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New Zealander jailed for sharing Christchurch mass shooting video
Self-described white supremacist Philip Arps put behind bars for 21 months for sharing footage of the massacre.
Arps argued he had a right to distribute the massacre video in pursuit of his political beliefs [John Kirk-Anderson/Pool via AP]
A businessman in New Zealand has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for sharing footage of the Christchurch mosque attacks, which saw a lone gunman livestream the massacre of 51 Muslims during Friday prayers on March 15.
Philip Arps, 44, was sentenced during a court hearing in Christchurch on Tuesday after having earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing objectionable material.
New Zealand's government has outlawed the sharing of videos of the massacre, with such an offence punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
In addition to sharing the footage with about 30 people, Arps also possessed a doctored clip of the attacks featuring crosshairs and a "kill count", the court heard.
"Your offending glorifies and encourages the mass murder carried out under the pretext of religious and racial hatred," District Court Judge Stephen O'Driscoll said.
O'Driscoll added that Arps - a self-described white supremacist who argued he had a right to distribute the video under the banner of freedom to pursue his political beliefs - had described the footage as "awesome" and possessed strong and unrepentant views about the Muslim community.
Appeal filed
According to court documents, Arps had been charged with "offensive behaviour" in 2016 and fined NZ$800 ($543) after he delivered a bloodied pig's head to Christchurch's Al Noor mosque, one of the two places of worship attcked in March.
Arps' lawyer Anselm Williams argued his client should not be sent to prison.
"It's my submission that this court needs to be very careful to sentence Mr Arps based on what it is that he has actually done, and what he accepts he has done, not on the basis of the views that he holds," Williams said.
Williams later told The Associated Press news agency his client had filed an appeal against his sentence at the High Court but declined to comment further.
Tuesday's case came after Australian-born Brenton Tarrant, 28, pleaded not guilty last week to 92 charges stemming from the March massacres - New Zealand's worst peacetime mass shooting. He is expected to face trial in May next year.
The attack was livestreamed on Facebook from a head-mounted camera. Despite the original video being taken down by the social media company, the content was quickly replicated and shared widely on several other platforms, including YouTube and Twitter.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has helped lead a global pledge named the "Christchurch Call," aimed at boosting efforts to keep internet platforms from being used to spread hate, organise hardline groups and broadcast attacks.
New Zealand has also tightened its gun laws and banned certain types of semi-automatic weapons since the attack.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies
New Zealand attack


A guardian is different from a Guardian Ad Litem.
This article was written 2/5/2015 by Todd Willhoite, a guardain attorney in Claremore, specifically for the Oklahoma jurisdiction. A different result may occur in a different jurisdiction and the law does change, so it is important to seek competent legal and tax advice from professionals before acting on anything written in this article. Abby Law Offices Inc. is a law office that handles guardianship law in Claremore, Oklahoma.


Academy M16A1 Assault Rifle Military Kit Parts Model Airsoft BB Gun 6mm #17100. This item is NOT for sale to Residents of Washington DC, Johnson City TN, Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, and NEW YORK STATE. ---This list is not complete, it is a list of known cities and states that do not allow the import of airsoft guns.
Please contact our customer service for more details for returning items. Your positive feedbacks are extremely valuable to us. The item "Academy M16A1 Assault Rifle Military Kit Parts Model Airsoft BB Gun 6mm #17100" is in sale since Thursday, September 13, 2018.
This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Models & Kits\Military\Other Military Models & Kits". The seller is "woopick" and is located in Seoul City. This item can be shipped worldwide.


text:
Cover/Trailer Reveals
Home / Uncategories / The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes Release Day!! #Excerpt #Giveaway
The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes Release Day!! #Excerpt #Giveaway
Jen 5/20/2014 07:00:00 AM Edit
Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.
And that's when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey's arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.
What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with, if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?
GOT HEART?
The music pitches and swells, violin and guitars, drumbeats and thudding bass. As I sway back and forth in front of the stage, it feels like being in the eye of a tornado, where it's calm, but everything is going crazy whirling around me. I can't stop looking at Micah, at the way the lights reflect off his mohawk, at the way he's completely lost in the storm of overlapping chords.
I see every part of him, tiny pieces I never knew existed. The slight bend in his nose, the wedge-shaped scar on his right temple, the outline of his bicep hiding beneath the pyramid tattoo. His lips part, just barely, when he exhales. As I imagine the invisible mist of his breath hanging in the air, I inch closer to him. Here, in the strange blue light, while the bass pulses and pounds, all I can think about is touching him. Our fingertips brush. A shockwave courses through me. I want to grab him and pull him into my calm spot, closing my eyes and kissing him while the world spins topsy-turvy around us.
My thoughts feel hot inside my head, like they should be radiating a laser beam across the club, but Micah's eyes are still closed, his body loose. He's oblivious to the fact I'm thinking about kissing him. He has no idea my eyes are skimming their way down the lines of his body. His cheekbones. His beard stubble. The ridge of muscle connecting his jaw to the center of his chest. The faintest trace of sweat glistens where his neck meets his right shoulder. I want to touch my lips to it.
This is crazy. It's Micah. I don't like Micah. He doesn't like me. We have about as much in common as, well, nothing. I sneak another glimpse at him. He's still completely entranced by the song. He's still completely kissable. It has to be the beer, or the music, the violins and guitars and electronic pulsing, the whole otherworldly quality to this song. Or maybe it's just because I'm not myself here, and I don't have to obey the rules of Lainey.
I sub back into the game a few minutes later and stay through the end of the half. It's still 1-0. The Yellow Jackets tie it up on a breakaway goal in the second half. At this point I'm running from one end of the field to the other, playing more defense than any striker forward ought to be playing. I can't help it. It feels so good to be in the game.
Matt Clifton saves a shot on goal and drop-kicks the ball in my direction. I dribble up field, out maneuvering two of the other team's defenders. I pass the ball to Jason who sends it across to our right wing forward. The defense kicks the ball out of bounds and we get a corner kick. Jason goes to take it. I position myself in front of the goal, dancing back and forth as I vie for position with one of the Yellow Jacket fullbacks.
It's a beautiful kick—high and strong, and it's coming right at me. The other players, the shouting, the movement, they all fade into the background as I keep my eyes locked on the ball. Angling my body just slightly, I propel all five feet and eight inches of myself into the air at exactly the right moment—I think, I hope—and the crown of my head connects squarely with the ball. The players around me all turn to watch as it arcs through the air…
GET LAINEY!
I flip on the radio as soon as Leo fires up the engine. I hit the tuning arrow up until it lands on the station Micah put on for the ride home from the baseball game.
Leo looks over at me. "I didn't know you liked this kind of music," he says.
Me neither, but I do. Kind of, anyway. "I've been branching out. Anything gets old if you listen to it twenty-four seven, you know?"
"I hear you. I like new stuff too."
I don't answer. If you asked me whether I was the type of person who liked trying new things or preferred sticking with what was familiar, I would have told you I'm the second girl. The if –it-aint-broke-don't-fix-it girl. I also would have told you plays were lame. It suddenly occurs to me that I don't seem to know very much about…me. It's a weird feeling, like maybe a stranger is inhabiting my body. Or maybe a stranger was, and I kicked her out.
Paula Stokes is half writer, half RN, and totally thrilled to be part of the world of YA literature. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where she graduated from Washington University and the Goldfarb School of Nursing. When she's not writing, she's kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. Paula loves interacting with readers! Find her online at www.authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.
I love books, tea/coffee(by the gallon) and sour candy. I wear my nerd badge with pride and have two children ages 5 and 3 that keep me on my toes.
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All novels reviewed on my blog were either purchased by myself or given to me. I do not receive compensation for writing reviews.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Update from version 6.2 or earlier to version 6.3 of Quality Analyst for Windows XP SP2 or newer.
Note: To determine your release number, start Quality Analyst, open the Help menu, select About Quality Analyst, and read the release number after "NWA Quality Analyst Editor."
This patch upgrades NWA Quality Analyst Single User releases 2.2.45, 2.2.56, 2.2.67, and 2.2.71 to the latest release (2.2.80) of version 5.2 for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP.
Note: To determine your release number, start Quality Analyst, open the Help menu, select About Quality Analyst, and read the release number after "NWA Quality Analyst Editor."
These patches upgrade NWA Quality Analyst LAN releases 2.2.45, 2.2.56, 2.2.67, and 2.2.71 to the latest release (2.2.80) of version 5.2 for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP.
This patch upgrades NWA Quality Analyst French Single User release 2.2.72 to the latest release (2.2.81) of version 5.2 for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP.
This patch upgrades NWA Quality Analyst French LAN release 2.2.72 to the latest release (2.2.81) of version 5.2 for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP.
This patch upgrades NWA Quality Analyst releases 1.5.28, 1.5.51, 1.5.61, and 1.5.63 to the last release (1.5.70) of version 5.1 for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP.
This patch will upgrade NWA Quality Analyst, releases 1.4.026 or earlier, to the last 16-bit release of version 5.1, running on any version of Microsoft Windows. This patch corrects problems found in previous releases of Quality Analyst. (The corrections are listed in the README included with the upgrade.) If you use Windows 98, NT4, 2000, or XP, you may prefer to update to version 6.2 of Quality Analyst.
This interface allows Quality Analyst to retrieve data from version 8 of Wonderware's IndustrialSQL Server. The current and previous releases of Quality Analyst include an interface for IndustrialSQL Server version 7. This interface works with Quality Analyst 5.1 release 1.5.28 or later and all releases of Quality Analyst 5.2.
Quality Analyst 5.2 releases 2.2.67 and later already include this interface; if you have release 2.2.67 or later, you do not need this download.
Your copy of Quality Analyst must be licensed for the IndustrialSQL interface in order to take advantage of this download.
Contact NWA if you have questions regarding your version or licensing.


text:
Station Warząchewka is een spoorwegstation in de Poolse plaats Warząchewka Nowa.

Spoorwegstation in Koejavië-Pommeren

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Utopia of a Strange Love: When the Love of God is Mishandled They are ubiquitous these days–eloquent, charismatic preachers, speakers, teachers, and evangelists who skillfully argue that the essential message of Christianity is love. But there are other fundamentals of being a follower of Christ that the popular preachers often ignore. The lack of teaching on it is not just misleading but dangerous. In this book, Pastor Robinson identifies, explores, and discusses the problem.


Rob McDonald brings over 30 years of golf instruction to players of all levels, with experience teaching at golf schools and academies, as well as to individuals or groups. From the beginner to the scratch handicap, as well as the physically challenged golfer, Rob has the ability to get you playing better and enjoying golf more—and have fun while you learn.
– $80/ hour $50/ half hour.
– Custom packages available. Please contact the Pro Shop.
Create a memorable experience for your group with a day on our beautifully conditioned PGA course. Our PGA pro and staff will help you plan the perfect outing for any skill level, with suggestions to make your event special for your group. As always, Green Hill staff will provide courteous attention to every detail to ensure your golf outing is a smashing success! After the game, your group can relax in our Bar & Grille which overlooks the Wicomico River. We can also accommodate larger groups in the Terrace Room or River Room.
Contact Rob MacDonald to talk about making Green Hill Country Club the host facility for your golf event, 410-749-5119 ext 107.


Mediscan's 33rd Anniversary dawned with the flag hoisting near the main gate. Dr. Uma Ram hoisted the flag and Dr. Suresh felicitated her on behalf of Mediscan. Mr. Sarathy was there with his precision helped with the arrangements. Sweets were distributed and reminiscences of the past Anniversaries were discussed. Staff assembled saluted the flag and paid tribute on the nation's 69th Independence Day anniversary.
Around 3 P.M., Mediscan family gathered to listen to the melodious strain of veena played by Ms. Aarthy Parthasarathy, our Director's niece. It was her Arangetram and an impressive one. The music was enthralling and her choice of compositions and the Ragas was indeed a treat to listen. Followed by the musical exposition, there was a round of Felicitations to her Gurus. The Gurus in turn praised the sishya and her parents who supported her. The recital on that day looked as Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1856-1939), a 1923 Nobel Laureate in Literature, has aptly described Indian music "not an art but life itself."
After the wonderful exposition and music, Mediscan celebrated its anniversary with a bang.
Dr. V. Nagalakshmi, welcomed the gathering. Dr. Vidhya sang the felicitation song for the Mediscan events. Dr. Joni spoke about how the fragrance of Mediscan is spread and what shines bright is the honesty, hardwork and sincerity that marks the dedicated team in this pioneering institution. Dr. Priyamvada and Dr. Suresh walked down the memory lane by narrating the journey of 33 years replete with many life defining moments. The sail boat of ultrasound started from Chennai. The journey started on a sail boat of ultrasound became a ship and finally a Royal cruiser travelled across the oceans, exploring and conquering islands. Our director and Dr. Priyamvada travelled across timelines and oceans in the Ship of Mediscan to reach the 33rd destination. The travel and the passenger who joined in the journey felt honored that they were part of this great journey. The 'Mile surmera… tumhara…' dance-song recital was a multi-lingual and multicultural unity that went on to show that Mediscan also has "unity in Diversity" like this great country of ours. No wonder Mediscan and this great Motherland share the same important D-Day.
The songs by Singer Shriram was a musical extravaganza taking us back to the nostalgic 70s and 80s and the event also gave an opportunity for many of the dancing talents to fall into a dance by swaying to the tunes. On the way it has trained 6000 physicians all belonging to the Fetal Medicine. Mediscan docked at the Shores of Samraksha, a NICU at EVK with Dr. Uma Ram's stewardship. . A committed crew of 150 is helping on the journey towards greater deeds and the Mediscan Family is sure to win. Mediscan on this 33rd anniversary rededicates itself to the cause of society and the care of the unborn.
The Mediscan Express was announced by Dr. Sudha Rathna Prabhu, the Chief Editor, was flagged off by Dr. Suresh and welcomed by Dr. Indrani Suresh. Medialogic Team helped in design and development.
There was an official cake cutting ceremony to mark the Mediscan's anniversary with all the department heads being present.
While the Mediscan Day was a memorable in itself, we cannot fail to appreciate the gastronomic delight provided to us in the form of lunch and dinner. A great day and a memorable event too!!!


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COVID-19: 73 new cases, 1 Alachua County death Tuesday
Emily Mavrakis
The Gainesville Sun
Alachua County added 73 new coronavirus cases and reported the death of one additional resident Tuesday, a 56-year-old woman. This marks the 22nd resident death so far this month.
Ninety-eight residents have died from the virus, including 55 men and 43 women who ranged in age from 28 to 100. Thirty-four resident deaths are connected to long-term care facilities.
The county's case count is now 12,468. The positivity rate for new local cases was 3.09% in Tuesday's report from the state health department.
Statewide, Florida added 8,555 new cases, for a total of 953,300 cases. The positivity rate for new cases was 7.47%.
Alachua County public schools have so far reported 106 staff and 187 student cases since Aug. 17. Last week, 161 students or staff were quarantined.
Schools are closed this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. University students had classes through Tuesday, and it remains to be seen how many return when classes resume Monday. Faculty members teaching in-person courses were urged to finish out the semester online, if possible.
The University of Florida's coronavirus testing and case dashboard includes positive case totals dating back to March and does not differentiate between active cases.
Seventeen new cases were identified among students or staff Monday, bringing the total so far to 477 this month, according to the dashboard.
Since March, there have been 622 cases among staff, 3,955 for students and 602 for employees of a UF affiliate organization. Another 822 total people affiliated with UF are in isolation or quarantine, according to the dashboard.
A total of 25 students who live in on-campus dorms have also tested positive, according to state health department data.
Within Alachua County's borders, the cases break down this way: Gainesville, 10,304; Alachua, 566; Newberry, 501; High Springs, 270; Hawthorne, 199; Archer, 171; Micanopy, 86; University of Florida: 86; Waldo, 53; Tioga, 20; Santa Fe, 19; LaCrosse, 15; Earleton, nine; Evinston, seven; Jonesville, two;Cross Creek, two; Island Grove, one, Melrose, one. Three cases don't have a specific area designation.
In surrounding counties: Bradford has had 1,381 cases and 18 deaths; Clay, 7,585 cases and 144 deaths; Putnam, 2,663 cases and 58 deaths; Marion, 12,579 cases and 377 deaths; Levy, 1,356 cases and 13 deaths; Gilchrist, 736 cases and 19 deaths; Columbia, 4,651 cases and 91 deaths; Union, 1,212 cases and 59 deaths.
In the region, Suwannee County has had 3,226 cases and 86 deaths, and Dixie County has had 955 cases and 11 deaths.


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The effect of a centralization procedure for extruded lateral meniscus on load distribution in porcine knee joints at different flexion angles
Rei Kubota, Hideyuki Koga, Nobutake Ozeki, Junpei Matsuda, Yuji Kohno, and 3 more
https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.2.18118/v2
published 03 Apr, 2020
Read the published version in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders →
posted 04 Feb, 2020
Background : Meniscal extrusion results in loss of the ability to resist hoop strain and biomechanical overload on the joint articular surface. A centralization technique has been developed to overcome these problems. In this study, we analyzed the biomechanics of the extruded and centralized lateral meniscus (LM) in porcine knee joints at different flexion angles. Methods : Porcine knee joints (n=8) were set in the universal tester and each knee was tested under the following states: 1) intact; 2) extrusion—meniscal extrusion was created by resecting the posterior root of the LM and posterior synovial capsule; and 3) centralization—centralization was performed by two anchors inserted in the lateral tibial plateau. Deviation distance of the meniscus, contact pressure, and contact area in the anterior LM, middle LM, posterior LM, and the contact pressure of the tibial cartilage were evaluated with an axial compressive force of 200 N at knee flexion angles of 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°. Results : The deviation distance of LM significantly increased in extrusion but was restored to the intact status after centralization at all angles. Both the contact pressure and area significantly decreased in extrusion and were restored after centralization close to the intact status in the anterior and middle LM; in the posterior LM, however, decreased contact pressure and area were not restored after centralization. The contact pressure of the tibial cartilage increased significantly in extrusion but decreased close to the intact status after centralization. Conclusions : This centralization procedure could reduce extrusion of the LM and restore the load-distributing function of the anterior-middle LM. However, the procedure itself could not restore hoop function in cases where the defect lies in the posterior LM. (276 words)
Meniscal extrusion
Centralization
Load distribution analyses
Meniscal extrusion induces dysfunction of load distribution, one of the most important functions of the meniscus [1-3]. It is caused by the disruption of the meniscus hoop function and is often observed after meniscectomy [1, 4], meniscus root tears [5], and with aging [6-8]. Meniscal extrusion initiates osteoarthritis (OA) and accompanies its progression [9-11]. Restoring the lost function caused by meniscus extrusion can delay OA progression [12].
A centralization technique has been developed to reduce meniscal extrusion; the capsule attached to the meniscus is sutured to the edge of the tibial plateau using suture anchors [13]. Arthroscopic centralization of the extruded lateral meniscus (LM) improved clinical outcomes at two-year follow-up [14]. It also increased the radiographic lateral joint space width on standing at the 45° flexion view at three months; this was maintained for two years [14].
The biomechanical studies to examine the effects of centralization have been still limited though some papers were recently published [15-17]. We already reported the biomechanical analysis of the centralization procedure for extruded LM with posterior root deficiency in a porcine model. Although this study showed that the centralization procedure restored the load distribution to a value closer to that of the normal knee joint, the experiment was performed only at 45° of knee flexion [15] and the effects of centralization in the more extended and more flexed knee position remained unknown. The purpose of the current study was, therefore, to analyze the effects of the centralization procedure in porcine knee joints at different flexion angles in addition to 45° in order to further clarify biomechanical properties of the centralization procedure.
Eight fresh-frozen porcine right knee joints (Tokyo Shibaura Zouki, Tokyo, Japan) were used for the experiments. Joints with cartilage or meniscus injury were excluded. The lateral compartment was used for the analysis.
Mechanical settings
After removal of muscles from around the knee joint, the tibia was cut at 3 cm distal to the tibial plateau, parallel to the joint line. The femoral cut line was set at 7 cm proximal from the distal end and cutting was performed obliquely, to couple the knee joint with the tibia at 45° of the knee flexion angle. The femur and tibia were fixed in a custom universal tester using polymethyl methacrylate (Fig. 1A). The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), and medial collateral ligament were preserved, although a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) was cut to insert the sensor seat for counterforce evaluation. The angle-changing device was placed between the knee and a universal testing machine (Fig. 1B), so that the knee flexion angles could be set at 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° (Fig. 1C).
The experimental settings were as follows: 1) Intact; 2) Extrusion—meniscal extrusion was created by resecting a 1 cm width of the posterior root of the LM, as well as a 45° of the adjacent posterior synovial capsule from the posterior root attachment site, thereby precluding anatomical repair of the posterior root (Fig. 1D); and 3) Centralization—two soft anchors (1.4 mm JuggerKnot Soft Anchors, Zimmer Biomet, Warsaw, IN, USA) were inserted into the middle part of the lateral tibial plateau (the first anchor was inserted 1 cm anterior to the popliteal hiatus, the second 1 cm anterior to the first anchor), and the extruded meniscus was reduced to its original position (Fig. 1D). The sutures were passed through the border between the meniscus and the remaining capsule attached to the meniscus; they were then stabilized to the tibia using mattress sutures. For all angles, an axial compressive force of 200 N was applied in each setting [15, 18].
Deviation distance of the lateral meniscus
Three spherical red plastic markers (3 mm diameter) were attached: the posterior marker at the center of the tibial attachment of the PCL; the lateral marker at the lateral edge of the LM in the posterior view; and the posterolateral marker at the point where the middle line of the other two points intersects the outer edge of the meniscus in the posterior view (Fig. 2A). The markers were placed prior to the resection conducted to create the meniscus extrusion model. After application of an axial compressive force of 200N, the LM was photographed in the posterior view and the distance between the posterior marker line and the posterolateral marker line measured to evaluate the meniscal extrusion (Fig. 2A).
Contact area and force measurements
A pressure mapping sensor system (Tekscan, Inc. South Boston, MA) was used to evaluate the distribution of load-bearing force on the lateral compartment. This instrument enabled electronic scanning to measure the real-time force and contact area. The sensor was placed on the femoral side of the lateral meniscus and the load distribution recorded during application of the loading force. Wrinkling of the film over time (due to the dry environment) was minimized by adding saline mist during the experiment. The measurements included contact area, maximum contact pressure, and average contact pressure. All data were analyzed using MATLAB® (MathWorks, MA, USA).
Statistical analysis was performed using Prism 6 software (GraphPad Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA). The Friedman one-way non-parametric test and Dunn's test were used as post hoc tests. A P value smaller than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All data were reported as the average value and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
The distance between the two markers significantly increased after extrusion at all flexion angles (Fig. 2B, C; Supplementary Table 1). Conversely, it significantly decreased after centralization at each flexion angle. In all settings, the distance between the two markers increased with the knee flexion angle, although there were no significant differences among the distances measured for each angle (Supplementary Table 1).
For load distribution analyses, the lateral compartment was divided into the anterior LM, the middle LM, the posterior LM, and the tibial cartilage areas (Fig. 3A). For each angle, according to the representative images (Fig. 3B), the load was concentrated on the tibial cartilage after extrusion and redistributed to the anterior and middle LM after centralization.
The average contact pressure in the anterior and middle LM significantly decreased after extrusion and increased after centralization. The similar results were obtained for each flexion angle except in the anterior LM at 30° and the middle LM at both 30° and 90° (Fig. 4, Supplementary Table 2). On the other hand, extrusion significantly decreased the average contact pressure in the posterior LM but centralization did not fully restore it. The similar results were obtained for each flexion angle. In the anterior LM, the average contact pressure at 45° significantly decreased at 90° in the intact setting; conversely, in the posterior LM, the average contact pressure at 30° significantly increased at 60° and 90° in the centralization setting. In the tibial cartilage, extrusion significantly increased the average contact pressure at 45°, 60°, and 90°, whereas centralization significantly decreased it at 90° (Fig. 5, Supplementary Table 3).
The contact area significantly decreased after extrusion at each flexion angle in the anterior, middle, and posterior LM (Fig. 6, Supplementary Table 4). Contrarily, it significantly increased after centralization at each flexion angle in the anterior and middle LM, whereas centralization did not fully recover the contact area in the posterior LM. In all settings, the contact area in the anterior LM appeared to decrease with the knee flexion angle, although there were no significant differences among the areas measured for each angle (Supplementary Table 4). Also, in all settings, the contact area in the posterior LM appeared to increase with knee flexion angle, although there were no significant differences.
In this study, the biomechanics of the extruded and centralized LM were analyzed in porcine knee joints at different flexion angles. In the anterior and middle LM, both the contact pressure and area decreased in extrusion, increasing close to the intact status after the centralization procedure. In this model, the effectiveness of centralization to restore the lost function of the meniscus has been demonstrated in the anterior and middle LM.
We set knee flexion angles at 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, and 90 °. Since the most extended position is approximately at 30 °and the most flexed position is approximately at 90 ° in a pig knee joint, we first set the flexion angles every 30 °between 30 ° and 90 °. Furthermore, we added 45 °since a pig usually stands at 45 ° in flexion. Therefore, biomechanical analysis was performed at 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, and 90 °.
We applied 200N as an axial compressive force in each setting. The body weight of the pigs which knees we used was approximately 80-100kg. Since a 200N axial load is equivalent to the load of knee joint when an 80-kg pig stands on its four legs, 200N might be small as an axial compressive force for biomechanical studies. However, in this study, 200N was sufficient to examine the effects of meniscal extrusion and the effects of centralization. In addition, in our previous report, 200N was also applied in the similar setting [15]. Furthermore, Tachibana et al. reported that the in situ force of the LM with a complete radial tear significantly decreased even under a 150-N axial load in their model where the similar porcine knees were used [17]. Therefore, the axial compressive force applied in this study would be large enough to yield clinically significant findings.
Although the deviation distance of the LM, which increased in extrusion, was restored to the intact status in centralization at all angles, the contact pressure and area, decreased in extrusion, were not fully restored in the posterior LM, even after centralization. This was possibly because a 1 cm width of the posterior root deficiency was left untreated. These results suggest that hoop function should also be reconstructed, if possible, in order to fully restore the load distribution function of the posterior LM. Even so, centralization decreased the contact pressure in the tibial cartilage, and this effect became more obvious as the flexion angle became larger.
The distances between the two markers increased with knee flexion angle in each setting, although no significances were found. This can be explained from the results of the current study; the load distribution moved posteriorly as the flexion angle increased. A previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study also supports our results, showing that the lateral femoral condyle and LM consistently displayed a marked posterior translation [19].
To our knowledge, previous reports of biomechanical analysis for the centralization of the extruded meniscus are limited. Nakamura et al. evaluated the effects of knee biomechanics with an irreparable lateral meniscus defect using the centralization procedure in an ACL-reconstructed porcine knee; they reported that using arthroscopic centralization for the capsular support of the middle segment of the lateral meniscus improved the residual rotational laxity of the ACL-reconstructed knee accompanied with lateral meniscus dysfunction due to massive meniscal defect [17]. Daney et al., in the only other report apart from ours [15], measured meniscal extrusion and tibiofemoral contact mechanics at the medial compartment in human cadaveric knees [16]. The anatomic transtibial pull-out root repair and the anatomic transtibial pull-out root repair with centralization suture techniques best restored contact mechanics of the knee and meniscal extrusion when compared with root tear and nonanatomic repair states. However, the degree of extrusion increased as the knee was flexed to 90°. Their study differs from ours in terms of using human knees, examining the inner compartment, and performing the centralization with pullout techniques; both studies, however, showed the effectiveness of centralization.
We previously reported the effect of centralization in a porcine model (Ozeki JOS). The similarity of the methods between the previous study and the current one was that the experimental settings were the same. The difference between the two studies was that biomechanical analysis was performed at 30°, 60°, and 90° in addition to 45° in the current study. The similar results were obtained at 45° and the new findings were revealed at 30°, 60°, and 90° in knee flexion. Although significant differences of contact area and contact pressure at different angles were not detected, the following trends were observed: Contact area and contact pressure in the anterior and middle LM reached their maxima at 30°, 45°, and 60°, while those at the posterior LM reached theirs at 90°.
For limitations, we cut the lateral collateral ligament to insert a sensor from the lateral side, which raised a concern that instability caused by LCL deficiency could have affected the results. We also inserted a pressure mapping sensor between the femoral cartilage and the LM, rather than between the LM and the tibial cartilage, which would have impaired the load-distribution measurements for the entire tibial cartilage. However, the knee joint was stabilized and the loading force applied in the vertical direction, therefore the comparison of evaluated values under intact, extrusion, and centralization settings at each flexion angle will therefore provide important information.
The centralization procedure could reduce extrusion of the LM and restore the load distribution function of the anterior-middle LM in a porcine model. However, the procedure itself could not restore hoop function in cases with a defect of the posterior LM.
OA: Osteoarthritis
LM: Lateral meniscus
ACL: Anterior cruciate ligament
LCL: Lateral collateral ligament
PCL: Posterior cruciate ligament
CI: Confidence intervals
MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.
We have no conflict of interest in this study.
This study was supported by JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research) Grant Number 19K18524 to YK. JuggerKnot Soft Anchors® were provided by Zimmer Biomet.
RK: Data collection and draft writing. HKo: Conception, manuscript editing, and critical advice. NO: Study design, data analysis, and critical advice, and final approval of the article. JM: Mechanical setting and interpretation of data. YK: Interpretation of data. MM: Data collection. HKa: Data interpretation. IS: Interpretation of data, major manuscript writing, and revised manuscript writing.
Walker PS, Erkiuan MJ: The Role of the Menisci in Force Transmission Across the Knee. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 1975, 109:184-192.
Fukubayashi T, Kurosawa H: The Contact Area and Pressure Distribution Pattern of the Knee:A Study of Normal and Osteoarthrotic Knee Joints. Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica 2009, 51(1-6):871-879.
Ambra LF, Mestriner AB, Ackermann J, Phan AT, Farr J, Gomoll AH: Bone-Plug Versus Soft Tissue Fixation of Medial Meniscal Allograft Transplants: A Biomechanical Study. Am J Sports Med 2019, 47(12):2960-2965.
Choi N-H: Radial Displacement of Lateral Meniscus After Partial Meniscectomy. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery 2006, 22(5):575.e571-575.e574.
Magee T: MR findings of meniscal extrusion correlated with arthroscopy. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 2008, 28(2):466-470.
Puig L, Monllau JC, Corrales M, Pelfort X, Melendo E, Cáceres E: Factors affecting meniscal extrusion: correlation with MRI, clinical, and arthroscopic findings. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 2005, 14(4):394-398.
Stehling C, Luke A, Stahl R, Baum T, Joseph G, Pan J, Link TM: Meniscal T1rho and T2 measured with 3.0T MRI increases directly after running a marathon. Skeletal Radiology 2010, 40(6):725-735.
Wenger A, Wirth W, Hudelmaier M, Noebauer-Huhmann I, Trattnig S, Bloecker K, Frobell RB, Kwoh CK, Eckstein F, Englund M: Meniscus Body Position, Size, and Shape in Persons With and Persons Without Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis: Quantitative Analyses of Knee Magnetic Resonance Images From the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Arthritis & Rheumatism 2013, 65(7):1804-1811.
Bloecker K, Guermazi A, Wirth W, Benichou O, Kwoh CK, Hunter DJ, Englund M, Resch H, Eckstein F: Tibial coverage, meniscus position, size and damage in knees discordant for joint space narrowing – data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2013, 21(3):419-427.
Sharma L, Chmiel JS, Almagor O, Dunlop D, Guermazi A, Bathon JM, Eaton CB, Hochberg MC, Jackson RD, Kwoh CK et al: Significance of Preradiographic Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lesions in Persons at Increased Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology 2014, 66(7):1811-1819.
Willinger L, Foehr P, Achtnich A, Forkel P, Voss A, Liska F, Lacheta L, Imhoff AB, Burgkart R: Effect of Lower Limb Alignment in Medial Meniscus–Deficient Knees on Tibiofemoral Contact Pressure. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 2019, 7(2):232596711882461.
Ozeki N, Muneta T, Kawabata K, Koga H, Nakagawa Y, Saito R, Udo M, Yanagisawa K, Ohara T, Mochizuki T et al: Centralization of extruded medial meniscus delays cartilage degeneration in rats. Journal of Orthopaedic Science 2017, 22(3):542-548.
Koga H, Muneta T, Watanabe T, Mochizuki T, Horie M, Nakamura T, Otabe K, Nakagawa Y, Sekiya I: Two-Year Outcomes After Arthroscopic Lateral Meniscus Centralization. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery 2016, 32(10):2000-2008.
Koga H, Watanabe T, Horie M, Katagiri H, Otabe K, Ohara T, Katakura M, Sekiya I, Muneta T: Augmentation of the Pullout Repair of a Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tear by Arthroscopic Centralization. Arthroscopy Techniques 2017, 6(4):e1335-e1339.
Ozeki N, Koga H, Matsuda J, Kohno Y, Mizuno M, Katano H, Tsuji K, Saito T, Muneta T, Sekiya I: Biomechanical analysis of the centralization procedure for extruded lateral menisci with posterior root deficiency in a porcine model. Journal of Orthopaedic Science 2019.
Daney BT, Aman ZS, Krob JJ, Storaci HW, Brady AW, Nakama G, Dornan GJ, Provencher MT, LaPrade RF: Utilization of Transtibial Centralization Suture Best Minimizes Extrusion and Restores Tibiofemoral Contact Mechanics for Anatomic Medial Meniscal Root Repairs in a Cadaveric Model. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 2019, 47(7):1591-1600.
Nakamura T, Linde MA, Marshall BD, Koga H, Muneta T, Smolinski P, Fu FH: Arthroscopic centralization restores residual knee laxity in ACL-reconstructed knee with a lateral meniscus defect. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2019, 27(11):3699-3704.
Tachibana Y, Mae T, Fujie H, Shino K, Ohori T, Yoshikawa H, Nakata K: Effect of radial meniscal tear on in situ forces of meniscus and tibiofemoral relationship. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 2016, 25(2):355-361.
Thompson WO, Thaete FL, Fu FH, Dye SF: Tibial meniscal dynamics using three-dimensional reconstruction of magnetic resonance images. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 2016, 19(3):210-216.
KubotaBMCMSDSupTable2002021400.docx
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When evaluating the health of your pond and in particular your plant material, there are a few simple guidelines to follow that will prove useful in keeping your pond plants blooming all summer.
In the summer months, your plants should be vigorously growing. You will need to trim off old leaves to make room for new growth. If you have plant material that is growing out of its original pot, this would be the time to divide those plants. Some plants, such as duckweed, hyacinths, and other floating material, will aggressively take over if left unchecked. You may need to remove some of these to keep your remaining plants healthy.
With the majority of your ornamental plants, you need to give them a few fertilizer tablets at the beginning of each season and when you replant them. I recommend Aquatic plant food tablets by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. This is a package of 25 tablets and retail for $5.99. To keep you plants blooming season long feed them one to two tablets once a month until temperatures exceed 70 degrees, then feed them twice a month. Stop plant feedings in the fall when temperatures consistently fall below 60 degrees. An alternative to this form of fertilizing is by using the Zamzows Thrive. This is an all-natural fertilizer that can be applied by dipping your potted plants into a mixed solution. Mix 1 oz Thrive per gallon of water into a 5-gallon container/tub remove your potted plants from your pond and place into this solution for one hour. This method is a little more time consuming but offers a complete feeding to your plants.
There are numerous periodicals that will prove helpful in increasing your overall pond plant knowledge. I recommend The Simple Guide to Garden Ponds by Terry Anne Barber. You will discover that here are several other factors that will affect your pond plant condition to a lesser degree. However, by following the above guidelines, your overall plant health will not only improve dramatically, your plant bloom time will increase as well.
This entry was posted in Blog and tagged blooming, pond plants, ponds. Bookmark the permalink.


Thanks townie, wish bits had some truly useful stuff like Adobe suite or even some of the programs within.
How do you have KooRaRoo configured; HD's, PC's, Media Players, etc??
Wondering since I need to update my server software. Currently using FreeNAS on a dedicated and unattended server.
it shows up on my laptop as a media device under networks and under media server on my WDTV Live and Patriot Box Office. KooRaRoo and the devices it will stream to kind of auto-detect each other on initial setup, if not you can just add it to KooRaRoo, then just add the folders, and/or drives you want it to share.
So you can install the software right on your PC and your media players recognize it as a network device on your home network?
I grabbed KooRaRoo last time you posted a link but haven't found a need to use it yet.
i have 5 Terabytes of external hard drives , these days i mostly stream XBMC anyway, downloads are usually to burn for friends or family.
I may build a tutorial for FreeNAS, including the build, the OS, and how to use it in any home network. Time permitting of course.
FreeNAS is also a fully capable FTP, and works with Transmission and/or uTorrent.
Who is at the other end of the FTP?
My PC only has a 160GB drive, Downloads folder has 2 folders, 31 files.


The extensive "Great Recordings of the Century" series from EMI has included illustrious artists such as Bruno Walter, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dennis Brain and Yehudi Menuhin. The Mozart disc under review features Sabine Meyer and Hans Vonk, and nobody would claim that either of them has attained the great esteem afforded most other artists in the series. However, I can confidently state that their performances of the Clarinet Concerto and Sinfonia Concertante are among the best versions on record and fully deserving of the exalted status given by the folks at EMI.
Mozart composed his Clarinet Concerto just a few months before his death while he was also working on his Requiem. The Concerto was written for his good friend, the clarinettist Anton Stadler, and displays Mozart at the peak of his creative powers. The concise architecture, exceptional interaction between solo instrument and orchestra, and an abundance of inspired themes seem to wing their way to the listener on a non-stop basis. The work is considered Mozart�s finest wind concerto, and I�ll take it further and declare it the best wind concerto in the entire world of classical music.
In addition to the traits mentioned above, Mozart�s Clarinet Concerto has such great majesty and warmth from within that it melts one�s heart and offers a comfort uncommon in other musical works. For many years, my standard for the Clarinet Concerto has been the early 1970s Karl Böhm recording featuring Alfred Prinz and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Böhm uses slowish tempos that allow listeners to savor Mozart�s music. The majesty and warmth his performing forces exude are absolutely sublime. If a quicker version is preferred, one need look no further than to the Philips recording conducted by Sir Colin Davis and featuring Jack Brymer on clarinet. This version isn�t as comforting as the Böhm, but it does highlight the excitement of the outer movements.
Hans Vonk paces his performance in a manner similar to Davis, and both offer full-bodied interpretations. Any substantial difference is due to Sabine Meyer�s playing a basset clarinet, which is the instrument that Mozart conceived for the work. Darker and rounder in tone than a modern clarinet, Meyer executes her role splendidly in bringing out both the exuberance and poignancy of the music. Although the Böhm version remains my favorite, Meyer and Vonk fully match the Davis recording.
A look at the history of the Sinfonia Concertante tells us once again that movies may be magic, but they aren�t necessarily accurate with the facts. In the Academy Award winning movie "Amadeus", Mozart humiliates the Italian composer Salieri in front of the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by indulging himself in variations on a simple theme wrote by Salieri to greet Mozart. In real life, Mozart humiliated the �King� of the Parisian Sinfonia, Giuseppe Maria Cambini, by inserting his own musical ideas into a Cambini quartet in court performance.
Although Cambini publicly praised Mozart�s input, he did everything he could in private to make Mozart�s residence in Paris an unpleasant one. When Mozart departed France, he left behind the score to the Sinfonia Concertante and it disappeared. Years later it re-emerged with authorship unclear.
Personally, I find it hard to not consider the work Mozart�s, because it carries a host of his trademarks such as balance of architecture, exquisitely flowing lines, concise musical arguments, and a wealth of melodic invention. Further, the exceptional highlighting and interaction of the solo instruments in the 3rd Movement Andantino con variazioni, if not from the pen of Mozart, would have to be from his clone.
Sabine Meyer and Company again offer superb performances totally up to the standards of the lovingly warm Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the clean and exciting version from Warren-Green. Each of the three recordings conveys the rhythmic energy and bounce of the outer movements and the elegance and charm of the Adagio.
The EMI soundstage is perfectly balanced with ample richness and depth. If the coupling appeals, I can�t think of a more rewarding set of performances than Sabine Meyer�s that justly deserves its inclusion in EMI�s "Great Recordings of the Century" series. Just keep in mind that Karl Böhm�s recording of the Clarinet Concerto would rate some attention as perhaps the greatest recorded performance of the last century.


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Archive for category: Pandemics
COVID-19, Foreign Aid, Foreign Policy, Global Poverty, Legislation, Pandemics
Kamala Harris' Foreign Policy: What Everyone Needs To Know
Joe Biden's Vice President pick, Kamala Harris, is a new player when it comes to foreign aid and international relief. A strong arm with U.S./Mexico relations and domestic advocacy, Harris has some experience with addressing poverty. However, the question remains: what could this potential vice-presidential elect bring to the global table? This article will focus on Kamala Harris' foreign policy. Specifically, her previous commitments to international humanitarian issues and what she outlines as her future focus.
Global Problems, Smart Diplomacy
Kamala Harris' foreign policy, first and foremost, centers around a single axiom: "Smart diplomacy". Harris is committed to preventing global conflict and believes that the U.S. is most successful when it stands in support of its global allies. She is an advocate for the ending the conflict in the Middle East, the deconstruction of nuclear arsenals and humanitarian relief efforts in Syria. Furthermore, Harris holds a staunch position on international threats. Abstractly, Harris' policy could perhaps be described as proactive, rather than strictly reactionary. Regarding the human and financial toll that war often brings, Harris has been vocal and understands the direct correlation between conflict and economic instability. She hopes to reduce both.
As a freshman senator, one of the keystones of Harris' policy focused on enriching the lives of women across the globe. In this vein, a (paraphrased) statement, "when women do better, we all do better" reflects this aspect of her policy. Harris recently co-sponsored the bill "Keeping Women and Girls Safe from the Start Act of 2020" (s.4003). This legislation's aim is at reducing gender-based violence and providing sustained, humanitarian support for at-risk women. It is no secret that when destitute women have access to resources, agency and support — their communities flourish.
COVID-19, the Future and Cooperation
Kamala Harris is vocal when it comes to domestic COVID-19 relief. However, that is not to say that she has neglected the global perspective. Harris' collaboration of the resolution s.res.579 illuminates her stance on what the U.S. needs to accomplish on the global stage. I.e., continued international support, cooperation with scientists across the globe to combat the new coronavirus and relief packages aimed at poorer communities and countries. Kamala Harris also introduced the "Improving Pandemic Preparedness and Response Through Diplomacy Act" (s.4118). This is a comprehensive bill that looks to the future of pandemic response and what will be done to combat and recover from future global pandemics. Notably, Harris' foreign policy could potentially incorporate such radical legislation.
Africa and Beyond
Kamala Harris' foreign policy regarding Africa is one that recognizes the continent's diversity, potential and struggles. Harris has made statements advocating for strengthening diplomatic relationships with all of Africa to "foster shared prosperity" and "ensure global security in the near future". Harris has also opposed reduced, foreign assistance to Central and South America. Instead, she advocates for greater investments in tackling the root issues of destabilization in Southern America.
Kamala's Co-Sponsorships
Here is a collated list that takes a deeper look into what Kamala Harris has co-sponsored in recent years:
No War Against Iran Act (s.3159): A bill proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders [I-VT] that would prohibit further expenditures and military activity in Iran.
Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy (s.2565): A bill proposed by Sen. Edward J. Markey [D-MA] created in hopes to address a future affected by climate change and the displacement of climate-refugees.
International Climate Accountability Act (s.1743): A bill, sponsored by Jeanne Shaheen [D-NH] to prevent the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.
Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2019 (s.1186): Legislation proposed by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin [D-MD] to both address and aid the humanitarian crisis in Burma (Myanmar).
The Outlook, TBD
Kamala Harris' foreign policy, in principle, is burgeoning but spells positivity and action for tackling some of the world's greatest issues. Carefully cultivated, diplomatic relationships, pandemic relief and response legislation and a fresh outlook on familiar problems may be a positive step forward.
– Henry Comes-Prichett
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
October 7, 2020 /by [email protected]
https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg 0 0 [email protected] https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg [email protected]2020-10-07 09:39:302020-10-07 09:39:30Kamala Harris' Foreign Policy: What Everyone Needs To Know
coronavirus, COVID-19, Global Poverty, Pandemics, Vietnam
Vietnam's COVID-19 Response and its Global Implications
COVID-19 has presented the world with new problems, set against the backdrop of a globalized economy. Some nations have opted for strict shutdowns, while others have taken a more gradual approach via staged lockdowns. Regardless of the initial steps taken, nations have seen astronomical numbers of new coronavirus infections. Some nations have been able to control outbreaks better than others. Vietnam's COVID-19 response won praise from the World Health Organization for its swift implementation and effectiveness. Regardless of a relatively low GDP and proximity to China, Vietnam was able to keep COVID-19 cases below 300 while other nations surged in April 2020.
Early Response
After nations throughout Southeast Asia and other locations around the world began reporting cases, Vietnam's COVID-19 response (initially) was to issue a nation-wide address to quell the spread. These regulations, though extensive, were quite effective. Vietnam fell victim to both the SARS outbreak of 2003 and the H1N1 outbreak in 2009. These experiences meant the government was on high alert, as soon as reports began to trickle out of Wuhan, China in January 2020.
Part of their methodology included banning all flights, either domestic or international. This helped to reduce travel between nations as well as between different areas of Vietnam. Additionally, the government has placed more than 44,000 people in quarantine camps. Also, Vietnam's COVID-19 response included widespread economic shutdowns to decrease person-to-person contact. While these measures were effective in reducing the number of cases, it has taken an economic toll on the markets around Vietnam.
The nation overall is well below the world's average GDP, coming in at $261 per capita. This indicates that the Vietnamese economy will be less flexible when placed under economic stress. While these widespread restrictions and quarantines are effective at limiting exposure to the virus — economic ramifications accompany them as well. According to the Vietnamese Labor Ministry, 7.8 million people have been left unemployed as a result of the pandemic.
Amid economic pressure, the government and people are coming together to help move past these hard times. NPR reports that some entrepreneurs within cities have established "rice ATMs" to ensure that all people can access food, regardless of income. In addition to an economic toll, a second wave of the virus is also threatening the Vietnamese people. Since the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in March — Vietnam was able to avoid community spread through the early measures it took. In mid-July 2020, the nation still has no evidence of community transmission. However, in late July 2020, more cases began cropping up to bring the nation's case count up to 867 cases. This represents an increase of more than 600 cases and the nation's first 10 COVID-19 deaths accompanying them.
These cases are a warning to the nation about how easy the virus spreads. Regardless, the nation is responding swiftly and responsibly as 80,000 visitors have already flown out of Danang as the city shut down once again to prevent more infections.
The Vietnamese COVID-19 response began with strong policies to protect its citizens against COVID-19. Though these restrictions posed economic challenges, the nation was able to shelter those who posed a risk in reportedly well-maintained and staffed quarantine camps while other citizens worked to ensure those who faced lay-offs were still able to feed themselves and their families. The spike in cases is indicative that the pandemic, though controlled, is not over.
– Allison Moss
September 25, 2020 /by Lynsey Alexander
https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg 0 0 Lynsey Alexander https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg Lynsey Alexander2020-09-25 08:44:472020-09-25 08:44:47Vietnam's COVID-19 Response and its Global Implications
Chile, COVID-19, Pandemics, South America
K-9s Sniff Out COVID-19 in Chile
Chile is a small, narrow country in South America blessed with magnificent mountains and gorgeous Pacific Ocean views that attract tourists from all over the world. The World Bank estimates that Chile has a higher life expectancy than the United States and classifies it as a high-income country despite its many impoverished regions. Like many other countries, however, Chile has experienced substantial economic distress in the wake of COVID-19 due to the high infection rates. In fact, Chile has one of the highest COVID-19 rates in the world with more than 364,000 confirmed cases as of 5 August 2020 in a population of only 18.7 million. Fortunately, in an effort to quickly recover from the crisis, the National Police formulated an unconventional, yet clever plan to combat COVID-19 in Chile.
Poverty & COVID-19 in Chile
Confirmed cases in Chile have steadily risen since May, beginning in high-income neighborhoods and slowly infiltrating low-income communities where the virus has caused the most damage. The country has remained under a national state of emergency since mid-March and is now experiencing Phase 4 of the outbreak, which includes "uncontrolled and widespread community transmission," forced quarantine in some areas and even a nationwide curfew. The Chilean government closed the country's borders on 18 March 2020 to all tourists, cruise ships and other unnecessary traffic, excluding citizens and permanent residents who must be quarantined for 14 days upon re-entrance.
Tourism prevention has been particularly harmful to Chile's economy since the country shut down in March. The country was named the 2017 Best Destination for Adventure Tourism in the World with more than 5.6 million people visiting each year, a group that has consistently stimulated the economy by nearly 13% annually. Jorge Rodriguez, Chile's Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism stresses that tourism "is strategic for the growth of Chile," but COVID-19 is decelerating the progress tourism has made in the last decade.
The World Bank identifies Chile as one of Latin America's "most unequal countries" because there are two socioeconomic extremes: incredibly impoverished or wonderfully wealthy. There is no middle class, forcing socioeconomic status to determine whether a person hopelessly struggles under government dependence or flourishes in their own monetary independence. Because people living in poverty must rely on assistance from the government, poor Chileans are suffering now more than ever as COVID-19 devastates the economy.
Retrievers to the Rescue
Luckily, the Chilean government, in partnership with the Catholic University of Chile, has constructed a strategic recovery plan that relies on retrievers. Chile's National Police has embarked on a journey to teach K-9s to find COVID-19 in crowds. Three highly trained pups, with experience in drug and bomb detection, are learning to sniff out human odors specifically emitted by prospective patients. COVID-19 itself does not have an odor, but minor metabolic changes can be detected as well as "volatile organic compounds" according to Fernando Mardones, professor and epidemiologist at the Catholic University of Chile. Those distinct markers enable the K-9s to intelligently track and discover people who are either asymptomatic or just entering the earliest stages of infection. Once a target is located, the "bio-detector dogs" do not scratch or use their killer bites. They simply sit by the COVID-19 carrier for discrete identification that prevents panic.
K-9s to Conquer COVID-19
The program currently remains in pilot stages but should be fully implemented by mid-September where the K-9s will be immediately deployed to high population centers. By the end of the training, one K-9 will be able to search more than 250 people in one hour with more than 95% accuracy. After the K-9s successfully memorize how to detect the virus in humans and remove COVID-19 patients from densely populated areas, confirmed case numbers in Chile should steadily decline. The country will then be able to reopen its ports and borders. Reestablishing its rightful place as one of the world's most sought after tourism destinations will allow the economy to heal as travelers renew their plans to enjoy Chile's beautiful scenery and exhilarating adventure sites.
Economic stability boosted by tourism revitalization will ease the concerns of people in poverty because the government will return to adequately assisting low-income regions as it did before COVID-19. Hopefully, extinguishing the virus in Chile will begin to bridge the gap between the country's seemingly untouchable upper class and its disadvantaged lower class, giving impoverished people a chance to thrive.
-Natalie Clark
Photo: Unsplash
August 12, 2020 /by Kim Thelwell
https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg 0 0 Kim Thelwell https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg Kim Thelwell2020-08-12 09:34:252020-08-12 09:34:25K-9s Sniff Out COVID-19 in Chile
Gender Inequality, Global Poverty, Health Policy, Healthcare, Pandemics, women's health
Women and Pandemics: How Disease Furthers Gender Inequality
Most healthcare workers on the front lines are female, but there is another pandemic that plagues women during times of health crises: gender inequality. Epidemics and pandemics further gender inequality as women struggle socioeconomically and in healthcare. Gender equality can combat world poverty, but diseases can slow societal advancement for women.
Society and the Economy
Globally, 740 million women work low-paid and informal jobs, which they are quick to lose during pandemics and epidemics. The livelihoods of women are at risk with an increase in job insecurity and job loss during times of crisis. During the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, closed borders caused women to face much higher unemployment rates than men since 85% of cross-border traders are women.
In the developing world, 70% of women work informal jobs, but women's unpaid labor boosts global economies and should not be ignored. According to the United Nations Foundation, "women on average do three times more unpaid care work than men." Women who work to care for their families bring in $1.5 trillion to the world GDP. Jobs without pay create even more inequality as women stay at home, complete domestic tasks and care for the sick. The burden of caring for the ill in the family puts women at a greater risk of falling ill. More West African women were affected by Ebola because they worked in hospitals or aided the sick at home.
A shelter-in-place due to pandemics can result in girls dropping out of school and puts women at a higher risk for violence. As seen from the Ebola outbreak, closures of schools put young girls at high risk for pregnancy and child marriage. During country-wide lockdowns in 2020, women have to remain with their abusers. Domestic violence against women tripled in China and increased by 30% in France. Even more shocking, some use the exposure of COVID-19 as a means of suppression against women.
Although 70% of health workers are women, men make most of the decisions in the healthcare sector. Only 27% of women are executives in world healthcare. This gender segregation in healthcare leaves women in lower roles and creates a bias towards men. Personal protective equipment uses male sizes and thus does not protect female workers as effectively. In Spain, 5,265 out of 7,329 health workers infected by COVID-19 were women. Data collection may ignore gender in some studies, which makes it harder to understand the current trends and how they affect women.
While most healthcare resources are focused on fighting pandemics, women's health may be overlooked. More women in Sierra Leone died from obstetric complications than from Ebola. COVID-19 will likely cause 18 million women to not be able to acquire contraceptives in Central and South America. Providing fewer health services during pandemics has detrimental effects on women's health.
Operation 50/50
Pandemics affect both men and women, but 80% of the WHO Emergency Committee on COVID-19 are men. In order to provide women with more representation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations has created the campaign Operation 50/50. The campaign aims to accomplish five goals: recruiting more women for leadership roles, valuing women's unpaid care work, providing better conditions for health care workers, utilizing gender attentive data and funding NGOs for women. Around the world, women have a high risk of exposure to disease, whether that be in the healthcare field or staying at home with the sick. Elimination of gender inequality in healthcare will increase safety for women during global pandemics.
– Hannah Nelson
July 28, 2020 /by Kim Thelwell
https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg 0 0 Kim Thelwell https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg Kim Thelwell2020-07-28 11:11:532020-07-28 11:11:53Women and Pandemics: How Disease Furthers Gender Inequality
Global Poverty, Health, Pandemics
COVID-19: 3 Lessons from Past Pandemics
There are several lessons from past pandemics that apply to COVID-19 prevention today. With the rise of COVID-19, it is particularly important to look back at history to prevent similar detrimental results.
Spanish Flu and Social Distancing
One of the main lessons from past pandemics such as the Spanish Flu is that social distancing works. With cities around the world such as San Fransisco ordering social distancing, this lesson is as pertinent as ever. In 1918, Philadelphia threw a parade to support soldiers fighting in WWI that drew a crowd of 200,000 people. Just three days later, every bed in Philidalphia's 31 hospitals comprised of people infected with the flu. Unfortunately, despite Philadelphia's enforcement of social distancing after the infection rate rapidly increased, this response was too late.
St. Louis, on the other hand, was more proactive with enforcing city-wide social distancing regulations. Within just two days of detecting the first cases of the flu in St. Louis residents, the city enforced social distancing measures. This resulted in less than half of the flu's death toll than in Philadelphia.
Social distancing is not just about staying away from others when ill but also about reducing the chances of becoming a carrier of the disease. Several people might have coronavirus and not even know it as only 19 percent of confirmed cases of COVID-19 become critical. Because of this, it is important to stick to social distancing regulations as much as possible.
HIV/AIDS and the Deadliness of Social Stigma
The ongoing HIV/AIDS pandemic faces a great amount of social stigma that has lead to insufficient government prevention methods. This stigma is due to discriminatory views that the virus infects those who are gay or drug addicts who use intravenous drugs.
Though governments are more responsive today, when the HIV/AIDS pandemic first arose, many including the U.S. were late to respond due to this stigma. This resulted in many protests and, eventually, the government became more responsive.
One of the main lessons from the HIV/AIDS pandemic that one can apply to the COVID-19 outbreak is the fatal impact of social stigma. There are several discriminatory sentiments toward the Asian community right now with the COVID-19 pandemic. This stigma has led to a rise in hate crimes. People of Asian descent are not the only community capable of suffering an infection from this virus, and discrimination towards them can be deadly just as the case with those that the HIV/AIDS pandemic affected.
Small Pox and Global Cooperation
The World Health Organization (WHO) ran a vaccination campaign to eradicate smallpox from 1966-1977. It jumped through many government hoops in order to run the campaign, which was eventually successful. The current coronavirus outbreak will require similar action. Following government orders and keeping up with guidelines and news from the CDC and WHO will greatly help with global cooperation to slow the spread of COVID-19.
A critical issue that requires immediate and rapid cooperation is the stocking up of medical masks and other medical supplies such as hand sanitizer in a frenzy. While buying these supplies might seem helpful at the moment, it is actually having consequential effects. Doctors have reported shortages of masks that could lead to a dire situation if buying habits like this continue. Additionally, reports state that masks for healthy people are ineffective as a means of prevention.
Another form of cooperation that will help prevent those that the virus affects is joining local activist coalitions in helping those vulnerable to COVID-19, such as unemployed or food insecure individuals. In Seattle, COVID-19 Mutual Aid is a coalition that is helping out in solidarity with those most vulnerable. One can obtain further information about its work by visiting its Instagram page.
Social distancing, destigmatization and global cooperation are key lessons from past pandemics that easily apply to COVID-19. Not only learning but applying these lessons to the current pandemic is key to beating this virus.
– Emily Joy Oomen
April 6, 2020 /by Lynsey Alexander
https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg 0 0 Lynsey Alexander https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg Lynsey Alexander2020-04-06 01:30:282020-04-02 07:53:06COVID-19: 3 Lessons from Past Pandemics


Panasonic is extending their Living in HD community from 30 families up to 60, eventually expanding all the way up to 100 families total.
So what is Living in HD? It is a Panasonic program that immerses participants in high definition technology. Selected applicants receive a complete suite of Panasonic HD products, including a 50″ HDTV, an HD video camera, WiFi enabled digital cameras, a Blu-ray player, Blu-ray movies, a laptop, a Nintendo Wii with games and more products. Professional installation, training and access to technical advisors are all included in the program.
In order to be considered, you must fill out a questionaire, upload pictures of your family as well as your living room or the location where the HD equipment will be installed and explain why Panasonic should choose you. The deadline for this latest round is September 23rd, so get your application in now at the Panasonic website if you want to be considered.
And I'm still not one of those families.