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Thematic Agenda 2021 of the Intergroup is available here.
Fighting Cancer: The CECOG Cancer dashboard for CEE
The webinar 'Fighting Cancer: The CECOG Cancer dashboard for CEE: Perspectives of a multi-stakeholder CEE initiative', hosted by ECPC, took place on Thurday 29th October 2020.
Main objectives of the webinar
The virtual symposium was focused on the following:
Discuss health inequalities, lack of patient access to cancer care in CEE
Present solutions developed in the CECOG Governmental International Affairs "CEE Access to Cancer Care" program
Highlight the importance of tangible frameworks like the CECOG Cancer Dashboard for CEE with clinical and patient relevant measurements
Explore what role stakeholders on the European and CEE level can play in linking the initiative to existing European programs e.g. Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, Cancer Mission.
List of panellists
The webinar was moderated by Tit Albreht, Scientific Coordinator Joint Action iPAAC, Slovenia National Institute of Public Health, and the following speakers took part in the discussion providing interesting insights on the topic:
– Cristian Busoi, MEP, Chair of the Challenge Cancer Intergroup
– Aldo Patriciello, MEP, Co-chair of the Challenge Cancer Intergroup
– Antonella Cardone, Director, European Cancer Patient Coalition
– Deepak Khanna, MSD International
– Christiane Thallinger, Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)
– Christoph Zielinski, Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)
Kickoff meeting of the Intergroup
On Wednesday 28th October 2020, ECPC hosted the kickoff meeting of the intergroup to discuss the thematic agenda for 2021. Press release from this session will be available soon.
The first official event of the Intergroup
The Challenge Cancer Intergroup hosted the first official online webinar on The Cancer Momentum: Fighting Inequalities in Europe that took place on Thursday, 29th October 2020 from 9:00 until 10:30 CET. Please find the agenda here.
With Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the Horizon Europe's Cancer Mission focusing on funding and expertise on key research challenges; the EU4Health programme to improve surveillance, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer and the launch of the European Parliament 'Challenge Cancer' Intergroup we are experiencing a true cancer momentum.
Not only on the European level patient organisations, academia and policy makers are on a mission. The Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG) has been working with an interdisciplinary group of experts to fight the profound disparities in cancer incidence and treatment outcomes as well as accessibility to cancer care within Europe.
Launching event
Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar. We had the great honour of launching the European Parliament Challenge Cancer Intergroup, chaired by MEP Cristian Bușoi, and co-chaired by MEPs Alessandra Moretti, Aldo Patriciello, Frederique Ries, with the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) providing the Secretariat. Read the report here.
This first and only EU Parliamentary Intergroup on cancer will serve as a forum for MEPs from all political parties to engage in dialogue with patients, cancer survivors and carers, scientific and medical societies, research institutions, think tanks, medical practitioners and researchers, policy makers and leaders of the health industry, civil society at large, national governments and institutions. It will act as a two-way communication channel by holding hearings and debates and leading fact-finding missions on salient topics such as prevention, access to treatment, medicine shortages, cancer research on quality of life, innovation in cancer care, and survivorship.
The virtual launch event brought together MEPs and high-level speakers, including Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and the Chair of the Cancer Mission Board, Prof. Walter Ricciardi, to discuss cancer challenges in times of pandemics like COVID-19 and the role of policy makers and stakeholders, including patient organisations such as ECPC.
Answers to questions posed during the event can be found here.
Launching webinar
Programme and slides
16:30-16:50 Welcome address / Opening session
MEP Cristian Silviu Bușoi (Romania), Chair of the Challenge Cancer Intergroup
MEP Alessandra Moretti (Italy), Co-Chair of Challenge Cancer Intergroup
MEP Frédérique Ries (Belgium), Co-Chair of Challenge Cancer Intergroup
MEP Aldo Patriciello (Italy), Co-Chair of Challenge Cancer Intergroup
16:50-17:15 Setting the scene
Commissioner Stella Kyriakides,
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
Cancer patients as a bridge between cancer research and care
Kathi Apostolidis, President of the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC)
Francesco de Lorenzo, former President of ECPC, Chair of the Scientific Committee of ECPC
17:15-17:40 The Cancer Mission
Conquering Cancer: mission possible
Prof. G. Walter Ricciardi, Chair of the Cancer Mission Board, Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome
Towards a Mission on Cancer
Prof. Dr. Anton Berns, President European Academy of Cancer Sciences, Emeritus Chairman Board of Directors, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital
17:40-18:00 Debate session
18.00-18.20 Cancer in the era of COVID-19
Can COVID-19 challenge cancer?
Prof. Dr. Michael Baumann, Chairman and Scientific Director at the German Cancer
Disease Burden, Costs and Access to Valuable Cancer Medicines:
how the pandemic has influenced the disease burden Prof. Dr. Bengt Jönsson, Professor Emeritus of the Stockholm School of Economics
18:35-18:45 The industry perspective on a strengthened approach to cancer care post-COVID-19
Nuclear Medicine – a driving Force in the fight against Cancer
Dr. Antonis Kalemis, President of NMEU, Nuclear Medicine Europe
Cancer as a policy priority
Dr. Nathalie Moll, Director General, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)
18:50-19:00 Closing remarks
Dr. Oxana Domenti, Head of WHO Regional Office Europe
MEP Cristian Silviu Bușoi, Chair of the Challenge Cancer Intergroup
First and only EU Parliamentary Intergroup on cancer
The new European Parliament Challenge Cancer Intergroup is the first and only EU Parliamentary Intergroup on cancer. It will be chaired by MEP Cristian Bușoi, and co-chaired by MEPs Alessandra Moretti, Aldo Patriciello and Frédérique Ries, with the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) providing its Secretariat.
This new Intergroup was conceived by ECPC to ensure continuity in the European Parliament's work on cancer during the previous and the current mandates. The Intergroup will serve as a forum for MEPs from all political parties to engage in dialogue with patients, cancer survivors, carers, scientific and medical societies, research institutions, think tanks, medical practitioners and researchers, policy makers and leaders of the health industry, civil society at large, national governments, and institutions. It will act as a two-way communication channel by holding hearings and debates and leading fact-finding missions on salient topics such as prevention, access to treatment, medicine shortages, cancer research on quality of life, innovation in cancer care, and survivorship.
This new Intergroup was conceived by ECPC as a result of its ongoing commitment and involvement in supporting the "Mission" concept in Research and Innovation, adopted by the European Commission, together with prominent scientists, physicians and researchers, members of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS). ECPC, with its 450-member cancer patient organisations across the EU, will act as the intermediary between the EU Parliamentary Intergroup on Cancer and civil society at large. In its capacity as the Secretariat of the intergroup, ECPC will provide the members with access to real patient experience and a variety of European and national cancer stakeholders, while allowing citizens to express their needs directly to European policymakers. ECPC has the ability, across its pan-European network of organisations, to share knowledge, to influence public health and cancer policies.
Contacting secretariat
For more information or to express your interest in joining the Intergroup, please contact: ChallengeCancer@ecpc.org
Chair and Co-chair of the Intergroup
Cristian Bușoi, Chair
Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI, Chair of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) of the European Parliament.
Mr. Buşoi graduated in medicine at the "Carol Davila" University in Bucharest, in law at the "Titu Maiorescu" University in Bucharest, and in diplomacy at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute in Bucharest.
His political career started in 1996 when, as a young student, he became a member of the National Liberal Party. Eight years later, he entered the Romanian Parliament as Member of the Committee for Health and Family and in 2013 became President of the Romanian National Health Insurance House. His dedication in the Romanian Parliament, convinced electors to vote him in 2007 as their representative in the European Parliament. Mr. Busoi is Member of the Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He is also substitute Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula (DARP).
Mr. Buşoi was a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2013, a position he regained in 2014 becoming chair of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee.
Aldo Patriciello, Co-Chair
Aldo Patriciello (born 1957) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the European Parliament since May 8, 2006. Nowadays he represents "Forza Italia" within the EPP parliamentary group. He's a titular member of the Member ITRE Committee (Industry, Research and Energy and a substitute on the ENVI Committee (Environment, Public Health and Food Safety).
This year he launched, with other MEPs, a written declaration on heart failure and the 1st Eu stroke summit in the European Parliament.
It has already been appointed as rapporteur or shadow rapporteur:
OPINION on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision No 466/2014/EU granting an EU guarantee to the European Investment Bank against losses under financing operations supporting investment projects outside the Union
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council setting a framework for energy efficiency labelling and repealing Directive 2010/30/EU
OPINION on procedures and practices regarding Commissioner Hearings, lessons to be taken from the 2014 process
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Convention Area of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1936/2001, (EC) No 1984/2003 and (EC) No 520/2007
OPINION on an Aviation Strategy for Europe
OPINION on sustainable urban mobility
OPINION on the mandate for the trilogue on the 2016 draft budget
OPINION on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure
OPINION on "Towards a digital trade strategy "
OPION on implementation report on Implementation of the European Disability Strategy
REPORT on "Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation"
REPORT on 'A European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems'
Since 2014 (the start of the new mandate), he's an active member of:
– Sky and Space Intergroup
– Wine, spirits and quality foodstuffs Intergroup
– Mep heart group
– MEP against cancer group
Frederique Ries, Co-Chair
Frédérique Ries is a Belgian journalist and politician.
She was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999, where she currently sits on the committees on Environment and Health, Foreign Affairs, and Human Rights. She is also a Member of the Delegation for relations with Israel.
Before entering politics, she was a TV producer and editor at Belgium's main private channel, RTL-TVI.
Vice-President (2013-2017) then President of St. Peter's Hospital in Brussels (2017-2019), Frédérique has shown her commitment to improve the health of Europeans patients. She recently spearheaded initiatives in this regard on Lyme's disease, Rare diseases and HIV.
Alessandra Moretti, Co-Chair
After a low degree and some years in the Regional Council and the Italian National Parliament, in 2019 Alessandra Moretti was elected member of the European Parliament.
There she is member of the ENVI Committee (Environment, public health and food safety), member of the TRAN Committee (Transport and Tourism) and member of the FEMM Committee (Women's rights and gender equality).
She is convinced to fight against inequality and social fractures and to take action for the challenges of our time: climate change, gender equality and social justice.
Members of the Intergroup
Tudor Ciuhodaru, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Romania
Sunčana Glavak, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (EPP), Croatia
Pietro Bartolo, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Italy
Giuliano Pisapia, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Italy
Romana Jerkovic, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Croatia
Margarita De La Pisa Carrion, European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Spain
Angelo Ciocca, Identity and Democracy Group, Italy
Gianna Gancia, Identity and Democracy Group, Italy
Patrizia Toia, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Italy
Giuseppina Picierno, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Italy
Brando Benifei, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Italy
Caterina Chinnici, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Italy
Maria Arena, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Belgium
Katrin Langensiepen, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, Germany
Fulvio Martusciello, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), Italy
Veronique Trillet-Lenoir, Renew Europe Group, France
Raffaele Fitto, European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Italy
Liudas Mazylis, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (EPP), Lithuania
Juozas Olekas, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Lithuania
Gheorghe Falca, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (EPP), Romania
Chrysoula Zachraopoulou, Renew Europe Group, France
Stelios Kympouropoulos, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (EPP), Greece
Eva Kaili, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Greece
Frances Fitzgerald, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (EPP), Ireland
Tomislav Sokol, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), Croatia
Eero Heinäluoma, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Finland
Giuseppe Milazzo, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), Italy
Silvia Sardonne, Identity and Democracy Group, Italy
Stefania Zambelli, Identity and Democracy Group, Italy
Dino Giarrusso, Non-attached Members, Italy
Massimiliano Salini, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), Italy
Carlo Fidanza, European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Italy
Speakers at the Intergroup Launch Event
Stella Kyriakides
Stella Kyriakides worked as a clinical psychologist in the Mental Health Services of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus in the area of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from 1979-2006. Special areas of interest and training were Pediatric oncology and Child sexual abuse. In 2006, she was elected to the Cyprus Parliament and was re-elected in 2011 and 2016 for the Democratic Rally party of which she was the Vice-President.
At the House of Representatives, she was the Chair of the Committee on Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women, and the Vice Chair of the Committee on Health Affairs and a member of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs. In 2012, she was appointed Head of the Cyprus Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). She served as Representative of the PACE at the Venice Commission, as Chair of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, and as chair of the Sub-Committee on Children and as PACE General Rapporteur for the Child. In 2017 she was elected President of the PACE, thus becoming the 30th President of the Assembly. She founded the First Breast Cancer advocacy organisation in Cyprus, Europa Donna Cyprus, where she served as President from 2000-2015. She was also President of the European Breast Cancer Coalition Europa Donna. She has received many awards in recognition of her relentless efforts and work in support of women's rights, children and patients' rights and had numerous publications, research contributions/articles on children related matters and cancer in Cyprus and other European countries. On 1st December 2019 Ms. Kyriakides became the European Commissioner on Health and Food Safety.
Francesco de Lorenzo is cancer colon survivor with 22 years of experience in patient advocacy, capacity building, research, networking building, policy, partnership and project design and management. In ECPC since 2004 (co-Founder): from 2010 to 2013 as Vice President, from 2013 to 2019 as President, now as Past President and Chair of the Scientific Committee. His vision during the Presidency was to work towards Europe of Equality, where all European cancer patients have timely and affordable access to the best treatment and care available. He has been Member of the European Commission Expert Group on Cancer Control (2014/2018) and co-author of the European Cancer Patients' Bill of Rights. In collaboration with MEPs, proposed amendments to the Work-Life Balance Directive, which have now been included in the Directive and include formal recognition of the role of the carer.
Involved in several European research projects and collaborating with the consortium Cancer Core Europe in the Board of Directors. Board member of the European Academy of Cancer Science (EACS) and of the Cancer Drug Development Forum (CDDF). Has been successfully working on the development of amendments to Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation to harmonise HTA at the EU level, a policy recommendation first outlined in the ECPC position paper "Challenging the Europe of Disparities in Cancer" in 2015, highlighting that patients play a crucial role in advancing policies. Presently he is also President of the Italian Federation of Cancer Patients Organisation (FAVO – www.favo.it), President of the Italian Association for Cancer Patients (Aimac – www.aimac.it) and full Professor of Biochemistry at the University Federico II of Naples.
Kathi Apostolidis became ECPC President in June 2019, she has previously served from 2013 to 2019 as ECPC Vice President in close collaboration with the Past President, Prof. Francesco de Lorenzo in strategy, strategic alliances, relations with the European Commission and other EU and national high-level cancer stakeholders. Kathi represents ECPC at various bodies including EMA's Patients and Consumers Working Group, the Steering Committee of the ENCePP/EMA; the Expert Group ECIBC/QASDG EU Initiative on Breast Cancer; the Steering Committee of HTAi's Patients and Citizens Involvement Group; the European Commission Working Group on mHealth Assessment Guidelines and the ODN-Oncology Data Network – member of the Clinical and Analytical Steering Committee CASC. Kathi is a Public Affairs Consultant with broad and diversified experience in regulatory and public affairs, diplomacy, strategy, marketing and communications. Surviving breast cancer twice, she was involved in breast cancer, survivorship and cancer patient rights advocacy for many years on the national and international level.
Her advocacy covers issues of access to cancer care, informed shared decision making in cancer care, patient involvement in cancer research, health and cancer care policy and economics, cancer care delivery, patient safety, health technology assessment, and digital technology in cancer care. At the national level she is a founding member and President of the Hellenic Cancer Coalition-ELLOK (ellok.org) and a Director/Board Member of other Greek cancer patient associations. She represents patients at the Board of Directors of the recently legalized and under establishment National Cancer Institute and at the Patient Registries Committee of the Greek Ministry of Health
Prof. Michael Baumann
Prof. Michael Baumann is a radiation oncologist and radiation biologist. His scientific focus is on the development of individualized biological radiation oncology, high-precision/proton therapy and the treatment of lung, head and neck tumors. He completed his medical studies at the University of Hamburg early in 1988. Until the end of 1989 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachussetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston. After training as a radiation oncologist he come a Reader in radiation oncology ('Habilitation') in Hamburg in 1994. In 1995, he moved to the Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden as Head of Experimental Radiation Oncology, in 2001 he was promoted to full professor. From 2003 Michael Baumann was the founding director of the University Cancer Center (UCC), Dresden. Since 2016, Michael Baumann is Chairman and Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Chairman and Spokesperson of the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK). He is also Co-Chairman of the Strategy Group "National Decade Against Cancer" of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Reseach (BMBF) and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Michael Baumann has published more than 350 scientific articles in medical journals. He is the editor-in-chief of the leading international journal for radiation oncology, Radiotherapy and Oncology. In 2004, Michael Baumann was elected a member of the German National Academy of Science, Leopoldina, in 2009 member of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences. He has received numerous academic awards, including The Deutscher Krebspreis by the German Cancer Society (2018), the Janeway Medal of the American Radium Society (2018), and the Alfred-Breit-Award by the German Society of Radiation Oncology (2018).
Walter Ricciardi
Walter Ricciardi is Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome. He is scientific Advisor to the Italian Minister of Health for the coronavirus pandemia. From January to December 2019 Head of Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome. On November 2019 he was appointed Coordinator of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Human Technopole Foundation. From 2019 he is President of the Mission Board for Cancer of the European Commission. In May 2018 he has been elected President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) by the General Assembly of the WFPHA. In 2017 he was appointed Italian Representative in the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation. In 2016 he was appointed Principal Investigator of the EC Grant N° 733274 "TO REACH" the first health services and health systems research programme funded by the European Commission. In December 2015, he was appointed Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Policy, Governance and Leadership at the Institute of Public Health, Medical School, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – Rome. From August 2015 to December 2018 he was the President of the Italian National Institute of Health. In May 2013 he was appointed Member of the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health (European Commission, DG – SANTE) and in December 2016 he has been awarded a three-year second mandate. He is Editor of the European Journal of Public Health, of the Oxford Handbook of Public Health Practice and Founding Editor of the Italian Journal of Public Health and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health. In May 2019 he received the "Laurea Honoris Causa" at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA.
Anton Berns
Anton Berns studied biochemistry at the University of Nijmegen and received his Masters degree in 1969 (cum laude) and his PhD in 1972 (supervisor Prof. H. Bloemendal) from that same University (cum laude). He did his postdoctoral training in the group of Rudolf Jaenisch at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA., where he studied the role of retroviruses in causing lymphomas in mice. In 1976 he returned to the University of Nijmegen where he became junior staff member. His group explored proviral insertional mutagenesis as a means to identify new oncogenes. In 1985 he was appointed as staff scientist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute and in 1986 he became head of the Division of Molecular Genetics of the Institute. Here his group did pioneering work to generate and utilize genetically modified mice as a tool to search for new cancer genes. His group focused on the development and use of advanced mouse models for cancer. Other themes of his research were: i. Development of tools to faster generate complex mouse models, ii. High throughput transposon insertional mutagenesis to identify components in signaling pathways relevant for cancer, and iii. The role of tumor heterogeneity and cells-of-origin of lung cancer and mesothelioma. In 1999, he was appointed as Director of Research and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital from which he retired at the end of 2011. The experimental work in his lab ended in May 2019. Some of the projects are being continued by postdocs and former colleagues. He remains active as advisor, reviewer, and as board member of supervisory committees and national and international organisations dedicated to cancer research.
Bengt Jönsson
Bengt Jönsson is Professor Emeritus of Health Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), Sweden. Before joining the SSE in 1990 he was a professor at Linköping University, Department of Health and Society, 1982-1990. He was director of the Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE) in Lund from 1979 to 1982, and a member of the IHE Board until 2004.
He is now chair of IHE scientific advisory board. He is also a member of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences, and vice chair of the EU Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in health. He has been a member of the Karolinska University Hospital Board, and the Scientific Advisory Board, National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden. He was also Chair of the Expert Group to the Committee on Funding and Organisation of Health Services and Medical Care in Sweden (HSU 2000), and a member of the National Social Insurance Board from 1992 to 1994, and of SBU (The Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care), Scientific Advisory Board 1988-2004. Professor Jönsson is a member of the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Cancer Policy, European Journal of Health Economics, and International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care. He has also been a temporary adviser to the WHO and a consultant to OECD and UNIDO. Professor Jönsson's extensive publications in the field of health economics include over 200 papers, reports, and book chapters. Presently he is president of the SHEA, the Swedish Health Economics Association and past president of iHEA, the international Health Economists Association.
Dr. Antonis Kalemis
Dr. Antonis Kalemis is President of Nuclear Medicine Europe. He studied biomedical instrumentation engineering, medical physics and business management, in Greece and the United Kingdom. After his PhD, he held positions in research, marketing and business management at major medical imaging manufacturers. Over the years, he worked in radiopharmaceutical clinical trials, medical image analysis, nuclear medicine and radiological technology. Since 2016, he is at Siemens Healthcare GmbH, managing the molecular imaging product line for North Europe.
In parallel, he is intimately involved with the Nuclear Medicine Europe, the industry association, where he held various positions. Since 2019 he is the President of the association. In the past, he acted as an external reviewer for several national and international research grant organisations, such as the EU Commission for the Horizon2020 programme, the Hong Kong Research Grants Council and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche in France. He is a member of the editorial board of the EJNMMI Physics and reviewer on several international scientific journals.
Nathalie Moll
Nathalie Moll joined the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) as Director General in April 2017. EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Together with its direct membership 40 leading pharmaceutical companies, 33 national associations representing over 1,900 companies and in collaboration with health and research players, EFPIA's mission is to create an environment that enables our members to innovate, discover, develop and deliver new therapies and vaccines for people across Europe, as well as contribute to the European economy. Prior to joining EFPIA, between 2010 and 2017 Nathalie was the Secretary General of EuropaBio ranked as the most effective European Trade Association in Brussels in 2013. She spent over 20 years working for the biotech industry at EU and national level in associations and corporate positions and held the position of Chair and Vice Chair of the International Council of Biotech Associations (ICBA). In 2013, Nathalie won the Technovisionaries Women Innovation Award organised by Women & Technologies® while in 2009, Nathalie and the Green Biotech Team of EuropaBio were presented with the Leadership and Excellence in Advancing Ag-Biotech and Food Issues Award. Nathalie was also named one of the 15 leading women in biotech in Europe in 2017. Nathalie holds an Honours Degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from St Andrews University, Scotland.
Oxana Domenti
Dr. Oxana Domenti, prior to being appointed as WHO Representative to the European Union, Dr. Oxana Domenti served as Senior Advisor to the WHO Regional Director for Europe on multilateral affairs. Before joining WHO, Dr. Domenti was Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Switzerland, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations Office at Geneva (2018-2020) and the World Trade Organization, and other international organizations based in Geneva. Dr. Domenti was a member of parliament in the Republic of Moldova (2009-2017) and served as President of the Parliamentary Health and Social Security Committee. As a parliamentarian, she also chaired the European and Central Asian Branch of the Global Parliamentary TB Caucus. Prior to being elected to parliament, she served as adviser to the President on social development issues (2003-2009) when she was also a member of the Governing Board of the National Health Insurance Company and of the National Social Security Agency. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the development of social and health policies at national and regional levels, particularly in the area of health financing, tobacco control, TB, primary health care, and access to medicines. She holds degrees of PhD and MSc and received her academic training in Economics at the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, on European Social Security at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, as well as in Public Health at the University of London.
Launching event – Report - (PDF)
ECPC White Paper – Europe of Disparities (EN) - (PDF)
ECPC and EAPM Statement on HTA On Future Cooperation on Health Technology Assessment - (PDF)
HTA and Patient Involvement - (PDF)
ECPC Position on access to medicines report - (PDF)
Shortage of inexpensive essential medicines: Call to Action - (PDF)
Joint Action on Rare Cancers launch - (PDF)
European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control - (PDF)
Intergroup Kick-Off Meeting Press Release - (PDF)
Horizon Europe Cancer Mission
Europe's Beating Cancer Plan


text:
class LoadingWorker : public QObject
{
	Q_OBJECT

public:
	LoadingWorker(LotsOfLines::ProgressMessage*);
	std::shared_ptr<LotsOfLines::DataSet> loadData(const QString& path, const LotsOfLines::LoadOptions& options);

public slots:
	void updateDataset(const QString& path, const LotsOfLines::LoadOptions& options);

signals:
	void datasetUpdated(std::shared_ptr<LotsOfLines::DataSet>);

private:
	void run()
	{
		// Empty
	}

protected:
	LotsOfLines::DataModel m_dataModel;
	LotsOfLines::ProgressMessage *m_progress;
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Comics Revue Feb 2018
Creators: Russ Manning, Stan Lynde, Harry Harrison, Dick Moores, V.T. Hamlin, Milton Caniff, Warren Tufts, George Herriman and a cast of thousands.
Publishing Information: Manuscript Press, softcover, 128 pages, February 2018, $20
Ordering Numbers: DEC172093 (Previews), PO Box 336, Mountain Home TN 37684.
I still greatly enjoy reading copies of Comics Revue when they show up in my mailbox. The magazine-sized anthology of once-popular strip work comes out is a half-and-half proposition for me now. I read some of what they publish very close and some of it not at all. It's a different way of reading than when you read everything but the differences are in how much you enjoy each feature. It's how I used to read the newspaper from which these features are pulled, the darker half of the page representing action-adventure and soap opera strip of which 12 year old me wanted no part.
It's hard to go wrong with Krazy Kat dailies, even roughly mis-printed. I like looking at Alley Oop more than I enjoy reading it; ditto Russ Manning's Tarzan and Caniff's Steve Canyon. Buz Sawyer is a gas if you can stomach the politics lurking just under the surface. The Caniff is a football sequence I remember liking when I saw it once upon a time and the Sawyer is from that period where he thinks his wife is dead. The king of all the features in recent Comics Revue is Wilson McCoy's run on The Phantom, which is drawn and paced like a modern satirical cartoon. One with which I'm totally unfamiliar, Sir Bagby, also makes my list -- it's hard to imagine inventing a more early '60s comic. I pause at the Overgard and Tufts.
Sounds great, right? Well, it is, after a fashion. I do wonder how many old people -- and older on the inside! -- customers there are out there, enjoying half a magazine. A Peter O'Donnell pivot from Modesty Blaise to Garth might bum me out, but I can't imagine there are more than 300 people out there still holding on to that degree of aesthetic refinement when it comes to work like that. Other than the McCoy, I'm not sure I'd recommend anything in here as a discovery, which saddens me a bit.
I have this game where I think about things I will never do again in my life: wear a singlet, water ski, watch episodes of Becker. I feel that way about most of the work here. It's waking up in my old bed, a party at my parents house downstairs, and sneaking halfway down the stairwell to eavesdrop on the 20th Century one more time.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Icebreaker at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park marked the thawing of a cold streak for NASCAR Whelen Modified racer Rowan Pennink. Pennink put "Ole Blue" into Victory Circle for the first time in a points-paying event since 2009.
As one of Sunday's headlining events at the Icebreaker, Pennink soared away from Bobby Santos on a restart with three laps remaining. The win was Pennink's first since 2013 also at Thompson. That race did not award points. Santos surrendered Second and Third to Timmy Solomito and Max Zachem to finish Fourth. Patrick Emerling rounded out the Top Five.
The visiting PASS Super Late Models were also on the docket. The race paid points to both the PASS North and National Championships. Eddie MacDonald topped the 75-lap feature. Eddie Fatscher, DJ Shaw, Derek Ramstrom, and Derek Griffith rounded out the Top Five.
Other winners included: Ryan Preece (Sunoco Modifieds), Ray Parent (Late Models), Jesse Gleason (Limited Sportsman), Dave Trudeau (Mini Stock), and Brett Gonyaw (Lite Modified).
Check out this wild finish in the Late Models!


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Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia: JRPG Lite, Without Aggressive Microtransactions
By Jen Glennon @hellojenglen 01/31/18
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia combines traditional JRPG combat mechanics with strategic elements from previous Dissidia titles, such as Bravery Points and HP. Square Enix
Heroes and villains from across the 30-year history of the Final Fantasy series come together to take on a new set of baddies in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia. The game blends the franchise's classic turn-based RPG combat with elements from the new fighting game, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT.
The goddess Materia has summoned warriors from a variety of Final Fantasy worlds to save her homeland. Guided by her emissary, Mog, our warriors of light must close up dimensional disruptions known as Torsions that have popped up in a variety of locations. Ever wanted to see Cloud kicking butt alongside Zidane and Cecil? Now you can make it happen.
As you work to eliminate the Torsions, you'll navigate a grid-based map system full of icons for battles, character interactions, treasures and more. In order to progress through locked gates into new locations, you'll need to fulfill certain conditions, such as recruiting a new ally or defeating a set number of a specific enemy type. There's a pretty balanced mix of character interactions and combat, with some fights featuring two or more standard battles, most of which don't take longer than a minute.
Combat in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia. Photo: Square Enix
DFFOO 's simplified turn-based combat will be familiar to fans of the series, but adds a distinctly Dissidia-flavored twist. Like the three-on-three fighting game, battles use the Bravery system, which encourages a balanced approach to offense and defense. You'll need to whittle down your opponent's Bravery points (and bolster your own) by using Bravery attacks, before striking enemies with an HP attack. The two types of damage take some getting used to, but it's fairly easy to settle into the rhythm after a few battles. While some characters have healing abilities, there's no Phoenix Downs or Potions in this game. If you get K.O.'ed, you either have to pay 100 gems to continue or take it on the chin and start over.
You can have three characters in your party at once, and set 10 different configurations. DFFOO encourages you to mix up your squad while also allowing you to have favorites. You'll often see bonus awards for bringing a specific character, but for the most part, the game never forces you to use anyone you don't want to. (I've stuck to Cloud and Tifa most of the time, swapping in a random third here and there, though my loyalties may be further torn once I start seeing more of the cast of FFIV, VI and IX).
This is not Final Fantasy All-Stars with a sweeping, epic story: DFFOO definitely feels like a free-to-play mobile RPG, best enjoyed in short bursts, and not something I'd struggle to tear myself away from after six hours. There's no opportunity to explore, no dungeons, towns or a traditional world map to roam in. That said, I've still found myself picking it up a couple of times each day to chop up baddies and find new companions. It's the perfect distraction for the elliptical or stationary bike at the gym.
Speaking of which, if you need to momentarily tune out from the game, DFFOO provides an auto-battle option. Having tested it out in a few fights, the AI seems pretty reliable. Your party will use Bravery and HP attacks appropriately, so you can look away from the action for a bit and not worry about losing progress or getting clobbered.
The game's single-player mode is pretty accessible, with no crazy difficulty spikes. However, Hard Mode on previously cleared levels offered a significantly greater challenge, with timed event quests falling somewhere in the middle. I wasn't able to experience the game's co-op mode during the review period, though the single-player mode offers the option of selecting another player to sub in for a few turns. It can be handy if one of your party members is looking a bit wobbly.
Enhancing weapons in DFFOO. Photo: Square Enix
Something that's kept me coming back to Dissidia FFOO is that the in-game purchases feel emphatically optional. Unlike some recent mobile RPGs (looking at you, Alchemist Code), Opera Omnia never feels like an overwhelming deluge of different kinds of currency, upgrades, crafting materials and items. None of the characters are locked behind a paywall. While there is an RNG element, letting you spend gems for randomized high-level weapons and armor, it doesn't feel essential. You can use gems to purchase a small selection of support items, which allow you to earn more EXP or items for a set window of time, usually 30 minutes. Again, it's a nice perk, but you can move through the game just fine without these items. As in other free-to-play RPGs, you'll get bonuses for logging in and completing daily missions, including gil, gems and support items. So far, those have been enough to scratch my itch for customization and upgrades, without spending real-world cash.
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia will be available for Android and iOS Feb. 1.
Will you be checking out DFFOO? If you've already tried it, what did you think of the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
JRPG Lite, Without Aggressive Microtransactions
This is not Final Fantasy All-Stars with a sweeping, epic story: DFFOO definitely feels like a free-to-play mobile RPG, best enjoyed in short bursts. That said, it's a delightful casual distraction you'll want to return to.
Huge cast of classic FF characters
Engaging, strategic turn-based combat
No characters behind paywalls
Passive Microtransactions
Limited exploration potential
Weapon and armor enhancement can be confusing
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia Celebrates Second Anniversary
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia Guide: Essential Info & Tips


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'The Armstrong Lie,' Alex Gibney's Portrait of Lance as a Liar
When Alex Gibney began filming his documentary, The Armstrong Lie, Lance was a cycling god. Then the doping scandal hit. Then the confession. He explains how we were all fooled.
Thomas Flynn
Mario Tama/Getty,Mario Tama
The latest film from Alex Gibney, the investigative documentarian behind We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks and the Academy-Award winning Taxi to the Dark Side, is The Armstrong Lie. The film began in 2009 as a chronicle of Lance Armstrong's comeback Tour de France after his retirement from the sport in 2005. However, when Armstrong was banned from cycling in 2012 for using performance enhancing drugs, Gibney felt it necessary to revisit his as yet-unreleased film. The uplifting story of Armstrong became a probing look at the culture of doping in professional cycling and the fall of its biggest star. Gibney sat down with The Daily Beast to talk about his relationship with Lance Armstrong and the making of the of the biggest lie in professional sports.
The Daily Beast: This film is very much about the relationship between a documentarian and his subject. How was it being so prominent a character in your own movie?
Alex Gibney: Well I wasn't in the first go round. The first go round was more purely observational. On the second one it was necessary to put myself in the film in order to understand the full weight of the experience of what had happened, and also to understand the way a lie like this works. I think the film is kind of the anatomy of a lie. In order to do that, I had to show the relationship. On a day to day basis, I like Lance. And to show that, the way I got caught up in his story, wanting him to win like so many fans want athletes to win, was necessary. To properly reflect on all of this, and to see with new eyes what happened in 2009, to go back and revisit what I had seen, like the movie Blow-Up, there might have been something in the bushes that I had missed that meant something rather different. And to tie it all together, it seemed to me that by putting myself in the movie I could both be honest and also allow myself a kind of narrative freedom I might not have otherwise be able to have, in terms of moving back and forth in time and place. Right up until the end, we were massaging narration, making it a bit more personal so it seemed more like what I saw.
The original film from 2009, how far along did you get, and what was the moment like when you knew you needed to change it?
We finished it. Basically. We had mixed the film. Matt Damon had narrated. We had done it. And then we started having to put a few more cards in. And then we realized we had to have twenty pages of cards at the end. The film itself had become too naive for its time. There were certainly allegations of doping in the previous film, but because back in the day you couldn't say that stuff out loud, Lance might sue you, it was veiled. It was allusive. This needed to more directly confront what we now knew had happened. We stopped. We put it on the shelf until things played themselves out.
When you were filming did you think he was clean?
When I was filming in 2009, I figured he had probably doped in the past, but I became increasingly convinced that, in 2009, he was clean that year.
Do you still think he was clean that year?
I find it extremely hard to believe now.
Has he seen the film?
Do you think he's going to?
I don't know. We offered him a screening and instead of coming himself, he sent his representatives. So now he's telling us through his spokespeople that he's not going to see it, which I find kind of silly. I had discussions with him, prior to the film coming out, and I was the one who told him it was going to be called The Armstrong Lie. I said, look, the film is going to set the doping in context—which it does—but it's going to make a pretty big deal about the enormity of your lie and how you went after people. I don't think he should be surprised.
How much do you think this scandal is about doping, and how much is about this one guy and how he acted for those seven years he was winning?
I think it's more about the latter. It's become a doping scandal: "Oh my god, Lance Armstrong doped." But honestly, come on. That's a little bit like the Claude Rains moment in Casablanca. If you look at the USADA report, as convincing of a prosecutorial document as it is, a lot of the stories in there are stories that were revealed way back in the day, by Alistair and Walsh or Betsy Andreu. That's the fascinating thing about this story. A lot of the doping facts were out in the open. People are angrier at how he used his story to fool people. And to make the lie as enormous as it was for an incredible profit, and to go after people who tried to tell the truth. That's the thing that's not morally relative. People can argue about the doping, about who's clean or who wasn't, and talk about an even playing field on the road–I would argue it wasn't a level playing field, when it came to UCI looking the other way, or sponsors enabling him—but on the road, a lot of people were doping. Dan Coyle says in the film, "It's not a story about doping, it's a story about power." And I think that's true.
How did he get away with it for so long?
That's what the film is about. This is a lie hiding in plain sight. So many people were on to what was going on. But there was no definitive proof, Armstrong could stand up there and vehemently deny any accusation. His story was so appealing, so many cancer victims and survivors wanted hope. And he did reach out to people and he did donate hundreds of millions of dollars. It was the best story in the history of sports. Everybody loved it. So why would you want to rain on that parade? And the fact that Lance was so aggressive in how he went after people. The "no proof" thing became something of a mantra, a way of not dealing with a problem.
How much did you know about cycling going into this project?
Zero. I knew almost nothing. When I was a kid I rode a three-speed Schwinn. I didn't know anything about the sport. I knew about the allegations of doping, but I didn't know them in great detail. And I told Armstrong that from the beginning.
At one point the original film is referred to as a "puff-piece." What was it like for your movie to be perceived that way? Because that's not the type of movie you usually make at all.
That was frustrating! I had a reputation for being investigative. I was telling people "look at the other stuff I've done." But they were like, "We're not talking to you. You're inside the bubble. You're a tool of Lance Armstrong, end of story." He had such enormous power that people thought that if you were playing ball with him you couldn't help but be completely co-opted by him in some way. He so convinced people that he was invulnerable. If you were with him, you had gone to dark side. I was an agent of Mordor. It was weird. I found something out recently, that I didn't even know at the time. I discovered that someone on my own team whoI had hired to give us balance, Lance's team tried to have him fired. I had hired a guy who had co-written Greg LeMond's autobiography, and the Armstrong people tried to get me to fire him. I didn't really understand why, right away, but I soon figured it out. And I refused! It caused my producers a lot of anxiety, but I said, "We can't have Lance Armstrong telling us who we can hire and fire."
What do you think is next for Lance Armstrong?
I think he has to find, in some way, to come to grips with what he's done. And not so much what he's done on the bike. There can be endless discussions about that, and I think there should be. I think erasing his name is just bad history, and I think it lets cycling off the hook. An asterisk or a line through his name would be better. He has to reckon with the reason why people are so furious at him. And that's going to take some introspection, that so far, he's been unwilling to undergo.
Was there a culture of cheating in cycling?
When someone says, "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling," as if cycling is this pure paragon of virtue, and Lance Armstrong was the one dirty player, that's a joke. That's not to say Lance Armstrong didn't abuse his power. But part of the problem is, you had an athlete, who's so much bigger than the sport. That's a very dangerous thing. But to pretend that cycling was clean except for Lance Armstrong, that's a joke.
Why did Lance Armstrong allow you to talk to Michele Ferrari? What'd you think of Ferrari?
I found Ferrari to be extremely charming. I liked him, and it surprised me, because based on everything I had heard, he was going to be this monstrous, dark figure who was pushing dope. A human pharmacy. I think he's better understood as a scientist who is simply amoral. He has no patience for what he sees as hypocritical distinctions. Why can you sleep in an altitude tent, but you can't take EPO? All he cared about was making cyclists go as fast as possible. Oddly enough, he was frustrated because he felt he hadn't received sufficient credit for Armstrong's success! Ferrari operated in the shadows, but it was clear he was calling the shots. How i got to him? I had to get permission from Lance. And that tells you about 2009: this was to be the tour of renewal for Armstrong. He was gonna say, "Fine, look anywhere you want, you won't find any dope."
Can you talk about the scene where you see Armstrong take a blood and urine test. Were you surprised by that process?
I was. I found it incredibly invasive. I had some sympathy for Lance and other cyclists who have to go through this process. People just invade your house whenever they want to, and say, "Now we're gonna test you." What a wild idea that is.
Do you feel sorry for Armstrong?
No. I don't feel sorry for him. Lance Armstrong made a lot of money, and in a way, rough justice was done. He went after a lot of people that tried to tell the truth and told way too big a lie that encompassed millions of people around the world. So, no, I don't feel sorry for him. But I think everyone needs to keep the story in perspective. The danger is that Lance Armstrong becomes an easy scapegoat, and people don't learn the other lesson from this story—how money corrupts sports, how institutionally things can go awry, how we can all get fooled because of the power of sponsors and media to sell us things that may not be true, but may be profitable. There are a lot of lessons here that we don't learn that we pile on Lance Armstrong.


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Winter Olympics 2018: Meet the US Women's Singles Team
The 2018 Winter Olympics are just around the corner. As one of the most popular sports in the Games, figure skating is on people's minds; fans are itching to learn more about the figure skating, and which figure skaters will be representing the US. Many fresh faces will be taking the ice with high hopes of walking away with the gold.
The US has three women, three men, three ice dance pairs, and one pairs team in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
There are five distinct competitions: men's single skating, women's single skating, pair skating, ice dancing and the team event. Figure skating competitions will span 12 days of the games, with things kicking off February 8.
Medals for the men's event will be handed out on February 16, and medals for the women's will be handed out on February 22. If you're confused about the short program and free skate when it comes to the Olympics, it's important to know that in both the men's and women's events, 24 of the 30 competitors will advance from the short program to free skate. (Think of it as a qualifier).
Read on to learn more about the US Singles Women's Teams.
Bradie Tennell
Bradie Tennell poses for photographers after the medals ceremony for the Championship Ladies during the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the SAP Center on January 5, 2018 in San Jose, California.
Hometown: Carpentersville, Ill.
Coach: Denise Myers, Jeremy Allen
Bradie placed 7th at the ISU World Jr. Championships in 2017 and 11th at the ISU World Championships in 2016. On her website, she says her favorite thing about skating is "performing for an audience. I love the energy that comes from a stadium full of people, and being able to incorporate that energy into my performance."
Bradie has battled a lot of sports injuries over the course of her career. In 2015, after winning the US junior title, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her back, according to Cosmo. She was forced to wear a back brace all summer and wasn't allowed back on the ice until 2016.
Mirai Nagasu
Mirai Nagasu competes in the Ladies Short Program during the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the SAP Center on January 3, 2018 in San Jose, California.
Hometown: Arcadia, California
Coach: Tom Zakrajsek
Nagasu is a two-time Olympian (2010 and 2018). She placed 4th at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. She began skating in Pasadena, California, at the age of 5. On her website, Nagasu writes, "My parents used to take me golfing every day because that was the career they wanted me to have. They took me ice skating one day because we couldn't go golfing due to the rain, and after that I kept asking to be taken to the skating rink."
Karen Chen
Karen Chen competes in the Ladies Free Skate during the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the SAP Center on January 5, 2018 in San Jose, California.
Hometown: Fremont, California
Coach: Tammy Gambill
Chen is the 2017 US Champion, and two-time Bronze Medalist (2018 and 2015). She finished 4th in her senior Worlds debut in 2017. Chen began ice skating at 4 years old and started competing when she was just 6.
In 2011, Chen won gold at the national intermediate level. She then won gold again as a novice in 2012. She placed fourth at the junior level of the US Championships. On her website, Chen says her favorite thing about skating is "Being able to fly across the ice and being able to spin until my fingertips tingle is one of my favorite feelings in the world. It is one of the many reasons why I love skating."
Olympics winter olympics


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Joel Zwick, né le  dans le quartier de Brooklyn à New York aux États-Unis, est un réalisateur américain.

Biographie

Depuis la fin des années 1970, il travaille comme réalisateur et producteur pour la télévision, signant notamment de nombreux épisodes de séries télévisées, comme Notre belle famille (Step by Step), , Le Monde de Riley (Girls Meets World), Laverne and Shirley, , La Fête à la maison (Full House), Les Frères Wayans (The Wayans Brothers), Agent K.C. (K.C. Undercover) ou Larry et Balki (Perfect Strangers).

En 1989, il réalise son premier film, la comédie Second Sight, avec John Larroquette, Bronson Pinchot, Stuart Pankin et Bess Armstrong.

En 2002, il réalise la comédie romantique Mariage à la grecque (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) d'après la pièce de théâtre éponyme de Nia Vardalos, qui assure également le rôle principal aux côtés de John Corbett. Pour ce film, il reçoit notamment le prix du jury lors du festival international du film de comédie de l'Alpe d'Huez en 2003.

En 2004, il réalise deux films. Il signe la comédie noire Elvis Has Left the Building avec Kim Basinger dans le rôle principal et adapte le dessin-animé T'as l'bonjour d'Albert au cinéma sous le titre Fat Albert.

Filmographie partielle
 1989 : Second Sight
 2002 : Mariage à la grecque (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
 2004 : Mais où est passé Elvis ?
 2004 : Fat Albert

Liens externes

Réalisateur américain
Producteur américain de télévision
Naissance en janvier 1942
Naissance à Brooklyn
Étudiant du Brooklyn College

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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How Many Colors Do Diamonds Come In?
DiamondsEducationGemstones
Last updated: February 13, 2019 by Kaeleigh Testwuide
While Diamonds are the traditional choice for engagement and wedding rings, many people are unaware of the options they actually have in terms of color. Most people naturally want a colorless diamond that sparkles, but some diamond enthusiasts often look for different colors.
Throughout history, some of the most famous rings and gemstones have been off-colored. Pink diamonds made waves as a more affordable coloration of diamond that was still aesthetic while purple diamonds offered the rarity that attracted the largest spenders.
Let's take a look at the various colorations that diamonds can have:
The Various Diamond Colors:
Colorless diamonds are the most popular. Typically, when seeking out a diamond, the buyer wants as little color as possible. Any reddish brown hues will lower the value.
Red diamonds exist, but they're extremely rare and sought after, making them incredibly expensive.
Orange diamonds get their color from an infusion of nitrogen, but often have a brown or yellow "hue". The famous Pumpkin Diamond [Link, Nofollow] is a great example of one that was well-formed and might be one of the more beautiful diamonds in history. While the diamond itself isn't very large, it's intensity values it at around $3 million USD today.
Yellow and Brown tend to occur in diamonds as a pair and are often viewed as imperfections, though The Allnatt was a famous yellow diamond with inherently gifted coloration.
Purple diamonds tend to be very small as they are caused by crystal distortion. They are also extremely rare and there have been no purple diamonds vivid enough to be noteworthy.
Pink diamonds get their color from the combination of extreme heat and an absorption of green light. As pink is not a primary color, pink diamonds almost always have an off-colored hue (usually orange, brown or purple). These can range from very affordable, if they have a brownish hue, to extremely expensive and have been gaining popularity over the past several years.
Black is not a very popular choice for a few reasons. One is that they're extremely rare as the diamond basically needs to naturally fuse with graphite. They also aren't typically very large, though the largest one on record is an absolute monster of a gem at 67.5 carats. Additionally, other gemstones such as Onyx tend to have a more aesthetic feel and are way more affordable.
Blue diamonds tend to be very faint due to the elements (carbon and boron) that have to bond to create the color. These typically have gray or greenish off-hues. You've likely heard of the 'Hope Diamond,' which is an extremely famous 45 carat gem featured in films. It's estimated value is unknown as it has a permanent home in the Smithsonian.
Olive diamonds look similar to green ones and don't typically actually look Olive, though the color doesn't really have a better descriptor that would be universally understandable. Oddly enough, these diamonds can actually change color when heated or left in dark spaces. We've aptly named these 'chameleon diamonds'.
Steel Gray diamonds tend to look similar to colorless diamonds, but often appear darker. These are very, very unpopular and even a pure-colored diamond of this variation would likely not be too sought after.
And finally, White diamonds. Many people think these are the same as colorless, but their opacity and translucency separate them categorically. White diamonds are special in that they exhibit something referred to as 'opalescence.' Essentially, they can adopt the colors of nearby gemstones which is the reason many diamond enthusiasts seek out white diamond variations.
In the end, the most marketable diamonds are Colorless, White, Pink, Yellow or Brown. Colorless is an easy choice for several reasons, mainly that the absence of color is easier to achieve than purely vivid colors.
Ready to find the perfect diamond? Call us at (720) 560-3548 or send us a message!
How to Wear a Pear Shaped Engagement Ring
How Many Carats Should an Engagement Ring Be?
What is a Halo Ring Setting?
What is a Radiant Cut Diamond?


It was another court date, another hospital visit for beleaguered former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.
Knight, who was ordered to stand trial for murder, attempted murder and hit and run on Thursday, was rushed to a local hospital for a medical emergency after the judge handed down a decision that he should stand trial, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told TheWrap.
No further details on Knight's hospitalization were immediately available.
This marks the fourth time that Knight has been hospitalized on days that he was scheduled to appear in court for allegedly killing one man and injuring another in January. Among his medical emergencies, Knight collapsed during a court appearance when his bail amount was set at $25 million.
Knight is accused of running over Terry Carter and Cle Sloan with his vehicle during an incident in Compton, Calif., in January, killing Carter and injuring Sloan. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On Thursday, Judge Ronald Coen ordered Knight to stand trial, and lowered the Death Row Records co-founder's bail amount to $10 million.
Knight's attorney, Matthew Fletcher, has claimed that his client, who he says suffers from glaucoma, diabetes and a blood clot near one of his lungs, has not received the medical care he needs.
However, a representative for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has denied those claims, telling TheWrap that Knight is "receiving the appropriate treatment." In addition to multiple blankets, the spokeswoman said, Knight's hot water is the same temperature as the other inmates' and he's been offered new linens, showers and medications.


Ever since Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, humankind has been roaming the earth in search of a "somewhere else" or "anderswo". Encoded within the search for "another place" is the quest for identity, "who else can I be if I live somewhere else? What else can I know, feel, see, become if the land around me changes?" These ae the unspoken wishes of travelers and seekers.
What is it about particular landscapes, especially strongly defined ones like deserts, which calls to somehting deep within us? What is it about special environments that combine with extremes of weather conditions to produce unique charactertistics in its inuhabitants? The whole world knows about cowboys and the American West. The myth grew up out of the land and then transformed the landscape itself so that it speaks to us in mythic terms.
Andrew Phelps seeks answers to identity and the meaning of "place" through his photographic art work. His photographs ask questions , raise mysteries, remind us of our unfinished quests. As a young artist in search of identity in a complex and multi-layered post-modern world, Andrew understands that the old frameworks which worked for his parents and grandparents will not work for him.. The "somewhere else" that Andrew photographs in the work entitled MAPS AND LEGENDS is a place he once though of as home.
Andrew Phelps' vision has never been hemmed in. He knows how to see far when looking at the ordinary. Cowboys were real for him, they were his grandfather, his father and their friends. They embodied the clichèd but honorable qualities of honesty, hard-work and ingenuity . The Marlboro man was his grandfather, not a billboard along a highway. Witness Andrew's photographs, they are oddly "everywhere and somewhere-else". The mysterious qualities that one feels in Andrew's work is an intuitive knowledge earned in a barren environment. These mysteries pull us forward.


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Ⓒ Heiko Rebsch
Ⓒ Sarah Filz
Pegelturm auf der Goitzsche
Werkssiedlung Piesteritz
Ⓒ WelterbeRegion Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg
The dawn of modernity
In the once mighty Central German industrial region between Wittenberg (Luther's city, the "Lutherstadt"), Dessau and Bitterfeld, milestones of industrial history are never far apart.
The region's extensive lignite deposits were the basis for several unique developments in the 20th century. Hugo Junkers ushered in the era of civil aviation using light metal from Bitterfeld, while nitrogen fertilizer from Piesteritz served as the basis for modern agriculture. The world's first color film hailed from Wolfen. The Bauhaus Dessau was a pioneer of modernism, and the Zschornewitz power plant was once the largest steam power plant in the world. It even supplied far-away Berlin with energy.
Today, pleasant leisure centers have developed where large mining machines once dug into the earth. Lakes and recreational areas have replaced mining sites, inviting visitors to take a swim, discover nature or enjoy water sports.
Hugo Junkers Museum of Technology
The Museum of Technology in Dessau-Roßlau details the life and work of aviation pioneer and engineer Hugo Junkers.
Company town Zschornewitz
In 1915, the world's largest and most advanced lignite-fired power plant rose in Zschornewitz on the edge of the Düben Heath.
Ⓒ Marit Schaller
Bitterfeld Water Center
A very special source of knowledge has emerged from the disused former Bitterfeld waterworks directly on the B 100 opposite Lake Goitzsche.
Wolfen Industrial and Film Museum (Industrie- und Filmmuseum Wolfen)
This museum commemorates what was once the second largest film stock factory in the world, producing AGFA/ORWO stock. The museum also possesses the largest public camera collection in Saxony-Anhalt.
Ferropolis
FERROPOLIS is an industrial museum on a peninsula in Lake Gremmin, near Gräfenhainichen.
Regional Museum Bitterfeld
Visit the Bitterfeld museum detailing almost 800 years of history of the city and its immediate surroundings. Set between the Protestant town church and the historic town pharmacy, this museum is located directly in the centre of Bitterfeld and has existed for almost 125 years.
Company town Piesteritz
From 1916 to 1919, the New Building movement of the early 20th century left impressive traces in Piesteritz, which became a part of Wittenberg in 1951.
The Bauhaus was the most important school of art, design and architecture of the 20th century.
Blog: From open pits to open lakes
Audiowalk zur Industriekultur
in Bitterfeld-Wolfen
Adventure and cycling route
Ⓒ Thomas Klitzsch
On the well-signed cycle route COAL| STEAM | LIGHT (KOHLE|DAMPF|LICHT), covering over 160 kilometers, you will experience one of the greatest structural changes of the German economy. The stations along the route, some of which are located directly on the bike path while others require a quick detour, provide interesting insights into the history and present of this versatile region. All stations are also easily accessible by car.
Official manual for the Coal | Steam | Light | Lakes - Adventure Route
Read more tips about industrial history in the region here


Manhattan, NY EmpireCore has been selected to build a New York City Early Learning Center for The New York Kids Club at 21 West End Ave. This project was commissioned in conjunction with New York City Early Learning Center's city-wide extension plan, focusing on efforts to provide high-quality educational services to the Upper West Side community.
EmpireCore was selected for this project after a competitive bid process. The firm's record for on-time completion and ability to assist the client in cost-saving value engineering are qualifications that led to securing the award for this project. EmpireCore's ability to meet all code requirements, adhering and upholding all guidelines to protecting workers' health and safety on all job sites, further demonstrates their success and innovation as a leader in the industry.
The New York City Early Learning Center's city-wide expansion serves to provide educational services to elevate opportunity and potential for children on the Upper West Side. EmpireCore meticulously scheduled a work plan for maximum productivity, as well as obtained required mechanical equipment to meet schedules and coordinate timelines. The New York Kids Club will offer enrichment classes and an exciting array of camps, birthday parties and special events. The main long-term sustainability benefit of the project includes providing high-quality early education to children for years to come.


• Select "Personal Records," then select "Health Portal," then select "Go to Health Portal."
• Please follow the on-screen prompts to make an appointment.
Please arrive 15 minutes early to your appointment as this allows us to budget time for emergencies and any unforeseen events that take providers out of the office. As we do not desire to impose delays on those who have otherwise arrived on time, patients who arrive 6 minutes after their appointment time will need to see our front desk staff to reschedule their appointment. Also, please bring a form of payment (cash, debit, credit, check) and a photo id (university id, preferably; driver's license is acceptable).
If online scheduling is not available for any reason, please call our office at (615) 460-5506 to schedule an appointment.


Just wondering if you still need a tutor?
I am a fully qualified primary teacher since 2012. I have loads of experience with kids with ASD and would be very interested in this position.
Hi I´m looking for a home tutor for our son recently diagnosed with autism, must have experience be registered with teaching council of Ireland and be Garda vetted.10-20 hours per week.
Our little boy is a lovely little boy just looking for some help in expressing himself and coping with his diagnosis he is non verbal.


With more than 160 member centres in over 70 countries, we are the largest membership-based civil society organisation workinig in the field of torture rehabilitation.
The movement supports its members in providing treatment to those in need, while working together to achieve justice for victims of torture and their families.
Our members work in a wide range of contexts, including some of the most repressive and conflict driven regimes in the world. They use different methods to address the effects of torture on individuals, families and communities, empowering torture survivors to resume as full a life as possible.
Because of our members, thousands of torture victims and their families around the world are able to overcome their trauma and rebuild their lives.
Balay - Balay Rehabilitation Center, Inc.
Justice Centre Hong Kong - .
Exilio - Exilio Hilfe für Flüchtlinge und Folterüberlebende e.V.
Committee for prevention of torture - Interregional Public Organization "Committee for prevention of torture"
Room to Heal - .
FCST - Florida Center for Survivors of Torture - A Program of Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, Inc.
Libertas Center for Human Rights - .
STTARS - Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service Inc.


At DWA (Dirt Warrior Accessories) it is our belief that lookin' good and gettin' dirty really DO go together. We pride ourselves with designs that personalize and style your UTV to emulate the dirt warrior in all of you. When you hit the dunes, trails, mud, or rocks, you want your ride to say it belongs to you! It really is all about lookin' good!


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Purdue vs Maryland College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 12/25/20
Photo by Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Ruffolo December 24, 2020 7:38 pm
Maryland Terrapins (5-2) at Purdue Boilermakers (6-3)
College Basketball: Friday, December 25, 2020 at 2:30 pm (Mackey Arena)
The Line: Purdue Boilermakers -5.5 -- Over/Under: 137.5 Click to Get Latest Betting Odds
TV: FS1 Stream College Basketball all season on ESPN+. Sign up now!
The Maryland Terrapins and the Purdue Boilermakers meet in Big Ten college basketball action from Mackey Arena on Friday afternoon.
The Maryland Terrapins will look to build off of an 84-71 win over La Salle last time out to improve to 6-2 on the year. Eric Ayala led the Terps with 23 points including a 13 of 15 mark from the foul line along with 3 assists while Aaron Wiggins added 15 points on 7 of 16 shooting and a team-high 9 rebounds. Hakim Hart added 13 points with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while Donta Scott added 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting with 7 rebounds and 3 assists and Jairus Hamilton added 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting with a pair of threes to cap off the scoring in double figures for Maryland in the win. Ayala leads the Terrapins in scoring with an average of 14.6 points per game while Scott leads the Terps on the glass with 7.1 rebounds per game and Wiggins leads Maryland in assists with 3.1 assists per game this season. As a team, Maryland is averaging 75.9 points on 48.8% shooting from the field, 34.9% from behind the 3-point line and 71.7% from the foul line while allowing opposing teams to average 64.1 points on 41.2% shooting from the field and 35.1% from 3-point range this season.
The Purdue Boilermakers will be looking to bounce back after a 70-55 loss to Iowa last time out. Trevion Williams led the Boilers with 14 points on 7 of 14 shooting with a team-high 9 rebounds and 3 blocks while Brandon Newman chipped in 11 points with 3 threes and 8 rebounds as the only other double-digit scorer for Purdue in the losing effort. Eric Hunter Jr. also chipped in 4 points with a team-high 5 assists in the defeat. Williams leads Purdue in scoring and rebounding with an average of 13.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while Hunter Jr. leads the Boilermakers in assists with 4 assists per game this season. As a team, Purdue is averaging 73.4 points on 46.6% shooting from the field, 38% from behind the arc and 70.5% from the foul line while allowing opposing teams to average 65.6 points on 41.3% shooting from the field and 30.2% from 3-point range this season.
Maryland is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 road games while the over is 5-2 in their last 7 games following a win. Purdue is 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall and 0-5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against a team with a winning record while the over is 12-4 in their last 16 home games. The under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two teams.
I know both of these teams have shown their ability to score into the 70s for much of the season, but this total still feels way high when the last four meetings have all finished under the number, the last three of which haven't gone past 126 points. I think we could be in for another defensive struggle here, so I lean towards the under as my free pick for this game, but my stronger play is on the side and I have that available as a premium pick that you can find here.
Chris's Pick Under 137.5
Michigan State vs Wisconsin College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 12/25/20
Nebraska vs Michigan College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 12/25/20


After 13 years of working with human rights, on a national and European level, I have made a career move. In January 2018 I started as a Public Affairs and Communications Manager for the Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA) in Brussels. While public affairs always been at the core of my work, I am now working with the culture industry and issues such as how the digital environment affects authors copyrights. I have made my passion for communication a part of my work, so I can best combine lobbying and online tools to influence decision-makers and the public.
7 Mar: When will the film industry pass the gender equality test?
18 Oct: How to make European films visible and accessible online?
2 Jul: Flourishing industries profit from struggling authors?
18 Jun: Getting closer to the finishing line?
8 Mar: Where are the female directors and screenwriters?
27 Feb: Online copyright: will the EU be a global front-runner or a bystander?
From 2010 until 2017, I worked for Social Platform, a civil society alliance of almost 50 pan-European networks of NGOs working for social justice and participatory democracy in the European Union. Here you can read the many blog posts I have been writing over the years in the capacity of my work as a Policy & Advocacy Adviser on human rights, equality and migration.


text:
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constants.provider('constant', function()
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    var config =
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    this.$get = function()
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Due to electrical interference the airbag control module may fail causing inadvertent deployment of the front airbags, side curtain airbags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners. Unexpected airbag deployment can result in personal injury and/or a vehicle crash. Dealers will install a suppressor unit to limit the electrical interference to the airbag control module to correct this concern.
Due to an electrical concern, various components of the airbag system could deploy without warning.
Honda will notify owners beginning October 28, 2013. If you don't receive notification and you feel you should, please contact your dealer for further instruction. They may ask for your vehicle identification number (VIN), so please have it handy when you call. The Honda recall numbers are JC2 (Honda Odyssey) and JC3 (Acura MDX).
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a noise suppressor unit, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on, or about, October 28, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.Honda's recall numbers are JC2 (Honda Odyssey) and JC3 (Acura MDX).


Coliflor de Calahorra is a Spanish IGP cauliflower.
The cauliflowers covered by the IGP '€˜Coliflor de Calahorra'€™ are inflorescences of Brassica oleracea L. Convar. Botrytis (L.) Alef var. Botrytis, grown from hybrid varieties Nautilus, Castelgrand, Arbond, Pierrot, Armetta, Fargo, Belot, Scaler, Mayfair, Daydrean, Arthur, RS- 91013, Dunkl, Fortrose, Jerome, Matra, Tucson, Aviso, Cafano, Admirable, Imola, Serrano, Nomad, Midar, 5090, Kerjo, Eclipse, Kimball, Astral, Regata, RS-84299, Arven and Astoria, belonging to the 'Extra' and 'I' classes, to be supplied fresh to the consumer, cauliflowers for industrial processing being excluded. The differentiating characteristics of the cauliflowers covered by this Geographical Indication are freshness, firmness, colour and presentation — they may not be grainy and must have a firmness index higher than 0.5.
Most of the vegetative material which exists on the market of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja is hybrid, since this ensures better quality, greater uniformity, resistance to disease, higher yields and greater adaptability. The appropriate soil and climatic conditions of the protected area allow a combination of varieties in different cycles, resulting in staggered production and higher prices thanks to lower supply and greater demand.
Varieties, subjected to previous trials and found to be within the quality parameters required, may be added each year subject to an application by the Asociación Profesional de Productores y Comercializadores de Coliflor, a favourable technical report from the ICAR and final approval by the Consejo de Coordinación.
The production area corresponds to that for preserving, preparing and packaging in order to maintain quality and ensure traceability and inspection. It comprises the following municipalities belonging to the district of Rioja Baja: Aguilar de río Alhama, Aldeanueva de Ebro, Alfaro, Arnedo, Autol, Calahorra, Cervera de río Alhama, Pradejón, Quel and Rincón de Soto, and the municipality of Alcanadre situated in Rioja Media, the delimitation of the area being based on weather, soil and cultivation considerations.
Cauliflower growers and packaging and marketing plants wishing to be covered by the Geographical Indication have to be listed in the relevant Registers and produce cauliflowers belonging to the hybrid varieties recommended for each marketing year by the technical staff of the Asociación Profesional de Productores y Comercializadores de Coliflor.
Growers and packaging and marketing plants will undergo their own checks carried out by the Association's technical staff to verify that they comply with the specification. In order to verify objectively and impartially that cauliflowers with the indication meet the requirements in the Regulation and specification, ICAR (Quality Institute of La Rioja) will carry out external checks. If these checks are satisfactory, ICAR will certify the product.
Analysis of the samples taken to check on the parameters which the inspection bodies require is carried out exclusively in laboratories approved by EN-45001.
Each grower, packaging and marketing plant will apply to the Association to be registered in the inspection plan (Plan de Control), and ICAR will carry out a special audit (auditoría registro). If the requirements are met, the interested party is entered in the relevant register of the Association, which will undertake to keep it up to date. ICAR then draws up an audit plan (Plan de auditoría) as a result of which a report will be issued to be validated by the Association. If the decision is favourable, product certification is granted, thereby ensuring that only those cauliflowers passing all the checks carried out throughout the process will be marketed with the guarantee of origin.
The Coordination Council, made up of representatives of the Association and of the Government of the Rioja Ministry of Agriculture and Economic Development, will ensure that the Association acts in an impartial way.
Traceability of the product is guaranteed by identification at each of the production, packaging, preparation, preservation and marketing stages.
The product labels will be numbered so that it will be possible to verify that the number of labels used tallies with the number of certified products dispatched, thereby preventing ineligible cauliflowers from being labelled with the logo of the designation.
Preparation, packaging and preservation will take place in the designated geographical area and in the plants listed in the Registers in order to safeguard quality and guarantee traceability and inspection.
Planting takes place when the plant has two to four true leaves. The density is 0.40 - 0.80 m in the case of early varieties and 0.40 - 0.90 m in that of later varieties. They are then watered to ensure good rooting.
Soil management, irrigation and pest and disease control use the techniques and applications most appropriate at the time.
Harvesting takes place by hand, with the greatest care and speed when the inflorescences are fully formed and covered by the inner leaves. They are selected by size and degree of firmness to ensure optimal preservation and quality. As many runs as necessary are undertaken on each plot, and no more than 12 hours may elapse between harvesting and placing in store.
Preparation before placing in store is carried out in the field and entails cleaning, removal of leaves, classification and packaging. Once in store the cauliflowers are chilled to remove 'field heat'. This takes place in the designated geographical area and in the plants listed in the Registers in order to safeguard quality and guarantee traceability and inspection.
They are packed in single-layer boxes so that they cannot move. Boxes are uniform as regards origin, variety, quality, colour and size. Packing takes place in the designated geographical area and in the plants listed in the Registers in order to safeguard quality and guarantee traceability and inspection.
The cauliflowers are kept in cold stores at a low temperature (not below zero) and high relative humidity. They must be kept apart from other vegetables and fruit. This takes place in the designated geographical area and in the plants listed in the Registers, in order to safeguard quality and guarantee traceability and inspection.
Cauliflowers have been grown in Calahorra since time immemorial and their quality has always been recognised, as can be seen from Madoz's 1846 Diccionario Geográfico-Estadístico- Histórico de España, where page 59 of the volume on La Rioja concerning Calahorra notes that its main products are oil, wine and cereals; it also grows good vegetables, potatoes and fruit; its cherries and cauliflowers are very famous.
Over the last 30 years cauliflowers from La Rioja have occupied a privileged position on Spanish markets and are one of the crops which have maintained a consistent level of area and production, in both cases the highest in Spain, at 25 %. La Rioja is also the main region of Spain for the marketing of cauliflowers and acts as a reference market for the setting of cauliflower prices in other regions.
Cauliflowers are a crop highly influenced by climatic factors, requiring mild temperatures and high relative humidity if they are to develop to their best.
The area of production of La Rioja cauliflowers enjoys long summers, mild winters sheltered from strong winds by the fact that the valley lies between mountains, and relatively high humidity owing to the influence of the Ebro and Cidacos rivers.
The mild temperatures without sharp changes in summer, when the plants are young, mean that they develop good root systems. In autumn and winter the first flowers appear and than the heart forms.
As temperatures fall gradually, the cauliflower develops slowly, resulting in its being firm and white — the features which determine its quality and reputation.
Soils in the region are alluvial, deep, rich and well-drained, with a pH between 5.5 and 8.2, organic matter levels over 1.2 %, phosphorus content of 20-30 ppm, potassium content of 200-250 ppm and adequate lime and sulphur. These characteristics are ideal for cauliflowers, which find the nutrients they require to achieve a rate of growth directly determining their quality.
Human factors: the local farmers have grown cauliflowers since the dawn of time and know that the most delicate phase is harvesting, so they pay special attention to cutting the plants at the best time, when the cauliflowers are of the right size, firmness and quality.
Another important factor is the level of partnerships in the area, linked with a commercial structure of warehouses, cooperatives and producers' organisations, all with a great deal of experience and market knowledge, which is the best way of concentrating supply, promoting quality and reducing seasonality, so considerably increasing the value of the product.
The reputation of cauliflowers produced in La Rioja is due to their high quality, thanks to soil and climate conditions which are ideal for this crop and the extensive knowledge which farmers in the area have of it.
Page modified 15:38, 2 February 2017.


In a close vote after a meeting at Wellesley High School, the Bay State Conference's baseball coaches voted Tuesday night to recommend that the conference continue using wooden bats and play nine-inning games.
In a close vote after a meeting at Wellesley High School, the Bay State Conference's baseball coaches voted to recommend that the conference continue using wooden bats and play nine-inning games.
The BSC's athletic directors will decide June 13 whether to follow the recommendation of their coaches or switch to BBCOR (metal) bats and play seven innings.
With 11 of the 12 BSC coaches present, they voted after discussing the pros and cons.
Hanna's biggest concern is the length of the game rather than the composition of the bats. The BSC has been using wooden bats for 12 years. The newer metal bats, BBCOR, are more lively than wood but the ball doesn't doesn't explode off the bats with the force of older model aluminum bats.
The Catholic Conference and Bay State Conference are the only two leagues in the state that play nine innings.


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Jacki Weaver in CBS comedy pilot
Jacki Weaver has been cast as a matriarch in a CBS comedy pilot The McCarthys.
Jacki Weaver's career resurgence continues to go from strength to strength.
She has been cast in a CBS comedy pilot The McCarthys, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The pilot is described as a family comedy about a loud, sports-crazed Boston family, with Weaver playing the mother of the McCarthys, Marjorie. She's described as loving, exhausted and having no filter who enjoys having her son keep her company when her husband Arthur (Rescue Me) and other kids are off coaching basketball games.
The single-camera comedy is written by Brian Gallivan (Are You There, Chelsea?).
Since appearing in Animal Kingdom, Weaver has enjoyed international success, including two Oscar nominations plus a Golden Globe and Screen Actor's Guild Award -the latter for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.
It's a long way from Alvin Purple, Caddie and They're Playing Our Song, but frankly we couldn't be prouder….
Meanwhile, TV Tonight hears whispers Derryn Hinch may have recently filmed an interview with his former wife in the US for Seven.
Tagged with Academy Awards, Alvin Purple, Are You There Chelsea?, Golden Globe Awards, Rescue Me, Screen Actors Guild Awards, The McCarthys
deedeedragons says:
February 8, 2013 5:29 pm at 5:29 pm
CBS & gay people? I thought that was a no-no.
Makes you want to smile…a hard working actor that deserves all the accolades she gets…Good one!
February 8, 2013 12:00 pm at 12:00 pm
So glad to see Ms Weaver having this success and recognition. Who would have thought the "I Love Onions" girl would go on to be a two time Oscar nomineee?
(not sure if links are permissable, but I'll risk it)
youtu.be/y9w3OOkZT8g
carolemorrissey says:
February 8, 2013 10:43 am at 10:43 am
I really hope this show takes off and gets picked up by the networks over there. Hope we get it here, and it doesn't go to Foxtel. Poor Rachel Taylor doesn't seem able to cop a break over there, 2 shows she's been in have been cancelled. Bet she wishes she'd stuck with Grey's Anatomy and not taken the Charlies's Angels role. Grey's Anatomy was already a hit and popular, where as Charlies's Angels was a bit of a risk. It's a shame as I actually enjoyed it.
Grammy Awards postponed to April
Oops. Golden Globes forgets about a love of Television.
Golden Globe Awards 2022: winners
Golden Globes will not be live streamed


text:
Amanda Stern
the little panic blog
contact & book amanda
NEW YORK (AP) — Noted New York publisher Alfred A. Knopf (Kuh-nopf) Jr. has died at age 90.
Knopf's wife, Alice, says he died Saturday of complications from a fall in mid-January.
Knopf was the only child of Alfred Knopf and Blanche Wolf Knopf, giants in the field of publishing. He left his parents' company, Alfred A. Knopf Inc., in 1959 to co-found Atheneum Publishers.
Among Atheneum's releases were Theodore White's "The Making of the President, 1960" and Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."
Knopf retired from publishing in 1988.
I was going to write about the Sufjan Stevens Listening Party, but instead I went whoring around on YouTube, found this and now I have a little crush.
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