text:
RIBIT
House Bill #5251 (2019)
AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS - ELECTROLYSIS
Establishes the requirements for licensure and regulation of electrologists performing electrolysis and/or laser hair removal.
View latest version | View original version
View status on official RI website
2019-01-31: Introduced, referred to House H.E.W.
2019-02-15: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (02/27/2019) [Show]
2019-02-27: Committee recommended measure be held for further study
2019-05-24: Scheduled for consideration
2019-05-24: Scheduled for consideration (05/29/2019) [Show]
2019-05-24: Proposed Substitute
2019-05-29: Committee recommends passage of Sub A
2019-05-31: Placed on House Calendar (06/05/2019) [Show]
2019-06-05: House passed Sub A
2019-06-06: Referred to Senate Health and Human Services
2019-06-11: Committee recommends passage of Sub A in concurrence
2019-06-25: Placed on Senate Calendar (06/26/2019) [Show]
2019-06-25: Placed on Senate Calendar
2019-06-27: Senate passed Sub A in concurrence
2019-07-03: Transmitted to Governor
2019-07-08: Signed by Governor
Changes since original draft
2019 – H 5251
2019 – H 5251 SUBSTITUTE A
LC001024/SUB A
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019
A N A C T
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY- DELEGATION OF NON-ABLATIVE
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Vella-Wilkinson, Lima, O'Brien, and
RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS - ELECTROLYSIS
Azzinaro
Date Introduced: January 31, 2019
Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled "HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
DELEGATION OF NON-ABLATIVE TREATMENTS
23-95-1. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Delegate" means a person tasked by a licensed health care professional or a medical director performing non-ablative treatment.
(2) "Department" means the Rhode Island department of health.
(3) "Electrologist" means a person who is licensed by the department to perform electrolysis.
(4) "Electrolysis'' means the method of removing hair from the human body by the application of an electrical current or any other form of energy to the hair-papilla or other source of hair germination by means of a needle or any other instrument or device to cause decomposition, coagulation, dehydration or other form of tissue destruction, to permanently disable the hair follicle from producing hair.
(5) "Laser light" means an intense, coherent, directional beam of light produced by stimulated emission of photons; the word laser shall mean the acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
(6) "Laser hair removal" means using laser light to perform hair removal or reduction, or electrolysis performed with laser light.
(7) "Licensed health care professional" means an advanced practical nurse practitioner or physician assistant licensed in Rhode Island, who is allowed to perform surgery within the scope of their licensed practice.
(8) "Medical director" means a Rhode Island licensed physician.
(9) "Non-ablative treatment" means any laser or intense pulsed light treatment or treatment by another energy source, chemical, or modality that is not expected or intended to remove, burn, or vaporize tissue. The term "non-ablative treatment" shall not include treatments related to electrolysis or laser hair removal if those treatments are performed by a licensed electrologist.
(6) "Supervision" means the overseeing of the delegated non-ablative treatment performed by a delegate. Supervision shall only be provided by a licensed health care professional or a medical director.
23-95-2. General restrictions.
(a) The use of a laser or energy-based device that is expected or intended to remove, burn, or vaporize the live epidermal surface of the skin is surgery and may only be performed by a licensed health care professional or medical director who is allowed to perform surgery within the scope of their licensed practice and may not be delegated.
(b) Non-ablative treatment may be performed by a delegate if the treatment has been delegated, the delegating licensed health care professional or medical director provides the appropriate supervision, and the delegate has met the necessary training requirements.
23-95-3. Delegation of non-ablative treatment.
(a) Prior to delegating the performance of a non-ablative treatment, the delegating licensed health care professional or medical director shall perform the initial assessment of the patient to determine which treatment is appropriate for the patient and determine the settings on the chosen device.
(b) Prior to delegating the performance of a non-ablative treatment, the delegating licensed health care professional or medical director shall ensure that the delegate has satisfactorily met the training requirements and that the treatment is within the scope of practice for the delegate's profession. The delegating licensed health care professional or medical director is responsible for ensuring that the delegate performing the treatment has demonstrated sufficient proficiency for each non-ablative treatment performed.
(c) Prior to the performance of a delegated non-ablative treatment, the delegating licensed health care professional or medical director shall inform the patient about the training and qualifications of who will be performing the treatment. This notice may be written or verbal.
(d) A licensed health care professional or medical director may delegate the performance of a non-ablative treatment through the use of a written protocol developed by the medical director. The written protocol shall provide, at a minimum:
(1) The identification of the devices and settings to be used;
(2) A description of appropriate care and follow-up for common complications, injuries, or adverse reactions that may result from the treatment, including a plan to manage medical emergencies;
(3) A description of the treatment plan to be followed for each non-ablative treatment delegated under the written protocol, including the method to be used for documenting decisions, communicating with the delegating licensed health care professional, and recording all treatment provided in the patient's record; and
(4) A quality assurance plan for monitoring care provided by the delegate including patient care review and any necessary follow-up.
(e) The written protocol shall be annually reviewed by the delegating licensed health care professional or medical director and the delegate and updated as necessary. The written protocol shall be provided to the department or to any patient, upon request.
23-95-4. Supervision.
A delegate may only perform a delegated non-ablative treatment under the supervision of a licensed health care professional or medical director. Supervision requires a licensed health care professional or medical director to be immediately available and able to respond promptly to any question or problem that may occur while the treatment is being performed.
23-95-5. Training.
(a) A licensed health care professional or medical director who delegates the performance of a non-ablative treatment shall be able to document to the department, upon request, the completion of appropriate training in the physics, safety, and surgical techniques involved in the use of laser and energy-based devices capable of damaging living tissues. This training should include an extensive understanding of cutaneous medicine and surgery, the indications and contraindications for such procedures, the pre- and post-operative care involved in treatment, as well as the treatment of complications associated with these devices.
(b) For each non-ablative treatment to be performed, it is the responsibility of the delegating licensed health care professional or medical director to ensure that the delegate is appropriately trained in the indications and contraindications and the pre- and post-operative care involved in treatment.
23-95-6. Violations and enforcement.
Failure to comply with any provision under this chapter or knowingly delegating a non- ablative treatment other than as authorized under this chapter shall constitute unprofessional conduct pursuant to the licensing statute under which the delegating licensed health care professional practices.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. ======== LC001024 ========
SECTION 1. The title of Chapter 5-32 of the General Laws entitled "Electrolysis" is hereby amended to read as follows:
CHAPTER 5-32
ELECTROLYSIS AND LASER HAIR REMOVAL
SECTION 2. Sections 5-32-1, 5-32-2, 5-32-3 and 5-32-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-32 entitled "Electrolysis" are hereby amended to read as follows:
5-32-1. "Electrolysis" defined.Definitions.
(1) "Electrologist" means a person who is licensed by the department of health to perform electrolysis and/or laser hair removal.
(2) For the purposes of this chapter, electrolysis is defined as "Electrolysis" means the method of removing hair from the human body by the application of an electrical current or any form of energy to the hair-papilla or hair germination by means of a needle or needles any other instrument or device to cause decomposition, or coagulation, of the hair-papilla and thus permanently remove the hair dehydration or other form of tissue destruction, to permanently disable the hair follicle from producing hair.
(3) "Laser" means the acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
(4) "Laser hair removal" means using laser light to perform hair removal or reduction or electrolysis performed with laser light.
(5) "Laser light" means an intense, coherent, directional beam of light produced by stimulated emission of photons.
5-32-2. Penalty for unlicensed practice.
Every person who subsequently engages in the practice of electrolysis in this state without being licensed by the board of examiners in electrolysis is practicing illegally and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) one hundred dollars ($100) and every day of the continuation of illegal practice is a separate offense.
5-32-3. Certificates – Applications – Penalty for violations.
The division of professional regulation of the department of health shall issue certificates to practice electrolysis and laser hair removal, as defined in this chapter, to any persons that comply with the provisions of this chapter. Any person who desires to engage in that practice shall submit, in writing, in any form that is required by the board, an application for a certificate to engage in that practice. The application shall be accompanied by a fee as set forth in § 23-1-54. Any person, firm, corporation or association violating any of the provisions of this chapter commits a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200), or imprisoned for a period not to exceed three (3) months, or both the fine and imprisonment.
5-32-4. Qualifications of applicants.
Licenses to engage in the practice of electrolysis and laser hair removal shall be issued to the applicants who comply with the following requirements:
(1) Are citizens or legal residents of the United States.
(2) Have attained the age of eighteen (18) years.
(3) Have graduated from a high school or whose education is the equivalent of a high school education.
(4) Have satisfactorily completed a course of training and study in electrolysis, as a registered apprentice under the supervision of a licensed Rhode Island electrologist who is qualified to teach electrolysis to apprentices as prescribed in § 5-32-20, or has graduated from a school of electrolysis after having satisfactorily completed a program consisting of not less than six hundred fifty (650) hours of study and practice in the theory and practical application of electrolysis. That apprenticeship includes at least six hundred and fifty (650) hours of study and practice in the theory and practical application of electrolysis within a term of nine (9) months; provided, that the apprentice registers with the division of professional regulation of the department of health upon beginning his or her course of instruction, and the licensed person with whom they serve that apprenticeship keeps a record of the hours of that instruction, and, upon the completion of that apprenticeship, certifies that fact to the board of examiners in electrolysis.
(5) Is of good moral character.
(6) Passes an examination approved by the department of health.
SECTION 3. Chapter 5-32 of the General Laws entitled "Electrolysis" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
5-32-21. Practice of laser hair removal.
(a) A person licensed as an electrologist before July 1, 2019, who has practiced laser hair removal under the supervision of a medical director for not less than two (2) years and has conducted at least one thousand (1,000) laser hair removal treatments, whichever is later, with no disciplinary complaints that were found to be actionable by the department resulting in the suspension of a license, shall be permitted to practice electrology and laser hair removal without medical director oversight. The department may reinstate the requirement to perform laser hair removal under the supervision of a medical director for a period of two (2) years as part of a disciplinary settlement; provided, however, that the department shall not require the medical director to be located on-site, but shall be available for consultation.
(b) A person licensed as an electrologist after July l, 2019, shall practice laser hair removal only under the supervision of a medical director, who shall not be required to be located on-site, but who shall be available for consultation. A licensed electrologist, upon completion of two (2) years of practice under the supervision of a medical director, may submit an application to the department certifying the following:
(1) Completion of two (2) years of laser hair removal treatment of patients under the oversight of a medical director;
(2) Completion of one thousand (1,000) patient laser hair removal treatments; and
(3) American Electrology Association Board certification.
An electrologist meeting the foregoing criteria shall be exempt from the requirement to practice laser hair removal under the supervision of a medical director. The department may reinstate the requirement to perform laser hair removal under the supervision of a medical director for a period of two (2) years as part of a disciplinary settlement; provided, however, that the medical director shall not be required to be located on-site, but shall be available for consultation.
(c) All equipment used for laser hair removal shall comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the United States Food and Drug Administration.
(d) An electrologist shall maintain a complete record of receipt, transfer, and disposal for each device used for electrolysis and laser hair removal, which shall be in writing or capable of reproduction in written form, and shall, at a minimum, contain the following data:
(1) Manufacturer's name;
(2) Model and serial number of the device;
(3) Date of the receipt, transfer, or disposal;
(4) Name and address of the person the device was received from, transferred to, or to whom the device was transferred for disposal; and
(5) Name of the person recording the information.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
This act would appropriate procedures regulating the delegation of non-ablative treatment, otherwise known as any laser or intense pulsed light treatment or treatment by another energy source, chemical, or modality that is not expected or intended to remove, burn, or vaporize tissue.
This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC001024 ========
This act would establish the requirements for licensure and regulation of electrologists performing electrolysis and/or laser hair removal.
This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC001024/SUB A ========
NOTE: Electronic voting records are unofficial and may not be accurate. For an official vote tally, check the House or Senate Journal from the day of the vote.
Floor vote for PASSAGE
June 05, 2019 at 4:31pm
Yeas: 68 / Nays: 4 / Not voting: 3 / Recused: 0
Rep. Abney Y
Rep. Ackerman Y
Rep. Ajello Y
Rep. Almeida Y
Rep. Alzate Y
Rep. Amore NV
Rep. Azzinaro Y
Rep. Barros Y
Rep. Bennett Y
Rep. Blazejewski Y
Rep. Caldwell Y
Rep. Canario Y
Rep. Carson Y
Rep. Casey Y
Rep. Casimiro Y
Rep. Cassar Y
Rep. Chippendale Y
Rep. Cortvriend Y
Rep. Corvese Y
Rep. Costantino Y
Rep. Craven Y
Rep. Diaz Y
Rep. Donovan Y
Rep. Edwards Y
Rep. Fellela Y
Rep. Filippi Y
Rep. Fogarty Y
Rep. Handy Y
Rep. Hawkins Y
Rep. Hull Y
Rep. Jackson Y
Rep. Jacquard Y
Rep. Johnston Y
Rep. Kazarian Y
Rep. Kennedy Y
Rep. Kislak NV
Rep. Knight Y
Rep. Lima Y
Rep. Lombardi Y
Rep. Lyle Y
Rep. Maldonado Y
Rep. Marszalkowski Y
Rep. Mattiello Y
Rep. McEntee Y
Rep. McKiernan NV
Rep. McLaughlin Y
Rep. McNamara Y
Rep. Mendez Y
Rep. Messier Y
Rep. Millea Y
Rep. Morin Y
Rep. Nardone Y
Rep. Newberry N
Rep. Noret Y
Rep. O'Brien Y
Rep. Phillips Y
Rep. Place N
Rep. Price Y
Rep. Quattrocchi N
Rep. Ranglin-Vassell Y
Rep. Roberts N
Rep. Ruggiero Y
Rep. Serodio Y
Rep. Serpa Y
Rep. Shanley Y
Rep. Shekarchi Y
Rep. Slater Y
Rep. Solomon Y
Rep. Speakman Y
Rep. Tanzi Y
Rep. Tobon Y
Rep. Ucci Y
Rep. Vella-Wilkinson Y
Rep. Walsh Y
Rep. Williams Y
Floor vote for Passage In Concurrence
Sen. Algiere Y
Sen. Archambault Y
Sen. Bell Y
Sen. Cano Y
Sen. Ciccone Y
Sen. Conley Y
Sen. Coyne Y
Sen. Crowley Y
Sen. Cruz Y
Sen. DiPalma Y
Sen. Euer Y
Sen. Felag Y
Sen. Gallo Y
Sen. Goldin Y
Sen. Goodwin Y
Sen. Lawson Y
Sen. Lombardi Y
Sen. Lombardo N
Sen. Lynch Prata Y
Sen. McCaffrey Y
Sen. McKenney Y
Sen. Metts Y
Sen. Miller Y
Sen. Morgan N
Sen. Murray Y
Sen. Nesselbush Y
Sen. Paolino Y
Sen. Pearson Y
Sen. Picard Y
Sen. Quezada Y
Sen. Raptakis Y
Sen. Rogers Y
Sen. Ruggerio Y
Sen. Satchell Y
Sen. Seveney Y
Sen. Sheehan Y
Sen. Sosnowski Y
Sen. Valverde Y
Created by @rofreg as a public service. Data via rilegislature.gov. Icon by Iconic.


That escalated quickly. When new Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola dared to drop England No.1™ Joe Hart to the bench in his first Premier League match in charge, it took barely two days for rumours of Hart's apparently impending exit to form, grow and swirl around Eastlands. And when Willy Caballero, who turns 35 next month, was also picked to start City's Champions League play-off against Steaua Bucharest, even more tongues started wagging.
Reports of a doomed relationship between manager and goalkeeper are premature, despite the credible suggestion that Guardiola distrusts Hart's distribution, but it seems suddenly plausible that Manchester City may lose their hitherto first-choice keeper. It's fair to say 2016 hasn't really been Hart's year.
So what next for the Shrewsbury-born stopper? Here are five options he might consider.
A number of clubs would perhaps have stayed their hand this summer had Hart's potential availability surfaced sooner. Everton are one.
Finding a reliable, top-quality goalkeeper was top of Ronald Koeman's to-do list at Goodison Park when he arrived this summer, with the increasingly erratic Tim Howard having been ushered across the pond and Joel Robles looking occasionally impressive but ultimately inconsistent. Koeman opted to give a three-year contract to countryman and journeyman Maarten Stekelenburg, having brought the 33-year-old to Southampton on loan last season, and with whom he coincidentally shares an agent.
Stekelenburg enjoyed a fine Toffees debut against Spurs, but after several years on the sidelines for club and country he doesn't resemble a No.1 to match the ambition of Everton's new owners. Hart would undoubtedly be an upgrade.
As for Hart himself, he doesn't lack self-belief and would back himself to start regularly at Goodison. A move there, perhaps initially on loan, could benefit all parties provided he could accept a lack of (immediate) European football.
…and in the red corner, a team with five senior goalkeepers on the books already. Yet they still could be interested.
Not unlike their Merseyside rivals, Liverpool have taken a quantity-over-quality approach to filling a hole in nets. Simon Mignolet could be the dictionary definition of 'unconvincing' and his would-be replacement Loris Karius has a broken hand, prompting the emergency signing of Alex Manninger, who made his debut when Karius was two years old. The promising Danny Ward is on loan in the Championship; so is Adam Bogdan, but for very different reasons.
All in all, then, loaning Hart while Ward improves and Karius recovers would arguably make sense. Hart could even return to City midway through the season if necessary without being cup-tied in Europe.
Hart's presumed expectation of Champions League football has seen Sevilla proposed as a potential destination.
They, too, look vulnerable in goal. While 22-year-old Sergio Rico did go to Euro 2016 with Spain, his place in Sevilla's line-up isn't totally secure. Hart would be a leftfield addition, but potentially a good one.
It seems less likely that Hart would be willing to move overseas. English players need encouragement to dip their toe in foreign waters as it is, and there have been precious few success stories at the top level in recent years. However, options in England that come with a promise of European football are in short supply.
If Hart could persuade himself to try this Abroad place that everyone keeps mentioning, then Gladbach could be a tempting proposition.
The German club can offer Champions League football (barring a monumental balls-up in the home leg of their play-off round tie against Young Boys after winning 3-1 in Switzerland) and the inevitable pay cut wouldn't necessarily be so severe after they received some £30m from Arsenal for Granit Xhaka.
Gladbach's No.1, Yann Sommer, hasn't been reticent about upping sticks himself. He's previously talked up a potential move to England, and seemed disheartened by – or jealous of – Xhaka's departure.
Hart may also want to watch the Champions League play-off between Monaco and Villarreal: the latter have seen Spain international Sergio Asenjo struggle with a serious injury, and both of their replacements look sub-par. Monaco boast two decent keepers in Croatia international Danijel Subasic and Italian veteran Morgan De Sanctis, but at least Hart could live in Monte Carlo.
Well, why not? If Hart wants to show his mettle, ambition and class, now's the time. Apart from anything else, England boss Sam Allardyce (nope, it still sounds weird) would appreciate a sign that his leading goalkeeper is willing to fight for a place after his bad summer.
Guardiola hasn't exactly shown Hart the door. After his side's win over Sunderland, the Manchester City manager recognised that Hart was "not happy" to be dropped but also that no player should be.
With many other managers, that might sound hollow. Pshaw, we cry, he's making up a reason – you pick your best goalkeeper at all times, tactics be damned. But Guardiola, the obstinate trainer and, yes, obsessive tactician, isn't other managers.
It is entirely feasible that he'd pick a goalkeeper based on his having had more opportunities to train in the desired system. This is Guardiola, for goodness' sake: he's already turning Aleksandar Kolarov into a centre-half, and liking the results.
This isn't necessarily the end of the road for Joe Hart at Manchester City. But if things are going that way, then he needs to show his new boss he can follow directions – or start looking for a new destination.


By Keith Cowing on September 21, 2010 2:53 PM.
"As of March 2010 the Agency did not have an updated or complete IPv6 transition plan as required by OMB. This occurred, in part, because the Agency has ample IPv4 addresses to meet its current and future requirements and because the individual who was leading the IPv6 transition effort left NASA in November 2006 and no one has been assigned to replace him. As a result, the Agency does not have adequate assurance that it has considered all necessary transition elements or that the security and interoperability of its systems will not be affected as other Government agencies and entities transition to IPv6. Accordingly, even if NASA can continue meeting its communication needs using IPv4 addresses, it should ensure that its systems are prepared as other Internet users transition to IPv6."
"Although the Agency concurred with that recommendation, NASA decided to implement a single Agency-wide inventory instead of Center-level inventories, which delayed implementation until at least September 2010. In this review, we found that the lack of complete and up-to-date inventories is a barrier to effective monitoring of IT security controls. Accurate inventory lists increase the effectiveness of an IT security program by providing a means to verify that 100 percent of the computers in the Agency's network are subject to configuration, vulnerability, and patch monitoring. Until NASA establishes a complete inventory of its network resources, Centers will be unable to fully implement these key IT security controls and NASA's IT security program will not be fully effective in protecting the Agency's valuable IT resources from potential exploitation."
"We found that NASA's IT security program had not fully implemented key FISMA requirements needed to adequately secure Agency information systems and data. For example, we found that only 24 percent (7 of 29) of the systems we reviewed met FISMA requirements for annual security controls testing and only 52 percent (15 of 29) met FISMA requirements for annual contingency plan testing. In addition, only 40 percent (2 of 5) of the external systems we reviewed were certified and accredited."
Status of NASA's Transition to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6), NASA OIG\n\n\"As of March 2010 the Agency did not have an updated or complete IPv6 transition plan as required by OMB. This occurred, in part, because the Agency has ample IPv4 addresses to meet its current and future requirements and because the individual who was leading the IPv6 transition effort left NASA in November 2006 and no one has been assigned to replace him. As a result, the Agency does not have adequate assurance that it has considered all necessary transition elements or that the security and interoperability of its systems will not be affected as other Government agencies and entities transition to IPv6. Accordingly, even if NASA can continue meeting its communication needs using IPv4 addresses, it should ensure that its systems are prepared as other Internet users transition to IPv6.\"\n\nInformation Technology Security: Improvements Needed in NASA's Continuous Monitoring Processes, NASA OIG\n\n\"Although the Agency concurred with that recommendation, NASA decided to implement a single Agency-wide inventory instead of Center-level inventories, which delayed implementation until at least September 2010. In this review, we found that the lack of complete and up-to-date inventories is a barrier to effective monitoring of IT security controls. Accurate inventory lists increase the effectiveness of an IT security program by providing a means to verify that 100 percent of the computers in the Agency's network are subject to configuration, vulnerability, and patch monitoring. Until NASA establishes a complete inventory of its network resources, Centers will be unable to fully implement these key IT security controls and NASA's IT security program will not be fully effective in protecting the Agency's valuable IT resources from potential exploitation.\"\n\nReview of NASA's Management and Oversight of Its Information Technology Security Program, NASA OIG\n\n\"We found that NASA's IT security program had not fully implemented key FISMA requirements needed to adequately secure Agency information systems and data. For example, we found that only 24 percent (7 of 29) of the systems we reviewed met FISMA requirements for annual security controls testing and only 52 percent (15 of 29) met FISMA requirements for annual contingency plan testing. In addition, only 40 percent (2 of 5) of the external systems we reviewed were certified and accredited.\"
This page contains a single entry by Keith Cowing published on September 21, 2010 2:53 PM.
OIG: NASA Doesn't Understand Its Own TDRSS Pricing was the previous entry in this blog.
Robert Truax is the next entry in this blog.


text:
Mother and baby homes inquiry has cost €3.73m to date
Commission is investigating allegations of abuse at institutions between 1922 and 1998
Fri, Dec 30, 2016, 01:00
Sarah Bardon
Judge Yvonne Murphy is chairing a commission of inquiry into mother-and-baby homes.
The commission of investigation into the Mother and Baby homes has cost €3.73 million to date.
The commission, which was established in February 2015, is tasked with investigating allegations of abuse at 14 institutions and four county homes between 1922 and 1998.
Figures released to The Irish Times show the costs of the inquiry, which is chaired by Judge Yvonne Murphy, were €1,485,676 in 2015 and will reach a further €2 million this year.
The majority of the monies has been spent on pay, with salary costs reaching €1.7 million over past two years.
Operational costs formed a significant part of the commission's budget, reaching €414,628 this year and €267,357.
A confidential committee, which meets survivor groups and those who worked in the homes, has been shaping the commission's work.
Agreement was reached in late 2015 that expenses would be provided to witnesses who gave evidence to the committee.
The bill for payments to more than 150 such witnesses was €23,404 in 2015 and €67,864 this year.
That is expected to rise in 2017 with meetings of the confidential committee due to take place in a number of locations in the United Kingdom.
Republic of Shame: Read this book now
The unknown adoption home in Blackrock, Dublin
Tuam survivor: 'I didn't know who I was'
In addition the Department of Children has incurred costs of €400,000 for its role in assisting the commission.
The commission, which was established by the former minister for children James Reilly, was due to report back earlier this year.
However, it was granted an extension by the Government and will now not present its findings to the Government until February 2018.
Three individual reports will be delivered to the Minister for Children Katherine Zappone.
Only 14 institutions and four county homes across the country fall within the commission's terms of reference.
The terms include an investigation into high mortality rates recorded in these institutions, the living conditions and social care arrangements in the homes and the exit arrangements made for single women and children on leaving.
The commission will have the power to investigate alleged forced and illegal adoptions from the homes and the relationships between the institutions and children's homes, orphanages and adoption societies.
It will also investigate postmortem practices including the reporting of deaths, burial arrangements and the transfer of remains to educational institutions for anatomical examinations.
A spokesman for the Department said: "The Commission was established by Government on the 17th February 2015 and has offices on lower Baggot Street, Dublin 4.
"The costs associated with this Commission are met from the Vote of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
"Since its establishment in 2015 the Commission has incurred costs of approximately €3.326 million (to mid-December 2016).
"It is anticipated that the Commission's total expenditure for 2016 will be in the region of €2 million.
"In addition, the Department has also incurred additional costs of approximately €0.405 million to date in supporting the establishment and operation of the Commission."
The terms of reference of the inquiry have been criticised strongly by those representing the survivors of the mother and baby homes.
They believe the commission should extend its scope and report back within an earlier timeframe.
James Reilly
Katherine Zappone
Yvonne Murphy
Department Of Children
Department of Children and Youth Affairs
Tuam home survivors want DNA samples to be taken
Deadline extension for mother-and-baby commission 'necessary', says Zappone
Minister urged to refuse mother and baby home commission request for extension
Silent 'funeral cortege' in central Dublin honours Tuam babies
Consultation on Tuam home 'not a voting process'
Corless urges public to back DNA testing of Tuam babies' remains
Councillors back plan for Magdalene laundry to be third-level college
Yacht captain guilty of drunk sailing had 'God given right' to be on Liffey
Boat refused to get out of shipping lane and delayed cruiseliner's approach, court told
Murder accused told gardaí he cut up woman's body to make her lighter
Kieran Greene told gardaí his partner's mother was 'verbally abusive' to his family, court told
Mother (93) has right of residence upheld despite judgment against son
Any failure to properly provide for Eithne Ryan 'lies squarely' with her son, says judge
Irish Times poll: Large majority want change of government 23:33
Irish Times News
Follow @IrishTimesNews

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Item Description: Resembling turn-of-the-century campaign furnishings, Burladen end table is a subtle nod to British Colonial style. Washed finish and weathered metal details reinforce the vintage vibe. Open cubby and lower drawer offer abundant storage space.
Series Features: Made with Elm veneer and select hardwood solids finished in a vintage grayish brown color. Tables feature metal corner brackets with nail heads and metal strap detailing all finished in a textured vintage brown. Cocktail table has bottom drawers for storage and lift top functionality. Two end table options. One has a trunk-like look with door along front, other table is open with legs and drawer storage.


Yes. I'm putting the finishing touches on this bit of loveliness... stay tuned for more on this project, part of a beautifully curated show at Drift Gallery.
Amazingly just right makeup by Carole Pucci Goodwin.


text:
Q: How to find near by duplicates using LSH in a dataframe? I have a few columns like Filename, size of the file, and the date and I want to find the nearby duplicates by considering all parameters.
Id        Name                          Size        Date
1   lib_mysqludf_sys.html               8934    2020-11-10 06:25:57
2   lib_mysqludf_sys.c                  8715    2020-11-10 12:12:41
3   lib_mysqludf_sys.so                 8480    2020-11-10 08:51:33
4   install.sh                          1544    2020-11-10 12:17:16
5   lib_mysqludf_sys.sql                7900    2020-11-10 06:25:59
6   Makefile                            124     2020-11-10 06:36:43
7   lib_mysqludf_sys-master             4096    2020-11-10 12:12:41
8   cmake-3.17.0.tar.gz                 9466484 2020-11-09 08:23:31
9   fileclassification.cpython-36.pyc   522     2020-11-03 12:00:43
10  fileclassification.cpython-38.pyc   518     2020-11-04 05:49:24
11  __pycache__                         4096    2020-11-04 05:49:24
12  fileclassification.py               272     2020-11-03 12:00:41
13  asset_classifier                    4096    2020-11-03 12:00:42
14  pyvenv.cfg                          69      2020-11-04 04:56:36

As above dataframe, we have 4 files that have the nearby file name, size, and date.
Expected output
Id    Name                     Near Duplicates
1     lib_mysqludf_sys.html    ['lib_mysqludf_sys.c','lib_mysqludf_sys.so',
                                'lib_mysqludf_sys.html','lib_mysqludf_sys.sql']

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Swan Song is a massive, 184 page anthology of comics about music and life and changing the world. We've got over 20 cartoonists from British Columbia and beyond working on full-colour stories to make you smile, cry, or get up and dance. The anthology features 30+ different creators from British Columbia, the Pacific Northwest, and abroad -- Anthony Biondi, Sam Keating, James Brandi, Hannah Myers, Oliver McTavish-Wisden, Anat Rabkin, Monica Disher, Bevan Thomas, Reetta Lindjama, Simon Roy, Jess Pollard, Jason Wilkins, Jeri Weaver, Jonathon Dalton, Angela Melick, Klara Woldenga, Ed Appleby, K. Kelsay, Riley Masters, Takiko Masters, Yashaswi Kesanakurthy, Annalise Jensen, Adren Belfry, Kaja Belfry Munroe, Drew Gilmour G. C. Seiler, Jesse Davidge, Emily Cowan, Karen Shangguan, Sfe R Monster, Jeffrey Ellis, and Rennee Nault.


Email marketing is one the best web based promoting strategy now a day which gives speedier and more precise outcomes when contrasted with other internet publicizing systems.
What is Email Marketing Campaign Software?
This can be a desktop or online application which makes bulk email campaigns. This application helps in making, sending and following number of email marketing campaigns on a single computer window.
The communication is cost effective.
It permits as sending customized mail messages for each of the email id in the rundown as indicated by associated data with every id in the rundown.
Sends auto created customized message with the assistance of an autoresponder, so don't have any need to stress on the off chance that you are getting reaction in a mass for one of your campaigns. It will help in building trust commendable association with potential clients and existing customers.
Helps in dividing the email id list, so it empowers us to send applicable messages in light of particular mail id data.
Provides a proper database management system for managing email list and other related information with campaigns.
Provides free layouts for making viable messages. These formats accompany different customized fields, so at whatever point it is required a customization you can make as indicated by necessities.
Provides spam checker, this tool check your email content which could be hailed as spam by email customers which causes your mail can go into spam box. So spam checker helps in enhancing deliverability of your messages.
A self cleaning instrument from such kind of utilization cleans futile information from databases.
This application provides tools for tracking that who opened the message and clicked on the links. The browser, operating system can also be tracked which is used to read the messages.
CRM stands for customer relationship management which is used by many companies. They have started to save time to perform transaction and there is easy access to data. The information is accessed with in fraction of seconds at the click of a mouse button. It is widely used for managing the interaction with client and sales prospects. It is designed to manage the sales activities. It helps to record the lead which helps in further getting new customers and managing the existing database of customers. The easy follow up makes them satisfied customers. The customers should never go unattended which is the key focus of companies across India. It has decreased the overall cost for marketing and sales department. The stationary cost is decreased and information is accessed at any time.
Sales people have to upgrade for the technical procedures to stay in phase with the present internet world. Every step in sales has to be tracked by them. The leads are tracked and the respective prospects are seen. By traditional methods, it is very difficult to track the whole system. Now this is possible by the sales tracking software. The whole procedure is tracked by the mobile or PC with an internet connection. This software assists the sales people in every step. The customer contact and other personal details are registered in confidential records which can be accessed by authorized personnel. The information is updated regularly according to the fed back received.
The incoming opportunities are well tracked by the software. Scheduling the meeting with a client is easy here. There are alerts about the scheduled meeting dates with the customers and clients. There is a lot of information which is pre-recorded about the products and services of the company. As there is a lot of competition in the world there is competition in every step. This competitive information can be tracked by the sales department. The sales personnel need to stay in phase with the competitive companies in the market.
The companies are realizing the power of sales tracking software. There are many programs which help in increasing the sales. There are many affiliate programs which lead to new clients and prospective business. The affiliate program is connected to another company which makes efforts to get profits. Such companies have to be paid from the profit. A percentage of the profit goes to the company generating the new leads and sales. The software recognizes the leads which are active and makes more sales. Such leads can be retained and the other can be cut.
The software helps in changing the leads to sales and thus increases the profit. The customers can be tracked easily. Their way of marketing tells whether they are ready to buy the product or thinking to do it later. Those customers can be contacted for giving them more information about the products, to boost their confidence. The sales target naturally gets increased. The track of monthly sales target can be traced instantly by using this software. Getting reviews from the customers also another way to improve sales. The customer reviews give the exact problem points. These problems can be resolved as soon as possible to gain the customer confidence.
Each person in the sales department has their own way of working. It is important to track their progress in regard to sales. High-performers are rewarded for reaching the target sales by the company. The low performers can be trained again to motivate them to reach targets.
The customer sales track has to be recorded at each stage from the order to the receiving end. The customer product order record, product transport, product arrival and the receipt of the product by the customer is tracked easily at every stage. All the stages are recorded and tracked in the sales tracking software to be accessed by the company personnel. This has helped many companies to get more profit whether it is a big or small one.
An organization has to deal with many customers daily. The means of contact with the customers is SMS, phone or e-mails. The e-mails have to be sent to many customers at a time. The content of the e-mail is the same and it has to be sent in a day. CRM in Marketing Management Software comes into use there. This has the ability to send many e-mails to the people at a time. Business people should always have this software for smooth working. There are excellent results from such bulk e-mails, where the transactions turn out to be more.
The information about the products and services can be easily sent to the customer. The company name and the brand are made familiar by such e-mails. The receiver need not download any software to receive such e-mails. The customer`s e-mail address is organized and the sender can know if there are any duplicates. Spam traps, junks and moles are identified and only necessary addresses are filtered. Newsletters from the organizations are sent regularly to the customers. If any product or service is introduced then the customers are informed through such newsletters. The number of customer contacts can be increased and recorded in the software.
The old customers and the new customers are informed about the company and the products regularly. They give more information about the offers and discounts. The old customers tend to get more profits through such newsletters. The e-mails are free of cost and any number of e-mails can be sent daily. The customers can be given personal preference by wishing them on their birthdays and anniversaries. The old method of contacting the customers was tedious, costly and time-consuming. E-mails have made contacting easier. There are no limits for the number of e-mails sent at a time. The online presence increases contact with the customers.
Whether it is a small or a big business, CRM in marketing management software is useful. Customers are the main asset of any business. It is better to have contact with them to improve the business. Informing them about the products and services will increase transactions.
In IT companies CRM (customer relationship management) is very essential. Maintaining records and information about the customers and its staff is very necessary. All such information helps the sales personnel to keep a good relationship with the customers. Efficient customer services are given with the contacts maintained. The problems and needs of the customer are understood well. They are prioritized and solved to keep the customer happy. Customers are the backbones of any company whether it is bigger or a small one. Various tools and features of CRM software help in giving a quality service. These services help in getting profit for the business.
For the present global market CRM software companies are required. The sales department can plan different strategies for managing the customer relationships. The software is meant for marketing and business needs of a big or a small company. These days even new companies are installing this software for easier management. There are many companies providing CRM programming and integration. They find many solutions for individual problems of every customer. The features of the company and the scope of business are closely examined to find out the solutions for the problems. There is rapid information accessing using this software by authorized personnel.
The companies have to be alert every day as sales take place online on daily basis. The deals and transactions are recorded with the customer's details. The kind of product purchased or the serviced requested with the amount received is recorded in detail. Advertising, marketing and sales are all tracked at every step to know the procedure of success. Invoice and quotes are recorded permanently and only authorized personnel. E-mails are sent constantly to keep the customer informed about the activities of the company. Some of the customers are connected to the company through other leads. Such leads are noted and encouraged by giving rewards.
Each business runs on different parameters. CRM software companies help in customizing the features according to the business and its requirements. The designs also can be formatted according to the requirement. The features and tools which are not required by some companies can be altered accordingly. The customer relationship boosts the confidence of the customer to have more transactions. The needs of the company, the number of customers, tools required and the features used often are considered for customizing the software. Only installing the software does not handle the problems or increase the profit. Each and every feature has to be used for improving the relationship with the customer.
All the executives related with the company should be given the password for accessing the data recorded in the software. If some of the records should not be changed then it should be saved in such way that no one can change the particulars of the file. The transactions of the previous years or months are the records which tell the performance of the company, such records should remain original and should not be changed.


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Home Windows 10 Announces One Billion Active Devices
Windows 10 Announces One Billion Active Devices
Windows 10 is on a lot of devices around the world. In part, that's because it's a significantly better and more modern operating system than its predecessors. In addition, it's partly because Microsoft has been aggressively pushing people to upgrade to Windows 10.
While it took the company a bit longer to reach the magic billion device mark, they've recently done so.
That is, according to Terry Myerson, the former head of the company's Operating Systems Group, who initially announced the company's one billion device goal back at build 2015.
As of now, the company proudly reports that they have slightly more than one billion active monthly devices in use for all flavors of Windows 10 combined. Note that this includes Windows 10 variants running on:
Laptop and desktop PCs
Windows Phones
Surface Hub conferencing systems
HoloLens augmented reality goggles
Xbox One gaming consoles
A variety of other IoT (Internet of Things) devices that use a scaled down version of the OS.
There was some concern that the company wouldn't hit the vaunted number; a concern driven by two factors:
First, the company made the strategic decision to back away from, and then entirely pull the plug on, the concept of the Windows Phone. That drew down the number of new installation estimates.
Second, there's the fact that a surprising number of users are still clinging stubbornly to their Windows 7 and Windows 8 installations. They're still keeping them, even though Windows 7 has reached the end of support and users of the aging OS are at increasing risk.
Nonetheless, despite these challenges, the company hit the number they were after. In a related note, there are reports that they now have an impressive 17.8 million registered Windows Insiders testers. That gives them a robust population of users to try out new features and recommend improvements for the company. Kudos to Microsoft for reaching a long-sought milestone!
Microsoft Defender Adds Cross Platform Mobile Protections
Active DirectoryBeing Targeted By Malware Called TrickBot
Three Growing Dark Web Dangers Businesses Face Right Now
Microsoft Considering Adding Meet Now Button For Online…
My experience was great because of the level of professionalism, communication and courtesy that was given to resolve my technical issue in an effective and timely manner.
Daril Smith
Cooper Construction Management


Redroo | ExpressCasino.com - Top Online & Mobile Slots Jackpots!	Redroo | ExpressCasino.com - Top Online & Mobile Slots Jackpots!
If you like the adventure in Australia with kangaroos everywhere and beautiful nature that takes you close to heaven, Redroo is the game for you. In this tjá spænir spilavíti game, you get to play with five reels that offer 1024 winning ways. The reels are set against the background of the Australian outback with a mesmerising view of the sunset. The pink sky and the view of golden grass on the valley look stunning. There is a fast music playing in the background during each spin that makes the game more fun. To place your bets, you can choose various coin value starting 40p up till £280 per spin.
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Summary: þetta tjá spænir spilavíti game has plenty of bonus features you can win from. The graphics and animation effects are really marvellous and keep you glued to the game for sure.


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Gibson not defensive, though just this time
Hello Hollywood, here comes Mr. Rose
Posted on Feb 19
Derrick Rose is interested in these Carmelo Anthony rumors as well, though not quite like the average Bulls fan. Which is also another reason why Rose is perhaps a leading league MVP candidate and you are chanting his name.
It seems almost certain the high scoring Anthony will soon end up with the New York Knicks or New Jersey Nets, and perhaps place still another obstacle in the way of a long Bulls playoff run with even more top talent defecting to the Eastern Conference.
A problem? Nah, bring 'em on, says Rose.
"It would be crazy, but way more fun," Rose told a surging ring of reporters as he and his All-Star teammates prepared for Sunday's All-Star game in Los Angeles. "Every night you would be playing against a great player. The fans would love it, so many great players on different teams. The matchups would be great. It would be good for the NBA."
Rose smiled as he seemed to savor the possibilities: One night LeBron and Wade, then Amar'e and Carmelo, then KG, Pierce and Allen, then… How great would that be? Rivalries. Great games every few days.
But, someone asked, what about those teams that wouldn't have the stars? Wouldn't it be a league imbalance?
"Yeah, it could be dangerous," said Rose. "But if anything it should drive you to be a better team. Hey, it's not my problem. Nobody cared when I was losing last year. It's up to those teams to get better."
That's part of what makes a true star, a great player, one reason Rose has come so far so quickly to put the Bulls in position with Joakim Noah returning to the lineup after the All-Star break to be a team that has a chance to compete for the top of the conference and a championship.
"That's what it's all about," Rose tried to explain patiently to reporters from around the world crowding around his table for almost 45 minutes of non stop inquiries.
He's a star now, and perhaps it was no coincidence in the interview session for all the East All-Stars Rose was in the prime spot in the middle of the ballroom with Dwyane Wade to his right and LeBron James to his left.
Rose was trying to explain this to reporters who kept asking him about saying before the season he wanted to be the MVP—by the way, he says he's far out of the conversation now—and seemingly putting so much pressure on himself.
"I make my goals very high," said Rose. "So it makes me want to work. When I'm in the gym I think of all the great players and wonder how hard they are working and that makes you want to work harder. There's no point playing this game if you don't want to be the best. If I didn't, I should just retire now."
The reporter looked curiously.
"Like you should want to be the best reporter or there's no point doing it," Rose said, though I almost expected the puzzled reporter to say something about there being free meals in the press room.
NBA All-Star weekend is more a big trade show and county fair now with a huge convention center filled with interactive activities to fans and exhibitions basically put on for the league's sponsors and benefactors.
So there's always news as well. NBA commissioner David Stern will have his semiannual press conference Saturday and likely talk mostly about the labor talks and perhaps a lockout without a deal and some of the related issues like the building of star teams.
Anthony's seemingly imminent departure from Denver is the latest, and Anthony drew the largest crowd at the press conferences. Though he basically reiterated his see no evil stance of not knowing what is going on and just waiting. It seems the Knicks, Nuggets and Nets are involved in a game of three-way bluff with the Nuggets preferring to deal with the Nets and Anthony preferring a trade to the Knicks. Yes, for the 40th time we've heard this. The trade deadline is Thursday, so it should finally be resolved. Anthony wants to sign the larger monetary extension he can get by not opting out of his contract and fearing perhaps a franchise tag in the new agreement that could bind him to the Nuggets.
That's left the rest of the market dry awaiting some action with Anthony, including the Bulls probes for a shooting guard like Anthony Parker, O.J. Mayo or Rasual Butler. Though nothing seems to be close, especially with Keith Bogans playing well of late and the Bulls not inclined to trade any players.
And that all seems fine with Rose. Again, just a challenge, and that makes it more fun.
"Right now we're comfortable (with who we have)," said Rose. "It's not really up to me. It's up to the front office and to see what they will do. I'll let them handle it. Right now everything is going right for us. I'll stay out of it."
In fact, it's going so well that Rose said this is not only the best time in his life in basketball but the best moment.
"I'm saying this whole season (is the highlight)," said Rose. "I'm back on a winning team where my first two years it was hard. This year I'm back winning and it feels like high school or college again. There's no one (big) game or moment. Every time I step in the locker room (is great)."
It is the best of times.
A few years ago when Rose showed up at All-Star weekend for the rookie game, a few Chicago reporters sat with him and a trickle of national and international media peeked in briefly. But all that has changed as wave after wave of reporters came to ask questions.
He was asked to offer greeting to fans in France, China, Nigeria and Malawi, staring into a camera each time and thanking the fans of D-Rose.
When you become one of the big time guys you are asked all sorts of questions and Rose said he'd never be in the dunk contest, the Bulls are really scary given they are winning without Noah, coach Tom Thibodeau is the real hero of the season for making it all work and that Rose never actually has watched even one All-Star game. The first one he basically saw was the first one he played in last year in Dallas. He said his mother cried when she first heard those MVP chants in the United Center, though Rose said she cries a lot, and when I mentioned the history of great Chicago point guard like Isiah Thomas, Mo Cheeks and Tim Hardaway, Rose said his biggest comparisons were to Jamie Brandon, the one-time King High School phenom, and he really isn't in the class of those guys yet.
But this All-Star game may be one worth watching, in part, because of Rose. The All-Star game was at its zenith when Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson revived it with their showmanship. With Rose running the break with Wade and James, it could happen again.
"I'll probably pass it to D-Wade and he'll throw a lob to LeBron," said Rose. "That's a game I don't have to score at all having great talent like that on your team."
Rose says the East will likely win because of those transition possibilities, and they could be pretty impressive.
No less so than Rose, who had some life lessons to share as well as the shy kid, still quiet, has become adept at growing more comfortable in public.
"If anything basketball has taught me I can do whatever I want in life if I go out and workd for it," said Rose. "If I take everything seriously and do what I am supposed to do and stay positive I think anyone can do whatever they want.
"The big thing," said Rose, "was staying on the right path. I came from the typical bad neighborhood where it's very hard to stay on that right path. So you have to stay focused and take care of school and I had, of course, my family to shelter me and to make sure I didn't get in trouble. I'm blessed to have that in my life."
And so the work continues.
Rose said now one of his projects other than a proper conclusion to this season is to come up with what to work on next summer, whether a post up game or something new to advance his skills and abilities.
"You can always get better," said Rose.
So it was getting time to leave and get on with some more NBA activities. Rose pondered where he is now and how it all has changed so quickly, his jersey among the best selling in the NBA, his popularity soaring like his dunks.
"At first I was able to walk around and do whatever I wanted to do without people noticing me," said Rose. "Now I can't do anything. I'll be on an elevator and people would be tweeting I'm on the elevator. It's crazy. But I try to stay on the right track and stay positive and don't take these days for granted because there will be days when people don't care who you are anymore. I am happy."
Yes, just set the world on its ear. There's more to being a star than the numbers, and Rose deserves to be called one. Sunday on the game's big midseason stage. From Chicago…
Tags: carmelo anthony, derrick rose, dwyane wade, joakim noah, keith bogans, lebron james, rasual butler, tom thibodeau


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Home » Categories » C5 Corvettes » General Topics | GM Press Releases
GM Press Release: April 25, 1997: Corvette Plant Doubles as a Tourist Attraction
Article ID: 854 | Rating: Unrated | Last Updated: Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 8:23 PM
General Motors Media Press Release
FOR RELEASE: April 25, 1997
CONTACT: Janine Fruehan
Corvette Plant Doubles as a Tourist Attraction
WARREN, Mich. — General Motors' Chevrolet Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky., has opened its doors once again to the public as plant tours resumed.
Tours were temporarily suspended last year because of renovation required to convert production to the redesigned 5th generation model. The guided walking tours are offered five days a week at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Reservations are not required unless a group consists of more than ten people. Arrangements for large groups can be made by calling (502) 745-8287.
All tours begin with a brief discussion on plant safety, followed by an orientation about the plant and its product, then a guided walking tour of the body shop and general assembly areas. The entire visit takes approximately one hour.
Plant tours can be made part of a package that includes a visit to the nearby National Corvette Museum, which is dedicated to the car's rich history.
The first Corvette rolled off an assembly line in Flint, Mich., in 1953. Production shifted from Flint to St. Louis, Mo., in December 1953, where Corvettes were built for the next 28 years. In 1979, plans were finalized to move production of the Corvette to its current home in Bowling Green, Ky., where production began in 1981. The Bowling Green plant features computerized manufacturing techniques and one of GM's finest paint processes.
Over 1,090,000 Corvettes have been produced to date.
Posted - Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 8:23 PM. This article has been viewed 35 times.
Filed Under: General Topics | GM Press Releases
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GM Press Release: August 5, 1997: All-New 1998 Corvette Convertible $635 Less Than '96 Price
GM Press Release: February 7, 1997: 1997 Corvette - What's New
GM Press Release: November 6, 1997: Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car Replicas to be Offered


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Determinants of developmental outcomes in a very preterm Canadian cohort
Objectives Identify determinants of neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm children.
Methods Prospective national cohort study of children born between 2009 and 2011 at <29 weeks gestational age, admitted to one of 28 Canadian neonatal intensive care units and assessed at a Canadian Neonatal Follow-up Network site at 21 months corrected age for cerebral palsy (CP), visual, hearing and developmental status using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III). Stepwise regression analyses evaluated the effect of (1) prenatal and neonatal characteristics, (2) admission severity of illness, (3) major neonatal morbidities, (4) neonatal neuroimaging abnormalities, and (5) site on neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) (Bayley-III score < 85, any CP, visual or hearing impairment), significant neurodevelopmental impairment (sNDI) (Bayley-III < 70, severe CP, blind or hearing aided and sNDI or death.
Results Of the 3700 admissions without severe congenital anomalies, 84% survived to discharge and of the 2340 admissions, 46% (IQR site variation 38%–51%) had a NDI, 17% (11%–23%) had a sNDI, 6.4% (3.1%–8.6%) had CP, 2.6% (2.5%–13.3%) had hearing aids or cochlear implants and 1.6% (0%–3.1%) had a bilateral visual impairment. Bayley-III composite scores of <70 for cognitive, language and motor domains were 3.3%, 10.9% and 6.7%, respectively. Gestational age, sex, outborn, illness severity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotising enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, abnormal neuroimaging and site were significantly associated with NDI or sNDI. Site variation ORs for NDI, sNDI and sNDI/death ranged from 0.3–4.3, 0.04–3.5 and 0.12–1.96, respectively.
Conclusion Most preterm survivors are free of sNDI. The risk factors, including site, associated with neurodevelopmental status suggest opportunities for improving outcomes.
impairments
Outcomes research
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2016-311228


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FIA/AMD Formula One Survey: Results
Click here to be taken to the FIA website, where they have published the results of their survey which was conducted earlier this year.
Ferrari is currently the fans favourite team, hording 30% of votes. McLaren took 21% and Renault and Williams tied for third. Michael Schumacher was the fans favourtite driver on 28%, Kimi Raikkonen was second with 17% and Jenson Button managed 8% of the votes. 64% of voters registered a 10 year plus relationship with Formula One, while only 1% ststed this was the first year they had followed the sport. This doesn't exactly bode well for the future of the sport, but it may be that new fans may not bother to complete a fairly lengthy survey based on less than a years knowledge and following of F1.
Amazingly, 38% of voters claimed they had or will attend a race this season, and 9% of which said they will attend 5 or more races. And the internet is the first port of call for fans after the TV coverage has stopped. Only one in ten people showed interest in mobile updates (and I wasn't one of them!). In fact, the mobile suggestion floundered generally throughout the survery, with very little interest in watchnig races or highlights on their 'phone. 58% of voters registered interest in wacthing F1 live on the 'net though, which is encorouging.
Anyway, I could go on giving you some of the highlights, but instead, I think you should head on over to FIA.com and flick through the results yourself. Let's hope the FIA listen to us fans and work with us to improve the sport we all so dearly love.
The Red Bulletin Goes Online
28th September 2006 at 10:52am
I like the photograph of Mosley conjuring up a storm of hellfire to consume a critic. Scary!
Oliver White says:
Scary, but typical of Mosley! 😉
mrs gail gray says:
2nd April 2007 at 2:08pm
I have followed michael schumacher since his first race debut in 1991 and i still maintain that he is the best driver,since he has left formula 1 i still watch it,but its not the same has every saturday and sunday i always looked forward to see the races and get all excited but now its empty but i do wish kim raikkonen and felipe massa good luck, i lve michael and to me he will always number 1 best driver in the world.fernando alonso will never or anyone beat michaels titles and records.
Future Possibilities
BlogF1 Is In Maintenance Mode
BlogF1 isn't quite in maintenance mode, but don't go clicking on anything 'cos you'll likely break the Internet and then we'll all be in the dog 'ouse. BlogF1.com might possibly return in 2020. For now the domain is...
Caption Contests
Caption Contest: #110
The one-hundred-tenth photograph to feature in BlogF1's caption contest. You know the drill, think of something funny and witty to say and leave it as a comment below. Taken on the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix at the...
The one-hundred-ninth photograph to feature in BlogF1's caption contest. You know the drill, think of something funny and witty to say and leave it as a comment below. Taken before Fernando Alonso was officially...
Daily Debate
Interviews/Guest Posts
Copyright © 2021 Oliver White.


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MaxDean.org
Independent Comics and Media from Max Dean and Tracey LaFrance
The Yancy St. Speakeasy
Tracey is one of the co-founders of The Yancy St. Speakeasy. Born in Pennsyltucky, Tracey faced an uphill battle as a result of his passion for comic book characters. Adolescence is a trying time, but how does one respond when one is aroused only by the blue and red spandex of the local comic shop? Fortunatley for Tracey, he was brave enough to come out to his parents as "Spider-Sexual" and they lovingly, if confusedly embraced their son!
Upon graduation, Tracey attended Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where he thrived and ultimately graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Biology with a special focus on the mating habits of spider-men. Many of his professors and fellow students remarked at the time that they saw a bright future for Tracey, as some wondered if he would choose to pursue his groundbreaking research in the field of Spider-Men in their native habitats, or if he would turn his attention to politics after his successful rallies for the equal rights of other "Spider-Sexuals."
After being accepted to a graduate program at the University of Miami, everything seemed to be going so well for Tracey, but it was around this time that the famed South Florida nightlife introduced itself to the young Mr. LaFrance. Indeed, the late night video game scene intrigued Tracey, and it wasn't long before he developed a full blown addicition. Tracey was able to hide his addiction from many of those closest to him, but eventually he realized it was time for a change of scenery.
At this time Tracey packed his bags for Key West, where he had arranged for an internship and to study marine Spider-Men. Tracey felt at home in this island town, and spent some time introspecting and questioning the very nature of himself and the Spider-Men he loved so dearly. Some say it was chance, others destiny, but either way this story leads to the pinnacle of Tracey's life up to this point. After being completely swept off of his feet at a party by one Max Dean, Tracey immediately began to realize that Spider-Man was not his only obsession, although now it was a shared obsession. On one balmy eve in Frebruary of 2018, history was made, when the first episode of The Yancy St. Speakeasy was recorded, and life has never been the same for Tracey.
After willingly becoming Max Dean's art slave, Tracey has set aside everything else in life to make art and podcasts at the whim of his co-host.
Reach Tracey on Twitter @lafrancets26 and find is art on Instagram @vivalafranc3
Ep. 044: FOX-Men Ranked
Ep. 043: The Boys
Ep. 042: Hellboyz n the DCEU
Ep. 041: Future of the MCU
Ep. 040: Spider-Man: Far From Disney
minecraft skulker box on Ep. 006: Brain Dump Pt. II
Yancy St. Speakeasy
Copyright © 2020 MaxDean.org. All rights reserved.


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Agile 101 book: Requirements might change
lunes, 23 mayo 2016 22:27
A few years ago, before completely applying this whole Agile thing, I worked in the development of a web application that should manage the client's worksheets through a series of steps, a wizard that would lead users through the phase they were in.
We made a full analysis, we collected all the client needs, and from there we compiled a list of features to be implemented. All very normal. Correct, coherent features that solved specific problems. With a thick requirements document and their respective designs, we started to implement these features, one after another.
Back then, we tried to be a bit Agile (in a way) and every two weeks in pre-production we showed how things were going. It didn't look half bad. It was easy to use and we even got congratulated by clients on the work they were seeing.
We were happy like that, so we went on until we developed, with no small effort on our part, all the features that were included in the analysis document that had been approved. And we deployed them into production…
And as soon as the administration staff used the application for a few days, they realized they could have done with some changes: include a table in each screen with the original documents, so they wouldn't lose sight of them; avoid going out to another menu when creating an entity; adding more controls at the end to avoid mistakes when filling them in, etc… Most of them were minor changes that wouldn't take more than two or three days of development, but we had already exhausted our budget (and more).
Amongst the features we had developed from the beginning, there were some complex ones that allowed complicated changes between projects and that were difficult to develop (and test, in order to be able to check every possible case). I asked about them months later but nobody knew anything about them or which menu they were in. It wasn't considered important. When they had needed something like that, they had cancelled the process and started a new one.
When we started the project, neither I, nor the client, nor the users had an exact idea of what would work well. We simply couldn't know for sure. What could have been done to avoid this? Well, we should have deployed the basic features to production as soon as they were ready. That way we would have easily seen all these little changes that would have made the application much more practical and easy to use.
From that moment on, in new projects, when users see the need for changes like these, they ask me about the possibility of including them. They have no problem giving up other features for which they no longer remembered the reason for including in the initial contract or that no longer made much sense.
The feature list is drafted from the beginning in the Product Backlog. The client is aware of this estimation and simply says: "Take out feature 18, which would take 8 days' work, and change it for these other two features which would take 6 days. We save those two days in case we need some other change."
That is another Agile principle:
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
In general, it is advantageous for clients because they get a product that works and is not broken until a new contract for corrective maintenance is drafted (which would involve paying extra money). But it is also an advantage for us as providers, because we offer a project that is a good reference, in which we are aware of and can account for every hour we spend, and we avoid delivering a product that depletes our budget but still lacks important features.
ebook EN SCRUM


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Russia May Block BBC Site For Activist Interview
The Drum, Wednesday, August 6, 2014 6:49 AM
The Russian telecommunications authority has threatened to block the BBC's regionial news site after the broadcaster ignored a request to remove an interview with artist and activist Artem Loskutov, according to a report by tabloid newspaper Izvestia. The Russian regulatory authority, known as the Roskomnadzor, said it may block the BBC due to its refusal to take down "provocative" interviews with Loskutov encouraging readers to participate in a march in supporting an independent Siberia.


David Bisbal y Miley Cyrus. David Bisbal y Miley Cyrus en el Rock in Rio 2010. Wallpaper and background images in the DAVID BISBAL PASSION GITANA club.
This DAVID BISBAL PASSION GITANA photo might contain concerto.


Hamburg, 13 March 2018 – The breakthrough in broadcast quality virtual advertising has finally been achieved: after a successful program of live testing, the German Football League (DFL) has approved the Supponor technology used by Lagardère Sports. This means a major hurdle for the regular use of virtual perimeter advertising in the Bundesliga has been overcome.
At the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg on 26 February 2018 at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, an additional world feed (worldwide outside the German speaking area) was broadcasted live for the very first time in the international markets. The live test was the conclusion of a series of tests coordinated between the DFL/Sportcast, Supponor, Lagardère Sports and LED technology provider ADI.
Lagardère Sports has been working for a long time in close cooperation with the DFL and its exclusive strategic partnership with the leading virtual technology provider Supponor towards introducing virtual perimeter advertising in German professional football. Last spring, the technology was presented to the Bundesliga clubs at a joint roadshow by Lagardère Sports, Supponor and ADI. At the match between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg on 6 May 2017, ADI, Supponor and Lagardère Sports jointly implemented virtual advertising live for the first time at a Bundesliga match – but without feeding the TV signals to the public.


This blend will enhance the tenderness of the pork, while adding a hint of grill flavor!
This is wonderful stuff ! We used to be able to buy it at our local Giant but can't find it any more. I've just opened the last packet I had squirreled away. It revolutionizes a boneless pork roast. Just pierce the meat, rub it on and pop in the crock pot to cook…our favorite meal.
I'm happy to see it available on line if it turns out that it's no longer available in our local store.
Thanks for your kind words! You should be able to find Amazing Taste Seasonings in the meat department in your local Scott's and Kroger stores. If you cannot, you are welcome to order from our Website (www.amazingtaste.com) as well as on Amazon.
Thanks for your interest in Amazing Taste Seasonings!
I just ordered 8 packets of the pork seasoning, I like it that much. It has the satisfying, delicious taste that the Japanese call "umami." At least in my humble opinion.
I grew up in a house where the only pork my mother served was cured, due to the lingering effects (and stubbornness) of my father, having become deathly ill from trichinosis after eating undercooked pork on a hunting trip long before I was born.
As a result, I had no clue how to season a pork roast or a quick pork chop, both of which my husband loved. I felt like I always needed a recipe. This seasoning will always work great! If you are adding other seasoning in addition, be sure to figure in the total salt, as you could make it too salty. You can usually omit the salt called for & add this instead (and perhaps a little more). Enjoy!
This is my favorite of all the Amazing Taste seasonings. I simply coat my pork tenderloin with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkle the pork seasoning on, and bake. Simple and delicious!
I've "developed" a new crockpot recipe using Amazing Taste pork. Pork tenderloin, a can of French onion soup, and the AT packet. Simple and so so so good! I've even got my friends hooked on it.


February 2013, Dissertation: "Mathematical models of tumor growth inhibition to assess the efficacy of anticancer drugs in xenograft mice". It deals with different MBDD applications in preclinical drug development of anticancer drugs.
Thesis: "Modellizzazione matematica dell'effetto di un chemioterapico sulla regolazine genica in cellule tumorali". It concerns the development of a mathematical model able to describe the effect of an anticancer drug on genetic regulation in tumor cells.
Thesis: "Identificazione di un modello di crescita tumorale: tecniche di stima a confronto." It concerns the identification of a tumor growth inhibition model by implementing and comparing different estimation techniques (e.g., Weighted Least Square method, Simulated annealing, Monte Carlo simulation, Markov Chain MonteCarlo method).
Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models, Population models, Bayesian model estimation, Markov Chain MonteCarlo methods, Bioinformatics and Data Mining, Models of Biological Systems.
2011 - today GlaxoSmithKline, London, UK.
2009 - today Nerviano Medical Sciences, Nerviano (MI), Italy.
2009-2011 Course of Models of Biological Systems (Biomedical Engineering Bachelor Degree, Università di Pavia): lecturer.
2007 Course of Models of Biological Systems (Biomedical Engineering Bachelor Degree, Università di Pavia): seminar on identification of tumoral growth model.


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You are here: Home / London Photos / London Photo: Check Out This Amazing New Panorama of London taken from the Shard by Will Pearson
London Photo: Check Out This Amazing New Panorama of London taken from the Shard by Will Pearson
Jun 16, 2014 By jonathan
We've posted about the work of Will Pearson before – he's done some amazing panoramas of London. He's back again with a stunning new panorama of the view from the Shard Tower. It cannot be described with any other word than amazing.
From his description:
The scale of London can only be truly appreciated from a height. There is no better place in London to do this than from the Shard. This image was shot from the very top of the Shard, 310 metres above London, which is more than 60 metres above the public viewing platform on the 72nd floor.
A city at once orderly and sprawling, with nighttime streets lit up like a lava flow, the panorama shows us the huge extent of the metropolis. With over 250 sky rise developments planned for London in the next decade it's an exciting time for London. The latest additions are 20 Fenchurch Street (the Walkie Talkie) and the Leadenhall Building (the Cheesegrater).
Click here to check it out – be sure to put it on full screen mode to enjoy it in full.
Filed Under: London Photos
Susan Seifert says
I too am a true Anglophile. I just returned from my 5th trip to London and I'm already dreaming about the next time. I just feel so peaceful in my soul and at home in London, as tho I'd lived there before.


It is the video that shocked the Internet. An organization called the Center for Medical Progress secretly recorded a conversation last year with Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Senior Director of Medical Services for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. I watched the video when it was released last Tuesday. It clearly records Dr. Nucatola's statement that her organization charges for fetal tissue it obtains via abortion, typically $30 to $100 "per specimen."
Since buying or selling human body parts is a federal offense, House Republicans have announced a congressional investigation into these allegations. Critics of Planned Parenthood have reviled the organization for "tissue trafficking." However, Planned Parenthood claims that it receives parental consent before obtaining any fetal tissue, and that it charges only the actual costs of transporting such tissue to medical research centers. Its defenders have also been busy trying to discredit the Center for Medical Progress and its leaders.
While the debate over abortion economics rages, two issues deserve far more attention than they're receiving.
One: the ethics of procuring fetal tissue, regardless of the finances involved.
In the video, Dr. Nucatola callously and casually describes techniques abortionists such as herself use to preserve hearts, lungs, livers, and other in-demand fetal body parts. To harvest these parts, she says, "I'm going to basically crush below, I'm gonna crush above, and I'm gonna see if I can get it all intact."
And she describes techniques by which abortionists reposition the fetus before extracting it, so as to harvest specimens more easily. Dr. Nucatola encourages abortionists to make "changes they can make in their technique to increase your success" in procuring fetal tissue.
According to a medical ethicist quoted by The New York Times, such procedures are patently unethical: "You cannot, must not, alter how or when you do an abortion simply to obtain tissues you want. Basically, the only concern is the health and safety of the mother." Another ethicist states that fetal tissue procurement and research must be conducted under strict standards with institutional review board oversight, guidelines that appear to be lacking here. And others claim that one technique described by Dr. Nucatola is a form of partial-birth abortion, which is a felony. I have seen no response to these concerns by Planned Parenthood or its defenders.
"There is no greater coward than a criminal who enters a house of God and slaughters innocent people engaged in the study of Scripture." So said NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks, condemning Wednesday night's shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
Emmanuel AME Church, the scene of the attack, is historically African-American, tracing its roots to 1816. One of its founders tried to organize a slave revolt in 1822; white landowners had his church burned in revenge. Members worshiped underground until after the Civil War. Wednesday's shooting took the life of the church's pastor and eight others, and has been labeled a hate crime (For more, see Nick Pitts's article Tragedy in Charleston).
Wherever God is at work, Satan reacts. His first strategy is "to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). When Jesus' movement gained a national following, Satan led Judas to betray our Lord (John 13:2, 27). When Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 were converted, Satan incited the religious authorities to arrest them and demand that they cease preaching (Acts 4). When Paul's ministry reached global status, Satan led the authorities arrest and eventually behead him.
More people are coming to Christ today than at any time in human history, and Satan is again responding through violence. According to John Allen, longtime Vatican journalist, 80 percent of all acts of religious discrimination around the world are directed at Christians. Ninety percent of all religious martyrs are Christians. Terror attacks against Christiansescalated 309 percent between 2003 and 2010.
Don't listen to him, warns one of Canada's most prominent bioethicists. No doctor should have the right to conscientious objection, he says.
"The very idea that we ought to countenance conscientious objection in any profession is objectionable. Nobody forces anyone to become a professional. It is a voluntary choice. A conscientious objector in medicine is not dissimilar to a taxi driver who joins a taxi company that runs a fleet of mostly combustion engine cars and who objects on grounds of conscience to drive those cars due to environmental concerns."
Professor Schuklenk puts forward two reasons. First, medicine is a service industry and "Patients are entitled to receive uniform service delivery from health care professionals. They ought not to be subjected to today's conscientious objection lottery." This is a particular concern in a country as vast as Canada, where doctors may be scarce in rural areas.
Must Christianity Change Its Sexual Ethics?
I've come to believe that there is something fundamentally unserious these days about moral discussions.
Imagine two farmers, brothers working the same five hundred acres, arguing about whether to take a big chance on the next harvest, by sowing a lucrative crop in fields that are already worn thin in nutrients. Jim wants to do it, thinking that they may as well, since they're in debt and the only way to clear it will be to win big. John thinks that the risk isn't worth it, and that if they sow the usual crops while letting half of their fields lie fallow, they'll go deeper in debt for the coming year, but they'll stand a decent chance to clear things up the year after.
Nobody will say, "John, you must be gentle in addressing the gamblers," or, "Jim, you are unwelcoming to the cautious." We would all understand that the tone of the argument is not to the point. The stakes are high. A mistake could mean losing everything.
Or imagine your daughter is being pursued by two young men who want to marry her. One of them is good looking, well spoken, full of life, wealthy, and shiftless. He is unemployed. The other is ordinary looking, slow of speech, solid, of modest means, and absolutely trustworthy. He has not been unemployed since he was sixteen. She has had her head turned by the shiftless man, and you see her as in a car speeding along a mountain road with hairpin turns.
Some people may advise you to be chary of your criticism, because if you push too hard, you may push her right into the arms of the bad man. But not even they would tell you not to take the matter seriously. The stakes are high. Misery threatens on the horizon.
So why do we not view with the same sobriety such questions as now beset what remains of our culture? We wouldn't say to a child, "Each of us has his own opinion regarding whether it's good to eat the strange fruit on that tree, so go ahead and eat it if you like." We wouldn't say to someone about to drive a car recently repaired, "Each of us has his own opinion about the steering differential, and whether it will disengage at a high speed, but go ahead and try it out if you like." That's because we take poison seriously, and cars careening over a guard rail. No one calls the cautious man a toxophobe. No one accuses him of prejudice against unknown berries, or alternative gear styles.
The first came earlier this month when the Progressive Conservative government passed an education reform bill forcing all schools to provide clubs to promote homosexuality, even Christian or Muslim private schools with definitive teachings condemning homosexuality.
The flavour of the second half of the month is "gender identity" and "gender expression," which the Alberta government is seriously considering protecting from discrimination through the Alberta Human Rights Act.
"We are considering introducing an amendment to the Alberta Human Rights Act, but at this point we are not in a position to comment on when that might happen," Jessica Jacobs-Mino, the press secretary for Justice Minister Jonathan Denis, told the Calgary Herald by email.
While the Herald clearly approved, as did all those it found for comment, conservative Christians say this official recognition of a social trend can only add to cultural confusion about human nature and sexuality with dangerous consequences.
The way that a culture understands the nature of God shapes its conception of man, reason, and society. Though this presents enormous challenges for the Islamic world, it also has significant implications for the sustainability of Western civilization.
Leaving aside the specifics of Huntington's thesis, his very use of the word "civilization" was one point of criticism. The expression implies that some cultures are more advanced than others. In an age when many are in thrall to various versions of moral and cultural relativism, this doesn't go over well.
One criterion by which a culture's civilizational attainments are often assessed has been the extent to which it gives scope to man's capacity for reason. National Socialism's Nietzschean glorification of an untrammeled Will of the Volk and the State, not to mention the regime's efforts to exterminate entire categories of people, reflected a thoroughgoing irrationality; thus the absurdity of the Third Reich's claims to be promoting European civilization. Less appreciated, however, is the extent to which a society's capacity to embrace full-bodied conceptions of reason depends heavily upon the dominant understanding of the Divine prevailing in that community. In that regard, modern Western civilization may be more at risk of cultural decline than many presently realize.
Will God Find Another Jonah?
Read the full article -	click here.
This year I am teaching through the Minor Prophets. That study has caused me to see the news differently than I would have before. A recent article caused me to reconsider a group of people living in that ancient land today. We know them as ISIS.
Jonah was sent to Ninevah, the capital of Assyria. Ancient Ninevah is across the river from Mosul, the headquarters for much of what ISIS is accomplishing today. When Jonah was asked to go to this region he ran the other way. After a few days in the belly of a fish, he chose to walk straight into Ninevah and preach God's warnings. Jonah had come to realize that nothing was as important as obedience to God's call. And the word of God, more powerful than any sword, brought the Assyrians to their knees.
The repentance that Jonah witnessed didn't last long. About 80 years after Jonah preached to the people of Ninevah, Nahum wrote his prophecy against the people of that land. Nahum 1:14 says, "The Lord has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the images and idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile." Ancient Ninevah was destroyed by the Babylonians and is still dirt and ruins today. A recent news article reports that many of the people dwelling in that region today have, once again, become vile. We need another Jonah.
USA Today ran the article on the second page, telling the story of a 17-year old girl who showed up at a hospital in Northern Iraq on February 10th. She had escaped her captors, the soldiers of ISIS, during a recent airstrike. She had to leave her sisters behind and was almost dead when she arrived at the hospital, but she has survived to tell her story. Nareen Shammo, a journalist, is determined to share her story, and the stories of many others with the world.
Shammo is now a target of ISIS. She has interviewed and helped as many women as she can who have escaped from ISIS and suffered their evil. She told USA Today, "Girls, some as young as 13, awarded as prizes to Islamic State fighters; some forced into marriage. Women routinely raped, sold in slave markets and passed around as playthings. She heard accounts of forced conversions, suicides and babies ripped from mothers' arms." She also said that the women were often used to provide blood transfusions for injured ISIS soldiers. Another article in the same edition of the paper reported that mass graves have been found containing bodies that had vital organs removed, supposedly for use on the black market. The Assyrians have become ISIS and are once again a people who are hated and feared.
"Nomophobia" is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. The psychological term abbreviates "no-mobile-phone phobia." "Cell Phone Loss Anxiety" is a related term for those who lose their mobile devices. Such diagnoses are more needed today than ever. According to a Psychology Today report, when asked how they felt after misplacing their cell phone, 73 percent said they panicked, 14 percent became desperate, and seven percent became physically sick.
The founder of an online dating site observed, "People in the 21st century are alone. We have so many new ways of communicating, yet we are so alone." One expert notes: "It's a great psychological truth that if we don't teach our children how to be alone, they will always be lonely."
How would Jesus have handled a cell phone?
We find a clue in Mark 1:35. After large crowds gathered to meet our Lord, did he begin the day turning listeners into followers? Networking with his leadership team? Forging strategies for continued growth? None of the above: "Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." He knew that we must be much with God before we can be much for him.
In Genesis 46 we read, "Israel took his journey with all he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night" (vs. 1-2). Israel (Jacob) learned that sacrifice precedes revelation. I must get alone with God in worship and submission before I can hear his Spirit's voice clearly. Solitude does not earn revelation—it positions us to receive what our Father wants to tell us.
Read the full article in the magazine or click here.
"It is difficult not to be intemperate in the face of nine murdered journalists, two murdered policemen and a janitor, lying in pools of blood in Paris, the City of Lights: the cold, calculated killing spree a response to journalism that was displeasing. The magazine Charlie Hebdo was firebombed in 2011. Though it regularly heaved dung across and beyond the political spectrum and satirized many religious figures and religions including the Pope, Jews, Christians et al, it was Charlie's caricatures of Islam that brought on the bombs and murders. Not surprising, in our time when virtually all terrorism of the last few decades—whether in Russia, China, Germany, the killing fields of Syria and the Middle East, New York or Boston—has been carried out in the name of Islam..."
"... The West has been ready to give up on itself for some time now. We have no idea of what we stand for and seem to have no faith other than lip-service in the superiority of our institutions. If 9/11 can somehow be made to feel like partly the fault of America, then change foreign policy or administrations and the problem will go away. If young Islamic terrorists are created by feelings of "alienation" then the problem will be solved by getting them to like us. It's so comforting. Fundamentalist Islam is on the march and all we can do is worry about giving offence. When the blood of journalists can only be expunged by denying other journalists the right to say or show what they died for, we are hemorrhaging freedom. I have no children but some coming generation will pay the price for their parents' cowardice."