The following photos, videos, and event summaries were shared in Starr King's email updates during the 2018 Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly (GA), June 20-24, 2018 in Kansas City, MO. To receive the latest news from Starr King, please subscribe to our mailing list (look for the red box on this page) and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Greetings from The City of Fountains!
The 2018 Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly has officially begun! We can already feel the excitement in the air at the Kansas City Convention Center in the heart of downtown Kansas City. Each year we look forward to this annual meeting of the UUA, where Unitarian Universalists have the opportunity to worship, witness, learn, connect, and participate in the UUA's democratic process and we can reconnect with our community.
This year's theme, "All Are Called," is rooted in the idea that we are all prophets, constantly asking how we may faithfully meet the demands of our time. The call to witness and act for justice in our society and in the world is clear. We are here to help you answer your call, whether that is to become a progressive religious leader or just to take a few classes to expand your education.
The Starr King booth is always a highlight of General Assembly for us. Not only do we get the opportunity to meet with alumni and hear about the wonderful work they are doing, but we also have the chance to talk to many attendees of all ages about the educational opportunities we offer.
One of the highlights of the booth this year is a sample of the books contained in the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book collection. We have on display a copy of The White Hills, the only book Thomas Starr King published in his lifetime. In addition, we are excited to present a Latin translation of the Racovian Catechism, a nontrinitarian statement of faith published in 1609 by the Polish Brethren and rejected by the Protestant and Catholic Church alike. The copy on display is one of the few copies still extant, and represents a work whose influences are still evident in the Unitarian tradition.
The Berry Street Lecture is the longest running ministerial conference in the world. Today marked the 198th session. The first lecture was held on May 30, 1820 and has been held annually ever since, except one year during WWII.
This year's subject was "Creating Leaders for Beloved Community: The Challenges of Mentorship." Rev. Kate Walker began with Scribal Remarks and introduced this year's Moderator, Rev. Julie Taylor. This year's essayist, Rev. Dr. Meg Riley (Senior Minister at the Church of the Larger Fellowship), along with the two respondents, Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt and Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen, spoke about their own experiences being mentored and how certain people helped shape them into who they are now.
Each year at General Assembly, UU congregations and organizations from across the country gather to celebrate together at the Banner Parade. This colorful event kicks off General Assembly with music and festivity. Representatives from a variety of groups and congregations gather to display colorful banners, and Starr King is honored to be among them. This high-energy event draws us together in one spirit and prepares us for the work ahead.
This year, Starr King staff, faculty, and students walked together through the celebratory crowd in solidarity with our fellow Unitarian Universalists. As always, it is a blessing to see so many of our graduates' faces among the crowd, some bearing banners, and some cheering us on. We are grateful for the love and support of all the Starr King family that attended this event.
Friends of Starr King braved an early morning and some gentle rain to attend our annual Friendship Breakfast. This event brings together current students, alumni, board members, and those invested in the work of Starr King. We heard testimony from Dianne Daniels, our current Student Representative to the Board, from President Rosemary Bray McNatt, and from Board Member Alison Miller.
We were also graced with a viewing of a new Starr King-produced video detailing the spiritual journey of Anthony Mtuaswa Johnson, a 2018 Starr King graduate who began his pilgrimage on the south side of Chicago and eventually found a home in Unitarian Universalism. Mtuaswa has been a powerful contributor to the life of Starr King, and we are pleased to be able to share his story as he continues on his path to ministry in UU congregations. To watch this compelling video, click here.
Should you feel moved to make a financial gift to Starr King, please click here. Contributions of any level are sincerely appreciated!
Dr. Jay Atkinson joined us in the Starr King booth to speak on the history and influence of the 1609 Racovian Catechism we have on display at GA. This represents a sample from the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book collection housed at Starr King. Jay will be repeating this presentation on Saturday at 12:45 p.m., and we encourage all those with an interest in Unitarian Universalist history to attend. For a video of this lecture, click here.
The panel held a space for the audience to voice their comments, concerns, fears, and questions. As a group, they discussed strategies and tactics that are more effective, although as Rev. Nguyen pointed out, "no action is perfect." Among the many topics covered in this discussion, all of the panelists attributed their activist grounding to their ancestors, background, and/or family history. They called upon the audience to embody their values under pressure, not only when it is convenient.
The Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt presented her annual President's lecture, "Finding Our Religion: A Guide to Faithful Resistance." She expressed her own feelings of despair at the behavior of the current administration, and exhorted the attendees to be willing to sit with such despair in order to be better prepared for the work ahead. She reminded us that the current political climate of fear and hatred has been building for a long time, and that we should look to Black communities for evidence of encroaching fascism and intolerance, as they are the first targets. She encouraged us to take real, tangible action: write to your congresspeople, run for office, register people to vote. Many attendees stepped forward to offer suggestions of real, concrete actions and successes they have had in their respective congregations and communities.
SKSM Vice President for Advancement, Jessica Cloud, co-facilitated a workshop with Elizabeth Terry, Jacqueline Brett, Jay Pacitti, and Mark Ewert that explored the ways in which white supremacy culture is infused in our stewardship and fundraising practices as UUs. The groups discussed a number of issues and questions centered around how we can untangle our stewardship from white supremacy in pursuit of racial equity.
The Rev. Sofia Betancourt served on the "Centering Theology: Conversation About Faith, Race, and Liberation" panel, as part of the UUA's Commission on Institutional Change. The panel addressed timely theological questions related to the white, heteronormative, economically privileged underpinnings of the UU faith. The panel challenged us to become more aware of the true depth of who we are as Unitarian Universalists and to allow ourselves to be shaped by the fullness of the experiences in our congregations. Rev. Betancourt and her fellow panelists called us to grapple with how our UU theology serves us and how we are serving it. They also challenged us to create space where all can show up and be welcomed in the fullness of who they are.
During the Torda450 International Worship Service, SKSM's 2017-2018 Balazs Scholar Lidia-Emese Bodor joined Prof. Rupaia Lamarr, Dr. Rica Lamarr, Paul Niyonizigiye, and Rev. Racz Norbert to discuss personal stories of faith and worship from their respective countries. Emese spoke fondly about her time at Starr King. She called us to remember the 450 year legacy of the Edict of Torda, when congregations and individuals were declared to choose their own religious leaders and beliefs without fear of governmental imprisonment. She encouraged everyone to communicate better and to open our minds and doors for others to teach us.
The 2017-2018 Student Body President, Ariel Aaronson-Eves, presented with Rev. Sara Green and Julie Mettenburg on Holistic Management: Healing Systems, Spirits, and Society. This participatory workshop served as an introduction to holistic management as a decision making framework and discussed knowledge of ecosystems processes and the kinds of tools that can be used to help manage land. The audience simulated creating a plan for holistic management in a congregational setting.
The day started bright and early as recent and long-term SKSM graduates gathered for breakfast to network and celebrate the work of Starr King.
We were also joined by two very special guests, Paul and Dominica Kimball, the son and daughter-in-law of the late Starr King President, Robert Kimball.
SKSM's Assistant Professor of Unitarian Universalist Theologies and Ethics, Rev. Sofia Betancourt, and SKSM Graduates Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom and Rev. Kathleen McTigue held a workshop alongside UUA Board of Trustees member Manish Mishra-Marzetti titled "Called to the Intersections of Justice." They each reflected on racial justice and equity and what that fight really looks like, including but not limited to experiential work and learning. Together, they were all involved in the writing of the coming year's common read, Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class, and the Environment. The session ended with a Q&A session with the audience.
President Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt and Vice President of Advancement Jessica Cloud attended a meeting for the Wake Now Our Vision Collaborative Campaign today. The six major institutions of Unitarian Universalism have been offered a matching gift through planned giving. For more information, visit wakenowourvision.org.
Starr King faculty, staff, and past and present students got together in the booth for a time of fellowship and outreach. We chatted with prospective students, swapped stories, and essentially recreated the Starr King feel here in Kansas City. The official name of this event was "Meet Starr King" but we have unofficially declared the booth space "Starr King Central!" It was a wonderful chance to catch up with faces we don't always get a chance to see and imitate our home away from home.
The Rev. Dr. Meg Richardson conducted our yearly polity class which covered issues of UU government. This class offers a unique look into the structure and function of the UUA and our congregations. Dr. Richardson teaches this class at GA so that students can attend general sessions and see polity in action.
Testimony: Unitarian Universalism Transforms Lives!
The Church of the Larger Fellowship Worship began with singing "River" as a group, followed by a welcome from Senior Minister Rev. Meg Riley. Director of Prison Ministries and SKSM grad Mandy Goheen lit the chalice and shared a heartbreaking letter from an incarcerated member of CLF that truly demonstrated the importance of CLF and Unitarian Universalism in the prison system. The rest of the worship service consisted of many testimonies, including one by Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt. Rev. Bray McNatt told the story of how she found Unitarian Universalism after rejecting the church at a young age. She described how she found faith, family, community, and her calling in Unitarian Universalism.
Our very own Assistant Professor of Ethics and Society, Megan Dowdell, led a workshop on building support groups for people with chronic illnesses and/or pain within congregations. She discussed the sometimes blurred lines between mental and physical health and the difficulties of being inclusive without the group becoming too broad. The audience simulated their own support groups while Megan helped facilitate.
We are blessed that SKSM Board Trustee, the Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore, serves on the UUA's Commission on Institutional Change. Rev. Fenimore participated in a discussion on the process of truth and reconciliation within Unitarian Universalism. The Commission urged the reduction of inadequate responses when information is so readily available. They advised the audience to be uncomfortable but not afraid to begin; to acknowledge our role in the system and practice humility and forgiveness. Our Commission on Institutional Change is leading the movement in a process to determine what truth and reconciliation means for us as Unitarian Universalists today.
SKSM Board Trustee Rev. Alison Miller participated in a discussion on Jewish rituals in Unitarian Universalist churches. She recommended the audience pay attention to the liturgical year when planning services and rituals. She makes it a practice to not overlap Jewish rituals with traditional Christian rituals unless they fall on the same day. Additionally, she pointed out that different people tend to choose different holidays to delve into. Not all who attend Jewish rituals identify as Jewish, and vice versa.
Starr King staff, faculty, students, and friends wrapped up our GA events in style at our annual Gala. We celebrated the successes of our past year. We also turned out en masse on the dance floor. It was a joy to celebrate with everyone and the food and music were fantastic. We look forward to doing it again next year in Spokane, Washington! Make plans to join us!


text:
Q: Set selected items for DataGridView ComboBox failed I've got confusion of setting / getting selected indexes of combobox fields inside.
    this.Parameter.DataSource = lambdacat.Dict();
    {
        foreach (DataGridViewRow row in LimView.Rows)
        {
            //( (ComboBox)row.Cells[1] ) ???
        }
    }

yes , this doesn't work :)
thank you

A: You can use
(row.Cells[1] as DataGridViewComboBoxCell).Value == yourvalue;

and get the selected value as
(row.Cells[1] as DataGridViewComboBoxCell).FormattedValue

To set a default selected value
(row.Cells[1] as DataGridViewComboBoxCell).Value =(row.Cells[1] as DataGridViewComboBoxCell).Items[yourneededindex]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Material: Article aluminum +Plastic. Xylophone toy sounds very melodious when you knock it.
Size:16cmx12cm. And each piece of metal knock voice is different.
100% up to date and top quality.
Xylophone toy sounds very melodious whilst you knock it.
And each and every piece of metal knock voice is different.
Can Inspire youngsters's talent for music.
Bright colors building up the children sensitive to colours.
Suitable for 6 months to 7 years old baby / youngsters.
Subject matter: Article aluminum +Plastic. Xylophone toy sounds very melodious whilst you knock it.
Size:16cmx12cm. And each and every piece of metal knock voice is different.


When was the last time you watched a movie with a Chinese villain?
If you can't remember, that may not be too surprising. Take the 2012 remake of the Cold War drama "Red Dawn." It depicted Chinese enemies invading an American town.
At least it did until the script was leaked and angered the Chinese state media.
In the end, MGM spent $1 million digitally erasing evidence of the Chinese Army, frame by frame, and substituting in North Koreans instead.
China wields enormous influence over how it is depicted in the movies Americans make and watch. It's part of a broader push by the government to take control of its global narrative and present a friendlier, less menacing image of China to the world.
As recently as two decades ago, major Hollywood movies were sharply critical of China. "Seven Years in Tibet," which depicts Chinese soldiers brutalizing Tibetans, was one of the top 100 grossing movies of 1997. Also that year, Disney released Martin Scorsese's "Kundun" — a sympathetic portrayal of the Dalai Lama's early life in Mao-era China and his subsequent exile in India — despite objections from the Chinese authorities.
"You're not going to see something that's like 'Seven Years in Tibet' anymore," said Larry Shinagawa, a professor at Hawaii Tokai International College who specializes in Asian and Asian-American studies. Studios that make films critical of China, he said, risk being banned from releasing movies in the country.
At stake for China is more than just the validation of Hollywood's powerbrokers and celebrities. In speeches and at forums, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to "tell China's story well" — to make sure a coherent, compelling and, most important, Communist Party-sanctioned narrative of China's rise to power reaches global audiences.
China has raised its influence in Hollywood by bankrolling a growing number of top-tier films.
Hollywood studios are also eager to grab a slice of China's fast-growing box office market, which surpassed the United States' in total revenue for the first time ever in the first quarter of 2018.
Success in China can make up for a disappointing box office performance at home or even transform a hit into a global blockbuster. By the same token, getting shut out of the Chinese market can be devastating for a movie.
That's a powerful incentive to avoid causing any offense to China.
One of China's top movie regulators spelled it out in a speech at the U.S.-China Film Summit in Los Angeles in 2013.
"We have a huge market, and we want to share it with you," said Zhang Xun, then the president of the state-owned China Film Co-Production Corporation, speaking to a room full of Hollywood executives.
China's campaign to push a positive image abroad has extended beyond Hollywood.
The 2016 film "The Great Wall," a $150 million China-Hollywood co-production starring Matt Damon, was China's highest-profile attempt to make a crossover hit. It was, by most measures, an international flop.
Since then, China has stepped away from the big-budget co-production model, focusing instead on making features that cater to its large and still-expanding domestic market. To do that, it has enlisted Hollywood talent — producers, technical experts and even top celebrities.
But they have had to walk a fine line.
A number of actors, musicians and other celebrities have been barred from entering the country over behavior deemed inappropriate or critical of the Chinese Communist Party.
"Bad behavior," according to the Chinese authorities.
Shouting "Tibet, Tibet" at the end of a performance.
Using an image of the Dalai Lama during a concert.
Pulling "slant eyes" while posing for a photo.
Meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Dedicating a performance to the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.
Wearing a sunflower dress, a pro-democracy symbol, at a performance in Taiwan.
The difference in the "Chinese perspective" was most evident in CGTN's coverage this year of an unexpected proposal to abolish presidential term limits in China's Constitution. While Western news media outlets raced to explain why the amendment, which would open the door to President Xi's indefinite rule, was unprecedented, CGTN's anchors were calm — and eerily synchronized — in their message praising the change.
It is difficult to tell whether China's push to soften its image through movies, media and cultural projects has been successful.


Stairlifts are power by electricity. Many products these days come fitted with a battery back-up that is upon continuous charge. This means that the stair lift can be used possibly in a power cut. Although power-cuts are not common incidents, for stair lift users the ability to get up the stairs is usually not something you can do with no. Bathrooms and bedrooms are often times located upstairs and any interruption in the power can cause an uncomfortable wait for the user. A hand control, integral termes conseillés or buttons are used to move the lift up and down the stairs. If for some reason you are not about the same level as the lift up - it can be called employing controls at either the top or bottom of the set of stairs - a great feature to ensure you can never be stranded.
Stlfamilylife - Ladders nationwide industrial supply. Nationwide industrial supply offers one of the largest selections of quality rolling ladders, step ladders, a frame ladders and extension ladders quantity discounts available government and education po's welcome call 1 800 757 1064. Werner ladder nationwide industrial supply. Werner ladder nationwide industrial supply traction tred® 1 1 2"w deeply serrated aluminum flat d rung interlocking side rails. Louisville ladder� nationwide industrial supply. Find great deals for louisville ladder� everyday at nationwide industrial supply. Tools & ladders moore industrial supply savannah, georgia. Founded in 1960, moore industrial supply co started the business specializing in industrial plastics after many years, our inventory grew to include carbon, stainless, and brass we continue to add industrial specialties to compliment our large inventory of pvf commodities always shipping on time. Nationwide industrial butler, new jersey ripoff report. Ripoff report on: nationwide industrial supply nationwide industrial supply ladder boondoggle butler new jersey. Ladders page 1 industrial ladder & supply co , inc. The d6200 3 fiberglass extension ladders have non conductive rails making these ladders ideal for working near electricity unique three section design allows the ladder to be stored and transported more easily due to shorter length than a 2 section. Nationwide industrial supply butler, new jersey, nj 07405. Nationwide industrial supply self dumping dump hopper self dumping hoppers and stainless steel dump hoppers are perfectly balanced to roll forward when loaded, dump completely, and automatically return to upright, locked position ready for reloading. Industrial ladder & supply co , inc. The werner 6200 series stepladders are design for professional contractors and industrial users with a duty rating of 300 pounds, this series features a holstertop with the lock in system to secure. Nation wide ladder ladders & more shipped us, deliver. Nation wide ladder strives to be the top provider in the in dustry we have many products available if there is something you cannot find, please call us to see if we can further assist you at nh 603 434 6911 o ma 508 754 3030 o me 207 657 2070 nation wide ladder delivery service. Attic ladders page 1 industrial ladder & supply co , inc. Werner w series wood attic ladders 250 lb capacity the w series wood attic ladders have a duty rating of 250 pounds and comes fully assembled and ready to install full wrap around door hinge minimizes heat loss the quality door is ready for staining.


Car sales can be a very competitive business. While the vehicle in question needs to boast style and dependability, its presentation is just as important. In fact, this is one of the key factors that can decide the success or failure of any sale. Unsurprisingly, there are a few key pieces of equipment that can aid in this process. In many ways, seeing is believing.
Vehicles will obviously need to be moved around from time to time. This can be tough within the cramped atmosphere of the typical showroom. So car movers from Stringo are the ideal options. At Stringo, there are a wide variety of models to choose from; each suited for different sizes and weights. These are the best choices when displays must be quickly modified.
All effective showrooms will contain an impressive array of overhead lights. The trick is to obtain fixtures that will provide ample illumination without overpowering the vehicle or the visitor. This can be tough to determine. Thankfully, each unit is designed for specific purposes. With the help of online guides, selecting the correct make and model can be much easier. Variants such as halogen, incandescent, metal fluoride and LED lights are all possibilities.
If you have ever walked into a dealership, one of the first things that you likely noticed was the lustre and shine of the cars on display. This is no accident. While factory finishes can shine, dealers will need to enhance this characteristic through the use of top-quality polishes and waxes. This can also help to avoid the collection of dust and debris. With such a massive selection to choose from, it is always wise to peruse independent review sites to understand which are the best suited for different environments.
The interior of any vehicle is just as important as its outward shine. Should a client wish to take a car on a test drive, he or she needs to be impressed from the moment they take a seat. So, upholstery cleaners are extremely important. Like waxes and polishes, only the top brands should be chosen. At the end of the day, the look and feel of the inside could ultimately decide a sale.
While the personality of the salesperson is quite important, presentation is king. These few suggestions can vastly increase the chances of a sale taking place.


Our Maundy Thursday Worship will be at The Gathering Place on Thursday, April 18, at 7:00 p.m.
It will be a drama of The Last Supper with Holy Communion served.
Our Good Friday Worship will be April 19 in the main sanctuary at 7:00 p.m.
There will be an Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 21. Breakfast will be served from 7:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
We will have our regular worship services at 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.
"THE GATHERING...A Place to Belong"
Located in the church parking lot , on the corner of Marshall St. and RT 136, across the street from Dollar General.


text:
30 years of providing legal services
Łaszczuk & Partners
Privacy policy and legal disclaimer
New Consumer Rights Act
The Consumer Rights Act of May 30, 2014, enters into force on December 25, 2014. The act imposes new informational obligations on businesses in their dealings with consumers and also makes major changes in Polish warranty and guarantee regulations.
In the case of contracts concluded in the traditional manner—e.g. in a store—the list of information that must be provided to the consumer is much less extensive than in the case of off-premises and distance contracts. If a business concludes a contract outside of business premises or at a distance, it is required to provide the consumer, among other things, information about the main characteristics of the goods or services, the seller's identification data, the rules for exercising the right to withdraw from the contract, the costs of using distance communications for conclusion of the contract (if higher than the basic rates), the seller's obligation to provide items free from defects, the existence of codes of conduct binding on the seller and how to access them, and the ability to pursue out-of-court complaint and redress mechanisms and how to access them. These examples of information to be provided to consumers are just part of a longer list that includes over 20 items. If certain information is not provided, the act imposes severe sanctions on businesses. Moreover, the Code of Petty Offenses provides that failure to perform the obligation to provide information as required in the Consumer Rights Act constitutes a petty offense punishable by a fine.
As is now the case, after entry into force of the new act a consumer who has concluded an off-premises contract or distance contract will have a right to withdraw from the contract. The new act extends the period for exercising the right to withdraw to 14 days. The time from which this period begins to run will also change. The act introduces rules concerning costs incurred in connection with return of an item when exercising the right to withdraw from the contract and the possibility of charging such costs to the consumer, and also specifies instances when the consumer's right to withdraw from the contract may be excluded.
After entry into force of the new Consumer Rights Act, the Civil Code provisions concerning warranty (rękojmia) will be applicable to consumers, although some issues in this area will be regulated differently for consumers. For example, the possibility of expansion, exclusion or limitation of warranty liability in dealings with consumers is expressly excluded, except where expressly permitted by specific regulations. The new act specifies also the wording of the guarantee certificate (oświadczenie gwarancyjne).
If you require our assistance in this respect, please contact our advocate Michał Chodkowski (michal.chodkowski@laszczuk.pl) or our tax adviser and advocate Aleksandra Faderewska-Waszkiewicz (aleksandra.faderewska@laszczuk.pl).
made by superskrypt
Łaszczuk i Wspólnicy sp.k.
Pl. Piłsudskiego 2
show phone +48 22 351 00 67
@show email warsaw@laszczuk.pl
©2020 Łaszczuk i Wspólnicy sp.k.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import os
import xml.dom.minidom
from gini_components import *

class GINI_NW:
    switches = []
    vm = []
    vrm = []
    vmb = []
    vr = []
    vwr = []

    def __init__(self, docDOM):
        "Initialize the GINI_NW class"
        self.getSwitches(docDOM.getElementsByTagName("vs"))
        self.getVMs(docDOM.getElementsByTagName('vm'))
        self.getVRMs(docDOM.getElementsByTagName('vrm'))
        self.getVMBs(docDOM.getElementsByTagName("vmb"))
        self.getVRs(docDOM.getElementsByTagName("vr"))
	self.getVWRs(docDOM.getElementsByTagName("vwr"))

    def getSwitches(self, elements):
        "get the switch configuration"
        for switch in elements:
            newSwitch = Switch(switch.getAttribute("name"))
            for para in switch.childNodes:
                if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "priority"):
                        newSwitch.priority = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "mac"):
                        newSwitch.mac = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "target"):
                        newSwitch.targets.append(self.getTextPart(para))
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "port"):
                        newSwitch.port = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "remote"):
                        newSwitch.remote = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "hub"):
                        newSwitch.hub = True
            self.switches.append(newSwitch)
        return True

    def getVMs(self, elements):
        "get virtual machine configurations"
        for vm in elements:
            newVM = VM(vm.getAttribute("name"))
            for para in vm.childNodes:
                if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "filesystem"):
                        newVM.fileSystem = FileSystem()
                        newVM.fileSystem.type = para.getAttribute("type")
                        newVM.fileSystem.name = os.environ["GINI_SHARE"] + "/filesystem/" + self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "mem"):
                        newVM.mem = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "kernel"):
                        newVM.kernel = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "boot"):
                        newVM.boot = self.getBoot(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "if"):
                        newIF = self.getVMIF(para, len(newVM.interfaces))
                        newVM.addInterface(newIF)
            self.vm.append(newVM)
        return True

    def getVRMs(self, elements):
        "get remote machine configurations"
        for vrm in elements:
            newVRM = VRM(vrm.getAttribute("name"))
            for para in vrm.childNodes:
                if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "filesystem"):
                        newVRM.fileSystem = FileSystem()
                        newVRM.fileSystem.type = para.getAttribute("type")
                        newVRM.fileSystem.name = os.environ["GINI_HOME"] + "/" + self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "mem"):
                        newVRM.mem = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "kernel"):
                        newVRM.kernel = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "boot"):
                        newVRM.boot = self.getBoot(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "if"):
                        newIF = self.getVMIF(para, len(newVRM.interfaces))
                        newVRM.addInterface(newIF)
            self.vrm.append(newVRM)
        return True

    def getVMBs(self, elements):
        "get wireless virtual machine configurations"
        for vmb in elements:
            newVMB = VMB(vmb.getAttribute("name"))
            for para in vmb.childNodes:
                if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "filesystem"):
                        newVMB.fileSystem = FileSystem()
                        newVMB.fileSystem.type = para.getAttribute("type")
                        newVMB.fileSystem.name = os.environ["GINI_SHARE"] + "/filesystem/" + self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "mem"):
                        newVMB.mem = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "kernel"):
                        newVMB.kernel = self.getTextPart(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "boot"):
                        newVMB.boot = self.getBoot(para)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "if"):
                        newIF = self.getVMIF(para, len(newVMB.interfaces))
                        newVMB.addInterface(newIF)
            self.vmb.append(newVMB)
        return True

    def getVRs(self, elements):
        "Get router specification"
        for router in elements:
            newVR = VR(router.getAttribute("name"))
            for para in router.childNodes:
                if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "cli"):
                        newVR.cli = True
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "netif"):
                        newIF = self.getVRIF(para, len(newVR.netIF)+1)
                        newVR.addNetIF(newIF)
            self.vr.append(newVR)
        return True

    def getVWRs(self, elements):
        "Get wireless router specification"
        for router in elements:
            newVWR = VWR(router.getAttribute("name"))
            for para in router.childNodes:
                if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "cli"):
                        newVWR.cli = True
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "netif"):
                        newIF = self.getVRIF(para, len(newVWR.netIF))
                        newVWR.addNetIF(newIF)
                    if (para.tagName.lower() == "netif_wireless"):
                        newWIF = self.getVWRIF(para, len(newVWR.netIFWireless))
                        newVWR.addWirelessIF(newWIF)
            self.vwr.append(newVWR)
        return True

    def getTextPart(self,elem):
        "Extract the text within the element"
        for textPart in elem.childNodes:
            if (textPart.nodeType == textPart.TEXT_NODE):
                remoteName = textPart.nodeValue.strip()
                if (remoteName):
                    return remoteName
        return ""

    def getBoot(self, elem):
        "get boot elememnt in VM specification"
        for part in elem.childNodes:
            if (part.nodeType == part.ELEMENT_NODE and
                part.tagName.lower() == "con0"):
                return self.getTextPart(part)
        return ""

    def getVMIF(self, elem, count):
        "get VM network interface specification"
        ifName =  "eth%d" % count
        myIF = VMInterface(ifName)
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "target"):
                    myIF.target = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "mac"):
                    myIF.mac = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ip"):
                    myIF.ip = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "route"):
                    newRoute = self.getVMRoute(para)
                    myIF.addRoute(newRoute)
        return myIF

    def getVMRoute(self, elem):
        "Extract VM route entries"
        newRoute = VMRoute()
        newRoute.type = elem.getAttribute("type")
        newRoute.netmask = elem.getAttribute("netmask")
        newRoute.gw = elem.getAttribute("gw")
        newRoute.dest = self.getTextPart(elem)
        return newRoute

    def getVRIF(self, elem, index):
        "get virtual router network interface"
        ifName =  "eth%d" % index
        myIF = VRInterface(ifName)
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "target"):
                    myIF.target = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "nic"):
                    myIF.nic = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ip"):
                    myIF.ip = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "network"):
                    myIF.network = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "gw"):
                    myIF.gw = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "mtu"):
                    myIF.mtu = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "rtentry"):
                    newRoute = self.getVRRoute(para)
                    myIF.addRoute(newRoute)
        return myIF

    def getVWRIF(self, elem, index):
        "get virtual wireless router network interface"
        ifName =  "eth%d" % index
        myWIF = VWRInterface(ifName)
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "nic"):
                    myWIF.nic = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ip"):
                    myWIF.ip = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "network"):
                    myWIF.network = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "rtentry"):
                    newRoute = self.getVRRoute(para)
                    myWIF.addRoute(newRoute)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "wireless_card"):
                    newWcard = self.getWcard(para)
                    myWIF.wireless_card = newWcard
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "energy"):
                    newEnergy = self.getEnergy(para)
                    myWIF.energy = newEnergy
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "mac_layer"):
                    newMlayer = self.getMlayer(para)
                    myWIF.mac_layer = newMlayer
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "antenna"):
                    newAntenna = self.getAntenna(para)
                    myWIF.antenna = newAntenna
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "mobility"):
                    newMobility = self.getMobility(para)
                    myWIF.mobility = newMobility
        return myWIF

    def getWcard(self, elem):
        newWcard = WirelessCard()
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "w_type"):
                    newWcard.wType = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "freq"):
                    newWcard.freq = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "bandwidth"):
                    newWcard.bandwidth = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "pt"):
                    newWcard.pt = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "pt_c"):
                    newWcard.ptC = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "pr_c"):
                    newWcard.prC = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "p_idle"):
                    newWcard.pIdle = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "p_sleep"):
                    newWcard.pSleep = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "p_off"):
                    newWcard.pOff = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "rx"):
                    newWcard.rx = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "cs"):
                    newWcard.cs = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "cp"):
                    newWcard.cp = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "module"):
                    newWcard.module = self.getTextPart(para)
        return newWcard

    def getEnergy(self, elem):
        newEnergy = Energy()
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "power"):
                    newEnergy.power = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "psm"):
                    newEnergy.psm = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "energy_amount"):
                    newEnergy.energyAmount = self.getTextPart(para)
        return newEnergy

    def getMlayer(self, elem):
        newMlayer = MacLayer()
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "mac_type"):
                    newMlayer.macType = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "trans"):
                    newMlayer.trans = self.getTextPart(para)
        return newMlayer

    def getAntenna(self, elem):
        newAntenna = Antenna()
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "a_type"):
                    newAntenna.aType = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ant_h"):
                    newAntenna.ant_h = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ant_g"):
                    newAntenna.ant_g = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ant_l"):
                    newAntenna.ant_l = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "jam"):
                    newAntenna.jam = self.getTextPart(para)
        return newAntenna

    def getMobility(self, elem):
        newMobility = Mobility()
        for para in elem.childNodes:
            if (para.nodeType == para.ELEMENT_NODE):
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "m_type"):
                    newMobility.mType = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ran_max"):
                    newMobility.ranMax = self.getTextPart(para)
                if (para.tagName.lower() == "ran_min"):
                    newMobility.ranMin = self.getTextPart(para)
        return newMobility

    def getVRRoute(self, elem):
        "Extract VR route entries"
        newRoute = VRRoute()
        newRoute.netmask = elem.getAttribute("netmask")
        newRoute.nexthop = elem.getAttribute("nexthop")
        newRoute.dest = self.getTextPart(elem)
        return newRoute

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Iran developed a national hospital performance measurement program (HPMP) which has been implemented annually throughout its hospitals since 1997. However, little is known yet about its development and the impact of the program on hospital performance.
This study aims to describe the development and process of implementation of the HPMP, and to explore the impact on hospital performance by looking at the trends of performance scores of all different types of Iranian hospitals.
This was a mixed method study consisting of longitudinal data and qualitative document analysis. Hospital performance data over the period of 2002 to 2008 was analysed.
Iran instituted a comprehensive HPMP and implemented it in all hospitals since 1997. The program followed a phased development to stimulate performance and quality improvement in hospitals. Overall, the program has had a positive impact on the performance of general and specialized hospitals. The performance of general hospitals did not appear to be associated with their size or affiliated university ranking. However, the rate of performance improvement of general teaching and private hospitals was significantly lower than the average improvement rate of all general hospitals. There was no relationship between teaching status of the specialized hospitals and their level of performance. However, the performance of the governmental specialized hospitals showed a substantial decline over time. Moreover, among specialized hospitals, the bigger sized and those affiliated with higher ranked universities, reported better performance.
Overall, the development and implementation of an obligatory HPMP in Iran has improved the level of performance in general and specialized hospitals. However, there is room for further performance improvement especially in the general teaching, private, and governmental specialized hospitals. Reconsidering the ownership type, funding mechanisms and responsibility for the HPMP may have an impact on the absolute level of performance and improvement capacity of hospitals. In addition, the role and composition of survey teams, mechanism of implementation according to the characteristics of hospitals, and updating standards are important factors to promote performance improvement and hospital accreditation requirements.
Performance and quality improvement (QI) of hospitals has become an intrinsic target of health care systems. Nowadays most health care managers and policy makers are trying to find mechanisms to measure performance and improve quality in health care [1, 2]. Access to health care organizations' performance and quality information is now considered as an absolute right for communities and patients because they could be better informed for making choices between health care facilities and providers . Performance measurement (PM) is a key concept of QI initiatives; which provides information on the level of achievement of quality improvement targets and facilitates the identification of opportunities for improvement [4–6]. Various studies e.g. [7–12] have reported that PM causes improvements in health care performance; such as quality of care, efficiency and accountability in different sectors of health systems. Hospital PM usually focuses on the level of achievement of specific functional, clinical and administrative targets. It provides information to compare hospital's commitment with the original targets, standards or expectations which can facilitate the identification of possible opportunities for improvement in different dimensions [4, 13–17].
Considering the important role of PM in the health sector and the increasing interest in development and expansion of PM especially in hospitals, health care systems around the world have invested in measuring and reporting hospital performance data in recent years [18, 19]. As a result, considerable resources are spent on performance and quality measurement and reports which make them as influential tools for policy makers [4, 20, 21]. For example, at international level the World Health Organization (WHO)–among others–reports the results of health systems PM globally . At national level, most recently in 2012, the US government established a bonus and penalty system for hospitals which links the payments to the level of performance and quality of care provided to patients .
In response to the worldwide interest and increasing demands for PM, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) instituted in 1997 an evaluation system for measuring performance of hospitals and improving their quality. The so-called "Hospital Evaluation Program" will be referred to in this paper as "Hospital Performance Measurement Program" (HPMP). The MOHME measures the performance of all hospitals at least once a year by grading them on a six point scale according to their performance scores. The government obliged all hospitals by statutory to undergo the HPMP. The results are linked to the financial mechanisms through a pay for performance (P4P) and performance-based budgeting system . Therefore, the PM has a substantial impact on budget allocation and payments to the hospitals.
How was the HPMP developed and implemented across the Iranian hospitals?
What is the trend of Iranian hospitals' performance results, as assessed through the performance scores, over the period of 2002 to 2008?
Is there any association between the type of ownership, teaching status, hospital size or rank of the medical university (to which hospitals are affiliated) of the general (non) teaching and specialized hospitals and the hospitals' performance scores over the period of 2002 to 2008?
We performed a mixed qualitative and quantitative study, consisting of a descriptive analysis of the implementation of the HPM program, and a quantitative comparative analysis of hospital performance data over the period of 2002 to 2008. The descriptive data for this study were collected from accessible official documents of the MOHME issued between 1997 and 2010, medical universities' websites, and a PhD thesis [12, 25–27]. Professional experiences of the authors as health services researcher and hospital manager were also included. The descriptive data were first verified by experts who were hospital administrators, quality improvement managers and hospital evaluation implementers. The information then was translated from Persian (Farsi) into English by the authors who were experts in health services research and health care management. Finally, the data were checked by five experts who were qualified in both the English language and hospitals affairs. This group controlled the quality of content and translation. The first author was involved in all of the aforementioned steps.We analysed the results of specific performance scores of the hospitals to assess the impact of the program using a linear mixed-effects model. The performance scores were measured using the HPM instrument as developed by the Iranian MOHME covering performance, facility and functional domains of quality of care (e.g. safety, patient-centeredness), equipment, manpower, and buildings. Figure 1 shows the flow chart of the process of a typical hospital evaluation and grading (scoring) in the Iranian health care system.We made a distinction between multi-specialty and single-specialty hospitals, which we will call general and specialized hospitals respectively in this paper. On average, the performance of 553 general and 143 specialized hospitals were analysed per year over the period of 2002 to 2008 in this study. Different scoring mechanisms in combination with different bonus scores were applied for general teaching and general non-teaching hospitals over the study period. As a result, we studied the performance scores in two different time periods; firstly from 2002 to 2005 and secondly from 2006 to 2008 for both general teaching and general non-teaching hospitals. The most important change for general hospitals took place in 2006 by adding quality indicators to the PM domains, increasing the maximum number of scores which a hospital could achieve with 867. In contrast, a single analysis could be conducted for specialized hospitals for the whole period from 2002 to 2008, due to an absence of critical changes in the scoring/bonus system. The variation (improvement/decline) in performance of specific hospitals from the average performance scores in the reference years (2002 for period 1 and 2006 for period 2) and the average rate of changes in the next years over the study time period were analysed in the model. The model was used to evaluate (graphically) whether hospitals' performance level (through repeated measurement) changed over the period. In this study, the baseline average performance score in the reference years (intercept) and the mean change (slope) over the period are the fixed effects of the model (which make the center of the effects graph). The random effect is the variability of hospitals from the baseline intercept and slope, which is normally distributed with zero-mean and standard deviation σ. Based on this variability, which allows the hospitals to differ randomly in intercept and slope from the baseline intercept and slope, the hospitals are located in four quadrants in the figure of the effects (see Figure 2).
The flow chart of the process of a typical hospital evaluation & grading in Iranian Healthcare System, adapted from Aryankhesal (2010) . Figure 1 Shows the flow chart of the process of a typical hospital evaluation and grading (scoring) in the Iranian health care system. According to the regulations, hospital emergency departments (ED) and Critical Domains (CD) are evaluated first and only the rest of the hospital would be evaluated if the ED and CD are awarded at least grade 3. If the ED and CD are qualified, the evaluation and scoring of all parts of the hospital will start. If the whole hospital is qualified, calculation of scores and defining the grade will be conducted by an assessment team. The grade as determined by the assessment team should be approved by the university's Vice-chancellor for Treatment, university Chancellor, university's Evaluation & Supervision Council and finally by the MOHME.
A linear mixed-effects model for the general teaching hospitals. The analysis of general teaching hospitals' performance is shown in Figure 1 (as an example) for the period of 2002 to 2005. The hospitals that are located in the first quadrant (top right), have a higher performance above the average at the baseline. They increased their performance with a higher rate than the average. Quadrant II (top left) represents the hospitals in which their performance was lower than the average performance in the reference year, but the average rate of increase was higher than the overall average. Quadrant III (bottom left) represents the hospitals in which their average performance and the rate of increase both were lower than the overall averages in the reference year. The hospitals in the fourth quadrant (bottom right) showed a higher performance and lower rate of increase than the overall averages.
The quantitative database of hospital performance scores (including grades) over the period of 2002 to 2008 were obtained from the MOHME . We completed the MOHME dataset for our study purposes by including data from two different sources. We included general hospital performance scoring data for the year 2008 from internal reports of the MOHME . The data included the scores of 575 general hospitals affiliated with 37 medical universities across the country in 2008 . The detailed performance scores data were not openly available. We obtained these data from the Department of Evaluation and Supervision of Medical Centers in the MOHME upon the official request provided by the Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS). To examine the impact of the national ranking of the medical university on hospitals' performance, we retrieved the latest Iranian medical universities' ranking from the openly available report by Mehr (national) News Agency .
We followed the RATS guidelines for the qualitative components of the study to ensure all relevant information was included in the manuscript.
The study was approved by the Deputy of Research and Technology of the Iran University of Medical Sciences (Code: 958/1635996). There was no need to obtain informed consent for this study.
The PM program is a regulatory instrument for quality improvement and quality assurance, and to increase public accountability and informed decision making in hospitals in Iran. The medical universities provide the instructions for PM and standards to all affiliated hospitals in their region, and are responsible for the on-site PM. The program is conducted in a specific period determined by the medical universities in all provinces across the country.
Each medical university has a PM team responsible for conducting evaluations in the affiliated hospitals within a certain province. The teams are composed of at least 10 persons, including at least 2 different medical specialists (internal medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, or anaesthesiology), a radiologist, a clinical technician (preferably a doctor of laboratory sciences or pathologist), an experienced nurse, a medical equipment expert, an inspector for building and construction, an administrative and personnel issues expert, a finance and budgeting expert and a coordinator who is representative of Vice-chancellor for Treatment of the university. Other persons could be included in the team if necessary. Every evaluation team can evaluate at most two hospitals per working week.
According to the regulations, hospital emergency departments (ED) and Critical Domains (CD) are evaluated first and only the rest of the hospital would be evaluated if the ED and CD are awarded at least grade 3. If a hospital does not acquire the necessary scores for its ED and CD, it should improve the situation to the standard level within three months (see Figure 1). In the re-evaluation, if the ED acquires the minimum level of standard, the rest of the hospital will be evaluated. The total hospital grade cannot be better than the awarded grade to the ED which includes 8% of the overall hospital assessment scores . Two different instruments were used for PM of general and specialized hospitals, as described in the next two sections.
The PM instrument for the general teaching and general non-teaching hospitals includes 15 domains with 1027 detailed questions. For each question within a specific domain, a maximum number of scores could be obtained by a hospital. The maximum achievable score for the general teaching and general non-teaching hospitals is 24,667 and 23,667 respectively. The total score for these hospitals can result in one of six grading levels including 'excellent 1', '1', '2', '3', '4 or sub-standard', and '5 or to be shut down', based on the hospitals' degree of compliance with the specified standards of evaluation domains (see Table 1).
* The worst performing hospitals, so-called "to be shut down" with a total score under 10866, for which they are not allowed to undertake any medical activity as a hospital, but as a clinic or minor surgery center.
** There are bonus points for four domains including teaching activities, non-general departments in general hospitals, CCU and ICU and other special facilities; each can add up 500 additional (2000 in total) scores to the non-teaching hospitals' scores. This bonus can add 3000 scores to teaching hospitals (additional 1000 scores for teaching activities).
In 2002, the MOHME introduced a new domain to the HPMP, with the introduction of nine quality indicators (see Table 2). The new quality indicators domain was introduced with the aim to further improve the quality of care, produce information for decision making, and increase regulation and accountability. The first three indicators were related to the emergency department (ED) with an overall score of 72 (titled ED quality indicators). The remaining six indicators provide the opportunity to assess quality of care in the inpatient services and other sections of hospitals as "general quality indicators".
In 2006, the MOHME improved the HPMP by re-considering the quality domains; five domains were determined as critical domains (CDs) in the program (as indicated in Table 1A by the first five rows in bold). Obtaining acceptable scores for each of these five domains is a prerequisite for the final evaluation, thus each hospital must acquire a minimum score in any of these domains. In addition, getting an evaluation grade in each grading level requires getting minimum acceptable scores for all of the five domains at that specific level .
According to the regulations, hospital EDs are evaluated first. Only when an ED is awarded at least the minimum acceptable score (grade 3), the rest of the hospital is evaluated. According to the regulations, the total hospital grade cannot be better than the awarded grade to the ED which includes 8% of the overall hospital evaluation scores.
The performance measurement instrument for the specialized hospitals has 32 domains including 213 questions with related scores for each question which makes the possible maximum: 5688. The total awarded scores for this group of hospitals can result in only four grades including "grade 1", "2", "3" and "4 or sub-standard" (Table 3). The process remained unchanged from the official introduction in 1997. The key characteristics of the HPMP in the general and specialized hospitals are shown in Table 4.
The Iranian HPM program has a direct impact on all hospitals across the country by grading them based on the achieved scores every year. The payments and specific services delivery charges (e.g. patient stay) to the hospitals are defined based on the results of the performance measurement. Hospitals with a better grade (or performance score) are allowed to charge a higher patient stay price. For example hospitals with grade 1 can charge 100% of the patient stay charge per day, while the grade 3 hospitals can charge only 60% of the charges .
To explore the impact of the PM program in hospitals, we analysed the trend of performance over the period of 2002 to 2008 by looking at the hospital performance scores. The statistics of hospitals included in the analysis per year are shown in Table 5.
G. = general S. = Specialized.
Among the studied hospitals; 64% were (university) governmental, 8% SSO, 15% private for profit, 6% army, and the remaining 7% belonged to the other organizations.
Table 6 summarises the results of linear mixed-effects model analysis of the general and specialized hospitals' performance scores.
The relationship between the level of performance and characteristics of hospitals including the type of ownership, teaching status, size and national rank of affiliated universities is shown in Table 7. The results show that the performance improvement of general teaching and private hospitals was significantly slower than that of all general hospitals. The performance of the governmental specialized hospitals showed a substantial decline over time. The bigger specialized hospitals (>500 bed) showed significantly faster performance improvement than smaller specialized hospitals. Moreover, the specialized hospitals which were affiliated with the high-ranked universities (such as Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan) showed a higher performance than specialized hospitals affiliated with lower-ranked universities (such as Ilam, Ghom and Kurdistan).
* Statistically significant relationships are shown in bold.
This study describes the development of the Iranian Hospital Performance Measurement Program and (for the first time) explores its impacts using hospital specific performance scores. The results of the study revealed that the MOHME established an ambitious PM program aimed to improve performance, quality of care, and accountability in hospitals and obliged all hospitals to undergo a scheduled evaluation at least once a year since 1997. Some studies have reported such obligatory HPMP in a limited number of countries [34, 35]. The results show that overall both the general and specialized hospitals improved their level of performance as measured by the program over the study period but the rates of improvement vary in different hospitals. The performance of the general hospitals did not appear to be associated with the ownership, teaching status, size and ranking of the university to which they were affiliated in the period of 2002 to 2005, but the general teaching hospitals performance improved slower than that of general non-teaching hospitals over the period of 2006 to 2008. There was no relationship between teaching status of specialized hospitals and their level of performance. However, the performance of governmental specialized hospitals declined over time. In contrast, the performance of specialized hospitals with more than 500 beds increased significantly faster compared to smaller specialized hospitals. Moreover, the level of performance of specialized hospitals was positively associated with the national ranking of affiliated universities. Although this study provides unique insights into the Iranian hospitals' performance, it is subject to some limitations concerning the quantitative data used. Underreporting of the hospitals' performance data to the public by some owners, and limited access to the performance data were the main concerns.
The Iranian HPMP is unique in terms of the linkage of the results to the hospital financing (P4P and pay for quality (P4Q); which are both embedded in the program). The PM is on the one hand a regulatory tool for the government to improve the performance and quality of care in hospitals; while on the other hand, it is necessary for the hospitals to get a higher performance score to charge the patient higher and to get a higher share from the annual government budget. The government strictly applies a performance-based budgeting system for the payments to the hospitals based on the results of PM . In addition, the inclusion of quality indicators in the program and establishment of quality evaluation of the hospitals and introduction of "pay and penalty for quality" were the most progressive efforts to push the hospitals being accountable for their performance and the quality of care they provided to patients in Iran . This has been associated with increased efforts among Iranian hospitals to adhere to the audited standards [20, 38]. Recently, the US government disclosed a similar "pay and penalty for quality" method for its Medicare hospitals . Having a higher or lower PM score results in a higher or lower revenue for hospitals. The lower score leads to a lower income and consequently the low rate of functioning could result in a shut down and bankruptcy (especially in the private sector). This can potentially stimulate competition between the hospitals in their ambition to improve their performance and quality of care to get a higher score. As the budget of hospitals and their revenue strongly relate to the PM results, it is recommended that the measurement process runs independently from the owner of hospitals. Performance measurement by an independent body can avoid bias in the results which may originate from the relationship between hospitals and their owners.
The performance of the general teaching hospitals improved with an average of 231 points every year from 2002 to 2005. Over the next period (from 2006 to 2008) for the same group of hospitals, the performance scores improved, but the average improvement rate was slower at 180 points per year. The average rate of the performance level of the general non-teaching also increased in from 2002 to 2008. But the rate of improvement was largest over the first period from 2002 to 2005. General teaching hospitals indicated a higher performance in the first time period in 2002, but they improved their performance with a lower rate in the next years until 2006 compared to the general non-teaching hospitals. Over the second time period starting from 2006, although again teaching hospitals showed a higher performance compared to the general non-teaching hospitals, both groups improved their level of performance with almost the same rates in the next years. The average rate of performance improvement of the general non-teaching hospitals was substantially lower in the second time period starting from 2006 compared to the first period. Although both general teaching and general non-teaching hospitals showed an improvement in their performance scores; this can partly be the result of the addition of quality indicators' scores to the total achievable scores. Another explanation might be the introduction of new medical facilities and not really performance improvement because of the PM program. It seems that getting higher performance scores became more difficult since 2006 onwards for both teaching and non-teaching general hospitals, which may partly be due to the additional critical domains and quality indicators of the PM program and the tightened requirements. There was also a substantial decline in the performance improvement trends of the general teaching and private hospitals in this period.
The overall performance of the specialized hospitals improved from 2002 with an average rate of 46 points per year until 2008. However, there is a concern about the governmental specialized hospitals whose performance decreased (on average 88 points per year) compared to the overall improvement rate over the study period. It is difficult to interpret this substantial decreasing performance trend of specialized hospitals. This can be due to several reasons. It can be partly because of the type of ownership and responsibility for the PM among specialized hospitals. The government and medical universities as the owner of a majority (above 80%) of specialized hospitals do not seem to use much force to stimulate the specialized hospitals to increase their level of performance. Using an outdated PM mechanism and minimized requirements for grading of these hospitals indicates a somewhat conservative policy regarding the specialized hospitals by the government. In addition, the quantity of specialized hospitals represents a relatively small segment of the hospital sector in Iran. As a result, it is more difficult for the government to suspend the license of specialised hospitals compared to general hospitals in case of violation from PM requirements.
The results show that there was no statistical significant relationship between the level of performance of the general hospitals and the ownership, teaching status, size of hospital and university rank in the period of 2002 to 2005. In contrast, from 2006 to 2008, the average performance improvement of the general teaching hospitals was significantly lower than the overall average rate of improvement. The lower performance improvement of these hospitals may partly relate to the changes in the mechanism of the PM and extra forces by the government on the hospitals to improve their performance and quality of services by tightening the PM standards. Although there was no relationship between the hospitals' ownership and the level of performance, the performance of the general private hospitals was substantially lower than the overall general hospitals' performance improvement rate from 2006 to 2008. This might be because of the existence of less commitment with the government to stimulate performance and quality measurement standards in the private hospitals.
The performance of the specialized hospitals was positively related to the size and medical university's rank, but unrelated to the hospitals' teaching status. The specialized hospitals with more than 500 beds, showed faster improvement of their performance compared to the smaller specialized hospitals. Moreover, the hospitals which were affiliated with higher ranking universities showed a better annual performance increase rate. This may be because the higher ranked universities were more sensitive to the performance of their specialized hospitals and thus tried to prevent low scores among those hospitals. During the study period, the governmental specialized hospitals' performance significantly decreased compared to the performance of specialized hospitals which were owned by other organizations. The average performance level of the specialized hospitals in 2002 was around 49% of the maximum possible performance score (5688). Therefore, the majority of hospitals could easily obtain 44% of total achievable performance score which was required to be a grade 1 hospital. On the other hand, a specialized hospital could also achieve 26% of the total score (which is the minimum required score to become a grade 3 hospital) to pass the annual PM and keep its license valid. Therefore, considering the existing requirements for the specialized hospitals to get a grade 1, there seems to be no incentive for the specialized hospitals and even medical universities to improve their performance. Reconsidering the performance grading mechanism and updating the measurement standards may be necessary to encourage the improvement of specialized hospitals' performance.
Although our study revealed that the overall performance of the Iranian hospitals improved over the study period, it is important to consider the factors that can influence the performance of hospitals when interpreting the hospital performance. The ownership, method of funding, responsibility and validity of the PM are important factors. The PM is conducted by assessment teams which are employed by the medical universities (and the MOHME) which are the owners of hospitals in most cases. Since both universities and hospitals are likely not keen to provide information which might lead to public blame or litigation; the objectivity of the process of PM might potentially be compromised . This potentially also explains why the MOHME has not been very active in publishing the hospitals' performance data . The dependency of the measurement teams may cause deviation of results in favour of the owners (affiliated medical universities) of hospitals, as suggested by other studies [20, 38]. In many countries, evaluating bodies are usually independent from the ownership of hospital and they are not involved in other processes such as policy making and conducting of PM process . The other important factor is that although the program is unique in terms of the variety of professions involved , nonetheless it seems to be necessary to involve different stakeholders including the hospital's board of directors' members, hospital managers, patients' delegates, payers, insurance companies, and quality control officers for standard setting and PM processes. Their involvement in the hospital administration, quality and patient safety issues in the field of hospitals is very useful, making them very familiar with the characteristics of hospital services and performance, and can make professional judgments .
Although the scheduled on-site survey is one of the advantages of the Iranian hospital PM program; it could be the case that hospitals prepare themselves briefly in advance and improve their performance just for the period of the conduction of the PM process. This can make the results of the evaluation biased, indicating limited to no sustainable improvements in hospital performance. In addition, as the program is applied both for the teaching and non-teaching hospitals with the same mechanism and standards, applying a PM that is fine-tuned towards the specific characteristics (for example teaching status) of hospitals may increase the accuracy of the measurement results. Finally, the updating of the measurement methods, standards and instruments alongside above mentioned factors may also improve the validity of PM results (as also reported elsewhere ). This will also contribute to the development of a mature hospital accreditation model in Iran.
The Iranian MOHME developed a compulsory national HPMP as early as 1997 and implemented it as a regulatory instrument to improve performance in all hospitals in Iran. Development and implementation of the program for more than one decade shows an extensive effort to establish a framework to improve hospital performance. The existence of such a program has improved the level of performance amongst the Iranian hospitals, but the impact varied in different groups of hospitals. Although in total the performance of both general and specialized hospitals has improved, the improvements in performance scores over time in the general teaching hospitals was substantially lower than that in general non-teaching hospitals. Moreover, the level of performance in the governmental specialized hospitals significantly decreased over the study period. To further promote an effective PM and accreditation model for hospital that meets quality assurance requirements and stimulates the performance improvement efforts in Iranian hospitals it may be helpful to reconsider a number of essential mechanisms that are currently in place. Areas of attention include the roles of different stakeholders in the PM program, the composition of survey teams and their training, ownership and funding of the program. It may also be worthwhile to fine-tune the PM mechanism, procedures of implementation for different hospitals, updating standards and type of scoring systems.
AAH MSc, 1- Junior Health System Researcher and PhD candidate, Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center (AMC)/University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 2- Researcher in Department of Health Services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. DSK PhD, Postdoctoral Health System Researcher, Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. JM PhD, Health System Researcher and quality improvement officer in Tehran Heart Center Hospital, Department of quality improvement (head of department), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. AA PhD, Researcher and Assistant Professor of Health Services Management, Department of Health Services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. NSK MD PhD, Professor of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The authors are grateful to Dr. Hamid Ravaghi, Dr. Reza Tooyserkanmanesh, Mr. Saeidreza Azami, Dr. Mehdi Jafari, Dr. Seysed Hesam Seyedin, Mrs. Seyran Naghdi for facilitating the data collection for this study. Gratitude goes to Wim Busschers for his advice on the data analysis for this study. The authors would also like to thank Professor Dr. Karien Stronks for supporting this research project at the Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center (AMC) - University of Amsterdam.
AAH designed the study, prepared the questionnaire, collected the data, performed the data analysis, and drafted the manuscript. JM and AA facilitated the data collection in Iran, provided advice on the study design, and commented on drafts of the manuscript. JM provided advice on the data analysis strategy, and participated in the manuscript drafting. DSK provided support in the data analysis, edited the English texts, and contributed to writing the manuscript, and provided feedback on all drafts of the manuscript. NSK coordinated the study, supervised AAH, provided advice on all stages of the study, and contributed to drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


Toyota has announced it will bring Clear Channel's mobile Net radio app iHeartRadio into select models next year. This is Toyota's first foray into in-car Internet radio and the first in-car partnership involving Clear Channel.
The companies were light on details, saying they'll announce more at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this January. One unanswered question is how Toyota cars will connect to the web. Other car manufacturers with Internet radio aspirations like Ford, GM, Mercedes and BMW have announced systems that rely on the driver bringing the data connection with him or her — in the form of a smartphone.
However iHeartRadio is delivered to drivers, the bottom line is another major car manufacturer is bringing Internet radio to dashboards. 2011 will be an interesting year to say the least. CNet has more coverage here.
The two leading names in crowd-sourced radio, Jelli and Listener Driven Radio, are adding new on-air programs to stations in and around Philadelphia. Jelli will deliver programming on CBS' WYSP (94.1), which will feature Jelli programming every weekday evening, and Nassau's WPST in nearby Trenton, NJ.
Both services allow listeners to vote for songs online, which directly affects on-air programming.
Heidi Elgaard, Marketing Director for Live365 and Athena365, said that "by narrowing our audience focus with this initiative, we have a unique opportunity to provide a richer and more personal online radio experience." You can find Live365's press release here.
A few reports have surfaced lately, suggesting that Slacker is coming to the Kindle — Amazon's eReader device. It may sound silly, until you consider that Pandora is available on Barnes & Noble's new color Nook eReader (RAIN coverage here).
However, Slacker tells PC Magazine (here) that its service will not be coming to Kindle. Best stick to your iPads for Net radio and eBooks folks.


text:
Elles… Les Filles du Plessis est un téléfilm français réalisé par Bénédicte Delmas, diffusé pour la première fois le  sur France 3, lors de la Journée internationale des droits des femmes.

Synopsis

Cadre
Ce téléfilm est tiré d'une histoire vraie relatant l'histoire de Claude Jourde, alors surveillante du pensionnat du Plessis à l'époque, ainsi que la révolte d'adolescentes de cette même pension qui accueillait les jeunes filles mineures enceintes durant les années 1970, qui pour la plupart ont été violées.

Résumé complet
Le film commence avec l'interrogatoire de Jacqueline dans la pièce d'un commissariat, entourée d'inspecteurs. Malgré le ton des policiers envers cette jeune fille de seize ans, celle-ci est bien une victime venue porter plainte contre son voisin, à la suite d'un viol commis par cet homme envers elle. Selon le commissaire, la jeune fille a besoin de protection et elle doit être dirigée vers un foyer pour jeunes filles.

Ensuite le film présente Brigitte, une autre jeune fille qui est convoquée dans le bureau du directeur de son établissement scolaire pour ce qui semble être des problèmes de comportement. Sa mère et son beau père sont présents dans le bureau et le beau-père en question n'hésite pas à frapper la jeune fille sous l'œil indifférent de la mère et du directeur. En fait, elle est enceinte et là aussi, la famille a décidé de la « placer ».

Enfin, le film présente une troisième jeune fille, prénommée Marie-France, a priori de bonne famille et qui vient directement au foyer de jeunes filles car elle est enceinte et ne peut plus continuer ses études au lycée (elle est en fait exclue) alors qu'elle est à une année du baccalauréat. C'est son père qui la dépose et lui remet de l'argent avant de la laisser dans le foyer.

Il s'agit d'un établissement accueillant des jeunes mineures enceintes vivant une situation similaire à celle des trois jeunes filles présentées au début du film. Chaque chambre de cet institut est composée de quatre lits. Le destin va ainsi rassembler Jacqueline, Brigitte et Marie-France. Dans cette chambre, la quatrième jeune fille se prénomme Claude, jeune métisse de treize ans, venue de l'île de la Réunion et qui est enceinte de son père qui l'a violée...

La directrice de l'institut est une femme autoritaire qui ne semble pas trop comprendre le désespoir de ces filles hébergées dans son établissement. Portée par une morale dépassée même pour l'époque (le film se situe au début des années 1970), cette femme aux allures bourgeoises tient des discours culpabilisants et considère que c'est l'inconduite de ces jeunes filles qui les ont conduites à être mises au ban de la société. Si le foyer n'est pas une prison, les jeunes filles sont soumises à un régime très strict avec le port d'un uniforme de couleur rose, des heures de sortie limitées et une formation peu ou pas en rapport avec la capacité.

Dominique, l'assistante de la directrice et qui la remplace le soir et la nuit semble plus enjouée. Cette jeune femme essaye d'être proche des pensionnaires car elle milite au MLF au grand désespoir de la directrice. Les événements s'emballent quand la jeune Claude perd son enfant peu de temps après avoir été emmenée à l'hôpital et que, revenue ensuite au foyer, elle se suicide en se jetant depuis la fenêtre du bureau de la directrice situé en étage car elle ne voulait pas retourner chez son père.

Ne sachant trop ce qui s'est passé, les jeunes filles du foyer et ne sachant pas où est passé Claude, décident de manifester leur mécontentement avec Marie-France comme leader et porte-parole. D'abord elles défilent dans la rue, puis elles décident de commencer une grève de la faim. La directrice, outrée, les menace des pires représailles mais les pensionnaires ne cèdent pas. Elles ont, au sein de l'établissement, deux alliés. D'une part Aimé, l'homme à tout faire de l'établissement, très pieux mais aussi très humain qui fait tout pour aider discrètement les jeunes filles. C'est lui qui informe les pensionnaires de la mort de Claude que la directrice avait réussi à cacher et d'autre part Dominique qui, malgré son licenciement par la directrice, décide d'amener ses amies du MLF ainsi que des journalistes pour aider les jeunes mères et faire connaître leurs conditions à toute la France.

Jacqueline, quant à elle, gagne son procès contre son violeur qui écope une peine de prison ferme, fait rare pour l'époque. Grâce à cette bonne nouvelle et malgré les efforts de la directrice pour empêcher les jeunes filles de dénoncer leurs conditions, celles-ci gagneront leur combat. Le gouvernement français annule les décisions qui consistent à expulser les filles des lycées dès que l'administration constate qu'elles sont enceintes et donne les moyens aux mineures enceintes de décider ce qu'elles veulent faire de leur bébé, abandon ou garde. Jacqueline retournera chez ses parents, Marie-France retrouvera son amoureux, père de son enfant et Brigitte va tenter d'être heureuse...

Autour du téléfilm

Référence historique

Dans le début des années 1970, des adolescentes ont lutté pour l'égalité des droits des femmes dans une société alors encore très patriarcale. Il n'y a pas si longtemps, en France, les très jeunes futures mères devaient encore cacher leur ventre qualifié de « honteux » à l'époque, dans des établissements ayant pour vocation de les remettre dans « le droit chemin » alors que la majorité d'entre elles a été violée, or, à cette époque, il était interdit d'avorter, y compris en cas de viol.

En 1971, les « filles perdues » du foyer pour adolescentes enceintes du château de la Solitude (Le Plessis-Robinson) se sont révoltées en lançant une grève de la faim. Si leur mouvement n'a guère été relayé à l'époque par les journaux, leurs cris ont été entendus jusqu'à la capitale par Simone de Beauvoir. Touchée par leur sort, l'auteure engagée de l'intelligentsia a décidé de leur rendre visite et de leur apporter son soutien. À la suite de ce courageux mouvement, le pensionnat ferma définitivement ses portes en 1976.

Rediffusion

 Le  sur France 5.

Fiche technique
 Titre français : Elles… Les Filles du Plessis
 Réalisation : Bénédicte Delmas
 Scénario : Bénédicte Delmas et Sylvie Granotier
 Photographie : Marc Tevanian
 Production : David Kodsi
 Photographe de plateau : Rémy Grandroques
 Société de production : K'IEN productions
 Pays d'origine :
 Ville de tournage: Lille, Saint Amand Les Eaux
 Date de première diffusion :  sur France 3

Distribution

 Sandrine Bonnaire : la directrice
 Blandine Bellavoir : Dominique
 Jean-Michel Martial : Aimé
 Roxane Bret : Marie-France
 Noémie Merlant : Brigitte
 Camille Aguilar : Jacqueline
 Nastasia Caruge : Claude
 Vincent Primault : père de Jacqueline
 Gaëlle Fraysse : mère de Marie-France
 Franck Sémonin : père de Marie-France
 Arnaud Binard : avocat de la défense
 Charles Schneider : inspecteur du rectorat

Genèse du projet
C'est en lisant la biographie de Simone de Beauvoir Simone de Beauvoir, côté femme, que Bénédicte Delmas, actrice et réalisatrice, découvre brièvement l'histoire d'une grève de la faim de jeunes femmes dans un institut pour « filles perdues », un institut qui s'occupait des mineures enceintes au début des années 1970. Afin d'en savoir plus sur le sujet, elle se rend au Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir, où elle découvre le documentaire de 1974, Les Enfants du gouvernement, un film relatant ces évènements qui secouèrent l'institution du Plessis-Robinson.

Bénédicte Delmas rencontre alors la réalisatrice de ce documentaire, Claude Jourde, qui se révèle être une ancienne surveillante de l'institution. Son témoignage convainc définitivement Bénédicte Delmas de devoir raconter la révolte de ces adolescentes dans la France des années 1970. Un sujet délicat que la réalisatrice mettra dix ans à concrétiser, d'abord avec le soutien du producteur David Kodsi, puis de la comédienne Sandrine Bonnaire.

Musique
 La chanson Les Rois mages de Sheila y est proposée durant le générique donnant ainsi un indice sur la période concernée par les événements décrits dans le téléfilm.

Audiences
Ce téléfilm a créé la surprise lors de sa première diffusion car France 3 arrive en tête des audiences, devant la série américaine Person of Interest diffusée sur TF1. Un très beau succès avec 4,9 millions de téléspectateurs, et  de part de marché.

Prix et distinctions
 Festival des créations télévisuelles de Luchon 2016 :
 Prix du Public de la Meilleure Fiction unitaire
 Mention Spéciale Prix du Meilleur Espoir Féminin
 Mention spéciale Prix du Meilleur Scénario

Notes et références

Liens externes

Téléfilm diffusé en 2016
Téléfilm français des années 2010
Téléfilm dramatique
Film tourné à Lille
Téléfilm se déroulant en Île-de-France
Téléfilm de France Télévisions
Film sur l'avortement
Film sur la grossesse

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Irish Refugee Council welcome report: The Ombudsman & Direct Provision: Update for 2019
Nick Henderson, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council said:
"We welcome the Ombudsman's report [available here]. He clearly has grave concerns about the Direct Provision system which echo what we and many others have said for some time. His statement that it is 'simply unacceptable that people who have sought refuge in this country can find themselves in accommodation that is entirely unsuitable for their needs for a prolonged length of time', is striking."
"In particular the report raises serious concerns about the use of emergency accommodation and the problems people experience while living in it: location, schooling, food, sharing of rooms and laundry facilities. As an organisation we have been working with people living in such accommodation for the last year and a half and have also seen many of these issues."
"It is also worth highlighting that in January the Ombudsman made recommendations to political parties in terms of programme for government content. These include extending the Ombudsman's jurisdiction to include investigation of complaints about the process leading up to international protection decisions, which we would support."
"The Ombudsman's report is another in a long line of many. In the last 12 months, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the UN's Committee for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Special Rapporteur for Children, the Oirechtas' Joint Committee on Justice and Equality and the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland have all published strong criticism of the Direct Provision system." See our Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/IrishRefugeeCo/status/1253211116299223040
Published: 23rd April, 2020
Updated: 24th April, 2020
Press Release: The Irish Refugee Council and Donegal Intercultural Platform to hold an event on refugees hosting in County Donegal
Irish Refugee Council calls for urgent action to address accommodation crisis for people seeking protection in Ireland
Press Release: IRC budget submission calls for extension of Child Benefit to children in direct provision and increase of weekly payment to people seeking protection
Press Release: Ukraine Civil Society Forum calls for urgent action in response to crisis of refugee accommodation and welfare
'Believe me or not but I am who I am': new report on lived experience of LGBT protection applicants
Press Release: Irish Refugee Council welcomes education supports for Ukrainian refugees but call for equality of access for all people seeking refuge
Press release: civil society organisations meet the Taoiseach around greater coordination of Ukraine response
Press Release: Irish Refugee Council calls for clarity and action on the registration of asylum applications
Press release: Irish Refugee Council paper calls on Government to prioritise unused supply for refugees from Ukraine
Vacancy: Policy and Advocacy Officer
We are looking forward to the launch of Tight Spaces-an Educational Resource written by young people participating… https://t.co/Mp8waL7JsV


The KampData TaxEngine uses the DynamicZip setup options. Therefore, substantially all of the setup required by the TaxEngine is already completed if you have completed the DynamicZip setup.
Doc Default Use Exempt Schedules.


text:
Lisey's Story's Dane DeHaan reveals he, too, was a victim of the "'90s yo-yo craze"
Dane DeHaan admits he has a muscle memory for yo-yo tricks, and discusses the creation of his unsettling villain
Cameron Scheetz
Up until the AppleTV+ series' most recent episode, Dane DeHaan's Jim Dooley has been a menacing presence largely lingering on the outskirts of Lisey's Story. A superfan of the late author Scott Langdon (Clive Owen), Dooley shares DNA with another Stephen King creation, Misery's Annie Wilkes, as the two clearly feel a sense of ownership over their favorite writers' work and will stop at nothing to access it. In "Jim Dandy," that dark, unfettered fandom leads to Dooley's most brutal confrontation with Lisey (Julianne Moore) yet, beating and berating Langdon's widow until she tells him the whereabouts of the authors unpublished work that may or may not exist.
Dooley is a thoroughly unsettling villain, and DeHaan, King, and series director Pablo Larraín paint him as id personified, juvenilizing Jim through distinctive characteristics: The big yellow coat, the wild temper, and—most notably—the yo-yo. It's that yo-yo that has The A.V. Club most intrigued, so we spoke with DeHaan about it, and here's what he had to say about having to brush up on his yo-yo skills for filming:
I was certainly a victim of the '90s yo-yo craze. I definitely had a lot of yo-yos at one point in my life... but they did hire this professional yo-yo-er to teach me some other stuff, but—when we got to working together—he felt like the yo-yo they were giving me for the show, [laughs]—it really was from a cereal box, you know? And he was just like, "there's not much you can do with this thing," because he has these crazy yo-yos that you spin for minutes at a time. So, aside from "Walk The Dog" and "Rock The Cradle," which I still kind of had muscle memory [of,] there wasn't too much more to learn.
In the video above, DeHaan further discusses the creation of the character—one that differs from its inspiration in the novel—and the privilege of collaborating with King and Larraín.
New episodes of Lisey's Story stream exclusively on AppleTV+ every Friday
Image Credit: AppleTV+
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