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Macular Degeneration, Retina/Vitreous
Age-related Macular Degeneration—Review and Current Concepts
Published Online: March 14th 2011 US Ophthalmic Review, 2011,4(1):96-100 DOI: http://doi.org/10.17925/USOR.2011.04.01.96
Authors: Ron A Adelman, Rajeev K Seth, Eric J Sigler
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) continues to be a significant public health concern, given its high prevalence and potential blinding prognosis in the elderly. Several risk factors have been identified in the development of ARMD, including age, race, and family history. The pathogenesis of ARMD continues to be elucidated, and recent research has focused on genetic factors. ARMD presents in either the atrophic or exudative form. Treatment for atrophic disease consists of antioxidants and zinc and close monitoring. Treatment for exudative disease is aimed at targeting choroidal neovascularization. The development of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents has revolutionized the treatment of exudative ARMD, providing a more favorable prognosis for previously blinding disease. Considerable amount of research is being carried out on new treatment modalities for both the atrophic and exudative forms of the disease.
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), choroidal neovascularization, Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a highly prevalent, severely visually disabling disease affecting millions of people worldwide. As its name implies, the disorder affects the macula and therefore central vision, thereby causing significant disability and immeasurable personal impact not only to the patient, but also the family and loved ones caring for those afflicted.
There are two major forms of the disease: atrophic or 'dry' macular degeneration and exudative or 'wet' ARMD. These are distinguished by the presence in the latter of the proliferation of abnormal new blood vessels, or formation of a choroidal neovascular membrane. The vast majority of patients with ARMD have the atrophic form, commonly presenting with drusen and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) atrophic changes of the central macula. Although the atrophic form of the disease is much more prevalent, the largest numbers of patients that develop severe visual loss have the exudative form of ARMD.
While the precise cause of the disease remains elusive, many risk factors have been identified that contribute to the complex interaction of genetic and environmental influences that underlie the pathogenesis. More recently, genetic predisposing factors have been investigated and several candidate genes and molecular culprits have been identified.
Many treatment modalities have been employed to halt the progression of macular degeneration. Management for the atrophic form of the disease is aimed at prevention, risk reduction, education, and recognition of more advanced disease. One early treatment modality for exudative ARMD consisted of thermal laser application to choroidal neovascular membranes. While these occasionally resulted in good anatomical results, the visual results were often poor. To the delight of many practitioners and patients, progress has been made over the past decade. Research on drugs capable of stopping abnormal new blood vessel growth led to the development of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGFs), which are highly successful in halting the progression of both the disease process and visual loss associated with exudative macular degeneration. Furthermore, a large body of research is currently under way to develop new diagnostic and treatment modalities.
ARMD is the major cause of severe central visual loss in the US in people over 60 years of age.1,2 Overall, the disease appears to be much more common in Caucasians. It is estimated that there are between 15 and 20 million Americans living with at least the earliest signs of ARMD, affecting approximately 18% of Americans between 65 and 74 years of age.3 This figure varies worldwide with lower prevalence in the Asian and African continents. More than eight million people in the US have bilateral intermediate or unilateral advanced disease,4 with approximately 1.75 million Americans having advanced disease.5
Although legal blindness rarely occurs before the seventh or eighth decade of life, over 200 cases per million per year will result in legal blindness, with between 60 and 80% of these cases arising from neovascular ARMD.1–3 The overall prevalence of either neovascular AMD or geographic atrophy in people over 40 in the US is about 1.5%, while the overall prevalence of one or more large drusen is 6.12%.1 As the elderly population in the US is expected to dramatically increase over the next two decades, the number of people affected by ARMD is predicted to rise as well.
ARMD proves to be a major public health concern, not only because of its current and predicted increased prevalence, but also because of the disabling impact it has on those suffering vision loss as a result of advanced ARMD. ARMD has a dramatic impact on the elderly in terms of daily living and overall quality of life.6,7 Not only are visual impairments associated with difficulty with activities of daily living, but also with increased risk of depression and accidental injury.8,9 In addition, significant occupational impairment may result from even mild visual impairment. Furthermore, elderly patients with blinding disease have higher likelihood of multiple sensory impairments.10,11
Risk factors for development of ARMD include advancing age, hyperopia, light skin pigmentation, family history, smoking, female gender, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and cardiovascular disease.12–19
Pathogenesis and Clinical Manifestations
The pathogenic basis of ARMD is diverse and complex, depending on the stage of disease.20–22 A massive body of research has been undertaken in order to elucidate the genetic and environmental interplay that leads to the development of various stages and phenotypic variations of the disease.
The atrophic form of the disease is characterized by macular RPE alterations, the accumulation of lipofuscin and drusen, retinal pigment epithelial atrophy, and degeneration of segments of the choriocapillaris.23,24 Perhaps the earliest sign of the development of ARMD is the presence of macular drusen, or lipid-rich material with various amounts of collagen fibrils that accumulate at the level of the sub-RPE and Bruch's membrane25 (see Figure 1).
Pigment changes early in the disease consist of more focal areas of RPE hyperpigmentation and areas of non-contiguous, mottled depigmentation. Histologically, this represents atrophic areas of RPE overlying drusen deposits.26 As atrophic macular degeneration progresses, extensive areas of RPE and retinal atrophy ensue leading to the late stage known as geographic atrophy. This stage is characterized ultrastructurally by RPE loss and damaged photoreceptors in association with abnormal distribution of opsins in degenerating cells,27 with overlying thinning of the neurosensory retina.28 Segments of the choriocapillaris underlying the degenerating RPE become atrophic as well.
Drusen are classified by size, with small drusen considered to be <64µm, intermediate drusen 64–124µm, and large drusen >125µm.24 Larger drusen may give rise to areas of RPE detachment, sometimes referred to as a drusenoid pigment epithelial detachment (PED). Largersized drusen, larger number of drusen, confluence of drusen, and presence of soft drusen have been noted to be associated with more advanced atrophic as well as exudative forms of ARMD.2,29 Clinically, patients with less-severe atrophic macular degeneration most often have few symptoms. However, with the presence of central geographic atrophy, patients can have severe vision loss and central scotoma (blind spot).
Exudative (or wet) macular degeneration is characterized by formation of choroidal neovascular membrane, which occurs when fibrovascular tissue begins to grow from the choroid through Bruch's membrane, thereby destroying the architecture of the overlying RPE and outer retina. Patients present with variable degrees of metamorphopsia (perception of straight lines appearing wavy), decline in visual acuity, or scotoma. Clinically, examination reveals presence of intra-retinal or subretinal fluid; hemorrhage at any layer (pre-, intra-, or subretinal or sub-RPE); RPE detachment; and/or presence of lipid (see Figure 2). The end-result of untreated neovascularization is fibrotic scar formation, known as a disciform scar, with permanent central vision loss (see Figure 3). Fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging are used to aid in the diagnosis of exudative ARMD.
The specific cascade of events that leads to this wet form of ARMD is complex and continues to be completely elucidated.30 It is thought that focal defects in Bruch's membrane and oxidative stress may contribute to the pathophysiologic development of choroidal neovascularization. Furthermore, upregulation of pro-angiogenic factors such as VEGF and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or the downregulation of antiangiogenic factors such as pigment epithelial-derived growth factor (PEDF) or endostatin are known to play a major role in the process, and now serve as possible therapeutic targets in the management of exudative ARMD.31,32 Thus, the major event seems to be a disruption in the balance of pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors. The initiating event in this process remains elusive and is likely diverse. Many soluble factors such as VEGF, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), PDGF, insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and many others have been shown to have pro-angiogenic properties.30–33 Additionally, there is recent evidence showing that drusen or their components may have some pro-angiogenic effects.34
Recently, genetic factors have been investigated, and several candidate susceptibility polymorphisms have been identified. An association with variation in fibulin 5 was demonstrated in patients with ARMD.35 Subsequently, genome-wide linkage analysis led to the identification of several candidate genes.36,37 Polymorphisms on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 10, and 16 have been identified by several genome-wide scans.38
Complement factor H polymporphism variant on choromosome 1 has a significant association with various stages of ARMD.39–41 Interestingly, this resides within a binding site for cross-reactive protein and is an important regulator of various aspects of the complement cascade. The polymorphism is significantly associated with both neovascular ARMD and geographic atrophy, as well as conferring a higher risk of bilateral disease. More recently, an additional locus on chromosome 10q LOC387715 that confers an independent risk of ARMD has been identified.42 The apparent importance of genes involved in the complement cascade has led to further studies and identification of several additional candidate genes, including complement component 2.43
Although several biologic predispositions are known to exist and continue to be uncovered, the risk and development of ARMD has a highly complex and multifactorial etiology. As we begin to further understand the pathogenesis of the disease more clearly, there appears to be a variety of genetic risk factors that are then modified by environmental risk factors to result in a final common pathway with variable ocular manifestations and phenotypic expression.
Dry (Atrophic) Age-related Macular Degeneration
Current therapy of atrophic ARMD revolves around vitamin supplementation to reduce progression. This is compounded with the patient's overall risk assessment, patient education, avoidance of cigarette smoking, regular follow-up examination schedule, and home monitoring by the patient for new metamorphopsia or scotoma with the aid of an Amsler grid.
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) developed a grading scale for macular degeneration and evaluated the benefit of zinc and antioxidant therapy for preventing vision loss in various stages of AMD.44,45 Patients with intermediate ARMD (defined as a few intermediate or at least one large drusen, or non-central geographic atrophy) or unilateral advanced ARMD (vision loss secondary to ARMD in one eye) were found to benefit from a supplement of antioxidants (500mg vitamin C, 400IU vitamin E, 15mg beta carotene), and zinc (80mg zinc oxide and 2mg cupric oxide to prevent zinc-induced anemia). Results from AREDS showed that those with intermediate or unilateral advanced ARMD who received the above combination of supplements had a 25% risk reduction in the progression to advanced AMD as well as a 19% risk reduction in rates of moderate vision loss (loss of three or more lines of visual acuity) at five years. AREDS 2 is currently under way examining the possible added benefit of lutein, zeaxanthin and omega 3 fatty acids on ARMD progression.
Wet (Exudative) Age-related Macular Degeneration
Neovascular ARMD has been a historically challenging disease to treat. Early treatment modalities included laser photocoagulation to welldefined areas of extrafoveal or juxtafoveal choroidal neovascularization. Subfoveal lesions were poor candidates for laser photocoagulation, given resulting central scotoma as a result of the treatment. In the Macular Photocoagulation Study (MPS), the goal of laser photocoagulation was to decrease the risk of additional visual loss. While this treatment was shown to decrease the risk of severe visual loss (defined as loss of six or more lines of vision or a quadrupling or worse of the visual angle) at five years after treatment,46 patients develop a permanent scotoma. Therefore, except for serving as an option for extrafoveal lesions (that would not leave a central scotoma), this treatment modality has become obsolete in the era of newer therapies.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT), involving the systemic administration of a photosensitive agent (e.g. verteporfin) followed by activation via sensitizing light, was investigated in order to treat subfoveal neovascularization. The Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Photodynamic Therapy (TAP) and Verteporfin in Photodynamic Therapy (VIP) trials provided the basis for the use of verteporfin PDT in treating ARMD, as PDT was shown to reduce the risk of severe visual loss for certain types of choroidal neovascular membrane.47,48 Since the advent of anti-VEGF agents, PDT has fallen out of favor as primary treatment, but is used in combination with anti-VEGF agents and/or steroids for lesions recalcitrant to anti-VEGF agents alone.
Currently, the first-line management for choroidal neovascularization in ARMD is anti-angiogenic therapy. Three anti-VEGF agents have been used in the treatment of exudative ARMD, two of which are US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for use in macular degeneration (pegaptanib sodium and ranibizumab), with the third being used off-label in the treatment of ARMD (bevacizumab). The currently available mode of delivery of all these agents is repeated intra-vitreal injection.
Pegaptanib sodium (Macugen; OSI/Eyetech, Inc., Melville, NY) is an RNA aptamer that binds specifically only to VEGF isoform 165. Injection of pegaptanib every six weeks was shown to result in a significant reduction in severe visual loss for subfoveal neovascularization in the VEGF Inhibition Study In Ocular Neovascularization (VISION), with 70% of treated patients losing fewer than three lines of vision compared with 55% of those receiving sham injection.49 Pegaptanib was approved by the FDA for ARMD treatment in 2004, but is not used with the availability of other anti-VEGF agents with a more potent effect.
Ranibizumab (Lucentis; Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, CA) is a nonselective recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody fragment that inhibits all VEGF-A isoforms, and is derived from the same parent murine antibody as bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech, Inc.). The Minimally Classic/Occult Trial of the Anti-VEGF Antibody Ranibizumab in the Treatment of Neovascular AMD (MARINA) and Anti-VEGF Antibody for the Treatment of Predominantly Classic CNV in AMD (ANCHOR) trials provided data for FDA approval of ranibizumab in the treatment of all subtypes of exudative ARMD.50,51 Most importantly, these trials were the first to show an improvement in vision in patients treated for ARMD.
In the MARINA trial, 95% of subjects at 12 months and 90% at 24 months receiving monthly ranibizumab injections lost fewer than three lines of vision compared with 62 and 53%, respectively, receiving sham injections. Furthermore, 34% at 12 months and 33% at 24 months gained three or more lines of vision compared with 4 and 5% receiving sham injections.50 In the ANCHOR trial, 96% of subjects at 12 months and 90% at 24 months receiving monthly ranibizumab injections lost fewer than three lines of vision compared with 64 and 66%, respectively, receiving PDT. Furthermore, 40% at 12 months and 41% at 24 months gained three or more lines of vision compared with 6% at both 12 and 24 months receiving PDT.51,52
Bevacizumab is FDA-approved for use in metastatic colorectal, lung, and breast cancer, and is being used off-label for the treatment of ARMD. Since the first report of its use in the treatment of ARMD, numerous retrospective and prospective studies have shown its effectiveness in treating exudative ARMD.53–55 The agent appears to be safe and effective for intra-vitreal use56,57 and has gained popularity given its significantly lower cost compared with ranibizumab.
A variety of dosing intervals for bevacizumab and ranibizumab have been studied, but there remains no consensus as to the most desirable treatment strategy for the use of anti-VEGF agents in the treatment of exudative ARMD, although treatment based on OCT imaging seems beneficial.55,58,59 Combination therapies involving intravitreal corticosteroids,60,61 PDT and anti-VEGF agents are being increasingly researched for potential synergistic effects or for use in recalcitrant disease.
Future therapies being investigated include blocking the effects of VEGF by different mechanisms, such as a decoy receptor with VEGF trap (Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NJ); small interfering RNA (siRNA) agents that downregulate the VEGF or VEGF receptor genes (e.g. bevasiranib (OPKO Health, Inc./Acuity Pharmaceuticals, Miami, FL) and AGN211745 (Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA); and focal strontium-90 beta radiation delivered via the Epi-Rad 90 Ophthalmic System (NeoVista, Fremont, CA).
In summary, ARMD remains a significant public health concern and important cause of blindness in the elderly. Recent research has focused on the genetic factors responsible for the pathogenesis of ARMD. ARMD presents in either the atrophic form, which is mainly managed with close monitoring and antioxidant and zinc therapy, or the exudative form, for which there is currently effective treatment with anti-VEGF agents. Future therapies are being researched to target both the atrophic and exudative forms of ARMD.
Ron A Adelman, MD, MPH, FACS, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 40 Temple St, 3rd Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. E: ron.adelman@yale.edu
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Call 508-544-0386 to book a time to stop by Vagabond View with your collection.
You can expect to spend about 10 minutes with the team at the Cape Cod location. You'll love working with Lee, the owner!
Our experienced consultants travel all over New England and the Tri-State area to help families with generation-spanning, multi-format photo and video collections. Everyone on our team is a certified organizer and family memories expert. Our services range from standard photo scanning to rare format handling like stereo slides or glass plate negatives and custom design services. An in-home consultation may be the most convenient option for you if you have multiple fragile photo albums or scrapbooks ready for scanning. Our consultants can also advise you on best practices to organize your collection before conversion to digital and do a detailed estimate of your photos and videos from the comfort of your home or office. All of your family materials are transported in our weather-proof, sealed containers by your personal consultant to our local production headquarters before scanning.
Call 508-544-0386 and speak to one of our consultants to book your appointment. Or Email us!
We return your project on archival & standard DVDs, USBs & hard drives to our Cape Cod location. Private cloud storage always included.
"Our digitizing and design options are virtually endless! We recently scanned a sizable archive of printed photos and transferred several VHS tapes to digital for one client who wanted a highly complex slideshow. She picked the soundtrack, sequence of photos, and transitions for a design project she'd planned for a colleague's retirement party.
We want to hear from our Cape Cod clients!
Hours: Monday & Wednesday – Saturday: 10am-5:30pm, Sunday: 10am-4pm. Closed Tuesdays.


text:
Eduardo Paolozzi
© Trustees of the Paolozzi Foundation. Licensed by DACS, London 2022.
Collage was of crucial importance throughout Paolozzi's work - many of his sculptures and prints were made in a collage fashion, built up from different imprints or layers of objects and images. This collage is composed of fragments of screenprints, as well as tickets and scraps of magazines and drawings. Collage is a supremely twentieth-century medium, mirroring the way we flick through articles and advertisements in magazines, or the way we switch between television channels. The art-historic pedigree of collages composed from everyday materials goes back to the German Dada artist Kurt Schwitters who made a similar use of collage from the late 1910s on.
see media
Eduardo PaolozziScottish (1924 - 2005)
Collage with silkscreen and watercolour, ink and gouache on paper
53.50 x 69.00 cm (framed: 65.00 x 80.00 cm)
Bequeathed by Gabrielle Keiller 1995
GMA 4026
Of Italian descent, Paolozzi was born in Leith near Edinburgh. He studied in Edinburgh and London and spent two years in Paris from 1947, where he produced enigmatic, bronze sculptures reminiscent of those by Giacometti. During the same period he made a series of dada and surrealist-inspired...
Eduardo Paolozzi | Introducting Art & Artists
Other artworks by Eduardo Paolozzi
I want to be a machine: Warhol & Paolozzi (paperback)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Army JCO martyred, civilian injured in ceasefire violation by Pak along LoC
POONCH: A junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the army was martyred and a civilian injured as Pakistani troops shelled and fired on forward posts and villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Thursday, officials said.
The unprovoked ceasefire violation took place in Qasba and Kirni sectors in the district, the officials said.
The JCO was injured in the firing at around 1.30 pm and was taken to a military hospital, where he succumbed to the injuries, they said.
The civilian, Mohmmad Rashid has been shifted to GMC hospital in Jammu for specialised treatment, the officials said.


text:
Q: Problema con envío masivo de correos electrónicos con PHPMailer actualmente estoy desarrollando un sistema para enviar correos electrónicoa los usuarios registrados, pero cuando envío los correos si tengo 3 usuarios registrados se envía el correo 3 veces, si tengo 4 usuarios se envía 4 veces y así consecutivamente, entonces el usuario al final recibe muchos correos donde en realidad solo debería recibir 1. Estoy usando un while para iterar cada usuario y tomar el email del usuario para enviarlo. Algo así:
$emailReceptor = $instancia -> query("SELECT * FROM USUARIO");
while($item = mysqli_fetch_array($emailReceptor)){
 $asunto = $_POST["txtAsunto"];
 $correoCliente = $item['EMAIL'];
 $nombre = $item['NOMBRE'];
 $mail->addBCC($correoCliente, $nombre);

 $mail->isHTML(true);
 $mail->Subject = $asunto;
 $mail->Body    = formato del correo html
 $mail->send();

}

El asunto es que tengo el $mail->send(); dentro del while, no sé si eso afectará o si puedo sacarlo del while.

A: por lo que entiendo que queres hacer es enviar el mismo correo a varios mails a la vez.
Para eso deberias agregar como copia a todos los clientes y el mail lo generas y envias una sola vez, te paso como hacerlo.
 $emailReceptor = $instancia -> query("SELECT * FROM USUARIO");

 while($item = mysqli_fetch_array($emailReceptor)){
     $mail->addBCC($item['EMAIL'], $item['NOMBRE']);
 }

 $mail->isHTML(true);
 $mail->Subject = $_POST["txtAsunto"];
 $mail->Body = "formato del correo html";
 $mail->send();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
І́гор Сергі́йович Федо́тченко — сержант Збройних сил України.

Бойовий шлях
Командир танка, брав участь у боях за Слов'янськ, Ямпіль, Краматорськ. 12 червня 2014-го танк знищив до 20 терористів, зазнав 12 влучань з РПГ, запалав. Екіпаж, діючи професійно, не залишав бойову машину, відзначився механік-водій Журавльов Є. В. Танк вийшов з-під обстрілу, не втративши нікого з екіпажу, й водночас витримав ще до 8 влучань. З 27 червня 2014-го екіпаж — лейтенант Гусаревич Іван Володимирович, Ігор Федотченко, навідник солдат Зівертс Артем Володимирович, механік-водій солдат Журавльов Євген Володимирович — після відновлення танка, знову на бойових позиціях.

Восени 2015 року вступив на 1-й курс Харківського політехнічного інституту, факультет військової підготовки.

Нагороди
За особисту мужність і високий професіоналізм, виявлені у захисті державного суверенітету та територіальної цілісності України, вірність військовій присязі, відзначений — нагороджений
 орденом «За мужність» III ступеня (3.7.2015).

Джерела

 Нові танкісти — бувалі військові. На 1 військовий курс ХПІ вступили учасники АТО
 Довідка СБУ від 27.6.2014

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This course is the first of three required for POST Management Certification and is intended for law enforcement managers. Topics include evolution of management, stress management, principles of management, planning, organizing, and directing.
Completion of Supervision courses levels 1-3.
Dress Code: Students are expected to wear department-issued Class A or B uniforms or business attire to this course. Shorts, jeans, and t-shirts are prohibited.


text:
Q: Datatables are not in the same level after hiding column names from one of them In the shiny app below after hiding the column names from the 1st table they are not in the same level with the 2nd. How can I bring them back to the same level by bringing one up or the other lower?
library(shiny)
library(shinydashboard)
library(DT)
ui <- dashboardPage(
  dashboardHeader(),
  dashboardSidebar(
    ),
  dashboardBody(
    actionButton("act","Submit"),
    tags$hr(),

    splitLayout(
      #1st table from the left.This comes from the DT package DTOutput calls the table and table is the unique id which we use in server part to activate it
      DTOutput("table", width = "100%"),
      #The second table with unique id table2
      DTOutput("table2", width = "100%"),

      #here I set the width of each one
      cellWidths = c("285px",
                     "285px"

      ),

      #and the right gap margin
    )
  )
)

server <- function(input, output, session) {
 output$table<-renderDataTable(
   {
     datatable(head(iris),
               options = list(
                 headerCallback = JS(
                   "function(thead, data, start, end, display){",
                   "  $(thead).remove();",
                   "}"),
                 dom = 't'
               )
     )
   }
 )
 output$table2<-renderDataTable(
   {
     datatable(head(iris),
               options = list(

                 dom = 't'
               )
     )
   }
 )
}

shinyApp(ui, server)


Interior Designing Book is one of the very best references for embellishing the interior in your house. With the assistance of this book anybody can decorate the interior of his house. If you are planning to decorate your kid's space, your kitchen area, garden or your illustration room, this book supplies you with different techniques of decorating. It is a knowledgeable book which contains a few of the very best pointers for interior decoration.
– It is well formatted with interior embellishing ideas, step by action decorating guidelines in addition to standard interior decorating tips.
– The language used in this book is basic to comprehend and instill. To add up to its value these books likewise provide you with attractive photos that make things simple to comprehend. This book is easy, easy and includes many highlighted examples. It consists of many important pointers to paint ceilings and walls of your home. To put it simply, it is a total Home Designing Book.
It includes step by step chapters on how to utilize wallpapers, how to organize or redesign the furniture, how to paint ceilings, wall, doorstep, doors, suggestions to embellish the room for children, children and aged, and much more.
Everybody wishes to decorate his home in a distinct manner. What better method can you discover other than utilizing a suitable interior creating book? Today one can discover the number of outlets offering such embellishing books online. These outlets supply you with different ranges of decorating books based on your requirements.


text:
Q: How to call function with sometimes less argument I want to create a function such as:
var func = function(arg1, arg2) {
    callAnotherFunc(arg1, arg2);
}

as you can see, when someone needs to call func, it needs to pass 2 args. sometimes, arg2 can be null.
Sometimes, arg2 will be null. Is there some shortcut which allows me to do this ?
var func = function(arg1, arg2) {
    callAnotherFunc(arg1, arg2 || nothing);
}

So if arg2 is null, it shouldn't pass another argument to callAnotherFunc at all. I am looking for some shortcut and not if/else

A: You can try something like this
How To Use ES6 Arguments And Parameters

var func = (...args) => {
    callAnotherFunc(...args);
}

var callAnotherFunc = (...args) =>{
  console.log(...args)
}

func(1);

func(1,2);

func(1,2,3);

A: You could forward all arguments which are not null by using call.

var callAnotherFunc = function(){
  console.log(arguments)
};

var func = function(arg1, arg2){
    //So if arg2 is null, it shouldn't pass another argument to callAnotherFunc at all.
    callAnotherFunc.call(
      null,
      Array.from(arguments).filter(function(item, index){
        return index == 0 || item !== null
      })
    )
};

func(1, 2);
func(1, null); //REM: Does not pass second argument
func(null, null); //REM: Does not pass second argument

A: I don't understand why you would want to this, maybe your intentions are beyond my understanding. You can just use default parameters
var func = function(arg1, arg2 = null) {
    callAnotherFunc(arg1, arg2);
}

var callAnotherFunc = function(arg1, arg2 = null){
    // console.log(arg1);
    // console.log(arg2);
}

A: No, there isn't. Just use if / else.

A: var func = function(...args) {
    // args will be an array of all the arguments
    if (args[1] == null) args.splice(1, 1);
    callAnotherFunc.apply(this, args);
}

A:

var func1 = function(arg1, arg2) {
    console.log(arg1, arg2);
}

var func = function(arg1, arg2) {
    arg2 && func1(arg1, arg2);
}

func(1, 2);

func(1); // not consoled


text:
Q: Выровнять блок footer внизу под всем Не могу выровнять блок footer ниже всего, а выравниваеться по низу блока leftbar

* {
  padding: 0;
  margin: 0;
}

body {
  background: #22313a;
  /*height: 1000px;*/
}

.navigation {
  height: 60px;
  display: block;
  margin-bottom: 25px;
}

.navigation>div {
  background: #25252d;
  /*height: 100%;*/
  box-shadow: 1px 0 5px;
  display: inline-block;
  line-height: 60px;
}

.main {}

.item-container {
  display: inline-block;
  padding: 0 16px;
}

.item-container>a {
  color: white;
  text-decoration: none;
}

.item-container:hover {
  background: #1d1d27;
}

.item-container+.f-right+.active {
  background: #1d1d27;
}

.item-container+.f-right+.mail>a {
  color: #777777;
}

.f-right {
  float: right;
}

.left-bar {
  width: 20%;
  background-color: #2b3942;
  height: 500px;
  display: inline-block;
  color: white;
}

.right-bar {
  width: 77%;
  /*background-color: #2b3942;*/
  /*height: 500px;*/
  display: inline-block;
}

.card-item {
  height: 150px;
  background-color: #2b3942;
}

.disc {
  background-color: #2b3942;
  height: 200px;
  color: white;
}

.footer {
  display: block;
  background-color: #2b3942;
  height: 20px;
  color: white;
}
<!doctype html>

  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no">

  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.0.0/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-Gn5384xqQ1aoWXA+058RXPxPg6fy4IWvTNh0E263XmFcJlSAwiGgFAW/dAiS6JXm" crossorigin="anonymous">
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style.css">
  <title>Hello, world!</title>

                    CLOUD-MINING-SERVICES.COM

                    info@Cloud-Mining-Services.com

Leftbar

Decsription

Footer

A: Почитай тут или погугли  clearfix  https://webcareer.ru/clearfix-na-css.html в интернете много информации на эту тему.


In our drive to promote diverse farming, we're delighted to welcome another microbusiness to Honeydale. Wilder are a social enterprise specialising in cottage garden style cut flowers and are part of Flowers from the Farm, a growing network of artisan flower farmers across the UK.
House, Sutton Courtenay, a grade II listed garden which has featured in many gardening books. Latterly, she's been working at Adlestrop House, with pleasure grounds embellished by fabled landscape designer Humphry Repton and said to have inspired Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. She's also been involved with Thrive, an organisation specialising in horticultural therapy.
Sophie and Helen were introduced to each other by Helen's sister and the idea for Wilder was born. A year ago, the pair secured the use of a small plot of land in the Gloucestershire village of Broadwell. Their signature style of natural arrangements featuring wildflowers, cottage garden blooms, plants from the hedgerows, berries and grasses has proved very popular, selling at North Parade Market in Oxford and increasingly requested for Cotswold weddings and parties.
'The idea with our arrangements is to bring nature and the wild outdoors inside, evoking the feel of a country walk,' explains Helen.
In spring, Wilder's evocative bouquets feature timeless blooms such as parrot tulips, anemones, and ranunculus together with blossom and hazel catkins. In summer, there are cornflowers and corncockles, larkspur, honesty, scabious, campion and sweetpeas.
In Autumn hawthorn, rosehips, grasses, field maple and asters are beautifully grouped with dahlias and sunflowers and in winter the focus is on wreaths of holly and ivy together with rosemary, bay and chinese lanterns.
The social enterprise initiative will be introduced when the business has sufficiently established. There's a real shortage of gardeners in the UK with the job failing to attract today's youngsters, so the aim is to offer opportunities and horticultural training to equip those who would otherwise struggle to find work with the skills to secure to real employment.


Because of the high concentration of calcium in limestone, most naturally occurring marble exhibit white veins and changes in coloration. The colour can turn milky or opaque because of the presence of calcium in the rock. Marble also glows. The calcium present in it allows light to penetrate about three millimetres into the rock before reflecting it. This mutes the light and causes the marble piece to glow.
Ideal for: Vanities, counter tops/reception desks, and wall lining.
Marble is more expensive than granite and is available in a wide range of colours, it is often used for its beauty, but it is more porous, softer, and chemically sensitive than granite. Because of this marble surfaces are not recommended for high traffic areas such as kitchen bench tops.
Seal your bench top every 6-12 months.
Clean up spills immediately to minimize damage to your stone.
Use trivets or mats under any hot objects.
Avoid setting beverage glasses directly on marble as they leave rings.
Fruit juices, carbonated beverages or other acids will etch (remove the shinny surface) if allowed to remain on marble.
Do not use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom and grout cleaners.
Do not use scourers of any type of abrasive products on marble as it will scratch the stone.
Do not sit or stand on marble as it will crack.
Do not use the marble as a work surface as it will leave permanent scratches.
Do not place toiletry products directly on you marble surface.
Avoid dropping heavy or sharp objects on marble.
For more information plus their full range of available products please visit our main suppliers web sites listed below.


text:
Day of the Sun is a hard rock band with modern rock discipline and vintage rock throw-back vibe. The band draws it's sound from a common musical background and lifelong brotherhood between the members. Lead vocalist, Tommy Woods, began as a drummer, but was later recognized for his vocal abilities and stage presence as a lead vocalist. Guitarist, Bill Patrick, began playing music with Tommy at an early age, and one day, while forming a new band, ran into bass player Byron Basham. Bill and Byron played for a summer together, and then lost track of each other over the years. Byron moved around between Ohio and Colorado eventually settling back down in Ohio. Through social media, the two were reconnected and, without debate, Byron was asked to join Day of the Sun. The band quickly fleshed out several songs and wasted no time getting into the studio and planning for a rewarding ride together.
The sound is driving hard rock thunder while paying plenty of esteem to the band's enrichment of metal pioneers from the 70s and 80's. Soring vocals, beckoning lead guitar and solid, pocket rhythms define the sound of one of the most exciting new bands to come out of the mid-west.
Byron Basham (Bass)
Tommy Woods (Vocals)
Bill Patrick (Guitar)
Will Moore (Drums)
Connect with Day of the Sun
Get on the Mailing List!
Day of the Sun News
Day of the Sun released their first EP in October of 2019 and are now performing shows in support of the record. Many new shows are getting added to the calendar every day. Stay tuned here and sign up on the mailing list for updates!
For booking, please email: BOOKDAYOFTHESUN
© Day of the Sun - All Rights Reserved


Decembers Pot Luck is always a great time. Festive tables are set, excitement grows as wrapped packages are brought in and mouths water as the dishes are set out on the tables.
Karen Eckmeier's (our guest lecturer/teacher) method of layering and topstitching technique in her landscape quilts as well as in clothing and other quilts are stunning. Karen turns fabric into pieces of quilted art work.
Through the generosity of the members, it is possible for all to gather prior to the meeting for conversation, coffee/tea and wonderful eats. We call it the Snack 'n Yack time.
It was with pleasure that the BFQG honored and gifted two WW II Veterans, Bob Sundeen and Frank Lindh, each with a Quilt of Valor. Pictured with the men are Tommi and Pam.
A retreat environment to help one create beautiful quilts in a very relaxed atmosphere. You don't even have to cook a meal!
The first of an annual fund raiser for the New England Quilt Museum. What a great time we all had and it was made possible through donations of quilt related treasures from members who in turn purchased "new" treasures.


According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Data Center Colocation market is estimated at $29.83 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach $76.37 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 17.0% from 2016 to 2022.
Rising usage of cloud computing in recent years and low capital required for data center collocation are the key factors driving the market growth. Threat from attackers and stringent government regulations are the some of the factors restraining the market.
Based on type, Wholesale is anticipated to grow at highest CAGR during forecast period as it costs low and more reliable. Large enterprises accounted for the largest market share owing to the technological developments and Small & Medium Sized Enterprises are anticipated to show lucrative growth rate during forecast period as it is cost efficient. North America accounted for the highest market share as compared to other regions. The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at a higher CAGR and is anticipated to account for the highest market share during forecast period.
Some of the key players in the market include American Telephone & Telegraph Systems, Inc., At&T, Inc., CenturyLINK Technology Solutions, Coresite Realty Corporat, Digital Realty, DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc., Equinix, Inc., Global Switch Corporation, Internap Corporation, Interxion Holding NV, KDDI Telehouse Corporation, Level 3 Communications, Inc., NaviSite, Inc., NTT DATA Corporation, Rackspace, SunGard Availability Services, Telecitygroup PLC and Verizon Communication Ltd.


Tip: Click on the Today's Department of Sentimentality 5 manga image to go to the next page. You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between pages.
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text:
HD23848 — хімічно пекулярна зоря спектрального класу A2, що має видиму зоряну величину в смузі V приблизно  5,1.
Вона  розташована на відстані близько 297,6 світлових років від Сонця.

Фізичні характеристики

Зоря HD23848 обертається
досить швидко
навколо своєї осі. Проєкція її екваторіальної швидкості на промінь зору становить  Vsin(i)= 91км/сек.
Телескоп Гіппаркос зареєстрував фотометричну змінність  даної зорі з періодом    1,77 доби в межах від  Hmin= 5,20 до  Hmax= 5,15.

Пекулярний хімічний вміст

Див. також

 Перелік HgMn-зір
 Ртутно-манганова зоря
 Перелік хімічно пекулярних зір (2h-4h)
 Хімічно пекулярна зоря
 Перелік хімічно пекулярних зір з пониженим вмістом гелію
 Хімічно пекулярна зоря з пониженим вмістом гелію
 Перелік Am-зір
 Am-зоря

Джерела

Хімічно пекулярні зорі
Зорі головної послідовності спектрального  класу A2
8


For as far back as I could remember, I have always preferred Linux on my PCs. Linux is just so much better for software development and server administration. I have never been a fan of Windows, and have never fancied a Mac or OS X either, but because you are forced to use a Mac for iOS development, I finally decided to give a Macbook Pro with the 'retina' display a try.
I have been hearing from a lot of developer friends lately on how they switched from Windows to a Mac and love it. This made me consider switching to a Mac entirely, as I don't prefer having to lug around multiple computers, but after using one for a week, I have given up on the idea.
1. Command key instead of the control key. This was the first hurdle I ran into. Most shortcuts that use the Ctrl key on a regular PC have to be substituted with the command key. For example, you have to use command+c to copy instead of Ctrl+c like you would on a regular PC. However, this was easily fixable, as explained here.
2. The window buttons are on the wrong side. The minimize, maximize and close buttons are on the left side of an application window instead of the right.
3. The maximize button doesn't maximize. When you press the maximize button on a application's window (the green button with a +), the window simply gets a little bigger, instead of filling the entire screen as I would normally expect. There is however, a second double arrow button on the right of the window which seems to make it fill the entire screen, but seems to move the window into another workspace. Confusing.
4. Tabbing between multiple windows of the same application seems impossible. For example, when a regular and incognito window of the Chrome browser are open, pressing command + tab doesn't switch between them.
5. Edit -> cut is greyed out in Finder. I'm not sure why they left the option in the Edit menu. Pressing command+x doesn't 'cut' the file either. Because of this, moving files is a little tricky. You have to copy it first (command+c), then press command+option+v to move it.
6. The keyboard doesn't have Home/End/Page Up or Page Down keys. I had no idea how much I used these until I used a Mac.
7. The Backspace key is incorrectly named delete. The actual delete key is missing. On a regular PC, backspace deletes content behind the cursor, while the delete key deletes content in front of it. On a Mac, delete behaves like the backspace key, and the PC version of the delete key doesn't exist.
8. Function keys don't work as expected. Can't press F2 to rename a folder, and can't fix F5 to refresh the browser (huge deal). Function keys only seem to serve as handy shortcuts for changing the volume, brightness, etc.
9. The delete (backspace) key doesn't move files to trash in the Finder. Instead, it is command+delete to move to the Trash. However, command+shift+delete doesn't permanently delete the selected file, and empties the trash instead.
10. Finder doesn't seem to support SFTP. As someone who copies files to/from servers a lot over SSH, lack of native SFTP support was a huge deal. Programs like Cyberduck got the job done, but were clumsy to use compared to having support in the native file browser, like Nemo on Linux Mint.
11. Missing Terminal scripts. Only a subset of commands/scripts from a standard Linux install are available. For example, uptime and top are present, but ip and free are not. Also, lack of a package manager accessible from the Terminal was a big no no.
12. No multiple workspaces. I love grouping related programs to their own workspace. For example, browsers on one, terminals on another, IDE's on the third, and so on. This doesn't seem to be supported on the Mac, and the dock got very cluttered very quickly.
Granted, there seems to be a "Mac way" of doing most of these, and Steve Jobs' classic "you are holding it wrong" comes to mind. But for someone who is used to a PC, switching to a Mac seems like a tough ordeal. It seems you have to forget most of what you know and start over from scratch, but the problem is if you do ever get ingrained into the Mac way of doing things, going back to a PC is not going to be easy. And for this reason, I am going to stick with my Linux PC for now, and confine the Mac strictly to iOS development.


From I-85 North, Buford Highway to Piedmont Road North exit. Continue on Piedmont Road to the light at Lindbergh Drive. Turn right, were 1/4 mile on right. From I-85 S, Lenox Road/Cheshire Bridge. Turn left onto Cheshire Bridge. Take 1st right . Were 1/2 mile on left.


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Carol Walker RMIIA executive director advised that it is left out on wonderful experiences. He had a driver's credit score are also applicable. In other economic damages that he is injured in an auto accident.


Oktoberfest season is here and Philadelphia is going all out with the events. From now until mid October beer lovers and Germanophiles alike will gather on the streets and in bars across town to celebrate this over 200 year old tradition. Dust off those lederhosen and prepare yourself for those festbiers because this is what we have in store for you this year.
Standard Tap will offer a daily menu during this week long sausage party featuring a plethora of encased meats from Bratwurst to Chorizo to Scotch Eggs all for $10 or less! At the bar, they'll have a lineup of local festbiers and and German style drafts to help fest goers wash down all that sausage.
This waterfront park will be transformed into an autumn wonderland filled with free activities such as pumpkin carving, arts and crafts, and live music. Guests can also enjoy a daily selection of seasonal beers and pumpkin-inspired bites.
Fishtown neighbors Frankford Hall and Fette Sau are throwing an all-day Oktoberfest block party with food, fun and live music for everyone. Bavarian and German-style beer will flow and make a perfect pair with brats and giant pretzels.
South Street's beer hall Brauhaus Schmitz is taking over South Street for their Eighth Annual Oktoberfest. The festival will feature tented areas outside, live oompah music, German food, face painting — oh, and plenty of great beer. Food and drink are pay as you go and there is a VIP package available.
Philadelphia's highest new beer garden is launching an Oktoberfest like this city's never seen before – featuring German food, German beers, German music and more – 51 stories in the sky! Guests will enjoy traditional German fare, such as classic bratwurst, potato pancakes, roast pork sandwiches and Bavarian-style pretzels, as well as four brews pouring from the taps specifically for the beer-fueled festival.
Marc Vetri's Italian gastropub is going German once again for their annual Oktoberfest celebration. Victory Brewing Company is taking over the taps while the kitchen serves up traditional German foods. Begin the weekend at the Stein Hoist competition and happy hour on Friday at 4:30 PM. Then move outside on Saturday from 2 PM - 7 PM when Alla Spina shuts down Mt. Vernon Street, fires up the grills, and parties while Polkadelphia provides some authentic tunes.
Enjoy a huge selection of beers and live music at this outdoor festival in the Philly suburbs. Food including pierogies, brats, and sauerkraut will be sold on a pay as you go basis and a moon bounce, cookie decorating station and other games will be on hand for the kiddos.
Visit this center city beer garden for a two day celebration of all things German. Local and imported lagers will be on tap as well as a full menu of traditional eats including pretzels, wurst, schnitzel, and spaetzle. To top everything off guests will even be able to take home a commemorative one liter boot stein!
Costume, bratwurst eating, and stein hoisting contests await at this weeklong festival. $5 mulled wine and $6 cinnamon shots and cider will also be on deck for all your drinking pleasure as well as oompah bands to get your in the Oktoberfest groove.
Hop Angel's two-day fest will feature authentic Oktoberfest-style beers and Bavarian food specials. Last year during the fest, Hop Angel gave free sausage sandwiches to anyone who showed up in dirndls and lederhosen, so stay tuned so more details if they'll be doing the same this year!
Tons of food, live music, life-sized board games, and activities for the kiddos is waiting at this Roxborough festival. They'll even be crowning a 2016 Roxtoberfest HomeBrew Champion during the festival at their annual HomeBrew Beer Competition!
This time honored bar will be celebrating everything German all month long. The celebration concludes at the huge Midtown Village Fall Festival where McGillins will set up an outdoor beer garden. They've teamed up with Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company to even launch their own Oktoberfest beer available all season! A rotating list of food specials including mussels, cabbage, sausage and other German favorites will be available on their menu all month as well.
The folks at Brauhaus Schmitz are doing it again this time in West Center City's 16,000 square foot armory adorned with authentic Munich festival tents. Guests will be able to purchase tickets for one of five separate four hour sessions. Traditional food will be served along with beer provided by the famous Hofbräuhaus. There will even be a raffle for a chance to win a trip to Germany! General Admission tickets are $45 as well as a special VIP package for $65.
For its fifth annual Oktoberfest celebration, Xfinity Live! is pulling out all the stops. There will be more than 200 craft beers on tap, live music, contests, prizes and food trucks. Tickets start at $45 per person.
Enjoy all that is fall in the center of our great city at Dilworth Park's Saultoberfest Beer Garden. They'll have festive beers on tap, traditional German eats, local DJs, as well as fall-inspired cocktails featuring Effen Blood Orange Vodka and Jim Beam.


text:
Outsourced Tyranny:
The Use of Private Companies to do Governments' Dirty Work
by S. Leon Felkins, Major, US Army (Retired)
"In the latest incident, three American crewmen – on contract to the CIA – and a Peruvian officer were flying surveillance when they spotted the missionaries' Cessna as it headed over the Amazon jungle." (emphasis added)
This quote, from one of the news articles about the shoot down of the private plane in Peru and the murder of the mother and her baby by the Drug Warriors [Note 1], while getting little notice by the news media or the public, is the most important piece of information in the whole news report. That is, the fact that three American government contractors were on a surveillance plane accompanying the war planes, exposes the heart and soul of what the Drug War is all about.
Which is money, jobs and control. But you knew that already. You had to know that this massively failed Drug War – illogically fighting a societal problem that pales in comparison to the damage resulting from alcohol and smoking abuse but which continues to absorb massive funds, manpower, decency, and Constitutional rights – has to have some logic behind it. It most certainly is not the health and welfare of the citizens of this country and the world.
Eisenhower warned of the "Military-Industrial Complex." He must be doing cartwheels in his grave today for what we had then is insignificant to what has developed since then.
The complex network of contractors, military, politicians, foreign governments, and the drug traffickers will be examined in this essay.
CONTRACTOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE DRUG WAR
As with nearly all government activity in these times, contractors are involved extensively in all aspects. They provide people, equipment, and many forms of support. In fact, it is obvious that a major force in continuing and expanding the "Drug War" is the profit motive for government contractors. Of course, politicians want to maintain control and government employees have a strong incentive to protect their jobs and the permanence of their agencies but "bringing in the bucks" is probably the number one motivation for the whole mess of them.
It is disturbing that businesses have little concern about accepting government contracts for doing, if not sleazy work, certainly less than noble work. But I suppose this is just the way it is. A corporation has no morals and the people that run the corporations seem to not be much better off. Civilian contractors willingly and enthusiastically supplied Hitler with arms and materials in World War II, and it appears we can expect no better from most of the large government contractors we have in the USA today.
But let us get to the specifics in Latin America, a very representative example about what President Ike was trying to warn us about.
"PLAN COLOMBIA," A $1.3 BILLION AID BILL
To get a feel for how strong this profit incentive is, we only have to look at the recent $1.3 billion aid bill passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton.
In an article in the Dallas Morning News, "Contractors Playing Increasing Role in U.S. Drug War," February 27, 2000, By Tod Robberson, it is stated that "At least six U.S. military-specialty companies have set up operations in the region, apparently in anticipation of future Colombia-related contracts, according to U.S. military sources. Two Virginia-based companies, DynCorp Inc. and Military Professional Resources Inc., or MPRI, are completing contracts related to logistical support and training of Colombian police and counterinsurgency forces, officials of those companies say. "
Curiosity overwhelms me and I have to know what these and other companies find so interesting in this dangerous land full of snakes, drug lords, and leftist guerrillas.[Note 2] Could this relatively poor country possibly pay the kind of salaries and travel perks that these Beltway Bandits are accustomed to getting? Sure, the $1.3 billion is bound to have some influence but – allegedly – the Colombian government itself will be funding the vast majority of the drug fighting effort there.
So, the first question that comes to mind is why did the U.S. decide to make this major contribution. That question was fairly well answered by a page at the D2KLA site, an organization set up to "to coordinate and support events and nonviolent protests during the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, August 14-17." At that site they have a list of issues, appropriately named "What are the issues?," in which they summarize some of the financial exchanges between industry and the Washington Politicians which relate to this appropriation. Here is a quote from the sub-section titled, "Defense Contractors And The Colombia Military Aid Package":
The aid package was written [Note 3] and passed with the help of a major lobbying effort by drug czar Barry McCaffrey, arms manufacturers, and corporations with investments in Colombia. Bell Helicopter Textron and United Technologies Corp., makers of the helicopters listed in Clinton's proposal, offered chopper rides to members of Congress. United Technologies gave more than $700,000 to both parties in the past two election cycles, and Bell Helicopter gave nearly $1 million. In 1999, United Technologies shifted most of its soft-money donations to the Democrats, giving $125,000 to the party – $75,000 of that in a single check 11 days before the Clinton Administration proposed the package. United Technologies has also been especially generous to individual legislators recently. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, during the past two years the company and its employees gave $33,200 to Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd and Republican Representative Sam Gejdenson, both from Connecticut. Rep. Gejdenson is the ranking member of the House International Relations Committee. Sen. Dodd is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Narcotics. Dodd, traditionally a progressive ally on human rights issues and the effort to end the Cuban embargo, is supporting the plan. A Bell Helicopter lobbyist told the Legal Times, "It's business for us, and we are as aggressive as anybody. I'm just trying to sell helicopters."
Members of the US-Colombia Business Partnership – a group of multinational corporations with interests in Colombia – also lobbied the administration and Congress for aid. The Occidental Petroleum Corp., which claims that its project in Colombia has lost $100 million because of terrorist activity, sent a representative to testify on behalf of the new military support before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Drug Policy. Since 1992, Occidental has donated nearly half a million dollars to the Democrats, and Vice President Al Gore, who owns stock in Occidental, has received $10,000 from company executives and their wives for his presidential run.
Well, there you have it – a clear explanation of why the bill got passed.
Still, more details of the actual spending would be interesting to know. Like, are we really giving all this money to Colombian politicians to spend as they please? Are there strings attached? Well, of course. I found the details in the essay "The Contents of the Colombia Aid Package" at the Center for International Policy site. Here are some quotes on the details:
Though the aid package totals $1.319 billion, only 65 percent of that amount – $860.3 million – is assistance for Colombia. The other 35 percent is assistance for neighboring countries [Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and others] and increases for U.S. agencies' Andean region anti-drug operations.
The biggest single item in the military assistance category is $328 million for helicopters. The new counternarcotics battalions are to receive sixteen UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters at a cost of $208 million. (An additional two Blackhawks are to go to the Colombian National Police at a cost of $26 million.) The battalions will also receive thirty UH-1H Huey helicopters, upgraded to the "Super Huey" configuration; the Colombian National Police are to receive another twelve Hueys. The $120 million price tag for the Hueys includes maintenance and operation costs for these helicopters and for eighteen more that were provided to Colombia's Army in late 1999.
Of course, all this complexity will require training, maintenance, etc. and that is where the Beltway Bandit Body Shops come in. They will get a nice chunk, you can be assured.
So, basically, in case you were worried, practically all the money will come back to the US. The giving of "aid" to all these countries – Central and South America, Kosovo, Bosnia, etc., is simply part of the pipeline to funnel money from the taxpayers to the politicians and U.S. corporations.
As I noted in a previous paper, "Cheney Takes Another Spin Around the Washington Revolving Door," Vice President Cheney is an old hand at this operation. In fact, he (while Secretary of Defense) and Bush I, set up the original "Andean Initiative" in 1989 wherein they provided $65 million in "emergency aid." Details of this exercise are covered in the book, Drugs and Foreign Policy, edited by Raphael Perl, a chapter of which is temporarily online, thanks to Google's Cache!
This effort was one of the early "trial balloons" to test how far the government could go in getting around the "Posse Comitatus" law in providing military solutions to civilian law enforcement problems. Once they noticed that military intervention by American forces was only prohibited in the U.S. itself, this concern quickly melted away.
THE MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN POLICING CITIZENS
LEDET Program
When there is a public or press outcry against government or military infringement on citizen's rights, the first and major response by the agencies involved is to figure out a way around the restriction. For example, if the public gets riled at certain employees of the government, like the government participants of the Ruby Ridge disaster, they will hide these individuals from public view for awhile and then quietly reinstate them in some other position, usually as good or better than their old positions.
It seems clear that the purpose of the Posse Comitatus Act was to prohibit military involvement in civilian law enforcement. But the act only specifically mentioned the Army (Air Force is included because it used to be part of the Army) – the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard were left out (see "The Posse Comitatus Act: A Principle In Need Of Renewal"). However, the Act was later extended to the Navy and Marines by regulation. Since the Coast Guard has an express law enforcement responsibility in peacetime, the act does not apply to it. They are not part of the military except in time of war.
So, legally the Coast Guard could search and seize ships at sea suspected of smuggling drugs. But they don't have all the technical goodies and the almost infinite funds and political clout of the military, particularly the Navy. So what to do? Simple. You transfer "control" of the Navy vessel to the Coast Guard at the appropriate time.
Specifically, that means that all the force, power, and resources of the military will be brought to bear in intercepting a suspected drug smuggler. At the last moment the ship's Navy flag is replaced with a Coast Guard flag and a USCG person takes "control" of the ship. Then they order the suspected drug smuggling ship to stop and the USCG detachment boards and searches the ship under threat of being blown out of the water by this, now "Coast Guard ship." Neat but don't try this with your own vehicle.
Training, Offloading Hardware, and Supporting Police Departments
Since the start of the Drug War, the military has become increasingly involved with the police departments across our country. This is of great concern to civil libertarians and many essays have been written warning us of the dangers. Of course, the politicians have paid little attention to those warnings for other interests drive them.
Some recent papers I found on the web are: "Sacramento Bee: Beware of feds bearing weapons," "Warrior Cops: The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in American Police Departments," and "The Militarization of 'Mayberry'."
The Posse Comitatus Act, as revised, and other statutes, allow some domestic use of the military, specifically when there is an emergency that the states cannot handle. The law has been further weakened in modern times by the drug warriors and now allows the military to get involved in drug interdiction at our borders.
The military also has a great need to offload obsolete equipment (and new, I suppose). The constant need for the industries to sell new stuff to the military requires that something be done with the old. While we offload billions of dollars worth of the stuff on third world countries, dumping some of it on police forces can help too. So, we have police forces that now look like armies.
And act that way too, for they are receiving military training also. As the above listed articles point out, this is a grave mistake because to the soldier, you are either a friend or an enemy and if you are enemy, the goal is to cause you great harm and even death. Police are technically not suppose to be that way. In fact, in the old days, policemen in the US were often considered to be friends of the community. It is a sad thing to see that culture pass away.
The essay, "The Posse Comitatus Act: A Principle In Need Of Renewal" by Matthew Hammond, states that there have been several recent attempts to further weaken the Posse Comitatus Act. Fortunately, they have failed – so far. Some examples (quoted from the essay):
After the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, President Clinton proposed an exception to the PCA to allow the military to aid civilian authorities in investigations involving "weapons of mass destruction." (fertilizer bombs?)
[Presidential] candidate Lamar Alexander even proposed replacing the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol with a new branch of the armed forces.
Congress also considered legislation to directly involve federal troops in enforcing customs and immigration laws at the border.
THE WORKING-LEVEL GOVERNMENT IS 90% CONTRACTORS NOW
As I pointed out in my article, "How Can You Tell When a Politician Is Lying?," politicians are very deceitful when it comes to discussing just how big our bloated government is. In his extensive study on this subject, Paul Light of the Brookings Institute has shown that the true size, when you add in all the government contractors, is nearly ten times the admitted size. These contractors literally take the place of lower level government employees, doing exactly the same work as was done by the civil servants, often working directly for a legitimate civil service manager. There are several reasons why "outsourcing" has become so popular:
Congress wants it to promote more profit making by private industries
Government people may feel that a contractor can do a better job or that the job is just too nasty or difficult. Pure laziness may be involved too – and why not when the taxpayers, with very deep pockets it seems, are paying the bills.
Liability and political considerations. Contractors are less liable than uniformed soldier might be – see the Dallas Morning News article, "Contractors Playing Increasing Role in U.S. Drug War" for more on this.
Government wants to claim that it is not a huge bloated monstrosity (and still growing, in fact)!
Nearly every government agency is now outsourcing essentially all the real work that their agency is supposed to do. I will mention a few federal agencies, but state governments also extensively use contractors.
The Military and NASA
The military has been rapidly outsourcing more and more of its functions in the last 50 years or so. They have always had the support and the involvement of contractors in developing and building war machines. Since retired military often are hired by these companies, usually in positions that match the position they had in service, the entanglement that President Eisenhower referred to is very real. You can read about a specific example of this, the contracts that Halliburton received for support in the Balkans and other areas of conflict around the world in my article previously mentioned, "Cheney Takes Another Spin Around the Washington Revolving Door."
As discussed elsewhere in this essay, DOJ has a number of sub-contractors, but by far the number one is DynCorp, which does most of their routine paper work, including computer programming, database management, whatever. Through the US Marshals, they also contract out the management of the seized property, auctions, etc. to many private contractors all over the country.
The very profitable prison business
There are many government agencies involved in the management of the huge number of incarcerated citizens that has resulted from the Drug War (supposedly, we have the highest incarceration rate in the world, 6 or 7 times greater than the other free world nations). There are many articles on the web about this. A good one is ABC News' "Profit & Punishment."
Others too numerous to go into here.
Would any public spirited American corporation stoop so low as to accept these jobs that debase the Constitution and infringe on the rights of citizens? All of them – in a heartbeat! I personally worked for many years as one of those warm bodies provided by one of the contractors mentioned below (I hastily add, my work was in support of the NASA Space Station program, in some ways a little less sleazy than being an "advisor" in Kosovo and Columbia). The bidding for these kinds of jobs was pursued vigorously!
From what I have seen on the web in preparation of this article it appears that the primary players in the government contracting or outsourcing (commonly known as "Beltway Bandits" because of their locations or major offices are generally on the beltway around Washington, D.C.) are:
According to the Knight Ridder Newspaper article, "U.S. civilians taking risks in Colombian drug war," of 26 February 2001,
... DynCorp is the biggest, with sales of $1.2 billion a year – 95 percent from contracts with the U.S. government. It runs everything from one of the computer centers that handled the 2000 Census to the maintenance of the Kuwaiti Air Force, the administration of a U.S. military air base in the Honduran town of Palmerola and the sale of military surplus from former U.S. bases in Panama.
It is also a major source of bodies for the Department of Justice, providing contract employees to help manage the massive amount of loot take under their Asset Forfeiture program. There the contract employees do a wide range of tasks – about everything except doing the actual seizures.
Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI)
According to Bill Weinberg in his article, "Corporate Interests Behind $1.7 Billion Colombia Drug War Aid Package":
MPRI spokesman Ed Soyster, a retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Dallas Morning News his company is gearing up for new business after the aid package is approved. MPRI even helped the Colombian government devise the official, three-phase "action plan" that was presented to Congress outlining how the $1.28 billion would be allocated.
Says Soyster: "We're a military company. We're able to hand-pick our people from a select group of guys who like to come into this type of environment." MPRI maintains a database of 11,000 vets available to work on assignment, and has also provided training and logistical support for military operations in the Balkans, Middle East and Africa.
According to Time Magazine, January 15, 1996; page 34, MPRI is:
"the greatest corporate assemblage of military expertise in the world." With 160 full-time employees and some 2,000 retired generals, admirals and other officers on call, it is making a fair claim.
A huge government contractor that markets both hardware and services. According to the Knight Ridder Newspaper article mentioned above,
Northrop Grumman of Los Angeles provides an unknown number of U.S. citizens that operate and maintain five radar stations in eastern and southern Colombia that track suspected drug smuggling flights.
Tracking data is beamed to Key West in Florida, home of the drug-fighting Joint Interagency Task Force-East, under the 1998 contract administered by the Defense Department's Air Combat Command in Hampton, Va.
All I know about Halliburton, I reported on in my article, "Cheney Takes Another Spin Around the Washington Revolving Door."
Sandline
Armor Holdings, Inc.
According to the article, "A Hiroshima in the U.S.?," by Maria Tomchick, SAIC is involved in the Balkans along with MPRI and other companies too numerous to mention.
Military regimes in Latin American have tended to be the norm. In the old days when we had a government that made some pretense at following the Constitution and supporting human rights around the world, we actually took some actions to help stifle these military and dictatorial regimes and to establish civilian governments there.
Now we support the encourage and military no matter how ruthless. We now have a higher call – making money!
In particular, the Colombian military is considered one of the most ruthless in the world at this time (See "Columbia" at the Teknopunx, "People Against Power Abuse," site). Working with and through the very powerful paramilitary force in that country, they have murdered, maimed and otherwise inflicted harm on thousands of Colombian citizens, especially the peasants.
When a twinge of conscience surfaced for some of our legislators, they added provisions in the "Plan Columbia" to require certain conditions to further and protect human rights. But they quickly recovered and quietly added a provision that would allow the President to suspend these provisions.
And he did.
So it all worked out; all the politicians got their fat contributions, the defense industry got to sell a bunch of iron, the Beltway Bandits will keep their macho, former military, employees busy and out of trouble, the Colombian military gets a stockpile of new exotic toys to play with, and the murder and torture of helpless civilians goes on as usual. Oh, I almost forgot: the drug business also goes on as usual, the eradication of the Colombian vegetation having no significant impact (only hurting the peasants that happen to live there) and the guerillas will have had a substantial increase in the support for their cause by the Colombian civilians being further harassed by their evil government – and the Gringos.
Everybody is happy.
Just as this article was being finished, I received an email from Matthew Gaylor's "Freematt" mail group [Note 4] in which he quoted an article from Jane's Foreign Report , titled "Colombians bypass Plan Colombia." It appears that the devastation of the coca crops and any other vegetation in the area is already underway. Unfortunately, the money to support the native farmers who must now find a new source of sustenance – hasn't quite arrived yet. You know how these things are – you can't have everything on time. Here are some quotes:
Vast stretches of southern Colombia now look like desert - crops withered away, the ground parched and brown, vegetation burnt by chemicals. The American-sponsored aerial drug eradication, the biggest in the world, is well under way, destroying every plant that grows over 30,000 hectares in this fragile Amazonian ecosystem. "This is a carefully planned campaign," says James Mack, the American point-man for Plan Colombia, the anti-drugs plan financed by $1.3 billion of American aid. "These crop-dusting aircraft are spraying areas plotted with aerial photographs and are guided by satellite positioning systems."
On the ground, however, there is evidence that legal crops are being destroyed too. Fields of plantain, almost a mile from the nearest drug field, were withered and brown after the passing of a crop- dusting plane. While the fumigation campaign has been going since the end of last year, the other component of Plan Colombia, the $80m to help coca farmers switch to legal crops, has not arrived. "What are we supposed to do?" asks Cecilia Amaya, who heads a peasant association based in Puerto Asis, the largest town in Putumayo province. "The promised help has not arrived, and we suspect it will never arrive. Corrupt politicians have already pocketed it."
Few Colombians believe the American strategy has any chance of success. The street price of cocaine has not changed since the fumigations began. The only visible effects are the ravaged landscape, some 10,000 people displaced since the programme began at the end of last year, and an increase in acts of violence. A kilo of cocaine is worth up to $50,000 in the United States, $80,000 in Europe, and most Colombians believe that as long as the demand remains the supply will feed it.
1. An interesting quote:
Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) did propose a bill in the summer of 1989 to empower the military to shoot down suspected drug-smuggling aircraft but Congress refused to let it out of committee; see J. Baker, "The 'You Fly, You Die' Debate," Newsweek (October 2, 1989), 26. The executive branch later made it clear that: "consistent with international law and in the interests of aviation safety, no action may now be taken to stop or interrupt the progress of a target aircraft in flight"; see ONDCP, 1989 National Drug Control, 76. ("The Role of the Military" Note 31, from the book, Drugs and Foreign Policy, Westview Press, 1991, edited by Raphael Perl.
[This is for those of you, especially you private plane pilots, that think it can't happen here.!]
2. For political reasons, in the U.S. these guerrillas are called "Narco-guerrillas," a term credited to former Drug Czar, General McCaffrey. Per Stan Goff, in the article, "'Narco-guerrillas': alibi for intervention,"
White House antidrug chief Gen. Barry McCaffrey (no coincidence that he is the former commander of Southcom, the Theater Command for the U.S. armed forces in Latin America) and Defense Secretary William Cohen are arguing for a massive expansion of aid to Colombia.
"Fighting communists" no longer goes well with the public after the Vietnam disaster.
3. Actually it appears that MPRI may have had a hand in writing the bill. According to Ron Rowe in an article, in an article, "The Privatization of War,"
... [MPRI] should be well-placed for a contract, since it also helped the Colombian government devise the official, three-phase "action plan" that was presented to Congress last month outlining how the $1.6 billion would be allocated.
4. To subscribe to Freematt's Alerts: Pro-Individual Rights Issues Send a blank message to: freematt@coil.com with the words subscribe FA on the subject line.
Leon Felkins is a retired Engineer, Army officer and former teacher of Computer Systems. He now maintains a web page on Political Philosophy, "A Rational Life", and another on the history of politics, "Political Almanac."
Copyright 2001 by Leon Felkins. All rights reserved.
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Ladies, we need to talk. It's about your office footwear. You look gorgeous the second you get to you desk, but frankly you look a hot mess walking from the train station to the office in a suit and a tatty ol' pair of trainers. I know they're comfy, but with so many gorgeous flats out there to choose from, there's really no need to resort to trainers. Here are some fabulous flats that will get you out of your trainer-commute habit.
Jones Booktmaker is your friend. They've become a little more fashionable recently, and their sales are definitely worth keeping an eye on. These leather tan flats are £59 in the sale. Those patent bow flats at the top of the article? They're in the sale and they're £35. In 3-5 working days they'll be on my feet.
If you're changing your shoes for heels when you get to work, they can be whatever colour you like. Even neon yellow. These gorgeously gorgeous yellow loafers are £22 from ASOS. I want some of that action.
If you think I'm going to bypass shoes that are pink, leopard print and £25 then you don't know me at all. I love you, Miss Selfridge.
Studs are hot. These stampy studded flats are £95 from Kurt Geiger. Don't go kicking anyone in the shins.
No more trainer wearing on the office commute now, please. Your feet are better than that.
Actually, they're the ones I bought.
Lovely for weekend wanders around town, but I'm afraid my half hour walk uphill to work requires something a little more trainer shaped.
Classic black Converse hightops also look surprisingly good with much officewear.
Also, does anybody else find ballet flats surprisingly evil to break in? They look so damn sensible, but they lie.
And what about us flat-footed ladies who can't wear flats without a) gubbing our knees; b) destroying the shoes? I can't justify even twenty quid for shoes that'll end up flattened and mis-shapen in a fortnight, never mind £95!
If there's an actual reason for it, sure. Just something that bugs me when I see it in London. I don't think the office ladies have half-hour uphill walks.
Haha! OK, we'll agree to disagree and just look at the nice shoes instead. Which are your favourite for weekend wandering?
I'm with you on the Miss Selfridge. They're flippin lovely, they are.
Jones' - there's a link in the second para. They're in the sale!


How do I link my RUNSENSE View account to an app?
Create an account in the app you want to link to, if you haven't already.
Tap the Allow button next to the app you want to link. If you are not logged in to the app, a login screen appears.
Log in to the app, if you haven't already. An authorization screen for linking your Runsense View account and the app appears.
Log in to RUNSENSE View.
Click the Allow button next to the app you want to link. If you are not logged in to the app, a login screen appears.
Your RUNSENSE View account and the app are now linked. When you upload workouts to RUNSENSE View through Epson Run Connect, the workouts automatically upload to the app as well.


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