In case you haven't seen, Challenge have just announced that they'll be showing classic episodes of Countdown for the first time next month.
Are there any "recap gaps"* that might be able to be filled in by these transmissions?
Johnny Canuck wrote: Are there any "recap gaps"* that might be able to be filled in by these transmissions?
Just a tiny bit of stuff needed on Episodes 1176 & 1177.
It would be much better if we had stuff from Series 1, 2 & 7.
There's likely to be interesting stuff in games that got missed out of the historical recaps, so it will always be worth comparing the game against the recap.
This is pretty cool. I don't think old episodes of Countdown have ever been repeated before, except for rare one-offs like the very first episode, and a handful of episodes in place of rained-off cricket over a decade ago.
If they're saying "60 episodes from 1991/92" my guess is that they're going to show Series 23. It would make sense for them to show an entire series rather than 60 randomly selected episodes from those two years. Series 23 was 65 episodes long though, so maybe 60 is approximate, or they've had to leave out five episodes for some reason.
If this hunch is correct, then we might see Glen Webb's original run.
Graeme, are there any contestants from that era who have also appeared in recent years (or have a namesake who has)? If so, it may be worth checking to see if they are the same person, as I don't think the wiki is entirely accurate in that respect. I'll probably remember the appearances of most 2011-14 contestants, while Robbo will have a good idea too.
Jack Worsley wrote: Graeme, are there any contestants from that era who have also appeared in recent years (or have a namesake who has)? If so, it may be worth checking to see if they are the same person, as I don't think the wiki is entirely accurate in that respect. I'll probably remember the appearances of most 2011-14 contestants, while Robbo will have a good idea too.
If we look at contestants who appeared in 1991-92 with the same name as contestants who appeared in 2010 onwards, there are some that we already know are the same person, according to the wiki: Eileen Taylor, Eric Emslie, Glen Webb, Gweni Sorokin, John Taylor, Peter Etherington, Simon Gillam and Terry Stapleton. In some of these cases we already know they were returning contestants, but I'm not sure how we know in the case of, say, John Taylor.
Barry Grossman, David Webb and Jackie McLeod all appeared in 1991-92 and then in the 30th Birthday Championship.
Contestants who appeared in 1991-92 with the same name as contestants from 2010 onwards who the wiki does not say are the same person (and hence have different player IDs in the database so are treated as separate people) are Bill Donaldson, David Smith (two of these since 2010) and Peter Wilson. In the case of unusual names like Gweni Sorokin we might decide "yeah, this is probably the same person" in the absence of any other information, but we can't really do the same with these very common names, which is why I'm wondering whether someone had extra knowledge about John Taylor to decide he was a repeat contestant.
An obvious limitation of this sort of analysis is that a contestant could have changed their name since their first appearance, for marriage or other reasons, in which case we might never realise they've appeared before. There are almost certainly unknown cases of this on the wiki, where the same person is recorded as two differently-named players, but there's not much we can do about it except correct it as and when someone in the know points it out.
So if I change my name I might be able to sneak back on? Awesome. Please refer to me only as Horatio Swank from now on.
Has now been confirmed that "Classic Countdown" will be commence airing on Challenge on Monday 14 September at 7pm.
2 episodes a day will be shown, with them being repeated at noon the following day.
Gavin Chipper wrote: Are they on consecutively?
Yes, 7-8pm is the Countdown Zone!!
The trailer shows Richard Stilgoe holding up a card with a jocular 9 letter nonword, which fits perfectly with the details we know about July 3rd 1991 (Season 22 Ep 3).
Nick Deller wrote: The trailer shows Richard Stilgoe holding up a card with a jocular 9 letter nonword, which fits perfectly with the details we know about July 3rd 1991 (Season 22 Ep 3).
There's a "Countdown 2 days to go" teaser on screen on challenge today.
Philip Wilson wrote: There's a "Countdown 2 days to go" teaser on screen on challenge today.
There was a "Countdown 3 days to go" teaser on screen on Challenge yesterday.
Ha ha I have a pretty good idea what it will say tomorrow then!
Are we having spoilers and recaps for these matches?
Philip Wilson wrote: Are we having spoilers and recaps for these matches?
We certainly should do - at least with spoilers. Spoiler threads can be started by anyone but with the recaps we could just post extra details in the existing historic recaps if we pick anything up.
Gavin Chipper wrote: We certainly should do - at least with spoilers. Spoiler threads can be started by anyone but with the recaps we could just post extra details in the existing historic recaps if we pick anything up.
So this was the first series to use the pencam and it also saw the introduction of the second conundrum in the event of a tie instead of a rematch which happened before.
It was also legal to pick only 2 vowels at this time. The champion sat next to the host and the challenger had first pick.
Er endings to one syllable adjectives were allowed if not specified too.
Philip Wilson wrote: Er endings to one syllable adjectives were allowed if not specified too.
Isn't this still the case?
Yep sorry, I made it sound like it was different to now. I just mentioned it because I didn't think it was always the case but it was then. Or has it always been the case?
What happened to today's episodes?
Gavin Chipper wrote: What happened to today's episodes?
Where was I supposed to see that? Radio Times says 7 and they didn't mention immediately before or after last week's shows that they were changing times for this week. I don't check the Challenge website every day to make sure they aren't going to arbitrarily change their schedule so I'd have no reason to know. Where did you hear?
Are the repeats still on from 11am?
I heard on Facebook, first from Challenge's own page, then Michael Cullen mentioned it, and the adverts have now changed the time from 7pm to 4pm.
And yes, the repeats are still at 11am.
Series link works it out by itself, luckily, as I've got behind being away. I noticed my box recording something at 4 o/c on Monday, which was how I found out they'd changed it.
It's just been mentioned on Facebook that the last 5 episodes of this series have now been found, and they're being shown from Friday at 7:30am.
Another classic Countdown episode here.


text:
Open call. Bivac Festival 2023
Form part of a group that programmes a festival of young people's thinking
9 — 30 January 2023
Education + Festivals
What would a festival of thinking devised, curated and run by young people be like? We're looking for a group of 10 people aged between 18 and 25, with a variety of interests and training, to meet weekly and imagine a programme of thinking that incorporates their ways of doing things, their references and their concerns.
The training workshop to design and programme the festival lasts five months, from February to June 2023. In addition to the support of the CCCB and La Sullivan, the group will be visited by philosophers, artists and curators who'll share reflections and learning processes. On this collaborative basis, we'll shape the second Bivac festival.
Participant selection process
If you'd like to form part of this creation and curating workshop, send the following material to lasullivan@lasullivan.org by 30 January 2023:
Your name, date of birth, telephone and email address
A letter of introduction and motivation for forming part of the project
An idea for an activity that could be part of the festival, clearly setting out the format, theme, guests, venue, duration and target audience, as well as justification.
Please send all the material in one file, with your name in the title of the document.
In the event of being selected for an interview, let us know if there is any time you would be unable to attend an interview on the afternoons proposed: 7, 8 and 9 February, between 16:00 and 19:00 (include it in the document you send us).
Presentation of an application means undertaking the commitment to attend 80% of the sessions.
A team made up of representants of the CCCB and La Sullivan will assess the applications. On 3 February, the results of the first phase will be communicated personally by email, and pre-selected candidates will be invited to a personal interview on the afternoon of 7, 8 or 9 February.
The result of the final selection will be communicated to participants by email on 14 February.
Dates and times of the training workshop
21 and 28 February; 7, 14, 21 and 28 March; 11, 18 and 25 April; 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 May; and 13 June
The sessions will take place at the CCCB, on Tuesdays, from 18:00 to 20:00.
Bivac 2022: year one
Bivac Festival 2022 took place at the CCCB on 13 October 2022. This festival of young people's thinking and creation was the product of the first year of the curating workshop. It brought together some of the most original and critical young voices in literature, thinking, music, dance and performance.
Hours and prices
9 January — 30 January 2023
Add to the calendar
ALIA: Consciousness in comic strips
Science and creation for secondary schools with the Center for Brain and Cognition (UPF) and Escola JOSO
5 September 2022 — 15 June 2023 Education
Playtime, everyone outside!
A community project with children and young people from the Raval
Brain(s)
School in residence / Course 2022-2023
Education and culture in the Raval neighbourhood
12 September 2022 — 21 June 2023 Education
// https://www.cccb.org/rcs_gene/bivac_cccb.jpg
CCCB Archive
Curating Young Thinking
La Sullivan
What would a festival of writing, thought and creation, designed, curated and managed by young people be like? Reflections on the experience of Bivac.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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London is a huge city with lots of hidden treasures in it, but if you haven't got the time to go hunting for them, check out our top picks for something family friendly and fun to do in the capital.
Play a game at Draughts!
If you're family love a board game and want to discover fun new ones to play, book a session at Draughts, the board game cafe. They have a huge collection of games (over 600!) to choose from and there's always help on hand to help you get to grips with a new game. Play a classic or find something new, but an afternoon at Draughts is a great way to spend what is likely to be a rainy day in October.
Take the kids on a visit to the Horniman museum's Butterfly House. Inside this tropical indoor garden, you and your family can experience the beauty of the butterfly world while learning about their environment. As the season changes, it's a great time to get kids into nature, so share a unique experience with them and help them appreciate the natural world around them.
Treat your family to a fun West End theatre show – there's so much to choose from! Roald Dahls's beloved Matilda, the Dr. Seuss classic The Lorax, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock. You can also see Craig Revel Horwood starring as Miss Hannigan in Annie! With such fun-filled shows to see, it's a great time to experience theatre as a family.
With a mixture of family fun, exciting exhibits and educational games, the Natural History Museum makes for a great family day out in London at Half Term. Right now you can visit and learn about the giants of the deep in the exhibition Whales: Beneath The Surface or pretend you're in Jurassic Park with the dinosaurs section. We've all done it.
With all kinds of exhibitions, activities and shows, the Kidtropolis event is the ideal place to bring the kids this Half Term. It's a kid-friendly convention featuring all their favourites: Peppa Pig, Sooty, Basil Brush and more, so head down to the ExCel centre this week.
Want more? The Launch Of The Tina Turner Musical!


text:
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Royal Canadian Mint engravers modelled this regal portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II based upon her effigy on the 1953 Coronation Medallion. The Queen is shown facing right and wearing St. Edward's Crown, with fine detailing highlighting features of the Coronation Gown and The Queen's pearl necklaces. The portrait is framed by the anniversary year (1953-2018) and face value (10 DOLLARS) that are engraved along the coin's outer edge.
More than 3 million bronze Coronation Medallions were distributed to schoolchildren in 1953. The Queen's portrait that appeared on the medallion was one of 27 proposals that had been submitted by individual designers and firms in Britain.
The Queen's portrait on the Coronation Medallion made a second, rare appearance on Canada's 50-cent circulation coin during her Golden Jubilee Year of 2003.
The Queen has worn St. Edward's Crown only once—at the moment of her coronation. It is featured in her portrait on the Coronation Medallion, with its heraldic interpretation engraved above the Royal Cypher (monogram) on the reverse.
Queen Elizabeth II is Britain's longest-reigning monarch. She has reigned for more than 65 years, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria who reigned for 63 years, 7 months and 2 days.
Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a black beauty box.
Composition99.99% pure gold
Weight (g) 7.8


text:
Délégation française à la conférence internationale de 1931 qui ne put se mettre d'accord sur les mesures à prendre pour combattre les effets de la crise économique.
Voilà l'étonnante question posée par David Leonhardt du New York Times dans le cadre de la controverse entre Américains et Européens sur les mesures à prendre pour sortir de la crise économique.
Dans un article, le journaliste rappelle que les mesures de relance peuvent remettre en fonctionnement une économie et il appelle à la rescousse… Adolf Hitler !
David Leonhardt.
In the summer of 1933, just as they will do on Thursday, heads of government and their finance ministers met in London to talk about a global economic crisis. They accomplished little and went home to battle the crisis in their own ways.
More than any other country, Germany — Nazi Germany — then set out on a serious stimulus program. The government built up the military, expanded the autobahn, put up stadiums for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and built monuments to the Nazi Party across Munich and Berlin.
The economic benefits of this vast works program never flowed to most workers, because fascism doesn't look kindly on collective bargaining. But Germany did escape the Great Depression faster than other countries. Corporate profits boomed, and unemployment sank (and not because of slave labor, which didn't become widespread until later). Harold James, an economic historian, says that the young liberal economists studying under John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s began to debate whether Hitler had solved unemployment.
No sane person enjoys mixing nuance and Nazis, but this bit of economic history has a particular importance this week. In the run-up to the G-20 meeting, European leaders have resisted calls for more government spending. Last week, the European Union president, Mirek Topolanek, echoed a line from AC/DC — whom he had just heard in concert — and described the Obama administration's stimulus plan as "a road to hell."
Here in the United States, many people are understandably wondering whether the $800 billion stimulus program will make much of a difference. They want to know: Does stimulus work? Fortunately, this is one economic question that's been answered pretty clearly in the last century.
Yes, stimulus works.
When governments have taken aggressive steps to soften an economic decline, they have succeeded. The Germans did it in the 1930s. Franklin D. Roosevelt did so more haltingly, and had more halting results. Even the limp Japanese recovery plan of the 1990s makes the case. Although dithering over a bank rescue kept Japan in a slump, government spending on roads and bridges made things better than they otherwise would have been.
No matter what happens in London on Thursday, President Obama and other world leaders are sure to claim the meeting as a success. ("I do not regard the economic conference as a failure," Roosevelt said in 1933.)
But if the meeting is going to be an actual success, it will have to do more than put a happy face on trans-Atlantic disagreements. It will need to begin nudging the discussion about stimulus toward a more accurate reading of history.
The Americans and Europeans aren't really as far apart as Mr. Topolanek's AC/DC homage suggests. Europe is doing less than the United States, but the gap isn't huge. It just seems so because European stimulus tends to arrive quietly, from existing safety net programs. In this country, where the safety net is weaker, stimulus comes largely from new laws.
Yet the rhetoric from Europe — even the more subdued recent remarks, like those of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany — still creates a problem. Stimulus skepticism today will make it harder to pass more stimulus tomorrow. And more will probably be needed.
George Soros, the billionaire investor who was born in Budapest and works in New York, came to Washington last week and captured both the problem and the potential for a solution. "I think they can be brought around," he said of the Europeans. "I am actually hopeful something constructive can happen."
The objections to stimulus tend to come in two forms: Its costs are too high, and its benefits too small.
Mr. Topolanek and German officials have been pressing the first argument. They say that the additional government spending can lead to inflation and government debt. The Weimar Republic of the 1920s, where inflation helped lead to Hitler's rise, casts a long shadow.
Stimulus opponents here in the United States — mainly Congressional Republicans (though not, tellingly, Republican governors of some large states) — have been warning about debt, too. But they have also been making the second argument. When the government spends money, they say, it simply displaces spending by the private sector. Republicans on Capitol Hill have taken to citing a recent book by the journalist Amity Shlaes, "The Forgotten Man," which claims the New Deal didn't work.
Theoretically, neither of these arguments is crazy. But they don't have much evidence on their side.
The best takedown of Ms. Shlaes's thesis came from Eric Rauchway, a historian, who pointed out that her favorite statistic did not count people employed by New Deal programs to be employed. Excluding the effects of the medicine, the patient is as sick as ever!
When Roosevelt stuck to a stimulus program, unemployment fell markedly, and the biggest stimulus of all — World War II — did the rest. It's true that economic models say the economy shouldn't work this way. When resources are sitting idle, businesses should find a way to use them profitably. But they often don't.
People become irrationally pessimistic during a downturn. They are driven by what Keynes called animal spirits. Only government can typically change the dynamic.
Could the government spending eventually lead to inflation and crippling debts? Absolutely. But the mistakes of the last 80 years have gone in the other direction. During the Great Depression, Japan's lost decade, the Asian financial crisis and even the last 18 months, governments didn't act aggressively enough. Deflation and lack of growth ended up being the real risks.
These are precisely the risks facing the world economy now. In Spain, prices are already falling. Layoffs are still mounting around the world. Financial firms have more losses to acknowledge.
Given the diminished standing of the United States, Mr. Obama won't be able to get the Europeans to fall in line behind him this week. But he can still make progress. He and the American delegation can, in gentle terms, ask the Europeans to live up to their own standard — and remind them of their self-interest.
Two weeks ago, responding to criticism, an executive of the European Central Bank wrote a letter to an Italian newspaper claiming, "fiscal stimulus in European countries is wholly comparable to that seen in the United States." That simply isn't true, as the chart at right makes clear. The difference amounts to about $200 billion over three years.
Because the global economy is in many ways integrated, Europe can benefit from American stimulus without pulling its own weight. But because the global economy isn't completely integrated, European stimulus would still help Europe more than anywhere else. And that presents the American delegation with perhaps its most persuasive case.
Right now, Eastern Europe appears to be one of the world's most vulnerable places. It is a relatively poor region, where the population is disaffected and where the economy is shrinking rapidly. In both Estonia and Latvia, the gross domestic product fell 10 percent last year.
At the G-20, the leaders of the richer European countries will be asking the world to help Eastern Europe. By all means, the world should help. But Europe should reconsider its part, too.
Libellés : Adolf Hitler, David Leonhardt, New York Times
Helaz a dit…
un bel exemple de désinformation!!!
Bien sûr le succès spectaculaire des nazis dans le passage d'une économie à demi détruite à une économie florissante va inciter à se demander "comment ont-ils fait ?" - et monsieur David Leonhardt de répondre par avance avec un énorme mensonge.
En effet, la seule et unique raison du succès d'Hitler (ou plus exactement de son ministre des Finances, Hjalmar Schacht) est d'avoir totalement coupé les ponts avec une économie basée sur les "stimulus" et divers "endettements", d'avoir créé une monnaie d'Etat indépendante des banquiers, et surtout des usuriers de Londres et Wall Street, que monsieur David Leonhardt du New York Times représente si bien...
Mais je suis d'accord avec monsieur Leonhardt sur un point : en ce moment les dits usuriers jouent très très gros, et c'est un peu "ça passe ou ça casse". Qu'ils se permettent les plus énormes mensonges n'est pas nouveau.


text:
«Zoot Suit»/«I'm the Face» fue el primer sencillo de la banda británica de rock The Who, cuando eran conocidos como The High Numbers.

«Zoot Suit» fue escrita por Peter Meaden, el primer mánager de la banda. Fue dirigida a la audiencia mod, fracasando en las listas musicales. Con la música copiada de los registros de American Soul, «Zoot Suit» está influenciada directamente de «Misery» del grupo The Dinamics, mientras «I'm The Face» fue basada en «Got Love If You Want It», del cantante de blues Slim Harpo.
Posterior al lanzamiento del sencillo, la banda cambió su nombre a The Who, que en una nueva administración lanzó su propia composición «I Can't Explain», que se convirtió en un éxito en el Reino Unido.

Apariciones
«I'm the Face» apareció en Odds & Sods en 1974, y en las versiones remasterizadas del álbum.

«I'm the Face» fue lanzada de nuevo como lado B en el sencillo «Long Live Rock» en el Reino Unido, junto con una versión en vivo de «My Wife». Para los Estados Unidos, este no fue editado.

Tanto «Zoot Suit» como «I'm the Face» aparecieron en la banda sonora de la película de 1979 Quadrophenia, basada en el álbum de 1973 del mismo nombre.

«Zoot Suit» y «I'm the Face» fueron reeditados en 1980, donde alcanzaron el puesto #49 en el Reino Unido.

Ambas canciones fueron incluidas en Thirty Years of Maximum R&B.

Referencias

Sencillos debut de 1964
Sencillos de The Who
Canciones de The Who
Canciones de 1964
Canciones en inglés

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has retracted a 2003 paper on the treatment of alcoholism for a vague "copyright violation." But the reason appears to be that the article was largely identical to a 2002 report from one of the authors and other colleagues.
The offending paper, "Acamprosate and its efficacy in treating alcohol dependent adolescents," appeared in June 2003 and has been cited 51 times, according to Google Scholar. The authors were Helmut Niederhofer and Wolfgang Staffen, of the Christian Doppler-Klinik, in Salzburg.
This article has been retracted due to copyright violation.
About 50 % of adult alcoholic patients relapse within 3 months of treatment. Previous studies have suggested that acamprosate may help to prevent such relapse. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of long-term acamprosate treatment in alcohol dependence of adolescents. Methods: In this, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we recruited 26 patients, aged 16–19 years, with chronic or episodic alcohol dependence. Patients were randomly allocated treatment with acamprosate (1332 mg daily) or placebo for 90 days. Patients were assessed on the day treatment started and on days 30, and 90 by interview, self report, questionnaire, and laboratory screening. Findings: 13 acamprosate-treated and 13 placebo-treated patients completed the treatment phase: of those withdrawn, 11 (1 vs 6) relapsed, 5 (3 vs 2) refused to continue treatment, 3 (1 vs 2) had concurrent illness, and 2 (1 vs 1) had adverse side-effects. At the end of treatment, 7 acamprosate treated and 2 placebo-treated patients had been continuously abstinent (p = 0.0076). Mean cumulative abstinence duration was significantly greater in the acamprosate group than in the placebo group (79.8 [SD 37.5] vs 32.8 [19.0] days; p = 0.012).Interpretation: Acamprosate is an effective and well-tolerated pharmacological adjunct to psychosocial treatment programmes.
Aims: About 50% of alcoholic patients relapse within 3 months of treatment. Previous studies have suggested that cyanamide may help to prevent such relapse. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of long-term cyanamide treatment in alcohol dependence of adolescents. Methods: In this, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we recruited 26 patients, aged 16–19 years, with chronic (frequent and regular) or episodic (frequent, but irregular) alcohol dependence. Patients were randomly allocated treatment with cyanamide (200 mg daily) or a placebo for 90 days. Patients were assessed on the day the treatment was started, and on days 30 and 90, by interview, self-report, questionnaire and laboratory screening. Patients were classified as abstinent, relapsing or non-attending. Time to first treatment failure (relapse or non-attendance) was the primary outcome measure. Results: The cyanamide (n = 13) and placebo (n = 13) groups were well matched in terms of baseline demographic and alcohol-related variables. Mean cumulative abstinence duration was significantly greater in the cyanamide group than in the placebo group. Apart from occasional diarrhoea, there was no difference in side effects between groups. Conclusions: Cyanamide seems to be an effective and well tolerated pharmacological adjunct to psychosocial and behavioural treatment programmes for the treatment of some adolescent alcohol-dependent patients. Because of reported hepatotoxic, haematological and dermatological side effects, patients should be observed continuously by experienced clinicians. Further studies are necessary to prove the efficacy of cyanamide in adolescents.
Beyond the immediate similarity of the text, of course, is the curious overlap between the study design — same number of subjects, same demographics — and the different drug used in each trial. That raises a bright red flag, we'd think.
We emailed the editor of ECAP and will update this post if we hear back.
There was indeed the copyright violation as indicated.
We have informed the various institutions where the first authors did work about this issue but as a journal, we did not ourselves (inquire about) issues of scientific integrity.
I think it is well known that alcohol causes double vision at certain levels, hence nothing surprising.
It appears that the authors used one manuscript as a template for the preparation of the other. It is a very tempting thing to do especially if English is not a writer's mother tongue and the subject matter of the two studies is very similar. In this case, they did virtually identical studies using two different drugs. I have a nagging feeling that the placebo-treated controls were also shared between the two studies. Not sure if the latter is a big deal, though – the authors could just as well have 39 subjects and split them into three groups (drug 1, drug 2, placebo) and run the two studies concurrently. It would save both time and money.
They are not poor in Austria. You'd think that they could pay for a science/medical translator. Sometimes I see very helpful translations. There are translators, and perhaps people such use them more often.
Since this is a clear case of "triple vision", I say that the work of the Spanish team: Joan Benach (author), Carles Muntaner (autor), Carme Borrel (editor of Gaceta Sanitaria), Vicente Navarro (editor of International Journal of Health Services) trumps the above mentioned Austrians!
For those of you who are still in doubt regarding the existence of well-organised international groups conspiring for getting more public funds (in the form of grants, etc.) from different countries, which are based on the number of publications, here is some evidence about the long-lasting and very close collaboration between the members of above mentioned quartet: Vicente Navarro (John Hopkins School of Public Health, USA; and editor of International Journal of Health Services), Carme Borrell (editor of Gaceta Sanitaria, Spain), Joan Benach (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Carles Muntaner (University of Toronto, Canada).
Please, note that all four of them have other thing in common – JHSPH, which makes one wonder whether JHSPH provides breading ground for misconduct.
Hmm. That's one big copyright violation. Maybe there's more going on here.
Apparently, not, if you ask WHO or Baywood Publishing, or Vicente Navarro, or Carme Borrell, or Universitat Pompeu Fabra, or the University of Toronto!
Regrettably, by ignoring this case and all my correspondence, Elsevier is joining this group!!
To my ultimate surprise, for over one year now COPE is deflecting this case, although that Elsevier is COPE member!!!
Credibility of Elsevier and COPE is not measured by how they deal with those editors who adhere to the rules, but by how they deal with those who do NOT adhere to the rules.
Elsevier should get rid of any editor who does not adhere to the rules, and COPE should get rid of any publisher who does not adhere to the rules. Otherwise, both Elsevier and COPE erode their own credibility!


Cams…me and moms are coming to the hospital on Sat. Please post the info so I can be there to take goofy pictures of you for the blog and pray you through it!!
I am praying for you at home…I don't know where where you are , but Jesus is universal.


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Import fra CRIStin
"I smile, but Without Showing My Teeth": The Lived Experience of Cleft, Lip, and Palate in Adults
Moi, Asgjerd Litleré; Gjengedal, Harald; Lybak, Kari; Vindenes, Hallvard
Peer reviewed, Journal article
moi.pdf (229.7Kb)
Import fra CRIStin [1973]
Institutt for helse- og omsorgsvitskap [2127]
Moi, A. L., Gjengedal, H., Lybak, K., & Vindenes, H. (2020). "I smile, but without showing my teeth": The lived experience of cleft, lip, and palate in adults. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/1055665620922096
To explore and describe the experience of growing up with unilateral cleft lip and palate (CLP) in adults.
Face-to-face interviews. Giorgi's phenomenological method was used for analysis.
Twenty-one (mean age: 40.8 years) adults treated for unilateral CLP during childhood and adolescence participated in the study.
Growing up with CLP meant to become aware of bodily otherness. The possible reactions from peers early in life complicated the striving for inclusion outside the close family. Being self-confident, clever in school, physically fit, and having trusted friends represented barriers against teasing and bullying. Nevertheless, the reflected image, in mirrors, windows, and photos, reminded the participants of the objectifying looks from others and often led to bodily adjustments that persisted into adulthood. The trajectory of treatment was not questioned during childhood, and the participants accepted the decisions on care made by experts and parents. Although problems related to the cleft could persist or return after the termination of ordinary treatment, a more hesitant view on the possible benefits of additional surgery was typical in adulthood.
In retrospect, growing up with a unilateral CLP was found to have been an unquestioned part of the adult participants' childhood, a burden that they feared would, to some extent, also be passed to their own children. However, the CLP had not prevented them from achieving goals and satisfaction in life. The occurrence of persisting psychological, functional, and esthetic challenges in adults suggests the need for an individualized, lifelong, and multidisciplinary perspective on CLP follow-up.
The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal
© 2020, American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Navngivelse 4.0 Internasjonal


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"What the hell is that?...It looks like fire in the sky," Thompson says in the video. "That's so weird. It just seems like it's observing....I don't think it's some kid's toy and I know it's not an airplane."
TV station WCBD posted Thompson's video on Dec. 27 and reported four days later that the station had "received several emails from people who believe they may have also seen the mysterious object" in eastern South Carolina.
Even more people posted sightings on Facebook, including some who say they saw it in Ladson, North Myrtle Beach, Summerville and Edisto Beach, where someone told WCBD a room inside their home "lit up brighter than the full moon at about 6 a.m."
Thompson says she has also heard directly from witnesses, including one who "saw something strange in the sky last night while driving on the highway."
Some social media commenters have offered more down-to-earth ideas, guessing it was a drone, a Chinese lantern or a weather balloon.
Thompson has disputed those theories on YouTube and Facebook, saying the object was flying, "not floating."
"It was dead still that night and crystal clear," Thompson wrote Sunday. "There wasn't a sound outside except for some owls. Not even a breeze. This was very high in the sky and it intelligently moved."
The web site UFO-Hunters.com says UFOs have been reported at least twice before off Kiawah Island since 2009, including a 2012 instance in which the object was described as "a very red round light."
The Charleston Post & Courier reported on Dec. 31 that the sphere is "a phenomenon that turns up in the sky here every so often," including multiple reports in 2015.
A UFO? Outer Banks fisherman captures video of lights multiplying over dark Atlantic
'Space junk?' What is the 'foamy' mystery object that washed ashore on an SC beach?
Debris found on Outer Banks may have fallen from space. Authorities ask Elon Musk
This is the red sphere featured in Debra Thompson's video from Kiawah Island. YouTube screengrab
Employee killed at N.C. Zoo. The entire park will close this afternoon.
By Josh Shaffer
The N.C. Zoo announced Thursday that an employee had been killed in a workplace accident unrelated to any animals. The park's Africa section closed and the rest at 2 p.m. as the investigation continues.
How NC aided the 'One Giant Leap': Museum and planetarium celebrate Apollo 11
Biltmore Estate fined for violating worker visa program, federal inspectors say
I-77 shoulders north of Charlotte to become travel lanes during rush hours
DeVos pitches school choice program in Raleigh. Critics say it's anti-public schools.


Mitzi Blue "With Love," given to me by Angelo Scarnera, from London as part of our ritual trading of chocolate for beer. In Austria this is called "Mit Liebe." I kind of wish some of the products meant for UK markets or US markets kept the German words. At least in this case anyway. Mit Liebe just sounds better.
A bean-to-bar line from Josef Zotter based around a love affair with a car. The Story of Mitzi Blue from inside of the package. Click to enlarge.
A chocolate as beautiful as love. In love? Beloved? Liked? Out of love? In love again? Enchanted and thrilled? As beautiful as love is the unbelievably fine taste of the wonderful Mitzi Blue® With Love, a chocolate able to express in a very romantic way the unique feeling of loving somebody. But love is not only written on the package, this chocolate is made with love. This variety is made with love for lovers, and that is why it looks different. Enchantingly light-coloured, finely conched and – to everybody's surprise – covered with flowers. Seduction at the highest taste levels, something that may be given with love at any time.
With Love is white chocolate with 31% cocoa butter content. It's covered in flower petals of blue corn flowers, red roses, and yellow marigolds. It's very pretty and certainly special enough to hand over to someone you love.
I heart you too, homie. Friends fo lyfe yo!
Appearance: Circle tablet, shiny back surface covered in pretty flower petals. The front is a simple monogrammed design. Gorgeous almond color. Soft and muted and not yellowish-white.
Snap: Low thud sound, slightly firm snap quality.
Aroma: Delicate cinnamon toast and cream. Very simple and not much else happening.
Taste: Cinnamon, cream, buttery, slight nutty characters, a bit of a perfume-y character from the petals, but it's softly folded into the flavors of cinnamon and nuts. Distinctive rose flavor though. A blended cinnamon and milky aftertaste.
Texture: Super soft and creamy texture, the petals on the surface are dry, but soften really quickly, fast melt time.
*The score on the Snap is adjusted a bit for white chocolate. I factor in cocoa butter content and how thick the bar is. This had a relatively good snap to it, it just had no sound. Which is why is scored a bit lower than what it should have been based on it's feel.
Very pretty bar of chocolate. The color of the white chocolate was a beautiful almond color and not a weird neon white color you sometimes see with white chocolate. Simple molding with beautifully accented flowers all over the back surface.
I was slightly confused by the almonds in the ingredients. It says it contains almonds online, but not on the package. It does have a slight nutty character. It confuses me if I am really tasting almonds or just a natural flavor profile from the cocoa butter and ingredients.
The aroma and taste were fabulous. I am not one who is generally sold on white chocolate, but I don't turn my nose up at it and I will always try it. It smelled and tasted like cinnamon and cream. Awesomely buttery and sweet. It had a little bit of a flowery taste with distinctive rose flavors. It was also a bit nutty with a texture to die for. So creamy and soft. The petals were a bit dry on the palate at first, but it's a small detail considering how soft the white chocolate was.
There was a slight milky after taste that I didn't care for, but It took a few tastes of the bar for that to be present. It's a classic flavor of white chocolate I have come to not like. But again the rest of this bar tasted so good, I was willing to over look the aftertaste this time. It wasn't anything like the Hand-Scooped Black Cherries with Vanilla bar. Plus the cinnamon lingers a bit so it's a milky cinnamon flavor. There were some cloying spice notes towards the end. But again, a minor detail like the milky after taste that wasn't enough to interfere or ruin this fantastic bar of white chocolate.
I recommend this bar for the non-believers of white chocolate. Originally I was going to write that this is a good bar to give to your lover, unless they are a chocolate snob. But I think this will be good enough for the snobs after all.
Zotter "Hand-Scooped" Bacon Bits bar. Artwork by Andreas H. Gratze.
Contest of nutty flavours. Cracklings roasted in a crispy fashion and then caramelised develop nutty flavours. Hazelnut nougat competes for this nutty taste. Refined with cinnamon and coated in noble bitter chocolate.
Ingredients: Raw cane sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, hazelnuts (16%), bacon crackling (7%), full cream milk powder, skimmed milk powder, butter, whole cane sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla.
*Fair trade and certified organic ingredients.
Ashy and bloom-y chocolate coating. Rippled wavy surface pattern from the chocolate being blown and cooled.
Smells like cinnamon and walnuts even though it's ingredients contain hazelnuts. No smokey or bacon aroma. Cinnamon dominates everything even the chocolate.
Hazelnut and cinnamon taste, very sweet, slightly salty with small bits of crispy bacon crackles, soft chocolate coating, soft nougat-like center, and crunchy, sweet, caramelized bacon.
The namesake simply doesn't hold up. It's called Bacon Bits, and while it does have it in there, it's very disappointing with the amount. I expected it to be more loaded with bacon. It's basically just a cinnamon-y gianduja bar with scant amounts of bacon crunchies in it. This cinnamon and hazelnut also dominate the flavor of the chocolate.
I think this bar tastes very good. It's actually really good and it's texture is very nice and creamy with the crunchy caramalized bacon for added texture contrast. But I wanted more bacon. The bacon is also candy-like. Barely any smokey flavor to it at all. But there is a little bit of a salt kick which helps balance out the sweet bar, but not enough though.
I don't know exactly how to grade this bar. For taste it would get a strong B+ or even an A-. But technically since it's called Bacon Bits it should be more bacon-y and that's what you should be left with when eating this bar. But you don't get left with bacon. And while it tastes great, it should be called something like "Cinnamon Gianduja," to more accurately name this bar.


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Home » 3 People Injured in Two-Vehicle Crash at 21056 Ventura Boulevard [Woodland Hills, CA]
3 People Injured in Two-Vehicle Crash at 21056 Ventura Boulevard [Woodland Hills, CA]
Father and 2 Kids Hurt in Woodland Hills Pedestrian Accident at 21056 Ventura Boulevard
WOODLAND HILLS, CA (December 28, 2020) – Sunday afternoon, three people suffered injuries in a two-vehicle crash at 21056 Ventura Boulevard.
The incident occurred around 5:45 p.m. at 21056 Ventura Boulevard, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. According to reports, after two vehicles crashed, one of the vehicles went into them and hit the father and his two young kids.
Humphrey added that one child was in a stroller. Responders took all three victims to a hospital after suffering from non-life-threatening injuries. However, their current conditions remain unknown.
On the other hand, the driver of the crash that hit them was uninjured. However, the driver that remained on the road suffered a lacerated hand and was hospitalized.
The Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division is currently investigating the crash.
Pedestrians and Accidents
Pedestrians have the right of way at any crosswalk or intersection. Therefore, it's a driver's responsibility to yield and be prepared to stop.
While car accidents are far more common, there is still reason to be wary when traveling on foot.
Furthermore, common locations for these pedestrian accidents include street corners and intersections.
"Pedestrian accidents do not occur as much as motor vehicle accidents. Nevertheless, they tend to include more serious injuries," says Tyler Toomey, of Sweet Lawyers.
If you sustained injuries in a crash, reach out to the experienced accident attorneys at Sweet Lawyers. Indeed, we understand what you are going through. Thus, our team is here to ensure your legal rights are protected. We have over 40 years in the legal field. We have the experience and the resources to win your pedestrian accident case. Call us today at (800) 674 7852 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
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Saatchi Art's curators have worked with artists from around the world to hand-pick every artwork we offer on Limited in order to provide you with an unmatched selection of limited edition prints. We are proud to offer "How Long is Forever? ..Sometimes Just One Second" by Sara Riches, which is available exclusively on Limited.
Artworks in a limited edition have a set number of prints available for each size offered. For the 12x9 size edition, "How Long is Forever? ..Sometimes Just One Second" comes in a limited edition of only 100 prints. Once all 100 of the prints in this edition size have sold out, there will be no other prints of "How Long is Forever? ..Sometimes Just One Second" available in the size of 12 inches high by 9 inches wide. Limited edition prints of this artwork may be available in other sizes.
Self portrait in oils with an Alice in Wonderland feel.


I have been taking spin classes for almost a year now, and have learned, these are just things I have found that help me. They may not work for you, and if you have questions it's best to talk to an instructor.
The torque knob (the one closest to your knees) controls the resistance (challenge of the ride). Instructor's cues are designed to take you on flat roads and climb you up hills, but it's not all about their cues it's about your body. If your resistance is at an 8 and your RPM needs to be at 105 but you are hanging around 75 you need to drop your resistance and get to the goal RPM. If the class is in the middle of a climb and you aren't struggling your resistance is too low.
Drink water before, during and after class. I take my spin classes at CYCLEBAR and they even provide water bottles to ensure that you are staying hydrated.
For proper positioning, you want your forearm to fit between the bar and the seat, keep your fingers loose and your shoulders down. Check yourself out in the mirror whenever you need to make sure you have proper form.
I'll be honest after MONTHS of cycling I only recently learned that my seat was at the wrong height, and once I changed the height it made a world of a difference. You want to aim to set your seat at "hip height." You definitely want to sit too low (which is what I was doing). Once you clip in you want to have a slight bend in your legs as you pedal.
Iridescence is located within the Motor City Hotel and Casino on the 16th floor, and let me tell you the view of Detroit – which includes the ambassador bridge is absolutely amazing! When you walk into the restaurant the décor automatically will gain your attention, followed by the super neat wine carousel. This is definitely one of the most gorgeous restaurants I have ever been in, not to mention the food is amazing. Here's a look at the restaurant, and how I got the evening started…..
Most of us have fitness trackers from Fitbits to the Apple Watch and my personal favorite the Bella Beat Leaf. It's recommended that we log at least 10,000 steps per day, which might seem like a lot but it's definitely an attainable goal – even if you sit at a desk all day.
Here are 9 ways to get in your 10,000 steps without having to set foot in the gym.
1. Start a competition with friends or co-workers.
2. Be a tourist in your own town.
4. If you sit at a desk all day set a timer and make yourself get up to walk around for at least 5 minutes each hour.
5. Go for a walk on your lunch break.
6. Drink plenty of water so you always have to take a walk to the bathroom.
7. Take your pup for an extra spin around the block.
8. Head to the mall or grocery store and walk around just checking things out.
Don't let the 'Meat Free Since '83' sign fool you, The Chicago Dineroffers some delicious food and even better desserts. Also, Lady Gaga likes to eat there so even more of a reason to check it out when you are in the windy city. My BFF is vegan, therefore I tried out some things I never would of before.
Thai Chili Wings are seitan "wingz" with chili lime marinade and Sriracha Ranch dipping sauce. Sesame garnish. Now I wasn't a huge fan of these, probably because I'm definitely a chicken girl. However they did have decent flavor and my BFF definitely loved them.
Poutine features Canadian style waffle fries topped with melted Teese Vegan Cheese, country gravy & green onions. With bacon, sour cream and Jalapeno. I really wasn't a fan the cheese had that fake cheese taste – but the vegan BFF gave them a thumbs up.
Now lets talk about my favorite part DESSERT! The Chicago Diner has AMAZING shakes, I'm talking so much better than ones made with regular dairy ice cream. We got the Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake and it was heaven….. seriously heaven.
Of course we being two basic girls we had to get the S'more Brownie Sundae – this is the reason you NEED to go to the Chicago Diner. Layers of rich chocolate brownie, graham crackers, marshmallows, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate ganache, whipped cream and graham crackers kind of heaven. (Not we got these to go, and so it wasn't as pretty as it should be since we forgot about it and let the ice cream melt).


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Political opportunist Nigel Farage eyes no vacancy bridge builder role
Bridge builder or political opportunist?
Op-ed; Nigel Farage just will not go away.
He has been trying for an ambassadorial type of role since Donald Trump was elected as the next President of the USA.
And Sunday he is back.
The former Ukip party leader quit that party and returned only to quit again around a year later.
He claimed his political days were finally over after the country voted by a majority to leave the EU but he continues to ride the EU gravy train. Yes the former Tory who made a name for himself working to get the UK out of the EU remains an MEP.
And unlike some MEPs Farage takes all he can from the EU.
UKip has a poor election record in Britain though the party claims that at least in part is due to the current UK voting system. Like a few other political parties in the country UKip believes it would poll higher if the electoral system were changed to one of proportional representation.
Nigel Farage is unlikely to ever win a constituency for UKip so what will he do when BRexit plays out for real and British MEPs are kicked off the EU Brussels gravy train?
If he has his way Mr Farage will be a "bridge" between Westminster and Donald Trump's administration.
On Sunday's Andrew Marr Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox threw a spanner in the works slapping down Farage's offer to "be a bridge" between Westminster and Donald Trump's administration.
But you know what some say - never trust a Tory.
We are living in strange political times.
If and when Trump is inaugurated as the President of the United States of America we could all be in for a bumpy ride.
Like Farage and the EU in or out referendum Trump won the US vote on lies and spin. He vowed to drain the Washington swamp and be there for ordinary working class voters but his team is shaping up to be establishment and fat-cat through and through.
Perhaps that is one reason Farage thinks he could bridge the UK - US gap.
But Farage looks more and more like a political prostitute for sale to the highest bidder.
If Nigel Farage really is close to the President elect Mr Trump could play along and lead the British government and others a merry dance.
Is it all a big game to Trump though?
Time will tell what fate has in store for Trump, Farage and the rest of us.
Mr Trump however may find that being POTUS will not give him quite the free rein he imagines.
As for Mr Farage the Huff Post reports "Liam Fox told the BBC's Andrew Marr show "I think we've got a perfectly good ambassador at the present time. Last time I looked there was no other vacancy"."
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/liam-fox-slaps-down-nigel-farage-over-offer-to-bridge-us-and-uk-relations_uk_5856655ce4b09b495cae33fe


I bought four of these lights. One of them still works continuously but the battery fails quickly. After reading all the reviewed, I realize that this was definitely not a good buy. Also, the light is rather weak. I would probably not recommend this product to anyone.
Total Garbage. The Light never shuts off. Garbage Product!


Level 343 is a SEO optimization and digital strategy development company that was launched in 2011 and is operated from locations in Los Angeles, California and Dallas, Texas. This company specializes in the development of strategy for businesses and corporations seeking to expand their online presence. This company offers extensive services which include the following: digital strategy app development quality assurance testing business needs analysis customer experience customer journey mapping mobile strategy marketing website design custom administration social media optimization content and personalization digital development and engineering mobile development eCommerce development enterprise integration and micro services Level 343 has worked with many notable companies such as Mobile Eye, Intel Company, Sport Honda Powerhouse, and Simply Made Self Storage.


The contrasting volcanic and glacier shaped landscapes of his native Iceland, and the light and flora of Southern California where he lives now, are part of the visual memories Arnor Bieltvedt draws upon while painting. Like a generation of Icelandic artists before him (Nína Tryggvadóttir and Kristján Davídsson are influences), the intensity of these landscapes inspired Bieltvedt to perceive deeply, to look for elements that stand out and how things connect as a whole. Working abstractly, his paintings express his admiration for nature, its beauty on the surface and its underlying force and strength. Abstraction allows him to focus on color relationships and to organize essential impressions and memories into painted poetry.
Bieltvedt paints quickly across the canvas, his gestures expressing feeling through intense mark-making and varied contrasts and rhythms that form an unrestrained and confident, harmonious whole. There is a struggle between figure and ground, paint and surface, which he can't resolve, so he immerses himself into the paint, painting physically and emotionally, an action he attributes to the influence of abstract painters Jackson Pollack and Joan Mitchell. And like them when painting, he is not aware of himself, the painting is telling him what to do. He contemplates the technology of paint — its saturation, texture and plasticity — by painting with a variety of media, starting with layers of acrylic washes, overlaid with lines of paint pens, searching for the structure and emotion of the composition. Eventually the painting becomes infused with life and energy through the use of thick layers of impasto oil paints often applied with swift, energetic strokes of the palette knife on top of the acrylic underpainting. Matte acrylic washes are juxtaposed against the slick layers of oil paint, allowing the oil to shine.
The work displays a radical and free use of color, as well as experimentation with composition, scale, and the structure of the painting. Anticipating an interaction of color while moving the paint around, he applies the paint directly to the canvas rather than a pallet, saturated, with a focus on one color or two. To understand light and space, he first challenged himself to paint only in black and white. For Bieltvedt, color becomes the anchor, creating equilibrium and interaction. Like in the unspoiled yet surreal Nordic landscape, a country of water and many different shades of blue, he knows that the colors in nature combined with natural light, cannot be truly replicated, so he will paint its opposite. Bieltvedt imagines color in the middle of the eye's retina and seeks the unspoiled nature of color to represent a pure expression of humanity and life.


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Home › Amandla › The Coronavirus crisis and the struggle for health
The Coronavirus crisis and the struggle for health
Posted on April 3, 2020 by AIDC — No Comments ↓
Louis Reynolds | Amandla 69 | March 2020
To address the crisis more effectively, both Spain and Ireland have effectively nationalised their private hospitals, bringing them into the public sector. Why not here?
The COVID-19 crisis in South Africa has resulted in welcome signs that our government, at last, is becoming serious about actually governing the country. It acted early and effectively by declaring a state of disaster, developed new legislation, and implemented a range of important measures, across government sectors, to flatten the curve of the epidemic. As the numbers of proven infections escalated, it acted decisively and appropriately to halt further spread by imposing a lockdown. It has done so openly and with an unusually high degree of transparency. Political parties seem to have dropped tit-for-tat politics in favour of a focused non-sectarian approach.
At this stage of the crisis it is crucial to save lives and to prevent the crisis from overwhelming our health system. As the crisis eventually winds down, we must ensure that we come through it with a unitary, equitable national health service that delivers universal health coverage. There must also be a programme that involves all state sectors collaboratively to ensure that everyone has equitable access to the causes of good health. This article looks at the background to the crisis and its implications for the struggle for people's health.
A crisis-on-a-crisis
This is a crisis on top of a crisis – our long-standing, "normal" health crisis. Even before COVID-19 began to spread, our health outcomes were far worse than those of all other middle income countries at the same level of GDP, as well as those of many poorer countries. This long-standing underlying crisis is rooted in 1996 when the state adopted neoliberalism with its Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) macro-economic policy. GEAR entrenched and deepened the overall inequality inherited from apartheid. On top of this came corruption at all levels of the state and the private sector.
Against that background, our health crisis arose from 2 key failures of the state:
Failure to address inequalities in access to the goods and services we need to be healthy. These are generally known as the social determinants of health (SDH).
Failure to unite our health services into a single, equitable national health service around a common goal of achieving health for all and building social solidarity.
The SDH include an adequate income as well as socio-economic rights in our constitution: social security; education, adequate housing, safe environments, adequate food, water and sanitation, good nutrition, freedom of movement , and safety and security.
A fragmented health system
Failure to unite our well-resourced but fragmented and inequitable health system has led us to normalise the existence of a large and powerful private sector that uses as much money as the public sector to provide services to a small, elite minority, the healthiest 15% of the population. This an extremely inefficient use of resources. In contrast, the public sector provides health care to the remaining 85% of the population – which also bears the overwhelming share of the disease burden – with the same amount of money. Those who need the most health care have the least access. This inequity is unacceptable in a constitutional democracy based on human rights and values, social justice and equality. It is incompatible with any attempt to correct the wrongs of our apartheid past.
Queue outside Town Two clinic in Khayelitsha. Those who need the most health care have the least access.
COVID-19: some key issues
How the corona crisis evolves from now on depends fundamentally on a range of key issues:
The extent to which we "flatten the curve" of the epidemic by minimising spread of the virus through the country.
Whether the health services combine their human and other resources urgently and unite as one, without an impact on the fiscus.
How we use the experience of this crisis to build a united, equitable and effective single national health service that provides good quality essential health services to all.
Whether we prevent social disruption and build social solidarity. The virus reminds us that we're all in this together. Solidarity is rooted in the principle of "from each according to ability, to each according to need". It is relevant not only in providing health services, but also in caring for others, including people we don't know, and acting to relieve their plight.
Whether we come out of this crisis with a total commitment to address the social determinants of health by mobilising resources and people across sectors.
Why flattening the curve, though difficult, is essential
Flattening the curve is a challenge in crowded working class peri-urban slums, and rural areas. That is where people carry the overwhelming share of the burden of disease and lack access to the SDH. Unemployment is high, the level of trust in the government and the economic system is low, crime is rampant, and many people are disillusioned. People rely on crowded taxis for personal transport. It is difficult to avoid contact with others who carry the corona virus and who feel well. It is practically impossible for many to practice frequent hand-washing with soap and water, and physical distancing.
The challenge of flattening the curve also applies to affluent middle-class environments where many people are not taking the crisis seriously and go on with life as usual. Maybe this is out of sheer ignorance or maybe it is because they believe themselves to be somehow above it and think it doesn't really apply to them.
The lockdown announced by President Ramaphosa on 23 March is a critical step. It aims to stop the spread of the virus. It is drastic and will impact heavily on many people, once again most heavily on those most vulnerable. But the consequences for all of us of allowing corona to spread will be catastrophic for everyone—there is no option.
flattening the curve is a challenge in crowded working class peri-urban slums, and rural areas.
Response from the health sector
How the health sector responds now is critical. The public sector will have to care for the vast majority of people who get sick from the virus. If it has to do this on its own it will be overwhelmed. After decades of having to cope with austerity budgets under GEAR, it is demoralised, understaffed, under equipped and its facilities are crumbling. The Office of Health Standards Compliance's Annual Inspection Report for 2016/17 found that of the 696 facilities it inspected, only five were fully compliant with National Core Standards, and 412 were unconditionally or critically non-compliant.
Yet, when it comes to national health outcomes, the public sector can reach levels of efficiency that can never be achieved by the private sector. For example, in the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the public health sector implemented the roll-out of the largest anti-retroviral programme in the world, resulting in a 10 year improvement in life expectancy, a key health indicator, within a decade.
Our private sector is the largest in the world in terms of the proportion of national health spending it consumes. It has an enormous capacity to assist. Though powerful, it faces a crisis of its own. It is fragmented between multiple byzantine and increasingly complex and unaffordable medical schemes, hospitals and competing corporate stakeholders. In its current form it is unsustainable. It has, up to now, managed to immunise itself against our broader health crisis. But it is now critical for both sectors to unite and work together as one to provide care for all who need it — unity is strength.
In his recent speech to the nation the president Ramaphosa mentioned the possibility of "partnering with the private sector" but referred only to the development of "a tracing, tracking and monitoring system for all those affected by coronavirus". What about sharing of resources for care? and even so, is it enough should there be a wide-scale outbreak?
The epidemic will almost certainly overwhelm the public sector. Many people, rich and poor, with and without medical scheme membership, will become critically ill. There will not be enough high care and ICU beds for everyone who needs them. It will be essential to involve the private sector fully, bringing both sectors together as one through transparent negotiations to set agreed terms of reference. To address the crisis more effectively, both Spain and Ireland have effectively nationalised their private hospitals, bringing them into the public sector. Why not here? Will the private sector open up its beds and make them available to people who need them, irrespective of social or economic status? Will private and public health professionals work together in solidarity?
It is possible that, even combining private and public sector beds, some people will not find an ICU space. This raises some important ethical questions. Will some people have easier access than others? How will we decide who gets an available bed when more than one patient needs it?
When this crisis winds down and passes, there will be a period of reflection, of healing, of looking into the future and working out a way forward.
All of us must recognise our enormous debt to those who took risks and acted on the frontline, including health workers at all levels, cleaners, and all the working class people who, because of spatial and structural inequities imposed on them by history, carried an unfair share of the burden.
We must be well prepared for the next pandemic. Given our human-induced ecologic crisis it is merely a matter of time before another one strikes. Futhermore, regional and local weather-related catastrophes will occur more often than in the past. We must also address our underlying health crisis. Unless we tackle inequality and the SDH with the same vigour with which we are now addressing COVID-19 crisis we will repeat history over and over again. We must now renew the struggle towards Health for All.
This commits us to 3 interlinked terrains of struggle.
The struggle for a National Health Service
This crisis will show starkly how essential it is to pool all available health care resources into a single national health service that follows the Primary Health Care approach (PHC ) to build social solidarity and deliver good quality essential health services to all though Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The current fragmentation of health care resources into two inequitable systems is unacceptable.
Community participation is a key principle of primary health care. We must take up the struggle for such a NHS through the campaign for a People's NHI, using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches. We can expect that vested interests in the corporate private sector will seek to re-establish a version of the highly profitable status quo by exploiting the corona crisis to perpetuate profiting from disease.
In her important book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, Naomi Klein shows how neoliberal capitalism thrives on crises and shocks. Crises such as wars, coups, natural disasters and economic downturns become prime opportunities to impose an agenda of privatisation, deregulation, and cuts to social services. The coronavirus crisis is perfect for disaster capitalism to thrive. We have already seen small-scale "price gouging" as people hoard toilet paper and sanitiser to sell at inflated prices. But the bigger danger is from politicians and large corporate bodies who exploit the crisis for personal gain. President Ramaphosa's commitment to prosecute corrupt individuals who profiteer from the crisis through corruption seems to address only small-scale profiteering. We must ensure that our struggle for a National Health Service through the NHI prevents disaster capitalism from capturing the health system.
The many struggles for equitable access to the social determinants of health
Access to the SDH encompasses virtually all state sectors working collaboratively to deliver the goods and services essential for health. The corona lockdown shows how important it is for a broad range of government sectors to work together towards a common goal, in this instance coordinated through the Coronavirus Command Council.
Again, full community participation through organised civil society is essential, and we must ensure that civil society and labour are represented there. Meanwhile, a whole range of civil society organisations are involved in campaigns around the SDH, though some might not see the links between their struggles and health clearly. They involve education, housing, transport, water and sanitation, access to information and data, and so on.
The struggle against the global ecologic crisis
The ecologic crisis of global heating is the biggest, most complex, and most difficult threat to health to combat . We must give critical support to progressive struggles to restore our relationships with each other and the earth.
Louis Reynolds is a member of the steering committee of the People's Health Movement.
Click Here to download our entire COVID 19 Special Issue in PDF format.
In making sense of the unfolding situation, the latest edition of Amandla! provides some initial perspectives on the outbreak, leading into a special feature that delves into specific issues in greater detail. On this webpage, Amandla! will provide and curate on-going analysis on COVID-19, and its impacts on all spheres of all lives, in South Africa and globally.
You can also Tweet us @AmandlaMedia or find us on Facebook at AmandlaMedia (https://www.facebook.com/amandlamedia/)
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The Coronavirus crisis and the struggle for health – Peoples' Health Movement South Africa says:
[…] The article below was written by our steering commitee member Dr Louis Reynolds, it was published online by the Amandla Media. […]
Spain did it, so why can't South Africa nationalise healthcare to save lives? - NewsCoverage says:
[…] After decades of underfunding, our public health system is understaffed, under-equipped and demoralised. As a result, many of our people die needlessly. South Africa's maternal mortality rate is seven times higher than other middle-income countries such as Turkey. This will not get better during the pandemic, and will probably get worse. […]
Spain did it, so why can't South Africa nationalise healthcare to save lives? | newstwentyone says:
Spain did it, so why can't South Africa nationalise healthcare to save lives? | newstwentyseven360 says:
Spain did it, so why can't South Africa nationalise healthcare to save lives? | newstwentynine360 says:
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We're seeing a huge amount of interest in our Progressive Voters Guide, nearly matching 2016 turnout! But this surge in traffic means that we've nearly blown through our advertising budget to put the guide in the hands of last-minute and undecided voters.
Will you chip in now to help us reach another 10,000 voters before election day?


Due to the ongoing expansion of our work in the Middle East and North Africa, we need the support of a first class office administrator. Joining our culturally diverse team, you will make a vital contribution to publishing's fastest growing – and changing – market. Because this is a new position, you will enjoy scope to develop the role in consultation with your manager. We will look to you to take ownership of the post and really put your stamp on it, for the benefit of your colleagues.
You will work front of house in Dubai, and support the clerical needs of the wider team, in both Dubai and Riyadh. Instrumental to the smooth day-to-day running of the office, you will take on a full range of administrative responsibilities, including trafficking emails and responding directly to queries. You will also enjoy the opportunity to get involved in the contract side of our business, as gatekeeper for contracts. What's more, there is potential for you to play a part in other areas of our work, including the organisation of conferences and exhibitions for marketing purposes.
To join us, you will need to be a great communicator with strong social skills. Fluent in Arabic and English, both written and spoken, you have valid residency and work visas for the United Arab Emirates. We expect you to be qualified to a minimum of high school diploma (or equivalent) level.
Proven administrative experience is essential. We would prefer you to have a demonstrable flair for PA and front of office duties. A team player with an enthusiastic, hands-on and proactive approach, you will ideally be used to facilitating activities and resolving issues. Highly organised yet flexible, you will bring to the role a keen eye for detail and proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite.
People have always been valued at Wiley. We work collaboratively, enjoy what we do and have opportunities to develop throughout our careers. And the rewards are impressive. Which means you can look forward to a competitive salary, defined contribution pension scheme, 23 days' holiday (pro rata), staff discounts and employee assistance programme.


Today we went past this wine estate and I had heard good things about it so we popped in for a tasting and to see if we could get a bite to eat. What a find!! This is a must visit.
The place looked very busy so I was very surprised when they managed to find us a table outside within a few minutes.
We wanted to do a wine tasting and have something to eat, but it seems that wine tastings are not so feasible in the busy periods, but they are planning on building a tasting room next to the restaurant specifically for tastings, I think this is a great idea.
The manager of the place introduced himself and told us the options for wine tastings, one of which included a pizza and wine pairing. As we were a little hungry and wanted to taste the wine, this seemed like the best idea.
The manager then sat down and told us all about Brenaissance, the history, when it started etc. The restaurant has been there since December 2012 however they have been making wine since 2009.
While waiting for our wine and food pairing to begin we both enjoyed two delicious drinks which we so refreshing and tasty!! One of them was similar to a Mojito only without the alcohol and the other was a berry flavoured drink.
The pizza and wine tasting didn't take more than 30 minutes to be prepared/served, I thought this was impressive considering how busy it was. This place was bustling. It felt like everyone knew about this place except us!!
We started the tasting off with the Knight of White (Chardonnay) 2009 at R128 a bottle. It was smooth and had butterscotch and strong stone fruit flavours. It was quite a bold tasting Chardonnay. This was served with the Parma Ham and Parmesan Cheese Pizza.
Next we had the Queen of Hearts (Merlot) 2010 at R138 a bottle. It was smooth and silky, fruity, elegant, beautifully balanced and had a lingering finish. I liked this wine. This was served with caramelised onion and olive pizza.
Third wine for tasting was the Full House (Bordeaux Style Blend) 2010 at R148 a bottle. It had a lovely colour, intense flavour, but it really needs time to breath. This wine will probably taste better if decantered (or put away for a few years) as this was quite intense. It is however smooth and balanced. It is a lovely wine. This was served with Biltong and Fig Pizza.
Last but not least we tried the Jack of Diamonds (Shiraz) 2009 at R168 a bottle. This was a stunning Shiraz. It is relatively light for a Shiraz with lovely berry flavours. It was purple in colour. Lovely wine!! This was served with Cajun Chicken Chorizo Pizza.
This was truly a fantastic experience that we had here. Great service, ambience, food and wine. I highly recommend anyone visits this estate.


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Q: Inserting timestamp in sqlite in Javascript I want Sqlite to autopopulate timestamp, but Javascript doesn't allow me to pass only 2 values (like VALUES (?, ?)) and let Sqlite handle the 3rd value for the timestamp. I know I can provide the 3rd value with new Date() but this is not the preferred way.
If I run the below code as is, the timestamp column is all null.
What is the right way to do this?
 db.serialize(function () {
        db.run("CREATE TABLE if not exists songs (title TEXT, lyric TEXT, timestamp DATATIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP)");

        var stmt = db.prepare("INSERT INTO songs VALUES (?, ?, ?)");
        for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
            stmt.run("Title" + i, "Lyric" + i);
        }
        stmt.finalize();

    });

A: If you want to use the default value for a column then just leave it out of the INSERT:
var stmt = db.prepare("INSERT INTO songs (title, lyric) VALUES (?, ?)");

Two things to note here:

*

*Specifying the column names in an INSERT statement is always a good idea, hence the (title, lyric) addition. This way there is no ambiguity as to what the placeholders are referring to.

*You're only specifying two columns (and letting the third use its default value) so there are only two placeholders.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Final Autopsy report of the casualties resulted from the disengagement of Rabaa and Nahda Squares Sit-in was only released on 14/11/2013 in details. (Muslim Brotherhood Armed Sit-in in Cairo and Giza disengaged by security forces on 14/8/2013).
This Autopsy report not only revealed the exact numbers of casualties and the reasons of death, but it also revealed the barefaced fake news and lies of the International News Agencies who are faking news in favor of their favorite Terrorists Muslim Brotherhood Organization.
You name it, New York Times, The Telegraph, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Wall Street Journal, CNN…etc. Al-Jazeera News Agency of Qatar is of course on the top of the list for faking news in favor of Brotherhood.
The numbers of casualties according to these news agencies were between 1000 to 2000 and all casualties as they claimed, were Brotherhood supporters who got killed by the Police and the Military Forces during the disengagement of the Sit-In. In addition, they totally ignored to mention to their readers that there were many policemen casualties and injuries due to the disengagement of the armed Brotherhood sit-in.
The final autopsy report was only issued and published today 14/11/2013. These News Agencies published on 14/8/2013 that the numbers of Brotherhood casualties were more than 1000 and by the way they are still claiming this. Brotherhood claimed that they had more than 2200 casualties resulted from the disengagement.
I really wonder if they are going to dare publishing the autopsy report that will show their big fat lies in front of their readers!
This report shows the lies that Brotherhood were spreading to the whole world, which match pretty much with the fabricated news published by the International News Medias Reporters in Egypt and Aljazeera News Agency.
Autopsy Official source confirmed to Al-Tahrir Channel on 14/11/2013, that the administration of the autopsy institution in Egypt, challenge anyone who claim that this report is forged. Copies from the death report are delivered and followed by 3 different parties: Health Ministry, Autopsy Institution and NGOs.
The Autopsy report confirmed that non of the bodies committed suicide like the Muslim Brotherhood claimed. (Brotherhood claimed that some of their supporters got desperate when the security forces started to disengage the Sit-In and committed suicide. Brotherhood added labels "committed suicide" on some of the bodies which were found buried under Rabaa Mosque and stage and in other areas. As the report revealed, Autopsy found severe torture marks on these bodies, which is mentioned in details in this report).
(In an Interview on Al-Tahrir Channel 14/11/2013, Autopsy official source mentioned that the claim of Brotherhood that they had many bodies got deliberately burned by the police and military forces during the disengagement is not true. The Autopsy revealed that the burn marks found on some of the bodies were not vital and were caused after death and not before death. These non vital burns type maybe were caused by the heavy fire that was set in the tents by the Brotherhood supporters when the forces entered the squares).
The following videos show Brotherhood supporters burning their own tents before the security forces entered the squares. While the security forces were calling everyone in the square to peacefully evacuate the square and to avoid any kind of violence for their own safety and the neighborhood safety. Later on, Brotherhood claimed that the security forces burned their tents and also burned them alive! Another video, Mb burned Rabaa's mosque and security forces found weapons in it.
85 non-identified bodies (Autopsy only recognized 49 among them).
55 Police Martyrs got killed in the day of disengagement. In addition to 146 Policemen Martyrs bodies, 32 officers and 57 police individuals and 55 Police recruits and 2 civil employees.
Autopsy confirmed that they were supposed to check 172 body among the total of bodies, but they only received 5 bodies. The Muslim Brotherhood refused the forensic autopsies on 172 body. Despite that Brotherhood claimed that these bodies were killed by the Police forces!
The remaining bullet cartridges were shot from an average far distances, because the shots were unstable in the entry and exit from the bodies.
The bodies in Rabaa Square were shot from the top to the bottom. The length of the shooting distance was about 100 to 200 Meters. The distance of shooting was generally from average length.
The type of weapons used in Rabaa square was the same type of weapons used in Nahda Square.
23 bodies with severe torture marks found in Rabaa, Nahda, Ramsis, Omraniya, Azbakeya, Alagouza and Mostafa Mahmoud Areas.
Among these bodies 3 corpses were found in the trash boxes and were covered with more than 27 plastic bags full of food left over, proves that the victims were in mass gathering places. All torture marks looked the same like the torturer was the same one in all the torturing operations. Common torture marks were bruises and traumatic severe injuries in the back and chest, brain bleeding and all bodies had all toenails removed.


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UK Solar Industry
The UK solar industry is set to boom in the coming years with exciting opportunities for investors and real possibilities for the government to reach its climate change targets through the reduction of carbon emissions.
Although not being as strong currently as the same sector in areas such as Spain, Germany and California, the UK photovoltaic (PV) market will attempt to catch up with foreign solar markets in the coming months through the introduction of important legislation and a drastic root change in public education regarding renewable energies. With this growing public awareness of green issues and important legislative changes coming in to play regarding the adoption of renewable energy, things are looking extremely bright for the prospects of the UK solar industry.
Renewable energy, in particular solar, is going through dramatic changes at the moment, primarily in the shape of the recently announced Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme. The UK government, through the Department of Energy and Climate Change, has asserted that a tariff or 'clean energy cash back' system has been introduced whereby small scale producers of clean, solar energy will receive guaranteed premium rates for the energy they supply back in to the national grid.
Currently, the feasibility of a British solar industry is being championed by a number of key players within the photovoltaic sector and groups such as "We Support Solar" have provided an important forum for those committed to the principles of creating a healthy solar energy industry throughout the UK. A number of large solar companies are currently in operation throughout the UK and are involved in the varied activities of manufacturing, installation and integration of a series of different photovoltaic products.
Solar installation in the UK is dominated by grid connected photovoltaic systems both on commercial buildings and newly built housing. The grid connection of course allows the 'feed-in' of excess solar energy generation back in to the grid in order to receive the 'green energy cash back' announced by the government. Perhaps the highest profile photovoltaic building in the UK is the CIS Tower in Manchester which has the largest PV façade in Europe and with it's mosaic of solar tiles, saves up to 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
The UK has a healthy, outward looking photovoltaic industry which is looking to compete with the strong sectors which exist in countries such as India, China, Germany and the United States. The UK industry is seeking to compete through innovative design and manufacture of next generation solar cells, something which will be assured through organizations such as The Carbon Trust. Other PV research programs have also been established which are endeavoring to make solar installations as efficient and as effective as possible. Certainly, research projects presently being carried out at the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) will play a key role specifically mono and polycrystalline solar cell development which is set to take up the lion's share of the British PV market in the coming years.
The prospects for the UK solar industry looked much brighter following the Energy Act in November 2008 and the establishment of the Department of Energy and Climate change (DECC) under the leadership of Ed Milliband. The UK government has committed to reach its climate change targets of reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 through a series of legislative changes which will have a significant effect on investment levels in UK PV installations.
The UK PV market is growing at a rate of 25% per year and is expected to grow exponentially following the introduction the 'Clean Energy Cash Back'' feed-in tariff mechanism. At a recent renewable energy convention Joan Ruddock, spokesperson for the DECC, asserted the fact that the government will strive to develop the UK renewable industry through, "Small-scale renewable technologies, such as solar PV", going on to add, "We know that it is not just a case of generating ideas and many of you have pushed for greater incentives, so we are introducing what is going to be called a clean energy cash back, that is much easier for ordinary people to understand than a feed-in tariff for people in these difficult economic times and it will be important to encourage people at this time."
The prospects for PV in the UK are therefore looking strong and with consultants Ernst & Young declaring in a December 2008 report titled The Renewable energy country attractiveness indices, the UK ranks highly as a potential target for solar investors. Certainly, citing the low value of Pound Sterling and the imminent introduction of feed-in tariffs, Ernst & Young now rate the UK as joint fifth in a list of countries in terms of their attractiveness to investors. Of course, this report was published before the feed-in tariff which was introduced in April 2010, and the attractiveness of the UK solar industry would certainly be boosted by recent news pertaining to cash benefits to investors.