text:
Malaria Journal
The emergence of insecticide resistance in the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae) from sentinel sites in Mutare and Mutasa Districts, Zimbabwe
Shadreck Sande1,2,
Moses Zimba1,
Peter Chinwada1,
Hieronymo Takudzwa Masendu2,
Sungai Mazando1 &
Aramu Makuwaza3
Malaria Journal volume 14, Article number: 466 (2015) Cite this article
Insecticide resistance in major malaria vectors poses severe challenges for stakeholders responsible for controlling the disease. During the 2013/14 season, malaria vector sentinel sites in Mutare and Mutasa Districts, Zimbabwe, experienced high presence of gravid malaria vector mosquitoes resting indoors in recently pyrethroid-sprayed structures. Subsequently, an evaluation of insecticide resistance in Anopheles funestus populations, the major malaria vector, was conducted to better inform the Zimbabwe National Malaria Control Programme.
Indoor-resting mosquitoes were collected in randomly selected pyrethroid-sprayed houses around Burma Valley and Zindi sentinel sites in Mutare and Mutasa Districts, respectively, using prokopac aspirator in February 2014. A. funestus mosquitoes were identified in the field using morphological keys and divided into two cohorts. One cohort was used immediately for WHO susceptibility tests and the other batch was transferred to the National Institute of Health Research insectary in Harare for oviposition. Susceptibility and intensity resistance assays were carried out on polymerase chain reaction-assayed, 3–5 days old, A. funestus s.s. F1 progeny females.
Eight-hundred and thirty-six A. funestus and seven Anopheles gambiae complex mosquitoes were collected resting inside living structures. Wild caught females showed resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin (3.3 % mortality), deltamethrin (12.9 % mortality), etofenprox (9.2 % mortality), and bendiocarb (11.7 % mortality). F1 A. funestus female progeny indicated resistance to deltamethrin (14.5 % mortality), lambda-cyhalothrin (6.9 % mortality), etofenprox (8.3 % mortality), and bendiocarb (16.8 % mortality). Wild caught and female progeny were susceptible to DDT and pirimiphos-methyl (100 % mortality). Intensity resistance assay to bendiocarb was 100 % mortality, while deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and etofenprox had increased knockdown times with mortalities ranging between 66.7 and 92.7 % after 24-h exposures.
This study is the first report of pyrethroid and carbamate resistance in A. funestus populations from Burma Valley and Zindi areas and indicates a major threat to the gains made in malaria vector control in Zimbabwe. In view of the current extension and intensity of such resistance, there is urgent need to set up a periodic and systematic insecticide resistance-monitoring programme which will form the basis for guiding the selection of insecticides for indoor residual spraying and distribution of pyrethroid-treated mosquito nets.
Human malaria remains one of the most important public health challenges worldwide. In 2013, there were an estimated 198 million episodes of malaria and about 584,000 deaths globally [1]. Among the malaria-endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa, malaria contributed 20–30 % of the outpatient attendance in Zimbabwe, with about 1.5 million cases occurring annually over the past 5 years [2]. Approximately 98 % of the cases are caused by Plasmodium falciparum transmitted primarily by Anopheles arabiensis, with Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto and Anopheles funestus s.s., the secondary vectors in most regions of the country. Choi et al. [3] and Sande et al. [4] have reported A. funestus as the major vector of malaria in Mutare and Mutasa Districts of Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe.
Improved diagnostic testing and a wider availability of effective medicines to treat malaria, as well as to control vectors predominantly through the use of indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), are the global key interventions for interruption of malaria transmission [5]. Several studies have shown the efficacy of IRS and LLINs in reducing malaria incidence in almost all settings [6, 7].
Malaria control in Zimbabwe relies heavily on IRS and LLINs to target endophilic and endophagic vector mosquitoes, respectively. Presently, IRS and LLINs depend on the four most common, WHO-recommended, classes of insecticides: organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids, and carbamates. Of these, pyrethroids account for the majority of IRS coverage worldwide and are at the moment used in treatment of all LLINs [8].
Since the 1940s, residual spraying with dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane (DDT) and more recently pyrethroids has been National Malaria Control Programme's (NMCP) dominant/primary vector control practice in Zimbabwe. Mosquito nets traditionally played a much smaller role until the introduction of LLIN campaigns under the universal coverage goal over the past few years. When the LLIN distribution campaign began, there was no clear rationale for the balance of LLINs and IRS coverage in Zimbabwe as guided by WHO [5] recommendations. The high reliance on insecticide-based malaria control in public health, agriculture and at household levels has increased the selection pressure exerted by insecticides on malaria vectors [9]. The emergence and spread of insecticide resistance among malaria vectors has placed global control efforts at high risk.
Insecticide resistance is the ability of an insect population to survive exposure to the dosage of a given compound that is lethal to the majority of individuals of a susceptible lineage of the same species [9]. Malaria vectors are able to resist the action of insecticides due to various resistance mechanisms. Among these mechanisms: metabolic resistance, which occurs when endogenous, insecticide-detoxifying enzymes become more efficient in metabolizing the insecticide, preventing it from reaching its target in the nervous system, and target site resistance, which results from modification on the site of action in resistant strains of vectors, such that the insecticide no longer binds effectively, are the most important, although metabolic resistance is the most common [10].
Pyrethroid resistance, conferred by reduced target site sensitivity arising from a single point mutation in the sodium channel gene, at times referred to as knockdown resistance, has been confirmed in A. gambiae s.s. in West, Central and East Arica [11]. A study by Hunt et al. [12] documented insecticide resistance to permethrin, deltamethrin, bendiocarb, and propoxur in A. funestus populations collected in Likoma Island in Lake Malawi. Chanda et al. [13] reported DDT, lambda-cyhalothrin and deltamethrin resistance in A. funestus and A. gambiae s.s. collected in Zambia. A. funestus collected in Mozambique and Uganda showed resistance to bendiocarb, permethrin, deltamethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin [14, 15]. In Kwazulu/Natal, South Africa, A. funestus was found to be resistant to both pyrethroids and carbamates [16].
Despite the long history of IRS in Zimbabwe, there have been few instances when resistance has been recorded [17]. A. arabiensis resistance to benzene hexachloride was recorded in Chiredzi District [18], one relating to DDT in Gokwe [19], and more recently pyrethroid resistance in Gokwe [20]. However, there are no major published studies on insecticide resistance in A. funestus in Zimbabwe. The first A. funestus resistance to deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and bendiocarb was reported by Choi et al. [3] in Mandeya ward, Mutasa District.
The lack of data on the status of insecticide resistance in A. funestus, the presence of this vector in recently pyrethroid-sprayed houses in villages around Burma Valley, Mutare District, Zimbabwe, and nearby Zindi area in Mutasa District, and high dependency on pyrethroid-based IRS and LLINs, is a cause for concern to the Zimbabwe NMCP. This study was aimed at assessing the insecticide resistance in A. funestus populations from Burma Valley and Zindi areas in Mutare and Mutasa Districts, respectively.
The study was conducted in Mutare and Mutasa Districts in Manicaland Province, located east of Zimbabwe, 263 and 270 km, respectively, from Harare, and bordered to the east by Manica Province in Mozambique. The study sites were Burma Valley (19°11′S, 32°48′E; elevation 679 m) in Mutare District and Zindi (18°22′S, 32°56′E; elevation 766 m) in Mutasa District (Fig. 1). Burma Valley and Zindi sites are respectively situated south and north of the city of Mutare, the provincial capital of Manicaland Province. Studies were carried out from 10 to 23 February, 2014. Both study sites are rural areas with a total population of 13,880 (Burma Valley 4506 and Zindi 9374).
Map showing Burma Valley and Zindi study sites, Zimbabwe
Domestic animals such as cattle, goats, chickens, and dogs are commonly kept around dwellings inhabited by people, with pigs found in only a few households. Two types of houses are common in the study sites: traditional houses, pole and mud plastered superstructures with thatched roofs, and western-style houses built using cement mortar and burnt bricks, roofed with either corrugated iron sheets or asbestos.
Both sites have a tropical climate which is hot, with annual temperature ranging from 18 to 30 °C in winter through to summer [21]. The rainfall pattern constitutes one season per annum which usually spans November to March, with December to February, the wettest months [21]. Most small rivers and streams in Zindi empty into perennial Pungwe River, which flows to Mozambique. Burma Valley, with several streams and perennial rivers, also runs to Mozambique. The rivers and streams form extensive stagnant water bodies and marshes during the rainy season (November–March), which are potential breeding sites for vectors of public health importance.
Cultivation on the river banks is common in the villages around the study sites. Both small and large-scale farming is practiced, with the majority of the people growing maize, yams and bananas. Eastern Highlands Estates located in Zindi ward, and a few small-scale commercial farms in Burma Valley, grow tea and tobacco, respectively. Both small and large-scale farmers usually use pyrethroids, organophosphates and carbamates to protect their crops from various types of agricultural pests. A. funestus is the major malaria vector in Burma Valley and Zindi [4], with the densities fluctuating following rainfall patterns, temperatures and relative humidity. Consequently, malaria transmission is high and occurs seasonally, with highest cases recorded towards the end of the rainy season (March/April). IRS and LLINs are the major tools deployed to interrupt malaria transmission in the villages around the study sites.
Collection of Anopheles funestus populations
Indoor-resting adult mosquitoes were collected from houses between 06.00 and 10.00 hours using a prokopac battery-powered aspirator [22]. Live mosquitoes were identified to species level using morphological features [23, 24]. Mosquitoes identified as belonging to the A. funestus group were divided into two cohorts and held in cages where they were fed with 10 % sugar solution. One cohort was used immediately for WHO insecticide susceptibility bioassays and the other batch transferred to National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) insectary in Harare to allow for oviposition.
Laboratory processing of mosquitoes
Live blood-fed and gravid adult female A. funestus were pooled and individually isolated and allowed to lay eggs. Larvae were reared through to F1 adults under standard insectary conditions of 25–27 °C and 70–80 % relative humidity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using two legs per mosquito was carried out following the protocol of Koekemoer [25] to confirm the sibling species of all females that laid eggs, and susceptibility and intensity resistance assays were conducted on the F1 progeny only of A. funestus s.s. females.
Insecticide susceptibility tests
Randomly selected, non-blood fed, F1 progeny (3–5 days old) and gravid wild caught samples were subjected to standard WHO susceptibility tests [26]. Standard insecticide-treated papers supplied by WHO (Malaysia) were used to test for susceptibility to 4 % DDT, 0.05 % deltamethrin, 0.05 % lambda-cyhalothrin, 0.5 % etofenprox, 0.1 % bendiocarb, and 1 % pirimiphos methyl. Twenty to 25 female mosquitoes were exposed in each tube. Negative controls consisted of untreated papers, impregnated with different oil according to the insecticide used. Knockdowns were recorded 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 min through to 1 h after the start of exposure. Final mortality was scored 24 h post exposure and a 10 % sugar solution was provided to survivors. Where the mortality in the control group was above 5 % but less than 20 %, correction of mortality was made by applying Abbott's formula, with the test results discarded when control mortality was more than 20 %. Results were accepted if no mortality was observed in the control. WHO [26] criterion for interpretation of results was followed for considering vector species susceptible (mortality 98–100 %), potentially resistant (mortality 90–97 %) and resistant (mortality <90 %).
Resistance intensity assays
F1 progeny female mosquitoes were exposed to 0.05 % lambda-cyhalothrin, 0.05 % deltamethrin, 0.5 % etofenprox, and 0.1 % bendiocarb-treated papers continuously for 8 h with knockdown being recorded at 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 30-, 40-, 50-, 60-, 80-, and 120-min intervals, and hourly thereafter up to 8 h. The 8-h cut-off was purposely selected as the likely time a mosquito might come into contact with a sprayed wall/surface before or after a taking blood meal [3].
WHO [26] guideline for evaluating susceptibility in mosquito populations was followed in which mortality of 98–100 % indicates susceptibility; 90–97 % suggests potential resistance that needs to be confirmed, and less than 90 % indicates resistance. Data for the two study sites were tested using two-factor without replication Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), at 5 % level of significance.
Ethical consideration
Verbal informed consent was obtained from community leaders and each head of household or representative before mosquito collection was conducted in the selected houses.
Mosquito collection
A total of 846 Anopheles mosquitoes were collected resting inside recently pyrethroid-sprayed houses in the villages surrounding Burma Valley and Zindi over a two-week period in February 2014. Eight-hundred and thirty-six were identified morphologically as belonging to the A. funestus group, seven to the A. gambiae s.l. and the remaining three to other Anopheles species. Of the A. funestus group, 390 live mosquitoes were transported to NIHR for oviposition and PCR-based species identification, while 446 wild A. funestus female of unknown age were tested for insecticide resistance at the field insectaries with no temperature and relative humidity control. The results of these tests are summarized on Table 1. The wild-caught A. funestus group showed evidence of pyrethroid and carbamate resistance, but were susceptible to DDT and organophosphates. However, the sample size of wild A. gambiae s.l. females was too small (n = 7) to conduct meaningful susceptibility/resistance tests.
Table 1 Percentage mortality observed in WHO susceptibility tests carried out on wild caught members of the A. funestus group in Burma Valley and Zindi, Zimbabwe
Mosquito rearing and PCR-species identification
From the 390 samples transported to NIHR insectary, 220 oviposition Eppendorf tubes were set up with individual gravid A. funestus females, about 134 batches were obtained, and more than 1900 F1 adult mosquitoes emerged from both sites. The results from the PCR-based assays confirmed that all the 220 females that laid eggs, as well as the 446 wild adults used in the susceptibility/resistance test, were A. funestus s.s., while analysis of wild A. gambiae s.l. showed that A. arabiensis was predominant (71.4 %, 5/7) followed by a non-malaria vector, Anopheles quadriannulatus (28.6 %, 2/7).
Insecticide susceptibility assays
Table 2 presents the mean mortalities and the standard deviations of A. funestus F1 progeny females that originated from the villages in Burma Valley and Zindi following exposure to insecticide-treated papers. Mortality in unexposed controls from both sites was less than 5 % in all experiments and no correction of test sample mortality data was therefore required. The treated papers used were assayed on a susceptible laboratory strain of A. arabiensis and showed 100 % mortality for all specimens and replicates (n = 100 mosquitoes per insecticide). A. funestus was resistant to lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin and etofenprox (pyrethroids), and bendiocarb (carbamate), but susceptible to DDT (organochlorine) and pirimiphos-methyl (organophosphate) at both collecting sites. There was no significant difference in mortality of mosquitoes from Burma Valley and Zindi after exposure to pyrethroids (ANOVA: df = 4; F = 0.23; P = 0.92) and to bendiocarb (ANOVA: df = 1; F = 0.18; P = 0.71). The difference in percentage mortality between pyrethroid and carbamate assays and sites was also not statistically significant (ANOVA: df = 1; F = 4.39; P = 0.13).
Table 2 WHO bioassay tests for resistance on 3–5 day old female F1 A. funestus progeny from Burma Valley and Zindi carried out in February 2014
Knockdown effect of insecticide on F1 Anopheles funestus progeny females
Common similarities were observed in KD50 and KD95 values between the pyrethroids (lambda-cyhalothrin and deltamethrin) and carbamates (bendiocarb), and between organochlorines (DDT) and organophosphates (pirimiphos-methyl) in both Burma Valley and Zindi sites (Table 3). The knockdown effects of the four classes of insecticides tested over 1 h showed more rapid knockdown rate for DDT and pirimiphos-methyl than the other two classes of insecticides (Table 3). DDT knocked down 50 and 95 % of the mosquitoes from both sites within 50 and 60 min of exposure, respectively. Fifty per cent and 95 % knockdown was achieved within 50 and 80 min, respectively, for mosquitoes collected from Zindi when exposed to pirimiphos-methyl. There was loss of knockdown effect on all samples from both sites when exposed for 80 min to lambda-cyhalothrin and deltamethrin and bendiocarb.
Table 3 Association between percentage 24-h mortality and knockdown (KD) time using WHO test tubes
Insecticide resistance intensity in Anopheles funestus F1 female progeny
Anopheles funestus exhibited various levels of knockdown effects after 8-h exposure to insecticides, with highest sensitivity observed in bendiocarb for the two localities (Table 4). In both areas, there was no statistically significant difference in responses among lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin and etofenprox over the entire 8-h observation period (ANOVA: df = 5; F = 2.39; P = 0.11). Although knockdown rate for deltamethrin in Burma Valley and Zindi sites were observed from 30 and 80 min, respectively, the sensitivity of the mosquitoes to the insecticide could not stretch beyond 90 % knockdown effect within an 8-h monitoring period (Figs. 2, 3). Similarly, observations on lambda-cyhalothrin and etofenprox showed percentage knockdown rate of less than 100 % for the entire experimental period in both sites.
Table 4 Resistance intensity results of F1 progeny raised from female A. funestus collected in Burma Valley and Zindi
Insecticide intensity resistance test in Anopheles funestus in Burma Valley
Insecticide intensity resistance test in A. funestus in Zindi
The status of susceptibility/resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, etofenprox, bendiocarb, DDT and pirimiphos-methyl was evaluated in A. funestus wild populations and F1 progeny females collected from Burma Valley and Zindi in Zimbabwe. With guidance from WHO [26] protocol for characterizing insecticide resistance, where susceptibility is defined by mortality rates above 98 % and resistance by mortality less than 90 % 24-h post exposure, this study provides evidence that A. funestus populations from both sites were resistant to pyrethroids and carbamates, but susceptible to DDT and pirimiphos-methyl. The information is important in malaria vector control operations, which in Zimbabwe are strongly dependent on the use of insecticides in IRS and LLINs.
Zimbabwe has been using DDT for both tsetse fly and malaria vector control since 1949 [20]. Currently, DDT is being applied for malaria vector control in the low veld zones of Zimbabwe (<600 m altitude), and pyrethroids, especially lambda-cyhalothrin and deltamethrin, are used interchangeably to cover the middle veld zones (600–1200 m altitude). Continuous application of DDT and alternating lambda-cyhalothrin with deltamethrin might increase selection pressure, resulting in early loss of sensitivity in vector populations. Choi et al. [3] reported A. funestus resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin and bendiocarb for the first time in the area adjacent to the Zindi collecting site, but no DDT and organophosphate-resistant populations were detected in that area. These findings are consistent with the results of the present work, which showed resistance in A. funestus to pyrethroids and bendiocarb. In both areas, there was no statistically significant difference in 24-h mortality among lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, etofenprox, and bendiocarb (ANOVA: df = 7; F = 0.93; P = 0.51). The detection of deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin resistance in the A. funestus populations in Burma Valley and Zindi is a worrying result as these are the most common insecticides applied interchangeably by NMCP in Zimbabwe to prevent malaria transmission in the study areas.
The build-up of pyrethroid and carbamate resistance in the A. funestus populations from the two study areas is not clear. Most probably the increase in the selection pressure exerted by pyrethroids may be attributed to their continuous use in public health, agriculture and at household level to control domestic pests. Bendiocarb resistance may be mainly associated with application in agriculture, which is a major source of livelihood in both study areas. The incrimination of agricultural use of pesticides in the selection pressure against Anopheles populations has also been reported in several countries in West Africa [27, 28]. Since pyrethroid resistance has been reported to result mainly from agricultural application, it is likely that such resistance will develop regardless of the organized use of pyrethroids in properly managed malaria control programmes [29].
Results of the present work agree with other studies that reported pyrethroid and bendiocarb resistance in the A. funestus populations from Malawi [12], Zambia and Zimbabwe [3], Mozambique [30], and Ghana [31]. The reported occurrence of permethrin and DDT resistance in malaria vectors in Gokwe District in Zimbabwe [20] was not detected in A. gambiae s.l. populations from 16 sentinel sites (Burma Valley and Zindi included) in Zimbabwe following a nationwide study [17]. Resistance to pyrethroids generally confers cross-resistance to other insecticides with the same mode of action, thus limiting the alternative choices of effective insecticide [32]. The lack of cross-resistance between pyrethroids and DDT observed in this study is consistent with the work of Coetzee and Koekemoer [33], which reported that pyrethroid resistance in A. funestus is mostly conferred fully or partially by monooxygenases (P450) in most countries in southern Africa. Further, it appears there is no knockdown resistance (kdr) gene in southern African A. funestus to date [33], as is also clearly indicated by the observation of this work. However, cross-resistance to pyrethroids and DDT has been reported in most mosquito species of public health importance collected from other countries as a result of a kdr gene [34, 35].
In addition to mortality, knockdown time might be a valuable tool for the early detection of reduced susceptibility, although there are no WHO standards on knockdown time specified to indicate resistance. Knockdown time has long been accepted as an indicator of susceptibility in vector mosquitoes to insecticides. The time provides initial data on the possible involvement of kdr gene [29], although high frequency of a resistant gene does not necessarily translate into resistance in Anopheles populations [36].
The results of this work have demonstrated elevated knockdown time for all insecticides tested, with the increase more pronounced in pyrethroids and carbamates than DDT and organophosphate. However, there was no difference between the time required to knockdown 100 % of the mosquitoes due to DDT and pirimiphos-methyl from the two sites (ANOVA: df = 3; F = 1.91; P = 0.23). Although this study detected no resistance to DDT and pirimiphos-methyl, the KD50 and KD95 values obtained from both sites for these two insecticides appear to be abnormally high, ranging from 30 to 80 min to knockdown 100 % of the specimens. These results may be an indication of future problems with the application of DDT and pirimiphos-methyl in Burma Valley and Zindi.
The high survival rates and the increased knockdown time detected in this study raise the question of whether mosquitoes are withstanding higher concentrations of insecticide or whether longer exposure times are needed. To address the latter question, a resistance intensity test was included in the current study in order to determine the strength of resistance, although it is not the standard method of measuring resistance. Currently, the standard methods of anopheline bioassays are the WHO [26] tube assay and the CDC [37] bottle assay. Although the two methods generally agree on resistance frequencies, there has been no agreement on the application of resistance intensity test as a standard tool for measuring insecticide resistance in mosquito populations.
The CDC [37] bottle bioassay method recommends the extension of diagnostic time to 2 h in order to evaluate intensity of resistance, but does not give criteria for assessing resistance intensity. Within 2 h of continuous exposure, A. funestus from both sites showed mortality of less than 40 % to lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin and etofenprox, with about 80 % to bendiocarb, suggesting a high level of resistance to the pyrethroids. A problem with not achieving 100 % knockdown after an 8-h exposure time to all insecticides used, save for bendiocarb, might indicate serious resistance intensity. At operational level, this poses a major challenge as it is not clear whether a mosquito rests continuously for 8 h on a sprayed surface or on a treated net, taking into cognisance the repellency and irritancy properties contained in various insecticides.
Focusing on the pattern emerging from the two study sites, it is clear that A. funestus resistance to pyrethroids and carbamates, and susceptibility to DDT and pirimiphos-methyl, are firmly indicated. The resistance in the A. funestus populations detected in this study has serious implications for the current insecticide-based malaria control efforts being undertaken in the study areas. The results seem to suggest the need for urgent and effective insecticide resistance management strategies necessary for the prevention of rapid build-up of resistance across all four commonly used classes of insecticides to control vectors of public health importance.
WHO. World malaria report, 2014. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014. http://wwww.who.int/malaria/publications/world_malaria_report_2014/en/. Accessed 23 Jul 2015.
Choto RC, Midzi SM, Mberikunashe J, Tshimanga M, Gombe NT, Bangure D. Evaluation of the performance of two diagnostic assays in malaria diagnosis in Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe, 2010. Open J Epidemiol. 2015;5:187–96.
Choi KS, Christian R, Nardini L, Wood OR, Agubuzo E, Muleba M, et al. Insecticide resistance and role in malaria transmission of Anopheles funestus populations from Zambia and Zimbabwe. Parasit Vectors. 2014;7:464.
PubMed Central Article PubMed Google Scholar
Sande S, Zimba M, Chinwada P, Masendu HT, Makuwaza A. Malaria vector species composition and relative abundance in Mutare and Mutasa Districts, Zimbabwe. J Entomol Acarol Res. 2015 (in press).
WHO: World Health Organization guidance for countries on combining indoor residual spraying and long lasting insecticidal nets. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
Lengeler C. Insecticide treated bednets and curtains for preventing malaria. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;2:CD000363.
Pluess B, Tanser FC, Lengeler C, Sharp BL. Indoor residual spraying for preventing malaria. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;4:CD006657.
WHO: Indoor residual spraying: an operational manual for indoor residual spraying (IRS) for malaria transmission control and elimination. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.
WHO: Global plan for insecticide resistance management. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012. http://www.who.int/malaria/vector_control/ivm/gpirm/en/. Accessed 23 April 2014.
Brogdon WG, McAllister JC. Synopses: insecticide and vector control. Emerg Infect Dis. 1998;4:605–13.
PubMed Central CAS Article PubMed Google Scholar
IRAC: Prevention and management of insecticide resistance in vectors of public health importance. Insecticide Resistance Action Committee; 2011. http://www.irac-online.org/documents/irm-vector-manual/?ext=pd. Accessed 17 Dec 2014.
Hunt RH, Edwards M, Coetzee M. Pyrethroid resistance in southern Africa Anopheles funestus extends to Likoma Island in Lake Malawi. Parasit Vectors. 2010;3:122.
Chanda E, Hemingway J, Kleinschmidt I, Rehman AM, Ramdeen V, Phiri FN, et al. Insecticide resistance and the future of malaria control in Zambia. PLoS One. 2011;6:e24336.
Abilio AP, Kleinschmidt I, Rehman AM, Cuamba N, Ramdeen V, Mthembu DS, et al. The emergence of insecticide resistance in Central Mozambique and potential threat to the successful indoor residual spraying malaria control programme. Malar J. 2011;10:110.
Morgan JC, Irving H, Okediv LM, Steven A, Wondjic CS. Pyrethroid resistance in an Anopheles funestus population from Uganda. PLoS One. 2010;29:e11872.
Hargreaves K, Koekemoer LL, Brooke BD, Hunt RH, Mthembu J, Coetzee M. Anopheles funestus is resistant to pyrethroid insecticides in South Africa. Med Vet Entomol. 2000;14:181–9.
Lukwa N, Sande S, Makuwaza A, Chiwade T, Netsa M, Asamoa K, et al. Nationwide assessment of insecticide susceptibility in Anopheles gambiae populations from Zimbabwe. Malar J. 2014;13:408.
Green CA. Malaria epidemiology and anopheline cytogenetics. In: Pal R, Kitzmiller JB, Kanda T, editors. Cytogenetics and genetics of vectors. Amsterdam: Elsevier Biomedical; 1982. p. 21–9.
Masendu HT, Hunt RH, Koekemoer LL, Brooke BD, Govere J, Coetzee M. Spatial and temporal distributions and insecticide susceptibility of malaria vectors in Zimbabwe. Afr Entomol. 2005;13:25–34.
Munhenga G, Masendu HT, Brooke BD, Hunt RH, Koekemoer LK. Pyrethroid resistance in major malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis from Gwave, a malaria-endemic area in Zimbabwe. Malar J. 2008;7:247.
Taylor P, Mutambu SL. A review of the malaria situation in Zimbabwe with special reference to the period 1972–1981. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1986;80:12–9.
Vazquez-Prokopec GM, Galvin WA, Kelly R, Kitron U. A new cost-effective, battery powered aspirator for adult mosquito collections. J Med Entomol. 2009;46:256–9.
Gillies MT, De Meillon B. The Anophelinae of Africa south of the Sahara. Publ S Afr Inst Med Res. 1968;54:127–50.
Gillies MT, Coetzee M. A supplement to the Anophelinae of Africa south of the Sahara (Afro tropical Region). Publ S Afr Inst Med Res. 1987;13:1–143.
Koekemoer LL, Kamau L, Hunt RH, Coetzee M. A cocktail polymerase reaction assay to identify members of the Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae) group. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2002;66:804–11.
WHO: Test procedures for insecticide resistance monitoring in malaria vector mosquitoes. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.
Akogbeto MC, Djouaka RF, Kinde-Gazard DA. Screening of pesticide residue in soil and water samples from agricultural settings. Malar J. 2006;5:22.
Namountougou M, Simard E, Baldet T, Diabate A, Ouédraogo JB, Martin T, et al. Multiple insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae s.l. populations from Burkina Faso, West Africa. PLoS One. 2012;7:e48412.
Chandre F, Darrier F, Manga L, Akogbeto M, Faye O, Mouchet J, Guillet P. Status of pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae sensu lato. Bull World Health Organ. 1999;77:230–4.
PubMed Central CAS PubMed Google Scholar
Casimiro S, Coleman M, Hemingway J, Sharp B. Insecticide resistance in Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles gambiae from Mozambique. J Med Entomol. 2006;43:276–82.
Okoye PN, Brooke BD, Koekemoer LL, Hunt RH, Coetzee M. Characterisation of DDT, pyrethroid and carbamate resistance in Anopheles funestus from Abuasi, Ghana. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2008;102:591–8.
Jirakanjanakit N, Rongnoparut P, Saengtharatip S, Chareonviriyaphap T, Duchon S, Bellec C, et al. Insecticide susceptible/resistance status in Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Thailand during 2003–2005. J Econ Entomol. 2007;100:545–50.
Coetzee M, Koekemoer LL. Molecular systematics and insecticide resistance in the major African malaria vector Anopheles funestus. Annu Rev Entomol. 2013;58:393–412.
Hemingway J, Ranson H. Insecticide in insect vectors of human diseases. Annu Rev Entomol. 2000;45:371–91.
Brengues C, Hawkes NJ, Chandre F, McCarroll L, Duchon S, Guillet P, et al. Pyrethroids and DDT cross-resistance in Aedes aegypti is correlated with a novel mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene. Med Vet Entomol. 2003;17:87D94.
Djegbe I, Boussari O, Sidick A, Martin T, Ranson H, Chandre F, et al. Dynamics of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors in Benin: first evidence of the presence of L1014S kdr mutation in Anopheles gambiae from West Africa. Malar J. 2011;10:261.
CDC: Guidance for evaluating insecticide resistance in vector using CDC bottle bioassay. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and prevention, US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/malaria. Accessed 12 Nov 2014.
SS, MZ, PC, and HTM conceived the idea and designed the study. SS, HTM, SM, and AM collected data and carried out field and laboratory experiments. SS, MZ, PC, SM, HTM, and AM drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
We are grateful to Dr. Joseph Mberikunashe, from the National Malaria Control Programme for providing transport and staff during data collection. We are also grateful to National Institute of Health Research, which provided laboratory facilities for this study.
Department of Biological Science, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
Shadreck Sande, Moses Zimba, Peter Chinwada & Sungai Mazando
Abt Associates Inc., 1 Erskine Road, Mt Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
Shadreck Sande & Hieronymo Takudzwa Masendu
National Institute of Health Research, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe
Aramu Makuwaza
Shadreck Sande
Moses Zimba
Peter Chinwada
Hieronymo Takudzwa Masendu
Sungai Mazando
Correspondence to Shadreck Sande.
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Sande, S., Zimba, M., Chinwada, P. et al. The emergence of insecticide resistance in the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae) from sentinel sites in Mutare and Mutasa Districts, Zimbabwe. Malar J 14, 466 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-015-0993-8
Insecticide resistance
Malaria vectors
Indoor residual spraying


Un look muy veraniego completo a base de básicos. Cuando el calor aprieta y no sabes bien que ponerte, estas piezas nunca fallan.
¿Qué usáis con tal altas temperaturas? ¡Besotes!
Summer outfit built in basics. When is so hot on the Street and you don't know what to wear, these pieces never fail.
What do you use when high temperatures? Kisses!
As melhores fotos , sempre!!! Você tem muito bom gosto!


text:
Oneida Casino executives spent three years, including navigating through a pandemic, to lead Wisconsin into the new world of sports betting, and on Tuesday, they held a ribbon-cutting. "There are no sports betting, wagering in the state of Wisconsin that is legal right now up until the point that our compact was amended, and it was approved for the Oneida Nation to move forward," Chad Fuss, the assistant gaming chief financial officer at Oneida Casino, said. DeSantis said during an appearance in Fort Lauderdale, echoing earlier comments by state Rep. DeSantis said he expected the federal government to appeal the ruling. Short of winning an appeal, sports betting could be approved by Florida voters in a constitutional amendment, DeSantis noted.
The 30-year compact the state agreed to with the Seminole Tribe was to bring at least $2.5 billion in revenue into the Florida treasury over the next five years. Neither the tribe nor the state was a named party in the lawsuit against the compact, in which the U.S. Another factor to keep in mind is the sign-up offers for US players. There are various types of slots games online, all of which have specific features. Saving for retirement isn't a hard idea to grasp — save money while slot online you have it, so you can build up savings for when you're no longer working. Keith Minn, managing partner at Minn Retirement Consultants in Boone, North Carolina, in an email exchange.
Using new machines at the casino, people will place bets on the Packers, Bucks, Brewers, and out-of-state college teams. They will also plan to include bets on events such as the Oscars. Hold'em players who start to play Omaha often not only play a hand like A-A-7-8 but also will raise with it before the flop. Last night's ruling was a victory for family-owned businesses like ours who pay their fair share in taxes and believe the free market should guide the business operations of gaming venues," said Christian Ulvert, spokesperson for Magic City Casino. "The judge clearly understood the blatant violation of IGRA as her ruling demonstrates.
Tags: slot
Indicators You Made An Incredible Impression On Online Casino
The Untold Secret To Mastering Real Money Online Casino

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Amazon Web Services allows admins to create logical groupings of AWS resources, and manage them using tags and tag values. Here's how to get started.
Whenever you create an object in Amazon Web Services (AWS), you are usually given the option of applying tags to the object. It's easy to accumulate a vast number of objects within AWS and tagging can make it easier to locate specific objects.
However, tagging is also useful in the creation of resource groups.
Resource groups are, as the name implies, a logical grouping of AWS resources. For example, suppose that an administrator was to create a series of virtual machines (VMs) that were all related to a specific project. The admin might choose to create a resource group containing the project's VMs, as well as related resources such as snapshots and load balancers.
AWS allows admins to add objects to a resource group through the use of tags and tag values. An administrator might, for example, choose to build a resource group for all of the objects that include a specific tag. If the administrator needed a bit more granular control, then they might create a resource group based not just on a tag, but also on the tag's value. It is worth noting, however, that even though AWS supports tagging for almost every object type, not all object types can be included in a resource group.
Creating a resource group is a relatively straightforward process. To do so, log in to the AWS console and then click on the Resource Groups link. The Resource Groups link is not located in the list of services, but rather appears in the black bar at the very top of the console. You can see what this looks like in Figure 1 below.
[Click on image for larger view.] Figure 1: Click on the Resource Groups link.
Click on the Create a Resource Group option, found on the Resource Groups drop-down list. When you do, you will be taken to the Create a Resource Group page, which you can see in Figure 2. This page requires you to enter several pieces of information.
[Click on image for larger view.] Figure 2: This is the interface used to create a resource group.
As you would probably expect, the first step in creating a resource group is to enter a name for the group. The next step in the process is to choose a tag to associate with the resource group. If you look closely at Figure 2 above, you will notice that the Tags field contains a drop-down arrow. Clicking on this arrow reveals a list of the tags that are currently being used within your organization, and you can make your selection from the list.
The next thing that you will need to do is to select a value for your selected tag. This step is a little bit tricky, because you have three different options. If you look back at Figure 2, you will notice that just to the right of the Tags field, there is a field that says Tagged With Any Value. This is the default value for this field, and it essentially means that tag values will be ignored. In order for a tagged resource to be included in the resource group, it will need to have a matching tag, but the tag values don't matter.
The second option is to specify that the tag has an empty value. This is useful in a situation in which some tags have been assigned values and others have not, and you only want to include objects in the resource group if their specified tag does not include a corresponding value.
The third option is, of course, to enter a value. By doing so, you are effectively telling AWS that objects should only be included in the resource group if they have a matching tag and a matching tag value.
If you want to allow any value to be used with the tag, then you don't have to do anything at all. If, however, you want to specify a value or specify an empty value, then you will need to click on the value field. Doing so displays your existing tag values and the option to use an empty value, as shown in Figure 3. Incidentally, AWS does provide you with the option of specifying multiple tags for a resource group.
[Click on image for larger view.] Figure 3: You must decide which tag values to include.
Finally, you have the option of limiting the resource group to a specific region and to specific resource types. By default, the resource group will span all regions and include all resource types, but you can set limits by clicking on the Regions or the Resource Types field and making a selection, as shown in Figure 4.
[Click on image for larger view.] Figure 4: You can specify the regions and resource types to include in the resource group.
When you finish populating the various fields, click Save to create the resource group. You can see what the resource group looks like in Figure 5.
[Click on image for larger view.] Figure 5: This is what a resource group looks like.


Visit the official site: http://itv.com/xfactor Danny Tetley returns to sing for Simon at The X Factor Auditions after 17 years and this time...he's not going.
documentary on this morning 2005.
Visit the official site: http://itv.com/xfactor Danny Tetley showed off his epic vocal range during Guilty Pleasures week, belting out Madonna's 'Crazy For You'.
pop idols Danny Tetley sings the journey hit live at Abbey Road Batley.
Danny Tetley belts out Jennifer Hudson's And I'm Telling You for Simon 17 years after first singing for him on Pop Idol.
dr phil tries to break into ur house, u have less than 1 minute to watch anything on YouTube, this is the video you choose.
Danny Tetley @ Barnsley Pride 2015 Mandela Gardens, Town Centre Sunday 6th September.


St. Paul, Minn. – Macalester graduating senior Esther Schlotterbeck from Lewiston, Maine, has received a fellowship with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) to teach language and pursue an internship in Germany.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) is a full year, reciprocal exchange program between the United States and Germany designed to strengthen ties and understanding between the people of both countries. The fellowship is annually awarded to 75 American and 75 German young professionals and is funded by the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress through the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
CBYX participants act as ambassadors of their home country and culture while immersing themselves in the academic, professional, and everyday life of their host culture. They have intensive language training, university study, an internship in a German-speaking work environment, and accommodation in a German home or student residence. The program provides participants with first-hand experience in many aspects of German life and culture. CBYX participants are between the ages of 18-24 and come from a wide range of career fields.
Schlotterbeck, who is majoring in Environmental Studies, has visited Germany several times. "I'm looking forward to continuing to study German and learn about some of the progressive environmental and social activism/politics that are happening there," she said.
The CBYX program consists of three main phases: intensive language training from Aug. – Sept., study phase from Oct. – Jan. and an internship from Feb. – June.
Once she returns to the U.S.? Schlotterbeck says her plans are still pretty open.


text:
Augustine, born Adam Ivanovich Markevich (Belarusian: Аўгусціна/Адам Іванавіч Маркевіч) on April 7, 1952, in the Gomel Oblast, is a Belarusian metropolitan bishop of the diocese of Belotserkovsky and Boguslavsky under the semi-autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He also served as bishop of the Lviv and Drohobych (changed to Lviv and Galicia in 1998) diocese from September 16, 1993, until being transmigrated to the diocese at Belotserkovsky and Boguslavsky on July 20, 2012, where he continues to serve today. He holds Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian citizenship, but resides with his diocese in Ukraine.

Early life and education
Markevich was born on April 7, 1952, in the Byelorussian SSR to what Markevich describes as "a priestly family", and in 1955 his father became a priest in Zhytomyr. His paternal grandfather was a soldier of the Red Army and had been killed during the Great Patriotic War. He graduated from high school in 1969, and studied medicine until 1971 when he graduated from medical school and moved to Ukraine to began working as a paramedic in Rivne during which time he began studying theology at the Moscow Theological Academy. He obtained his doctorate in theology from the university in 1982.

Clerical life
Markevich was ordained as a deacon and took the monastic vows in 1975, and a year later in 1976 was ordained as a presbyter by Metropolitan Vladimir of Dmitrov. From 1978 to 1992, he served priestly duties in Korosten, until he was anointed Bishop of Lviv and Drohobych on September 16, 1993. In 1996, he became an ambassador for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a position he still holds today. In 1998, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. In 2011, he consecrated the St. Volodymr Chapel in Antarctica. He was transmigrated to the diocese of Belotserkovsky and Boguslavsky on July 20, 2012, and was granted the rank of metropolitan a year later on November 23, 2013.

References

Living people
1952 births
Metropolitan bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
People from Gomel Region
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic people
Eastern Orthodox deacons
People from Korosten

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As a Brooklyn born & raised activist and a first generation American of Jamaican ancestry I work every day to lift up the voices & experiences of those most effected by racial injustice and white supremacy.
After organizing the NMOS14 vigil in Philadelphia, I created the Ferguson Response tumblr to connect nationwide efforts supporting the important racial justice movement started in Ferguson, MO. Since then I have expanded the Ferguson Response Network to provide additional support for organizers working to create lasting social change through sustained civil disobedience, civic action and grassroots community work focused primarily on Black Women.
In 2016 I created Safety Pin Box a monthly subscription service for white people striving to be better allies in the fight for Black Liberation running operations for the company through is dissolution in 2018. The recently launched Resist Univ includes the upcoming #AlliesInAction Bootcamp taking place in North Carolina in March 2019.
I speak nationally about connecting social media to social justice and facilitating movement building discussions. I specialize in facilitating workshops with organizations, groups and congregations who are working to dismantle white supremacy within their institutions, policies and procedures. I am also the Producer & Host of the Interracial Jawn Podcast. You can become a direct Patron of my work and access exclusive content here via Patreon!


text:
/*
 * windowMeanFilter.cpp
 *
 *  Created on: Jan 16, 2012
 *      Author: tlinder
 */

#include "WindowMeanFilter.h"

WindowMeanFilter::WindowMeanFilter(unsigned int windowSize, double threshold) {
	_maxWindowSize = windowSize;
	_threshold = threshold;
	sum = 0.0;

}

WindowMeanFilter::~WindowMeanFilter() {
	while (!rawData.empty()){
	  rawData.pop();
	}
}

double WindowMeanFilter::run(double newValue) {

	if ((abs(newValue - sum / rawData.size()) > _threshold) && (rawData.size() > 0)) {
		//if the new value is to different then the mean the replace it with the mean
		newValue = sum / rawData.size();
	}
	if (rawData.size() < _maxWindowSize) {
		//In this case the window size is not reached, so just fill the queue and do not drop any element
		sum += newValue;
		rawData.push(newValue);

	} else {
		//In this case the window size is reached, drop the first element of the queue and recomputed the sum
		sum -= rawData.front();
		sum += newValue;
		rawData.pop();
		rawData.push(newValue);
	}

	//return the mean
	return sum / rawData.size();
}

unsigned int WindowMeanFilter::windowSize() {
	return rawData.size();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Once you've submitted your custom order, it takes four to six weeks for our team to create your cycling apparel and ship it to your team or club. Please note that customs may take up to 72 hours to release your order.
Once shipped visit http://www.fedex.com/us, and enter your tracking number listed in the shipstation email sent directly to you.
A signature is required for this shipment, and FedEx will attempt to deliver your shipment three times. If FedEx cannot deliver the package after the third attempt and you do not tell them to hold the package at a certain location, they will send the order back to VIE13. We will then ship the order back to you, but we will have to charge you for the new shipping costs.
For customers who purchase retail items from our online store, VIE13 offers free ground shipping to the contiguous United States on all orders. If you require something other than ground shipping, the cost will be calculated based on the size and weight of your order and your chosen method of delivery. We offer customer pick up for local orders.
FedEx will not deliver to PO Box & AP/FPO addresses. We deliver to these addresses using United States Postal Service.
We do not accept orders shipped to PO Box & AP/FPO addresses in AK, HI, PR. For all orders shipped to these locations, please choose FedEx 2Day delivery.
VIE13 USA LLC reserves the right to recalculate incorrect orders to include price changes, taxes, shipping and handling, when applicable. Corrected invoices will be sent via email within 24 hours.
All orders are shipped based on the customer's chosen shipping method. Website orders received before 12 p.m. ET Monday thru Friday will be processed and shipped that same day. Orders received after 12 p.m. ET Monday thru Thursday will be processed and shipped the next business day. Orders received after 12 p.m. ET on Friday will be processed and shipped on the following Monday.
Please note any order placed before 12 p.m. ET on Friday and requests overnight shipping will incur additional charges for Saturday delivery. Please call the specific numbers on the home page for Saturday delivery pricing.


If luxury is what you want, luxury is what you will get with this beautiful 2013 Hunter 39'. This boat is in excellent conditions.
"Ohana Wa'a" is 39' 5", weighs 18,500 lbs, with 12' 11" beam and 5' draft. He has a fixed keel and pedestal steering. "Ohana Wa'a" also has an in mast furling system with rigid boom vang.
He sleeps 6 to 8 and has a headroom of 6'6".
A main and jib sail is included. A 2012 Yanmar 40HP Inboard diesel engine also comes with spectacular sailboat.
Many extras including vertical battens, mainsheet traveler on arch, 3 blade propeller, 120 amp alternator, stereo with CD, dura-leather cushions, cockpit cushions, stern rail seat cushions, dinette table with folding leaf, inner spring mattress, ocean air shades, automatic fire suppression system for engine, electric anchor windlass, bimini, dodger, refrigerator, raymarine ST60 wind machine, sirius receiver and antenna, bow and aft thrusters, tv with bose sound system, shore and water hook up.
Also 2 air conditioners, marine head quiet flush, roller furling jib, Gimbal stove, remote for vhf radio at the helm, and a bottom job in 2018.
This boat is a MUST SEE!!! Please call West Acess Marina at 618-594-2461 for an appointment to view this beauty, or any questions you may have.


text:
Why you cannot ignore practitioner listings on Google My Business (case study)
You may have a strong Google My Business listing, but what happens when individual practitioners at your location have their own listings? Columnist Joy Hawkins shares a case study detailing what happened when one such practitioner left her practice to go work elsewhere.
Joy Hawkins on July 14, 2016 at 10:05 am
Recently, a dermatologist in Hollywood, Florida, hired us for a consultation. He had three listings on Google My Business and wanted to know how to consolidate them. It turned out he actually had five, and the issues they were causing were a bit worse than he had realized.
When we started, I made a full list of his duplicates, and this was what we were looking at:
An unverified listing for his practice at an old address with 11 reviews.
A verified listing for his practice at the current address with 43 reviews.
An unverified listing for a doctor who no longer worked there.
Another unverified listing for another doctor who no longer worked there.
Another unverified listing for the practice at the current address with two reviews.
When he contacted me, he was aware of the three listings for his practice but was unaware of the listings for the two doctors who used to work for him. Many people don't think to look for these, but this is a huge oversight (as you'll see with this case study).
The first problem I discovered was that when you searched for his brand name on Google (Minars Dermatology), it returned one of the listings for the doctor who no longer worked for him. So instead of seeing the nice listing for his practice, users on Google were seeing this blank profile with no reviews for an employee who didn't even work there (right-hand side, below).
This became worse a few days later, when someone on Google Maps marked the listing as closed. Technically, according to Map Maker, this is the right thing to do for a listing that belongs to a professional who no longer works there (but did at some point). Now, his patients would see this when they searched for him:
Clearly not ideal. I reached out to Google My Business support and asked them what I should do with this listing. I knew I wanted to mark the listing as "moved" but wasn't sure if we should mark it as moved to the Minars Dermatology listing or to the new practice that the former employee now worked for.
Google responded that the best practice was to move it to the place where the former employee now works since this was "her" listing, and technically, she now works for this new practice. Red warning lights were flashing in my brain because I was terrified that if they did this, the new practice (a competitor) would now show up when someone Googled "Minars Dermatology."
As I feared, this is precisely what happened.
I instantly got a hold of Google again and asked them to undo this. I then got Google to agree that the correct decision here was to mark her listing as moved to the main practice listing for Minars Dermatology. As a result, they now had the correct listing showing up when someone searched for their brand.
After getting this sorted out, I consolidated all the other duplicates by having them marked moved. Duplicate #5 was merged (not moved), since the name, address and phone number were identical to the verified main listing.
I also requested that Google consolidate all the reviews for the practice's three listings. As a result, the practice went from having all their reviews split up across multiple listings to a single listing with 56 reviews!
Note that Google won't move reviews from a practitioner listing to a practice listing (unless it's a solo practitioner), but they will consolidate reviews for duplicate listings.
Here are the six main things I learned from this case:
1. Be aware of your practitioners' online presences
You should always be aware of the online presence of the doctors, lawyers and other professionals you work with and exactly what shows up when you search their names.
Some of you might be wondering, But what about the former employee? What happens when you search her name? As expected, it currently returns her old employer. This isn't an error on the algorithm's part, it's a failure on her part. This is why it's so important not to ignore practitioner listings.
In her case, Google has a ton of data on her from when she worked for Minars Dermatology, but they have next to no data for her on her new company (other than their website). Her listings on Vitals, Healthgrades and many other important niche citations still have her listed at her old company.
So all she would need to do to correct this is build up authority for the new Name, Address, Phone Number and Website combination that matches her current employment. Until she does that, Google will continue to show the best data they have on her, which, unfortunately, is inaccurate.
2. Practice listings and practitioner listings are connected
There is an internal feature that connects practitioner listings with practice listings. This is something I'd never heard of, but support told me that one of the reasons why her listing was showing when you searched "Minars Dermatology" was because internally it was connected to the practice listing. They compared it to the feature that exists that puts one listing inside another.
This isn't something that's publicly visible, so you would never know they were connected unless you asked Google My Business support.
3. Rankings are not impacted by moving listings
Moving a listing impacts what shows in the search results, but it doesn't impact ranking. When I had all the duplicates consolidated (moved and merged), there was no direct impact on the ranking of the practice for their main keywords.
Years ago, merging duplicates used to have a direct impact on ranking, but I haven't seen this since I discovered that they were treating merges and moves differently now by using 302 redirects.
4. Rankings are impacted by review consolidation
Consolidating reviews from duplicate listings does have a direct impact on ranking. Google took a few more days to get all the reviews moved onto the main practice listing, so I was able to track this. The moment all the reviews got put on the practice listing, the listing moved up from fourth to first for "Dermatologist Hollywood FL"!
5. Old, moved listings can still impact your local search visibility
It's extremely important to know that once a listing is marked as "moved," it becomes virtually impossible to find. Anyone staring at this situation today without all the information might be completely confused as to why Minars Dermatology shows up when you search for these old practitioners' names.
This is why it's essential for every professional working in Local SEO to have a very thorough understanding of how to treat duplicates and also to record the CID numbers for each listing they find. With the CID number, you can still see the listing for the former employee on Map Maker that we had moved. Without that info, you'd never be able to find it.
6. Listings for practitioners need to be kept with the practice they belong to
As you can see in this example, Google's idea that a practitioner "owns" their listing and therefore can just update it to list their new business works against the natural inclinations of the algorithm. The algorithm looks at a listing as a combination of Name, Address, Website and Phone Number. When you attempt to update a listing or associate it with a completely different address, phone number and website, things just break. What's left is the old NAP getting confused with the new NAP, which doesn't just hurt the listing, it hurts the old brand — a lot.
If Google is pushing you to move a practitioner listing to their new NAP information (at a competitor), don't do it unless you want a repeat of what I experienced here initially. It doesn't just associate the person to the new brand, it associates the old brand and their corresponding phone number and address with the new brand, which is not ideal whatsoever, considering they are most likely competitors.
Questions? I'd love to hear them, so feel free to ask me on Twitter or Google Plus.
Joy Hawkins
Joy is the owner of the Local Search Forum and Sterling Sky in Canada. She is also the author of The Expert's Guide to Local SEO, which is an advanced training manual for people wanting a detailed look at what it takes to succeed in the Local SEO space. She has been working in the industry since 2006. She is a faculty member at LocalU and enjoys speaking regularly at marketing conferences such as SMX, LocalU, Pubcon and State of Search. You can find her on Twitter or volunteering as a Product Expert on the Google My Business Forum.
Channel: LocalGoogleGoogle: Google My BusinessGoogle: Maps & LocalLocal Search ColumnSEO - Search Engine OptimizationSEO: Local


"Two Major Solo Exhibitions of Canadian Artists AA Bronson and Judy Radul"
The Power Plant, Canada�s leading non-collecting contemporary art gallery announces two major solo exhibitions of Canadian artists AA Bronson (Toronto/New York) and Judy Radul (Vancouver) for its winter season. AA Bronson has been at the forefront of a complicated investigation of the politics of media representation, public/private space, the languaging of the AIDS epidemic, and the performative body. Vancouver artist Judy Radul is presenting two video installations at The Power Plant, Empathy with the Victor (2001-03) and No One Must Know (2003), that explore the specificities of video, cinema and theatre performance.
At The Power Plant AA Bronson: The Quick and the Dead includes significant early photographic works such as Evidence of Body Binding (1971) and Mirror Sequences (1969-70), and recent and new work such as the Hanged Man (2002) series, a large scale bubble machine modeled after the HIV virus, and a 12 meter wall mural, titled * Healer, that was inspired by the Swiss monetary currency. Bronson's individual voice as an artist has been, for many years, subsumed within the influential artist group General Idea. Since the deaths of his two partners, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal in 1994, Bronson has struggled to develop other strategies for art-making. This important exhibition of one of Canada�s most respected contemporary artists represents Bronson's first major solo show in Canada in many decades. The exhibition is co-organized by The Power Plant's director Wayne Baerwaldt.
Judy Radul's No One Must Know, produced on-site at Harbourfront Centre in September of this year, shows Quebec actor-playwright Marie Brossard tracing in china marker the built environment of the lakeshore as it is reflected in a large mirror. While drawing the scene, she shares her thoughts with unwitting passers-by along Harbourfront�s lakeside promenade. The scene is inspired by and reminiscent of Pier Paulo Pasolini�s film Teorema (1968) in which an artist questions the nature of art and painting on glass. In both installations, Radul returns to a key moment in the separation and collusion of fine art and the moving image. Radul�s performances, installations, videos and books have been presented across Canada and Europe since 1984. The exhibition is curated by Wayne Baerwaldt.


A lifting fee is the transaction fee charged to the recipient of cash transferred through a wire transfer, which the recipient's bank or an intermediary bank imposes for handling the transaction. The term also applies to foreign bank processing fees, which may be applied to a variety of other financial transactions besides a wire transfer. Some banks charge lifting fees to recipients that are clearly excessive, in comparison to the service performed.
Since it is difficult to determine in advance the amount of a lifting fee that will be charged, the agreed amount of a transfer may cause confusion between the payer and payee, since the payee is clearly not receiving the expected amount.


text:
back to re-publica.com
The Motto
Stand Programme
educational leave
Accessibility & Inclusion
Become Helping Hand
The Code of Conduct
Andrew Harper
Director of the Division of Programme Support & Management
Andrew is the Director of the Division of Programme Support & Management with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. Prior to his current tasks, he led the Innovation Service in UNHCR and was leading and coordinating the international response to the Syrian Crisis in Jordan. Some of the main achievements included responding to, at the time, the largest refugee crisis in the world, the establishment of the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps, introducing biometric registration and the world's largest biometric based refugee cash assistance programme. Before his assignment to Jordan, Andrew was Head of Desk for UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva, covering the Iraq Situation for six years as well as being the Emergency Focal Point for the Middle East and North Africa region for the Libyan Crisis in 2011. In 2013 he received the ANZAC Peace Prize and the Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award. Andrew is married with three young daughters.
There is no programme yet. Please try again later.
The digital identity revolution – great hopes or deep concerns?
Data protection & privacy *


Gmote is a great Android application to turn your phone into a remote control for your computer. You can use it as a touchpad (which I think is the most useful) or you can use it as a media control. Playing music or videos on either the computer (via its own media player) or on your phone. What's great is that you can install it, easily, on Windows, Mac OS or Ubuntu.
First you need to install Gmote on your phone (can do this via the Market on your phone or by clicking this link).
Next you need to download the Gmote server on your computer, go to http://www.gmote.org/server. Then download the correct version, on either Windows or Mac OS you can then just install it in the usual way. Although it is just as easy (or maybe even easier) to install this on Ubuntu, there are just a couple of things I would do to make life easier.
You can then run gmote by running the script "GmoteServer.sh", however to speed this up (and to make your system a bit tidier) we first move the extracted folder to the home folder, and hide it. Obviously you can call the folder whatever you want, and move it to wherever you want. But if you do remember to modify the scripts we use later on accordingly.
Job done! Now just type gmote into a terminal to run Gmote and set it up!
This entry was posted in Google Feature and tagged Gmote, Google. Bookmark the permalink.


Low key zombie film is going to delight many and annoy others with it's realistic take on a zombie like outbreak.
The film plays out in a very realistic way. It begins with a man waking up in the back of deserted ambulance. His eyes are wrapped and he can't really see. Complicating matters is the fact he is handcuffed to a stretcher. He eventually gets free and eventually finds his way to a farm house. At the same time a pregnant police police officer heads off to work. She is unable to reach anyone on her radio. After her own set of adventures she too ends up at the house...they meet and have to stick together to survive.
That may not sound like a great deal but it is. The largely realistic turn of events is an unexpected take on the zombie/plague stories that are now almost a dime a dozen. Where normally things would be geared to the next big scare, DEADSIGHT works to how us what a story like this might entail. Journeys are long, compressed by editing. Pacing is deliberately slow to give us time to feel and ponder what it would be like in real life.
There is also almost no exposition, things just are. Yes we get some clues late in the game via a found medical chart, and a stray conversation, mostly though the talk is practical. Everything just is and we can read what we want into it. I know not knowing will kill some people,but at the same time it keeps it real since the characters don't really have to explain to each other, they are in the thick of things.
Yes there are your typical oozing creatures, but mostly there are the two people at the center. Liv Collins as the cop and Adam Seybold as the blind man give solid performances. They are not super human, they make mistakes, like firing too many bullets. We like them,even if we don't know a great deal about them. You may not think there is a great deal to their performances, but you have to consider that for the most part what they are doing is silent. Seybold and Collins don't meet for probably 30 minutes and something has to compel us to watch how things play out and the performances are a big part of it.
The film seems to be full of riffs on other zombie films, like the work of George Romero and TV series like the Walking Dead. Not steals or flashy look at me references, but small passing ones that act as echoes and a short hand of sorts that allow us to more fully understand what is going on and not simply be a list of thigs the filmmakers have seen.
I really like DEADSIGHT a great deal. It is a suspenseful, meaty thriller that doesn't throw logic and reason out the window, but keeps it close and uses it to create suspense in ways that most other films in the genre fail to do.
Highly recommended for any one who is tired of your typical zombie film and are happy with a tweaking of conventions at a leisurely pace.
DEADSIGHT plays Tuesday at the Blood in the Snow Film Festival.


text:
Home Where She Is Blog The Gay Christian Network's "weconnect" Women's Retreat
The Gay Christian Network's "weconnect" Women's Retreat
On Thursday, January 9, 2014, EEWC-CFT will partner with the Gay Christian Network (GCN) to present their second weconnect Women's Retreat. The half day event, held immediately before the start of GCN's 10th annual conference in Chicago, is open to any female-identified person who is registered for the GCN conference. The program fee for the weconnect retreat is an affordable $25 per person (in addition to the cost of conference registration). Retreat registration opens at 1:30 pm on January 9, and the retreat begins at 2:00 pm.
I'll be attending and reporting on the weconnect retreat as well as the entire conference. I've never attended a GCN event before so I'm eagerly anticipating the experience. Complete information on the 2014 Gay Christian Network conference, "Live it Out, "is available here.
The 2014 Gay Christian Network conference is presenting two headline speakers of particular note to Christian feminists, Rachel Held Evans, author and blogger, and Rev. Dr. Christine Wiley, pastor at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Washington D.C. Additionally, Kristyn Komarnicki, editor of Prism, the magazine published by Evangelicals for Social Action, will be presenting a workshop with John Backman. Their workshop has a really cool title, "Safety Tips for Crossing the Divide." I'm really looking forward to learning from them. (I first met Kristyn at The Justice Conference last February during the Christians for Biblical Equality dinner.)
The Gay Christian Network is a 501 (c) (3) organization started by Justin Lee in 2001. They report having over 23,500 members (GCN defines members as people who are registered on their website; there is no other membership requirement or fee). Read about their mission here. The one thing that has always intrigued me about GCN is that they make it a point to serve and support two distinct categories of LGBT people: (1) LGBT people who believe that a same-sex orientation is fully compatible with Christianity, and (2) LGBT people who believe that physically expressing one's same-sex attraction is inherently sinful, thus LGBT people should remain celibate. Both groups are made to feel welcome in the GCN community.
Samantha Hasty-Zander
GCN's membership has, over the years, been made up primarily of gay men, and consequently their conference attendees have been overwhelmingly male. Recently, GCN has started working to make membership and participation in their organization more attractive to people who identify as female. The Gay Christian Network's first full time female employee, Samantha Hasty-Zander, has been integral in that process, and she is the coordinator of the weconnect Women's Retreat.
The weconnect Women's Retreat will feature speakers, discussions, games, giveaways, and an all-female praise and worship band. Hasty-Zander stresses that her primary goal is building community and creating a safe space for conversation. She hopes the retreat will build lasting connections among GCN's female-identified attendees.
"Many of us face a sense of isolation. With most other minority groups families share in the minority status. They face issues together. This is very often not the case with LGBT people. Our families are not always there for us, so building connection becomes very important."
One need not identify as lesbian or trans to feel comfortable at the weconnect retreat. Samantha notes that allies are also welcome, in fact many of those in attendance will be mothers of LGBT children. She has intentionally selected speakers who will address a variety of life experiences.
Only in its second year, the weconnect retreat will be attended by more than 120 female-identified participants. Attendance last year exceeded expectations, and Samantha is delighted that registrations have already topped her projections for this year. Clearly women are hungry for the community and connection being created.
Later this month, I'll introduce you to weconnect's featured speaker Rev. Audrey Connor, and GCN board chairperson, Susan Shopland.
Index of Content on Christian Feminism Today
And There Was Singing (Sunday)
Rachel Held Evans' Presentation Summary (Saturday)
We are Broken (Friday)
There Will be Some Tears (Thursday)
weconnect – Introduction to GCN Board Chairperson Susan Shopland
weconnect – Interview with Susan Shopland, Part 1
weconnect – Introduction to Featured Speaker Reverend Audrey Connor
weconnect – Interview with Audrey Connor, Part 1
Gay Christian Network Website
Conference Twitter Feed Follow @gcnconf
The hashtags to use are #GCNConf and #weconnect
Gay Christian Network Facebook Page
An iPhone and Android app is available. Search for GCN Conference.
EEWC-CFT's social media reporting (starts January 9):
Twitter – @EEWC_CFT
Instagram – eewc-cft
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ChristianFeminismToday
Blog – Where She Is
Gay Christian Network
LGBTQIA Issues
Lē Isaac Weaver
Lē Weaver identifies as a non-binary writer, musician, and feminist spiritual seeker. Their work draws attention to: the ongoing trauma experienced by women and LGBTQIA people in this "Christian" society; Christ/Sophia's desire that each of us move deeper into our own practice of non-violence; and the desperate need to move away from an androcentric conception of God.
One Coin Found – How God's Love Stretches to the Margins
OtherWise Christian — A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation
UnUnited: LGBTQ Inclusion in the United Methodist Church
A Lamb's Exodus: Overcoming Religious Fundamentalism, Sexism, Racism, Fatphobia, and Conversion Therapy
Pride Month Interviews with LGBTQ+ Clergy
An Interview with Susan Cottrell
Lisa January 10, 2014 at 1:12 am
Great post, Marg. Looking forward to more.
About Where She Is
The author of Christian Feminism Today's Where She Is blog, Marg Herder, is a writer, musician, photographer, and sound artist interested in the exploration of the intersection between incarnation and Divinity.
Where She Is is a blog dedicated to illuminating manifestations of the Divine Presence here in our midst.
Like to receive each new Where She Is post in your email inbox? You can! Just enter your email address in the box below. You'll receive a confirmation email with a link to click (to confirm your subscription) after submitting your address here.
Silent Lives


ROME—President Benigno Aquino III and Pope Francis will meet on Friday morning at the Vatican, where the two leaders are expected to talk about the ongoing rehabilitation efforts for the survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) and the threat of terrorism, among others.
Aquino's private audience with the Holy Father is scheduled at 10 a.m. (5 p.m. in Manila) at the Apostolic Palace.
Their meeting takes place on the heels of presidential candidate Davao City Rodrigo Duterte's hurling an invective at Pope Francis for causing the massive traffic jam in Metro Manila during his Papal visit to the country in January.
Duterte has since backtracked after receiving flak from the predominantly Catholic electorate.
He claimed he was cussing the government, not the Pope, for its failure to implement a traffic management plan during the Papal visit. Duterte also implied he had been abused by priests at the Ateneo de Davao when he was a child.
President Aquino has yet to issue a statement on Duterte's latest antic.
The Philippines' Ambassador to the Holy See Merceditas Tuason will accompany President Aquino at the meeting with the Pope.
His Holiness Pope Francis will be accompanied by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with State Monsignor Seamus Horgan.
"The visit of President Benigno Aquino with Pope Francis at the Vatican is significant because it is a way of returning the thoughtfulness of the Holy Father in making a special journey to the Philippines. The President's visit is also a reminder to his Holiness that our thoughts and prayers are with him," Tuason told Radio TV Malacañang.
Aquino will have a separate meeting with Cardinal Parolin after his meeting with the Pope.
The President will also attend the unveiling and blessing of the Mosaic Image of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia at the Vatican Gardens.
A press conference with the Philippine media wraps up the President's six-day working visit to Paris, Rome, and the Vatican.
Aquino will fly back to Manila at 5 p.m. on Friday (12 midnight Saturday in Manila).


When you load a Company, you'll see Company News—the latest information about that Company from the web. Swipe left to right to view more stories. Above each story will be the name of the publication or source where the story was published.
When viewing a Company's profile, scroll down to view the company's executives, board members, and advisors. Swipe right to view your Contacts connected to that Company now or in the past.
From these views, you can tap each person's photo to view their Professional Summary.
If the information is available, you can view a Company's funding history. Funding History is organized by series, and displays the date, firms involved, and capital invested (if known).
Swipe up and down to see more information.
You can also see a Company's Stock Performance and Market Cap.
If you scroll down further, you can view the Company's Profit & Revenue and Analyst Consensus.
You can also view recent acquisitions the Company has made. If the information is available, Accompany shows the acquired company's name, the date of the acquisition, and the purchase price. Tap any acquisition to search for news about the acquisition.
If you scroll further, you can view related companies.


text:
OutspokenOut in the Wild
Simon Williamson: The ridiculous religious binary
Simon Williamson
Out in the Wild, Outspoken
One of the things I detest most in the world is the gender stencils we're forced into, robbing us of fabulous things we could have spent our childhood partaking in, like skirts and kissing boys. The gender binary is a bloody hideous tool with which our pliant society has been beaten, until recently.
But, dear friends, that is not the only binary that drives me madder than that whispery way Keira Knightley talks. The supposition that our people cannot be religious annoys me worse than a mosquito bite on the scrotum (we do some adventurous gardening).
I am surrounded by Christian homosexuals in my life, and to the degree I know, they are very secure in both their faith and their lives. I am not going to sit here and litigate what Christianity and its spokespeople say about same-gendered people banging, falling in love with and objectifying one another, but it is quite obvious that the two ideas are compatible to those who have thought about them.
Mike Huckabee, who I'm happy to see is doing worse in the presidential polls than Christian Slater is in movies, has recently gone on a hate binge about a rainbow packet of Doritos deserving a Christian equivalent. I'm not quite sure what he expects, but if it's a bread and fish flavor that lasts for 40 days and 40 nights, I'll buy the thing for novelty's sake. Huckabee, incorrect about so many things, has continued his trajectory into a black hole of perpetual wrongness by assuming that Christians are some sort of inverse of LGBT folks, creating the perfect opening for a pun scenario I choose not to exploit about how Jesus hung around with 12 men all the time.
This ugly turd of a scenario raised its pocked head when basketball player Jason Collins came out, and some gnomic windbag on ESPN began explaining to the world in whom and what Collins was entitled to believe.
Not only are our moral and sexual choices as LGBT people argued about by people who are not us, and not only do we need to get the highest court in the land to affirm for us the rights of marriage permitted to everyone else, we are also told explicitly what our religious beliefs are. Mike Huckabee and this ruptured testicle from ESPN are trying to dictate which religions gay people are welcome in, taking a job originally meant for, you know, Jesus and his colleagues Muhammad, Buddha and Vishnu.When I lived in London I knew plenty of queer Muslims, and Buddhism is something quite commonplace in the LGBT community nowadays (thanks hipsters). There are genuine Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, pagans, wiccans, Taoists, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, Jews and more who sit comfortably both in religion and on top of a penis.
We are quite capable of working out our own religious values. The fact that we have to navigate a world that tried to undo us from childhood means we've had our beliefs tested more than Common Core. When it comes to religion, we know what we are talking about, because we have been confronted so many times by a malleable media that loves to magnify absurdity.
We have absolutely no right to dictate the religious beliefs of anyone else, or have them dictated to us. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters, can I hear a "Hallelujah?"
buddhistsESPNgayHuckabeelgbtmuslimsqueerreligionrepublicans
Food Review: La Duranguense, exploding the palate one spice at a time
Charles Stephens: On the cruelty of our elders
Theater: 'The Full Monty' bares all in Cobb County
Cliff Bostock: Gay cuisine: Check out these dining spots for all stereotypes
Television's new 'Supernanny' visits gay family
The psychology of pop: Neon Tree's Tyler Glenn talks about coming out as a gay Mormon, new release


text:
Hike in retail marijuana tax is part of Denver's plan to turbo-charge its $15 million-a-year affordable housing fund
April 16, 2018 blogger affordable housing, Budget, Business, Colorado News, Denver City Council, Denver Housing Authority, Denver Politics, housing, housing affordability, Latest News, Local Politics, marijuana, marijuana sales, Medicial Marijuana, Michael Hancock, News, politics, Real Estate, Stop Smoking Marijuana, Stop Smoking Pot, Tax, weed, withdrawal
Denver marijuana buyers would help pay for an expansion of the city's 10-year, $150 million affordable housing fund under a plan that includes borrowing to amp up apartment production.
If approved, the proposal would boost the city's shorter-term plan — to subsidize the building or preservation of 3,000 income-restricted apartments and other housing units in the next five years — to 6,400.
Mayor Michael Hancock and other city officials have been under pressure from City Council members and affordable housing advocates for more than a year to bolster the city's commitment to addressing Denver's housing crisis, and they unveiled their plan Monday. If key components win council approval this summer, the city would double an annual $15 million commitment that began last year, and it would partner with the Denver Housing Authority to issue $105 million in bonds to subsidize affordable housing projects and acquire new land across the city for income-qualified housing.
The property-buying spree could expand the pipeline of affordable housing projects planned by private developers by supplying them with land.
Leaders of All In Denver, a group of housing advocates, developers and residents, have pushed for the city to step up its public investment by commissioning polls and floating proposals. Though Hancock's proposal wouldn't increase spending as much as the group had urged, a co-founder offered praise.
"It's a lot to like," said Brad Segal, the president of Progressive Urban Management Associates. "I think we're pleased that the city administration is taking the urgency of the housing crisis so seriously. DHA is a reliable delivery system, so I think that's a real strong component of their plan."
The group plans to delve into the details in coming weeks and may suggest some changes, but Segal was quick to add: "To me, it is a total game-changer, in how we're thinking about affordable housing, to have these new resources in play."
The expanded housing plan comes amid compliance problems in Denver's longstanding affordable homeownership program. The city recently acknowledged that nearly 200 homes in the program were owned by people whose eligibility wasn't verified under income guidelines because the home sales escaped the city's notice.
City officials said Hancock's plan, which mostly will benefit renters, represents a higher commitment to helping the estimated 80,000 households in the city that are considered cost-burdened because they spend more than 30 percent of their incomes on rent or other housing costs.
Money from marijuana, city budget
How to pay for the program's rapid expansion is where marijuana comes in. Denver has dipped into sales tax proceeds from pot sales to cover one-off expenses, including additional street paving this year, but the new housing plan marks the first time Hancock has sought to earmark recurring marijuana taxes for purposes other than industry regulation.
His administration proposes increasing the city's 3.5 percent special tax on recreational marijuana sales to 5.5 percent, which would bring the total state and local taxes on such purchases in Denver to 25.25 percent. The 2 percentage-point hike requires only council approval, since Denver voters capped the special local tax at 15 percent when they approved it in 2013.
The uptick in marijuana taxes is estimated to generate about $8 million a year, officials said. The city also would devote another $7 million a year from its operating budget.
Together, those would double the $15 million in proceeds expected annually from a property tax and development impact fees that were imposed by the council in 2016, when it approved the affordable housing fund's creation. City leaders' goal then was to supplement declining housing grants from the federal government with more stable local funding sources amid the housing affordability crunch.
To repay the $105 million or so in DHA-issued bonds over the next 20 years, the city would transfer the annual proceeds from a small property tax rate approved by the council two years ago.
That money, which had been going toward the affordable housing program, would in turn be replaced by the marijuana tax hike's proceeds.
Ashley Kilroy, the city's licensing and marijuana policy director, consulted marijuana industry representatives about the plan and said she received their support, a point confirmed by Marijuana Industry Group executive director Kristi Kelly. She attended the council briefing.
"We must thank our marijuana industry for stepping up to say we want to be part of the solution," Hancock said during an earlier briefing of reporters.
A large chunk of DHA's bond money would go toward accelerating its own planned housing projects, including the replacement and expansion of several aging DHA properties in Sun Valley and other neighborhoods.
In the housing fund's expansion, officials said much of the increased housing production would target the lowest-income category of potential residents, from the homeless to those making up to 30 percent of the metro area's median household income.
For an individual, that income limit currently is $18,900 a year. For a family of four, it is $26,960 — an income level that includes a lot of families in the working poor, Councilwoman Robin Kniech pointed out during a committee briefing about the plan Monday morning.
Besides subsidizing DHA and private-sector projects, the proposed infusion of public money also would aid existing and planned programs geared toward low- and moderate-income families faced with rising rents or displacement, when properties are redeveloped. A recently approved five-year city housing plan outlined strategies to help people across a broad spectrum, from the homeless to homeowners.
Questioning elements of the plan
City economic development and finance officials, along with DHA executive director Ismael Guerrero, were met by council members with a generally positive reception Monday.
But Kniech was among several who expressed concerns about various components of the plan — pointing to a likelihood that it could evolve in coming months as the Hancock administration seeks public input.
Kniech, an at-large council member, pointed out several uncertainties in the new proposal, including the commitment to transfer $7 million more per year from the city's budget to the affordable housing fund.
Comparing Hancock's plan to the alternative of a bond question put to voters, which would dedicate tax money for repayment, Kniech said: "The biggest difference is the general fund risk of political winds changing and the budget changing. I would like to invite more dialogue on how we get that piece more secured."
Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, who represents far-northeast Denver, said the housing assistance needs in her district center on families who pull in more moderate incomes. She suggested that an expansion that focuses heavily on the lowest-income category could be a hard sell, though officials stressed the other recently planned programs have favored households making up to 80 percent of the area median income (about $72,000 a year for a family of four).
As the council considers new financial moves, the unreliability of one key past projection troubled Councilwoman Kendra Black, who represents far-southeast Denver.
She noted that the development impact fees approved in 2016 so far are generating a fraction of the projected proceeds, partly as a result of a rush to file development plans before the fees took effect. City officials set aside an extra $6.8 million from the budget this year, mostly to cover lagging impact fees that are expected to bring in only $1.5 million this year. Officials also call those linkage fees.
"I'm curious about how we got the linkage fee estimates so terribly wrong," she said to Brendan Hanlon, the city's chief financial officer.
He said the fees have been rising more slowly than expected but should increase as development projects that have been in the permitting stages proceed to construction, since the fees are paid at the end of the city review process.
Here is the city presentation given to the Denver City Council on Monday:
affordable housing, Budget, Business, Colorado News, Denver City Council, Denver Housing Authority, Denver Politics, housing, housing affordability, Latest News, Local Politics, marijuana, marijuana sales, Michael Hancock, News, politics, Real Estate, Tax
Position statement: Avoid using medical marijuana to treat sleep apnea El Paso deputies confiscate $13M worth of marijuana, guns in first three months of black market crackdown


British made, slate-bed Pool Table by Gatley Leisure. A freeplay table with the durability of a coin-op model, this is a table for serious players and is suited to both the home and commercial environment.
The table is modelled on the traditional pub Pool Table with a wedge body, sturdy legs and protective chrome corner plates. The body is constructed from robust MDF and is available in a white or black finish.
The Gatley Club Pool Table features a one-piece 3/4 inch slate bed that provides a professional-level playing surface for optimum playing performance. The slate is then covered in top quality Hainsworth cloth and professional cushion rubbers are fitted for superb ball bounce and response.
Gatley Leisure Pool Tables are made to order and can therefore be customised to suit your requirements. There is a choice on both the laminate finish and the cloth colour.
The robust MDF frame can be finished with either a black or white laminate. The slate is then covered with top-of-the-range West of England or Hainsworth cloth in a choice of 4 colours: blue, burgundy, green or red.
Gatley Pool Tables are typically made to order and can take up to 8 weeks before delivery. Our standard delivery service is free of charge and is a kerb-side delivery service only. Table assembly and set up would be the customer's responsibility.
A professional installation service is also available for an additional cost. If you opt for this service, then our team of professional table fitters will deliver and install your table. They will ensure that the table is assembled correctly and securely and that the playing surface is levelled for optimum performance.