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w91 7/15 pp. 4-7
A New World Is At Hand!
The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom—1991
Subheadings
Similar Material
A New World Promised
A New World Very Near!
Blessings Humans Cannot Bring
Basic Needs Fully Satisfied
Will You Be There?
When Will the Foretold World Destruction Come?
True Peace and Security—How Can You Find It?
"The End of the World" Is at Hand!
You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth
God's Kingdom Comes to Power in the Midst of Its Enemies
The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life
What 1914 Could Mean to You
STATESMEN have said much about a new world order of their own making. They speak about ridding the world of fears and barriers to cooperation between people and states. But is it up to humans to bring about a new world?
Mankind has had centuries to establish a world of peace and security. Doubtless, many have been very sincere in such endeavors. Regardless of the structure of governments conceived by men to fulfill such objectives, however, the Bible's words have proved true: "It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step."—Jeremiah 10:23.
Yet, the same inspired Word of God provides assurance that there will be a new world. After foretelling the end of an old system of things, the Christian apostle Peter declared: "There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell."—2 Peter 3:10-13.
Whose promise is this? It is given by none other than Jehovah, "the Most High over all the earth." (Psalm 83:18) He will accomplish what men cannot. Yes, Jehovah God will bring about a new world. But when?
Before God's promised new world becomes a full-scale reality, the present "world," or "system of things," must come to its end. Concerning this, Jesus Christ's disciples asked: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3, King James Version) As the more accurate New World Translation puts it, Jesus' followers asked: "Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?"
In reply, Jesus foretold many features of the sign of his invisible presence as a spirit personage in heavenly Kingdom power. (1 Peter 3:18) For instance, he said: "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another." From "a beginning of pangs of distress" in 1914, "this generation" pinpointed by Jesus has experienced continuing warfare, food shortages, and earthquakes as part of the sign of his invisible presence.—Matthew 24:7, 8, 34.
Warfare has beset this generation in an unparalleled way since the year 1914. World War I took an estimated 14 million lives. During World War II, 55 million combatants and civilians were killed. Why, since 1914 over 100 million lives have been lost in war! Surely, this marks part of the sign of Jesus' presence.
Food shortages, also foretold by Christ, ravaged many lands after each of the two world wars. Despite scientific advancements, nearly a quarter of the world is hungry today. Each year, millions of children and others die because of malnutrition. Says The World Book Encyclopedia: "Most of the developing nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America have barely enough food for their people. Millions in these countries go hungry. When food production or imports drop for any reason, famine may strike and thousands or millions of people may die."
Earthquakes have taken a great toll in lives during this generation marking "the time of the end." (Daniel 12:4) Estimates of earthquake casualties vary. But since 1914 destruction by earthquakes has escalated throughout the earth, and these have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Commenting on just two of these, the Yorkshire Post of October 19, 1989, stated: "In 1920 a quake in China's Jiangsu province killed 180,000, and on July 28, 1976, China suffered the worst quake in its modern history. At least 240,000 died when the northeastern city of Tangshan was almost completely levelled by a quake measuring 7.8 on the open-ended Richter scale." The newspaper listed more than 30 other major earthquakes in the 20th century.
Kingdom-preaching activity was also foretold as one of the features of the sign of Jesus' invisible presence. He told his inquiring disciples: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14) As Jesus prophesied, this preaching work is now being carried on earth wide in 212 lands by upwards of 4,000,000 of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The present-day fulfillments of these and other prophecies prove that we are indeed living in "the last days." (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Just ahead of us is the "great tribulation" also foretold by Jesus Christ. Climaxing in "the war of the great day of God the Almighty" at Har–Magedon, it will bring an end to the present wicked system of things. (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 16:14-16) Then God's promised new world will become a reality.*
Statesmen boast about a new world order of their own making. But Jehovah, the God of heaven and earth, never asked humans to replace the present system with a new world. He himself will do that at the day and hour known only to him. (Matthew 24:34, 36) The aged apostle John had this foreview of what God, not man, will do:
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: 'Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.' And the One seated on the throne said: 'Look! I am making all things new.' Also, he says: 'Write, because these words are faithful and true.'"—Revelation 21:1-5.
The "new heaven" is the heavenly Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The "new earth" is not another earthly globe but a new society of people on this planet—all of them obedient subjects of Christ's Kingdom, without racial, national, or linguistic divisions. (Compare Psalm 96:1.) The present symbolic heaven and earth—the Devil's system of things with its governmental structure influenced by Satan and his demons—will have been destroyed. (1 John 5:19) Though literal seas will remain, the figurative sea of restless, wicked mankind will be gone. Jesus' associate heavenly rulers constitute the New Jerusalem and in association with him form a capital organization that will govern righteous human society. God will 'tent with' obedient mankind representatively while they are being fully reconciled with him through Christ during the thousand-year Judgment Day.—Revelation 14:1-4; 20:6.
Under Kingdom rule there will be many reasons for happiness. Mourning, outcry, and pain resulting from illness, grief, and the like will be experiences of the past. Even death that spread to mankind from our first parent, sinful Adam, will be no more. (Romans 5:12) What joy will prevail when this worldwide cause for tears is gone forever!
Not mortal humans but God himself gives a guarantee regarding these blessings. He is the One who says Re 21:5: "Look! I am making all things new." Yes, and Jehovah God told the apostle John: "Write, because these words are faithful and true."
In the new world of God's making, the earth will ultimately become a paradise. This is certain, for Jesus promised a contrite evildoer impaled alongside him: "Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Amid paradisaic conditions, such human needs as food and shelter will be fully met.
Food shortages are costing millions of lives today. However noble the efforts to feed the hungry may be, greed and other factors prevent humans from solving such problems. For instance, the Saturday Star, a newspaper of Johannesburg, South Africa, reports: "Political arguments, increased fuel costs and general weariness with Africa's seemingly never-ending conflicts are combining to delay relief . . . In Sudan, one of the worst-hit countries, between 5 million and 6 million people face starvation in 1991." But famine will be forgotten in God's new world. Under Kingdom rule "there will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow."—Psalm 72:16.
Shelter is another human need that is far from adequately met for many in our day. Millions live in mere hovels or are totally homeless. According to The New York Times, in one Oriental land, "at an electronics company . . . , 20-year-old employees face a 73-year waiting list to get housing," and a government report indicates that some people must live "in warehouses, offices or even toilets." But how different it will be in the new world! In the future Paradise, "they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full."—Isaiah 65:21, 22.
Ecological problems will vanish in God's promised new world. Health-threatening and crop-damaging air pollution will no longer exist. Pollution and habitat destruction now imperiling numerous plant and animal species will then be no threat. And such factors as ozone-layer depletion will not endanger life on earth. We can be sure that Jehovah God will solve all these problems, for his Word assures us that he will soon "bring to ruin those ruining the earth."—Revelation 11:18.
In the new world, warfare will also be a thing of the past but not because statesmen have succeeded in disarming the nations. Rather, God will act where political rulers have failed. He will bring peace to obedient mankind in keeping with these words of the psalmist: "Come, you people, behold the activities of Jehovah, how he has set astonishing events on the earth. He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the wagons he burns in the fire." (Psalm 46:8, 9) In God's promised new world so near at hand, people will wage war no more but will enjoy true peace and security.—Micah 4:2-4.
You can have confidence in the new world promised by Jehovah God. He does not lie. (Hebrews 6:17, 18) His Word, the Bible, is true, and what it promises always comes to pass.—John 17:17.
The good news of wonderful blessings for obedient mankind is what Jehovah's Witnesses endeavor to share with all honesthearted people. You should make efforts now to acquire knowledge of the divine purpose, and act on the marvelous promises found in the Holy Scriptures. This course can lead to endless life, for Jesus said: "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3) Then you will be privileged to enjoy the happy times just ahead, for God's new world is at hand!
[Footnotes]
See chapters 17 and 18 of the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.


The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the Startup Exhibition and interacting with innovators and Startup CEOs at iCreate Center, at Deo Dholera Village, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on January 17, 2018.
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today opened the iCreate facility located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
According to a government release, iCreate is an independent Centre created with the objective of facilitating entrepreneurship through a blend of creativity, innovation, engineering, and product design.
It will leverage emerging technologies to deal with major issues such as food security, water, connectivity, cyber security, IT and electronics, energy, bio-medical equipment and devices. iCreate aims to develop an ecosystem in India to generate quality entrepreneurs.
Addressing the gathering, Modi said that innovation has a key role to play in bringing the people of India and Israel closer to each other. He said the entire world has taken note of the technological prowess and creativity of Israel.


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Is Your Home, Garden or Studio Funky Enough for the Weird Homes Tour?
July 15 at 4 a.m. by Susie Tommaney
Alamo Drafthouse Gets Ready for Once Upon a Time With Homework Series
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Stranger Things Season 3 Looks Like an '80s YA Novel
July 3 at 1:19 p.m. by Jef Rouner
July 2 at 4 a.m. by Pete Vonder Haar
June 28 at 4 a.m. by Pete Vonder Haar
June 25 at 2:11 p.m. by Pete Vonder Haar
July 15 at 4 a.m.
Where others see a mattress frame, do you envision a support for your climbing plants? Does everybody know that zebra collectibles are what you want for all gifting occasions? Did your artist's canvas spill over until you realized you'd covered every wall, floor and ceiling with your unique style? If...
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Best Bets This Weekend in Houston: K-Pop, Music of Queen and Frida B-Day
Whether you prefer the music of Freddie Mercury or John Denver's ballads, ancestral dances or modern hip-hop, this is the weekend when you don't have to choose. Celebrate culture, in all its forms, with Fly Dance, The Music of Queen, Tai Chi, a K-Pop competition and a brunch-tastic Frida Kahlo birthday celebration...
July 3 at 1:19 p.m.
Stranger Things went from this bizarre little Netflix project to an absolute juggernaut of a cultural phenomenon. You can even get Demogorgon ice cream at Baskin Robbins now along with a special edition Funko pop as well as LEGO set. Few things could possibly be a bigger indicator of popular...
Title: Spider-Man: Far From Home Describe This Movie In One Ghostbusters Quote: PETER VENKMAN: The flowers are still standing! Brief Plot Synopsis: Underoos abroad. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: 3.5 Mrs. Tingles out of 5. Tagline: n/a Better Tagline: "This is the way the Infinity Saga ends: not with a bang,...
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Consider this scenario; your weekdays is spent most on your job and you feel all tired and exhausted after a hard day's work. Check out fares and Top Flight Deals on flights to some of our top destinations. Jambojet offers no frills flights to popular destinations such as the coastal city of Mombasa. For example, if you can fly into any European city and have some flexibility with your dates, you might snag a good deal at the last minute, especially out of larger gateway cities like New York that have many daily flights going to the region.
But that's probably not the case either, since the security requirements for U.S.-bound flights are the same in Dubai as they are in London or Frankfurt, and presumably there's no reason a laptop-bomb-toting terrorist couldn't just connect in Europe instead of flying direct.
Direct flights take maximum one and a half hour to reach Kathmandu whereas if you will take a connecting flight then it may take 9-10 hours. If you need any assistance while booking a flight online, our customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day to help you.
In this article, we shall explore different methods of getting cheap flight tickets to Europe. Apart from baggage, we also keep you informed about the latest developments in the custom laws of various countries, in case you have to take international flights.
Thanks to the internet that has opened the gateway to search and find out a site that offers cheap tickets. Plus, if you're a full-time student, teacher or aged under 26, you can also take advantage of our exclusive Black Market Flights to save even more money!


Got two months? Want to make the most of them? There can be no better way to do so than the most sprawling of all our South American trips.
Imagine 60 solid days spent exploring Colombia's Lost City, ambling around Machu Picchu after conquering the Inca Trail in Peru, enjoying a homestay deep in the Amazon jungle, and snorkeling with sea lions in the Galápagos Islands. With a week of camping in the Galápagos included, there's no possible way you'll go home feeling like you missed out on anything in South America.


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Simply view VSY yachts for sale below or enquire about a VSY yacht for charter. World-class construction by VSY Yachts includes the 236′ (72m) STELLA MARIS, the 203′ (62m) ROMA, the 202′ (61.8m) SEALYON and more, with design by top stylists including Espen Oino, Michela Reverberi and Franck Darnet Design. For additional information on these yachts and others, read about VSY Yachts and its fleet.
In order to find out which of the VSY yachts for sale best match your yachting lifestyle, contact a qualified VSY yacht broker at Merle Wood & Associates. We have over 3 decades of experience selling some of the most notable mega yachts on the water. Because of this, we are considered by our clients and peers alike, as one of the world's premier luxury yacht brokerage firms.
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Windows 7 has a new taskbar feature referred to as the Jump Lists. If you don't like or use this feature, you can easily disable Jump Lists. To do this, simply follow these instructions.
Right click Taskbar > Properties > Start Menu tab > Uncheck Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar > Apply > OK.
The taskbar icons will now look like this.
You can also configure it through the Group Policy Editor.
They will no longer display Jump Lists or recently opened items or browsing history.
Go here if you find that your Jump List is missing or disappeared permanently in Windows 7.


I've lost somebody who wasn't even mine.
I found the right one at the wrong time.
I don't know what I feel anymore.
You know what your problem is? You love the wrong people, too much.
Loving him is not a mistake, but thinking that he loved me was.
The words they say make bruises that don't fade away.
You know its love when your feelings don't leave even if the person does.
That feeling when you're not necessarily sad, but you just feel really empty.
Real feelings don't just "go away".
I wish I could ask you what you think of me.
I wish as invisible as you make me feel.
I wish not to have feelings.
I'm getting worse and you don't know.
I wish I was a better me for you.
I can feel you forgetting me.


Act One Travel log: Written by R. van Osch Il Chiassale asked Act One to refresh the "il chiassale website" with a spring update. "The atmosphere of a spring in Tuscany cannot be compared with her summer, in terms of color and the sense of the country, the light is so different and the atmosphere especially attracts people looking for peace and simplicity, "just being away from the busy tourist season", so I was told by Mister Savelli. In the first week of May, an assignment from one of Act One's other clients was planned for photography and film: the lakesides in the south of Switzerland. Tuscany was, in fact, a shortcut, so Il Chiassale and Act One together decided to take advantage of the situation, and to go and document the "Tuscany spring". Unfortunately, Act One only had two days before returning home to Holland for other business. There was no more time, but the spring in Tuscany is perhaps even more beautiful than the summer in the Cretan countryside! Soft sloping, fluffy green hills, impressive skies and stunning pictures of the morning dawn in the spring sunrise. Mr. Savelli was right about the special atmosphere in Spring-Tuscany, and I was exited that he gave Act One a chance to see and experience what this means. But I was especially moved by the Abbey of st. Antimo: around eleven in the morning, the sun was already intoxicating my brain, the grain fields in front of the Abbey were harvested with a scythe, a rather unusual sight in Holland (my origin). The grain leaned against centuries-old olive-trees with huge trunks. The abbey ascended above this sight like a pillar, while the farmers in the foreground were struggling, now and than taking refuge underneath a roof of spring olive-leafs; a short recess.... Our camera's begged never to be stopped again... This day was probably the most extraordinarily in our short stay to document the Tuscan spring. And for this I thank Il Chiassale. If a communications-office and client, at an international level, can work together so easily, like the way Il Chiassale and Act One do, then I can merely wonder at the fact why others: agencies as well as clients can't do the same thing just as easily. Communication = a hearts' feel, of brand, business and goals. It's as simple as that. R. van Osch.


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Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, JAMA, Pediatrics / 11.01.2022
Pediatric COVID: Teenagers Most at Risk of Severe Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stephen Freedman MDCM, MSc Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation Professor in Child Health and Wellness Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine University of Calgary MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: During the early stages of the global 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, children represented fewer than 5% of reported cases. However, children now represent a significant percent of all new COVID-19 cases. Similarly, pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID-19, are now at an all-time high. Although COVID-19 is generally mild in children, severe outcomes and death do occur. The risk of severe outcomes among SARS-CoV-2 infected children is poorly understood with estimates varying considerably between study designs, settings, and regions. Studies generally include large administrative databases (i.e. community based), hospitalized populations, and children admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Identified risk factors for severe COVID-19 in children have included young (i.e. 1-3 months) or old (15-18 years) pediatric age group, male sex, and pre-existing medical condition. However, data from large prospective cohort studies which include children with early or mild stages of disease seeking emergency department (ED) care are lacking. To address this knowledge gap we sought to quantify the frequency of and risk factors for severe outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 infected children enrolled in a prospective ED-based cohort study. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA, Pediatrics / 07.01.2022
Cannabis Poisonings in Children Increase After Pot Legalized
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Daniel Myran, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC Family and Public Health and Preventive Medicine Physician CIHR Fellow, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Department of Family Medicine Innovation Fellow University of Ottawa MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Canada legalized recreational, or non-medical, cannabis in October 2018. Canada took phased approach to legalization initially only allowing flower-based cannabis products and oils and after one year permitting the sale of commercial cannabis edibles (e.g. THC containing candies, baked goods, and drinks). In this study we took advantage of this phased roll out of legal cannabis to understand the impact of legalization on cannabis exposures or poisonings in children aged 0-9 years and the contribution of different types of cannabis products to these events. (more…)
Author Interviews, Columbia, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Pediatrics / 06.01.2022
COVID-19: Neurodevelopment Effects on Infants Exposed in Utero
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (in Psychiatry) The Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology Columbia University, New York MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: A lot of research has focused on the effects of COVID-19 in various vulnerable populations, such as elderly individuals, immunocompromised patients, and individuals with severe comorbidities. However, one vulnerable population that has remained relatively understudied are the infants exposed to maternal COVID-19 disease during pregnancy. While early on in the pandemic we and other groups showed reassuring data on low risk of vertical transmission, meaning the passing of the virus from mother-to-infant is rare, this does not necessarily mean that these infants wouldn't experience long-term consequences related to the maternal infection through other means. We know from other viral illness that maternal illness, most commonly through the activation of her immune system, can lead to a cascade of events that affect fetal development. This is why a large number of physicians and researchers at Columbia University spearheaded the COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative -- to look at potential long-term health effects on both infants and mothers. (more…)
Author Interviews, Eating Disorders, Exercise - Fitness, JAMA, Pediatrics / 31.12.2021
Youth Tackle Football: Study Evaluates Effects of Head Impacts Across 4 Seasons
Sean C. Rose, MD Child Neurology Nationwide Children's Hospital The Ohio State University, Columbus MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between repetitive head impacts during youth contact sports and worse neurocognitive outcomes. Most research has been conducted in older adults, while the research in children is mostly limited to 1-2 sports seasons. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, Neurology, Pediatrics / 15.12.2021
Whole-Plant Medical Cannabis Found Beneficial in Study of Childhood Epilepsy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rayyan Raja Zafar BSc. MSc. MRSB. Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership (MRC DTP) PhD Candidate Centre for Psychedelic research & Neuropsychopharmacology Division of Psychiatry Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Professor David Nutt DM, FRCP, FRCPsych, FSB, FMedSci Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Sciences The Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology Imperial College London MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Since 2018 medical cannabis prescription has become legal in the UK for patients to access. In spite of this legal change less than 3 NHS prescriptions have been made available and access to whole-plant medical cannabis products has been restricted largely to private prescriptions with very few clinicians prescribing such products. There has been a lot of anecdotal and real world evidence of the value of whole-plant medical cannabis in children suffering with treatment resistant epilepsy. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dental Research, JAMA, Pediatrics, USPSTF / 10.12.2021
USPSTF: Importance of Preventing Dental Caries in Young Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael Cabana, M.D., M.A., M.P.H Professor of Pediatrics Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Physician-in-chief , Children's Hospital at Montefiore Chair of the Department of Pediatrics Albert Einstein College of Medicine Member, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study and recommendation statement? Response: Dental caries, also known as cavities or tooth decay, is the most common chronic disease in children in the United States and can develop in any child whose teeth have come in. Many young children under five years old do not visit a dentist, so the Task Force reviewed the latest evidence on how primary care clinicians can help prevent tooth decay in young children. The Task Force's research led to two important findings: all young children whose teeth have come in should have fluoride varnish applied by their clinician, and all children six months and older whose water supply doesn't contain enough fluoride should receive fluoride supplements. Both approaches can help prevent cavities in kids. The Task Force also determined that there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening for tooth decay in the primary care setting for children under five. This is consistent with the Task Force's 2014 recommendation on dental caries. (more…)
Asthma, Author Interviews, NEJM, Pediatrics, Pulmonary Disease, Vanderbilt / 08.12.2021
NEJM: Dupilumab for Pediatric Uncontrolled Moderate-to-Severe Asthma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Leonard B. Bacharier, MD Janie Robinson and John Moore Lee Chair in Pediatrics Professor of Pediatrics Director - Center for Pediatric Asthma Research Scientific Director - Center for Clinical and Translational Research Section Chief - Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Division of Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary Medicine Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Is Dupilumab used for other atopic conditions, ie eczema/atopic dermatitis? Response: Many children with moderate-severe asthma continue to experience asthma exacerbations and poor asthma control despite use of controller therapies. Dupilumab has been shown to reduce asthma exacerbations in adolescents and adults, as well as to improve atopic dermatitis in children and adults. (more…)
Cannabis Vaping Increasing Among Adolescents, Including Higher Potency THC Products
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Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Pediatrics, Vaccine Studies / 28.09.2021
e7Health.com CEO Discusses Implications of COVID-19 Vaccination of Children
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Author Interviews, CMAJ, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Pediatrics / 27.09.2021
More Than Half of Children Admitted for COVID-19 in Early Pandemic Had No Co-Morbidities
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Author Interviews, Columbia, Emergency Care, JAMA, Pediatrics, Race/Ethnic Diversity, Yale / 17.09.2021
Black Children Are Physically Restrained in Emergency Room at Disproportionate Rates Compared to White children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Destiny Tolliver, MD National Clinician Scholars Program Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT 06510-8088 Katherine Nash MD, MHS Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Columbia University Irving Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: This study was motivated by work from our colleagues in the adult Emergency Medicine world. Earlier this year Dr. Ambrose Wong and colleagues published work describing racial disparities in the physical restraint of adults in the ED. This prompted our group to consider whether these disparities were also present for children. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, OBGYNE, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 28.08.2021
Prenatal Weight Influences Offspring Cognition and Behavior
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Emily Oken MD MPH Professor, Harvard Medical School Professor in the Department of Population Medicine Associate Director and Advisor, Oliver Wendell Holmes Society. Professor, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: In this study of over 11,000 mothers and children, we found that a mothers with higher weight in late pregnancy had children with poorer performance on tests of cognition and behavior in childhood and adolescence. The findings are consistent with results from studies in other populations around the world, as well as animal experiments. This research suggests that maternal nutrition is important for child health over the long-term, and specifically provides support for mothers to try to achieve healthy weight and nutritional status during pregnancy. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Pediatrics / 28.08.2021
TV and Furniture Tip-Overs Injure Children Every Day
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gary A. Smith, MD, DrPH Director, Center for Injury Research and Policy Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Furniture and TV tip-overs are an important source of injury, especially for children younger than 6 years old. Our study found that an estimated 560,200 children younger than 18 years old were treated in U.S. emergency departments for furniture or TV tip-over injuries from 1990 through 2019. In 2019, there were 11,521 injured children, which is an average of one child every 46 minutes. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Electronic Records, JAMA, Pediatrics, Primary Care / 09.07.2021
Internists and Family Practitioners Spend Hours Daily on Electronic Records and Messages
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lisa Rotenstein, MD, MBA Assistant Medical Director Population Health and Faculty Wellbeing Department of Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Our previous work in JAMA Internal Medicine demonstrated significant differences in time spent on the electronic health record (EHR) by specialty, and specifically showed that primary care clinicians spent significantly more total and after-hours time on the EHR than surgical and medical specialty counterparts. Primary care clinicians spent twice as long as surgical colleagues on notes, and received more than twice as many messages from team-mates, five times as many patient messages, and fifteen times as many prescription messages each day. Given these findings, the heavy administrative burden placed on primary care clinicians, and previous data about burnout among primary care clinicians, we wanted to better understand differences in time spent on the EHR among the different types of primary care clinicians. (more…)
Author Interviews, Education, Pediatrics / 19.06.2021
Playful Teaching Removes Barriers to Learning
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lisa Forbes, Ph.D, LPC, NCC Clinical Assistant Professor Counseling Program University of Colorado Denver MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The most common mode of learning in tertiary education is lecture-based learning despite the knowledge that more active, engaged, and flexible approaches to teaching may better support the learning process. This study aimed to understand graduate students' experiences with a playful pedagogy as an alternative approach to learning. (more…)
Author Interviews, CDC, COVID -19 Coronavirus, JAMA, Pediatrics / 11.06.2021
COVID-19: Highest Incidence of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Black and Latino Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Angela P. Campbell, MD, MPH Medical Officer Epidemiology and Prevention Branch in the Influenza Division MIS-C Incidence Authorship Group CDC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a serious condition associated with COVID-19 where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal (gut) pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. Not all children with MIS-C have the same symptoms.
It is still not known exactly how MIS-C may be linked to prior COVID-19 infection. However, 99% of cases in the CDC national surveillance system tested positive for COVID-19. The remaining 1% were around someone with COVID-19.
MIS-C incidence might vary by certain patient characteristics, such as such as race, ethnicity, age, sex and geographic location.
In this study we estimated the rate of MIS-C cases overall in the general population as well as the rate of MIS-C cases among those with COVID-19.
Author Interviews, Autism, Cannabis, JAMA, Pediatrics / 28.05.2021
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Incidence of Diagnosis in Japan One of Highest in World
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Daimei Sasayama, M.D., Ph.D. Department of Psychiatry Shinshu University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing worldwide. A 2016 US survey reported a prevalence of 1.85% in 8-year-olds, and a birth cohort study in Denmark reported that the future cumulative incidence of ASD could exceed 2.8%. Our recent regional cohort study in Japan reported an even higher cumulative incidence of 3.1%. So we examined whether the cumulative incidence in our regional cohort represents the nationwide incidence in Japan. (more…)
Author Interviews, ENT, Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh / 13.05.2021
Ear Infections in Children: Tubes vs Medical Management Compared
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Alejandro Hoberman, M.D. Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Division Director, General Academic Pediatrics, and Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science Jack L. Paradise, MD Endowed Professor of Pediatric Research, UPMC Children's Hospital of PittsburghPresident, UPMC Children's Community Pediatrics MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most frequently diagnosed illness in children in the United States for which antibiotics are prescribed. Recurrent AOM is the principal indication for tympanostomy-tube placement, the most frequently performed operation in children after the newborn period. Supporting the performance of tympanostomy-tube placement for recurrent acute otitis media has been the commonplace observation, after surgery, of acute otitis media–free periods of varying duration. Counterbalancing this view have been the cost of tympanostomy-tube placement; risks and possible late sequelae of anesthesia in young children; the possible occurrence of refractory tube otorrhea, tube blockage, premature extrusion, or dislocation of the tube into the middle-ear cavity; various structural tympanic membrane sequelae; and the possible development of mild conductive hearing loss. Tempering support for surgery is the progressive reduction in the incidence of acute otitis media that usually accompanies a child's increasing age. Previous trials of tympanostomy-tube placement for recurrent acute otitis media, all conducted before the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, have given mixed results and were limited, variously, by small sample size, uncertain validity of diagnoses of acute otitis media determining trial eligibility, short periods of follow-up, and substantial attrition of participants. Official recommendations regarding tympanostomy-tube placement for children with recurrent acute otitis media differ — an otolaryngologic guideline recommends the procedure for children with recurrent acute otitis media, provided that middle-ear effusion is present in at least one ear; a contemporaneous pediatric guideline discusses tympanostomy-tube placement as an "option [that] clinicians may offer." Given these uncertainties, we undertook the present trial involving children 6 to 35 months of age who had a history of recurrent acute otitis media to determine whether tympanostomy-tube placement, as compared with medical management (comprising episodic antimicrobial treatment, with the option of tympanostomy-tube placement in the event of treatment failure), would result in a greater reduction in the children's rate of recurrence of acute otitis media during the ensuing 2-year period. (more…)
Author Interviews, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics / 13.05.2021
OCD: Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Expand Access to Treatment for Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kristina Aspvall | Psychologist, PhD Eva Serlachius MD PhD Adjunct professor Professor David Mataix-Cols, PhD Karolinska Institutet Department of Clinical Neuroscience Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Research Center Stockholm MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The problem we were trying to solve is the shortage of specialist Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for children and adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). CBT is the first line treatment for children and adolescents with OCD but is a highly specialist treatment rarely available outside large medical centres, typically located in big cities. Previous work by our group and others had shown that it is possible to deliver CBT via the internet in the form of a self-help programme with minimal support from a clinician. The clinician can be located anywhere and provide asynchronous support via a built-in messaging system. Parental support is a key component of the treatment. In essence, the parents take over as the child's main therapist, under the guidance of the expert clinician. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology, JAMA, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 09.05.2021
Reassuring Study of Topical Steroids During Pregnancy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Niklas Worm Andersson, MD Department of Epidemiology Research Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen Denmark MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: "Findings from some previous fetal safety studies on topical corticosteroid use in pregnancy have raised concerns for an increased risk of newborns being small for gestational age or having low birth weight, in particular among pregnancies where larger amounts of potent to very potent agents have been used." (more…)
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, JAMA, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 23.04.2021
COVID-19: Pregnant Women and Their Babies At Higher Risk of Complications
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Aris Papageorghiou MBChB, MRCOG Professor of Fetal Medicine and the Clinical Research Director Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute University of Oxford MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Our study was really guided by a key question: does Covid-19 in pregnancy increase the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes as compared with pregnant women who do not have the infection? The question is highly relevant because of the known deleterious effects of other coronavirus infections in pregnancy, e.g. SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). In order to answer this question we undertook this multinational cohort study. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nature, Nutrition, Orthopedics, Pediatrics / 20.04.2021
Animal Study Finds Ultraprocessed Foods Contribute to Poor Bone Growth
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Efrat Monsonego Ornan, Ph.D Head of School of Nutritional Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Nutrition The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment The Hebrew University of Jerusalem MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Food supplies in recent decades have been dominated by heavily processed, ready-to-eat products. Essentially, 75% of all world food sales are of processed foods. Over the past 30 years, children's ultra-processed food intake has increased markedly, with 50% of the children in the US consuming these foods. Only in the US does UPF comprise 58% of energy intake, of which 90% is derived from added sugars. This reflects children's excessive consumption of food and drink that are high in fat and refined sugars but do not provide appropriate levels of the proteins, vitamins and minerals required for growth. The negative health outcomes of excessive consumption of Ultra-processed food are well known, include obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, and considered as the current world epidemic; the fact that children, during their postnatal development period (birth to adolescent), are the target of the Ultra-processed food industry is very disturbing in terms of public health. Bone development and growth are the characteristic phenomena of the childhood period. Yet, in spite of the huge importance of nutrition to bone development, the impact of Ultra-processed food consumption on skeleton development during childhood has never been studied directly, and this was the purpose of our study. To this end, we used young rats which are an excellent pre-clinical model for growth and fed them with either the recommended diet for their age or a diet comprised of a typical Ultra-processed meal (a roll, hamburger, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup and French fries) and a caloric soft drink. (more…)
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Education, Pediatrics / 16.04.2021
COVID-19: Increasing Evidence Children Less Likely to Transmit Infection within Households or Schools
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jared Bullard MD FRCPC Associate Professor, Departments of Pediatrics & Child Health and Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Max Rady College of Medicine Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Cadham Provincial Laboratory Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Children are well known to transmit epidemic/endemic respiratory viruses like influenza. Initial public health policy was based on that children were likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 effectively within a community and subsequently in-person school and extracurricular activities were suspended. Initial research did not show a clear association with children driving transmission. The purpose of our study was to take respiratory samples from both children and adults with COVID-19 (all had SARS-CoV-2 detected by RT-PCR) and compare those samples by their ability to grow in cell culture and amount of virus in samples. We took 175 samples from children (97 younger than 10 years of age and 78 between 11-17 years) and compared them to 130 adult samples from the same communities in Manitoba experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19. (more…)
AACR, Author Interviews, Brain Cancer - Brain Tumors, Cancer Research, Pediatrics / 10.04.2021
Modified Cold Sore Virus Tested for Resistant Brain Cancer in Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gregory K. Friedman, MD Associate Professor Director, Developmental Therapeutics Associate Scientist, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB Neuro-Oncology Program Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology University of Alabama at Birmingham MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: This was a first-in-children trial to test the safety of an immunotherapy using an altered cold-sore virus (herpes virus or HSV-1), G207, infused directly via catheters into progressive or recurrent malignant brain tumors. Due to modifications in G207, the virus does not harm normal cells but can infect and directly kill tumor cells while also stimulating the patient's own immune system to attack the tumor. We tested G207 at two dose levels alone and when combined with a single low dose of radiation, which was used to increase virus replication and spread throughout the tumor. The research is important because outcomes are very poor for children with progressive malignant brain tumors, and the toxicities caused by current standard therapies are unacceptably high. Therefore, we greatly need effective and less-toxic targeted therapies for children. (more…)
Author Interviews, Pediatrics, Pulmonary Disease / 13.03.2021
Clinical Pearl: Habit Cough in Children Cured with Brief Suggestion Therapy
A habit cough is a...
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Pediatrics / 12.03.2021
Pediatrics: Left and Right Arms Can Have Different Blood Pressures in Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Melanie Clark PhD candidate Murdoch Children's Research Institute The Royal Children's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Hypertension in children is a growing problem around the world, but when diagnosing hypertension, most of the time blood pressure is only measured in one arm. Our study showed that children can have a blood pressure difference between arms that may be considered significant in a clinical setting. One in four children had a difference between left and right arms that could mean that blood pressure appears normal in one arm, but in the other arm it would be classified as a high blood pressure. This means that if a doctor measures blood pressure in one arm only, a diagnosis of high blood pressure could be missed. (more…)
Author Interviews, Autism, JAMA, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 08.03.2021
Autism: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in ASD
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Kevin Lu PhD Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences College of Pharmacy Medical University of South Carolina MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: It is documented that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been increasing in the past few years. However, no information on potential racial and ethnic disparities in ASD diagnosis can be found in the literature. Most recently, the possible structural racism and health inequities have been a concern for the public and policy makers. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 08.03.2021
THC Concentrated and Long Lasting in Breast Milk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Erica M. Wymore, MD MPH Assistant Professor, Neonatal- Perinatal Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology University of Colorado School of Medicine Children's Hospital Colorado Maya Bunik, MD, MPH | Professor, Pediatrics Medical Director, Child Health Clinic, Primary Care | Breastfeeding Management Clinic Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science (ACCORDS) School of Medicine| University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Children's Hospital Colorado MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Marijuana legalization has been increasing in the United States, with increasing consumption of marijuana products. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) do not recommend marijuana use during pregnancy or lactation due to concerning though limited data on the effects of perinatal marijuana exposure. As there has been increasing prevalence of women using marijuana during pregnancy due to legalization and perceptions of safety, we sought to determine the duration of THC excretion in breast milk among women who had evidence of marijuana use at delivery and abstained post-partum. (more…)
Author Interviews, Environmental Risks, Pediatrics, Toxin Research, Weight Research / 08.03.2021
Lead Exposure During Pregnancy Associated with Reduced Kidney Function in Overweight Adulthood
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Alison P. Sanders, PhD Pronouns: She/Her Assistant Professor Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health Department of Pediatrics Director, Interdisciplinary Environmental Health Postdoctoral Fellowship MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: My research group is dedicated to understanding environmental and early life risk factors that contribute to kidney function decline. While some of the pathobiology leading to chronic kidney disease remains unclear, we understand that the process is complex and, like many chronic diseases, begins long before clinical diagnosis. My research investigates how the environment and mixtures of environmental chemicals/toxicants interact with traditional risk factors such as obesity, preterm birth, and nutritional status to hasten or prevent chronic kidney disease. (more…)
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, JAMA, Pediatrics, Pulmonary Disease / 04.03.2021
Study Finds Face Masks Safe in Children and Should Be Encouraged
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dott.ssa Silvia Bloise MD Prof. Riccardo Lubrano MD PhD Pediatric and Neonatology Unit Maternal and Child Department Sapienza University of Rome Rome Italy MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Pending new evidence, the universal facial masking, with other preventive measures remain the only strategies to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The use of face mask is particularly debated in the children, especially in younger children. Therefore, we wanted to test whether their in children was associated with episodes of desaturation or respiratory distress. (more…)


"The Amazing Race" returns Sunday, Sept. 29 with Phil Keoghan still at the helm and now CBS has announced the 11 teams that will race around the world for a $1 million prize.
This season, which marks the 23nd race around the world for the series, will bring back the Double Express Pass twist that was introduced last season, in which the first Team to check in at the first pit stop will earn two "Express Passes" — one to keep for themselves and one that must be given to another Team by the end of the fifth leg of the Race.
As Teams travel through four continents and nine countries, spanning more than 35,000 miles, they will paraglide high above the skies of Iquique, Chile, subject themselves to a bone-chilling plunge in Norway and buckle up for Formula One Racing in Abu Dhabi.
Hometown: Splits time between Kansas City cand Troy, Mich.
Current occupation: Sports Analyst for "Texans Insider," Executive Consultant for ZT Wealth and Altus HMS.


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The court held that the Capital District Health Authority ("Capital Health") was not bound by a settlement agreement between the CEO of Capital Health and a cardiologist ("Dr. Horne") with respect to Dr. Horne's hospital privileges. The CEO had neither actual nor ostensible authority to enter into a settlement on behalf of Capital Health and Capital Health had no power to delegate authority with respect to medical staff privileges.
Administrative law – Physicians and surgeons – Hospital privileges – Health authorities – Statutory powers – Delegated authority – Settlements – Validity – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation – Jurisdiction – Procedural requirements and fairness
Horne v. Capital District Health Authority, [2005] N.S.J. No. 85, Nova Scotia Supreme Court, February 23, 2005, D. Hall J.
Dr. Horne was employed as an assistant professor of medicine in the Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. She was also a staff cardiologist at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (the "Q.E. II"). Dr. Horne had hospital privileges at the Q.E. II which enabled her to work at the Congestive Heart Failure Clinic and the Adult Congenital Heart Clinic. There had been conflicts and problems in the Cardiology Division of the Q.E. II involving Dr. Horne. On October 21, 2002, Dr. Cowden, head of the Department of Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University and also District Chief Department of Medicine of Capital Health, wrote to Dr. Horne expressing concerns with her lack of collegiality and the effect of her conduct on patient safety. Dr. Cowden advised Dr. Horne of a variation in her hospital privileges, including the reallocation of her clinical duties to cease participation in clinical services.
As required by section 8 of the Medical Staff (Disciplinary) By-laws, the District Medical Advisory Committee (the "District MAC") was advised of the variation of privileges. The District MAC completed an investigation and submitted its report and recommendations to the Privilege Review Committee (the "PRC"). At all times, the District MAC and the PRC maintained that only the Board of Capital Health had authority to grant or vary hospital privileges of a physician after the process provided in the Medical Staff By-laws had been complied with.
Negotiations continued with respect to Dr. Horne's privileges. The matter was not resolved, and in an effort to bring the dispute to a conclusion, counsel for the parties arranged for a mediator to assist the process. At the end of the mediation, the parties present reached an agreement on the appropriate disposition of the matter. This was signed by Mr. Donald Ford, CEO and President of Capital Health. The District MAC and PRC were kept informed of these developments. Disagreements arose with respect to certain aspects of the settlement agreement, and ultimately Dr. Horne initiated an application to obtain a declaration that the settlement reached at mediation was binding on the parties.
The court first reviewed the question of whether the CEO had actual authority to enter into an agreement on behalf of Capital Health. The court reviewed the applicable legislation and found that the Board and the Board alone had the authority and obligation to make a final decision on such matters as variation of a physician's hospital privileges. Therefore, the court concluded that the CEO had no authority under the statutes and by-laws to grant, revoke or vary medical staff privileges.
The court then reviewed the issue of whether the Board had the power to delegate its authority to appoint members to the medical staff and fix the terms of their hospital privileges. The court noted that the legislation provided that the Minister delegated authority respecting medical staff privileges to the Board. The court applied the maxim delegare non potest delegare (a delegate cannot delegate) and held that the Board, being itself a delegate, did not have the power to delegate its authority over medical staff privileges to the CEO. The court further found that there was no evidence that the Board specifically authorized the CEO to negotiate a settlement on behalf of the Board in this instance.
The court held that the CEO did not have the ostensible or apparent authority to negotiate the settlement and bind Capital Health. In this case, no representation ever came from the Board to the effect that the CEO was authorized to negotiate settlements respecting privileges. In fact, the PRC and its counsel had written to the parties providing notice to all parties participating in the mediation that there may be a question as to the authority of the CEO to negotiate a final settlement on behalf of Capital Health.
In the result, the court held that Capital Health was not bound by the agreement reached at mediation between Dr. Horne and the CEO of Capital Health. Dr. Horne's application was dismissed.
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Some Films and Stuff
Sometimes I watch films and write stuff down.
Jurassic World – Review
Posted on June 17, 2015 by Carl	Leave a comment
There was a knowing quality to Spielberg's original Jurassic Park. The title and logo are shared between the park and the film. The park's merchandise can be bought in real-life. When Dr Grant and Dr Sattler see the brachiosaurus for the first time, their sense of awe relates to that of the audience, seeing the incredible CGI for the first time. It's hard not to see John Hammond's ecstatic 'welcome to Jurassic Park' as coming from Spielberg himself; indeed Hammond is Spielberg, the showman, and it's telling how much more sympathetic Spielberg's Hammond is compared to Michael Crichton's. Jurassic Park was a blockbuster about blockbusters; the production of the dinosaurs a metaphor for the production of the CGI, the sense of wonder felt by the characters shared with the audience. But that was 1993. In 2015, CGI is everywhere – it doesn't wow anymore. Blockbusters are constantly having to up the stakes. Now, blockbusters end with superheroes fighting on floating cities in the sky. Jurassic World has adapted too – whereas the first film took 20 minutes to build up to its dinosaur, Jurassic World throws them out in minutes – hundreds of them, paraded before bored crowds. The shot of a T-rex, chomping down on a goat off-screen whilst characters nonchalantly text – is very telling. There's almost a sense of self-parody to Jurassic World – corporate logos are everywhere, real product placement in a film about corporate greed, and the bulk of the plot consists of the team creating a scary new, utterly infeasible, dinosaur, to draw in the crowds. Spielberg was the showman – Trevorrow almost the parodist, and Jurassic World reflects the state of the modern blockbuster, which always needs to be bigger, louder, crazier. Kids these days don't want to wait 20 minutes to see the first dinosaur. It's a clever take for a movie with this much money behind it, if in a way, a little depressing too, making assumptions about modern movie going audiences being well, stupider. It's hard to judge how much of this is the tail wagging the dog – are attention spans limited because the studios expect them to be?
The film essentially ignores the two previous sequels, picking up some twenty years after the first movie with a fully-functioning and successful Jurassic Park operating on Isla Nublar. Hammond's dream has been realised, it seems, but attendance at the park is falling; dinosaurs have become mainstream and they don't pull the crowds like they used to. Having learnt nothing apparently from the first park, the investors push for more, which leads the park's creators to put something a little scarier together – the Indominus rex – a monstrous thing pieced together genetically from several separate beasts, designed specifically to boost guest attendance. But this being a Jurassic Park movie, things don't go smoothly – the Indominus escapes, causing chaos for everyone – including the park's operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard). Clare's two nephews (Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins) also happening to be visiting the day the beast gets loose, and raptor wrangler Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) is called in to help. On the side-lines, shifty InGen employees (led by Vincent D'Onofrio) make their play for the park's monsters. The spirit of Ian Malcolm hangs over the park, and chaos theory reigns.
Jurassic World does pale compared to the original though. The original, whilst slower, had a considerable amount of craft behind it – Spielberg, Stan Winston, John Williams – at their most confident. It was an awe-inspiring action-horror adventure, and holds up so well today. Jurassic World, whilst clearly made with considerable enthusiasm by Trevorrow and fun to watch, has nothing to rival the t-rex attack, or the raptors in the kitchen. There's much less tension here, and a sake of things being destroyed for the hell of it. When people died in the original film, it was important, but there's none of that here. The extended CGI in a way hurts the movie too – there's no restraint, and as such, the filmmakers get lazy. Sequences involving the aquatic mosasaur for example, are going to be CGI and the creature does look good – but then factor in that the water is CGI too, and the backgrounds surrounding it – this sense of weightless reality makes the film feel at times like a video game, hints of the Star Wars prequels. Jurassic Park mainly used animatronics and puppets, which always look more solid, and as such, the visual effects of that movie remain strong, whereas there's a fakeness to Jurassic World, which should have taken a page from the more-restrained recent Godzilla movie – a similar and more successful monster movie update.
The problems with Jurassic World probably stem from its development. The film spent a long time in development hell, going through several different drafts and writers – including insanity such as trained dinosaurs with guns, and genetically engineered dinosaur/human hybrids. The final concept the movie lands on is strong, but you get a sense that a lot of the plot and sequences have been cobbled together from separate places and there's a real lack of unity. The raptors, so scary in the original movie, are here silly and stretch the movie's already thin credibility by becoming some sort of trained task-force. The InGen motives are muddled and there's a lazy, 'fix it in the sequel' quality to them. Returning character Dr Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) is inexplicably shifty this time, and his motivations seem to have come from a different character. The Indominus rex has the ability to camouflage itself – a trait it uses just once, which makes you wonder why even include it. Characters don't really need to be developed in this sort of movie but they seem to be all over the place here, and noone is memorable. The two kids, directly included because it happened in the original film, at one point mention their parent's divorce, which is then never mentioned again. There's also a problem that noone – the kids especially – ever seems to act frightened, or particularly bothered when people get eaten. There's never a sense of danger, and the first film has so much more gravitas in comparison.
Some elements – the mosasaur, the gyro-spheres – seem to have been included because they look cool, or worse, reverse engineered with the set-pieces in mind. A lot of this narrative reflects that. Characters make stupid decisions to further the plot – when the Indominus rex apparently escapes its cage, characters go in to investigate – this is explained away with the creature's secret attributes, but it's a stretch, and makes you wonder how this park has remained open for as long as it has – worse, the scene is so obvious in its construction and so forced, it makes the audience very aware they're watching a movie. That never happened in the original, which felt considerably more organic than this movie. In this film, you can see all the strings. A lot of decisions here seem to stem from separate drafts or focus groups trying to figure out what the audience wants (which worked – Jurassic World has had the biggest opening weekend in movie history) but the result is the film feel's a bit transparent. The film also has to contort itself in narrative knots to release further dinosaurs and keep the characters in danger, and the climax is massively rushed, silly, and fuelled by fan-service.
This review has been overwhelmingly negative, perhaps a result of high expectations following a beloved childhood classic. Jurassic World is not a bad film. It's a lot of fun to watch in the cinema. The opening hour especially is quite strong – the new park is fantastic to see, and the opening tours of the exhibits and shows is very exciting. There's a sense watching these scenes where you feel like a child again, and that's wonderful – when that John Williams score (sadly underused) swells up, you really do travel back in time. At these moments, the film is perfect. Trevorrow knows his audience and the film is peppered with references to the first film, and these are great for fans. World building is fantastic and we get a sense of the park quickly. There are references to Spielberg's career as a whole – a dying dinosaur which looks like ET, a death which borrows from the opening of Jaws – and the movie feels like a direct sequel to Jurassic Park – there are so many nods and nostalgia runs rampant.
There are some fantastically tight sequences and the movie manages at times to be really suspenseful – the Indominus escape despite flaws is thrilling to watch, as is the attack on the gyro-sphere, and when the flying dinosaurs get the sense of escalating chaos is exciting. All of the action sequences are decent, and some of the quieter moments work too – the dying ET dinosaur is more powerful than it has any right to be. It is fun being back in this world, and kids will absolutely love the film. The characters may be weak, but the actors are great, and Pratt and Howard are good with nice chemistry together. It's the funniest Jurassic Park movie – there's a lot of great lines for laughs. It's also much better than The Lost World, and Jurassic Park III. It's mainly the last half hour of the film that hurts it – everything just starts to get too silly, too rushed, and the way the script seems cobbled together. That's not to say there isn't a lot of great moments before we get there though. There's a sense this is for a younger audience, or perhaps the blockbuster DNA is too different now – this has been described as Marvel's Jurassic Park, which is a good fit for it.
Perhaps a reminder that you may have grown up more than anything, this is a fun summer movie with a fair few flaws. Fans will be happy, and it's worth going to see, just don't expect Spielberg.
Tags: action, blockbusters, chris pratt, cinema, cinematography, dinosaurs, film, Film Review, jurassic park, Jurassic world, monster movie, monsters, nostalgia, spielberg. Bookmark the permalink.
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Hydro-Québec Joins Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
Hydro-Québec strives be acknowledged among the best in its industry with respect to its relations with Indigenous peoples, and continually works to adopt best practices. By recently joining the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and signing up for Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) certification, it is demonstrating that willingness.
"Our commitment confirms how important we consider strengthening our ties with the various Indigenous communities to be," said Éric Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro-Québec. "We'll continue to create sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with Indigenous nations and communities, based on respect for shared values and culture. By working closely with Indigenous nations, we've gradually improved our methods in this area, which has helped us carry out the projects that make us so proud today."
In signing up for PAR certification, Hydro-Québec has made a commitment to undertake an in-depth review of its ways of doing things in order to be
a great place to work that is welcoming to Indigenous employees;
an excellent business partner to Indigenous firms;
an electricity service provider that meets the expectations of Indigenous customers;
a company that strives to harmonize its infrastructure and activities with the Indigenous environment.
About the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) positions Aboriginal business at the focal point for strengthening Aboriginal communities, promoting progressive and prosperous relationships, and growing a new economy based on mutual respect and shared prosperity. CCAB provides an array of business development offerings, including certification for Aboriginal-owned businesses (CAB) and companies with Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR). TFAB (Tools and Financing for Aboriginal Business) connects Aboriginal entrepreneurs with tools, training and networks to strengthen and scale their businesses.
Francis Labbé
Tel. 514 289-3423
DeBeers Group: Production Report for the Second Quarter of 2019
Suncor Energy to release second quarter 2019 financial results


We can haul your boat from our ramp or another local ramp and transport it back to your yard or ours.
We currently transport within a 100 mile radius from Harpswell. We cannot unstep masts outside of our Boatyard.
Contact us today for a quote on your boat transportation needs.


Stark Corporation provides asphalt and concrete paving services for both public and private sector markets in Wisconsin. Stark operates a number of asphalt plants and crushing operations to supply their paving operations, but also to support a number of FOB clients. Headquartered in the Greater Milwaukee area since 1965, Stark has the experience and expertise to meet any paving need.
Incorporated in 1965, Stark began with one asphalt plant and has steadily grown to include four asphalt plant locations, bulk asphalt binder terminal, polymer-modified blending facility, stationary and mobile aggregate recycling operations, numerous construction crews, and an in-house technical services division.
While known primarily for asphalt paving, Stark provides full-service concrete paving and flatwork services in partnership with many ready-mix concrete suppliers. Stark is also a supplier of asphalt paving mixtures and recycled crushed aggregates to a number of contractors and municipalities, as well as a WisDOT-certified asphalt binder supplier for standard and polymer-modified grades.
Stark has been recognized for a number of projects, from performing major interstate asphalt paving work to coordinating with multiple municipalities on local roads. Stark's concrete division has been credited with helping revitalize the new gateway to Downtown Racine with their work on the 7th Street roundabout in front of City Hall. Starks prides itself not only on the quality of its work, but also to willingness of the project management staff to partner with all project stakeholders to provide mutually beneficial solutions. It's this personal touch that sets Stark apart.
While headquartered in the Greater Milwaukee area, Stark maintains facilities in Racine, Sussex, and Ripon to service asphalt paving in those markets. The concrete division utilizes strategic supplier partnerships to provide paving services throughout eastern and southeastern Wisconsin.
Stark Pavement Corporation is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer that is always in need of motivated and eager applicants interested in working in the pavement construction industry. Please feel free to submit an application at any time.


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package org.eclipse.swt.events;

/* Generated file */
public class ExpandListenerNative implements org.eclipse.swt.events.ExpandListener {
	public native void itemCollapsed(org.eclipse.swt.events.ExpandEvent a);

	public native void itemExpanded(org.eclipse.swt.events.ExpandEvent a);

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


With the many plastic materials available today, selecting the best one can be an intimidating proposition. Here are guidelines to assist those less familiar with these plastics.
Determining the primary function of the finished component will direct you to a group of materials. For example, crystalline materials (i.e., nylon, acetal) outperform amorphous materials (i.e., polysulfone,Duratron® PEI or polycarbonate) in bearing and wear applications. Within the material groups, you can further reduce your choices by knowing what additives are best suited to your application.
Wear properties are enhanced by MoS2, graphite, carbon fiber and polymeric lubricants (i.e., PTFE, waxes).
Structural properties are enhanced by glass fiber and carbon fiber.
Once you have determined the nature of the application (B&W or Structural), you can further reduce your material choices by determining the application's mechanical property requirements. For bearing and wear applications, the first consideration is wear performance expressed in PV and"k" -factor. Calculate the PV (pressure (psi) x velocity (fpm)) required. Using Figure 1, select materials whose limiting PV's are above the PV you have calculated for the application. Further selection can be made by noting the "k" wear factor of your material choices. In general the lower the "k" factor, the longer the wear life of the material.
Structural components are commonly designed for maximum continuous operating stresses equal to 25% of their ultimate strength at a specific temperature. This guideline is meant to compensate for the viscoelastic behavior of plastics that result in creep. Isometric stress-time curves are provided here to help you characterize a material's strength behavior as a function of time at both room temperature (Figure 2) and at 300°F (Figure 3).
Consider the thermal requirements of your application using both typical and extreme conditions.
A material's heat resistance is characterized by both its heat deflection temperature (HDT) and continuous service temperature. HDT is an indication of a material's softening temperature and is generally accepted as a maximum temperature limit for moderately to highly stressed, unconstrained components. Continuous service temperature is generally reported as the temperature above which significant, permanent physical property degradation occurs after long term exposure. This guideline is not to be confused with continuous operation or use temperatures reported by regulatory agencies such as Underwriters Laboratories UL.
The melting point of crystalline materials and glass transition temperature of amorphous materials are the short-term temperature extremes to which form stability is maintained. For most engineering plastic materials, using them at or above these temperatures should be avoided.
Consider chemicals to which the material will be exposed during use and cleaning.
Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials provides chemical compatibility information as a guideline in this brochure although it can be difficult to predict since concentration, temperature, time and stress each have a role in defining suitability for use. Nylon, acetal and Ertalyte® PET-P are generally suitable for industrial environments. Crystalline high performance materials such as Fluorosint® filled PTFE, Techtron® PPS and Ketron™ PEEK are more suitable for aggressive chemical environments (See Figure 5). We strongly recommend that you test under end-use conditions. Specific chemical resistance can be found on the property comparison chart.
Materials with higher tensile elongation, Izod impact and tensile impact strengths are generally tougher and less notch sensitive for shock loading applications (See Table 1).
Engineering plastics can expand and contract with temperature changes 10 to 15 times more than many metals including steel. The coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) is used to estimate the expansion rate for engineering plastic materials. CLTE is reported both as a function of temperature and as an average value. Figure 6 shows how many different engineering plastics react to increased temperature.
Modulus of elasticity and water absorption also contribute to the dimensional stability of a material. Be sure to consider the effects of humidity and steam.
Agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Underwriters Laboratory (UL), 3A-Diary Association and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) commonly approve or set specific guidelines for material usage within their industrial segments.
Select the most cost-effective shape for your part.
Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials offers designers the broadest size and configuration availability. Be sure to investigate all of the shape possibilities — you can reduce your fabrication costs by obtaining the most economical shape.
Consider Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials' many processing alternatives.
Note: From process to process, many material choices remain the same. However, there are physical property differences based upon the processing technique used to make the shape.
Injection molded parts exhibit the greatest anisotropy (properties are directionally dependent).
Extruded products exhibit slightly anisotropic behavior.
Compression molded products are isotropic — they exhibit equal properties in all directions.
Determine the machinability of your material options.
Machinability can also be a material selection criterion. All products of Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials in this site are stress relieved to enhance machinability. In general, glass and carbon reinforced grades are considerably more abrasive on tooling and are more notch sensitive during machining than unfilled grades. Reinforced grades are commonly more stable during machining.
Because of their extreme hardness, imidized materials (i.e., Duratron® PAI, Duratron® PI and Duratron® PBI) can be challenging to fabricate. Carbide and polycrystalline diamond tools should be used during machining of these materials. To aid you in assessing machinability, a relative rating for each material can be found on the property comparison charts.
Make sure you receive what you specify.
The properties listed in this site are for products of Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials only. Be sure you are not purchasing an inferior product. Request product certifications when you order.
All material have inherent limitations that must be considered when designing parts. To make limitations clear, each material profiled in this site has an Engineering Notes section dedicated to identifying these attributes.
We hope our candor about material strengths and weaknesses simplifies your selection process. For additional information, please contact Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials' Technical Services Department.


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Kent law firm Brachers is the only firm in the South East to have been appointed to the NHS Commercial Solutions Framework
Home Knowledge News Brachers Celebrates Appointment As Only Law Firm In South East
Joanna WorbyManaging Partner
01622 680414 Email Joanna Worby
Brachers to deliver legal services via NHS Commercial Solutions Legal Services Framework
Brachers celebrates appointment as only law firm in South East to deliver legal services via NHS Commercial Solutions Legal Services Framework.
Kent law firm Brachers is the only firm in the South East to have been appointed to the NHS Commercial Solutions Framework, following a successful retendering process.
The firm is contracted to the framework for a period of four years, delivering legal services to the NHS across six selected areas:
Primary Care Law
NHS Governance and Public Law
NHS Commercial Solutions is a collaborative procurement organisation, providing strategic procurement and commercial support to all NHS organisations, and to local authorities and wider public sector organisations.
NHS Commercial Solutions is part of 'NHS Procurement in Partnership', a four-Hub collaboration with East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub, NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative and NHS London Procurement Partnership, supporting around 240 NHS member organisations. In total 19 firms have been appointed to the framework, with only five being regionally based.
John Sheath, Head of Healthcare at Brachers commented: "We're thrilled to have been re-awarded a place on the framework, following a very competitive tender process. We are pleased to have been successful on all lots we tendered for and we believe the quality of service and added value benefits that the agreement will deliver will be welcomed across the hub. The NHS works hard to provide a high standard of care against the backdrop of funding squeezes, lifestyle changes and an aging population, not to mention the looming impact of Brexit. We're excited to be working closely with the NHS Commercial Solutions and their customers and partners as they navigate through these challenges."
The appointment is a significant success for the firm and follows multiple accolades pertaining to their work with healthcare providers, including being ranked in the top tier for Health work by leading legal directory the Legal 500, being shortlisted for Legal Provider of the Year at the General Practice Awards and the firm's Head of Healthcare, John Sheath, being inducted into the Legal 500's Hall of Fame.
Joanna Worby Managing Partner
Email Joanna Worby


text:
EmblemHealth Won't Talk To Me About My Husband's Coverage Because We're Both Men
Image courtesy of John has filed a Division of Human Rights complaint against NY-based Emblem.
11.26.12 11:24 AM EDT By Chris Morran@themorrancave
health insurance NEW YORK same-sex marriage emblem emblemhealth
John has filed a Division of Human Rights complaint against NY-based Emblem.
John and his husband, who live in New York where same sex marriage is legal, are both covered by John's employer-sponsored insurance from EmblemHealth. But John says that every time he tries to contact Emblem about anything regarding his husband's coverage — no matter how trivial — the company refuses to acknowledge the two men are married.
According to John, whenever he contacts Emblem and brings up the topic of his husband's coverage, he is told that nothing can be discussed unless John first obtains a signed, notarized affidavit giving him power of attorney over his husband's affairs.
"This seems just crazy to me," he tells Consumerist. "So, I asked my co-worker, who has the same insurance as I do and she says she has absolutely no trouble whatsoever calling up and discussing medical insurance issues for her husband or her child."
The co-worker tells John that she contacts Emblem frequently regarding her family members' coverage and she has never once been asked for any kind of authorization, nor has the company in any way challenged her right to coordinate insurance matters for her entire family.
"Why is my family different then?" asks John, who says that when he contacted Emblem to ask why the co-pay on his husband's eye drops increased from $20 to $50, he was told this information was private. He explains the reason that he is the one making these calls to Emblem is that his husband is a Spanish-speaker who comes from a country where things like HMOs and deductibles and co-pays are unheard of.
John recently filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights, which conducted an investigation of the matter. His coworker who has no problems with getting Emblem to discuss her family's coverage provided a sworn statement to the investigator.
Emblem's response to the DHR investigation was to claim that it "does not have an employee-employer relationship with [John] and so [Emblem] believes that this complaint falls outside the scope of the types of complaints handled by the Division of Human Rights." The company also says that it explained to John that Spanish-speaking customer service reps could be made available.
The DHR investigator concluded that the Division does indeed have jurisdiction in this matter and that probable cause exists that Emblem's actions are violating the state's Human Rights Law.
A public hearing on the matter is still to be scheduled.
"Amazingly, EmblemHealth still stubbornly insists that it will not deal with me regarding my husband's insurance issues," says John. "Do they need to be dragged kicking and screaming into reality, or are they willing to fight for the right to pretend it's still 1950?"
One insurance expert tells Consumerist that some insurers do take a very hard line on privacy and won't speak to spouses about their loved ones' coverage. However, adds the expert, whatever privacy policies the company has should be applied equally to all customers.
UPDATE: After the story was posted, Emblem finally responded to Consumerist's request for comment.
The company says it is merely following federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy guidelines:
"HIPAA regulations are absolutely clear on this point. No health care professional, no insurer, no one involved in the process may discuss a customer's or patient's care without express written consent of the customer or patient. EmblemHealth customer service representatives understand and comply with this important regulation for all of our members."
When asked about the sworn statement of John's co-worker that she was able to discuss her husband's coverage without having to show a power of attorney affidavit, an Emblem rep stated that the company could not "validate" that such calls ever occurred.
11.26.12By Chris Morran@themorrancave
Walmart To Pay $7.5M After Denying Spousal Benefits To Same-Sex Couples
Walmart Worker Suing Retailer Claiming Its Previous Benefits Policy Discriminated Against Same-Sex Couples
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What The Heck Is Single-Payer Healthcare, Anyway?
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The PH9085 Series is part of our line of high-isolation power supply transformers that offer a range of insulation (functional to reinforced) and isolation (up to 5KVrms) capabilities. It's ideal for isolation to communication interfaces such as RS485, CAN, MODBus, and ProfiBus for automation, automotive, and smart grid applications.
The PH9085 series is a push-pull transformer that comes in an industry standard platform as a compact, surface mount package of 8x7x5mm. It provides a direct cross to the Wurth 760 390, Halo TGM-2xNSLF, and Murata 78 253 series of isolation transformers and is available in tube and tape-and-reel packaging.
Prices start at about $0.67 (FCA HK) for 10,000 pieces. Lead time is eight weeks. Samples are available.
Originally published September 9, 2015. Updated February 26, 2016.


text:
Q: Example for Distributed learning using tensorflow and boosted trees I have traversed through numerous githubs, however i am unable to find an example where Tensorflow distributed learning was used with Boosted Trees Classifier estimator.
All the tutorials are for Neural nets.
I have slightly adapted the boosted trees code to work with distributed strategy as below:
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd
from IPython.display import clear_output
from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
import tensorflow as tf
tf.random.set_seed(123)

dftrain = pd.read_csv('https://storage.googleapis.com/tf-datasets/titanic/train.csv')
dfeval = pd.read_csv('https://storage.googleapis.com/tf-datasets/titanic/eval.csv')
y_train = dftrain.pop('survived')
y_eval = dfeval.pop('survived')

fc = tf.feature_column
CATEGORICAL_COLUMNS = ['sex', 'n_siblings_spouses', 'parch', 'class', 'deck',
                       'embark_town', 'alone']
NUMERIC_COLUMNS = ['age', 'fare']

def one_hot_cat_column(feature_name, vocab):
  return tf.feature_column.indicator_column(
      tf.feature_column.categorical_column_with_vocabulary_list(feature_name,
                                                 vocab))
feature_columns = []
for feature_name in CATEGORICAL_COLUMNS:
  # Need to one-hot encode categorical features.
  vocabulary = dftrain[feature_name].unique()
  feature_columns.append(one_hot_cat_column(feature_name, vocabulary))

for feature_name in NUMERIC_COLUMNS:
  feature_columns.append(tf.feature_column.numeric_column(feature_name,
                                           dtype=tf.float32))

NUM_EXAMPLES = len(y_train)

def make_input_fn(X, y, n_epochs=None, shuffle=True):
  def input_fn():
    dataset = tf.data.Dataset.from_tensor_slices((dict(X), y))
    if shuffle:
      dataset = dataset.shuffle(NUM_EXAMPLES)
    # For training, cycle thru dataset as many times as need (n_epochs=None).
    dataset = dataset.repeat(n_epochs)
    # In memory training doesn't use batching.
    dataset = dataset.batch(NUM_EXAMPLES)
    return dataset
  return input_fn

# Training and evaluation input functions.
train_input_fn = make_input_fn(dftrain, y_train)
eval_input_fn = make_input_fn(dfeval, y_eval, shuffle=False, n_epochs=1)

n_batches = 10
mirrored_strategy = tf.distribute.MirroredStrategy()
config = tf.estimator.RunConfig(
    train_distribute=mirrored_strategy, eval_distribute=mirrored_strategy)
est = tf.estimator.BoostedTreesClassifier(feature_columns,
                                          n_batches_per_layer=n_batches,config=config)

  # The model will stop training once the specified number of trees is built, not
  # based on the number of steps.
est.train(train_input_fn, max_steps=100)

# Eval.
result = est.evaluate(eval_input_fn)
clear_output()
print(pd.Series(result))

However, whenever i run this code, i get the error:

merge_call called while defining a new graph or a tf.function. This can often happen if the function fn passed to strategy.experimental_run() is decorated with @tf.function (or contains a nested @tf.function), and fn contains a synchronization point, such as aggregating gradients. This behavior is not yet supported. Instead, please wrap the entire call strategy.experimental_run(fn) in a @tf.function, and avoid nested tf.functions that may potentially cross a synchronization boundary.

So, i would be grateful if i could either get a way to debug this error or find an example which uses distributed learning with Boosted Trees.

A: I happened upon an answer for this while looking at the library authors' paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.11555.
In their paper they include an image of their distributed training environment and it notably includes a couple of parameterservers.
The particular merge_call thing that tensorflow is complaining about in your question is something that I think has to be done on a separate device than the worker. So basically if you are trying to train the forest in a distributed setting, your runconfig has to look like
strategy = tf.distribute.experimental.ParameterServerStrategy()
config = tf.estimator.RunConfig(
    train_distribute=strategy)

and you have to figure out how to set up TF_CONFIG appropriately so that the worker tensorflow process is aware of the chief and parameter servers. If you use google AI platform, they set that stuff up when you start the job. I haven't tried getting this to work locally or on a non-ai-platform cluster.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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