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This is a Bad Time to Be Raila Odinga…or is it?
Posted on July 1, 2013 by iCon
Credit: Daily Nation
The other day, I was on a KQ flight from Abidjan to Nairobi and the air hostess announced that our former Honorable Prime Minister was on board as well.
Somebody near me immediately squawked out "Haiya! We're with a VIP?" and the people laughed.
I couldn't help but feel bad for Rao. People either know you and mock you, love you and can't help you, or don't know you and don't care. We landed at some obscure hour of the night/morning and he was quickly whisked away from the plane.
Then I started wondering why I felt bad for him.
For those of you born in a Post-Moi Kenya, Raila has had a genuinely bad time in politics. He was detained and tortured for 8 years without trial in the 80s for preaching multi-party democracy in a time when there was only one party. When he was released, he was still being given a hard time. I mean, you know things are bad when you run away to Norway. No offense intended to any Norwegians reading this, but I'm sure even you guys would run away to some place with sun if you were African.
Anyhow, he came back and became MP in 1992 and since 1997, he has tried to run for President. Not once. Not twice. Not thrice. But four timesActually, yes. Thrice. And lost. Three time. The fairness of each loss is increasingly dubious, but the one thing you can't glare over is that he lost. 3 times.
And that can't feel good man.
Then from there, it's the little details that I imagine have added white hairs to his head. He got robbed. And then got robbed again. And somewhere between the two robberies, he was denied entrance into the Airport VIP Lounge.
Come on. It's flat out f**ked up that the former Prime Ministers of other countries can use our VIP lounge, but not our own. Heck, former diplomats, civil servants, army folk, all take a dump in there but not our Prime Minister?
As I was sitting in that plane, watching him be escorted away through the windows, I thought "Hold on, that's not sad. It just seems sad."
This man is a billionaire. Not million. Billion. And not one or two either. Tens and twenties, probably. Between the oil company and the bio-gas company alone, I'm sure he's at 10 billion shillings.
And then you add everything else (like his salary, which he's been collecting for 21 years) and his inheritance, because like I keep saying, politics is a hereditary disease and our government is family-owned and operated. Financially, he's not suffering. Which is why I'm wondering why he's pulling out the "I'm suffering card" while abroad. Yes, it is unfair, but it's also exaggerated. He can afford to let his security guards use a car.
Yes, he should be allocated his dues, but methinks there are better ways to make his case without playing victim. Like just letting a PR team handle it and make sure the story gets printed minus him seeming like he's championing his own cause.
He's loved by many, respected by almost all and for those who don't love nor respect him, they either fear him or can be squashed by his wallet. More importantly, he has no pending ICC case.
I'm sorry, but if I was one of the two main political candidates in the election that caused enough violence to hark the attention of the Hague's pitbulls, and I hadn't been caught, I think I'd shut my mouth and never complain about anything again. Anything else seems trivial, I'd think.
I empathize with the fact that he sleeps alone at home, and that his security guards can't carry guns on matatus, but I think he should take the high road on this one and let the facts(or professionals that know how to spin them) speak for themselves. Talking about VIP and security guards makes you seem petty when someone could easily say "But you're a billionaire." I realize the general injustice is the main issue, but those two incidents have already been taken as the focus. When, really, focus is the last thing he should want right now. He should make as much distance with the past as he can, while he can.
Seeing as politics wasn't really doing the guy any favors, he should be considering this a vacation. Take up a noble hobby like philanthropy.
If I were Raila, I think I'd be grateful I made it out alive and go around Africa doing Koffi Annanisms; shaking hands and hugging babies and being loved while raking in billions every time one of your trailers pulls up to a petrol station.
Oh, wait. He's already doing that. Then the only thing I'd do different is NOT complain, let a PR team handle the press, and accept that life is pretty awesome.
After all, I could afford to do that.
This entry was posted in Politricks, Shoot The Messenger and tagged Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga, Retirement Plans, Uhuru Kenyatta. Bookmark the permalink.
26 thoughts on "This is a Bad Time to Be Raila Odinga…or is it?"
A comical way of looking at it…..
bintimswahiliinti
Question: Why?
Your post would be awesome if he was aiming to run for office sometime soon. And he needed to build enough goodwill for people to vote for him. But he isn't (at least I hope he isn't) and what he does with the rest of his life isn't really in our hands anymore, at least not directly so why does he need to keep a low profile, not appear petty, not complain?
Why does Raila need to disappear into the background? Like if it were Kibaki that these things were happening to, would you give him the same advise.
And this doesn't mean I don't agree with your post, I'm just curious as the reasoning behind it.
Because he's apparently still in politics.
Because he keeps showing up in the papers and I'm losing respect for him.
Because there's a more gracious way of exiting that office and he can achieve it so easily.
And so that people can stop focusing on him and instead focus on the real issues. Like Doctors, Teachers and how we're setting up our kids for stupidity and death.
msichanamdogo
Lord knows how much i agree with this response. I am also losing respect fro him, and at an alarmingly fast rate because he is giving the media a free pass at "misquoting" him and he ends looking like a class act at buffoonery.
Couple of weeks back, I engaged someone on this topic and Binti's query about him running again.. sadly 'came out'. He is indeed planning to run again, and there's apparently an absurd loophole in the 'good book' that will allow him even given his age. Cap 137 methinks.
His "almighty" PR team behind him are now just laying the bed for his soft landing.. because: forever a bridesmaid. i guess 5 times will be the charm. Just my thoughts though.
seezus (@iFortknox)
@msichanamdogo – the constitution does not have age restriction for vying for presidency. Only the president and the deputy president cannot vie for a third term. But they can definitely vie again later, Putin-style (Don't give me that look, it's very possible and constitutionally right)
i hope the PR team read this article… if he had gone the Koffi annan way, he would be smiling all the way through VIP lounges in all airports
There's a lot that could be read into this. Like 1. We're so conditioned to how we treat VIPs that we actually feel sorry for him. Or 2. He sounds awfully whiny for someone of his stature. But I guess my take-home is that whatever else he may have lost, he retains the charisma to make a 'why me' session newsworthy.
A little bit of all that. My thinking though is that someone of his stature and charisma could do a lot more with his free time than draw unnecessary attention to himself. There was no news coverage of the AU meeting he went for, just of him complaining to his Ivorian counterpart.
When they were debating the new constitution, there was no provision for the Prime Minister in the after life. That is, he was so sure he was going to be president, that his cronies didn't even consider a retirement package for PM post. That's what he got.
Part of the reason he lost also was that his PR machine was so kalongolongo. UhuRuto spent 13 million pounds (Ksh. 1.8 Billion) for some top-notch PR firm from UK. See how far it got them. They actually made the ICC suspects so likeable that half of us voted for them.
Kibaki's package was not in the constitution either, it was an act of parliament that included retirement benefits of MPs, Kibaki, Raila and Kalonzo. Kibaki only approved his package and disregarded everything else, this is after tricking MPs to pass the National Government Coordination Act which was the basis of him appointing the contentious county commissioners. It was a trade-off gone bad between the executive and parliament.
Having said that, we might want to talk about PR and what not, which is perfectly fine depending on how you view local politics. But assuming that there isn't some witch-hunt at play would be naive. I mean why would a former PM not use VIP lounge in a country he once helped govern? Diplomats, both current and retired use the same facility.
And a little correction, PR did not make UhuRuto win. They only received 45% of votes in Nairobi where PR work. In the village people care little about coded language unless it's meant to kill, rape and dispossess people of their properties like in 2007. Ruto made UhuRuto win, not PR. (I'm just saying)
MMK you are just so funny!
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Walter Kinuthia
Fact: He never ran 4times, he ran 3times
Fact: He was detained for 8years and not 6
Fact:He was tortured, yes tortured for having a political stand different from the governments
Fact: He is a kenyan VIP who was a prime minister, put his "cry baby antics" on the side for a minute, why isnt he being treated with the same decorum as the ex-president
Fact: By virtue of his former position, he is entitled to being treated with respect, the govt is failing in that, Why? because he ran in the last election and will not quit politics.
Fact: The only age limit in running for presidency is the 35 year age limit as a minimum.
Fact; Kibaki is probably 10 times a billionaire and Moi too, none seems to have a problem with them having guards, petrol stations among other things at the state's expense "hipocracy"
Fact:There underlying issues we could all concentrate on but we all know its more juicier to kick a mans who is down, its a Kenyan thing, we did it with Moi, nearly did it Kibaki, may do it to Ruto , are doing it to Raila
Fact: Loosing respect for someone because he gives voice to his woes whether imagined or not is the height of hiprocasy, we never seem to loose respect for murders, rapists, philanderes, looters, but hey we are Kenyan and each one has his own unique heroes (of course from where you come from)
Fact: Any sense of an objective discussion in Kenya will at one point turn into insult and tantrum throwing !
Changed the first one. That was an oversight. Will change the detention one in a second.
Which kinda segues nicely into my point. Do you think his minor woes(because VIP and cars are less woes than what he's actually gone through) should get more coverage than his major ones? Do you think that maybe he should focus on that promise he gave us on finding out what really happened in this past election? Do you think maybe he could do more by…actually doing more?
I'm not saying what's happening is fair. I'm just saying that if you look at the grand scheme of things, he's in a position where he can make more change than just getting access to VIP lounges and letting the media make him look petty doing it. Ergo, get a PR team and let them handle it.
As for all those people you say we don't lose respect for: I'm the first to say I don't support our president simply because he MAY be involved in a genocide. The same goes for those 300 other clowns in parliament.
But sir, you are judging the man based on the responses he's giving the media who inquire about such. He's been very firm on the devolution, calling on his party members to prioritise service delivery instead of hefty perks, and also calling out the pretentious African leadership. I think it's unfair to pick up one story, which I doubt Raila called up the media and narrated to them his ordeal, and use that to judge him.
I will be sincere with you, I've heard a couple of newspaper industry insiders say without the man on the cover, business is very slow. I can't confirm how true that statement is but for them to talk about it, seems like there is some truth in it.
Precisely why I'm saying he shouldn't be the one talking about it. PR Team.
He should maintain the face of talking about serious issues if he intends on saving face.
And I'm not the only one judging him. Imagine the average newspaper reader…
Try this out. Go to Nation and type in Raila in the search. Between every story where he's addressing serious issues(education, youth, polls) is a story about the robbery or the VIP. Or at least it was like that for close to a month. It wasn't just one story. And of course they're doing it cause it sells. But that doesn't mean he should fuel the fire. Like, dude went to Abidjan to talk to the AU and the story that came from there was him talking to the former country leaders complaining about not being allowed in VIP or being paid pension.
Which he did indeed do. In a press conference.
They will find a way to dilute your message if you give them water.
True facts about honoring leaders sir. Well spoken. I like the thoughts about him already having money though. They are true but disrespect of elders is one thing we don't want to teach the children coz they will do it to you when you are old. You can take that to the bank.
my new fav blog 🙂
WUZY (@Rojjay)
The comments section turned out to be stories within a story section. You intelligent fuckers!
i like this site so much!
manonice
I sympathise with him, and the fact that Kenyans are losing their respect for him should be a worrying trend. When someone completes their service to you and you find it acceptable, tip the guy, say thank you for your effort. You don't ask him whether he has a side business and judge him for it. Whichever way you look at it, Raila probably paved way for precedents that will save this country for years to come.
Phoebe Oyugi
wow!this is the most issue based political debate av ever come across. i like i like
wanjoro
Austine Ouma
This guy is like a god,you cannot easily understand how he operates his life
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Strip-searched at the Mall!
10 Ridiculous Rides That Should Be In Nairobi


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Q: Show the error message only once in SAP HCM Payroll? I am doing some changes related to error messages in HCM Payroll.
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As the use of drug courts expand, critics say people with minor marijuana infractions are more likely than those with serious drug problems to end up in these programs.
Drug courts allow drug offenders to receive court-supervised treatment instead of punishment, the Los Angeles Times reports.
These programs can dramatically improve the lives of people addicted to drugs, the article notes. But a growing number of people are ending up in drug court because of minor marijuana infractions, some longtime supporters tell the newspaper.
In many areas of the country, people charged with marijuana possession are the largest group of offenders sent to drug-court programs. Often, people who chronically abuse hard drugs are not allowed to participate in these programs.
"For serious drug offenders it has been a far better alternative than prison," said John Roman, a senior analyst at the Urban Institute, who studies drug courts. "The problem is very few people who have those serious problems get into one of these drug courts. Instead, we take all kinds of people into drug court who don't have serious problems."
In some cases, people who might have faced a fine for marijuana use in the regular court system are instead moved into the drug-court system.
They are often forced to pay for costly treatment programs, and could face jail time if they break the program rules. "Once you get that deep into the criminal justice system, it can be really hard to get out," Roman said.
Rick Jones, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Defender Service in Harlem, New York, says his nonprofit group often sees people with low-level marijuana offenses being pressured into drug-court treatment, while people addicted to drugs are disqualified. "It is not working the way we thought or hoped it would," Jones said.


Likes- Hacking out, galloping round the field, being with friends.
Dislikes- Being cold, farriery visits, being left alone.
When Mona came to us she was in poor condition and was very thin with mud fever on all four legs. She was difficult to ride and was cold backed. She had to be sedated for the farrier and was very nervous.
Mo has been off with lameness for a while and is currently at grass fattening up ready to get back into work. She is working well in walk and trot but is very nervous in canter and over jumps so will take a lot of work at this stage of her training. Mo has little experience of shows and can get very worried but is simply lacking experience and should improve once given the chance.
We plan that in the future Mo will be brought back into work and will continue to be able to complete in all disciplines. Mo is particularly talented at dressage as she has lovely paces but is currently too tense when she gets to shows to show this to her advantage. Mo is also a good jumper and will hopefully compete well at this as her training progresses. Eventually she will be a good horse for more experienced riders and NVQ students to train and compete on.
Mona is doing really well at the moment as she is back in work and is doing well in walk trot and canter as well as over small jumps. She is a sensitive ride and as such is not suitable for beginners but she is very good for more experienced riders.


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Japan's Tussle Over Immigration: An interview with GGF 2030 fellow Naoko Hashimoto
By Global Governance Futures - 20 June 2018
This interview was conducted by the Global Governance Futures – Robert Bosch Foundation Multilateral Dialogues, which brings together young professionals to look ahead 10 years and recommend ways to address global challenges.
In your doctoral thesis, you analyze why countries that usually restrict immigration accept refugees through resettlement. Japan, which has long been known to be less open toward immigration, voluntarily launched a refugee resettlement scheme in 2008. Why did it decide to do this?
Although it is difficult to provide a short answer, I would say that my empirical and historical case study on Japan suggests that the resettlement project was introduced as an 'alternative' to asylum, so to speak. Japan's restrictive asylum policy has damaged its international reputation, but the government has not been keen to relax its strict standards for assessing asylum applications. Resettlement is an appealing option because the procedure allows the receiving government to control the entire process, from selection to integration. The decision to implement this policy derives from Japan's quest to retain full sovereignty over how it manages migration. And this is the rationale of more and more states around the world. In fact, my studies on the global refugee protection trend in recent years have found that this tendency to use resettlement as an alternative to the asylum route has become quite common in various corners of the world. An increasing number and variety of states has launched resettlement projects over the past 10 years.
Japan faces a number of demographic issues, including low fertility rate. Still, the government is reluctant to accept more refugees and only ready to ease immigration procedures for highly skilled migrants. How much of this, do you think, has to do with the urge to preserve the uniqueness of Japanese culture and identity that is often associated with Japanese society?
First of all, I would like to distinguish between the rationale of admitting migrants in general and that of admitting refugees specifically. The former has a lot to do with the demographic and labor shortage problems that Japan has been facing, while the latter should be respected regardless of such issues, at least in principle. It is true that Japan is generally allergic and hostile to the idea of admitting a large number of foreign migrants, including refugees. The country only allows for a small number of so-called highly skilled migrants. This tendency could be partly due to a myth of societal homogeneity that the majority of Japanese people still strongly hold on to. Another reason could be the historical memory of the Sakoku policy, which completely isolated Japan from the outside world and which was employed in Japan for more than 200 years, until the mid-19th century. The narrative that the country's unique culture, tradition, and language were developed and preserved thanks to Sakoku still exists. However, it is obviously impossible and impractical to romanticize and maintain such an insular policy nowadays, both due to the reality of globalization and the impending demographic crisis. In my opinion, if the country is to sustain its economic, industrial, and social welfare infrastructure, the Japanese government will need to roll out a more robust immigration policy relatively soon.
How can we create a system that ensures a better distribution and regulation of refugee flows?
In terms of distribution, the key is to achieve a more justifiable and equitable redistribution of the burden of hosting forced migrants. This can be done through promoting resettlement or transferring more resources (most notably money) from richer countries to poorer countries. The latter tend to host nearly 80 percent of the world's forced migrants. Meanwhile, regulation of refugee flows can be a double-edged sword. More regulation could mean less access to asylum for those who have well-founded fear of persecution, although it could also mean a safer, legal, and orderly movement of such populations. In my opinion, the best solution to address both the distribution and regulation challenges is two-fold: first, countries should promote the possibility of in-country asylum application procedures whereby those with well-founded fear of persecution can apply for asylum while still in their country of origin. This would eliminate the need to resort to illegal border crossings. Secondly, there is a need for more robust and largescale resettlement commitments around the globe. Resettling one million refugees per year should be perfectly feasible if we can achieve the collective political will.
You are a fellow in the GGF 2030 program, where you participate in the working group on the global migration and refugee challenge, together with fellows from nine different countries. Did your interaction with these fellows, all from different cultural backgrounds, change or challenge any of your assumptions and perceptions on the topic?
With the caveat that we've only just finished the first session in Washington, DC, my first impression was that all nine fellows in my working group hold a relatively similar view about forced migration issues in general, despite coming from different countries and having different backgrounds and experiences. For instance, none of us is against the idea of achieving a more equitable redistribution of vulnerable forced migrants. This could be both a strength and a weakness of the group, since our policy proposals will ultimately have to be convincing even in the eyes of policymakers and members of the general public, some of whom may not necessarily embrace liberal or humanitarian ideas. Secondly, I feel extremely blessed to have one fellow in our group who has direct and personal experience with forced migration. Regrettably, those who work on forced migration issues -both academics and practitioners - tend to discuss refugee issues without involving refugees themselves. So I'm really glad this fellow applied and was selected!
Naoko Hashimoto doctoral candidate at the University of Sussex (International Fellow of Nippon Foundation), a research associate in the Refugee Law Initiative at University of London and is a Global Governance Futures 2030 fellow. The views expressed here are her own.
Image credit: Pedro Szekely via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Edward Dalton (Aust., active 1853-1865).
The First Legislative Assembly Of NSW
1859. Composite albumen paper photograph, consisting of 79 Personages and a letterpress key, each portrait with a reference number in negative, photographer's blind stamp and publisher's line with date on original backing below image, 43.3 x 33.4cm (oval). Foxing overall, minor surface loss to image lower left, laid down on original backing.
Title continues "under the Electoral Reform Act of 1858." Stamp reads "Dalton's Photographic Establishment, Sydney." Publisher's line reads "Photographed & published at the Royal Photographic Establishment, Sydney, 1859."
The key shows the names of the members of the Legislative Assembly of NSW with the districts they represent. The centre portrait is of the Speaker of the House, Sir Daniel Knight Cooper of Paddington. The large composite, from which this photograph is taken, is held by the NSW Parliamentary Library. This smaller format would have been produced for members of the government.
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From his usual spot on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, CNBC financial analyst Rick Santelli on Tuesday reported on the Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®, released moments earlier. His sentiments on the expectations-beating August PMI® would be echoed throughout the morning.
The August PMI® of 61.3 percent was a 3.2-percentage point gain from the previous month and belied current tariffs turbulence and a typical late-summer slowdown for factories, and many observers cited the data to tout the overall strength of the U.S. economy.
US 🇺🇸 August ISM manufacturing index rises to a 14-year high.
The rise in the headline index to 61.3 last month, from 58.1, was driven by a surge in the new orders index to 65.1, from 60.2, and in the production index, to 63.3 from 58.5.
Absolute blow out number for ISM Manufacturing Index in August. 61.3 is a 14-year high. While many keep pointing to threats, this economy Kevlar.
The supply management community has been bracing for the tariffs impact, but the Report On Business® continues to churn out positive data. (Once again, the overwhelming No. 1 issue among survey respondents' comments was tariffs, at 49 percent.) Timothy R. Fiore, Chair of Institute for Supply Management®'s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, calls the August numbers "strong" and figures that momentum could carry into September.
However, Fiore has said for some time that September will be the first true telltale month. For some companies, that's the beginning of a new fiscal year, third-quarter earnings reports loom, and it's the heart of 2019 business-planning season.
●One of the biggest drivers of the PMI® in previous months has been the Supplier Deliveries Index, which in August was up 2.4 percentage points to 64.5; however, that figure can significantly change from month to month, he says.
●Growth in the New Exports Orders and Imports indexes slowed, and Fiore says that could be due to tariffs concerns and some overseas economies softening. "That's (a combination) that can make American products less competitive," he says.
●Among commodities, copper — its performance is considered an economic bellwether by many analysts — was down in price for the second consecutive month.
ISM manufacturers complain about steel tariffs and upward pressure on "downstream prices," but BLS spot raw industrial price index has taken a dive since June. Different subsets or question of lead/lag time?
The Non-Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® will be released on Thursday. For the most up-to-date content on the PMI® and NMI® reports, use #ISMROB on Twitter.


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In late spring 2013, Nakedwines.com (NWC) founder and CEO Rowan Gormley brought his team together to prioritize initiatives and formulate a strategy. Five years earlier, Gormley and other Virgin Wines' veterans founded NWC in the United Kingdom, with significant backing from a German family wine company. Naked Wines' business model involved raising money directly from subscribers via the Internet, using these revenues to fund winemakers around the world, who in turn created new brands, which were consigned to NWC and then sold directly via the Internet to subscribers ("Angels") at a discount and to non-subscribers at a premium. Some industry observers considered NWC's business model "disruptive" with respect to how wine was traditionally marketed and sold, i.e. via distributors and retailers. Others opined that NWC was little more than a traditional wine club that used crowdfunding and social media technologies. NWC expanded to Australia and the United States in 2012, at which time NWC leased a Napa office and a Kenwood (Sonoma), California winery for wine production, storage, shipment, and wine tastings. NWC's Angels, who represented 95 percent of NWC's customers, had exclusive access to a mobile application to rate and purchase wines. By spring 2013, NWC had reached breakeven, signed up over 100,000 Angels, and forecasted reaching 200,000 Angels and $96 million in sales by year's end. While NWC's management was pondering which of the initiatives deserved the highest priority (acquiring new customers, retaining customers, or rethinking the mobile app strategy), the most pressing issues involved capacity and capital to grow. The case is intended as a lead-off case for a strategic management course, but also works well in information technology courses.
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Hospital Finances Flashback: OHSU and VA Hospitals
OHSU reports highest revenue of any Oregon hospital, likely a reflection of several factors: because of its affiliations with researchers and academics, it provides a disproportionate share of complex, high-cost treatments.
Courtney Sherwood
12946861-mmmain.jpg
This is from The Lund Report's 2014 look at hospitals. It has been re-printed as we revisit these hospitals in 2015. The most recent report is available to premium subscribers.
The most profitable hospital in Oregon is also the only state-owned hospital here: Oregon Health & Science University. Yet despite a hospital profit of nearly $103 million and net patient revenue of $1.1 billion, OHSU's leaders are not the best paid healthcare executives in Oregon.
Including taxes, benefits and retirement pay, the men who oversee the entire OHSU system, and its research hospital, each made under $1.5 million in total compensation in 2013 – roughly in line with the head of Providence Health and Services ($1.6 million in 2012, according to the most recent figures available) and less than Legacy Health (whose top leader received $1.8 million in total compensation in 2012).
This story is the ninth in a series of articles in which The Lund Report aims to examine more than 50 hospitals licensed to operate in the state.
These stories look at profit margins, hospital size and reach, and touch briefly on executive compensation. In the first eight stories in the series, we've profiled hospitals operated by chains including Providence, Legacy Health,PeaceHealth, Samaritan Health Services, St. Charles Health, Adventist, Catholic Health Initiatives and CHE Trinity Health. Most of these institutions have a deep reach in Oregon and religious origins. We've also profiled hospitals run by secular nonprofits Asante, Kaiser Permanente and Salem Health. Part eight in the series looked at ten small hospitals – some that are still independent, and others that have chosen to join larger chains.
Today we dig into three publicly run hospitals in the state: OHSU Hospital, and Veterans Affairs programs based in Portland and in Roseburg.
The next stories in the series will begin to look into hospitals operated by taxpayer-funded public health districts.
The figures underpinning these hospital snapshots come from multiple sources, including state reports, tax filings and public records requests. Click the accompanying spreadsheets (here and here) to view the figures we've compiled. Beginning in late June, The Lund Report will follow up with stories that tackle difficult questions about the effects of healthcare reform on Oregon's hospitals, the growing pressure on independent hospitals to merge, and the changing status of hospital care in Oregon.
Oregon Health & Science University is a state-chartered public corporation, a medical, nursing, dental and pharmacy school, a network of clinics, a center for research and a major employer – with 13,984 employees (down about 200 from a year ago). Across the entire system, OHSU's 2012 operating budget was $2.06 billion
Today's OHSU grew out of multiple separate endeavors: its progenitors include a medical school founded at Salem's Willamette University back in 1867, a Portland-based University of Oregon medical school founded in 1887, two separate dental programs started in the late 1890s, and a number of other hospitals and clinics established over more than a century. In 1974, the descendants of these programs were combined into the single University of Oregon Health Sciences Center, which was renamed Oregon Health Sciences University in 1981. OHSU got its current name, Oregon Health & Science University, on July 1, 2001, when it merged with the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology – a combination approved by the state Legislature and signed into law by the governor.
OHSU's reach can be felt across the state –it has campuses in Ashland, Klamath Falls, La Grande and Monmouth. But by the early 2000s, the institution's main 166-acre campus on Portland's Marquam Hill was running out of room for growth. To keep growing in the city, it established a second campus in Portland's South Waterfront, where OHSU's Center for Health and Healing opened in 2006, and construction continues today. An aerial tram connects the two major Portland campuses.
Dr. Joe Robertson, an ophthalmologist who has spent nearly his entire career at OHSU, was named the institution's president in 2006. He received total compensation of about $1.5 million in OHSU's 2013 fiscal year, according to figures provided to The Lund Report following a public information request. Not all of that was take-home pay. Here's how Robertson's compensation broke down: He received $972,877 in base pay, $138,743 in clinical pay, $182,223 in incentive pay, $9,790 in benefits, a $45,000 expense allowance,$129,750 in retirement benefits, and other one-time compensation of $521. Robertson's retirement compensation sets him apart from most other healthcare executives in the state, because he is a participant in Oregon's Public Employees Retirement System. A large portion of Robertson's reported retirement benefit was actually the cost OHSU paid to PERS toward his pension, a spokeswoman said.
OHSU Hospital
OHSU Hospital, Oregon Health & Science University's main inpatient facility, is one of the busiest hospitals in the state. It ranks No. 3 for both inpatient visits and outpatient visits (behind Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent in both cases), and has the most staffed beds in Oregon. About a quarter of those beds are set aside for pediatrics.
OHSU also reported the most revenue of any Oregon hospital, likely a reflection of several factors: because of its affiliations with researchers and academics, it provides a disproportionate share of complex, high-cost treatments.
Peter Rapp, executive vice president of OHSU, is responsible for the hospital's daily operations. In response to Lund Report queries, OHSU has agreed for the first time to disclose Rapp's full compensation, including bonuses. In fiscal year 2013, Rapp's total compensation was $1.4 million. Here's how it breaks down: $624,387 in base pay; $116,391 in incentive pay; $624,487 in bonuses; $10,590 in benefits; $38,556 in retirement. As with Robertson, much of Rapp's retirement compensation was actually paid to PERS as a contribution to his pension.
OHSU Hospital finances, year 2012:
Profit: $102.98 million, up 46.2 percent from 2011.
Net patient revenue: $1.1 billion, up 8.6 percent from.
Reported charity care charges: $72.7 million, down 4.3 percent.
Profit margin: 8.6 percent, compared to 6.6 percent a year earlier.
Size and scope, as of 2012:
Available beds: 539.
Inpatient days: 159,068.
Emergency department visits: 36,806.
Outpatient visits: 812,379.
Veterans Affairs Hospitals
The U.S. government's Veterans Affairs health system is required by law to provide eligible veterans with needed hospital care and outpatient services, but its health system has come under fire recently for long wait times. In some cases, people have died waiting to see a doctor. President Obama says people "will be held accountable" for covering up the delays.
Because VA programs are federally run and organized, they do not submit data to Oregon agencies. As a result, the statistics most Oregon hospitals report about financial performance and size and scope are not available for VA hospitals.
VA Portland
Headquartered adjacent to OHSU's main campus, the Portland VA Medical Center has 277 beds and serves 80,000 veterans from Oregon and Southwest Washington each year.
In addition to its hospital in Portland, the Portland VA Medical Center is the heart of a network of nine outpatient clinics across central and northwest clinic, and oversees a campus in Vancouver, Washington, The Portland VA also partners with OHSU on research and training.
VA Roseburg
The VA's Roseburg Healthcare System includes a 200-acre, 32-building campus, including a hospital, as well as four clinics within the region. The VA Roseburg Healthcare System offers primary care and hospital services to 62,000 veterans from central and southern Oregon, as well as Northern California.
Members of the Douglas County Veterans Forum have called on Roseburg VA clerks to testify in court about patient wait times, though the VA says its own audit has found wait times to be reasonable there, according to the Roseburg News-Review newspaper.
Courtney Sherwood can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @csherwood.
If you value this story from The Lund Report and others like it, support our matching challenge grant today! All donations made to The Lund Report by October 31, 2015 will be doubled. Click here for details.
ohsu


Police say they were dispatched to the 900 block of East Locust Street just before 12:30 a.m.
Police say two people were killed and two others were injured in a shooting early Thursday morning at a Springfield home.
Lt. Mark Schindler, with the Springfield Police Department, said officers were dispatched to 906 E. Locust St. just before 12:30 a.m. for reports of gunshots.
When officers arrived, one deceased person was found at the scene, Schindler said.
There were also others who had been shot, but Schindler said he could not release how many.
"That's all I can tell you is more than one," Schindler said.
At 1:30 a.m., Schindler said he could not comment on whether anyone had been arrested in the case, what led up to the shooting or give specifics about the injuries suffered.
Later Thursday morning, Police Chief Paul Williams posted on social media that two people were deceased and two others were injured.
"Stay clear of the area," he posted. "No suspect information yet. Details as they become available."
Police spokeswoman Jasmine Bailey said more news was expected later in the morning.
At 1:30 a.m., at least nine patrol cars were still on scene, and police had several houses surrounded by crime scene tape.
Kevin Dalton lives around the corner from where the shooting occurred.
He said he arrived home just after 12:30 a.m. to find police lights flashing throughout the neighborhood.
"I had no idea what was going on at the time," Dalton said.
Dalton said his brother was home at the time of the shooting and heard yelling and what sounded like fireworks.
"I'm mad," Dalton said. "I'm tired of it. I'm tired of stuff like this going on."


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Home › Reviews › What to Watch When You've Finished The Seraphim Revival (or, a Holiday Gift Guide for Mecha Nerds)
What to Watch When You've Finished The Seraphim Revival (or, a Holiday Gift Guide for Mecha Nerds)
By hpholo on November 19, 2017 • ( 0 )
The Seraphim Revival may be complete, but if you're anything like the guy who wrote it, you've got a fever and the only prescription is more…giant robots. Well, never fear, 'cause Dr. Holo's got you covered.
The titles listed below are movies or anime series that either 1) influenced the writing of the Seraphim Revival trilogy, or 2) were discovered afterward but are still hecka fun for mecha fans.
We enjoyed all these, so we hope you will, too! 😀 (And of course, if you happened upon this page and have no idea what the Seraphim Revival is, we invite you to check it out! The first book in the series, Bane of the Dead, will be only $.99 through 12/30/17, so this is the perfect time!)
You can't be a mecha fan without also being a Gundam fan. It's the rules. There will be a lot of Gundam on this list. Jacob's first foray into the world of Gundam came in the Toonami golden age's airing of Gundam Wing, and we may have squeed a little too loudly when we realized it was finally getting a collector's edition Blu-Ray release this year. If that so expensive but UGH SO PRETTY collector's edition makes your wallet scream, there are some Blu-Ray only options, too: Collection 1, Collection 2, and Endless Waltz. The main series and Endless Waltz are also streaming on CrunchyRoll.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Re:0096
Gundam Wing may be the most pivotal Gundam for us, but Gundam Unicorn is hands-down our favorite. Set early in the Universal Century arc, it includes a lot of fan service references to classic Gundam, but it's far from a fan service series*. Its plot is solid, and the animation is the most spectacular any Gundam series has ever seen. The series' Blu-Ray/DVD release is a little wack, though (2 episodes per disc? What is this? 2001?), so if you don't want to take the physical media plunge, it's available for streaming on CrunchyRoll.
*I should specify that the fan service refers to mecha and character appearances, not boobs. If you want boob fanservice there's, like, three seconds of boob in The 08th MS Team.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
Char's Counterattack is a Gundam classic – perhaps the Gundam classic – and it got a fantastic Blu-Ray release late last year. It won't make a whole lot of sense if you're not familiar with the original Mobile Suit Gundam series (or Unicorn), but it's still worth it for the awesome mecha/military drama (and if you enjoy watching annoying characters get their just, fiery desserts). >D
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
The 08th MS Team is unique in Gundam for being a small, down-to-earth story of a quartet of Gundam fighters, rather than an epic, sweeping space opera. The shifted focus from space battles opens up room for characters with very human, relatable problems, and the cast is charming in its authenticity. It's not a must-watch, but it is a good watch for Gundam fans who are looking for something a little different.
Jacob scoffs at this entry, but H.P. loves it, so it stays. G Gundam is, admittedly, the black sheep of the Gundam family in that it is…well, terrible (especially in comparison to masterpieces like Char's Counterattack and Unicorn).
However, it is also a whole lot of fun, if only because of its plethora of questionable choices that somehow earned the approval of a production committee. It's like the anime equivalent of Miley Cyrus at the 2014 Grammys. A unified world where the governing country is determined by mecha fights every 4 years? Check. Hilariously stereotyped Gundam designs and pilots? Check. A Gundam so evil it's called the Devil Gundam? Check. Participating in Gundam fights to find one's missing brother even though that is probably the most inefficient method of finding someone ever? Check. The main character has a dramatic backstory, so at least it shares that with other Gundam series.
In short, it's a hot mess, but a hilarious mess, too. For a serious Gundam fan, it's probably the least watchable of all the Gundam series. But for fans of sprawling mecha train wrecks, it's a blast. It hasn't gotten a Blu-Ray release (understandably so), but it is available in two collections on DVD and available for streaming on CrunchyRoll.
There have been approximately 20,000 versions of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and all are entertaining (if you find entertainment in angsty teens, mecha drama, and relationships so twisted they'd make the Greek gods cringe), so take your pick. Classic series? The End of Evangelion movie? The Death and Rebirth movie? These all had a huge influence on the writing of the Seraphim Revival books.
Our preferred versions, though, are the recent Rebuild of Evangelion movies: 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone, 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance, and 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo. This is primarily because they update the low-budget original series with beautiful animation and mecha battles, and then go off the track (and off the rails) in 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo, diverging from the plot of the original to deliver something new to fans.
Transformers: The Movie
Gundam Wing may have been the pivotal mecha series for Jacob, but Transformers was the gateway drug. Without this masterpiece of toy-inspired filmmaking, the Seraphim Revival series wouldn't exist. The 1986 movie traumatized and enthralled Tiny Jacob and even today is a regular replay in House Holo.
Robot Jox holds up better if you watched it as a kid before you had any real taste in movies, or if you just like bad movies. Jacob is the former and H.P. is the latter, which made this movie perfect for us. It's G Gundam-like in that nations settle their disputes by pitting giant robots against each other, and there is drama! Deception! Hilariously bad stereotypes! But mostly 1980s robots wailing on each other. It's a fun little watch if you want a laugh involving giant robots.
Jacob discovered Gurren Lagann too late for it to have any influence on the Seraphim Revival, but it's H.P.'s favorite anime of all time, the anime recommendation that convinced Jacob she was marriage material, and a list of mecha recommendations would be incomplete without it.
This is a ridiculous show where the robots are powered by fighting spirit and manliness, where they combine and sprout new weapons with even less regard for physics than normal anime, and where the scale of battle becomes so extreme by the end that…you know what? It just has to be seen to be believed. However, beneath all its hyperactive action, there's a story with an unexpected amount of heart, and by the end, it'll leave you cheering for humanity. (And these days, how often can you say that about anything?)
If you don't feel like forking out the insane cash for that (admittedly gorgeous) limited edition Blu-Ray box set, there's a more wallet-friendly DVD edition. It's also streaming on CrunchyRoll.
The Vision of Escaflowne
Escaflowne didn't influence the Seraphim Revival as much as the aforementioned series, but it's worth mentioning because 1) it's unique for its fantasy setting (as opposed to a futuristic sci-fi setting), and 2) it just got a wholly unexpected Blu-Ray collector's edition that is actually pretty slick. Outside a few dated technology references, the anime has aged surprisingly well. (It was 20 years old last year.) The story goes a little weak at the end, but the rest of the series makes up for it with dang cool Guymelef (mecha/armor/whatever) battles, a fascinating world, and, let's face it, Allen because he's super hot.
Jacob surprised H.P. with this edition for her birthday, and it's been one of her favorite watches this year.
Pssh. Did you expect us to write a post of mecha recommendations and not include Pacific Rim? 😛
So ends our list of Seraphim Revival watch-alikes! Mecha fans, what would you add?
Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
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Jean-Guy Paré, né le  à Warwick et mort le  à Trois-Rivières, est un homme politique québécois, député de Lotbinière pour le Parti québécois de 1994 à 2003. Il est également maire de Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets de 2008 à 2013.

Jeunesse et formation
Fils d'un journaliste et d'une ménagère, il étudie l'éducation physique et en devient professeur en 1972. En parallèle, il obtient une maîtrise en sciences et psychologie sociale du sport à l'Université Dalhousie en 1976, puis un certificat en entraînement sportif de l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières en 1978. Des années plus tard, il complète sa formation par un cours de formateur en entrepreneuriat au Babson College de Boston (1990) puis par une maîtrise en administration publique de l'École nationale d'administration publique (1992).

Il cesse son activité de professeur d'activité physique en 1984, après avoir été entraîneur de l'équipe de football Les Diablos du Cégep de Trois-Rivières de 1978 à 1983. Il devient alors directeur exécutif de la Société de formation et de développement au Cégep de Trois-Rivières et coordonne les services de formation aux entreprises des cégeps de Drummondville, Shawinigan, Trois-Rivières et Victoriaville de 1986 à 1994.

Il est également membre de nombreux conseils d'administration liées aux sports, à l'entreprenariat et à l'action locale. Ainsi, il cofonde le « Centre d'entrepreneuriat du Cœur-du-Québec » en 1988 et préside le conseil d'administration du groupe « Soutien initiative jeunesse de Bécancour » de 1986 à 1991, après en avoir été vice-président.

Il débute en politique en entrant au conseil municipal de Les Becquets en 1979, où il siège durant dix ans.

Carrière politique nationale
Candidat du Parti québécois dans Lotbinière lors des élections générales de septembre 1994, il bat le sortant libéral Lewis Camden avec une courte avance de 283 voix Il devient alors délégué régional de la région de Chaudière-Appalaches jusqu'en , date à laquelle il est nommé Secrétaire régional et adjoint parlementaire au ministre responsable de la région de Chaudière-Appalaches. Il occupe également le poste d'adjoint parlementaire à la ministre de l'Éducation à partir du . Ces deux postes prennent fin le , quelques semaines avant les élections générales.

À nouveau candidat lors des élections générales de novembre 1998 il est nettement réélu, devançant la candidate libérale de plus de dix points, le futur sénateur Claude Carignan terminant troisième et dernier. Il devient alors adjoint parlementaire au ministre de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation jusqu'au , puis la vice-première ministre et ministre d'État à l'Économie et aux Finances du  jusqu'au . Il préside la Commission des finances publiques du  au .

Candidat à sa réélection aux élections générales de 2003, il est emporté par la vague adéquiste et termine troisième, devancé par la candidate libérale et Sylvie Roy, qui lui succède à l'Assemblée nationale du Québec.

Après la députation
Après sa défaite, il retourne travailler pour les cégeps de Drummondville, Shawinigan, Trois-Rivières et Victoriaville, cette fois comme conseiller cadre.

En 2008, il devient maire de Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets lors d'une élection partielle. Il est réélu sans opposition l'année suivante.

En 2012 il devient président du Fonds de soutien à la réflexion et à l'action en matière de développement social (FRDS). Au cours de sa carrière il préside également le conseil d'administration de la Fondation de l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.

Il ne se représente pas à la mairie en 2013, et se consacre à des fonctions associatives ou au sein de conseils d'administration. Un de ses derniers engagements est notamment de relancer une équipe francophone de football universitaire à l'Université de Trois Rivières.

Il décède le  des suites d'un cancer.

Résultats électoraux

Références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 35 législature du Québec, 36 législature du Québec
 Lotbinière (circonscription provinciale)

Liens externes
 Page sur le site de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec.

Naissance en novembre 1947
Naissance à Warwick
Naissance au Québec
Personnalité du Parti québécois
Maire au Québec
Député du Parti québécois à l'Assemblée nationale
Député de la 35e législature de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec
Député de la 36e législature de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec
Décès à Trois-Rivières
Décès à 73 ans
Décès en décembre 2020

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Secondary buyouts also offer considerable value-adding potential
Industry survey: attractive despite lower expected returns
Focus on buy-and-build strategies and internationalisation
"Secondaries offer a whole number of advantages, high proportion of primaries is still a competitive advantage"
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 31 July 2018. Tapping into new customer groups and business fields as well as business internationalisation are the most promising value levers for private equity companies when acquiring a mid-market company as a second financial investor. But even in times characterised by a great deal of knowledge regarding different growth appreciation strategies, the return potential of so-called secondary and tertiary buyouts is lower than when a financial investor invests in a company for the first time. This is the conclusion drawn by the sixth Midmarket Private Equity Monitor, for which the magazine FINANCE, working on behalf of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG), surveys investment managers at around 50 private equity firms operating in Germany every six months regarding trends in the German mid-market segment.
Nearly four out of five experts (79 percent) taking part in the latest survey said that secondary and tertiary buyouts in the mid-market segment promise lower returns than primaries – companies that have not previously belonged to another private equity firm. Nevertheless, transactions like these are currently in an upswing: last year, more than half of the buyouts in the German mid-market segment (19 out of 35 transactions) involved financial investors on the seller and the buyer side, setting a new record.
Given that more and more institutional investors are looking for investment opportunities, thereby fuelling mounting competition for investment targets, the high proportion of secondaries is hardly surprising. "These transactions are well established and accepted by the investors in our funds," says Torsten Grede, Spokesman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG. "They point to the increasing maturity of the German private equity market and offer a number of advantages." Grede continues, "Transactions between financial investors are often easier to structure because both partners know the market practices. The management team has already proven its entrepreneurial competence and has experience in corporate governance due to the presence of a private equity shareholder."
85 percent of those surveyed said that the operational management within the company had already been improved before a secondary by way of KPI-based reporting. 64 percent observed that working capital had been reduced. The majority of the participants in the survey also said that procurement costs had already been reduced during the primary phase.
Nevertheless, there are still sufficient opportunities available for the second or even the third financial investor to advance the development of the companies. Strategies that used to be commonplace, such as financial engineering or company split-ups, have in any case long since fallen out of favour. "An increasing number of private equity companies have been focusing more heavily on complex value appreciation strategies," said Spokesman of the DBAG Board of Management Grede. Three-quarters of the FINANCE panellists believe that the greatest potential for value appreciation in mid-market follow-up investments lies in expansion into new customer groups and business fields. 67 percent also cite the internationalisation of business as a value lever which is particularly well suited to secondaries. In addition, 48 percent said that the add-on acquisitions made under the auspices of the first private equity shareholder often still have to be integrated (see chart).
A look at the frequently asked questions shows that a large majority of firms also generally rely on buy-and-build strategies in the mid-market segment. At 79 percent, this continues to be the most highly rated method of value appreciation by far – regardless of whether it is used in the context of an initial or a follow-up investment. Private equity investors benefit from the fact that there are still many highly fragmented markets, particularly in the mid-market segment, in which strong market leaders with high levels of profitability can be established in a relatively short period of time through acquisitions. When acquisitions of smaller companies lead to lower valuations, this can cause the price of the whole transaction to fall. "This is also in response to the price development we have seen in recent years," commented Spokesman of the DBAG Board of Management Grede, "and is representative of the private equity industry's ability to adapt under changing market conditions."
The longitudinal survey data also shows that, irrespective of the transaction type, internationalisation (currently cited by 52 percent of those surveyed) and the strategic expansion of additional business and services (46 percent) are still considered attractive, even at companies that have been owned by an investment company in the past.
Nevertheless, primaries still offer the most opportunities for initiating strategic further development and realising potential for value appreciation. "Those players that can conclude as many of these transactions as possible have the edge over their competitors," says Board of Management Spokesman Grede. DBAG has structured five buyouts over the last twelve months. Four of them were primaries and were sold by the respective company founders. The fifth new investment involved a company that had already been in the hands of other financial investors in the past.
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The shaping of emotional experience through the body's internal physiology has long been recognised. The American philosopher William James argued in 1892 that the mental aspects of emotion, the 'feeling states', are a product of physiology. He reversed our intuitive causality, arguing that the physiological changes themselves give rise to the emotional state: our heart does not pound because we are afraid; fear arises from our pounding heart.
Contemporary experiments demonstrate the neural and mental representation of internal bodily sensations as integral for the experience of emotions; those individuals with heightened interoception tend to experience emotions with greater intensity. The anterior insula is a key brain area, processing both emotions and internal visceral signals, supporting the idea that this area is key in processing internal bodily sensations as a means to inform emotional experience. Individuals with enhanced interoception also have greater activation of the insula during interoceptive processing and enhanced grey-matter density of this area.
So what is enhanced interoception? Some people are more accurate than others at sensing their own internal bodily sensations. While most of us are perhaps aware of our pounding heart when we are startled or have just run for the bus, not everyone can accurately sense their heartbeats when at rest. Interoceptive accuracy can be tested in the lab; we monitor physiological signals and measure how accurately these can be detected.
Historically, research focused on the heart, as these are discrete signals that can easily be quantified. For example, a typical experiment might involve the presentation of a periodic external stimulus (eg, an auditory tone) that is time-locked to the heartbeat, such that each tone ('beep') occurs when the heart is beating, or in between heartbeats. Participants state whether this external stimulus is synchronous or asynchronous with their own heart. An individual's interoceptive accuracy is an index of how well they are able to do this.
Internal bodily signals can be deeply informative, which is why sensing them can provide an extra channel of information to influence decisionmaking. Gut instinct or intuition during a card game can also be guided by interoception. Bodily signatures (heart rate, skin-conductance response) can signal which cards are good (ie, more likely to be associated with a positive outcome) even in the absence of conscious knowledge that a card is good. Thus, the heart 'knows' what the mind does not yet realise, and access to this bodily signature can guide intuitive decisionmaking to a better outcome.
In a real-world extrapolation of this, I visited the London Stock Exchange to work with high-frequency traders. These traders claimed that their decisions were often driven by gut instinct, when faced with fast-coming information that the conscious brain could not yet fully process. My colleagues and I demonstrated that interoceptive accuracy was enhanced in those traders who were most adept at trading, potentially grounding their intuitive instincts in a capacity to sense informative changes in internal bodily signals.
An appreciation that bodily signals can guide emotion and cognition provides potential interoceptive mechanisms through which these processes can be disrupted. Alexithymia, defined as an impaired ability to detect and identify emotions, is associated with reduced interoceptive accuracy. Autistic individuals, who often have difficulty in understanding emotions, have also been shown to have impaired interoceptive accuracy.
Neural representation of bodily signatures are altered in borderline personality disorder (also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder), and interventions designed to focus on the body, such as mindfulness, have been shown to reduce anxiety. Insight into the nature of these embodied mechanisms opens up potential avenues for further understanding and targeted intervention.
As well as telling us about our own emotions, our bodies respond to the joy, pain and sadness of others. Our hearts can race as loved ones experience fear, and our pupils can adopt a physiological signature of sadness in response to the sadness of others. If you pay attention to your heart and bodily responses, they can tell you how you are feeling, and allow you to share in the emotions of others.
Interoception can enhance the depth of our own emotions, emotionally bind us to those around us, and guide our intuitive instincts. We are now learning just how much the way we think and feel is shaped by this dynamic interaction between body and brain.


Birgitta Hedin Curtin of The Burren Smoke House with John Doyle - Business RM AIB, Andy Smith - UPS Country Manager and Christopher Deans - UPS Country Sales Manager in Lisdoonvarna recently. Photograph by Yvonne Vaughan.
SEVEN full-time jobs will be created in Lisdoonvarna, along with 10 seasonal ones, it has been announced.
The Burren Smokehouse has signed a contract with global logistics company UPS, as part of plans to broaden its overseas footprint. The deal coincides with an announcement by the producer of Burren smoked salmon, trout and mackerel products to invest €150,000 in its existing operations and to create new jobs at its production facility in Lisdoonvarna.
The collaboration with UPS will mean The Burren Smokehouse products sold online can be delivered around the world.
As well as restructuring its e-commerce activity, The Burren Smokehouse is also expanding operations at its production facility and will be launching a new brand inspired by the Wild Atlantic Way later this year.
Owner Birgitta Hedin-Curtin said, "We are investing in our integrated systems, allowing for greater e-commerce activity and higher efficiencies in terms of customer care and our global customer footprint. At our production facility in County Clare, we are extending our premises to facilitate the ongoing growth of our business.
"We are also targeting an increase in our workforce from 18 to 25 in the coming two to three years and will be creating 10 additional seasonal jobs this coming winter," added Ms Hedin-Curtin.
"We are very grateful to Bord Iascaigh Mhara and Enterprise Ireland for committing financial support under their respective Seafood Processing Business Investment and Lean Business Offers schemes. We also received valuable support from Bord Bia for our rebranding and export plans," she concluded.


ChiroTouch's six user-friendly, chiropractic iPad apps make documenting on the tablet easy and provide you with mobility to move room to room with patients. These native iPad apps provide a better user experience than web-base apps through improved speed and performance, as well as providing safety and security of the app, due to the requirements of apps in the Apple App Store. You, your staff, and your patients all benefit from the features offered by our chiropractic EHR software for tablets. Learn more about the individual chiropractic apps below.
With CT Scheduler Mobile, ChiroTouch users with an internet connection can access their Provider schedule remotely on the iPad. Providers can access CT Scheduler functionalities without being tethered to a desktop computer. CT Scheduler Mobile offers providers greater flexibility in running their practice's day-to-day operations with the added potential for reducing administrative overhead and saving valuable time.
CT Forms Mobile is intended for use by chiropractors with the ChiroTouch Total Practice Management System. The CT Forms Mobile application offers patients the ability to fill out their PDF forms on a portable device, allowing them to complete their paperwork while seated in the waiting room. By using these chiropractic mobile apps, patients can complete every type of "paperwork" task much faster, leading to smoother file keeping and patient history updates.
CT Sign-In Mobile is intended for use by chiropractors with the ChiroTouch Total Practice Management System. The CT Sign-In Mobile application offers patients the ability to sign into their appointment from a handheld iPad while in the provider's office.
CT Intake Mobile is intended for use by chiropractors with the ChiroTouch Total Practice Management System. The CT Intake Mobile application offers new patients the ability to fill out a patient intake form on a portable device, allowing them to complete the intake process while seated in the waiting room.
The first two decades of the 21st century have nearly passed. It's time that chiropractic apps for iPads become a central part of your practice, if you don't already use them. A ChiroTouch iPad functions via the cloud, so connecting to your patient database, invoice information or any other practice data is virtually instantaneous if you have a Wi-Fi connection. This proprietary software allows providers, employees and patients to interact over multiple platforms. Your office and patients stay in sync. With the ChiroTouch total practice management system, you have tools at your disposal that save you time and money. These include the CT Intake, allowing new patients to fill out forms on compatible devices. The CT Provider chiropractic app eliminates the need to provide employees with multiple desktop units. The Outcomes Assessment app tracks every patient's level of disability, range of motion and comfort level via a short series of questions.
An efficient practice benefits all concerned. Take a look at your practice to weed out inefficiencies and encourage your staff to come up with their own recommendations about improving practice efficiency. When a staff person does come up with a good solution to a persistent problem, reward them for their insight and work. Another step in practice efficiency involves examining your technology. Do you have a state-of-the-art practice management system along with chiropractic mobile apps? The latter provides you with better business intelligence, even on the go. You can stay in constant contact with employees, no matter where you are located. When was the last time you conducted a thorough review of the way you run your business? If the answer is "not recently," the time to act is now. Are there still runarounds in your software because you haven't updated it? These issues affect practice efficiency and profitability.
Even solo practitioners have partners, in the form of their chiropractic software. Good software keeps everyone satisfied, from the provider to the patients. Chiropractic assistants don't want to work on ancient software and worry about the documentation or need to frequently correct errors. Using top notch chiropractic software pays off in countless ways, such as the ability to retain employees who don't want to waste time on unproductive tasks. The failure to use first-rate chiropractic software affects your bottom line. Your chiropractic billing software should elegantly integrate with your chiropractic management software, working via a clearinghouse to submit claims and automatically post payments. Today's chiropractic office needs software including a complete suite of iPad applications for patients, providers and staff. These chiropractic apps for the iPad includes online patient scheduling, compliant SOAP notes, inventory management, linking patient family accounts and other necessities of the practice. If your chiropractic EHR software doesn't include all these provisions, it's time to replace it with state-of-the-art software.
Good chiropractic apps make a practice run more smoothly and efficiently, benefiting the provider, the patient and the chiropractic assistants. Remember that chiropractic assistants are the "backbone" of your spinal practice. When they possess the right tools, chiropractic assistants do their jobs well and at utmost efficiency. You can't rely on older chiropractic software to run your practice as well as up-to-date versions. Mobile apps are just one answer to your chiropractic assistants' desire for top work tools. With the mobility of apps, employees are not bound to an office computer. They can work anywhere, anytime, even from home. Apps favored by chiropractic assistants include the CT Scheduler, giving them the ability to schedule appointments on any device. Then there's the CT Forms mobile, allowing instant paperwork updates; the CT provider mobile, making patient files viewable wherever your chiropractic assistant is located, and the CT Outcomes assessment, which patients complete on portable devices in the waiting room.
You don't communicate with friends and colleagues the same way you did when you were in chiropractic college, and the way you communicate with your patients today has also changed. Patients want to use mobile devices to communicate with their providers. That's true whether a patient prefers an app, secure email, patient portal or text messaging. The latter may pose a problem for providers, as sending information to patients by text can complicate compliance issues. There are ways to stay compliant legally by ensuring text messages are secure. Your practice requires tools integrated with your practice management software. Investing in good chiropractic scheduling and patient reminder software means you'll experience far fewer missed appointments, and schedule gaps can fill if a patient cancels.


Read more about Laura and how she can capture your wedding day in the best possible way.
I've been filming weddings for a number of years now since finishing my film making degree at Coventry University and it never gets old.
Each wedding day is as individually magical as the next and I love being able to capture all of the details (big and small) on film. Your day has taken months even years to plan and I'm often reminded how fast it goes, so what better way to slow down the pace and remember it as it was by documenting it on film.
When I'm filming I like to be a fly on the wall and am often complimented on how discrete I have been to the point where some couples forgot that we were there. No one likes a camera in their face and some of the best angles have been caught hiding in a tree or behind some flowers.
Can't wait to hear more about your day and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch via the contact form.
P.S A little bit about me personally. I'm originally from Stoke-on-Trent (hence the strange accent when we meet) and am now based in Wolverhampton. I love animals, especially my 1 year old Springer Spaniel Murphy – he brings so much fun to our home and we spend hours exploring and walking together. Dancing has been a passion of mine from a young age, I think deep down I wanted to be a princess ballerina growing up (don't we all). Instead I get to film the happiest days of peoples lives and capture all of the dreamy princess details like the stunning bride in her gorgeous dress, beautiful shoes and sparkly jewellery, along with the charming prince looking dapper in his suit and not forgetting all of the lovely lady and gentleman guests to share in their joy. Every wedding, I get to be a part of each couples perfect fairytale.


IMMA's unusual layout, a quirk of its former use as a military hospital, influences the way that artists and visitors encounter the space. A series of small, interconnecting rooms and alcoves sit adjacent long straight corridors. This arrangement is usually approached for large scale retrospectives, by placing single projects, often chronologically, in each room and utilizing the corridor as a large antechamber. Wolfgang Tillmans approaches 'Rebuilding the Future' differently. First, he has removed any linear narrative through the space, and the longer you spend with it the more you realise that he hasn't presented a retrospective in the traditional sense. Yes, the works displayed are from previous projects that span a large stretch of time, but the works that cluster together to form natural tangents off each other are based on thematically – notably 'Silver 88' (2011) and 'Silver 82' (2011), a pair of images created using chemical rollers, that sit opposite 'red lake' (2002), which shows a lake reddened due to its chemical makeup. Tillmans' selection and presentation of his work is unique to each setting and here we see the choice to present, for the first time in a number of years, the early-career hospital operating theatre 'I' and 'II' from 1994, in the setting of a former hospital; indicating the work's sensitivity and ability to respond to its environment and shape the narrative.
What drives 'Rebuilding the Future' is an overarching motif of time, and its reflective qualities - highlighted in the title which teases the idea that the future is one not just built on the past but rebuilt using our past actions. Tillmans also draws on what photography succeeds and fails to represent; its struggles to represent space and dimensionality. In one of the rooms is 'We are not going back, b' (2017), a table of stones laid out under a glass box beside a 1:1 scale photographic representation. What it does succeed in capturing are individual moments that articulate broader and longer concepts of time that exist outside the frame - best articulated via the images of protests which capture the feeling of post-2000s anti-war movements. These sit comfortable among images that capture unique events that stand alone in the annals of time, such as 'rat, disappearing' (1995), highlighting the polarity and power that exists in the medium.
Aside from traditional self-portraits, there are other autobiographical moments in 'Rebuilding the Future', such as '17 years' supply' (2014), which features a litany of empty medicine containers, some featuring Tillmans' own name. These moments draw the viewer into the personal elements of the artist's work, and again highlight the passing of time. The metronome effect of time arching back and forth dominates a section of the corridor and bleeds elsewhere. We are reminded that it has been 50 years since The Beatles White Album has been released, a distant but reachable pop culture moment. 50 years prior was the end of the First World War, an event that seems lost to the history. Above this are blown-up copies of stamps, one featuring the head of Adolf Hitler, the other a psychedelic 1970s cartoon, the title of the work highlights the rhythms in history: 'There were 30 years between 1943 and 1973. 30 years from 1973 was the year 2003' (2004).
If there is an endpoint to the show it sits most comfortably in the last room off the corridor. Here we are shown a large work, titled 'Sahara, horizontal center line thirty kilometers, a' (2018), that plays off an image shown in a previous room, 'Footprint' (2018), as well as our perception of scale. The room is voiced by a discussion about a proposed film, 'I want to make a film (2018)', where Tillmans discusses the power of smartphones and modern photography, noting that we often fail to grasp the power of the instrument in the palm of our hands, and one that needs to be respected. Phrases in the film are repeated, echoing the repetition highlighted throughout the exhibition. In history what often feel like echoes are just the rhythmic cycles of chance and control playing out once more, attempting to balance each other.