counsel had inadvertently mixed up the dates as she had no diary for the year 2015, when the court fixed the hearing date. It is also the contention of the petitioner that it is unjust and unfair for the case to be heard ex-parte because of a mix-up in the hearing dates and without informing the petitioner that the Court would proceed to hear the matter ex-parte. Hence the petitioner seeks an order for a new trial.
8. On the other side, learned counsel for the respondent objected to an order for new trial contending in essence, that on a proper consideration of all the authorities, the legal principle the Court should apply when deciding whether or not to exercise its discretion to grant a new trial, is the very exceptional circumstances. This is the general rule. As was held in Naiken Vs Pillay (1968) SLR 101 a new trial under 194 (c) ought not to be granted except in very special circumstances. In the instant case, the alleged forgetfulness of counsel to enter the hearing date in her diary does not constitute a very exceptional circumstance to justify an order for a new trial. Hence, the respondent urged the court not to grant an order for anew trial and dismiss the petition accordingly.
9. I carefully considered the submission made by both counsel for and against the petition in the light of the relevant provisions of law.
(c) when it appears to the court to be necessary for the ends of justice.
195. Application for a new trial shall be made by petition supported by an affidavit of the facts, and shall be served on the opposite party in the same manner and subject to the same rules as to time for appearance as in the case of plaints.
(b) in all other cases, within three months from the date of the judgment.
11. As I see it, under section 194 (c) the Court has a discretion to order a new trial for the ends of justice. This discretion conferred on the Court should be in my view exercised judicially for end of justice, which requires the existence of very exceptional circumstance. Obviously, the reason given by the petitioner for his absence on the hearing date, is unsatisfactory, which does not in my considered view constitute an exceptional circumstance to justify an order for a new trial. Going by the records, I find that unreasonable delay in making an application for a new trial and the defendant's delay tactics behavior in the past 7 years indicate his intention to protract the case rather than a genuine wish to oppose the plaintiff's claim. In the circumstances, I conclude that the instant petition for a new trial is the petitioner's last-ditch attempt to delay justice and defeat the respondent from realizing the fruits of the judgment she obtained in her favour after 7 years of legal battle in court.
12. Hence, I find that the instant petition for a new trial is devoid of merits. It is therefore, dismissed accordingly, with costs.


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PharmAccess is a group of non-profit organizations dedicated to improving access to quality healthcare in Africa. PharmAccess mobilizes public and private resources for the benefit of doctors and patients through clinical standards and quality improvements, loans for healthcare providers, health insurance, mHealth innovations and operational research.
This integrated approach is made possible by the following organizations:
Health in Africa
Universal Health Coverage
Health investments
Healthcare quality standards
Impact and results
PharmAccess Foundation
AHTC, Tower 4C
T: +31 (0)20 2103920
E: info@pharmaccess.org
Public-Private partnerships - a game changer for the Nigerian health sector?
PharmAccess Foundation partnered with Nigeria Health Watch to host a conference "Disrupting Healthcare - PPPs as a model for Health Systems Strengthening" The intent was to explore the opportunities for private public partnerships to improve access and healthcare services, and to share their experiences and lessons learnt in executing PPPs.
Quality HealthCare: The Pathway to Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria
Cash Advance energizing mobile lending in Kenyan health sector
Massive UHC Registration Drive to get underway in Kisumu County Kenya
Nigeria is home to some remarkable growth stories in the private sector. Telecommunications, financial services and infrastructure have seen significant improvements over the past years. On 11th of April 2019, PharmAccess Foundation partnered with Nigeria Health Watch to host a conference "Disrupting Healthcare – PPPs as a model for Health Systems Strengthening" with over 200 participants attending.
The event brought together several stakeholders from management levels of public and private sector to participate in this policy dialogue. The intent was to explore the opportunities for private public partnerships to improve access and healthcare services anchored on mandatory State Health Insurance Schemes. Panelists shared their experiences and lessons learnt in executing PPPs from public and private sector perspectives.
The Nigerian health sector continues to be underfunded by the Government, leaving a large funding gap which can only be filled by the private sector, through public-private partnerships. Currently over 72% of medical bills are paid out-of-pocket. This highlights the urgency of health insurances, especially for the poor and vulnerable. Innovations by the private sector are critical to disrupt the healthcare system.
During the Dialogue, PharmAccess showcased a few of their public-private partnership models both at the primary and secondary levels of care through the Medical Credit Fund (MCF). The fund enabled improved access to finance for selected facilities in Nigeria. Many health facilities struggle with the high interest rates from regular financial institutions, making repayment difficult. The Medical Credit Fund, through its financial partners, enables low interest rates by providing partial guarantees and technical assistance to mitigate risks. Bundled with these loans is the SafeCare program, which provides the healthcare providers actionable insights to improve the quality of services within their facilities.
With the Access to Finance Framework in Delta State and Lagos State, run down nonfunctional government primary healthcare centers are being revitalized through a unique partnership between PharmAccess' Medical Credit Fund, Bank of Industry and the State Governments. This partnership enables the provision of funding to selected private sector organizations to take over the nonfunctional facilities. To date 43 private healthcare centers in Lagos State and 25 in Delta State are undergoing phenomenal transformations. Access to care has started here under the management of the private sector.
Dr. Olamide Olamide, Director Advocacy and Communications at PharmAccess, also stressed the role of the government:
"To ensure that adequate domestic resources are allocated to the health sector, dedicated analytic, policy, and advocacy efforts are required. The government should be regulating and providing governance in healthcare and let the private sector use their expertise and competence to deliver healthcare.''
The public-private partnership models of PharmAccess are promising examples of the journey towards Universal Health Care. When public funds are lacking, these partnerships are vital. The Policy Dialogue encourages parties to scale existing programs and explore new public-private cooperation.
Pharm-Access-Policy-Dialogue-by-David-Asumah-Studios-353
Tags: access Africa Conference health insurance Medical Credit Fund Nigeria SafeCare
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