text:
Cape Verde women's national football team
This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2020)
Women's national association football team representing Cape Verde
This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see Cape Verde national football team.
Cape Verdean Football Federation
CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation
WAFU (West Africa)
Luana Siqueira
Most caps
Eloá Barbosa (33)
Marina Pereira (20)
FIFA code
FIFA ranking
NR (18 December 2020)[1]
The Cape Verde women's national football team represents Cape Verde in international women's association football and is governed by the Cape Verdean Football Federation.
1.2 Background and development
2 Team image
2.1 Nicknames
2.2 Kits and crest
2.2.1 Kit suppliers
2.3 Home stadium
2.4 Rivalries
3 Results and fixtures
4 Coaching staff
4.1 Current coaching staff
4.2 Manager history
5.1 Current squad
5.2 Recent call-ups
5.3 Notable players
5.4 Captains
5.5 Previous squads
6.1 Individual records
6.1.1 Most capped players
6.1.2 Top goalscorers
7 Competitive record
7.1 Africa Women Cup of Nations
7.2 African Games
8.1 Continental
8.2 Regional
In 1985, almost no country in the world had a women's national football team,[2] including Cape Verde who have yet to play in a FIFA sanctioned match.[3][4] A national team from Cape Verde has not represented the country in the major regional and international tournaments.[3] This includes the Women's World Cup,[3][5] the 2010 African Women's Championships during the preliminary rounds.,[6] and the 2011 All Africa Games.[7] In March 2012, the team was not ranked in the world by FIFA.[8]
Background and development[edit]
Women's football in Africa in general faces several challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women in the wider society, and fundamental inequality present in the society that occasionally allows for female specific human rights abuses.[9] At the same time, if quality female players in Africa are developed, many leave their home countries to seek greater football opportunities in places like Northern Europe or the United States.[10] Funding for women's football in Africa is also an issue: Most of the funding for women's football and for the women's national teams comes from FIFA, not the national football association.[10]
The development of football on a national level in Cape Verde is hindered by several factors, including local definitions of femininity that discourage participation in sport, lack of adequate training, a lack of competitive spirit in matches and during training.[11] There is also a lack of available players, with participation rates having peaked at roughly 350 a few years back to roughly 200 current players.[11] The lack of opportunities to go further with football inside the country also discourages continued participation in the sport.[11]
Cape Verde's FIFA trigramme is CPV.[3][12] The national association, Cape Verdean Football Federation, was founded in 1982 and became affiliated with FIFA in 1986.[13] Between 1990 and 2010, no football administrators from the country attended FIFA run courses related solely to women's football though some attended courses about both men and women's football.[14] Facilities were built to support football for everyone in 2001 when there was a surge of interest in the sport from women and youth players.[15] In 2004, national football umpire training took place, with six of the twenty-six enrolled participants being women, with the women being expected to referee both men and women's matches.[16] Also that year, there were efforts to create a women's futsal competition in São Vicente.[17] lha do Fogo had a women's futsal league in 2005 that included six teams.[18] In July 2011 on the island of St. Nicholas, the first women's soccer national championship was held in the country with EPIF da Praia being crowned the winners and Ajax de São Nicolau coming in second. The national competition had six teams in its inaugural season including EPIF de São Vicente, Ajax de São Nicolau, EPIF da Praia, Académica do Sal, Académica da Boa Vista e Lém.[19] Costs for the competition were covered by the national association.[20] There were efforts to create the league by 2008.[21] In 2011, a FIFA and the Cape Verdean Football Federation sponsored women's coaching clinic was held in the country. The training was conducted by James Doyen French from Portugal and Francisco Baptista Asselan Khan of Mozambique. The training was conducted to help demonstrate the national federation's commitment to women's football.[22] In 2011, a women's football tournament was held in San Vicente.[23] Rights to broadcast the 2011 Women's World Cup in the country were bought by African Union of Broadcasting.[24]
Some female Cape Verdan footballers have gone on to play internationally for clubs in places like the Canary Islands with some of the earliest players joining clubs around 2001. Other footballers have played abroad starting in 2004 in the Netherlands, Spain and Luxembourg.[11]
Team image[edit]
Nicknames[edit]
The Cape Verde women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the " ".
Kits and crest[edit]
Kit suppliers[edit]
Home stadium[edit]
The Cape Verde women's national football team plays their home matches on...
Rivalries[edit]
Results and fixtures[edit]
Main article: Cape Verde women's national football team results
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Partial results are shown in parentheses.
Win Draw Lose Fixtures
16 November 2018 Praia Cape Verde 0-1 Guinea-Bissau [25]
11 May 2019 Bissau Guinea-Bissau 1-2 Cape Verde [26]
25 February 2020 Bo Sierra Leone 0-0 Cape Verde 2020
25 February 2020 Bo Senegal 2-0 Cape Verde 2020
1 March 2020 Bo Cape Verde 3-0 Guinea 2020
4 March 2020 Makeni Mali 4-0 Cape Verde 2020
7 March 2020 Makeni Liberia 1-0 Cape Verde 2020
Coaching staff[edit]
Current coaching staff[edit]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020)
Head coach Luana Siqueira
Manager history[edit]
(–present) Luana Siqueira
Players[edit]
Current squad[edit]
The following players were named on date month year for the xxx tournament.
Caps and goals accurate up to and including date month year.
Date of birth (age)
Recent call-ups[edit]
The following players have been called up to the Cape Verde squad in the past 12 months.
Latest call-up
Notable players[edit]
Captains[edit]
Previous squads[edit]
Records[edit]
Individual records[edit]
Main article: List of Cape Verde women's international footballers
Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 2020.
Most capped players[edit]
Top goalscorers[edit]
Competitive record[edit]
Africa Women Cup of Nations[edit]
African Games[edit]
Honours[edit]
Continental[edit]
Regional[edit]
Sports portal
Association football portal
^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
^ Chrös McDougall (1 January 2012). Soccer. ABDO. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-61783-146-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^ a b c d "Cape Verde Islands: Fixtures and Results". Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ FIFA (2006). "Women's Football Today" (PDF). Retrieved 17 April 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Ballard, John; Suff, Paul (1999). The dictionary of football : the complete A-Z of international football from Ajax to Zinedine Zidane. London: Boxtree. p. 113. ISBN 0752224344. OCLC 59442612.
^ "Fixtures – African Women Championship 2010 – CAF". Cafonline.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^ "Groups & standings – All Africa Games women 2011 – CAF". Cafonline.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^ "The FIFA Women's World Ranking". FIFA.com. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^ Jean Williams (15 December 2007). A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football. Berg. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-84520-674-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^ a b Gabriel Kuhn (24 February 2011). Soccer Vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics. PM Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-60486-053-5. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^ a b c d "Quem disse que o futebol é jogo de homens? / Desporto / Detalhe de Notícia / Jornal Expresso das Ilhas". Expressodasilhas.sapo.cv. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ Tom Dunmore (16 September 2011). Historical Dictionary of Soccer. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7188-5. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^ "Goal! Football: Cape Verde" (PDF). FIFA. 24 August 2009. p. 3. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
^ "Cape Verde Islands: FIFA Goal Programme". FIFA.com. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ de Pina, Constânça (19 November 2004). "Mais árbitros, mais competição" (PDF). Lance (in Portuguese). Cape Verde. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ Medina, João Almeida (19 November 2004). "Micá e Mindelense na frente em São Vicente" (PDF). Lance (in Portuguese). Cape Verde. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ Barbosa, José Henrique (19 November 2004). "Novas modalidades NO FOGO" (PDF). Lance (in Portuguese). Cape Verde. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ "Nacional de Futebol Feminino: EPIF da Praia sagra-se campeã". Criolosports.com. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ "Futebol feminino: São Nicolau recebe o Campeonato Nacional / Desporto / Detalhe de Notícia / Jornal Expresso das Ilhas". Expressodasilhas.sapo.cv. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ "GERSON MELO, " SOU CONTRA ALARGAMENTO PARA SALVAR UMA EQUIPA" / Desporto / Detalhe de Notícia / Jornal Expresso das Ilhas". Expressodasilhas.sapo.cv. 6 October 2008. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ "FIFA organiza curso para futebol feminino e futsal na Praia – Inforpress – Sapo Notícias". Noticias.sapo.cv. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ "Finanças e Violência em debate / Sociedade / Detalhe de Notícia / Jornal Expresso das Ilhas". Expressodasilhas.sapo.cv. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ "FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011TM Media Rights Licensees" (PDF). FIFA. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
^ GreenSports. GreenSports. 16 November 2018 https://www.facebook.com/greensports.tv/videos/vb.416091745250440/316458229179194/?type=3&theater. Retrieved 16 November 2018. Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ GreenSports. GreenSports. 12 May 2019 https://www.facebook.com/greensports.tv/photos/a.416095688583379/1010768949116047/?type=3&theater. Retrieved 12 May 2019. Missing or empty |title= (help)
International association football
The Best FIFA Football Awards
CAF – Africa Cup of Nations
Regional (CECAFA, CEMAC, COSAFA, WAFU)
Intercontinental (UAFA, FAC)
AFC – Asian Cup
Regional (ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, CAFA, WAFF)
Interregional (AFF-EAFF)
UEFA – Euro
and the Caribbean
CONCACAF – Gold Cup
OFC – Nations Cup
CONMEBOL – Copa América
Non-FIFA
CONIFA – CONIFA World Football Cup
IIGA – Island Games
South American Board of New Federations (CSANF)
World Unity Football Alliance (WUFA)
Francophonie Games
Indian Ocean Island
Lusophone Games
West Asian Games
Player/Club of the Century
International women's association football
The Best FIFA Women's Player
Women's Asian Cup
Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Regional (ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, WAFF, CAFA)
Women Cup of Nations
Regional (CECAFA, COSAFA, WAFU Zone A, Zone B)
Women's Nations League
Women's Nations Cup
Women's Euro
NF-Board
Women's Viva World Cup
Central American Games
Indian Ocean Island Games
Invitationals
Aphrodite Women Cup
Balaton Cup
Brazil Cup
Cyprus Women's Cup
FFA Cup of Nations
Four Nations Tournament
Istria Cup
Peace Queen Cup
Pinatar Cup
Tournament of Nations
Tournoi de France
Turkish Women's Cup
Yongchuan International Tournament
Player of the Century
National women's football teams of Africa (CAF)
North Africa (UNAF)
West Africa (WAFU)
East Africa (CECAFA)
Zanzibar†
Central Africa (UNIFFAC)
Southern Africa (COSAFA)
Non-regional Members
Réunion†
†Associate member of CAF but not member of FIFA
Football in Cape Verde
Olympic (U-23)
League system
Campeonato Nacional de Cabo Verde
Santiago Island League (South)
Taça Nacional de Cabo Verde
Cape Verdean Super Cup
Footballer of the Year
List of football clubs in Cape Verde by honours won
International footballers
Foreign players
Men's clubs
Women's clubs
Men's players
Women's players
Expatriate players
National sports teams of Cape Verde
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_Verde_women%27s_national_football_team&oldid=992134496"
African women's national association football teams
Cape Verde national football team
CS1 errors: missing periodical
CS1 Portuguese-language sources (pt)
Articles with obsolete information from November 2020
All Wikipedia articles in need of updating


text:
Politics Rising GOP star thrust into spotlight with Trump defense
17:55 25 november 2019 Source: thehill.com
Rising GOP star thrust into spotlight with Trump defense 2019-11-25 2019-11-25
CBS Studios' James Comey miniseries has found its Barack Obama
CBS Studios' James Comey miniseries has found its Barack Obama EW has confirmed that actor Kingsley Ben-Adir will play the former president in CBS Studios' upcoming miniseries based on James Comey's book A Higher Loyalty. Jeff Daniels was previously confirmed for the role of the former FBI director, with Brendan Gleeson set to play President Donald Trump.Ben-Adir has appeared in several films and TV shows including Netflix's The OA and Peaky Blinders, and the newly released Disney+ film Noelle.
could cost GOP House seats MORE has been thrust into the spotlight by his controversial remarks about Walker, a North Carolina Republican and Southern Baptist preacher, is seen as a rising star and has bill overhauling sexual harassment policy to Trump 's desk Dems cry foul in undecided N.C
Iowa senator who was once the object of Trump VP buzz goes 'On the Record' the night of her big speech at the Republican National Convention.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has long been lauded by GOP leaders as a rising star in the party, and her new role as one of President Trump's chief defenders during the impeachment hearings has thrust her into the national spotlight.
© The Hill Rising GOP star thrust into spotlight with Trump defense
But with that higher profile comes concerns from some Republicans that her shift toward becoming a highly visible Trump ally could make her a bigger target for Democrats in 2020.
Stefanik, the lone GOP woman on the House Intelligence Committee, was featured prominently during the public impeachment hearings over the past two weeks. She clashed with Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in an early exchange that became a rallying cry for conservatives, pointedly questioned witnesses about the connection between the Bidens and Ukraine and stood at the front of the pack of GOP lawmakers during press conferences.
Kim Jong Un supervises another N. Korean military drill
North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un supervised a parachuting drill of military sharpshooters and vowed to build an "invincible army," continuing a display of defiance even as the United States and South Korea call off their own exercises to create space for nuclear diplomacy. © Provided by The Associated Press U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, right, and South Korea defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo attend a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. Esper and his South Korean counterpart announced Sunday that U.S.
Rachel Maddow reports on how Donald Trump has tried to drag Republican members of Congress into his fight with the Gold Star parents of U.S. Army Captain
Convention organizers sought to put the spotlight on Love's personal story by airing a short video before her remarks. This is Love's story: Her parents left Haiti for the U.S. 39 years ago. Her father worked several jobs to support the family, including paying for his daughter to attend the University of
She also appeared alongside House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Sean Hannity's prime-time show on Fox News on Thursday.
Trump has taken notice. He recently praised the 35-year-old on Fox News.
"Every once in a while you meet a new star," Trump told "Fox & Friends" on Friday. "I know a lot about stardom ... but I'll tell you what, this young woman from upstate New York, she has become a star."
While she's garnered praise from conservatives in recent weeks, Stefanik is also known for her independent streak, breaking at times with the GOP on certain issues.
She voted to block Trump's national emergency declaration to secure funding for his border wall and was one of just 13 Republicans to oppose the GOP's landmark tax reform bill in 2017.
Defense Dept watchdog says Turkish incursion and U.S. drawdown helped ISIS
Even though the U.S. recently killed the leader of the terrorist group, the DoD IG warns that Trump's Syria policies will "strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad"The Trump administration's announcement that the U.S. would withdraw the nearly 1,000 troops in Syria in October cleared the way for Turkey to invade northern Syria, resulting in the death of dozens of civilians and the displacement of over 200,000 from the region, as well as the escape of about 200 ISIS fighters from prisons run by Syrian Kurdish allies. The IG's report says that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has concluded that "ISIS exploited the Turkish incursion and subsequent drawdown of U.S.
Rank-and-file Republicans are treading carefully when it comes to speaking out about the escalating controversy surrounding President Trump 's entreaties that foreign governments investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.
When Trump lashed out at the Department of Justice in September of 2018 for indicting two Republican congressmen, Chris Collins of New York and Duncan Hunter of California, Sasse delivered a He was a rising star who could have been a thought leader of post-Trumpian conservativism. What is he now?
She has been outspoken in her opposition to the administration's use of tariffs and most recently chastised the White House strategy in Syria.
"She's got an important role on [the Intelligence] committee, so the thing that I've been struck by a little bit is the fact that her critics have been really rushing to label this as an ideological shift when I don't view it as that at all," said Jessica Proud, a Republican strategist based in New York.
Top Republicans have identified her as a prime candidate to move up in the party, praising her for working with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and launching a PAC to get more female Republicans elected, in addition to her work in the House. Some observers have recently suggested that the support she's received from conservatives during the impeachment process could position her for a House leadership position, a top spot on committees or even higher office.
Turkey needs to 'get rid of' S-400s to overcome impasse: State Dept official
Turkey needs to "get rid of" the Russian S-400 missile defense system it purchased, a senior State Department official said on Thursday, to overcome a standoff with Washington, which says the procurement poses a threat to NATO defense capabilities. © Reuters/TURKISH MILITARY/TURKISH DEFENCE A Russian plane carrying parts of a Russian S-400 defense system lands at Murted Airport near Ankara "There is room for Turkey to come back to the table. They know that to make this work they need to either destroy or return or somehow get rid of the S-400," the official told reporters at a briefing.
Trump turned Paul D. Ryan's mentor and former running mate Mitt Romney into a personal whipping post John "Mac" Stipanovich, a GOP insider and lobbyist in Florida, said: "Most Republican Again and again, Giuliani rushed to Trump 's defense and punched back on his behalf, including on Sunday
Republican senators who have warned the White House for months not to interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation are coming under new pressure given President Trump 's latest demands for the Department of Justice.
"When Elise came into office being the youngest woman ever elected, she got elected not based upon being young and a woman but her own skills," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told The Hill.
"I mean, you think about what she's been already able to accomplish. She could have been on a leadership track right there. She's really focused on her district. I think the only thing that the Intel Committee has allowed is for America to actually see the work she does every single day: that she does her homework, she can ask the tough questions and she can stand up even to bullies."
But even her allies in the House have acknowledged that while her accelerating rise may put her on a faster leadership trajectory, it has also raised the profile of her Democratic opponent.
"You know, certainly it [her role in impeachment hearings] could help her with some relationships [with conservatives] that she may not have had in the past," Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) told The Hill.
"But, as you see, it also brings a spotlight on her nationally, and it also spotlights her opponent because of the far-left activists from all over the country see a strong woman like Elise, who's going to be a great voice for the Republican Party for years to come, and they want to take that voice out."
Billboards calling on House Republicans to 'do their job' follow members home for Thanksgiving
Activist groups are sending mobile billboard trucks to follow a handful of House Republicans home for Thanksgiving with a message: "Defend democracy." Progressive groups MoveOn and Need to Impeach commissioned the billboard trucks to visit eight districts across seven states from Monday through Wednesday. The targeted eight Republicans include either retiring members, members who have split from President Trump in the past, or vulnerable members in more moderate districts.
GOP leaders, after all, hadn't supported President Donald Trump 's shutdown strategy to begin with. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wasn't surprised it took 35 days, falling poll numbers and an air traffic slowdown. "We've been there before," Pelosi told a small lunch gathering of journalists on Friday.
Trump 's incoming White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, on Sunday issued a warning to Shaub to "be careful." America Rising , an opposition research group that backs Republicans, has Veteran GOP election lawyer Charlie Spies called him a "Democratic publicity hound who is inappropriately
Democratic congressional hopeful Tedra Cobb, whom Stefanik defeated by 14 points in last year's midterm elections, saw an influx in donations after George Conway, the outspoken husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, tweeted that Stefanik was "lying trash" for claiming Schiff had tried to silence her.
Celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and Chelsea Handler have also urged their followers on social media to support Stefanik's likely 2020 opponent.
Cobb's campaign did not respond to requests for comment, but it has garnered a national following over the last week, thanks in large part to Stefanik's embrace of Trump during the impeachment hearings. Cobb boasted a fundraising haul of more than $1 million over the previous weekend and was aiming to raise another $500,000 this past weekend.
"President Trump believes he's above the law, and Rep. Stefanik has gone all in on defending him, exposing her true colors as a typical Washington-first, partisan politician," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Christine Bennett said in a statement, adding that voters are "looking for a representative who will fight for their families and values, and are ready for a change."
With the uptick in Democratic attacks against Stefanik - once viewed as one of the most centrist GOP members of Congress - the conservative group American Action Network is already taking steps to help ensure she keeps her seat.
Minneapolis mayor renews payment demand as costs from Trump rally are in
MINNEAPOLIS - Costs for President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Minneapolis last month came in slightly higher than expected, and the city will continue to seek reimbursement, Mayor Jacob Frey said Tuesday. After weeks of calculating the cost of police overtime, public works crews and road barriers, the city determined that it spent $542,733 - roughly $12,000 more than the original $530,000 cost estimate for the president's rally at the 19,356-seat Target Center. The event drew national attention after Frey and Trump sparred over who should cover costs for the event, which drew large protests around the downtown arena.
President Donald Trump and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are not personally close and don't meet in person Please read the rules before joining the discussion. Nikki Haley is a GOP rising star . And Haley has touted the need for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether Trump
President Donald Trump will travel to Ohio on Saturday to campaign for Republican special election candidate Troy Balderson, according to a senior party official — a move that comes amid rising 7 special election. They are battling to replace longtime GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi, who resigned last fall.
The group announced Friday it would spend $150,000 on television and digital ads thanking the congresswoman for defending the president from impeachment.
Stefanik's office on Saturday said the congresswoman "is 100 percent focused on representing" her district.
"She has been lauded by many this week for asking some of the most effective questions during the impeachment hearings and focusing on the facts," her office added.
Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute in central New York, pointed to polling numbers that show a majority of voters in upstate are against impeachment, an indication that Stefanik's leading role in Trump's defense may not cost her politically.
"I think the money flowing into Cobb's election campaign will give her significant wind," Levy said. "But it would be difficult at this point to say that Stefanik does not remain a strong favorite to hold that seat."
NRCC spokesman Chris Pack blasted the rhetoric used by her critics, like Conway, since the launch of the impeachment inquiry and said he remains confident Stefanik will retain her seat. He pointed to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which doesn't list Stefanik's district as a competitive race for 2020, and said it "isn't even remotely close to being a competitive district."
"I think the biggest lie in politics is that Democrats are anything but hateful people when it comes to any sort of woman that isn't a Democrat. Just the way that Elise has been treated by the left is absolutely disgusting," he said. "That being said, her opponent raised a bunch of money, so it's important for her to do the same to make sure that she has the resources she needs to let people know all this stuff she's been doing on behalf of her district and on behalf of the president."
China's military might has now become a top issue for NATO .
NATO, the 29-member military alliance, was set up 70 years ago to counter the threat posed by the-then Soviet Union. Now, another military power is in its sights: China. As heads of state and government gather in the U.K. Tuesday for a two-day meeting of the alliance, shifting geopolitical relationships and emerging challenges will be in focus for the fractious group. Previous meetings have been dominated by the alliance's old foe Russia, following Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
US - Gunmakers' shares rise after Las Vegas attack
Subscribe to France 24 now: http://f24.my/youtubeEN FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7 http://f24.my/YTliveEN Shares in gun manufacturers ...
The National for Monday May 21, 2018 — FBI and Trump, Hawaii Volcano, Pipeline
Welcome to The National, the flagship nightly newscast of CBC News »»» Subscribe to The National to watch more videos here: ...
Billboards calling on House Republicans to 'do their job' follow members home...
China's military might has now become a top issue for NATO
The Least Popular Members Of Congress From Every State
The Most Popular Members of Congress From Every State
Chaplain controversy shifts spotlight to rising GOP star | TheHill
Joni Ernst: Rising GOP star in the spotlight - YouTube
Trump Gold Star Attack Puts GOP On Defense | Rachel Maddow
Rising GOP star Mia Love glides into the spotlight at convention
Anxious GOP treads carefully with Trump defense | TheHill
Trump critic and rising GOP star Ben Sasse is now a Trump apologist.
A generation of GOP stars stands diminished: 'Everything Trump
Pressure rising on GOP after Trump –DOJ fight's latest turn | TheHill
In shutdown fight with Trump and GOP , Pelosi drew a line on governing
Ethics chief thrust into spotlight by Trump battle | TheHill
Chief Justice Roberts admonishes both sides at Senate impeachment trial, after marathon session...
Chief Justice John Roberts admonishes House managers and White House counsel
Congressional Black Caucus member endorses Mike Bloomberg for president
Democrats scale back language as Trump and GOP press ahead with attacks on Senate impeachment...
Trump Lawyer Ken Starr Says There Is 'No Such Thing' as Obstruction of Congress: 'It's Made Up'
Gabbard, Yang, other Democrats slam Clinton remarks on Sanders as petulant, divisive
Trump says he'd like Bolton, Pompeo to testify but will leave witnesses up to Senate
Chief Justice Roberts admonishes both sides at Senate impeachment trial, after...
Democrats scale back language as Trump and GOP press ahead with attacks on Senate
Trump Lawyer Ken Starr Says There Is 'No Such Thing' as Obstruction of Congress:...
Gabbard, Yang, other Democrats slam Clinton remarks on Sanders as petulant,...
Trump says he'd like Bolton, Pompeo to testify but will leave witnesses up to...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Last Call For Cleaning Up The Crap
The Justice Department, under new management, is now looking into how the Trump regime may have forced the US Attorney for Northern Georgia out of office, possibly for refusing to open an investigation into Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on bogus "election fraud" charges.
The Justice Department inspector general has begun examining the abrupt departure this month of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta after then-President Donald Trump complained officials in Georgia were not doing enough to find election fraud, according to people familiar with the matter.
The investigation into the sudden resignation of Byung J. "BJay" Pak by Inspector General Michael Horowitz appears to be in its early stages. Investigators have not yet talked to Pak, and it is unclear how broad their inquiry will be, the people familiar with the matter said. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing probe.
Pak unexpectedly announced Jan. 4 that he was stepping down that day as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, surprising many in his office. Trump then bypassed Pak's top deputy in selecting a temporary replacement, raising questions among legal observers about the possibility of political interference in law enforcement work.
Pak's resignation came a day after The Washington Post reported on an extraordinary call in which Trump urged Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to "find" enough votes to overturn his election defeat in that state. Legal scholars said the request from Trump was an obvious abuse of power that might warrant criminal investigation. In the same conversation, Trump cited a "never-Trumper U.S. attorney" in Georgia — seemingly a reference to Pak — and hinted vaguely and baselessly that Raffensperger's refusal to act on his unfounded fraud claims constituted a "criminal offense."
Pak declined to comment for this story, as did a spokeswoman for Horowitz. On Thursday, the law firm Alston & Bird announced that Pak would be joining as a partner in its litigation and trial practice group in the Atlanta office. He had worked at the firm previously and had served as a state lawmaker before Trump appointed him as a U.S. attorney in 2017.
The circumstances of Pak's departure remain something of a mystery. Two people familiar with the matter said Pak received a call from a senior Justice Department official in Washington that led him to believe he should resign. Trump had been upset with what he perceived as the agency's lack of action on his unfounded claims in Georgia and across the country, people familiar with the matter said at the time.
Trump then appointed Bobby Christine, the top federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Georgia, to replace Pak, and Christine brought with him to the new office two prosecutors who had recently been assigned to monitor possible election fraud. Spokespeople for the U.S. attorney's offices in the Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia declined to comment.
Needless to say, when the truth of Pak's firing (because he was absolutely forced to resign) comes out, it's not going to go well for a lot of people working for the Trump regime. We're going to find out all kinds of crap like this over the next several months, and it all needs to be investigated.
And the first thing that needs to happen is that Biden needs to clean house in Justice, State, and Defense. Look for that soon.
StupidiTags(tm): Criminal Stupidity, Election Stupidity, Legal Stupidity, Trump Regime, Wingnut Stupidity
Retribution Execution, Con't
It seems the first order of business for the House GOP leadership is to deal with Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney's fate as the third most-powerful Republican, with scores of angry Trump cultists in the caucus calling for her crucifixion after she indicated earlier this month that Donald Trump should be impeached.
The most immediate threat to Cheney — a push by Trump loyalists to oust her as conference chair — has gained momentum inside the House GOP, although the process is complicated and could still sputter out. But at least 107 Republicans, or just over a majority, have communicated to the leaders of that effort that they would support removing Cheney from leadership on a secret ballot, according to multiple GOP sources involved in the effort. Others are threatening to boycott future conference meetings if she remains in power.
And at least two members have privately signaled interest in replacing Cheney as the No. 3 Republican, sources say: Reps. Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin, two New Yorkers who both sprang to popularity in the party after fiercely defending Trump during his first impeachment.
If Cheney does lose her post, it will be the latest sign that the Trumpification of the Republican Party isn't stopping anytime soon, even after the ex-president flew off to Mar-a-Lago with a disgraced legacy in Washington. Some say the Cheney fight has already become a proxy battle for the heart and soul of the splintered GOP.
"She has proven that she is out of step with the vast majority of our conference and the Republicans across the nation," said freshman Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), who is spearheading the resolution calling on Cheney to step down. "A lot of people within our conference have a problem with it."
"There are other people who are absolutely interested in filling that void, I will tell you," he added of potential Cheney replacements. "And they would have broad-based support."
Long-simmering frustrations with Cheney — once a fast-rising star in the GOP — have spiked inside the GOP, especially among its right flank, according to interviews with over a dozen lawmakers and aides. Members are not only angry with her impeachment vote, but also furious that Cheney announced her position a day ahead — giving Democrats ample time to use her statement in all of their talking points, while also providing cover to the nine other Republicans who backed impeachment.
A compilation video of the multiple times Democrats and news media cited Cheney's statement on impeachment has even been circulating in some GOP circles. As conference chair, Cheney is in charge of the party's messaging efforts.
But several other senior Republicans think Cheney ultimately hangs on to her post, arguing most Republicans will have little appetite for creating more chaos in the conference at a time when the party is desperate to unite.
And behind the scenes, Cheney has been doing a bit of damage control: she has been making calls to all corners of the conference to hear lawmakers out and ensure the party is unified going forward, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
"Removing Liz as the Conference Chair when she did exactly what the Leader told all of us to do – vote her conscience – sends a bad message," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "And I've spoken with many members of our Conference who have expressed their support for Liz and her leadership. I have confidence she will remain in her position and she has my support."
While GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Republican Whip Steve Scalise (La.) have both said they want Cheney to remain in her job, McCarthy also told reporters Thursday that "questions need to be answered," such as the "style in which things were delivered." Members will have an opportunity to air those grievances at next week's closed-door conference meeting, McCarthy added.
Cheney's biggest problem is the fact Kevin McCarthy has allowed this mess to get this far in the first place. Cheney going off on her own like this is a direct threat to McCarty's leadership, and everyone knows it. So either he keeps a capable lieutenant who's obviously gunning for his job, or he tosses her to the howling inchoate mob.
So now McCarthy and Cheney both have a choice. And as Mr. Miyagi once said:
Walk on road, hm? Walk right side, safe. Walk left side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later get the squish just like grape.
She can stay or she can go, but McCarthy needs to make a choice soon so he can remain the incompetent clown in charge and not be replaced by someone who might actually be able to organize the angry racist mob he runs.
McCarthy's going to have to show Cheney the door or he's going to lose his own leadership position, and it looks like all ten of the Republicans who voted for impeachment will be stripped of donors, and any local party help in surviving inevitable primary challenges starting this time next year. Maybe even committee positions.
No, McCarthy will fold. Trump will demand it eventually. And this is the Trump Racism party now and in the future.
StupidiTags(tm): GOP Stupidity, Government Stupidity, Kevin "Aptly Named" McCarthy, Legal Stupidity, Liz Cheney, Trump Regime, Wingnut Stupidity
Full Court Pressed
Besides the nearly 420,000 dead from COVID-19, the next major casualty of the Trump regime is trust in the press, as now a majority of American no longer trust news at all.
Trust in traditional media has declined to an all-time low, and many news professionals are determined to do something about it.
Why it matters: Faith in society's central institutions, especially in government and the media, is the glue that holds society together. That glue was visibly dissolving a decade ago, and has now, for many millions of Americans, disappeared entirely.
By the numbers: For the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media, according to data from Edelman's annual trust barometer shared exclusively with Axios. Trust in social media has hit an all-time low of 27%. 56% of Americans agree with the statement that "Journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations." 58% think that "most news organizations are more concerned with supporting an ideology or political position than with informing the public."
When Edelman re-polled Americans after the election, the figures had deteriorated even further, with 57% of Democrats trusting the media and only 18% of Republicans.
Our media is now badly wounded, and time will tell if the wounds are fatal or not. But without trust in media, America will absolutely fall to the next autocratic monster, and it will never recover.
Felix Salmon goes on to suggest that America's CEOs, who do have a very high level of trust in the Edelman polling, are the key to saving the media.
How it works: Media outlets can continue to report reliable facts, but that won't turn the trend around on its own. What's needed is for trusted institutions to visibly embrace the news media. CEOs (a/k/a the fourth branch of government) are at or near the top of Edelman's list of trusted institutions.
By the numbers: 61% of Trump voters say that they trust their employer's CEO. That compares to just 28% who trust government leaders, and a mere 21% who trust journalists.
The bottom line: CEOs have long put themselves forward as the people able to upgrade America's physical infrastructure. Now it's time for them to use the trust they've built up to help rebuild our civic infrastructure.
I'm not convinced that this is the answer, as I'd argue corporatization of the media is indeed the largest single problem in the media today. But Salmon is right that with four out of five Trump voters refusing to trust or listen to the media, reporting the facts won't work by itself.
What else needs to be done?
Reforming the corporate media and big tech, for starters, but that's a huge undertaking. But that needs to be part of Biden's plan.
StupidiTags(tm): Corporate Stupidity, Trump Regime, Village Stupidity, Wingnut Stupidity
Three National Guard soldiers were killed during a routine training mission in upstate New York, the crash occurred on Wednesday night south of Rochester.
In his first overture to Russia since taking office, President Biden has offered to extend the START nuclear treaty that Donald Trump threatened to scrap last year.
Senate Republicans say President Biden's immigration agenda has little chance of getting past a filibuster, with Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey calling passage "a Herculean task".
Both the House and Senate have quickly approved a waiver to allow Ret. Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as Secretary of Defense, Austin would be the first Black man to lead the Pentagon.
Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel has been appointed the new chair of the FCC, replacing outgoing Republican Ajit Pai who left this week, Pai's replacement is expected to be confirmed quickly.


text:
Home » LS » Why are so many relocating to Sweden?
Why are so many relocating to Sweden?
May 4, 2021 by London Swedes
Photo: Lieselotte Van der Meijs
Over the past 3 months, we've seen a surge in the number of enquiries we've received from Swedes and British Expats planning to relocate to Sweden. It's a marked change after a quiet 2020 when the Covid crisis caused a profound effect on movement.
We spoke to International removals company ClickMoves to find out what they think is fuelling the increased number of families moving to Sweden.
"Actually Sweden has always been a popular destination for British ex-pats, there's upwards 30,000 Brits who have already relocated to Sweden, and we estimate that this number will potentially double by 2025" says Matt Burden of ClickMoves.
"We are basing that estimate on the huge increase in the number of bookings from clients moving from the UK to Sweden during the first quarter of 2021. In fact, we have a fairly full diary for many weeks in advance."
There are many reasons Sweden is popular with British ex-pats, beautiful scenery is complemented with a highly efficient society, egalitarian values and the fact that English is widely spoken. The country is also very environmentally conscious and that is important to many modern families. Stockholm was designated Europe's first-ever 'green capital' in 2010, and the country is aiming to abolish the use of fossil fuels by 2050. But most recently ClickMoves believes that other factors have come into play.
More people moving to Sweden in 2021
ClickMoves believe that there are four new influencers driving the numbers of Brits emigrating to Sweden. Foremost is the removal of barriers which last year prevented people from making the move overseas.The Covid crisis has had a huge psychological impact on our lives. Many have spent lockdown re-evaluating the course of their futures. Of those, some have come to the conclusion that living in Sweden presents a better option in terms of "wellness." And their perspective is that life is for a living – as opposed to living for work.
Working patterns have also changed during the Covid crisis. There's been a huge move for employees and employers to adapting to working from home. With good WiFi, and a decent laptop, headphones and Zoom, we can communicate visually and effectively irrespective of location. So the opportunity to live in Sweden and continue earning a good salary from a career in the UK is a real possibility.
Changes in the UK are also at play
"The UK Property Stamp Duty Holiday has also played its part in making it easier for families to finally make their move to Sweden. February 2021 saw a 50% increase in home sales. Many homeowners have been released from the Covid holding pattern to finally complete their UK sale and move forward on their Swedish property purchases.
"Brexit has also caused a major shift in the thinking as half of the UK voting population wanted to remain in the EU. ClickMoves doesn't think that this factor on its own would cause an exodus of Brits relocating to Sweden. But, combined with the other dynamics, for some, Brexit could be 'the straw that broke the camel's back'.
"As we begin to exit what has been a very difficult period, it seems hard to imagine that life will be the same in the years to come. And for many, a new life in Sweden brings with it excitement and a fresh start."
ClickMoves is an international moving company providing door to door removal services from the UK to Sweden and worldwide at affordable rates.
Exklusiva gym i London
LondonSwedes testar: Mr Fogg's
Tre tips från taxifönstret del 34
Danska soffor är ett populärt val
LondonSwedes testar: Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea på Sanderson Hotel
James Bonds Farliga Guide till London – Gästartikel av Ben Holbrook


text:
Photoexcited µSR used to measure carrier kinetics in semiconductor materials
Top: Schematic diagram of the experimental geometry. Bottom: Muon distribution (blue solid line) and photon flux (red broken line) as a function of depth measured from the surface on which muons are incident. The muon distribution has been calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation package based on GEANT4. Credit: K Yokoyama
Knowledge of the kinetics of excess charge carriers (electrons and holes) in semiconductors is crucial when determining the performance of electronic devices such as solar cells or computer chips. The excess carrier recombination lifetime is a key figure of merit in photovoltaics applications that governs the efficiency of solar cells. However, traditional lifetime spectroscopy techniques currently used for characterisation only provide a bulk average for the material. The method described in this study, using photoexcited muon spin spectroscopy (photo-µSR), allows the carrier lifetime to be probed at a specific position within a wafer, giving a better picture of carrier dynamics.
When a positively charged anti-muon is implanted into a semiconducting material and localised in its crystalline lattice, it captures an electron to form muonium, a hydrogen-like species that can undergo spin and carrier exchange interactions with free electrons and holes. If there are more charge carriers present, then more of this exchange can occur, and the faster the measured muon spin relaxation. By combining this muon spin spectroscopy with optical carrier injection, the dynamics of the charge carriers can be investigated.
In this study, the researchers used the photo-μSR pump-probe technique on HiFi to measure the temperature dependence of the lifetime and mobility of the charge carriers inside germanium. Their results are in agreement with those using other methods, proving that photo-μSR can successfully be used to measure these kinetics. Based on the fact that muonium is a common state of implanted muons in a wide range of semiconductor materials, the method could contribute to the characterization of emerging functional materials, such as perovskite-structured compounds and wide-bandgap semiconductors.
Instrument: HiFi
Related publication: "Muon probes of temperature-dependent charge carrier kinetics in semiconductors" Appl. Phys. Lett. 115, 112101 (2019)
Funding: STFC, Texas Research Incentive Program and the NMU Freshman Fellows Program
Authors: K Yokoyama, JS Lord (ISIS), PW Mengyan (Northern Michigan University, Texas Tech University), MR Goeks (Northern Michigan University), RL Lichti (Texas Tech University)
Contact: Gianchandani, Shikha (STFC,RAL,ISIS)


Stand Out In The Crowd at your Nautical themed Bridal event with a beautiful sailor hat veil. Sailor hats are one size fits most, have a beautiful multi layered veil with "Future Mrs." in gold metallic foil and are adorned with a royal blue satin bow at the center back and a gold glitter anchor off center at the front. Perfect for Bridal Showers, Bachelorette Parties, Gifts for the Bride to Be & more.
Be sure to add a custom nautical themed SassySash to your order for the ultimate combo!
HAPPY SHOPPING and we hope to see your #SassySash products in action!
Follow and tag us on social media for a chance to be featured!


The Nevada Wolf Pack have added the Purdue Boilermakers and the Toledo Rockets to their future football schedules, the school announced today.
Nevada will travel to face Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN on Sept. 24, 2016. The Wolf Pack will then host the Boilermakers at Mackay Stadium in Reno on Aug. 31, 2019. The two schools have never met in football.
Nevada also announced today a home-and-home series against the Toledo Rockets of the MAC. The first game of the series will be played in Reno on Sept. 9, 2017 with the second and final game at the Glass Bowl in Toledo on Sept. 22, 2018.
The Wolf Pack have lost all three meetings against the Rockets, including two games in 1995 (49-35 in Reno and 40-37 in the Las Vegas Bowl). Toledo was also won 31-13 at home in 1997.
Nevada has now completed their future non-conference schedule through the 2016 season and they only need one more game in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Nevada may not be complete yet, at Hawaii in odd years.
I like what we are doing. First BYU, now Purdue from the Big 10. Those are a couple of big time teams that deliver respect if you can beat them. Well done Pack keep up the great work!


text:
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR
STANDARDS BOARD
[Filed March 24, 2014, 4:04 p.m.]
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 13-21-008.
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: Amends WAC 181-78A-100 on the requirements for the site team chair for review of preparation programs. Current requirements are for a professional educator standards board staff person. Change would require the team chair to have completed specific training.
Hearing Location(s): Trac Center, 6600 Burden Boulevard, Pasco, WA 99301, on May 15, 2014, at 8:30.
Date of Intended Adoption: May 15, 2014.
Submit Written Comments to: David Brenna, 600 Washington Street, Room 400, Olympia, WA 98504, e-mail david.brenna@k12.wa.us, fax (360) 586-4548, by May 8, 2014.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact David Brenna by May 8, 2014, (360) 725-6238.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: Changes requirements for review team chair trainings.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: Strengthens site team knowledge and skills.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: Chapter 28A.410 RCW.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting, Implementation and Enforcement: David Brenna, P.O. Box 42736 [47236], Olympia, WA 98504, (360) 725-6238.
No small business economic impact statement has been prepared under chapter 19.85 RCW. The proposed amendment does not have an impact on small business and therefore does not meet the requirements for a statement under RCW 19.85.030 (1) or (2).
A cost-benefit analysis is required under RCW 34.05.328. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis may be obtained by contacting David Brenna, 600 Washington Street, Olympia, WA 98504, phone (360) 725-6238, fax (360) 586-4548, e-mail david.brenna@k12.wa.us.
David Brenna
AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 13-20-028, filed 9/23/13, effective 10/24/13)
WAC 181-78A-100 Existing approved programs.
Chapter 181-78A WAC rules shall govern all policies related to programs upon adoption by the professional educator standards board, which shall provide assistance to programs in the revision of their existing programs.
(1) The professional educator standards board shall determine the schedule for such approval reviews and whether an on-site visit or other forms of documentation and validation shall be used for the purposes of granting approval under program approval standards. In determining the schedule for site visits, the board shall take into consideration the partnership agreement between the state and national accreditation organizations as such agreement relates to the accreditation cycle and allow CAEP accredited ((colleges/universities)) programs to follow the CAEP schedule for their review. Non-CAEP accredited ((colleges/universities)) programs shall have a review every five years. The professional educator standards board may require more frequent site visits at their discretion pursuant to WAC 181-78A-110(2). The professional educator standards board will not consider requests for site visit delays.
(2) Each institution shall submit its program for review when requested by the professional educator standards board to ensure that the program meets the state's program approval standards as follows:
(a) At least six months prior to a scheduled on-site visit, the institution shall submit an institutional report that provides evidence and narrative, as needed, that addresses how the program approval standards are met for each preparation program undergoing review. Evidence shall include such data and information from the annual data submissions required per WAC 181-78A-255(2) as have been designated by the professional educator standards board as evidence pertinent to the program approval process.
(b) The institutional report shall be reviewed by a team whose membership is composed of:
(i) One member of the professional educator standards board;
(ii) One peer institution representative;
(iii) One individual with assessment expertise;
(iv) Two K-12 practitioners with expertise related to the programs scheduled for review; and
(v) A ((designated professional educator standards board staff member who shall serve as team leader)) site team chair who has completed state training or council for the accreditation of educator preparation (CAEP/NCATE) training specific to the role.
(c) Substitutions, drawn from (b)(i) through (iv) of this subsection, may be assigned when individuals are not available. Additions to the team shall be drawn from (b)(i) through (iv) of this subsection when necessary. The professional educator standards board liaison for that institution may be present, but shall not serve in an evaluative role. All members, including substitutes, shall be trained.
(d) Team membership may be reduced for regular continuing visits in which fewer than five standards are being reviewed, initial visits, and focus visits. At a minimum, the team must consist of two members of which one must be a member of the professional educator standards board.
(e) Members of a focus visit team shall, at a minimum, be comprised of one member who served on the on-site team and one member of the professional educator standards board.
(f) The review of the off-site team shall identify additional evidence and clarifications that may be needed to provide adequate support for the institutional report.
(g) The report of the off-site team shall be submitted to the institution, which shall provide an addendum to the institutional report no later than five weeks preceding the on-site review.
(h) The on-site visit shall be conducted in compliance with the protocol and process adopted and published by the professional educator standards board. The team shall be comprised of members of the off-site review team whenever possible.
(i) The final site visit report and other appropriate documentation will be submitted to the professional educator standards board.
(j) Institutions may submit a reply to the report within two weeks following receipt of the report. The reply may address issues for consideration, including a request for appeal per this subsection (g), limited to evidence that the review disregarded state standards, failed to follow state procedures for review, or failed to consider evidence that was available at the time of the review.
(k) In considering the report, the professional educator standards board may grant approval according to WAC 181-78A-110 and 181-78A-100(1).
(l) Institutions may request a hearing in instances where it disagrees with the professional educator standards board's decision. The hearing will be conducted through the office of administrative hearings by an administrative law judge per chapter 34.05 RCW. The institution seeking a hearing will provide a written request to the professional educator standards board in accordance with WAC 10-08-035.
(3) Institutions seeking Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs, and National Association of School Psychologist accreditation may request from the professional educator standards board approval for concurrent site visits which would utilize the same documentation with the exception of material submitted by the institution to the state for the professional education advisory boards and the accountability standards.


text:
COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Medicare Beneficiaries With and Without Disabilities — United States, January 1, 2020–November 20, 2021
Weekly / June 17, 2022 / 71(24);791–796
Yan Yuan, MS1; JoAnn M. Thierry, PhD2; Lara Bull-Otterson, PhD1,3; Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, MD2; Kristie E.N. Clark, MD3; Catherine Rice, PhD2; Matthew Ritchey, DPT1,3; A. Blythe Ryerson, PhD2 (View author affiliations)
View suggested citation
What is already known about this topic?
Persons with disabilities are at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19, including death.
What is added by this report?
COVID-19–associated hospitalization rates among disability-eligible Medicare beneficiaries (3,148 per 100,000) were approximately 50% higher than rates among age-eligible (i.e., ≥65 years) beneficiaries (2,129 per 100,000), and hospitalization rates increased by age in both groups. Among persons with disabilities, American Indian or Alaska Native persons experienced the highest rate of COVID-19–associated hospitalization (4,962 per 100,000).
What are the implications for public health practice?
Efforts to increase access to and implementation of COVID-19 prevention and treatment strategies, including vaccination, are critical to reducing severe COVID-19–associated outcomes among persons with disabilities.
Altmetric:
Views equals page views plus PDF downloads
PDF [285K]
Approximately 27% of adults in the United States live with a disability,* some of whom qualify for Medicare benefits. Persons with disabilities are at increased risk for severe COVID-19–associated outcomes compared with the general population (1); however, existing studies have limited generalizability† or only pertain to a specific disability (e.g., intellectual) (2). Older age is also associated with COVID-19–associated hospitalization and death, but the extent to which age might contribute to increased risk for severe COVID-19–associated outcomes among persons with disabilities is unknown (3). To describe the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and whether and how age contributes to disease rates, CDC assessed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations during January 2020–November 2021, among Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥18 years who were either eligible because of a disability (disability-eligible§) or only eligible because of age ≥65 years (age-eligible). COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates were higher in the disability-eligible group (10,978 and 3,148 per 100,000 population, respectively) throughout the study period compared with the age-eligible group (8,102 and 2,129 per 100,000 population, respectively). Both COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates increased with age in both disability- and age-eligible beneficiaries. American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons had the highest disability-eligible (4,962 per 100,000) and age-eligible (5,024 per 100,000) hospitalization rates. Among all other racial and ethnic groups, hospitalization rates were higher among disability-eligible than among age-eligible patients. COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates among disability-eligible Medicare beneficiaries were disproportionally higher than rates among age-eligible beneficiaries. Collection of disability status as a core demographic variable in public health surveillance data and identification, as well as the addition of disability questions in other existing data sources can guide research and development of interventions for persons with disabilities. Efforts to increase access to and use of COVID-19 prevention and treatment strategies, including activities that support equitable vaccine access regardless of the substantial challenges that older adults and persons with disability face, are critical to reducing severe COVID-19–associated outcomes among these groups.
Medicare fee-for-service claims data, Medicare Advantage Plans encounter data, and Medicare enrollment information were used to identify the first diagnosis or hospitalization¶ for CMS Medicare beneficiaries with COVID-19 during January 2020–November 2021. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes B97.29 or U07.1 (starting in April 2020) were used to identify COVID-19 on a claim or encounter record from any health care setting (e.g., outpatient and inpatient hospital). To better evaluate the contribution of age to disease and hospitalization rates, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations were stratified into two mutually exclusive groups: aged ≥65 years without disability (age-eligible) and aged ≥18 years with disability (disability-eligible); all disability-eligible adults were grouped together, irrespective of age. Approximately 44% of disability-eligible beneficiaries were also aged ≥65 years; these included persons with developmental, sensory, and mobility disabilities, as well as persons with other or uncategorized disabilities.
Monthly COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates were calculated using numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries, divided by the Medicare population, or the population having hospital coverage for each month. Median length of hospital stay, underlying medical conditions, which were defined using measures of Chronic Condition Warehouse chronic disease indicators,** and hospitalization discharge status were compared by eligibility group. Deaths were defined as the number of patients listed as having died on the discharge date (in an inpatient or outpatient setting) or cases for which the inpatient discharge code indicated death. Because previous research suggests that vaccination coverage might differ between disability- and age-eligible groups, with persons with disabilities being less likely to be vaccinated (4), CMS guidance around analyzing and interpreting COVID-19 vaccine data was considered.†† In keeping with this guidance, COVID-19 vaccination was not included in the analysis, as vaccination records were incomplete or not reflective of vaccine doses administered. Rate differences between groups were tested using two-tailed t-tests for continuous variables and Pearson's chi-square tests for categorical variables; p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS Enterprise Guide (version 7.1; SAS Institute). This activity was reviewed by CDC and was conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy.§§
The study population comprised 68,911,412 Medicare beneficiaries, including 53,814,118 (78%) who were age-eligible and 15,097,294 (22%) who were disability-eligible. Compared with age-eligible beneficiaries, among whom overall cumulative COVID-19 incidence was 8,102 per 100,000 population, incidence was higher among disability-eligible beneficiaries (10,978 per 100,000) (p<0.001) (Table). The overall COVID-19–associated hospitalization rate was also significantly higher among disability-eligible beneficiaries (3,148 per 100,000) than among age-eligible beneficiaries (2,129 per 100,000) (p<0.001). COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates were higher among disability-eligible beneficiaries throughout the study period (Figure 1). Among disability-eligible beneficiaries, hospitalization rates among females and males (3,175 and 3,121 per 100,000, respectively) were significantly higher than those among age-eligible beneficiaries (1,951 and 2,350 per 100,000, respectively) (p<0.001) (Table). Hospitalization rates increased with increasing age in both groups and were also significantly higher among disability-eligible beneficiaries of all age groups (p<0.001). Among disability-eligible beneficiaries aged <65 years, the COVID-19–associated hospitalization rate (2,423 per 100,000) was significantly higher than the overall hospitalization rate in the age-eligible group (2,129 per 100,000) (p<0.001).
By race and ethnicity, hospitalization rates were highest among AI/AN persons (both disability-eligible [4,962 per 100,000] and age-eligible [5,024 per 100,000]), followed by Black or African American (Black) persons, (disability-eligible = 4,323; age-eligible = 3,318). Hospitalization rates among disability-eligible beneficiaries were significantly higher than were those among age-eligible beneficiaries for all racial and ethnic groups other than AI/AN.
The median length of hospital stay for COVID-19 hospitalizations was 7 days for both disability- and age-eligible beneficiaries. Although place of residence before hospitalization was not identified, the largest proportion of patients were discharged to their home in both groups (58.0% of disability-eligible and 54.4% of age-eligible), followed by discharge to a skilled nursing facility (16.9% of disability-eligible and 17.6% of age-eligible) (Supplementary Table, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/118094). Overall, the in-hospital mortality rate was lower among disability-eligible patients (16.5%) than among age-eligible patients (19.0%). However, the mortality rate among disability-eligible beneficiaries aged ≥65 years was 19.1%, similar to that among age-eligible beneficiaries (19.0%).
Among 18 underlying medical conditions¶¶ assessed among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with COVID-19, 91.4% of disability-eligible and 90.6% of age-eligible beneficiaries had two or more conditions (p<0.001). The prevalence of 16 of these conditions (including obesity, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and anemia) were significantly higher in disability-eligible beneficiaries aged ≥65 years than in age-eligible beneficiaries (Figure 2).
This study found that COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates were disproportionately higher among disability-eligible Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥18 years than among age-eligible beneficiaries (i.e., aged ≥65 years). COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates also increased with age among both disability- and age-eligible beneficiaries, consistent with previous findings that age is an important risk factor for COVID-19–associated hospitalization (5). These finding suggest that the observed disparity among persons with disabilities is being driven, in part, by age; however, other factors, including lower vaccination access and coverage among persons with disabilities, and the high prevalence of underlying conditions that increase risk for severe outcomes likely also contribute to this disparity (4). Taken together, these findings reinforce the importance of increasing access to and implementing COVID-19 prevention and treatment strategies, including vaccination, among persons with disabilities.
AI/AN beneficiaries accounted for the smallest racial and ethnic group (0.7% of disability-eligible and 0.3% of age-eligible beneficiaries); however, this group experienced the highest rates of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among both age- and disability-eligible beneficiaries. Rates among Black and Hispanic adults with disabilities were also consistently higher than those among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Asian adults, and adults of other or unknown race and ethnicity with disabilities. Previous studies have also identified higher COVID-19–associated risks among certain minority racial and ethnic groups (6,7). Additional intersectional research might help to better elucidate the factors that contribute to these racial and ethnic differences. CMS and CDC have fostered an interagency partnership to share administrative claims data for public health analyses during the COVID-19 pandemic; these data-sharing efforts augment the ability to examine the incidence and severity of disease faced by persons with disabilities. Primary prevention through continued COVID-19 vaccination efforts that focus on racial and ethnic subgroups with disabilities might further public health efforts to minimize mortality and morbidity (5) and reduce disparities.
CDC has also developed guidance and tools to help persons with disabilities and those who serve or care for them make decisions and protect their health.*** Several accessible materials and culturally competent COVID-19 resources have been developed for persons with disabilities and for health care providers who support them. To improve available support to persons with disabilities, CDC has funded partners such as the Administration for Community Living, which manages the Disability Information and Access Line,††† and regularly reviews the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities; associated clinical evidence reviews are periodically updated and posted online.§§§
The findings in this report are subject to at least four limitations. First, claims submitted to Medicare are not representative of all persons with a disability or older adults, and as with all claims data, there is some delay in reporting data. Disability-eligible Medicare beneficiaries might be more likely to have more severe disabilities than persons without Medicare because eligibility requires both a time component and disease documentation.¶¶¶ These requirements might differentially select for persons with a higher inherent risk for infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, or less access to medical treatment for COVID-19 than age-eligible beneficiaries. Second, vaccination coverage was not considered in this analysis because of limitations in administrative reporting and data; persons with disabilities are less likely to receive COVID-19 vaccination than are persons without disabilities (3). Third, SARS-CoV-2 genomic variants were not considered in this analysis, nor were rates compared by time; however, trends followed similar peaks identified in national incidence data (8). Finally, the ICD-10-CM codes used to identify COVID-19 diagnosis and associated hospitalization might include incidental COVID-19 cases that were identified during a care visit for another purpose. However, the misclassification bias was likely systematic and equally distributed between the groups, and thus unlikely to affect the observed findings.
Continuing COVID-19 prevention efforts and focused messaging to persons with disabilities remain high-impact public health priorities. Although progress has been made, more work remains to be done to prioritize persons with disabilities in public health programs, data systems, and preparedness and response activities at the federal, state, and local levels. Collection of disability status as a core demographic variable in public health surveillance data and identification, as well as the addition of disability questions in other existing data sources can guide research and development of interventions for persons with disabilities. Efforts to increase access to and use of COVID-19 prevention and treatment strategies, including activities that support equitable vaccine access in the face of the substantial challenges that older adults and those with disabilities face, are critical to reducing severe COVID-19–associated outcomes among these groups.****
Kevin Hodges, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Bo-Hyun Cho, CDC.
Corresponding author: A. Blythe Ryerson, ztq6@cdc.gov.
1Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, CDC; 2Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC; 3CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response Team.
All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
* https://dhds.cdc.gov (Accessed May 5, 2022).
† https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.10.21258693v1
§ Because Medicare eligibilities can change over time, two mutually exclusive groups were defined based on reasons for initial Medicare enrollment. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Eligibility-and-Enrollment/OrigMedicarePartABEligEnrol
¶ CMS released the Medicare data sets on December 17, 2021. COVID-19 hospitalizations were restricted to those among beneficiaries with an inpatient hospitalization claim or encounter record with a primary or secondary diagnosis code indicating COVID-19.
** https://www2.ccwdata.org/web/guest/condition-categories (Accessed April 20, 2022).
†† https://www.cms.gov/medicare-covid-19-vaccine-analysis (Accessed April 20, 2022).
§§ 45 C.F.R. part 46, 21 C.F.R. part 56; 42 U.S.C. Sect. 241(d); 5 U.S.C. Sect. 552a; 44 U.S.C. Sect. 3501 et seq
¶¶ Eighteen underlying medical conditions: Alzheimer disease and dementia, anemia, asthma, atrial fibrillation, cancer (breast, colorectal, leukemia and lymphoma, lung, and prostate), chronic kidney disease, COPD and bronchiectasis, depression, heart failure, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, peripheral vascular disease, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, schizophrenia, and stroke. Underlying medical conditions data are only available in full fee-for-service beneficiaries who had 12 months of Medicare Part A and B (or coverage until time of death) and had no Medicare Advantage coverage during 2020.
*** https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/humandevelopment/covid-19/toolkit-for-people-with-disabilities.html?msclkid%C2%A0=%C2%A0ebc7d4a8af7f11ec9e6ca10c571304bahttps://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/humandevelopment/covid-19/toolkit-for-people-with-disabilities.html?msclkid
††† Persons with a disability seeking assistance in getting a COVID-19 vaccine can call 888-677-1199, Monday–Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST or can email DIAL@n4a.org
§§§ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/clinical-care/C-Disability-Review.pdf
¶¶¶ To be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, persons have to show an inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairments, that can be expected to result in death or that have lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not <12 months. https://www.ssa.gov/ (Accessed April 20, 2022).
**** https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/older-adults-and-disability/access.html
Henderson A, Fleming M, Cooper SA, et al. COVID-19 infection and outcomes in a population-based cohort of 17 203 adults with intellectual disabilities compared with the general population. J Epidemiol Community Health 2022;76:550–5. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2021-218192 PMID:35232778
Landes SD, Turk MA, Formica MK, McDonald KE, Stevens JD. COVID-19 outcomes among people with intellectual and developmental disability living in residential group homes in New York State. Disabil Health J 2020;13:100969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100969 PMID:32600948
Panagiotou OA, Kosar CM, White EM, et al. Risk factors associated with all-cause 30-day mortality in nursing home residents with COVID-19. JAMA Intern Med 2021;181:439–48. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.7968 PMID:33394006
Ryerson AB, Rice CE, Hung MC, et al. Disparities in COVID-19 vaccination status, intent, and perceived access for noninstitutionalized adults, by disability status—National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module, United States, May 30–June 26, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:1365–71. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7039a2 PMID:34591826
Romero Starke K, Petereit-Haack G, Schubert M, et al. The age-related risk of severe outcomes due to COVID-19 infection: a rapid review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17:5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165974 PMID:32824596
Killerby ME, Link-Gelles R, Haight SC, et al.; CDC COVID-19 Response Clinical Team. Characteristics associated with hospitalization among patients with COVID-19—metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, March–April 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:790–4. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6925e1 PMID:32584797
Stokes EK, Zambrano LD, Anderson KN, et al. Coronavirus disease 2019 case surveillance—United States, January 22–May 30, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:759–65. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6924e2 PMID:32555134
Iuliano AD, Brunkard JM, Boehmer TK, et al. Trends in disease severity and health care utilization during the early Omicron variant period compared with previous SARS-CoV-2 high transmission periods—United States, December 2020–January 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:146–52. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7104e4 PMID:35085225
TABLE. Characteristics of COVID-19 Medicare patients and COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates among Medicare beneficiaries, by age and disability eligibility* — United States, January 2020–November 2021
Medicare beneficiaries
no. (%)
COVID-19 incidence†
COVID-19–associated hospitalizations§
Disability-eligible
Age-eligible
p-value¶
15,097,294 (100)
Female 7,503,614 (50) 29,825,183 (55.4) 12,042 8,336 <0.001 3,175 1,951 <0.001
Male 7,593,675 (50) 23,988,931 (44.6) 9,927 7,812 <0.001 3,121 2,350 <0.001
Unknown 5 4 —** — — — — —
Age group, yrs
Median age (IQR) 63 (55–70) 74 (69–80) — — — — — —
<65 8,472,025 (56.1) NA 9,822 NA — 2,423 NA —
65–74 4,678,464 (31.0) 29,286,151 (54.4) 11,626 6,632 <0.001 3,618 1,373 <0.001
≥85 329,487 (2.2) 7,731,667 (14.4) 16,459 11,970 <0.001 5,792 3,896 <0.001
AI/AN 111,493 (0.7) 162,701 (0.3) 13,891 12,924 <0.001 4,962 5,024 0.469
Hispanic 1,843,803 (12.2) 4,792,789 (8.9) 13,180 10,369 <0.001 3,565 2,991 <0.001
Black 2,817,066 (18.7) 4,411,666 (8.2) 12,127 8,741 <0.001 4,323 3,318 <0.001
Asian 261,179 (1.7) 2,193,900 (4.1) 8,006 5,294 <0.001 2,566 1,570 <0.001
White, non-Hispanic 9,772,436 (64.7) 40,533,356 (75.3) 10,356 7,993 <0.001 2,756 1,954 <0.001
Other/Unknown 291,317 (1.9) 1,719,706 (3.2) 8,359 5,852 <0.001 2,104 1,284 <0.001
Abbreviations: AI/AN = American Indian or Alaska Native; NA = not applicable.
* Age-eligible beneficiaries were aged ≥65 years and had no disability; disability-eligible beneficiaries were aged ≥18 years and had one or more disabilities.
† COVID-19 cases 100,000 population.
§ COVID-19–associated hospitalizations per 100,000 population.
¶ Rate differences between age- and disability-eligible groups were tested with two-tailed Pearson's chi-square test; p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
** Dashes indicate not applicable because the values are presented as rates per 100,000 persons,
FIGURE 1. Monthly COVID-19 incidence (A)* and hospitalization rate (B)†,§ among age- and disability-eligible¶ Medicare beneficiaries — United States, January 1, 2020–November 20, 2021
* COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population.
† COVID-19–associated hospitalizations per 100,000 population.
§ The y-axis scales for panels A and B are different.
¶ Age-eligible beneficiaries were aged ≥65 years and had no disability; disability-eligible beneficiaries were aged ≥18 years and had one or more disabilities.
FIGURE 2. Percentage of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with COVID-19 with 18* selected underlying medical conditions,† by age and disability eligibility§ — United States, January 1, 2020–November 20, 2021
Abbreviation: COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
* Eighteen underlying medical conditions: Alzheimer disease and dementia, anemia, asthma, atrial fibrillation, cancer (breast, colorectal, leukemia and lymphoma, lung, and prostate), chronic kidney disease, COPD and bronchiectasis, depression, heart failure, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, peripheral vascular disease, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, schizophrenia, and stroke.
† Data on underlying medical conditions were only available for full fee-for-service beneficiaries who had 12 months of Medicare Part A and B coverage (or coverage until time of death) and no Medicare Advantage Plans coverage during 2020. The chronic disease indicators presented in the figure are a subset of the conditions from the Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse. https://www2.ccwdata.org/web/guest/home/
§ Age-eligible beneficiaries were aged ≥65 years and had no disability; disability-eligible beneficiaries were aged ≥18 years and had one or more disabilities.
Suggested citation for this article: Yuan Y, Thierry JM, Bull-Otterson L, et al. COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Medicare Beneficiaries With and Without Disabilities — United States, January 1, 2020–November 20, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:791–796. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7124a3.
MMWR and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report are service marks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
All HTML versions of MMWR articles are generated from final proofs through an automated process. This conversion might result in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users are referred to the electronic PDF version (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr) and/or the original MMWR paper copy for printable versions of official text, figures, and tables.
Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov.
View Page In: PDF [285K]
Page last reviewed: June 16, 2022
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
homeMMWR
Mpox Reports
COVID-19 Reportsplus icon
COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and Safety
Publicationsplus icon
Weekly Reportplus icon
Past Volumes (1982-2022)
Recommendations and Reportsplus icon
Surveillance Summariesplus icon
Supplementsplus icon
MMWR Archive (1952-1981)
Notifiable Infectious Diseases
Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions
About MMWRplus icon
Subscriptionsplus icon
MMWR RSS Feed
Free Continuing Education
Reports by Select Topics
Visual Abstracts
MMWR Podcasts


Our specialists are leading consultants who also hold NHS consultant posts. Our treatments are all evidence based and approved by The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
We have some of the best facilities offering exclusive care in a personalised setting. Our dedicated staff will support you through your entire journey.
We have a proven track record and are able to avoid surgery for over 90% of patients. We have found that targeted non-invasive pain management procedures can often allow the body to heal while the pain and inflammation are controlled.In our experience, a targeted approach to reduce inflammation, repair damage, reinforce stability and strengthen spinal structures can lead to healing thereby eliminating the need for major spinal surgery. However, we also undertake major surgery if required to do so.
Our Internationally renowned specialist consultants will provide the most effective, tailor made solution for your problem.
Clinical Experience Using a Remote Control Injection System in Vertebroplasty: Feasibility, Safety and Cement Leakage of Osteoporotic and Malignant Compression Fractures.
Symptomatic Polymethyl Methacrylate-Induced Cement Pulmonary Embolism After Kyphoplasty.


Helen Fraser does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Unfortunately, the audio is often of very poor quality, making it hard for the jury to discern what is said.
Here's a quick example (you might like to jot down what you hear before reading on).
When indistinct audio is admitted as evidence, Australian (and other) courts allow the jury to be given an "enhanced" version to assist their hearing.
You might now be eager to hear the enhanced version of the audio you just listened to. Sorry to disappoint, but that actually was the enhanced version.
This example highlights how the misunderstanding of enhancing exacerbates the problem that inaccurate transcripts influence juries' perception of indistinct audio.
There are no general techniques that can reliably and objectively make unintelligible audio intelligible. But this does not mean enhancing is ineffectual.
What enhancing can do is make audio sound "clearer", in the sense of "less noisy". Making it "clearer" in the sense of "more intelligible" requires a transcript.
A segment from the 2016 film The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey shows how a transcript and enhancing work together. The film revisits the unsolved 1996 murder of a six-year-old beauty queen in the USA. The audio you listened to is one of several pieces of evidence purporting to show that the child's family was implicated in her murder.
The video below begins after 12 minutes, and the enhancing segment ends at 14 minutes and 37 seconds.
The Case Of: Jonbenét Ramsey.
Judging from public reaction, many viewers accept the four phrases were "revealed" by the "enhancing" – but is that really what happened?
A recently published experiment suggests not.
At Step 1 of the experiment, the audio was played "cold" – with no contextual information – to 78 participants. Half listened to the film's original and half to its enhanced version. No one in either group heard anything remotely like any of the phrases. Most didn't even hear human speech (did you?).
So how did the movie persuade so many viewers the enhancing had "revealed" the phrases?
It presented the enhancing with a transcript that "primes" listeners to hear these particular phrases.
This effect is demonstrated by Step 2 of the experiment, where participants were given a transcript. After failing to hear any of the four phrases while listening cold, nearly half now agreed they could hear at least one of them.
Participants who were primed by the transcript while listening to the enhanced audio were more likely (63% vs 24%) to accept more of the phrases more confidently than those listening to the original.
That would show a good effect of enhancing if the transcript were a reliable account of what was actually said. But is it? To answer that, consider where the phrases came from.
The movie portrays the investigators spontaneously hearing the phrases as the audio is enhanced. But that is disingenuous.
There is good evidence the phrases originate from police in the 1990s listening to noises at the end of a cassette copy of the 911 call in which the child's disappearance was reported.
So what are those noises?
Listening to the whole call (start at 6 minutes 34 seconds in the movie above), it seems likely they are the sound of the agent typing up information provided by the caller. Interestingly, some commentators provide evidence (not tested in court) suggesting, when the audio was transferred to the cassette during the investigation, it was processed in ways that make the typing sound more like speech.
So the movie's "original" may not actually be the real original.
Be that as it may, Step 1 of the experiment makes clear that the movie's "enhancing" has no effect whatsoever in revealing the phrases. That effect is entirely the work of priming by their (misleading) transcript.
The movie's flashy visuals and sensational tone seem far removed from a courtroom. Yet, the way the movie presents the audio is very similar to how audio is presented in a trial.
In trials, as in the movie, listeners hear an enhanced version of indistinct audio with the "assistance" of a police transcript.
The problem with this can be explained via an analogy from forensic image enhancement. Consider the very indistinct number plate below, and an enhancement that looks "clearer". Does it help you see DUN 150J?
In this case, we know what the number plate actually was. Click here to see a clear image of the actual number plate.
Knowing "ground truth" – the absolute, undisputed truth – about the real number plate makes it easy to see that, while the enhancing may have made the indistinct image look "clearer", it has not thereby made it closer to reality.
The problem, of course, is that in a trial, ground truth is not known. The court has only an indistinct original and a "clearer" enhancement.
With no access to ground truth, it is impossible for the jury to discover that the apparently clearer enhancement is no closer to reality than the blurry original.
Does that mean enhancing is never effective?
Audio enhancing can sometimes be useful. It can also be ineffective – or even misleading. In the present case, for example, it misleadingly made typing sound like speech, at least to some listeners.
The point is that, in the absence of ground truth, the effectiveness of enhancing cannot be reliably determined simply by asking listeners whether the audio sounds clearer.
Yet that is the sole criterion used in our courts.
According to our legal system, evaluating the effectiveness of enhancing is a matter for the jury, who are invited to listen to the enhancement and use it if it sounds clearer to them.
But the experiment shows that making audio "clearer" can have the opposite effect to the one intended. That's because less noisy audio makes an unreliable transcript seem more believable than it does in the original.
This exacerbates the already serious problem of inaccurate police transcripts providing misleading evidence to juries.
Read more: Covert recordings as evidence in court: the return of police 'verballing'?
Lax admission of enhanced audio is a serious problem. Even more serious, however, is the prevalence of false beliefs among the judiciary about the capabilities of enhancing in general. These false beliefs may make for erroneous rulings on important matters.
This is one of several concerns that have prompted Australian linguists to raise a Call to Action, asking the judiciary to review and reform the handling of indistinct covert recordings used as evidence in criminal trials.


Subscribe to our newsfeed to get the latest articles on healthy living and natural remedies.
Meal planning and grocery shopping with healthy recipes.
At the office or LIVE on Facebook to answer your questions about a healthy lifestyle.
This wellness retreat offers women the opportunity to have hands on learning after their curriculum level has been completed.
Our VLOGs with special guests and experts in food, health, and spiritual well-being.


text:
Occupational Safety Expert Added to Biden's Transitional COVID-19 Task Force
The NSC released a statement of approval in response to a workplace safety expert's appointment to President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus task force.
By Nikki Johnson-Bolden
The National Safety Council voiced it's approval of the addition of an occupational safety expert to President-elect Joe Biden's transition team COVID-19 task force.
Dr. David Michaels was announced as one of the three additions to the task force on November 28. The NSC is satisfied in Dr. Michael's appointment, as it gives workplace safety a voice on the task force—something the organization called for in a November 17 statement.
Dr. Michaels, an epidemiologist and professor, was the assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health under President Obama.
President-elect Biden stated that Dr. Michaels is part of a group that will "strengthen the board's work and help ensure that our COVID-19 planning will address inequities in health outcomes and the workforce."
For more information, visit nsc.org.
Nikki Johnson-Bolden is an Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety.


text:
Jennifer Aniston reunited with her 'Friends' co-stars instead of attending the Critics' Choice Awards
The 50-year-old actress enjoyed a night in with Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow over the weekend as the trio posed for a couple of sweet selfies on Sunday night (12.01.20), and she shared the snap to social media
Referencing their characters in the beloved sitcom, she posted on Instagram: "Hi from the girls across the hall."
Lisa also shared her own snaps from their night, writing: "Bliss. And more bliss #goodgirlfriends."
Jennifer - who played Rachel Green on the show, which also starred Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc - didn't attend the awards bash in Santa Monica, California, as she instead spent time with her close pals.
While neither she nor Reese Witherspoon were nominated for a prize at the Critics' Choice ceremony, their 'Morning Show' co-star Billy Crudup won the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series gong for his performance in the Apple TV+ series.
Jennifer and her ex-husband Brad Pitt - who got divorced in 2005 after five years of marriage - recently sparked speculation they had reignited their relationship after he referred to her as a "good friend" at the Golden Globe Awards.
The 56-year-old actor set tongues wagging earlier this week when he seemed happy about bumping into Jennifer on the red carpet at the event in Hollywood, California.
He said: "I'll run into Jen, she's a good friend."
However, a source later explained that their relationship is purely platonic and they only ever see each other at events and parties as they have the same circle of pals.
Meanwhile, Brad also didn't attend the Critics' Choice Awards over the weekend, as filmmaker Quentin Tarantino collected the acting prize for 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' on his behalf.
He quipped: "I agree with the critics for the very first time!"


InterCity®operates daily services to Greymouth departing from destinations across the South Island. Fares are start from as little as $1 (+ booking fee).
Buses to Greymouth arrive at the Greymouth Railway Station, 164 MacKay Street and connect with a range of GreatSights sightseeing services between Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier and Queenstown.
Search for a bus to Greymouth with New Zealand's most popular national bus network.
An alternative route from Christchurch to Greymouth is via the TranzAlpine railway. This journey takes four hours and travels a spectacular route from across the Canterbury Plains, through the Southern Alps at Arthur's Pass and across the West Coast.
Greymouth is the largest town on the west coast of the South Island and attracts visitors from all over New Zealand and the world. The TranzAlpine train ride is recognised as one of the world's most scenic train rides and connects visitors from Christchurch to Greymouth.
Located at the mouth of the Grey River, the foot of the Southern Alps and the edge of the west coast coastline, Greymouth provides an abundance of outdoor activities in a range of settings! Go surfing in the rugged surf, take a walk along the Point Elizabeth Walkway, cycle the Greytown-Woodville Trail or go fishing in the Grey River.
Gold was first discovered in Greymouth in 1864, leading to a huge increase in population and a bustling city centre. Today, the population has dropped to less than half of what it once was and you'll only be able pan for gold in a recreational manner. To learn more, pay a visit to Shantytown, a lively heritage park, which showcases the gold rush history and gives an insight into what life was like over 150 years ago.
A popular tourist attraction are the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. When it's high tide water bursts through blowholes in the limestone formations on the coast, it's an engaging and impressive show to say the least! Punakaiki is a 45 minute bus drive from Greymouth and the InterCity bus stops right outside the walkway leading to the Pancake Rocks.
It's easy to bus to Greymouth with InterCity on the many daily services. Take a look at the TravelPass and FlexiPass bus passes for affordable and flexible bus travel options.