2006-03-21 Assigned to GI DYNAMICS, INC. reassignment GI DYNAMICS, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MEADE, JOHN C., CVINAR, JOHN F., MELANSON, DAVID A., LEVINE, ANDY H.
2010-06-01 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=46323358&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US20060155312(A1) "Global patent litigation dataset" by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Methods and apparatus for delivering an implant device within the digestive system of an animal are presented. An delivery device includes an outer sheath, or container, for storing a proximal portion of the implant device. The outer sheath is moveable relative to the stored portion of the implant device to release the proximal portion from within the outer sheath. The delivery device also includes an inner sheath defining a lumen therein that extends distal to the outer sheath, a moveable element adapted to secure the distal end of the implant to the inner sheath, and a release mechanism coupled to the moveable element for releasing the distal end of the implant. The device also includes a atraumatic tip, or ball, coupled at its distal end to facilitate guiding the delivery device through the gastrointestinal tract.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/999,846, filed Nov. 30, 2004, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/339,786, filed Jan. 9, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/430,321, filed on Dec. 2, 2002. The entire teachings of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention provides methods and apparatus for implanting a device within the gastrointestinal tract of an animal. More particularly the methods and apparatus of the invention provide for implanting a device through the nose or mouth of a patient and into the intestine.
A delivery system for placing a gastrointestinal implant device in a body includes an outer sheath, or container, for storing a proximal portion of the implant device, and an inner sheath within the outer sheath, and an atraumatic feature such as a ball coupled to the distal end of the inner sheath to guide the delivery system through the alimentary canal. The ball can be dimensioned to permit it to be pulled-back through a central lumen of the implant device. The outer sheath is moveable relative to the stored portion of the implant device to release the proximal portion of the device from within the outer sheath.
The inner sheath defines a lumen therein and extends distal to the outer sheath. The delivery system also includes a moveable element, such as an elongated wire moveable within the lumen of the inner sheath. The moveable element is adapted to secure the distal end of the implant, such as a sleeve, to the inner sheath. A release mechanism is coupled to the moveable element for releasing the distal end of the implant. In some embodiments, the inner sheath of the delivery system defines a second lumen for passing the outer sheath over a guidewire.
The delivery system can be used to implant a device, such as an elongated sleeve having a collapsible sleeve anchor coupled to its proximal end. In some embodiments, the sleeve, or liner, is open at both ends and adapted to extend into the duodenum. In some embodiments, the sleeve is extended to a length of about 1 foot or more when implanted. The desired result using the implanted sleeve can include one or more of: limiting the absorption of nutrients; delaying the mixing of chyme with digestive enzymes; providing negative feedback; reducing hormone triggers; and treating diseases, such as diabetes.
The sleeve anchor is adapted to be retained within the digestive system and can include a stent having a network of struts. In some embodiments, the delivery system is used to anchor the implant device distal to the pylorus. In other embodiments, the delivery system can be used to anchor the implant within the pyloric orifice or proximal to the pylori orifice, such as in the stomach.
In operation, the anchor release mechanism pulls the outer sheath toward the proximal end of the delivery system to remove the outer sheath from the sleeve anchor. Similarly, the sleeve release mechanism pulls the moveable element toward the proximal end of the delivery system to release the distal end of the sleeve after the sleeve anchor has been released. The moveable element can be a sleeve retention wire, exiting the lumen of the inner sheath and piercing the distal end of the sleeve. Alternatively, the moveable element can be a snare wire capturing the distal end of the sleeve.
FIGS. 29A-C are a series of sequential diagrams illustrating the delivery of a gastrointestinal implant using an alternative embodiment of a delivery device.
Within the implant device 200 at the proximal end including the first proximal opening 204 is a collapsible self-expanding stent 208. The stent 208 includes a plurality of opposed barbs 210 for anchoring the implant device 200 to the muscular pylorus in the stomach 102. The diameter of the stent 208 is dependent on the diameter of the pyloric orifice 108 (FIG. 1) about 0.8″ to 1.1″ based on human anatomy variations. In one embodiment, the length l of the stent 208 is selected to extend through the pylorus 108 and keep the pylorus 108 permanently open to induce "dumping syndrome." In an alternate embodiment, a stent with a shorter length l allows the pylorus 108 to open and close normally.
The covered stent 208 can be collapsed into a sheath having a diameter less than ¼ inches to enable endoscopic delivery. Covering the exterior surface of the stent 208 with the first outer layer of the sleeve 202 permits endoscopic removal of the implant device 200 by preventing tissue in-growth on the exterior surface of the stent 208.
FIG. 5A is a sectional view of a body showing one embodiment of the gastrointestinal implant device 200 implanted in the digestive system. The first proximal end 204 of the implant device 200 is anchored to muscle in the pyloric portion of the stomach 102. The barbs 210 grip onto the muscle to anchor the implant device 200 in place so that the implant device 200 can not be dragged into the stomach or down into the intestines with movement of the stomach and the intestines. FIG. 5B is a sectional view of a body showing an alternative embodiment of the gastrointestinal implant device 200′ implanted distal to the pylorus 108.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a collapsible self-expanding stent 600 in the gastrointestinal implant device 200 shown in FIG. 2 when expanded. The stent 600 is non-woven, collapsible and self-expanding, allowing endoscopic insertion and removal of the implant device 200. The stent 600 includes a plurality of flat struts 602 forming an open space pattern to ease collapsing while ensuring self-expansion. The open space pattern allows for collapsing into a catheter for endoscopic delivery and removal. The struts 602 may be manufactured from heat-treated spring steel, or from an alloy such as a nickel-titanium, a shape-memory alloy commonly referred to as nitinol. Other alloys include nickel-cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys possessing a unique combination of ultrahigh tensile strength, such as MP35N, available from Asahi Intecc Co., Ltd. of Newport Beach, Calif.
The sleeve 202 is secured temporarily outside the inner sheath 1226 allowing for proper positioning of the gastrointestinal implant device and then for release. As shown, the sleeve 202 is secured by the sleeve retention wire 1210 using a dead-bolt mechanism 1206. Non-stick coatings such as Teflon on the sleeve retention wire 1210 are preferred to make release easier to accommodate tortuous anatomical pathways. The sleeve retention wire 1210 extends through the second inner lumen from the release mechanism 1214 of the catheter system 1200 to the dead-bolt mechanism 1206. The dead-bolt mechanism 1206 is described later in conjunction with FIG. 13A. The sleeve retention wire 1210 holds the sleeve in position. The distal end of the folded sleeve is released by the release mechanism 1214 by pulling the sleeve retention wire 1210 backward from the proximal end 1208 of the catheter.
FIG. 26C is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 26A through the outer sheath 2600 showing the inner sheath 2650 within the outer sheath 2600. The outer sheath has an inner diameter of about 0.1 inches and an outer diameter of about 0.143 inches. The open space inside the outer sheath can be used for passing a drawstring through the outer sheath.
FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a gastrointestinal implant device with another embodiment of a collapsible self-expanding anchoring device. The gastrointestinal implant device 2800 includes a sleeve 202 and an anchoring device, or sleeve anchor, for anchoring the gastrointestinal implant 2800 device within the gastrointestinal tract. In some embodiments, the implant device 2800 includes a wave anchor 2810 coupled to a proximal portion of the sleeve 202. Wave anchors are described in more detail in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/858,851 and 10/858,852, both filed on Jun. 1, 2004, both claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/528,084 filed on Dec. 9, 2003 and 60/544,527 filed on Dec. 13, 2003; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/229,352, filed on Sep. 16, 2005, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/611,038, filed on Sep. 17, 2004; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,992, filed on Jun. 8, 2005, all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The wave anchor 2810 includes a compliant, radial spring 2900 shaped into an annular oscillating pattern. For example, the pattern is a wave pattern, such as a sinusoidal pattern formed about a central axis. The anchor provides an outward radial force, while allowing substantial flexure about its perimeter. Such flexure is advantageous as it allows for minimally-invasive delivery and ensures that the device will substantially conform to the surrounding anatomical structure when implanted.
The annular wave element 2900 can be formed from one or more elongated resilient members radially-disposed about a longitudinal axis and joined together defining a lumen along its central axis formed between two open ends. When implanted, the central axis 2815 of the anchor is substantially aligned with the central axis of the lumen 2820 (e.g., duodenum 104), allowing chyme to pass through the interior of the device 2800. Additionally, the compliant wave anchor 2810 minimizes trauma to the tissue by providing sufficient flexibility and compliance, while minimizing the likelihood of tissue erosion and providing a solid anchoring point to the tissue.
In some embodiments, the wave anchor is adapted for placement within a region of the proximal duodenum referred to as the duodenal bulb 500 (FIG. 5B). For these applications, the axial extent of the anchor is preferably less than the distance between the pyloric sphincter and the ampulla of Vater. Exemplary relaxed lengths can range from about 20 to 50 mm (i.e., from less than 1 to about 2 inches). The diameter of the wave anchor 2900 can have an initial installed diameter within the range of about 20-40 millimeters (i.e., between about ¾ and 1¾ inches).
The compliance of the anchor 2900, allows it to flex radially over a wide range according to natural contractions and expansions of the duodenum 104. In some embodiments, the relaxed diameter of the wave anchor 2900 can be about 50 mm (i.e., about 2 inches). In other embodiments, the relaxed diameter can exceed 50 mm, being up to 60 mm (i.e., 2.5 inches) or even more. In either case, the wave anchor 2900 can be temporarily collapsed to about 12 mm (i.e., about 0.5 inches) for endoscopic placement.
In some embodiments, the implant device includes a retrieval/repositioning feature. For example, the implant device 2800 includes a drawstring 2825. The drawstring 2825 can be selectively woven around the perimeter of the anchor 2900 through openings of opportunity in the anchor 2900. Alternatively or in addition, the drawstring 2825 can be selectively woven through dedicated openings, such as eyelets provided on the anchor 2900 or in the proximal sleeve 202. In operation, the drawstring 2825, when pulled, contracts about the perimeter of the anchor 2900 to reduce the diameter of the anchor 2900. Collapsing the anchor 2900 in this manner before removing or repositioning the anchor 2900 is advantageous in avoiding tissue damage, particularly when the implant device 2800 includes barbs.
In some embodiments, the gastrointestinal implant device 2800 can be inserted endoscopically in combination with a delivery catheter, such as any of the delivery catheters described herein (FIGS. 12 and 17) or any of the delivery catheters described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/999,846, filed on Nov. 30, 2004, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/339,786, filed on Jan. 9, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/430,321 filed on Dec. 2, 2003; any of the delivery catheters described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/726,011, filed on Dec. 2, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/512,145, filed on Oct. 17, 2003; or any of the delivery catheters described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/057,861, filed on Feb. 14, 2005, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/586,521, filed on Jul. 9, 2004 and 60/610,614, filed on Sep. 19, 2004, all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
For example, a delivery device 2950 is directed into the duodenum, as illustrated in FIG. 29A. The leading or distal end of the delivery device 2950 includes an outer catheter 2955 that may include a capsule or container 2960. The capsule 2960 may be placed with the assistance of a guidewire (not shown) and its position confirmed within a desired location, such as partially or entirely through the pylorus 108 and into the small intestine, using fluoroscopy.
The container 2960 holds or houses parts or all of a gastrointestinal implant device (e.g., a gastrointestinal sleeve). The gastrointestinal implant device includes a distal portion and a proximal portion. The distal portion includes a gastrointestinal sleeve and the proximal portion of the device includes a collapsible sleeve anchor for securing the device within the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., in the proximal duodenum). In some embodiments, the container 2960 holds or houses at least the proximal portion of the gastrointestinal device. In other embodiments, the container 2960 holds or houses both the distal and proximal portions. In still further embodiments, the container 2960 holds or houses the entire gastrointestinal device. Some or all of the sleeve portion can be folded and stored in the container 2960 with the sleeve anchor.
After the container 2960 is positioned at the desired location, a distal portion 2965 of the sleeve is removed from the container and directed into a location in the gastrointestinal tract that is distal from the container, as illustrated in FIG. 29B. The outer catheter 2955 defines an inner catheter lumen (not illustrated) and an inner catheter (hidden under sleeve 2965) extending distal to the outer catheter 2955 or container 2960. The inner catheter can be advanced with respect to the container 2960 into locations of the gastrointestinal tract that are distal from container 2960 and pylorus 108.
The distal portion 2965 of the sleeve is releasably secured to the leading or distal portion of the inner catheter so that as the inner catheter is advanced through the intestine 112, distal portion 2965 is also advanced. In this manner, distal portion 2965 is directed to locations in the gastrointestinal tract that are distal from container 2960 and into the intestine 112 (e.g., into the jejunum). Throughout this procedure, the outer catheter 2955 is held in place to ensure that capsule 2960 remains in the duodenum and does not move proximally into the stomach.
The proximal portion of the gastrointestinal sleeve can be releasably secured within the container 2960 by a locking means (e.g., by an anchor locking wire) to ensure that the anchor does not emerge from container 2960 and deploy before the distal portion 2965 of the sleeve is extended to a desired location in the intestine 112.
In some embodiments, an atraumatic tip (e.g., atraumatic ball 2970) is attached to the distal end of the inner catheter, which minimizes or eliminates tissue trauma as the inner catheter is advanced into the intestine.
After the distal portion 2965 of the sleeve is advanced to a desired location in the intestine 112, the anchor is deployed from the container 2960 and secured to a desired position within the gastrointestinal tract, as illustrated in FIG. 29C. The anchor locking means (not shown) is released to allow the anchor to be subsequently removed from container 2960. For example, the anchor locking means can include a locking wire that releasably secures the anchor within container 2960 and pulling the locking wire proximally detaches the anchor so that the anchor can be removed from the container 2960 at some subsequent time.
Once the container 2960 is in the desired location, outer catheter 2955 is held in position and the inner catheter can be advanced further distally to pull the sleeve and anchor 2975 from container 2960. Optionally, the anchor 2975 is pushed out of the container 2960 using a means for displacing an anchor 2975 from the container assembly (e.g., an anchor plunger). In some embodiments, either the inner catheter or the means for displacing the anchor are used to hold the anchor 2975 in position, while the outer catheter 2955 is pulled proximally to release the anchor 2975 in place.
In some embodiments, the atraumatic tip or ball 2970 is dimensioned such that it can be pulled back through the sleeve. The inner catheter and outer catheter 2955 are removed by pulling the delivery device 2950 proximally, out of the patient.
In some embodiments, the gastrointestinal implant device can be repositioned and/or removed endoscopically in combination with a repositioning/removal device, such as any of the repositioning/removal devices described herein (FIG. 19) or any of the repositioning/removal devices described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/001,812, filed on Nov. 30, 2004, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/339,786, filed on Jan. 9, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/430,321 filed on Dec. 2, 2003; or any of the repositioning/removal devices described in U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/645,287, filed on Jan. 19, 2005, all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Various embodiments of the gastrointestinal implant device have been described herein. These embodiments are given by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments.
The appended claims are of a scope that covers the embodiments disclosed in priority application U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/858,852 referenced herein, and thus have the benefit of priority of that filing date. The claims are also of a sufficient scope to cover more recent embodiments, including those described above and those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/229,352 and 11/147,992, also referenced herein.
a spherical element disposed at the distal portion of the delivery system.
2. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the moveable element is a sleeve retention wire, which exits the lumen of the inner sheath and pierces the distal end of the sleeve.
3. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the moveable element is a snare wire which captures the distal end of the sleeve.
4. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the outer sheath is pulled toward a proximal end of the delivery system to remove the sleeve anchor from the outer sheath.
5. The delivery system of claim 4 wherein the sleeve release mechanism pulls the moveable element toward the proximal end of the delivery system to release the distal end of the sleeve after the sleeve anchor has been released.
6. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the gastrointestinal device is anchored in the stomach.
7. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the gastrointestinal device is anchored distal to the pylorus.
8. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the spherical element is coupled to the distal end of the inner sheath.
9. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the spherical element is dimensioned to permit its retraction through a central lumen of the gastrointestinal implant device.
10. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the inner sheath defines a second lumen to pass the outer sheath over a guidewire.
11. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve anchor comprises a stent.
13. The delivery system of claim 12, wherein the outer sheath is pulled toward the proximal end of the delivery system to remove the sleeve anchor from the outer sheath.
14. The delivery system of claim 13, wherein the sleeve release mechanism pulls the moveable element toward the proximal end of the delivery system to release the distal end of the sleeve after the sleeve anchor has been released.
16. The delivery system of claim 15, wherein the outer sheath is pulled toward the proximal end of the delivery system to remove the sleeve anchor from the outer sheath.
17. The delivery system of claim 16, wherein the sleeve release mechanism pulls the moveable element toward the proximal end of the delivery system to release the distal end of the sleeve after the sleeve anchor has been released.
a sleeve release mechanism coupled to the moveable element to move the moveable element and thus release the distal end of the sleeve and a spherical element disposed at the distal portion of the delivery system.
19. The delivery system of claim 17, wherein the moveable element is a sleeve retention wire, which exits the lumen of the inner sheath and pierces the distal end of the sleeve.
20. The delivery system of claim 17, wherein the moveable element is a snare wire which captures the distal end of the sleeve.
21. The delivery system of claim 17, wherein the outer sheath is pulled toward a proximal end of the delivery system to remove the sleeve anchor from the outer sheath.
22. The delivery system of claim 20, wherein the sleeve release mechanism pulls the moveable element toward the proximal end of the delivery system to release the distal end of the sleeve after the sleeve anchor has been released.
23. The delivery system of claim 17, wherein the gastrointestinal device is anchored distal to the pylorus.
24. The delivery system of claim 17, wherein the sleeve anchor comprises a stent.
25. The delivery system of claim 17, wherein the spherical element is coupled to the distal end of the inner sheath.
26. The delivery system of claim 17, wherein the spherical element is dimensioned to permit its retraction through a central lumen of the gastrointestinal implant device.
a ball disposed at the distal portion of the delivery system.
28. The delivery system of claim 26, wherein the ball is coupled to the distal end of the inner sheath.
29. The delivery system of claim 26, wherein the ball is dimensioned to permit its retraction through a central lumen of the gastrointestinal implant device.


That man is responsible for the deserts is not disputed. After God, 'out of the ground, made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food' man was placed in the Garden of Eden specifically to till it and to guard it.
Just when the avarice of man caused the land to be stripped, slashed and burned, for his own notions of what he could do with it, matters not. He is still doing it. Vast tracts of hitherto fertile land are being lost every year to the encroaching desert as trees are removed and the consequent erosion prevents proper remedial husbandry.
For many decades schemes to reverse the spread of deserts have absorbed millions of money, oceans of water, and lots of research. Some have been spectacularly successful but none, so far, have been self-perpetuating. More than fifty years ago Libya had vast irrigated, circular, fields in the desert. Whether any have survived revolution in that country would be doubtful, they certainly did not naturally expand and, without the protection of trees, the desert would reclaim them as soon as the irrigation taps were turned off.
Dubai has announced plans to build the first rainforest in the Middle East by 2020. Texas, howl your eyes out, – 'everything is big in Dubai'. It is also very controversial. Environmentalists are dismayed; this project will wreck government efforts to control water and energy consumption. Already average water consumption in the United Arab Emirates, per person, is 550 litres daily, almost four times the UK average. In the more luxurious neighbourhoods, with lawns and golf courses, that consumption reaches 1700 litres per person per day! Under a massive dome, the rainforest will feature zip lines and walkways through the canopy, a climbing wall and a spa. Little wonder the Emirates government has offered a £3 million prize to any research team that comes up with a method of increasing rainfall.
Wonderfully, nature itself ensures that not all is lost. Professor Hongbin Yu of the University of Maryland has published results of studying the data obtained by the satellite Calypso launched in 2006. Computer analysis of the vertical structure of the yellow dust plumes visible from space between the Sahara and the Amazon rainforest, spanning 3000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, show that 182 million tons of dust is eroded each year (on average, over 2007 -2013) from the Sahara. Much falls in the ocean but 28 million tons are deposited in the Amazon Basin, the largest rainforest on the planet. A further 43 million tons falls in the Caribbean.
Approximately balancing the erosion within the Amazon Basin through rainfall run-off and flooding, the Sahara fallout, lifted from long dried up lake and river beds, has an enhanced phosphorus content improving the plant nutrition balance of the soil in the most fertile regions on earth.
Switch from the macro to the micro management of the environment. All of this gives point to the growing use of the expression 'the urban forest' in professional and academic concerns about the provision of attractive and environmentally beneficial green urban spaces.
From its inception in 1992, GreenBlue Urban (formerly Greenleaf) has conducted research into the best way to replicate, in the challenging urban concrete jungle, the uncompacted root media in which trees can thrive.
Bridging the dividing line between horticulture and engineering, systems have been developed and are currently being enhanced, to reconcile the requirements of attractive amenities with public access and modern communication and utility deliverance conduits, heavy traffic and environmental benefits.
To further this great objective GreenBlue Urban Ltd are pleased to support and sponsor the activities of tree welfare campaigners such as The Arboricultural Association, the Trees and Design Action Group and University research programs.


On an oddly related note to my previous post I am watching the movie "Alien" (still one of the best movies ever) on my TiVo from the AMC channel. The colors (particularly blue) seem unusually brilliant. This movie is extremely well made and the story itself is perfect.


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Tag: GoAir
My Mumbai Visit: The stay and the returning flight
The first night was in the name of movie in a nearby newly made Mall called BroadWay, which allowed us to return back to home by 11:00 PM or later and then in next morning, we were planned to Essel World as it was my sis's best friend's dream wish from Santa Claz and here I was to play the role of Santa
So, finally the journey got the end today. Three days and only a little more than 48 hours in hand practically, I was in no mood to do anything official and went for entertaining my sis and her friends only.
The first night was in the name of movie in a nearby newly made Mall called BroadWay, which allowed us to return back to home by 11:00 PM or later and then in next morning, we were planned to Essel World as it was my sis's best friend's dream wish from Santa Claz and here I was to play the role of Santa 😉
Something about Essel World as per their official website
This is Mumbai's only international-style theme park and amusement centre situated close to Gorai Beach. Special ferries get you across to the park and the entrance fee normally takes care of a fixed number of rides. These include the standard roller coaster and adventure themes, plus a water world section where kids can literally run amok. Summer is usually crowded, but the place also offers low budget monsoon packages and special deals on weekends. Check these out before you go.
For more information, visit their web-site at http://www.esselworld.com
Although there is mention of low budget packages, but I must tell you, like any other Theme park, the place is nowhere cheaper. Rs. 480/- INR per head for Essel World on weekends and in normal days Rs. 350/- INR, its sure not the place to go, if you just wished to visit the same all of a sudden. You should be well prepared and planned about the same, if you want to get full value for your money. Unfortunately, the same was not our case. It was planned but I was not familiar with the place and things, so we reached there by 12:00 AM or later, I guess and only then our day started with Essel World, which ideally should have been started by 10:00 AM and only then we were able to take all the rides and lots of fun. Anyway, we did our share of fun for sure.
First, we were needed to reach Boriwali Station and then to take Auto from there to reach Gorai Beach, I guess. Then a boat costing 35/- each was here to provide a round trip to Essel world. The ride on boat is costs around 30 mins, if I remember right, but the water there is just a mess I should say, very polluted and sure a must see for the authorities there. One should do something about it.
After reaching on other side, first we went for some early snapping and then in small queue of tickets as we were already late. We finally entered in Essel World by 12:00 PM. There were also combined tickets for Essel World and Water Kingdom and in cheaper prices means 680/- for both, but if you look intelligently, then it's nowhere a cheaper option as in no way, you could enjoy even one in single day and you are thinking about two,… no way.
Anyway, few Roller Coaster rides and some vertical rides, it was sure fun to hang up in air with yours heads down. The name of the event was "Thunder". I have made a full video of the same, which I will upload sometime later.
We also enjoyed Hunted Hotel and some Mirror World. Although Hunted Hotel was quite a let-down, but anyway, we were out to enjoy and left the place only when it was closed only and then returned back to home by 11:00 PM. No!! No!! It didn't took that much time to reach our way, but we were to drop of the friend at her place and then it took a while there to convince her dad for next day visit to Jeevdayini Temple. It didn't took harder and he was easily agreed.
For the same visit, one more friend of my sis was to be joined as she missed Essel World, but this visit was planned from long at her wish. Anyway, got a call from their side in early morning from their side to wake us up and then we left the home by 8:00 AM this time. More than 1000 steps of stairs and then it was Jeevdayini Temple. Look like it's been a tradition to visit the same i my each Mumbai visit as I visited the same place both the times, I visited earlier. We came back from the same place by 2 PM.
A little rest and conversations with relatives and then I was off to Airport.
The return flight details:
The return flight was booked as per cheapest option provided according to my date\time schedules and the same was again a GoAir. Got a message from their side on 27th December that my flight is delayed and now expected to depart at 9:50 PM in place of earlier schedule of 8:20 PM due to some unavoidable reasons. Such a delay was preferable for me in a way, but I am not sure that every passenger might like such delays, neither do I, if it was something important. The flight was GoAir G8-375: Mumbai-Delhi. Our Car took around one and half hour to reach there. Don't know how much distance exactly was in between. It was a trip from Vasai to Santacruz Domestic Airport. I left the place by 6:00 PM and reached by 7:30 PM means much before time and then it was a long wait for me.
Although that technically sounding long wait, didn't seem to be much longer for me. I was online and got one of my colleague online, who was telling me the procedure to avail the WiFi available at Airports and a few other things, which kept me busy and when the time got an end, I didn't got to know. It was such shortened in a way that I forgot that I should disconnect my cell from my Laptop and should put it on the available charging point there. Although it was again not an issue as I forgot my earphones into the luggage on board. 😉
Anyway, later on, I found this flight a way quicker than the last one. The flight was on time at this occasion, I mean with newly scheduled one. Although I mismanaged it a bit by not leaving my internet connection before time, which left my cell sufficiently discharged, just when the announcement to board on the same started at 9:30 PM. Anyway, the proceedings were quicker than the last time and were in exact way, one expects. Within 15 mins of our reaching to Jet, we were in Air, I guess.
This time my choice was a Window Seat, although was not that fruitful in night, but its sure a view to see Mumbai from top of it. So many lights scattered all over really make out some view. Although I was tired enough due to continuous rides and was wishing to fall asleep, but that was not favourable to me in a way as just two hours were not enough.
All the staff at flight was male this time. I don't remember that what was the case, when I visited last time or its been practice to keep girls away from night flight or not? But it might be the directive from Government for not keeping the female staff working after 8:00 PM. Anyway, I am not kind-of missing them…. 😉 I given up the rest of the time to my sleep and when got woke up, then I was at New Delhi Airport by 11:50 PM, I guess. Quicker luggage recovery as well this time and then back to home.
So, this was the journey. I talk too much na…
Author Nitish KumarPosted on December 28, 2008 November 6, 2009 Categories Nitish KumarTags Essel World, GoAir, Jeevdayini, Mumbai, Nitish Kumar1 Comment on My Mumbai Visit: The stay and the returning flight
My flight to Mumbai-The journey
Finally it was much awaited journey for my side, as even after lots of planning many times in past, I was not able to visit Mumbai to meet my cutie pie sis and relatives. I guess only two visits in last three years. I am really a rare visitor for them.
Lots of friends there, my classmates, my buddies, my colleagues, but like last times, I don't know that whether even this time, I would be able to visit any of them. Although earlier it was planned that I will go to my friend Amit first and then will stay and meet others from there, but now as sis wants me to be with her, so …..
The flight is Go Air 373 – Delhi-to-Mumbai and the timings were 10:00 AM-12:10 PM. A bit slower than last times, when the travel was taking only 1 hour and 45 mins. As I read in newspapers, it was subjected to reach there before two hours of boarding, so I decided to wake up early to take safer side. My sweety friend helped me out in waking up and later after little things, I was ready to leave room by 6:20, I guess. I was keeping two hours in my hands to reach out Airport, but it came out to be a surprise to me as without traffic, it took only a matter of 35 mins. Yeah!! One of the reason was Driver's jumping red lights, which was truly unnecessary for me.
After reaching Delhi Domestic Airport, my fear was "Should I let go the laptop under X-ray or not?" As I earlier heard that one should avoid that. But I guess, Airport authorities always get all the goods checked, so I didn't tried to resist the same. I was told that I have came early and the counter for my flight will obviously open by 8:00 AM. I said I don't mind waiting at the lounge. Taken a sip of coffee and taken a sit to open my Lappy to post this early one to avoid boredom. Tried to search WLAN by my Nokia N82 first, but was able to find only two IndigoDelhi and some other of Jet, I guess. But both of them were protected network and I don't really know that whether do they provide the same to their visitors for free or not?
Continued …..
Ok! So, by now I am done with security checks. It was a long queue of 40-50 people at least. Now days, they ask for even your jackets off and Laptop out of bag. Heard announcement from SpiceJet side that they even need that passenger should identify their luggage before taking the flight, otherwise, it won't be allowed due to security reasons. Don't know whether these security reasons are new or just as were older. I visited in summer most of the time and earlier Laptop wasn't with me, so don't really know about this Laptop/ Jacket thing.
Anyway, my flight is on 10:00 AM, as I wrote earlier and I think at 9:30 AM, we will be allowed to take the cab from here.
The trip continued. Cab left me on board in time, but there was unexpected delays in take off for don't know what reasons. At earlier times, when it was AirDeccan both the times, I remember there were no delays. This time, I guess the reasons behind the late were the late passenger than any technical glitch. Anyway, it went late by half an hour, I guess. Later it was announced as apology for the delay and also was told that it would take one hour and fifty mins more to reach at my destination Mumbai.
Although I am not aware of neither they prefer to tell, but there were some after flight issues, I guess as it took really a lot of time, when official instruction to open the seat belt were issued. Anyway, I found GoAir equally comfortable as AirDeccan was used to be and was also impressed with their business class fare, which they mention in their booklet with comparison with other flight services. Around 5k INR for Business seat @flight from Delhi-Mumbai is not that big deal I guess, when others might be offering the same @15k INR or more.
I was little bit annoyed with one person sitting behind me using cellfone, when it is already prohibited using any radio device in flight. (Although technically I know that technical the radio frequencies of cellfones don't match with that of flight operating frequencies and these instructions are traditional cautious measures only).
Later on, I kept on using my cell for Music (in offline mode of course) and taken out my Laptop for typing all this as was getting bored after being done with magazines provided on seat. Taken sips of coffee and was waiting to get this flight reach to destination, where my little sis must be waiting for me on Airport.
One thing, I personally want to add about the flights. I always feel it scary the way luggage get taken care of. I mean you get a slip of your luggage, that's ok, but when the luggage come on open trolley, then there is no check over it that who is taking whose luggage. Moreover, sometimes, one takes time to reach on the right trolley.
Anyway , finally flight ended by 12:25 PM (15 mins late than its schedule) means they made it up for the delay 45 mins. I was writing something over my lappy, when it was told that now you all should fasten your seat belts as the flight is going to land in Mumbai within minutes.
Later, it was almost 15 mins or more longer wait for the luggage. Passengers reach on Airport immediately and it takes time in case of luggage to get carried into a trolley and then on the wheels. Anyway, I got the same and then moved out. Choti and Mama were there to wait for me on Airport and after that it was a long long journey (credit goes to Mumbai traffic) to home, where I really by 3:00 PM finally.
So, this was my trip.
Author Nitish KumarPosted on December 26, 2008 December 28, 2008 Categories Nitish KumarTags Delay, Delhi-Mumbai, Flight, GoAir, journey, Landing, Mumbai, Nitish, Nitish Kumar, Travel, TrolleyLeave a comment on My flight to Mumbai-The journey
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
are an interesting new formalism for grammars. Unlike most older formalisms, which are based on Chomsky's generative grammars, their starting point is recognizing strings that are in a language, not generating them. As such they are a closer match to what we usually want a grammar for. The practical effect of this is that they naturally avoid common ambiguities without external rules, such as C's if/else ambiguity or the various rules about greediness imposed on regexes (e.g. perl's matching rules versus POSIX's longest-leftmost rule, discussed in Friedl's book). Even though PEGs can recognize some non-context-free languages (e.g. anbncn) they can be matched in linear time using a packrat parser (which can be implemented very beautifully in Haskell).
Bryan Ford's 2004 POPL paper establishes the formal foundations of PEGs and defines a concrete syntax for them, fairly similar to ABNF. The key differences are: the choice operator is ordered (prefers to match its left-hand sub-expression); repetition operators are maximally greedy and don't backtrack (so the second a in a*a can never match); and it includes positive and negative lookahead assertions of the form &a and !a (like (?=a) and (?!a) in perl).
It occurs to me that there is a useful analogy hidden in here, that would be made more obvious with a little change in syntax. Instead of a / b write a || b, and instead of &a b write a && b. With || and && I am referring to C's short-cutting "orelse" and "andalso" boolean operators - or rather the more liberal versions that can return more than just a boolean, since a PEG returns the amount of input matched when it succeeds. This immediately suggests some new identities on grammars based on De Morgan's laws, e.g. !a || !b === !(a && b). Note that !!a =/= a because the former never consumes any input, so not all of De Morgan's laws work with PEGs. This also suggests how to choose the operators to overload when writing a PEG parser combinator library for C++ (which has a much wider range of possibilities than Lua).", "url": "https://fanf.livejournal.com/74193.html", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://l-stat.livejournal.net/img/sign.png" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tony Finch", "image": "https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/126074641/936728" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Journal fanf", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://fanf.livejournal.com", "contentUrl": "https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/126074641/936728" } } }
fanf —
Tony Finch ( fanf) wrote,
Tony Finch
fanf
Parsing expression grammars
PEGs are an interesting new formalism for grammars. Unlike most older formalisms, which are based on Chomsky's generative grammars, their starting point is recognizing strings that are in a language, not generating them. As such they are a closer match to what we usually want a grammar for. The practical effect of this is that they naturally avoid common ambiguities without external rules, such as C's if/else ambiguity or the various rules about greediness imposed on regexes (e.g. perl's matching rules versus POSIX's longest-leftmost rule, discussed in Friedl's book). Even though PEGs can recognize some non-context-free languages (e.g. anbncn) they can be matched in linear time using a packrat parser (which can be implemented very beautifully in Haskell).
It occurs to me that there is a useful analogy hidden in here, that would be made more obvious with a little change in syntax. Instead of a / b write a || b, and instead of &a b write a && b. With || and && I am referring to C's short-cutting "orelse" and "andalso" boolean operators - or rather the more liberal versions that can return more than just a boolean, since a PEG returns the amount of input matched when it succeeds. This immediately suggests some new identities on grammars based on De Morgan's laws, e.g. !a || !b === !(a && b). Note that !!a =/= a because the former never consumes any input, so not all of De Morgan's laws work with PEGs. This also suggests how to choose the operators to overload when writing a PEG parser combinator library for C++ (which has a much wider range of possibilities than Lua).


Corresponds to the QuantLib Gaussian1dFloatFloatSwaption Engine powered with a one-dimensional gaussian short rate model.
Here the user must also supply an object of type Gaussian 1d Model containing the volatility and mean reversion parameters that specify the exact dynamics of the short rate diffusion.
Optionally the Gaussian 1d Model may be calibarated so that its parameters are compatible with a given set of market volatilities.
The calibration is achieved through the local function GSR Model::Calibrate.
An VanillaOption Adjusted Spread may be also defined in situations where credit spreads are involved.
An example would be a bermudan callable floating rate bond, of which the call right may be priced if viewed as a swaption to enter into a one leg swap with notional reimbursement at maturity and an exercise-linked rebate paying the notional.


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text:
Security beefed up around L.A. pools
By Long Beach Press Telegram | presstelegram@dfmdev.com |
Following two attacks at Second District pools — one of them fatal — Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke committed $331,000 to increase law enforcement at pools in the area this summer, it was announced Wednesday.
The grant will cover a request from county Police Chief Margaret York, who asked for funds to allow the Office of Public Safety to maintain 10-hour coverage by eight officers seven days a week through Labor Day, Burke said in a statement.
Burke represents the Second District, which covers a portion of South Los Angeles and the surrounding area.
James Hurst was killed in a weekend beating at Ted Watkins County Park. Hurst, 60, was sleeping in the park in an unincorporated area bordering Watts around 4:30 p.m. Saturday when three men attempted to rob him.
Hurst lost consciousness after being struck over the head two or three times with a blunt object. When he regained consciousness, he walked to a pay phone and called 911. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood, where he died the next day from his injuries.
On Tuesday, Burke will also ask the county Board of Supervisors to approve a $10,000 reward for information leading to arrests in his death.
Anyone with information was asked to call Detectives Barron or Payton at the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
Hurst's killing comes just a few weeks after the 109th Street Swimming Pool was closed due to a rampage by 30 young men, who overwhelmed two armed guards and six pool workers to force the pool manager, a lifeguard and a locker room attendant into the water.
The pool was reopened with beefed-up security.
Long Beach Press Telegram


Although many people neglect to floss, the practice is an essential component of a good oral hygiene regimen. Flossing removes the particles of food and plaque that are left between the teeth and just below the gum line.
Even if you are brushing your teeth properly each morning and evening, some of your tooth surfaces are beyond the reach of your toothbrush. Flossing helps ensure that the areas of a tooth that are missed by the toothbrush are cleaned.
Still, many people floss incorrectly or avoid flossing altogether. Here are a few suggestions to make flossing easier.
Discharge approximately 18 inches of floss.
Wind each end of the floss around a middle finger, leaving only a couple of inches free to insert between your teeth.
Press the floss into a space between two teeth and move the string up and down to clear away the plaque and debris.
At the base of the teeth, with the floss still inserted between two teeth, wrap the floss around a tooth and again move the floss in an up-down motion to remove plaque from below the gum line.
Unwind a bit of unused floss and repeat steps three and four until all of your teeth and interdental spaces have been cleaned.
Some people may still feel that using string floss is too difficult. For them, an alternative flossing method may be helpful. Here are a few alternatives to traditional string floss.
Interdental brushes. Interdental brushes are small brushes that resemble tiny pipe cleaners and can be inserted into the spaces between the teeth to clear away debris.
Floss picks. Floss picks eliminate the need to wind the floss around your middle fingers. Instead, the floss is already held in place by the P-shaped tool. Still, floss picks cannot be wrapped around a tooth because the floss is held taut by the tool's design.
Oral irrigators. Oral irrigators use water instead of string to flush away plaque and food particles. The concentrated stream released by the device can even remove debris from below the gum line.
For more information about flossing and how it can help you maintain your oral health, schedule a consultation with a dentist in your local area. For more information, contact a company like Pacific Ave Dental/Allan L. Hablutzel, DDS.


text:
The Country Western Pop & Hilly Billy of Nashville Tennessee
Download links and information about The Country Western Pop & Hilly Billy of Nashville Tennessee. This album was released in 2014 and it belongs to Country genres. It contains 27 tracks with total duration of 01:39:26 minutes.
Buy it NOW at:
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1. Ring of Fire / Standing On the Rock (The Wanted, Steve Haggerty) 4:44
2. Billy Loves His Car (Sue Blind, Ron Gardner) 3:08
3. Don't Count the Beers (The Mark Merritt Band) 4:06
4. The Busker (Leoma Sunrise) 2:26
5. Sinner Man (Jody Gallagher) 3:44
6. Far West (The Canguro's New Band) 2:09
7. New Liberty (The Verandas) 3:46
8. Country Under My Skin (Duo Astral Plane) 3:50
9. Should Killed My Baby (Live in Austin Texas) (The Dirty Charley Band) 3:59
10. Wonderful Land (Elmar & Norbert) 2:14
11. Appel un e Ei (J P Weber) 3:43
12. Miryam's Country Song (Miryam Granatmann) 3:01
13. Fine Line (Feast2follow) 3:07
14. Like a Lonesome Rider (Roadster) 3:30
15. Junkyard Dreams (Derek Van Hold) 4:47
16. Times They May Pass (Steel Guitar Version) (Le Magreen) 5:47
17. Dlungia Me (Lucia, Hubert) 4:24
18. Nothing Stays the Same (Wild Bunch) 3:36
19. Sweet and Wild (Roxanna Red, The Wildwoodboys) 2:45
20. Burning the Ruins (Mike O'Donoghue) 5:05
21. Where I Wanna Be (Rebel Bunch) 3:47
22. Heat Seaker (Midnight Hustle) 2:44
23. Honey I'm Home (Mandy Euler) 3:26
24. You (Recorded At Paramountsong) (John Bijl) 2:26
25. Everybody (Jerry Bloomtown) 2:17
26. Out in the Country (Broken Radio) 6:39
27. Violin Reggae (The Lost Cowboys) 4:16


text:
Finance & economics | Bank regulation
Save yourselves
National regulators are looking after number one
Dec 11th 2008 |
THE casualty list from the credit crisis does not stop at investment banks and Iceland. The idea of the international bank is also coming under pressure. The argument that being in lots of countries diversifies risk looks thinner now that the downturn has the world economy in its grip. A brace of regulatory initiatives also suggests that national authorities have become much more focused on their own interests.
The Swiss Federal Banking Commission has released details of its beefed-up capital regime, which will help to restrain growth in assets when times are good. The biggest Swiss banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, will be subject to higher risk-weighted capital requirements and to a new leverage ratio of at least 3%, which caps the amount of total assets that a bank can hold regardless of the risk they entail.
These measures are striking for at least two reasons. The first is that they foreshadow an emerging international orthodoxy. Last month the Basel committee, a group of bank supervisors, unveiled a new strategy that will evaluate the case for leverage ratios. It will also strengthen capital buffers in anticipation of periods of stress.
The second reason is that the leverage ratio will exclude the two banks' domestic lending activities from the calculation of capital. That makes perfect sense from a Swiss perspective: penalising banks for lending to local customers is the last thing national regulators want. But if domestic loans are widely privileged in this way, the attractions of foreign expansion will dip.
International banks will also be leafing nervously through a new consultation paper on liquidity issued by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the British regulator. Banks will have to satisfy the FSA on their assessment of all manner of liquidity risks, from the "stickiness" of wholesale and retail funding to contingent exposures to off-balance-sheet activities. They will also have to hold significantly more liquid assets, such as highly rated government bonds. That will be helpful to government issuers but painful for the banks. The FSA estimates that the main British banks could lose a total of £1.3 billion-5.3 billion ($1.9 billion-7.8 billion) in revenue as a result of holding lower-return assets.
Foreigners are also under the cosh. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September, which left the bank's European arm instantly starved of cash, illustrated the dangers of subsidiaries relying on liquidity from head office. The FSA's new proposals presume that subsidiaries and branches of foreign banks will be self-sufficient in terms of liquidity, unless waivers are granted that allow the parent to provide money. Those waivers will be tougher to come by. The FSA will want to be reassured both that the foreign bank's home supervisor takes a robust approach to liquidity and that British creditors are not disadvantaged in the event of insolvency.
There are some specific reasons for individual countries to take different approaches. The Swiss face a particular problem of having two banks that are so big, for example. But regulators are also apparently becoming much more concerned about banks' domestic lending and much less inclined to trust other supervisors. If so, the multinational bank will suffer.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline "Save yourselves"
Finance & economics December 13th 2008
Wall Street's annus horribilis
A nudge in the wrong direction
Ivory-towering infernos
A stimulating question
From the December 13th 2008 edition


Khiri Travel Vietnam gives your travelers a chance to experience a selection of community-based eco-tours. In this country, which is over 3000 km long, the most varied lifestyles coexist. Your clients can turn their visit into something very memorable, but also something meaningful to the local people also.
Our goal at Khiri Travel Vietnam is to make your client's experience as unique as possible. We do this by offering authentic adventures, recommending comfortable accommodations and maintaining high levels of safety at all times. We have many options available.
Khiri Vietnam works with volunteering and community service activities. Volunteering in Vietnam will change one's mind about how life truly works here. We believe meeting, eating, and working with locals has an impact on volunteers that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Working alongside these people is an unforgettable experience.
Visiting a rural community, your travelers can go back in time to experience traditional methods of farming and fishing handed down from generation to generation. Such experiences are an excellent opportunity to step aside from overcrowded tourist attractions and step into life as it is lived by local people. Your clients can learn about the hardship and effort needed to make a living in rural Vietnam as well as about the daily fun activities too.
Nam Cang Riverside House, located deep in the northern hills of Sapa, is surrounded by mountains and is next to a river. It is a great example of one of the community's with whom your clients can visit. The homestay offers a wide range of activities where visitors can get immersed in local life. Hosts belong to the Red Dao minority and invite every guest to join in the rice planting, fishing and the production of bamboo paper.
Most of the villagers are not used to meeting foreigners. They are therefore happy to explain about their daily life and maybe invite guests into their houses for a cup of tea. This will be a unique opportunity to gain insight and connect with local people by helping and learning their way of living and getting involved in their jobs.
For those travellers looking for a mixture between adventure and community eco-tourism, the Pu Luong Reserve is the best alternative. Activities include trekking through outstanding scenery, getting to know the local villagers and learning about their lifestyles. Your clients also have the opportunity to help in preparing meals and giving English lessons to the local kids.


text:
Sourav Majumdar
Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated) [Vapahcs], Medicine - Med/Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine
Gordon Koon-Man Mak
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine
Azure Tariro Makadzange
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Infectious Diseases
Joshua Makower
Academic Staff - Hourly - CSL, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly Interests Dr. Josh Makower serves on the faculty of the Stanford University Medical School as an Adjunct Professor of Medicine and is Co-Founder of Stanford's Biodesign Innovation Program (now called the Byers Center for Biodesign). Josh helped create the fundamental structure of the Center's core curriculum and is the chief architect of what is now called "The Biodesign Process." Over the past 18 years since Josh and Dr. Paul Yock founded the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Program, this curriculum and the associated textbook has been used at Stanford and across the world to train thousands of students, faculty and industry leaders on the biodesign process towards the advancement of medical innovation for the improvement of patient care. Josh has practiced these same techniques directly as the Founder & Executive Chairman of ExploraMed, a medical device incubator, creating 8 companies since 1995. Transactions from the ExploraMed portfolio include NeoTract, acquired by Teleflex, Acclarent, acquired by J&J, EndoMatrix, acquired by C.R. Bard & TransVascular, acquired by Medtronic. Other ExploraMed/NEA ventures include Moximed, Nuelle and Willow. Josh is currently also working with NEA where he is a General Partner on their healthcare team leading the medtech/healthtech practice. Josh serves on the board of Setpoint Medical, DOTS Technologies, Eargo, ExploraMed, Intrinsic Therapeutics, Moximed, Willow and Coravin. Josh holds over 300 patents and patent applications. He received an MBA from Columbia University, an MD from the NYU School of Medicine, a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and is a Member of the College of Fellows of The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and was awarded the Coulter Award for Healthcare Innovation by the Biomedical Engineering Society in 2018.
Erika Paige Malaspina
Minor, Biology
Jose R. Maldonado, MD, FAPM
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology-Adult) and, by courtesy, of Emergency Medicine and of Medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center and, by courtesy, of Law
Current Research and Scholarly Interests Pathophysiology and Management of Delirium, Acute Brain Failure and Cognitive Impairment, Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of Traumatic Brain Injury, Factitious Disorder & Munchausen's Syndrome, Cultural Diversity in Medical Care, Psychiatric Complications of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Conversion Disorder, Depression in the Medically Ill, Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Mario Malicki
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, SCRDP/ Heart Disease Prevention
Kristine Isabel Maniacop Mallari
Clinical Research Coordinator Associate, Primary Care and Population Health
Molly Christine Maloof
Academic Staff - Hourly - CSL, Medicine
Jonathan Maltzman
Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology)
Faculty and Teaching Staff
Clinical Fellows
Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Endocrinology, Gerontology, & Metabolism
Immunology & Rheumatology
Primary Care Outcomes Research
Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine
Residency Program in Internal Medicine
Vaden Health Center


Apart from the intrinsic interest and importance of the subject, the concentration may be of practical use. Students pursuing further graduate and professional training or employment in a variety of areas will find familiarity with issues relating to cultural diversity to be an asset. These include the fields of health; social services; education; law and law enforcement; human resources and personnel; occupations in government agencies; ethnocultural and other non-governmental organizations; and graduate work in all the social sciences.


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Q: How do I generate TOC-only HTML from DocBook? Given a Docbook-based XML file, how do I extract just the table of contents (TOC) into its own HTML file - preferably without resorting to writing my own XSLT template? I am using xsltproc.
I'm convinced that this must be obviously easy, but for some reason the solution escapes me - after having looked through the DocBook documentation.
As a bonus, I would like the generated toc.html file not to have any html/head/body...body/html wrappers in order to make it simple to embed it within a CMS-powered site.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
P.S. My DocBook-content is derived from AsciiDoc, though that should make no difference.

A: Assuming that you are using the SourceForge DocBook stylesheets, you can use chunking with the chunk.tocs.and.lots parameter. This generates a separate TOC file (and the other chunked HTML files as well).
Some options relevant to the bonus question are discussed in this thread:
http://www.mail-archive.com/docbook-apps@lists.oasis-open.org/msg09111.html

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Use Impossible Car Stunt Racing hack, or download Impossible Car Stunt Racing mod? What to do if the resources are not enough - bonus codes for money for free, without downloading mod. Use secrets, follow the instructions to get paid currency to the account, disable advertising and get additional opportunities. Codes are no different and work on Android and iOS platforms. The input method can be different and we describe it in detail. To increase the level and get into the leaderboard, the player needs to make purchases in the game.
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You have 90 seconds. You are a car stunt. Hurry up go to exit and race against to the time in this racing adventure. Robots invaded the base and they want to destroy to the earth. You have to stop them. İf you bored traffic race and parking games you will enjoy from this gameYou are trapped in a dangerous maze full of destructive obstacles and deadly paths! Race through the hurdles! Escape the portcullis, jump through fiery paths! Fight your way through to survive in this xtreme car race! You will definitely get enough shares of thrill and danger! Speedily dash your extreme car through spiked gates and vicious obstacles for survival.
Find your way through the maze without getting killed Overcome the obstacles by racing secret agent spy cars against time and reach the exit as soon as possible.
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Join the rush of an adrenaline rising in this amazing Extreme Car Racing Adventure!


text:
Program Erasmus (EuRopean Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) je program Evropské unie, podporující zahraniční mobilitu vysokoškolských studentů a pedagogů a spolupráci ve vysokoškolském vzdělávání v Evropě.

Historie
Program byl zřízen v roce 1987 rozhodnutím 87/327/EHS. V letech 2000 až 2006 byl součástí programu Socrates. Ve finančním rámci EU pro roky 2007 až 2013 byl zařazen jako součást Programu celoživotního učení.

Název Erasmus je odvozen z příjmení holandského renesančního humanisty Erasma Rotterdamského, může být však rovněž čten jako akronym European Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.

Program v Česku spravuje Dům zahraniční spolupráce.

Program Erasmus od ledna roku 2014 pokračuje pod názvem Erasmus+.

Reference

Externí odkazy

 Přehled souvislostí a praktické rady o programu Erasmus na EurActiv.cz
 Universita Karlova - Erasmus
  *  - Happy Erasmus: Network of Erasmus Associations across Europe
 Vysoká škola finanční a správní o. p. s. - Erasmus
 Univerzita Hradec Králové - Erasmus
 Vysoká škola báňská - Technická univerzita Ostrava - Erasmus
 Západočeské univerzita v Plzni - Erasmus
 Technická univerzita v Liberci - Erasmus
 Vysoká škola finanční a správní - Erasmus
 Škoda Auto Vysoká škola - Erasmus

Výměnné vzdělávací programy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As the flyer says, I'm doing a reading and multimedia presentation in support of Odes to Tools on Saturday, April 10 at 3:30 p.m. at Webster's Bookstore Café, 128 South Allen Street, State College, PA. Webster's was an obvious choice for a reading since they've always been very supportive of local authors and performers, and they have a great poetry selection with a regular turn-over. Not only do a majority of the books in my poetry collection come from Webster's, but I also buy almost all the coffee I drink there. So my own poems owe their inception to Webster's in more ways than one.
If you're from anywhere in central Pennsylvania, I hope you'll consider attending. I'll be projecting texts of the poems I read onto a screen for those who like to follow along, and also showing a few of my videopoems — that's the multimedia part. I'm planning to bring along examples of some of the tools that may be less familiar to people, which should help keep things fairly entertaining. In between poems I'll talk about how the book grew out of blogging and online publishing, which will I hope provide enough of an excuse for me to expand beyond just the tool odes.
If you do live in the area and would like to help spread the word, I'd be grateful. Know of any community bulletin boards or other likely spots where you can post things without getting us into trouble? Please feel free to print out copies of the above flyer on a color printer and post them, or hand them out. You can assure anyone who asks that the reading will not last longer than an hour (not counting questions and book signings, if any), and that they will not be bored. I am a fairly dynamic public speaker, and I do not mumble, intone, or indulge in literary in-jokes. I try to introduce my poems with the general reader in mind.
If you can't attend the reading, you can still help by suggesting content you think I should include. "Poems and poem-like things" is the most populous category here at Via Negativa, with 664 posts so far, most of which I've long since forgotten about. By sheer chance, I just discovered a poem called "Hollow" that would be perfect for the reading, because it helps tie the tool odes into where I live. So if you've been reading for a while and happen to remember other obvious (or not so obvious) candidates for inclusion, do let me know, and if you've read the book or the series, let me know which are your favorites; I won't have time to read them all. Any other suggestions for how I should conduct the reading would be welcome, as well.
Finally, if you know how to play the musical saw, or know someone in the area who does, please get in touch.
Oh boy, how I WISH I could be there! What a fantastic event. You're going to be great Dave. No doubt about it. I love the way you read your own poetry. I wish you such good fortune with this.
Thanks, Clive. As you can see, we did use a sentence from your unsolicited praise on the flyer — much obliged for that.
Oh crumbs! I hadn't noticed THAT! Well that's made me grin. Does this mean I'm a literary critic? Because if I am I must remember to put it on my C.V. Now if only someone would make me into a fridge magnet, then life would be almost complete.
Glad to have been able to contribute Dave. But if someone with real literary clout comes along with a handsome line or two about your work, I won't mind being replaced. Truly!
Actually, I think it's better to have one blurb from a poet/literary critic (Todd is both) and one from somebody prominent in another field. The only way we'd bump your quote, I think, is if we got one from a civil engineer, building contractor, or some other expert on tools.
Sounds like a lot of fun, Dave. Break a leg!
Thanks. Should turn out O.K., barring unforseen circumstances with superstition prevents me from even contemplating.
The 'Saw Lady' (a.k.a. Natalia Paruz – http://www.sawlady.com ) is a professional musical saw player. She organizes the annual NYC Musical Saw Festival.
Thanks! Yes, I've corresponded with her. Unfortunately, I am kind of far from NYC.
Great news! Love that the promo-pic prominently displays the hand into which the tools fit.
OTT copies will be prizes next month for those book-group kids who agree to read poems aloud during our NPM events. Admittedly, the bribe will include the added component of Easter chocolate. Hey: we fight dirty in the literacy trenches.
Julia, that is awesome that Odes will be used as a prize. I am deeply honored, even if chocolate has to be thrown in to literally sweeten the deal. Best of luck to the kids who are brave enough to read aloud in front of their peers. That takes moxie.
This sounds wonderfully ingenious–hope you get the musical saw! May you have great good luck and many books to sign. You're certainly better known than most people with a first book-in-paper to hawk.
Am I? Known in more, different kinds of circles, perhaps, thanks to this blog and qarrtsiluni. At any rate, thanks for the good wishes.
Dave, I'm so glad you're promoting your excellent book in such a creative way. I too wish I could be at your presentation – maybe you can take it on tour, right across the ocean? To London??
There are some good poetry-reading venues here where you'd be very welcome. Now all you need is a deep-pocketed sponsor.
Thanks for your enthusiasm, Natalie — it means a lot. If I ever do make it over there, we will have to try and set something up.


text:
Q: HTML5 scale canvas to fit page but keep canvas image at specific size I am creating specific size image of 1200W x 300H and when its done I pass the image back to my server.  I have all that working.
However, when the image is created, that 1200x300 size blows off the page for many users - especially on a mobile device.  Is there any method I can use that can create the image at the specific 1200x300 but then visually display the image on a smaller scale to fit the screen?
Currently the best I am able to do is use a DIV with overflow:hidden to keep the DIV correctly sized on the page, but that doesn't scale the actual image down.  In fact the image is mostly off centered only seeing the left part of the image on the screen.

  <canvas id="canvas" width="1200" height="300">
    Your browser does not support Canvas.
  </canvas>

If I shrink the canvas to fit the page, then the created image is the smaller size and not the size I need passed back to the server.
Is it possible to do this?
============= UPDATE ================

   <canvas id="displayCanvas" width="1200" height="300">
      Your browser does not support Canvas.
   </canvas>
   <canvas id="realCanvas" width="1200" height="300">
      Your browser does not support Canvas.
   </canvas>

#CSS
#realCanvas {
  width:100vw;
  height: 25vw ;
}

#JS
function buildBanner () {
  Debugger.log("Drawing Canvas");

  if(!canvasSupport()) {
      return;
  }

  var wCanvas = 1200 ;
  var hCanvas = 300 ;
  var wImg = 400 ;
  var hImg = 100 ;

  var hRatio = wCanvas  / wImg    ;
  var vRatio =  hCanvas / hImg  ;
  var ratio  = Math.min ( hRatio, vRatio );
  var centerShift_x = ( wCanvas - wImg*ratio ) / 2;
  var centerShift_y = ( hCanvas - hImg*ratio ) / 2;

  var displayCanvas = document.getElementById('displayCanvas') ;
  var displayContext = displayCanvas.getContext('2d');

  var realCanvas = document.getElementById('realCanvas');
  var realContext = realCanvas.getContext('2d');

  var text1 = document.getElementById('textType1') ;
  var text2 = document.getElementById('textType2') ;

  if (text1.checked) {
    var bannerText = document.getElementById('cVendor').value ;
    console.log("Text1: "+ bannerText) ;
  } else if (text2.checked) {
    var bannerText = document.getElementById('cVendorName').value ;
    console.log("Text2: "+ bannerText) ;
  }

  var textStrokeColor = "#000000";
  var textBaseline = "middle";
  var textAlign = "center";

  // This is the event handler for listening for a key up event in the text box form
  // It will call the textBoxChanged function to update the text in the canvas

  var fontSize = document.getElementById("fontSize").value;
  var fontFaceSelect = document.getElementById("fontFace");
  var fontFace = fontFaceSelect.options[fontFaceSelect.selectedIndex].value ;
  var fontWeightSelect = document.getElementById("fontWeight");
  var fontWeight = fontWeightSelect.options[fontWeightSelect.selectedIndex].value ;
  var fontStyleSelect = document.getElementById("fontStyle");
  var fontStyle = fontStyleSelect.options[fontStyleSelect.selectedIndex].value ;

  var fillTypeSelect = document.getElementById("fillType");
  var fillType = fillTypeSelect.options[fillTypeSelect.selectedIndex].value ;
  var strokeTypeSelect = document.getElementById("strokeType");
  var strokeType = strokeTypeSelect.options[strokeTypeSelect.selectedIndex].value ;

  var textFillColor = document.getElementById("textFillColor").value ;
  var bgFillColor = document.getElementById("bgFillColor").value ;
  var imageData = document.getElementById("createImageData");

  realContext = drawScreen(realContext,wCanvas,hCanvas,4);
  displayContext = drawScreen(displayContext,wImg,hImg,1) ;

  var imageDataDisplay = document.getElementById("imageDataDisplay");
  imageDataDisplay.value = realCanvas.toDataURL();

  function drawScreen(thisContext,x,y,xSize) {
    thisContext.clearRect(0, 0, x, y);

    var metrics = thisContext.measureText(bannerText);
    var textWidth = metrics.width;
    var xPosition =  x / 2
    var yPosition =  y / 2;

    // Draws the Text Box
    thisContext.globalAlpha = 1.0;

    thisContext.fillStyle = bgFillColor ;
    thisContext.fillRect(0,0,x,y);

    // Draws the actual text
    var xFontSize = fontSize * xSize ;
    thisContext.font = fontWeight + " " + fontStyle + " " + xFontSize + "px " + fontFace;
    thisContext.textBaseline = textBaseline;
    thisContext.textAlign = textAlign;

    var tempColor;
    switch(fillType) {
      case "colorFill":
          Debugger.log("Color Fill");
          tempColor = textFillColor;
          break;
      case "linearGradient":
          Debugger.log("Linear Gradient");
          var linGradient = thisContext.createLinearGradient(xPosition-textWidth/2, yPosition, xPosition+textWidth/2, yPosition);
          linGradient.addColorStop(0, textFillColor);
          tempColor = linGradient;
          break;
      case "radialGradient":
          Debugger.log("Radial Gradient");
          var radGradient = thisContext.createRadialGradient(xPosition, yPosition, 1, xPosition, yPosition, textWidth/2);
          radGradient.addColorStop(0, textFillColor);
          tempColor = radGradient;
      break;
    }

    switch(strokeType) {
      case "fill":
          thisContext.fillStyle = tempColor;
          thisContext.fillText(bannerText, xPosition, yPosition);
          break;
      case "stroke":
          thisContext.strokeStyle = textStrokeColor;
          thisContext.strokeText(bannerText, xPosition, yPosition);
          break;
      case "both":
          thisContext.fillStyle = tempColor;
          thisContext.fillText(bannerText, xPosition, yPosition);
          thisContext.strokeStyle = textStrokeColor;
          thisContext.strokeText(bannerText, xPosition, yPosition);
          break;
    }
    return thisContext ;
  }
}

A: This could be done by listening to a resize event and manipulating the CSS width & height properties accordingly but there's an easier way if your <canvas> element is always the same size.
To understand what's going on you need to know that the width & height set via the canvas' elements own attributes is the 'real' resolution of the canvas. What size is actually rendered on screen can be controlled by the CSS width & height properties.
What we want to do is scale the canvas to fill the browser's available vertical viewport and scale it's height while maintaining the canvas' original aspect ratio.
First we need to calculate it's aspect ratio: 300 / 1200 = 0.25 which means it's height is 1/4 of it's width. In plain english we want to make the canvas width 100% the viewport's width and it's height 25% the viewport's width.
Luckily this transfers directly to the CSS vw unit. e.g. 100vw==100% viewport width.
So all you have to do is setting the canvas CSS width to 100vw and it's height to 25vw.
Here's an example:

let image = new Image();
let canvas = document.getElementById('canvas');
let context = canvas.getContext('2d');
image.crossOrigin = 'anonymous';
image.onload = (e) => {
  context.drawImage(e.target, 0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
}
image.src = 'https://picsum.photos/id/10/1200/300';
#canvas {
  background-color: black;
  width: 100vw;
  height: 25vw;
}

  <canvas id="canvas" width="1200" height="300">
    Your browser does not support Canvas.
  </canvas>


text:
Q: Refactoring a XML_Unserializer reliant class to use DOMDocument I have a class that takes this xml file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
    <pagedata>
        <language>en-es</language>
        <meta>
            <![CDATA[
            <title>web page</title>
            ]]>
        </meta>
        <pagecontent>
            <class>test</class>
                </pagecontent>
         </pagedata>

And uses XML_Unserializer to mutate this into an array. It becomes:
Array
(
    [language] => en-US
    [meta] => <title></title>
    [pagecontent] => Array
        (
            [class] => test
)

I then have methods that return values of keys in the array. So for instance if I wanted the language I'd use $class->getData('language') or $class->getData('pagecontent:class').
We no longer support PHP4 so I can now rely on native XML implementations. I have worked both with SimpleXML and the standard php DOM library. I prefer the latter since it's more powerful and flexible and simpleXML comes with certain caveats.
Since I have used the unserializer class, nearly all my methods interact with function methods such as foreach. I'm wondering if it's worth it to keep it an array, which would save me from refactoring all my methods? In addition, I know that it's sometimes a pain to grab the entire nodeValue of an element, because then you have to implement methods such as:
function innerHTML($node){
  $doc = new DOMDocument();
  foreach ($node->childNodes as $child)
    $doc->appendChild($doc->importNode($child, true));

  return $doc->saveHTML();
}

And it seems inefficient using that method many times over since it always creates a DOMDocument. I could probably refactor the method so it uses the same DOMDocument over and over and appends fragments but it seems overkill.
I would appreciate any input on this manner, in terms of whether I should even use the standard DOM lib and if so, should I refactor all my methods to use DOM functions or create an array and keep my methods as they are, in order to lower the chance of introducing new bugs?
Thanks.

A: I'd use SimpleXML in your case since it's possible to keep the foreach loops with only few changes. It makes using XML simpler than using PHP's DOM itself. Accessing attributes is also easy with it.


text:
How to Make Young Adult Fiction More Diverse
By Kate Linnea Welsh
Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon are trying to show that books for young readers do not have to feature only white, straight characters
Little, Brown/Greenwillow Books
Forget the vampire invasion or the mania for dystopian stories. Some authors think the truly troubling trend in young adult fiction is that most characters are predominantly white and straight—even after the genre's expansion in recent years. So authors Malinda Lo (Ash, Huntress) and Cindy Pon (Silver Phoenix, Fury of the Phoenix) decided to do something about it: They created the Diversity in YA Fiction website and launched an accompanying speaking tour. Lo said her goal with the site was less to convince authors to write differently and more to highlight the diversity that was already present in YA: characters of a broad mix of races, ethnicities, sexualities, physical abilities, and more.
Pon says that she and Lo had long joked about touring together, and when they found out that their second novels would be released around the same time, they decided to actually do it. As two Asian-American writers, it was natural to tour "under the banner of celebrating diversity," as Pon put it. They chose cities where other authors who write about a wide range of characters live, and invited a different group of writers to join them at each tour stop.
At a recent event at the Cambridge Public Library in Massachusetts, Pon and Lo were joined by Holly Black (author of the Curse Workers series), Sarah Rees Brennan (the Demon's Lexicon trilogy), Deva Fagan (Fortune's Folly, Circus Galacticus), and Francisco X. Stork (The Last Summer of the Death Warriors). Lo told me that they were happy that a few teens showed up, but "we were also very much targeting librarians, bloggers, educators, and other members of the book business with our tour. YA books are often delivered to teens via these gatekeepers, so we wanted to make sure that they were part of the diversity discussion."
The panelist who traveled the farthest for the event was Rees Brennan, who lives in Ireland. "I think we all have to write the change we want to see in the world," she said. "And wanting the world to be better is something every person wants—and wanting to write better and more interesting books is something every writer wants." For Rees Brennan, reading and writing about diverse characters, regardless of genre, is just more interesting. The characters in her trilogy about British teenagers hunting demons include a black girl, a disabled boy, and several gay characters. She told me: "I think writing with attention to the different world people see, and the different issues they face, makes you a better writer - and with luck makes the reader see a different world."
Marketing concerns, of course, play a big role in all of this. Conventional wisdom assumes that white kids won't pick up a book that has a picture of a person of color on the cover, and there have been controversial incidents of YA covers being "whitewashed" in recent years. One of the most widely-publicized examples was the cover of Justine Larbalestier's Liar: her publishers planned to have a white model stand in for her black main character until they bowed to her objections and public outcry.
Pon worries that a book with an Asian-American on the cover will be seen as a book for Asian-Americans, when in fact her books are aimed at fantasy lovers, not a specifically ethnic audience. For similar reasons, Malinda Lo noted her publishers try to "disguise" the fact that the main character in her retelling of Cinderella is a lesbian by not making it clear in the jacket copy or beginning of the book. While many readers are surprised to discover the identity of the character's love interest, "some are okay with it" even though they might not have picked up a novel marketed as LGBTQ.
The authors were unanimous in their belief that "anyone should be able to write about anyone," as Stork put it. Most of his books are about Latino teen boys, but his goal is to write good stories, not Latino stories. Stork and the rest of the authors thoroughly reject the idea that only authors who are part of a given minority group should be "allowed" to write characters who are part of that group. Pon applauds anyone who "writes beyond their own personal experience," but pointed out that it's important for authors to do extra research and extend more respect to the experiences of others when writing about things they haven't lived through themselves. "We have an obligation as writers to represent the world we live in," said Holly Black, "[but] doing it badly is not better than not doing it."
The tour has ended now, but Lo tells me that the site will keep going strong at least throughout 2011, and she's happy that readers are already asking for a second tour. Because she and Pon organized and financed the tour themselves, there are currently no plans for a follow-up, but they are working on putting together panels for events like the World Fantasy Convention. She is committed to keeping the discussion going. "If we want to see a world that is full of diverse stories, every one of us has a responsibility to do our own part to make that happen."
What's the one thing these authors would like people to know about YA? Lo: "The goal is not to teach moral lessons to teenagers." And Pon: "That it's good literature. That it's not beneath them." For Rees Brennan, it's all about the characters, and diversity is a big part of that: "Bad home lives, good home lives, different cultures: make the characters seem like real people, and reflect the diversity of reality. It's a pretty gorgeous kaleidoscope."
Read all the posts in our Young Adult Fiction series.


text:
Serving Overseas and at Saint Paul College
Army Reservist SGT Prince Ngaima is a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic with the 203rd Inland Cargo Transport Company out of Arden Hills. He just returned from a 9-month deployment to Kuwait where he served his nation while continuing his education by taking several online courses at Saint Paul College. This Fall, he is enrolled in four classes (Chemistry, Accounting, Business, and Writing Composition) to pursue a Business Transfer Pathway. Passionate about service and loyalty, SGT Ngaima also serves on the Saint Paul College's Veteran Committee. He provides outstanding input on how the college can continue to improve the way they accommodate the unique situations often arising from military service members.
SGT Ngaima moved to the United States from Liberia as a teenager and joined the military out of a strong desire to serve others. He embraces personal responsibility and shares his invaluable military lessons with fellow students. A few of the benefits he believes service members offer to both college students and faculty include:
Problem-solving Skills - Learning how to solve complex problems in unique settings, service members bring new perspectives and approaches that open up new ideas to consider.
Authentic Diversity - Service members work closely with people from diverse cultures and bring well-rounded and inclusive values to their schools.
Time Management - Service members overcome many obstacles in their educational journey through focused discipline which are often emulated by fellow students.
Leadership - Especially the challenging skill of earning the trust and belief of followers and how to bring out the best group outcomes while ensuring strong team morale.
Selfless Service - Profound perspective of serving others in organizations with the approach of "always being ready to contribute to the greater good."
Always motivated to improve himself, Sgt Ngaima is dedicated to balancing military service with his educational pursuits and time with his three children. With a passion for aviation, his career goal is to become a commercial pilot and work in aviation business/administration. He says the Veterans Administration (VA) need to continue improving their respective processes for equipping servicemembers with tuition support programs. He has seen far too many of his military colleagues start the process to secure tuition assistance, but they give up because the process is too lengthy or difficult to navigate without good advice from those familiar with the processes. Great insight from the frontlines in Kuwait!
SGT Ngaima serves on the Saint Paul College Veterans Committee and appreciates how the college has provided him with the flexibility he needed while serving overseas to meet these dual obligations. He shared his appreciation for the many teachers who have understood his unique situation and provided him with much-needed flexibility on assignment due dates. He has provided great input on how a college can serve students halfway around the world through real-time communications and a service-first mentality, an intangible skill that he says guides his approach to serving his nation while pursuing his educational and career aspirations.
Saint Paul College leadership has established an active Veterans Committee, which is working diligently to become a Yellow Ribbon college and ensure our college is adaptable to meet the many unique challenges facing our military and veteran students, as well as their families. For further information on our College veteran's initiatives, contact Alan Duff or Bushra Rizvi.


DETROIT -- Group 1 Automotive Inc., an operator of car dealerships, on Thursday slashed its quarterly and full-year earnings outlook due to weak sales and a charge for damage from a hailstorm.
The revised outlook from the Houston company comes less than a week after rival AutoNation Inc. cut its earnings outlook, citing weaker sales in June for Ford Motor Co. and General Motors vehicles.
Group 1 said it cut its forecast for 2004 earnings to a range of $2.95 to $3.15 per share, down about 8 percent from its previous range of $3.20 to $3.40 per share set in April.
The revised outlook excludes a charge of 17 cents per share from the redemption in March of some debt, but includes the positive impact of new acquisitions, including three dealerships with total annual revenues of $315 million announced Thursday.
Analysts' estimates ranged between $3.15 to $3.30 per share, with an average of $3.25 per share, according to Reuters Research.
Group 1 said it expects to report second-quarter earnings in the range of 65 cents to 69 cents per share, below Wall Street estimates. Analysts had expected second-quarter earnings of between 83 cents to 94 cents per share, with an average forecast of 91 cents per share.
The second-quarter outlook includes a charge of about 8 cents per share from a hailstorm that damaged or destroyed more than 1,000 vehicles, or about 95 percent of the inventory, at dealerships in Amarillo, Texas.
Group 1 said sales have been less-than-expected at some of its dealerships, particularly for its Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. stores, which account for about 40 percent of the company's new-vehicle sales.
U.S. new-vehicle sales slid to their weakest levels in six years in June, far below expectations, due in part to weak results for Ford and GM, which lost market share to Asian rivals.


text:
Moonlit Escapism...
Mist - Free Me from the Sun (2018)
We first heard the Slovenian band of Mist back in 2013, with their succinctly-titled Demo. Two EPs and five years later, the group has their first full album ready to share with the world, and in its ten tracks, the quintet show how they've developed their style over half a decade. Big sound, bold riffs, and a solemn atmosphere typify the album, with assertive guitar-lines and rich vocals providing the main guidance to the melodies. There's very much a 'retro doom' vibe to the songs, with traces of the more somber giants, like Candlemass and Saint Vitus, evident in the deliberation shaping mood and bass shading.
As such, while the usual aggression common to metal does show up regularly, its in the music's slower and more thoughtful moments that it really shines ("December" being a prime example). The heaviness is more of a means to an end than the be-all, end-all of something like Ommadon, but it's also deployed with effective dedication and thoughtfulness, wrapping around the core melodies with impressive bonding for what it is. A little more resonance or up-mixing of the bass would have been nice, but considering the need to balance five members' contributions, the end result is understandable. In any event, it's a pleasure to see this group finally put out an LP, and for something five years in the making, it certainly doesn't disappoint.
For Fans Of; Blood Ceremony, Demon Head, Disenchanter, Pilgrim, Saint Vitus
Facebook • Instagram • Tumblr • Youtube • BandCamp
Mist - December (320 kbps)
Free me of the sun by Mist
Labels: Doom Metal, Mist, Retro Doom, Slovenia, Soulseller Records
Thoroughly Stirred...
Handshakes And Heartaches...
Purge And Binge...
Stars And Bars...