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Press release content from Business Wire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
Business Wire: Medical
PRESS RELEASE: Paid content from Business Wire
Harvest Health & Recreation Team to Keynote and Lead Investment and Community Tracks of Cannabis World Congress in New York
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2019--
Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc. ( CSE: HARV ) ( OTCQX: HRVSF ) ("Harvest"), a vertically integrated cannabis company with one of the largest and deepest footprints in the U.S., announced that CEO Steve White will deliver the keynote address at the 6 th annual Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition, May 30 th at the Javits Center in New York City. President Steve Gutterman will kick off the conference's investor symposium on May 31 st and Director of Community Outreach Marc Ross will join a panel discussion on social equity partnerships and research also on the 31 st.
Steve White's keynote, " Cannabis Investing Today and Tomorrow: Cutting through the Chatter and Focusing on Basic Financials/Growth Strategies," will take place May 30 th at 10:30 a.m. EDT . On Friday, May 31 st, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, Harvest's President, Steve Gutterman, will deliver remarks to open the investor symposium. Also on Friday, May 31 st, from 10-11:30 a.m. EDT, Harvest's Director of Community Outreach, Marc Ross will join a roundtable discussion titled " A Brand New Cannabis World," which will discuss how cannabis entrepreneurs and investors discover new business opportunities through social equity partnerships, global licensing & expansion, and multinational research.
About Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc.
Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. is a multi-state cannabis operator (MSO) and vertically-integrated cannabis company. Subject to completion of announced acquisitions, Harvest will have the largest footprint in the U.S., with rights to 230 facilities, of which 142 are retail locations and more than 1,580 employees across 17 states. Since 2011, the company has been committed to aggressively expanding its Harvest House of Cannabis retail and wholesale presence throughout the U.S., acquiring, creating and growing leading brands for patients and consumers nationally and continuing on a path of profitable growth. Harvest's mission is to improve lives through the goodness of cannabis and is focused on its vision to become the most valuable cannabis company in the world. We hope you'll join us on our journey: https://harvestinc.com .
Facebook: @HarvestHOC
Instagram: @HarvestHOC
Twitter: @HarvestHOC
This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of Harvest with respect to future business activities. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may," "would," "could," "should," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" or similar expressions and include information regarding: (i) expectations regarding the size of the U.S. cannabis market, (ii) the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives, (iii) plans for expansion of Harvest, and (iv) expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.
Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflects Harvest management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although Harvest believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the combined Company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the potential impact of an announcement of a going public transaction on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and in particular in the ability of the Company to raise debt and equity capital in the amounts and at the costs that it expects; adverse changes in the public perception of cannabis; decreases in the prevailing prices for cannabis and cannabis products in the markets that the Company operates in; adverse changes in applicable laws; or adverse changes in the application or enforcement of current laws, including those related to taxation; the inability to locate and acquire suitable companies, properties and assets necessary to execute on the Company's business plans; and increasing costs of compliance with extensive government regulation. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of Harvest and market conditions.
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Harvest has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Harvest does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.
CONTACT: Alex Howe, Head of Corporate Communications
ahowe@harvestinc.com
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CANADA ARIZONA NEW YORK
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE NATURAL RESOURCES AGRICULTURE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE RETAIL SPECIALTY TOBACCO
SOURCE: Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc.


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Frances Galloway at Leslie Feely Fine Art for Asia Week March 16-24: Indian Miniatures & Courtly Objects
Exhibiting at Leslie Feely Fine Art, New York Francesca Galloway will be one of the specialists showing this year at Asia Week New York. The exhibition is entitled Indian Miniatures & Courtly Objects: Recent Acquisitions, and will be shown at Leslie Feely Fine Art, Fifth floor, 33 East 68th Street.
The exhibition shows highlights from courtly India over a four hundred year period. This continent has always successfully adapted itself to its invaders, be they the early Sultanate rulers, the Mughals or the British. The art that was produced for these patrons of differing taste and background is often masterful and, despite foreign influences, the art remains quintessentially Indian.
During the British rule an extraordinary album of watercolours was produced for William and James Fraser in Delhi between 1815-1820. These paintings were
discovered in the late 1970s in Scotland and are now considered one of the finest groups of Company pictures yet known. Other pages from the Fraser Album are on display in the Asia Society Museum exhibition 'Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi 1707 – 1857' (Feb 7th to May 6th).
Artists are rarely acknowledged in Indian painting, particularly Hindu paintings. A rare exception is the work of an master artist from Jammu, in today's Punjab. Nainsukh of Guler produced a corpus of sensitive and intimate scenes of his patron, Balwant Singh of Jammu (1724-1763). In 1997 the Rietberg Museum in Zurich
produced an exhibition and monograph on Nainsukh's work. The gallery are delighted to exhibit a new addition to this corpus – Balwant Singh, beautifully dressed with gold brocade hat lined in fur, in a tender moment with his children painted by Nainsukh around 1750.
The gallery will be bringing a group of Mughal ewers and pandans (special containers used to store betel nut or pan) some from the celebrated collection. These richly decorated objects with enamels and sometimes with precious stones were made for courtly use. Research into Indian enamelled objects is still in its early stages. The two pandans we bring to New York are important for their early date and rarity and for what they add to the study of this subject.
The gallery is known for outstanding Indian miniatures and Indian decorative arts. Francesca Galloway will be showing a fine example of Deccani portraiture during Asia Week New York, from the George P. Bickford collection. The exquisite watercolour and gold portrait of Sultan 'Ali 'Adil Shah II of Bijapur is dated from the 1670s, and is a delightful example of the subtle painterly skill of the region. 17th century Deccani paintings are highly desirable, particularly portraits, and this miniature has the added allure of a distinguished provenance.
Asia Week New York 2012 is a collaboration of Asian art specialists, 5 auction houses, 17 museums and Asian cultural institutions in the metropolitan New York
area from March 16-24, 2012. Auctions at Bonhams, Christie's, and Sotheby's as well as dozens of special events take place during the week. The Asia Society
Museum will show 'Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi 1707-1857', co-curated by William Dalrymple, and the Metropolitan Museum now has two galleries dedicated to Indian art as part of the new Islamic wing, which opened in October 2011.
Leslie Feely Fine Art
33 East 68th Street, 5th Floor New York 10065
www.francescagalloway.com
christine@francescagalloway.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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"The word Amateur comes from French, and can be translated as "lover of", reflecting the amateur's motivation to work as a result of a love or passion for a particular activity." The Amateurs are a Midlands based band, gathering momentum on the live circuit.
Debut single 'Homesick' was released in March 2009 to positive acclaim from music critics and press alike. The band's debut release was particularly championed by Kerrang! Radio, BBC Introducing (Hereford & Worcs and West Midlands) and was "single of the week" on inthenews.co.uk above major label artists.
Read more about The Amateurs on Last.fm.
Kasutajad kellele meeldib "The Amateurs"
32, Tbilisi, Gruusia
SDE ja Keskerakond algatasid kooselulepingu võrdsustamise abieluga


Growing vegetables can take some hard work but it is a lot of fun and is very rewarding. When that plant finally yields its produce and you are able to go out and pick your cucumber and tomatoes and lettuce and make your own salad it is very satisfying indeed. And in today's climate of having little to no money for groceries, especially the more expensive fresh rather than canned foods, growing a vegetable garden is cost effective too. You do not have to be an expert gardener to grow vegetables but there are some basic pointers on growing a vegetable garden that can help get you going.


Ken was working on a visualization and sent me the following image to see if I could guess what it represented (sort of like Ben Jones' #DataQuiz).
My guess was that it was related to population. I wasn't right, but I wasn't too far off. He told me that it was the breakdown of race in congress. (A few weeks later, he released his Diversity in Congress viz which included this chart. In my opinion, this is a must see visualization; take a few minutes to check it out).
Okay, you are trying to figure out where I am going with this. Well, I was immediately inspired by this simple chart. Although I am not a huge baseball fan (it's hard to be when you live near Cincinnati unless it's the mid 1970's), I thought this chart had huge potential to represent individual at bats for selected major league baseball hitters.
So, with this chart in mind, I started looking for data...and looking...and looking. I could find the overall at bats, hits, singles, doubles, triples, and home runs for each player for each game, but I could not find them in order (if anyone can find this data, please please let me know). I wanted the first at bat, the second, the third, etc. and I simply could not find it.
Although it was not what I was looking for, I did find some good data on baseball-reference.com. The data showed one team's full season, every game, the score, their record, how many games out of first they were, how many games they had won or lost in a row, and many other metrics. I decided to copy one team's full season data into an Excel spreadsheet to just see what I could find.
That's actually pretty cool, right? As I looked at this bar chart, I started to notice some trends. In this case, I saw a lot of blue bars in a row, which were a lot of wins in a row. I thought it would be cool to look not only at wins and losses, but also at winning and losing streaks. If you aren't aware, winning and losing streaks are a fairly common topic in baseball. With 162 games played in a season, you had better have a fair number of long winning streaks or you're simply not going to make it (like the Reds - sad face).
As I started to think about how to visualize this, I determined that a line chart would be the best. My concern, however, was real estate on the dashboard. I also thought about the feel of baseball. It's not a linear, squared off type of game. I just didn't feel like a standard bar chart and line chart were going to provide the right feel for this visualization. (As a side note, in a business environment, I would have absolutely gone with a standard line and bar chart). This is when I decided to wrap the bar chart and line chart around the logo in a circular format.
As you may know, I recently wrote about radial bar charts and therefore had spent quite some time in understanding and building them. (I encourage you to read this blog post because much of this blog post will reference that one). So I decided to start with the line chart. This "radial line chart" is very similar to a radial bar chart. Generally, you have a starting radius like a radial bar chart and you add a value to that radius to determine your point. For this line, I was dealing with winning and losing streaks. Like the bar chart, I determined that wins would be positive and losses would be negative. One win would be +1. Two wins in a row would be +2. Five wins in a row would be +5. Losses would work in the same manner but with negative figures. So, the point would be placed at an X and Y coordinated determined by the angle (like in the radial bar chart blog) and the radius plus the win or loss streak. For example, if I determine the starting radius to be 50, then the radius for a 5 game winning streak would be 55. The radius for a 6 game losing streak would be 44. Using the same trigonometry used for a radial bar chart, I simply plotted those points and connected them via a line.
Now this told a cool story, at least I thought it did. Even though the chart was in a radial format, you could very easily see the longer winning streaks based on the length and the size. It was also very evident that the Boston Red Sox had very few losing streaks of any size.
Man, I love that guy! If you are not familiar with his viz from the IronViz final, you can see it and read about how he did it in his blog post. It was amazing! Perhaps I was subconsciously inspired by his work (it was very inspiring) or I just inadvertently went down the same road as he did, but either way, I was certainly happy with the result.
Now, I will say that although Tableau now allows for transparent backgrounds, it does not allow for that back layer to be interactive. So, I lost all interactivity with the bar chart. (because the line chart was on top of it). To be honest, I was perfectly okay with that. I decided to apply highlight actions to counteract this problem. The highlight actions would allow the user to select any point or points in the line chart and it would highlight the corresponding games in the bar chart...the best of both worlds.
Now that I had developed the chart with one single team's season, I now had to do it with 30 teams! I went through baseball-reference.com and copy/pasted all the team data into a single spreadsheet and then refreshed the data source in Tableau. From there, I added a team filter to both the bar and line charts.
The bar chart was easy to clean up for each team. The only thing I needed to do was change the colors for wins and for losses. I ultimately wrote a case statement that dictated the colors for every win and every loss of every team. The line chart was different. The color schemes used in the line chart were custom diverging colors with 2 steps, one for each color. I could not find a way to write a calculation that would dictate the color for each team in that diverging color palette. One of my other concerns was how to layout the dashboard. I thought about small multiples, but to be honest, I needed much more flexibility. Because of these two problems, I opted to make each team its own chart, with its own diverging color palette that would ultimately be added to the dashboard how I chose, with me being in full control.
I built all the charts, both bars and lines for each team, all with different colors matching their team logos. Now it was time to add them to the dashboard. But wait, I had better figure out the layout first. There are 6 divisions in Major League Baseball each containing 5 teams. I toyed with the idea of putting all 30 teams on one dashboard, but I thought it would be too busy. I opted to use six dashboards, each representing one division and use dashboard navigation buttons (as I love to do) to navigate between them.
As far as the dashboard itself goes, I have always loved Jacob Osulfka's work...it is just so clean and perfectly designed. One viz in particular that I absolutely love is his MLB Pitcher Heatmaps. The viz is fantastic, but what I really love is the fact that he used color for this charts, but the titles, text, and everything else was gray...it never took away from the charts themselves. I decided to employ that style to my viz as well so that the charts popped. In my opinion, it worked out very well.
From there, I simply built one dashboard by layering the charts. Once I had one built as I liked, I noted the exact locations of each element (they were all floated to allow for the layering) and then duplicated the dashboard five times for the other divisions. I then laid out each team as I did on the first dashboard.
As I reviewed the visualization, I started to notice some very interesting trends...which after all, is what data visualization is all about. Although the reader could certainly see these trends as well, I thought it would add just a bit more to the visualization if I called out some of those trends and statistics. I originally started using annotations, but I believe it took away from the beauty. I ultimately opted for placing stars (that were actually charts) near the streak or win in question then encoded a tooltip to provide the associated information. It added context and did not take away from the visual appeal.
The final visualization might be my favorite that I've ever created. Below is the main landing page showing just one of the divisions. The full visualization can be viewed here: Streaking: MLB Wins, Losses, and Streaks.
I hope you enjoyed the viz and the blog post. As always, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at any time.
Brilliant and a great narration!
Do this for previous years please!


A British tabloid reported Saturday that the godfather of Michael Jackson's three children claims to be the father of the singer's daughter Paris.
The News of the World quotes Jackson's longtime friend Mark Lester as saying that he "gave Michael my sperm so that he could have kids - and I believe Paris is my daughter."
The newspaper also quotes Lester, is a 51-year-old former child star known for his lead role in the 1968 movie version of the state show "Oliver!" as saying he's willing to take a paternity test.
In a video interview with Lester broadcast on the News of the World Web site, Lester said he donated his sperm at a London clinic. He said Jackson was married to Debbie Rowe at the time.
"She's the birth mother of the children so I naturally assumed the sperm donation would obviously have gone into Debbie and Debbie would have borne the children," he said.
He said Paris resembled his own 15-year-old daughter Harriet.
Rowe said he had made the revelations because he has "concerns about the welfare and upbringing of the children."
"It's a contact issue," he said on the video. "I dearly want to remain in contact with those kids and I feel now this is the only way I can ensure that."
Jackson and Lester became friends 27 years ago when Jackson's manager told Lester the singer wanted to meet him. Lester lives in Cheltenham, about 100 miles west of London.
Calls to Lester's home were not immediately returned.


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Upgrading From 2.0 To 2.1
=========================

 * The `setMaxDepth()` method from the `Context` class is deprecated. Use the
   `enableMaxDepth()` and `disableMaxDepth()` methods instead.

 * The `getMaxDepth()` method from the `Context` class is deprecated. Use the
   `isMaxDepthEnabled()` method instead.

 * The `getGroups` method from the `Context` class can return null when no group have been added.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Dare to look at the traditional habits, products and techniques with a new and fresh perspective.
Make use of the great variety of products that exist in the area, reflect the microclimates and seasons in the cooking.
Preserve the traditionally "Natural Kitchen" of Anatolia while being forward thinking. Be aware of the deeply rooted cuisine and the multitude of cultural layers.
Adapt the harmonious past blend of "l'occident & l'orient" to the present.
Embrace the cultural differences that make the area special and express the "Rich & Vibrant" character of the region in your cooking.
Truly embrace the saying: "No Farmer, No Food, No Future". Support the producers that do a good and honest job. Make use of the products that have been produced respecting the land, sea, mountains and animals. Behold the future and use the science. Strive to create traditionally great flavors while considering the contemporary diet.
Keep void of National, Religious or Ethnic barriers.
The identity of a region, the life and personality of its people is reflected through the food and beverages consumed. By properly identifying a food culture and the kitchen, we may identify the area and its people.
The research and respect of traditions has always been an essential part of the New Anatolian Kitchen. However, each and every one of these traditions should be open for discussion. "Respect the elders and listen to them, yet do not be crushed by them and do not be afraid to turn age old ideas upside down. Mental barriers are very common in rooted cultures, do not be afraid to break them down. To be able to create new ideas and evolve old ones this is necessary. Within this framework, our first step was to search for and try new fields of use for traditional products.
Diversity of ingredients and revitalization of endangered and almost extinct rich resources is an essential part and as important as the methods used. The use of wild plants, flowers and mushrooms was a part of everyday life in the past. How about today? How many species of edible wild plants, flowers, vegetables and animals have survived to this day; in the sea, in the air, on land? How many of them are known and how are they used?
In addition to the concept of taste, the balance of nature and the proper survival of small farmers and the villagers producing natural products are equally indispensable. Without them, there is no kitchen. How many of us big city people are still in touch with the villagers? How many of us can still feel the roots of what we eat? Do we know where our food comes from? Today, more than ever, making an effort to maintain and improve the "neighborhood market" is essential. Demanding GMO free products and soil, supporting incentives for direct sales from producers, are in the hands of us, the consumers. We must not waive the power to demand. "Handsfree food production", very often considered a sign of development in developing societies, is not an indicator of development. On the contrary, it represents a dangerous world, established on commercial interests, which has become plasticized by the giant wheels of mass consumption.
Today in civilized countries, the tendency to return to the nature and natural products is prominent. Weakening of traditional agriculture will not only cause a socioeconomic disaster, it will also will cause the loss of the age old identities. In our case that would be the loss of identity of the Ancient Anatolian people who have birthed the cradle of the first civilizations on Earth, dating centuries back.
We need to be aware of the diversity, offered by this magnificently potent nature and its cultural riches. Kitchens are doomed to become monotonous when they move away from exploiting diversity. We need to consciously use diverse and ethical products. Only then, so referred "product diversity" may finally leave the books and find life again on our tables.
Anatolia has a unique geographical and cultural position; from the fresh and lively Aegean to the productive and intense Black Sea, to the fierce and exciting South East… It contains very cold and long winters, high mountains, rivers, and is surrounded by seas of different temperatures and salinity. There are many different geographical conditions, spread over a relatively small area. These differences create an immense diversity of products, which is unknown to many. "Geographical Indication" must be introduced in order preserve the uniqueness and proper treatment of these products.
The Anatolian kitchen is not restricted to the Turkish or the Ottoman kitchen. All products of different ethnic origins and religions of Anatolia, the birthplace of cultures during a very long span of time before and after the Ottoman Empire, constitute the kitchen of this region. Wine, born in this region, is an indispensable part of the New Anatolian kitchen.
Along with preserving and resurrecting the past cultures and rich natural resources, looking forward, creating a harmonious new approach between past and future is our true passion. The Ability to look forward and to utilize science, to renew and develop ourselves without forgetting who we are and where we come from, is in fact the great challenge. The New Anatolian Kitchen is not isolated from the outer world! It is open to global developments and it is constantly changing. It is a new concept. Just like wine, it needs time, it must breathe. What we do today, we may have to do differently tomorrow. That's Ok!


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Homeobox protein prophet of PIT-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PROP1 gene.

PROP1 has both DNA-binding and transcriptional activation ability. Its expression leads to ontogenesis of pituitary gonadotropes, as well as somatotropes, lactotropes, and caudomedial thyrotropes. Inactivating mutations in PROP1 result in deficiencies of luteinizing hormone (LH; MIM 152780), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; MIM 136530), growth hormone (GH; MIM 139250), prolactin (PRL; MIM 176760), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH; MIM 188540). See combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD; MIM 262600).[supplied by OMIM]

References

Further reading

External links
  GeneReviews/NCBI/NIH/UW entry on PROP1- Related Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency (CPHD)

Transcription factors

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


If you have Friend Safaris, and you start a new game, Will they still be there on new file?
I'm just curious, since I'm starting a new game on my X Version. I'd like to keep the friend safaris and everything.
Yeah, because their FC is stored on the 3DS, and the FC contains the friend safari so YES, their friend safaris will still be there.
When you Delete Friend Codes, are the Friend Safaris Deleted, too?
What is the Friend Safari's "Crosswalk Method"?
Are Pokémons in the Friend Safari's natures predetermined ?


Kendall Schmidt (voiceover): Last week, our semi-finalists had a battle in the ballroom to make their way to the finals. Ethan Ferguson stepped in as guest judge, and with his help, all of our couples received their highest scores of the season. Sadly, it was our funny man, Steve Carell, who did not get to the finals (clip of elimination).
Brittany Brannon (voiceover): But tonight (clips of training), IT'S THE FINALS!!! Sandra Bullock, Cher, and Tom Hanks have all proved to us why they should be here. But with four different dances each this week, who will shine as the real winners and take home that sparkly trophy on Saturday? Time to find out! Live! This is the Finals of Dancing with the Stars!
Kendall Schmidt (voiceover): Last week… (clips of Week 10 shown) Our stars battled it out with two competitive dances! Steve and Tina both surprised the judges, Cher lead the pack, and four separate dances in a row won perfect scores (clips of scoring). But sadly, our beloved funny lady, Tina Fey, was sent home (clip of Tina's elimination).
Brittany Brannon (voiceover): (training clips shown) Now, all our couples will two more dances which they have not yet learned. With two guest judges for the next two weeks, will our stars still do as well as they have been, or will they dig themselves a premature grave? Live! This is Dancing with the Stars!


text:
Delta2 Chamaeleontis (26 Chamaeleontis) é uma estrela na direção da constelação de Chamaeleon. Possui uma ascensão reta de 10h 45m 47.14s e uma declinação de −80° 32′ 24.7″. Sua magnitude aparente é igual a 4.45. Considerando sua distância de 363 anos-luz em relação à Terra, sua magnitude absoluta é igual a −0.79. Pertence à classe espectral B2.5IV.

Ver também
Designação de Bayer
Designação de Flamsteed
Catálogo Henry Draper
Catálogo Hipparcos

Estrelas
Objetos de Bayer

Constelação de Chamaeleon


All natural, earth ingredients meet to create the ultimate healing superfood bar! These delicious chewy bars will keep you fueled and full for hours. Tastes much better than most protein bars but still packs 20g protein. So tasty you'll forget it's medicated! (but don't) A great price for 100 mg of THC! Raw, Organic, GMO-free, 100% plant-based, Gluten Free... Chocolate Chip flavor is made with dark chocolate, maple syrup, sunflower seeds and whole bud infused Coconut Oil. Vanilla Coconut Flavor is made with fiber rich coconut, and gooey sweet dates, and dreamy mixture of sweet vanilla and maple extract.


Following our previous compilations [IPPJ-AM-45 (1986), NIFS-DATA-7 (1990), NIFS-DATA-20 (1993)], bibliographic information on experimental and theoretical studies on electron transfer processes in ion-ion/atom/molecule collisions is up-dated. The references published through 1954-1996 are listed in the order of the publication year. For easy finding of the references for a combination of collision partners, a simple list is provided.


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Home » News » Results of Feb. 23 elections were disappointing in areas like Alimosho, Oshodi – Tinubu
Results of Feb. 23 elections were disappointing in areas like Alimosho, Oshodi – Tinubu
urges Lagos APC members to get better result on Saturday
Lagos National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday urged party members in Lagos State to work assiduously to deliver votes to the party on March 9, during the governorship and state assembly elections.
R-L: National Leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Party Gubernatorial Candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; Director General, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Independent Campaign Group (BOSICG), Mr. Tayo Ayinde and Director of Protocol BOSICG, Hon. Kamal Basua, during a meeting with members of the group and other party members, at Ikeja GRA, Lagos…….Thursday
Tinubu gave the advice while speaking at a stakeholders meeting at the party's secretariat in Ikeja.
He challenged members to deliver massive votes in their respective polling units to the governorship candidate, Mr Jide Sanwoolu, and all the party's assembly candidates.
Tinubu, who addressed party faithful in Yoruba, said it was disappointing that APC performed below expectation in Lagos in the Feb. 23 elections.
He said the votes in areas like Alimosho, Oshodi, Ojo and Amuwo-Odofin were not good enough.
Tinubu said the party was not close to the 3million votes target in the presidential election, urging members to make up for the low votes on March 9.
The APC had 580,814 votes in Lagos in the Feb. 23 presidential election, as against the 448,016 votes recorded by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which came second.
"You should work hard to deliver massive votes to our candidates on March 9.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/guber-assembly-polls-tinubu-gives-marching-orders-to-apc-chieftains/
"You should deliver your respective polling units to ensure that our governorship candidate and all our assembly candidates win emphatically.
"The results of the Feb. 23 elections were disappointing, especially in areas like Alimosho, Oshodi and others; you must work hard to improve the result considerably on Saturday," Tinubu said.
He urged party members to use the little time left before the election to reach out to people in their neighbourhoods to vote APC.
The APC leader particularly tasked party canvassers to double their efforts to get votes for the party.
He urged party members to shun electoral violence and vote-buying as well as other acts that violate the electoral law.
While saying he was optimistic of the party's victory on Saturday, Tinubu assured that he would fulfil his promise to reward members who delivered massive votes for the party.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/ugwuanyi-a-campaign-like-no-other/
He commended members for attending the meeting despite the rains, and urged them to continue to show commitment to the party.(NAN)
APC Victory: Osinbajo, deputy gov, Adebule, GAC members visit Tinubu
Guber/ Assembly Polls: Tinubu gives marching orders to APC chieftains
Monarch leads 'Operation show your PVC' for Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu
CBN begins cash swap in Otuoke community, in Bayelsa
Video: Vanguard Personality of the Year Award 2022
I was beaten, bathed in urine on Testimony Jaga's order", neighbour's wife narrates encounter with gospel singer
Abia under excruciating poverty – League of professionals


If your wheels are not aligned correctly you may experience: uneven or rapid tyre wear and can even affect the handling and safety of the vehicle.
In most cases wheel alignment is affected by driving against a kerb, hitting a pothole in the road or by excessive wear to steering or suspension components. Wheel alignment and Tracking is important for good road holding and to maximize the life of the Tyres.
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Chinese Feed Millers' Grouses As Prices of Soymeal and Other Raw Materials For Feed Production Soared in October
An eFeedLink Exclusive Report
Mr Liu, an owner of a small feed mill in Shandong province, has ceased production for more than half a month in early November. His mill business, which was just marginally profitable previously, could not survive any longer by end October. "Prices of raw materials for feed production are so steep. To continue produce is to lost more money," said Mr Liu when interviewed in early November.
There are many feed millers in China, who are like Mr Liu, caught in such a situation as prices of soymeal and other raw materials soared in October.
According to assistant secretary of China Feed Industry Association (CFIA), Mr Wang Suiyuan, there are 13, 000 feed mills in China; 50% of the medium size feed mills and over 20% of the small feed mills have temporarily shut down production by early November.
The "culprit" of the temporarily shutdown production is none other than soymeal. Within two months, soymeal prices have surged 50%. Feed industry in China has incurred RMB 9 billion losses, as a result of the price hikes of raw materials for feed production, such as soymeal, while profit for year 2002 was merely RMB 6 billion. "That is to say, Chinese feed industry will be in a loss position this year", added Mr Wang.
On October 17, CFIA reported the situation to the National Development and Reform Committee (NDRC). The relevant department has begun investigating into the major soymeal suppliers - crushers across China.
Rampant Price Increases of Soymeal
According to Mr Liu, as at end of August, soymeal prices had been stable averaging around RMB 2200/ton. Who would have thought that this was the eve of a rampant increase?
Since then, soymeal prices began to rise steadily. By the end of September, prices of soymeal had reached RMB 2500/ton. The industry was beginning to feel the pressure.
As it entered October, the rampant increase in soymeal prices was terrifying. Within two weeks, soymeal prices increased more than 20% to RMB 3100/ton.
The soaring soymeal prices, since six weeks ago, are forcing Chinese feed industry into a desperate situation. According to general manager of Shandong Liuhe Group's purchasing department, Mr Wang Min, the group whose main business is feed production, is not making profit with the current soymeal prices. With an annual soymeal consumption of 450, 000 ton, Liuhe Group is considered a big producer in the feed industry. If such a large feed mills is facing difficulty, one can imagine the situation of the small and middle feed mills in China.
Soymeal, a byproduct of soybean crush, is rich in protein and is the most important raw material in feed processing. The annual demand for soymeal from China's feed industry is estimated around 18 million tons. "Crushers in China definitely have the production capacity to meet this demand", said Wang Sui Yuan.
Yet, recent prices of soymeal are rising sharply. The prices quoted by crushers are based on futures prices quoted on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and Dalian Commodity Exchange. "We have no grounds to negotiate the prices," said Mr Wang Min.
Blame the Price Hikes of Soymeal on Crushers?
Crushers, on the other hand, claimed that the reason for the price hikes in soymeal was due to the atypical rising prices of the raw material -- soybean. "Soybean prices are too high for us," said Mr Li Xuansheng, assistant general manager of Donghai Cereals & Oils Corp -- China's largest crusher.
According to industry insiders in spot and futures market, China's soybean spot prices as at end August has increased from RMB2400/ton to RMB3200/ton, while futures prices have reached a sky high of RMB3500/ton.
According to analysts from China International Futures, soyoil, which is the main product from soybean, has also seen significant increase in prices, from RMB5800/ton to RMB8000/ton. With the simultaneous price increase in soymeal, Chinese crushers are making a profit of over RMB600 per ton of soybean.
Mr Wang Min of Liuhe Feed Stock Co Ltd also has similar thoughts. In comparison to the struggling feed industry, crushers are doing extremely well. "The crushing industry is definitely reaping huge profits this year," said Mr Wang.
While both the crushers and feed millers are facing rising raw material prices, the fates of both industries are totally opposite.
According to Mr Wang Suiyuan, soymeal production has consolidated to few big market players, such as Donghai Cereals & Oils Corp, Donglin Group and Huanghai Cereals & Oils Corp alone produced up to 1.6 million tons of soymeal in 2002, making up 10% of China's total soymeal volume.
Feed industry, on the other hand, is not able to expand to large-scale production, due to market constraints. As pointed out by Mr Wang Min, customers of the feed industry are livestock farmers. Although the customer base is large, each order size is small. The average annual production volume of a feed miller is a mere 20,000 tons.
Some industry insiders thus revealed that, in the market where the few giant crushers meet the many but "tiny" feed millers, the giants have the upper hand. It goes without saying that who holds the decisive rights in determining price movement.
Mr Li Xuansheng argued otherwise: "None of the feed millers can control the market movement."
Having no other alternative, the feed industry decided to "consult" the authority. The National Development and Reform Committee (NDRC) takes this issue seriously and is making out a solution, said Mr Wang Suiyuan.
The NDRC has begun the investigation on crushers across China. According to Mr Li Xuansheng, the committee has looked into the sources of the raw material, market demand and other issues. However, the committee has not yet disclosed the content of the investigation, or the outcome.
Meanwhile, feed industry insiders think that the investigation on the crushers has notable effect. This can be seen from the fact that, soymeal prices have stabilized on RMB3000/ton range, since mid-October.
Changes in Policy Needed
Yet, there are many feed millers and small crushers who are still not satisfied with the investigation conducted by the NDRC.
Another example is a Mr Song Jun, who owns a small crusher factory. Comparing to Mr Liu above, he has shut down production earlier than Mr Liu. Unlike those big crushers, he is not ¡¡ãreaping huge profit¡¡À from the soaring soymeal and soyoil prices.
"The NDRC is not getting to the root of the problem. To solve the issue of recent soymeal price hikes, the Committee have to take measures by adopting a policy for genetically modified soybean," said Mr Song Jun, "current policy is enabling big crushers to monopolize the market and reap significant profit from it."
The policy stipulated that an import permit has to be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture before the contract to purchase genetically modified soybean can be signed. To obtain the permit, information such as the country of origin, import quantity, importing company and port of destination has to be given to the ministry.
In fact, once the import permit has been obtained, the import prices are completely controlled by the foreign producers. "After going through so much hassle to get a import, we can't say no to whatever prices quoted, can we?" said a big soybean import company.
According to Mr Song Jun, since his company is small, he cannot afford to import a full shipment of 50,000 tons of soybeans. As a result, he has to purchase the raw material from an importer. In the beginning of September, his supplier has ceased the soybean import business, due to the stringent control from Chinese government on genetically modified soybeans import. As a consequence, Mr Song has no choice but to shut down his production temporarily.
At present, China had imported 17.71 million tons of soybeans, an increase of 70% compared to 2002. It is precisely this huge demand in China that has driven soybean prices in the international market to rise rapidly.
And these soybeans eventually go into the large oil millers' warehouse. "They are the only ones who have the capacity to take in a whole ship of soybeans," said Song Jun.
According to Wang Sui Yuan's forecast, capacity of locally produced soybean will be around 8 million tons and imported soybean this year could breach 20 million tons. On a ratio of 0.75, production volume of soymeal will be 21 million tons, which is completely sufficient to satisfy the demand of the feed industry in China.
As pointed out by Professor Hua Min of Fudan University, in a monopolized market, prices will definitely be in favour of the producers. With the policy on genetically modified soybean, large quantities of soybeans are being held by a small number of crushers, feed millers has no bargaining power in price negotiations. Hence, all their profits have been "crushed" by crushers.
Soymeal Endangering the Feed Production Chain
According to the latest news from Mr Wang Suiyuan, assistant secretary of China Feed Industry Association, Guangxi Feed Association reported that the local corn prices have increased from RMB1100/ton to RMB1600/ton within ten days. The feed industry is on the verge of collapse.
Corn is the most important raw material in feed processing. On an annual demand of 70 million tons, the increase of RMB500/ton will translate into an increase of RMB30 billion in costs. This is definitely a destructive blow to the feed industry.
The main reason for the higher corn prices is due to the price hikes of soymeal. "Due to the demand for the replacement of soymeal, prices of corn and other raw materials have increased irrationally," said a feed processor.
Generally, prices of raw materials for feed production such as fishmeal, grain and lysine have increased more than 30%, and these increases are not within the control of the feed industry. "There is no way feed prices can be increased significantly," said Mr Wang Min, "because the market will not accept it and the farmers will not purchase them."
According to Mr Wang again, prices of day-old-chick, previously at around RMB0.6-0.7, have dropped to RMB0.4. "Farmers are not rearing chickens for the time being, because the feed is too expensive. However, We have no choice too."
If the livestock industry starts to reduce production on a large scale, there will be repercussion on firstly living standard of the people, and secondly which is more worrying, inflation.
According to a friend in Hangzhou, prices of pork have risen from RMB 6.5/half kg to RMB 9.5/half kg within a month. Moreover, the price hikes of pork took place under the market situation that there was no large quantity of pigs being slaughtered.
"If the prices of soymeal and other raw materials continue to climb up, we have not choice but to increase feed prices. By then, farmers are forced to slaughter their pigs, even if they are not ready to sell," a Guangdong feed miller said.
A man of insight would say "this is killing the goose that lays the golden egg".
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Speculation about the real estate role of Amazon.com is growing as more information emerges about its closely held plans for US stores. In metro Houston, to cite one market, brokers watch the local headlines for scoops on the Amazon rollout, and they tend to share any tidbits they happen to run across in the field, says Jason Baker, co founder of Houston-based brokerage firm Baker Katz, a member of X Team International. "I've been impressed with the way Amazon has kept its real estate plans quiet," Baker said. "They're evidently working on dozens of deals, but they have managed the process in such a way that the majority of the locations are still unknown." In Houston the scuttlebutt is that Amazon is planning to open at least five grocery stores in suburban areas around the city, he says.
According to Bloomberg, which cites internal Amazon documents, Amazon is planning a national rollout of grocery stores next year and could ultimately open as many as 2,000 stores in one format or another. The company reportedly has ambitions to become a top U.S. grocer along the lines of Walmart or Kroger by 2025.That would be a significant development for leasing teams, brokers and landlords across the country, not to mention Amazon's potential competitors and co-tenants.
But Amazon continues to experiment with brick-and-mortar concepts that could affect the industry in other ways as well, by means of signed leases at shopping centers and through disruptive new technologies, observers say. In addition to pop-up stores and order-pickup kiosks, these efforts include the Amazon Go test store in Seattle (which eliminates cashiers and checkout lines through so-called Just Walk Out shopping); Amazon Books (10 of these stores are open now, with an undisclosed number in the pipeline); and Amazon Restaurants, a service that allows diners to order food for home delivery from hundreds of restaurants. Already available in roughly 25 U.S. cities, Amazon Restaurants stands to drive additional sales at shopping centers that have restaurant tenants.
But by spending to remodel their stores and to develop and test new technologies, chains like Kroger and Walmart are positioning themselves to compete with the likes of Amazon, McKeska says. Kroger's tech experiments reportedly include sensor-equipped shelves that push product suggestions and promotions to shoppers' phones, and a faster-checkout initiative that uses a mobile app paired with a handheld wireless device. This latter system, dubbed Scan, Bag, Go, enables shoppers to scan items and put them in their carts as they walk through the score; Kroger reportedly wants to link this to mobile payment technology, which could cut cashiers out of the process much like Amazon Go.
Amazon has opened at least 16 click-and-collect kiosks on college campuses since 2015 in a bid to bring free same-day pickup to students who are Prime members. Meanwhile, its Prime Now service offers two-hour free delivery to members in at least 30 U.S. cities. According to McKeska, national grocers are feeling the pressure from these and other efforts and have responded with big investments of their own. "Grocers are developing their own digital and e-commerce capabilities," he said. "Walmart, which has roughly 4,300 stores in the United States, now offers online pickup at 600 stores and it wants to double that by next year." Kroger, meanwhile, offers its ClickList online-ordering and pickup program at about 440 of its roughly 2,800 stores. "Many of the ClickList facilities are neatly designed in that they include elements such as drive-through check-in kiosks and covered, dedicated parking stalls for order pickup," McKeska said.
Retailers should be racing to figure out how to be a part of this revolution, most likely through strategic partnerships that leave the expensive development of hardware and infrastructure to third-party tech firms, Roemmele says. This past February, in fact, Google announced that Google Home users can now voice-shop retailers that belong to the Google Express program. That list includes Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco, PetSmart, Walgreens, Whole Foods Market and about 50 others.
Even as retailers seek to respond to trends typified by Amazon, more developers are thinking harder about how their projects need to change to meet shopper needs in the omnichannel era, says architect Kevin M. Zak, a principal who specializes in retail and mixed-use projects for Cleveland-based Dorsky & Yue International. Poag Shopping Centers, for one, specifically asked Dorsky & Yue to think about these trends in the design of Poag's 250,000-square foot expansion of Spring Creek Plaza, in Edmond, Okla. Initial plans for the creek-side project include green space, a cinema, restaurants, a grocery and apartments, Zak notes, but the architects are also studying how to integrate new realities such as click-and-collect into the design. "We're sitting down with Poag's leasing and development teams to design the center around all of the different ways people order and buy product, how they pick it up and that type of thing," Zak said. "We want this center to be out ahead of these trends." It is slated to break ground later this year.
Retailers and developers are also working to compete in an area in which Amazon has a clear edge: knowing customers well enough to give them personalized experiences, says Ron Tannenbaum, a Dorsky & Yue architect. "Thanks to search histories and past purchases, Amazon knows exactly who you are and how you shop," he said. "But how does that translate into the [brick-and-mortar] retail environment? How does that work in terms of being able to identify your customer or make recommendations?" While the answer certainly includes such technology as beacons that scan and analyze shoppers' always-on cellphone signals, in some cases old-school approaches might actually work better, Tannenbaum says. "People going to brick-and-mortar stores are looking to experts, the people in the store, to provide recommendations," he said. "They want to work with them." And so retail developers are on the right track when they add concierge-type services to their properties, he says. By holding shoppers' bags for later delivery to their cars or homes, or by processing shoppers' returns so they do not have to walk to multiple retailers themselves, developers stand to bring more Amazon-like convenience to their centers.


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Lunenburg County man sent to trial on charge of second-degree murder
Steve Bruce | Posted: Nov. 28, 2022, 5:34 p.m. | Updated: Nov. 28, 2022, 5:34 p.m. | 1 Min Read
Terry Richard Johnson, 59, of Bayport, Lunenburg County, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of a man who was run over by a truck in Dublin Shore on June 17, 2021. Johnson has been committed to stand trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. - Facebook
A Lunenburg County man has been committed to stand trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on a charge of second-degree murder.
Terry Richard Johnson, 59, of Bayport is accused of intentionally striking Kenneth Savory with his pickup truck in Dublin Shore on the night of June 17, 2021.
Savory, 44, of Lunenburg, died at the scene of the incident. RCMP allege he was run over by the vehicle several times.
Johnson was arrested at his home on Highway 332 a short time later.
A preliminary inquiry was held last week in Bridgewater provincial court, with Crown attorneys Leigh-Ann Bryson and Bryson McDonald calling testimony from five RCMP officers, a paramedic and five other civilian witnesses.
At the end of the inquiry Friday, the defence conceded there was sufficient evidence against Johnson for the case to proceed to a jury trial in Supreme Court on the original charge of second-degree murder.
The hearing also allowed the defence team of Darren MacLeod, Matt Dill and Shawnee Gregory to test the strength of the Crown's case.
The evidence from the inquiry is banned from publication to protect Johnson's fair-trial rights.
Judge Paul Scovil ordered Johnson to appear in Supreme Court in Bridgewater on Dec. 14 to begin the process of setting trial dates.
Johnson remains in custody after being denied bail twice in Supreme Court.
Updated 6 minutes ago |2 min read


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Reactions to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper - press roundup
Reactions to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper – press roundup
Industrial StrategyRegional PolicyRSA Brexit
Two weeks ago the UK government unveiled its proposals for a new industrial strategy, one which promises 'to improve living standards and economic growth by increasing productivity and driving growth across the whole country.' As the dust settles on the announcement, press reaction to the 132-page Green Paper has been lukewarm.
The Financial Times reports that many of the initiatives are a 'recap' of existing programmes and initiatives https://www.ft.com/content/22971970-e0b2-11e6-8405-9e5580d6e5fb and argues that the UK needs a productivity policy rather than an industrial policy. It employs strong language in characterising regional growth proposals as a 'blueprint for waste', and instead stresses the need for more skilled migration to solve the productivity problem https://www.ft.com/content/cec52b04-e16d-11e6-9645-c9357a75844a
The Guardian warns that the 'the principle of strategic investment and regional rebalancing is easier to extol than to realise', and finds that these initial proposals are 'too vague and dispensable to inspire lasting confidence.' https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/23/the-guardian-view-on-industrial-strategy-hot-air-but-no-liftoff
A note of caution is sounded by The Telegraph who argue against a market-leading role for policy, instead calling for a government which 'helps to create the circumstances in which businesses can grow – and then gets out of the way.' https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2017/01/23/theresa-mays-industrial-strategy-can-success-stays-way2/ Meanwhile, the Independent welcomes the principle of an industrial strategy, but emphasises the need for firm policies to back up May's intentions. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/theresa-may-cbi-conference-industrial-strategy-right-to-revive-good-intentions-firm-policies-a7430176.html Ben Chu, their Economics Editor, argues that the looming uncertainties of Brexit could potentially work against the objectives of the Industrial Strategy https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-supreme-court-industry-british-businesses-strategy-block-europe-a7543246.html
The coming weeks and months will see further details emerge as the UK government's plans are firmed up. Stay tuned to the RSA's Brexit and Industrial Strategy news for the latest announcements and analysis.
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A preview for next week's 'Teen Mom OG' seems to finally confirm that Catelynn Lowell recently suffered a miscarriage. Read about the heartbreaking reveal here.
Just three weeks after a Teen Mom OG episode aired that showed Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell finding out that they were expecting a child, a new preview for the Feb. 26 ep reveals that their happiness doesn't last long. The sneak peek, which aired on Feb. 19 but is not yet available, shows Catelynn and Tyler in tears, with Tyler admitting, "I really wanted that baby." Although there have been rumors for weeks that Cate miscarried, this is the first time the couple themselves have actually confirmed the news, and it definitely seems like it is going to be a heartbreaking storyline for them as this season of the reality show continues.
It's unclear exactly when this pregnancy storyline was filmed, however, Catelynn and Tyler have been open about the ups and downs that they've been going through from the end of 2017 until now. It all started in 2017, when Catelynn checked into treatment for depression and suicidal thoughts. However, she did not complete the program, and wound up briefly checking back in at the end of December. Finally, she tried again in mid-January, and promised her fans that this would be the time she completed what she needed to get better. Catelynn is currently still in rehab, and Tyler took to social media on Feb. 16 to confirm that he had just returned from a visit to the center.
Catelynn explained that her decision to re-enter treatment for this latest six-week stint was to deal with her childhood trauma and figure out the best medications for her to be on. It has not been confirmed, but it definitely seems like this sad miscarriage news may have been what sent Catelynn on her downward spiral last year. Chances are, we'll soon find out on Teen Mom OG.
HollywoodLifers, do you think Catelynn and Tyler will ever had another kid?


Here I am performing on the storytelling show, "Yum's The Word". Find out how I mounted the Love Offensive!
After his smash single, "If You're Ready to Learn(How Your P*#sy Works)", Brian McKnight remakes his hits just for the ladies in "Brian McKnight Sings the Nasty: Vol 1". Check out this hilarious parody by The Jumpoff Comedy Troupe and Same Old Films, featuring Rick Younger(ME) as Brian McKnight!


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We had some issues with locking on some tables and materialized view, so we enabled snapshot using this command: SET OPTION PUBLIC.allow_snapshot_isolation = 'On'; We're aware that this would effect the logfile.
Snapshot had no effect on our software, so we turned it off again and tuned our code instead.
But now the logfile keeps growing at an alarming pace: 6GB in the last 5 days, for a database at 10GB. We have to trunc it every 3 days to make sure we don't run out of diskspace. We also tried to run "Translate log file" to see what's going on, but on a 2GB logfile dbtran.exe returns a 179MB sql-file. So where's the rest of the log? All the checkpoints are there, and it looks very normal. The size of the sql-file makes me think that the logfile should be approx 200Mb, and not at all 2GB.
Before our test with snapshot, the logfile acted all normal an noone ever thought about it.
Could it be that snapshot is still active in some way? The option is off - checked it just now.
Do we have to restart the server?
What does SELECT @@VERSION return?
I used DBTRAN from Sybase Central with "Include uncommiited transactions" and "Include trigger-generated transactions", all checkpoints and all users. It results in this statement: dbtran -a "D:\Data\Leroy\maritech.log" "c:\temp\test.sql"
A colleague of mine tried the -g switch and got a 7GB sql-file from the 2GB logfile. Which sounds more normal.
-g enables "-a" but also shows audit records and trigger-generated actions. Since -g changes your SQL output to 7GB compared with 179MB with "-a" alone, you either have auditing enabled or some very busy triggers.
I'm voting for Characteristic Error Number 24, perhaps applied to an UPDATE: "Omitting a PRIMARY KEY column from the WHERE clause, thus turning a singleton SELECT (or DELETE!) into something rather more enthusiastic than expected"
But a multi-row UPDATE or DELETE would be logged as lots of single-row operations, wouldn't it? (If so, that would not explain the log growth IMHO).
reveal? It should return 'OFF' if all transactions that were active during the phase when snapshot isolation was set have finished in the meantime.
However, AFAIK, the row versions are not stored in the TL but in the temporary file, so snapshot isolation should not explain the TL growth at all.
to check whether the temporary file does contain pages for row versions at all.
FWIW, what DBTRAN options did you use? There are a bunch of them to show otherwise "hidden" contents, say for auditing, replication, triggers, uncommited ops and the like. - Possibly the usage of them would reveal (much) more log contents?
"row versions are not stored in the TL" ... even from first principles, that statement rings true. During normal operations the transaction log is a sequential write-only file, it would kill disk performance if the server forced the drive to do random I/O. Recovery mode, and the MobiLink client and SQL Remote processes, that's when the log is read, but even those are pretty much sequential AFAIK.
When snapshot isolation is enabled for a database, each time a row is updated, the database server adds a copy of the original row to the version stored in the temporary file.
How to troubleshoot a db crash?


news A comprehensive ICT audit of the Federal Government's ICT operations has largely found they are sound and performing to required standards, with expenditure within appropriate levels and only a small proportion of major ICT projects at risk.
In September 2013, the Coalition released its E-Government and the Digital Economy policy platform which it took to the September 2013 Federal Election (see the full PDF of that policy here).
At the time, the Coalition had promised that if it won power, it would request that the Department of Finance and the Australian Government Information Management Office undertake an audit across all agencies of spending, capital expenditure and outcomes generated by investment in ICT over the preceding three years.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told the Australian in November 2013 that the audit had commenced. However, until now the ICT Audit had not been publicly released.
This week the Department of Finance released the document in full to Delimiter as the result of a Freedom of Information application. It can be downloaded here in PDF format.
At a high level, the audit found that things were performing as they should be within the Federal Government.
In terms of major ICT projects, the audit found that eleven of the major ICT projects under way in the Federal Government, representing 48 percent of current projects and with a value of $2.2 billion, appeared likely to deliver their intended benefits, and were broadly on time and budget.
A further nine (39 percent, with a total value of $1.2 billion) were tracking less clearly towards their intended goal. Only three projects (13 percent, with a total value of $341 million) were classed as being "at risk".
The audit found that 88 percent of recently completed projects, with a total value of $423 million, appeared likely to deliver their intended benefits and were broadly on time and on budget, while only one completed project, worth $23.7 million, did not achieve its intended benefits, being late and over budget.
The audit found that major ICT projects in the Federal Government generally had appropriate governance and risk management mechanisms in place, although there was room for improvement.
The Federal Government's ongoing spending on ICT operations — known as 'Business as Usual' or BAU spending — was "reasonable", the audit found, and had remained steady over the preceding four years, reflecting "the Australian Public Service's ability to absorb the support demand for new projects, online services and technologies without increasing costs".
The Federal Government spends about 65-70 percent of its ICT funding on BAU activities, with the remaining 30-35 percent being available for new projects, innovation and capability development.
The report recommended a number of tweaks to improve the way Canberra uses technology, including improving the capture, collection and transparency of data to support better decision-making; continuing to rationalise ICT services and leveraging economies of scale, and improving IT management. Broadly, there are already initiatives within the Federal Government to tackle these areas.
The ICT operations of the Federal Government have not been without controversies over the years.
The Australian Customs Service's troubled Cargo Management Re-engineering project was botched so badly that it resulted in imported goods piling up unprocessed on wharves around Australia during the 2005 Christmas season, for instance, while the unlawful detention of Cornelia Rau due to clerical errors sparked the immigration department to spend more than $500 million on upgrading its case management systems.
The Australian Taxation Office's Change Program — a systematic overhaul of its core IT systems — has also attracted its share of problems over the years, although its own review of the initiative ultimately found it was a success.
However, the ICT audit released today shows that the Federal Government's ICT operations are in far better shape than those of its state counterparts.
For example, a similar audit in Queensland in mid-2013 found that ninety percent of the state's ICT systems were outdated and would require replacement within five years at a total cost of $7.4 billion, as Queensland continued to grapple with the catastrophic outcome of years of "chronic underfunding" into its dilapidated ICT infrastructure.
And in November 2011, Victoria's Ombudsman handed down one of the most damning assessments of public sector IT project governance in Australia's history, noting total cost over-runs of $1.44 billion, extensive delays and a general failure to actually deliver on stated aims in 10 major IT projects carried out by the state over the past half-decade.
Your headline should read "ICT Audit Largely Clears ALP Federal Government of Problems". There's a reason you had to use an FoI request to get this report – the LNP Government don't want to admit Labor have done anything right. It is noteworthy that the terms of reference seem to have specifically targeted project governance only up to the 2013 election. Surely if they were serious about running things properly the audits would be up-to-the-minute. More public funds burned on witch hunts.
Have to say I largely agree with that comment.
That is the period the minority government was in effect. It was this period only that was to be investigated (under ToR – see Annexure A).
It's really not surprising at all, such predictable behaviour from a party that can only point fingers at others (mostly at strawmen too) to draw attention away from it's own total lack of constructive policies for Australia.
That seems correct to me anecdotally.
The few mates I have in the federal system never seem to have the horror stories you hear from those of us who have been in the state system.
Same here, I managed a Team of Server Admins at HPE for a couple of years up till mid 2012 and two of the major accounts my staff worked on where ATO and DAFF (had AGIMO too). Aside from one edge case at DAFF that involved supporting ~4 Windows 2000 whitebox servers (running a legacy app) by buying spare SCSI drives and RAID Controllers from ebay to keep them running, everything else was fairly well managed and major incidents where quite rare.


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The Inland Empire Will Do Just About Anything to Insure You
In a Massive, Highly Diverse Region, Getting People Healthcare Means Getting Creative
by Sarah Rothbard	| December 9, 2014
If you build it, they won't come. So you've got to go to them. This was the big takeaway from the first year of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the Inland Empire, a region that desperately needed more healthcare coverage but was slow to get people enrolled. At a panel co-presented by The California Wellness Foundation at the Riverside Art Museum, public health and economic officials discussed how they're working to reach the 500,000 people who were uninsured in the region before the implementation of the ACA.
Desert Healthcare District ACA campaign manager Samantha Prior, who works on enrollment in the Coachella Valley, said that in the first open enrollment period, large community events did not work well. So this time around, they're going out to apartment complexes, community centers, mobile home parks, and hospitals to inform people of their options.
A lack of public transportation was an issue in the Desert Healthcare District, but other parts of the Inland Empire had other problems to contend with. Inland Empire Economic Partnership president and CEO Paul Granillo said it's important to remember that Riverside and San Bernardino counties have a combined population of 4.3 million people. If the Inland Empire were a state, it would be the 26th largest in the country (just 70,000 people shy of Kentucky). It's a mix of urban centers (Ontario, San Bernardino, Riverside) and more rural areas like Temecula and the High Desert. "If you're going to paint your house, you've got to measure it and figure out how much paint you need," said Granillo. "With the ACA and other initiatives, there's always a failure to take into account the size and complexity of the region."
Julie Marquis, senior editor at Kaiser Health News and the panel's moderator, said the region's diversity is part of this complexity: The Inland Empire's population is close to 50 percent Latino, 7 percent African-American, and has a growing Asian population as well. What, she asked, is the healthcare literacy of these groups?
Granillo said that it's impossible to lump these groups together. There are 2 million Latinos in the region (the fourth-largest concentration in the nation) for instance, and just 18 percent of them are newly arrived. There are also generational divides. An older generation went to work at the steel mill and received insurance on their first day on the job. "You didn't have to worry about it," he said. "It was part of the package. That has changed."
Marci Aguirre, director of community outreach for the Inland Empire Health Plan, which serves low-income patients on Medi-Cal, said the region's undocumented and newly arrived immigrants have faced a particular set of challenges. Language was a barrier—particularly because Spanish-speaking enrollers were extremely scarce in the first open enrollment period. Another barrier was fear and confusion over who was eligible in mixed-status families with documented children and undocumented parents. She said that a number of people who lacked green cards or even documentation (under deferred action, for instance) were eligible to enroll but didn't know it.
Marquis asked the panelists if the region's healthcare infrastructure is keeping up with the growing insured population.
Granillo said that keeping up with the region's growth—as well as the growing poverty rate—is a challenge, period. "We are under-doctored and under-nursed and under-hospitaled," he said.
Aguirre said that the Inland Empire Health Plan has been growing its network of doctors and healthcare providers since before the ACA was implemented. "We don't turn doctors away who want to be part of the network," she said. The plan recruits, too: They're offering grants to doctors to move their practices, or a portion of their practices, to the region.
Medi-Cal, said Marquis, is not popular among physicians because it doesn't pay very much. How do you entice doctors to serve low-income patients?
Aguirre said that the Inland Empire Health Plan pays physicians in high-need specialties above the Medi-Cal rate when necessary. And Prior said that the Federally Qualified Health Clinics in her district get reimbursed slightly above Medi-Cal rates as well. This is a statewide issue and not unique to the Inland Empire, said Aguirre.
The region is also trying to create a pipeline of homegrown doctors through UC Riverside's new medical school. There are a number of new loan forgiveness and tuition reimbursement programs for doctors who stay local for a certain period of time after graduating, said Aguirre.
A key element of the ACA is shifting the burden of healthcare from high-cost emergency room visits to preventative care. Marquis asked the panelists to talk about the demand for such services from people with chronic conditions that are prevalent in the region, like asthma.
Prior and Aguirre both said that educating people on the resources available to them is hugely important. Prior said that homeless people now qualify for free preventative care, and her district has been trying to spread the word about this increased access.
Aguirre said that a new program that offers home visits to families who visit to the emergency room frequently for non-emergencies has been very successful. People don't realize they have options beyond their primary care physician or the emergency room—from urgent care to a 24-hour nurse care line. Even offering advice as simple as writing down your questions for the doctor before going into an appointment can help people learn more about their health issues.
In the question-and-answer session, an audience member asked the panel how they get past the complexity of the ACA to educate regular people.
Prior said that partnerships with neighborhood groups and nonprofits have been key. These groups are already in schools, in churches, in community centers; they're holding events in the evenings and putting out information in the newsletters people already receive.
This program is part of "The 19 New Californias," a partnership of The California Wellness Foundation and Zócalo Public Square that explores how the Affordable Care Act is affecting communities around the state.
Editor: Becca MacLaren.
*Photos by Michelle Frescas.
19 New Californias, Affordable Care Act, health insurance, Inland Empire, Obamacare, Riverside
Is There Anything Exciting About Buying Health Insurance?
An audience member takes notes
Panelist Samantha Prior (left) and moderator Julie Marquis (right)
The audience at the Riverside Art Museum
Chatting at the post-event reception
Marci Aguirre talks with an audience member
Julie Marquis
Marci Aguirre
Paul Granillo
Samantha Prior


Younger men, you do need guidance from older men. At the same time, the myth that the older generation has it all together must be erased. We don't. We are learning and growing in many of the same ways young men are.
God has taught older men a number of things, though — through our strengths and weaknesses, through our successes and failures — that he may have intended for you. There is counsel that can ground you in the midst of life's turbulence (inside of you and around you) and equip you to become more mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28).
Here are five points that have served me well, as well as the young men I've mentored. They are a companion piece with Paul Maxwell's five things younger men need from older men.
1. Find your identity in Christ.
It might sound cliché, but far and away the most important thing I have to say to younger men is that your identity must be anchored in Christ (Romans 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We all define ourselves in various ways, and some of these are appropriate to an extent. But our identity must, first and foremost, be grounded in Christ. It is in our union with him that we have deep and real security. We are perfectly known and deeply loved (Ephesians 1:4–5).
You might "know" this theologically, but there's a difference between "knowing" and "knowing," you know? Each day — often each moment — when you find yourself despairing of love, look to Christ. When you find yourself seeking affirmation, look to Christ. When you find yourself needing to feel significant, look to Christ. When you have been slighted, or treated unjustly, look to Christ (Philippians 1:29–30).
Of course, God gives us people in our lives to help with these things (Philemon 7), but they cannot do it ultimately or decisively. Only Christ can bring true contentment, true identity, and true security (Philippians 4:11). Stop seeking your vindication and approval, and receive what Jesus purchased in full for you at the cross.
2. Have a plan for maturity.
I don't need to tell you to grow up. You already know your need to resist our culture's slipping demands on boys to become men. A boy used to become a man at 21. Then it was 30. Now it's 40. I know you want to be mature. Desire alone will not mature you, though. You need a plan. Just getting older does not guarantee that you will mature — there are few things sadder than a 36-year-old boy, but they are out there in bulk.
Look around at men who are older than you — maybe ten years or more. Who do you want to be like? What characteristics would you like to have by the time you're their age? What would following Christ look like at that stage of life (1 Corinthians 11:1)? Imagine the more mature man you want to be and take specific steps to become him.
3. Invest in your friends.
I have not been good on this front, and I continue to pay the price (Ecclesiastes 4:12). You need two or three close male friends whom you can talk to about everything. Male friendship has fallen on hard times in our culture for various reasons, but it is one of the most precious gifts God can give to a young man. If you don't have close friends, pray for one and seek him out.
Be vulnerable, be honest, and share in his troubles too (1 John 1:9). But also be prepared for potential disappointment; not every guy is looking for the same thing, and many already have their key friendships in place.
Seeking an older brother is important too. We all need an older man's perspective, someone who can encourage us, who's been there, and who knows that we'll get through it, whatever it is.
Invest in your friends, but don't rely on them to do what only Christ can do. This will put too much pressure on your friendships, and you will ultimately be disappointed and possibly disillusioned. Friendship is great (1 Samuel 18:3), but we need Christ more than any friend.
4. Stop looking for the perfect woman.
The perfect woman does not exist, so stop looking for her. Hollywood has lied and taught you wrongly (Proverbs 7:21–23). If you hope to be married, better to spend your energy developing your own godliness and maturity. Become a better husband (1 Corinthians 16:13), rather than shopping for a better woman.
Your future wife, perfectly fit or not, will never give you the wholeness that only comes from Christ. If you are looking for a wife to make you feel complete, to be fully known, or to give you security, you will put too much pressure on your marriage and you'll be disappointed. On the other hand, if you both know who you are in Christ, you will have the right foundation for a good marriage.
If you're already married, you know by now that you didn't marry the perfect woman. Don't keep looking for the perfect woman (Proverbs 18:22; 19:14), as though you missed her. That lie comes from Hollywood too. That kind of thinking fails to trust God's sovereign goodness (Proverbs 6:27–29). Love the wife he has given you, and don't be a fool (Proverbs 5:18)!
5. Be strong — and gentle.
Masculinity is experiencing an identity crisis. Men don't know whether they are supposed to be soft guys, tough guys, or something in between. I think we need men who have courage, especially courage in their convictions (Psalm 27:14; Matthew 10:22). True courage comes from security, and that is only truly found in the truth about Christ (John 10:28). See point 1.
We need to be strong — strong enough to be gentle (2 Corinthians 10:9). God our Father is almighty and powerful (Psalm 147:5), but he also cares for the widow and the orphan (Psalm 146:9). He knows compassion and is tenderhearted (Isaiah 40:11; Luke 1:78). This balance is hard to get right, but it's important.
We don't need more tough guys who are insensitive to the needs and feelings of others. But we also don't need more sensitive guys without any backbone. Empathy matters, compassion matters, and gentleness matters. We need to be strong, dependable, and courageous. But we also need to know how to love, give, and comfort.
When you're young, it's very easy to be overwhelmed by the details of every circumstance immediately in front of you — every opportunity lost, every breakup, every failure, every sin. As you've likely noticed above, the older you get, the more your union with Christ becomes a discernibly meaningful and stabilizing reality.
Cling to Christ, and as you mature as a man, he will make clear to you the beauty and relevance of your union with him. He promises, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5) — not now, not in your journey of growth as a man, and not when you are older. "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely [sanctify and mature you]" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).


Said G. Osman, MD, is a board certified orthopedic surgeon at Frederick, Md.-based Sky Spine Endoscopy Institute.
Dr. Osman specializes in complex and minimally invasive endoscopic spine procedures, and performs complex minimally invasive joint replacements, orthopedic trauma surgery and hand and foot surgeries. He is a pioneer in the field of minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery.
Dr. Osman holds several patents, including the unidirectional dynamic spinal fixation device, a method for postoperatively compressing a bone graft, the biologic intramedullary fixation device, and the transpedicular partial disc arthroplasty. He has served as a spinal consultant to leading minimally invasive spinal surgery technology companies, and was awarded the Kambin Foundation Annual Award for research in the field of minimally invasive spinal surgery.
He received his medical degree from University of Nairobi, Kenya, and underwent fellowship training at The Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, Scotland and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.


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Zverev wins BMW Open title in Munich
MUNICH — Alexander Zverev won his first title on home soil as the German defeated Argentine qualifier Guido Pella 6-4, 6-3 Sunday to win the BMW Open.
Cilic beats Raonic to win Istanbul Open
ISTANBUL — Canada's Milos Raonic fell just short of a title in his first tournament since recovering from a hamstring injury, falling 7-6 (3), 6-3 to Croatia's Marin Cilic in Sunday's Istanbul Open final.
http://www.tsn.ca/tennis
Posted in sports	| Tagged sports | 1 Comment |
Nadal beats Thiem for 10th Barcelona title
"It means a lot to me to win 10 titles here in Barcelona as well," Nadal said. "To win in Barcelona and Monte Carlo gives me a dream start to the clay season."
Siegemund tops Mladenovic for title in Stuttgart
STUTTGART, Germany — Laura Siegemund defeated Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (5) to win the Porsche Grand Prix in her hometown on Sunday.
The German wild card entrant, who lost to compatriot Angelique Kerber in last year's final in Stuttgart, held on to win her second career title after Mladenovic had rallied in the second set.
"It's unbelievable. I'm a bit perplexed now. I think tonight will be the party of the year," said the 29-year-old Siegemund, who received enthusiastic support from the 4,500 spectators. "It was an unbelievable match. I don't know how I did it."
Image and text credits : http://www.tsn.ca/tennis
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Photography and Writing Experience
Ethan on assignment in Fiji.
Photo: Art Brewer
Ethan has been working as a freelance photojournalist primarily in the diving, fishing and travel industries since 1995. His assignment work has taken him from the cold waters off New England to the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Coral Sea, and numerous islands in the Caribbean. Ethan has photographed thousands of marine creatures from around the world. However, his skill doesn't stop at the water's edge. His topside photography makes his assignment work stand out.
See some "digital tear sheets" on the published work page as well as a full listing of professional photo credits.
Ethan has been honored twice by Skin Diver Magazine and Asian Diver. Both magazines included his images in their prestigious Photo Annual Collector's Editions, and once by Sport Diver, which included one of his images in their first Photo Annual Collector's Edition.
Ethan served as editor of Fathoms, the magazine of the underwater world, from May 2005 - February 2008.
Diving Experience
Ethan became certified as a scuba diver in 1984 and has nearly 2800 dives under his belt. Since 1989 he has taught scuba diving to hundreds of people and has received awards for his skill as a teacher.
He holds numerous certifications in addition to his instructor ratings (PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer- 5 specialties, SSI Dive Control Specialist Instructor- 10 specialties).
Ethan holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University, which greatly contributes to his sense of light and three dimensional space in his photography. This skill gives Ethan's work a certain dynamic quality which draws and holds a viewer's attention.
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Dr. Roger Furlong screens patients at the Duk Lost Boys Clinic; Photograph by Jordan Campbell
Restoring Vision in South Sudan: Dispatch From the Duk Lost Boys Clinic
ByJordan Campbell
Dr. Geoff Tabin at the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, South Sudan
Jordan Campbell (pictured below) is on a medical mission to the remote and underserved region of Duk Payuel in South Sudan, the world's newest country. He is assisting two ophthalmic surgeons—Dr. Geoff Tabin and Dr. Alan Crandall, both game-changers in the way eye care is being delivered in the developing world. Their work begins in the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, which was started by John Dau, one of the original Lost Boys of Sudan and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Campbell is a Marmot Ambassador Athlete based in Colorado.
Flying over South Sudan's vast and desolate landscape, brush fires blaze thousands of feet below us, wafting smoke over the wings of our eight-person aircraft. The fires are lit intentionally by the numerous indigenous tribes to fertilize the parched, unforgiving soil. But the sight of plumes coming from the ground also makes me nervous. Despite South Sudan's recent independence in July 2011, the world's newest country has been plagued by 40 years of civil war with their northern neighbors in Sudan, and the situation between the now two countries remains tenuous.
Seated next to me are two ophthalmic surgeons—Dr. Geoff Tabin and Dr. Alan Crandall, both game-changers in how eye care is being delivered in the developing world. If Africa is a gaping hole for the blind and underserved, South Sudan is ground-zero.
We descend through the smoky haze and touch down lightly on a dirt airstrip in the remote outpost of Duk Payuel. We're greeted by dozens of Dinka villagers, many hopeful that our medical team can restore vision to their family members and friends. Towering over all of them at 6'8″ and dressed smartly in a pressed white shirt and slacks is John Dau, one of the original Lost Boys of Sudan and the founder of the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, which treats everything from malaria and leprosy to cobra bites.
Tabin (center), Crandall (blue scrubs), and Dau (right) working in the clinic
Tabin and Crandall have teamed up with Dau to bring eye-care to the Jonglei state in South Sudan for the first time. Their goal is to treat as many cases of unnecessary cataract blindness—which is rampant throughout the region—in a bold, five-day mission.
For Dau, the Lost Boys Clinic represents his life's work. In 1987, then 14-year-old Dau fled Duk Payuel when the northern Khartoum army invaded. He and thousands of other young boys fled on a dangerous journey to Ethiopia and Kenya, where they banded together in refugee camps for more than a decade. Dau ultimately relocated to the U.S. and made his new home in Syracuse, New York. In 2003, Dau returned to his original home in Duk for the first time, where his vision for the clinic was born.
Dr. Geoff Tabin and a patient at the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, South Sudan
It's day two and the sun sizzles at high noon. Tabin and Crandall have already performed 26 back-to-back surgeries today in a sweaty, makeshift operating room. Swarms of Dinka, Nuer, and other tribe members cue-up outside the clinic—some have walked as many as four days for their chance to see again. The doctor duo hopes to perform more than 250 cataract surgeries before they fly back to Utah where they both lead international eye care programs (www.cureblindness.org and www.moraneyecenter.org).
Tomorrow the doctors will begin removing bandages from the surgeries they performed the day before. Virtually all of the patients will see clearly or for the first time in years. And all of us will watch as smiles and tears of joy erupt on the patients' faces.
Still, dozens will be turned away with the short time allotted. But for Tabin, Crandall, and Dau, remarkable social entrepreneurs that have descended on Duk Payuel, it's a start for greater days ahead.


These Iraqi families killed by US bombs did not lead to the bombing of Britain by Russia. Conventional bombing kills in Mosul as efficiently as chemical gas in Khan Sheikhoun (Syria) and thousands have died – with little coverage by the mainstream media!
"The first thing I saw was his son Mohammed, 12, lying on the floor, writhing and screaming, he was so badly wounded it was terrifying to see…. they managed to scramble out of a blown-out window. Holding hands, the five of them stepped out of the ruins – the only survivors from 23 people who had been sleeping inside a row of three family homes, all demolished in seconds".
Later, on 8th March 20 Syrian civilians including several children were killed by US bombing of a town near Raqqa called Hanedah.
But did we see this on US and UK television? Were tears shed by Donald Trump's children? Were these children not "beautiful"? Should those who do such things be bombed? Apparently not because these bombs were aimed at defeating ISIS, Al Nusra, Al Qaeda etc. Well that is war. It is obnoxious, revolting, criminal – and all sides (not just enemies of the US, UK and their NATO partners) are "guilty" of what war always brings.
But the real guilt lies with those who provoke war, whose threats of war get out of hand, who blindly seek out an enemy even if he need not exist.
The chemical bombs in Idlib province, Syria, may yet be proved genuine (the UN is due to investigate) but they are consistent with so many past fraudulent "causes of war" – from Nazi Germanys' accusation that Poland invaded Germany in 1939 (!), that the Sarajevo market bombing was carried out by Serbs, that a healthy but skeletal prisoner was proof of "Serb concentration camps" and that Saddam Hussein had "weapons of mass destruction" – to mention a few.
I note that a US General interviewed on the BBC said that the US attack on Syria's airforce base specifically avoided what the military claimed were "chemical stores" – so as to avoid the release of poison. But the US and UK had specifically denied the Russian claim that a conventional bomb on rebel controlled chemical weapons stores could have poisoned anyone!
"If it is Sarin that was stored there and conventional munitions were used, there is every possibility that some of those [chemical] munitions were not consumed and that the Sarin liquid was ejected and could well have affected the population".
Before launching a devastating attack on a sovereign country and an ally of Russia (militarily the most powerful country in Europe) President Trump should have waited for independently verified evidence from experts on the ground. Indeed this was the position of the UK Government – until the US attack took place when Boris Johnson gave uncritical support! The British Foreign Office has not come out of this well! The cancellation of the Foreign Secretary's Moscow official visit, the attempt to apply more sanctions to Russia, the abject defeat of the latter at the G7 meeting and European countries' demand for an independent investigation of the "gas attack" claims have all made the British Foreign Office look foolish, incompetent and without friends!
Further doubts on the "gas attack" arose when the 31 year old "British" doctor Shajul Islam, (who documented on the internet his apparent treatment of victims of the "chemical weapons" attack in Syria) was considered a "committed jihadist" by MI6 and was struck off the General Medical Council in 2016.
He first travelled to Syria in 2012 and was wanted by MI6 for his alleged role in the kidnapping of British photojournalist John Cantlie and his Dutch colleague Jeroen Oerlemans.
One disturbing aspect of the whole Saga was the propagation of a false news story which could have led to a serious clash between Russia and the US, despite there being no grounds for the "news".
Reuters and the UK's Independent newspaper reported that Russia, Iran and Syria had issued a statement saying that if there were any further US attack they would respond with great force against US military assets. In fact the story was false. No such statement had been made and the use of the term "crossing red lines" is not a term used other than by British and American speakers!
These are dangerous times. Russophobia, abysmal western ignorance of the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the mobilisation of NATO forces to within 450 miles of Moscow and the hysteria of a few NATO generals (one even writing a book on the "coming war with Russia") have taken East West relations to a knife edge level of tension which is neither historically nor ideologically justified.
Indeed had it not been for the measured and controlled reactions of Vladimir Putin, whose rational realpolitik and real ideological and geopolitical depth contrast with the hysterical rank amateurs in Washington, an exchange of fire between Russia and the USA might have taken place.
We in the West live in unstable times because we have unstable leaders with a blind belief in the comfortable certainties of the cold war and foreign policies driven by the cause of the war before that – German Europe's internal political weakness and external aggression – and America's willingness to appease that aggression.