text:
Proclamation: World Trade Week, 2000
For Immediate Release May 20, 2000
WORLD TRADE WEEK, 2000
The prosperity the United States enjoys today is due, in no small part, to our strong trading relationships with other nations. The World Trade Organization, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and 270 other agreements have helped us to open new markets for U.S. products and services, create thousands of new jobs, and keep our economy growing without inflation. The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act that I signed into law this week will build on this progress by lowering trade barriers and strengthening our economic partnership with nations in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean basin.
The theme of World Trade Week this year, "Working the Web of Trade," reflects the particular importance of the Internet as a new and rapidly accelerating factor in world trade. The Internet holds enormous commercial potential and brings extraor-dinary opportunities directly into homes and workplaces across the United States and around the world. Linking businesses and consumers more quickly and directly than ever before, the worldwide web is a powerful tool, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, that allows even the smallest company to conduct business on a global scale.
My Administration has worked hard to encourage America's businesses and workers to embrace this worldwide web of oppor-tunity and its potential to enhance productivity at home and access to markets abroad. By investing in research and development, improving the quality of science and mathematics education in our schools, teaching workers new skills to fill jobs in the technology sector, and keeping e-commerce fair, safe, and competitive, we can stimulate our export industries, sustain this remarkable period of growth and prosperity, and ensure America's continued leadership in the global economy.
This week, when the Congress takes up legislation to grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations status to the People's Republic of China, it will have an opportunity to further the progress we have made in building strong trading relationships. -PNTR for China will increase America's competitiveness in the global marketplace, reduce tariffs, and give American workers and farmers unprecedented access to China's more than one billion consumers.
World trade, whether conducted in person, on paper, or on line, remains a cornerstone of American economic growth. But even more important, trade plays a vital role in improving opportunity and prosperity around the globe. Free and fair international trade is one of the most effective tools we have to bring people together, raise living standards in developed and developing nations alike, promote human dignity, and improve long-term prospects for democracy, stability, and world peace.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 21 through May 27, 2000, as World Trade Week. I invite the people of the United States to observe this week with events, trade shows, and educational programs that celebrate the benefits of international trade to our economy and our world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.


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text: Punky has served as CEO of Hale Kipa since 1998. Raised in North Dakota by public school math teachers, Punky developed a "profound sense of social justice and a deep commitment to finding a way to contribute." He previously served as a street youth outreach worker as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America, a domestic Peace Corps program) and helped found LUK Inc., a nonprofit multi-service adolescent and family counseling agency in Massachusetts in 1970, serving as its CEO for 28 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in English and political science, and an MBA with a concentration in public management from Boston University.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
O canal virtual XHGJG-TDT 17, também conhecido como C7, é uma estação de televisão pública que serve Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Operado pelo Sistema Jalisciense de Rádio e Televisão, é de propriedade do Estado de Jalisco. Sua programação é principalmente conteúdo cultural e educacional e seu sinal atinge grande parte do oeste do México, além de ser visto fora do México via DirecTV.

Transmissores
A programação C7 é transmitida em três transmissores em Jalisco, bem como por satélite.

Em março de 2018, para facilitar o reempacotamento de serviços de TV a partir da faixa de 600 MHz (canais 38 a 51), a XHGPV recebeu o canal 21 para operações digitais contínuas.

Televisão digital
Em novembro de 2014, o XHGJG-TDT começou a fazer multicast em dois subcanais, adicionando mais dois no início de 2015 (e depois removendo-os). Canal analógico 7 no subcanal 25.2, C7 Cultura. Em 2016, foi obtida autorização para transportar esses subcanais nos transmissores Ciudad Guzmán e Puerto Vallarta.

XHGJG desligou o seu sinal analógico em 16 de dezembro de 2015, juntamente com outras estações de Guadalajara.

Notícias
O C7 apresenta três horas de notícias nos dias de semana, nos noticiários de uma hora às 7h, 13h30 e 19h30, além de notícias por hora.

Referências

Fundações no México em 1991
Canais de televisão fundados em 1991
Canais de televisão do México
Canais de televisão de língua espanhola

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods
DataPortal
Professor Paul Chaney presents civil society research findings at National Assembly for Wales seminar
Published: 30th June 2017
Related people: Paul Chaney
On 27th June, WISERD Co-director, Professor Paul Chaney discussed the third sector's relationship with the state with a mixed audience of assembly members, policy-makers, practitioners and members of the public, at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay, as part of the National Assembly for Wales's Exchanging Ideas seminar.
He argued that issues of voluntary sector independence have been a consistent challenge since the emergence of Welsh institutional structures back in 1946. In making his case he pointed to historical examples of the language used by the third sector representative body over the decades. For example, from 1948: "The new Council of Social Service for Wales and Monmouthshire is an independent body… [with a] desire to understand Wales with its special and traditional problems' (CSSWM, 1948, p. 7);[1] "It cannot be over emphasised that the Council is an independent body … Whilst gratefully accepting the help and encouragement from statutory sources, the Council must be always be free to express its opinion objectively on any matter of public interest" (CSSW, 1969, p.9);[2] and "The WCVA [Wales Council for Voluntary Action] is not a Quango, It is an independent institution … which resists any monopolistic tendencies in statutory agencies to take over, control or manipulate the voluntary sector" (WCVA, 1984, p.8).[3]
He went on to emphasise that the sector's independence links to "welfare pluralism" or the delivery of social services by a mix of providers from the state, civil society, and the private sector. His WISERD research shows how the welfare role of civil society in Wales pre-dates that of government. However, he outlined how, over the post war decades, the state has placed increasing emphasis on the third sector as a key partner in service delivery. Whilst this presents opportunities, it also presents challenges to the independence of the sector, Professor Chaney said: "The current Welsh Government Third Sector Scheme notes that 'We recognise that quality of life cannot be delivered by the state alone, and we need to capitalise and build on community action and volunteering'".
The WISERD research underlines how it is important for government to listen to the views of third sector organisations (TSOs) and to refrain from imposing its agenda. Professor Chaney concluded: "it needs to be a two-way relationship where the third sector is encouraged and provided with adequate resources and institutional arrangements in order to deliver services that reflect the values and priorities of TSOs. In this regard, devolution has seen some positive progress – but the current era of austerity has increased the threats posed to the independence sector – not least, funding cuts have limited the sector's capacity to monitor policy and engage in the work of government."
[1] Council for Social Services in South Wales and Monmouthshire (1948) Annual Report, Cardiff, CSSWM.
[2] Council for Social Services Wales (1969) Annual Report, Cardiff, CSSW.
[3] Wales Council for Voluntary Action (1984) Annual Report, Cardiff, WCVA.
WISERD is a collaboration between five universities in Wales and has been designated by the Welsh Government as a National Research Centre
© Copyright2019


Outstanding climber with classic-shaped buds that open into tangerine flowers. Very floriferous with a strong scent. Foliage is dark green and glossy. In colder climates, it may be used as a pillar or large shrub rose.


text:
Q: WatchOS get info from Activity app I was wondering if there's a way to get all the data from the Activity app : get the calories burnt, distance, exercice time, etc...
I managed to get the steps using this function but i cannot get the other info, anyone could help ?
func recentSteps(completion: @escaping (Double, [Double], NSError?) -> ()) {
    let type = HKSampleType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.stepCount)

    let date = Date()
    let calendar = Calendar.current
    let curryear = calendar.component(.year, from: date)
    let currmonth = calendar.component(.month, from: date)
    let currday = calendar.component(.day, from: date)
    let last = DateComponents(year: curryear,
                              month: currmonth,
                              day: currday)

    let dates = calendar.date(from: last)!

    let predicate = HKQuery.predicateForSamples(withStart: dates, end: Date(), options: [])
    let query = HKSampleQuery(sampleType: type!, predicate: predicate, limit: 0, sortDescriptors: nil) {
        query, results, error in
        var steps: Double = 0
        var allSteps = [Double]()
        if let myResults = results {
            for result in myResults as! [HKQuantitySample] {
                print(myResults)
                steps += result.quantity.doubleValue(for: HKUnit.count())
                allSteps.append(result.quantity.doubleValue(for: HKUnit.count()))
            }
        }

        completion(steps, allSteps, error as NSError?)

    }

    healthStore.execute(query)
}

A: I got it to work this way, maybe this will help anyone in the future,
for the calories burnt per day:
func energyeUser(completion: @escaping (Double, NSError?) -> ()) {

    if HKHealthStore.isHealthDataAvailable() {
        let energyCount = NSSet(object: HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.activeEnergyBurned) as Any)

        let sharedObjects = NSSet(objects: HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.height) as Any,HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.bodyMass) as Any)

        healthStore.requestAuthorization(toShare: sharedObjects as? Set<HKSampleType>, read: energyCount as? Set<HKObjectType>, completion: { (success, err) in
            self.getStepCount(sender: self)

        })
    }

    let type = HKSampleType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.activeEnergyBurned)

    let date = Date()
    let calendar = Calendar.current
    let curryear = calendar.component(.year, from: date)
    let currmonth = calendar.component(.month, from: date)
    let currday = calendar.component(.day, from: date)
    let last = DateComponents(calendar: nil,
                              timeZone: nil,
                              era: nil,
                              year: curryear,
                              month: currmonth,
                              day: currday,
                              hour: nil,
                              minute: nil,
                              second: nil,
                              nanosecond: nil,
                              weekday: nil,
                              weekdayOrdinal: nil,
                              quarter: nil,
                              weekOfMonth: nil,
                              weekOfYear: nil,
                              yearForWeekOfYear: nil)

    let dates = calendar.date(from: last)!

    let predicate = HKQuery.predicateForSamples(withStart: dates, end: Date(), options: [])
    let query = HKStatisticsQuery(quantityType: type!, quantitySamplePredicate: predicate, options: [.cumulativeSum]) { (query, statistics, error) in
        var value: Double = 0

        if error != nil {
            print("something went wrong \(error)")
        } else if let quantity = statistics?.sumQuantity() {
            value = quantity.doubleValue(for: HKUnit.kilocalorie())
        }

        completion(value, error as NSError?)

    }
    healthStore.execute(query)
}

and called it this way:
    energyeUser() { energyU, error in
        DispatchQueue.main.sync {
            self.energyCount.setText("\(Int(energyU)) Calories Burnt")
        }
    };

as for the distance:
func distanceUser(completion: @escaping (Double, NSError?) -> ()) {

    if HKHealthStore.isHealthDataAvailable() {
        let distanceCount = NSSet(object: HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.distanceWalkingRunning) as Any)

        let sharedObjects = NSSet(objects: HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.height) as Any,HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.bodyMass) as Any)

        healthStore.requestAuthorization(toShare: sharedObjects as? Set<HKSampleType>, read: distanceCount as? Set<HKObjectType>, completion: { (success, err) in
            self.getStepCount(sender: self)

        })
    }

    let type = HKSampleType.quantityType(forIdentifier: HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.distanceWalkingRunning)

    let date = Date()
    let calendar = Calendar.current
    let curryear = calendar.component(.year, from: date)
    let currmonth = calendar.component(.month, from: date)
    let currday = calendar.component(.day, from: date)
    let last = DateComponents(calendar: nil,
                              timeZone: nil,
                              era: nil,
                              year: curryear,
                              month: currmonth,
                              day: currday,
                              hour: nil,
                              minute: nil,
                              second: nil,
                              nanosecond: nil,
                              weekday: nil,
                              weekdayOrdinal: nil,
                              quarter: nil,
                              weekOfMonth: nil,
                              weekOfYear: nil,
                              yearForWeekOfYear: nil)

    let dates = calendar.date(from: last)!

    let predicate = HKQuery.predicateForSamples(withStart: dates, end: Date(), options: [])
    let query = HKStatisticsQuery(quantityType: type!, quantitySamplePredicate: predicate, options: [.cumulativeSum]) { (query, statistics, error) in
        var value: Double = 0

        if error != nil {
            print("something went wrong")
        } else if let quantity = statistics?.sumQuantity() {
            value = quantity.doubleValue(for: HKUnit.meter())
        }

        completion(value, error as NSError?)

    }
    healthStore.execute(query)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Tel. +49 6151 906 99 00
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What makes the work of PostgreSQL developers
future-proof?
In 1996 PostgreSQL received its current name. For a PostgreSQL developer, it is one of the most advanced and innovative open source database systems. It is also very versatile: PostgreSQL supports SQL92 and SQL99 standards, and also offers a number of its own extensions.
As an object-relational database system PostgreSQL stores non-atomic data, inheritance and object identities, and allows the user to extend the system to self-defined data types, operators and functions. In addition, PostgreSQL's strengths also include supporting referential integrity and advanced transaction management, as well as defining triggers and rules which can be used to control access to the database objects.
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text:
Florindo (HWV 3) es una ópera compuesta por Georg Friedrich Händel encargada por Reinhard Keizer, director de la Ópera del Estado de Hamburgo y compositor de música.

El estreno tuvo lugar en 1708 en la citada Ópera del Estado de Hamburgo y fue dirigido por Cristoph Graupner.

Florindo es la primera parte de una ópera doble separada por su extensa duración, siendo la otra Verwandelte Die Daphne (HWV 4). Únicamente han sobrevivido algunos fragmentos, aunque un artículo de J. M. Coopersmith citaba una copia en la Biblioteca del Congreso de Estados Unidos.

Véase también
 Anexo:Óperas de Georg Friedrich Händel
 Anexo:Composiciones de Georg Friedrich Händel

Referencias

Bibliografía
Winton Dean; Knapp, J. Merrill (1987). Handel's Operas, 1704-1726. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0193152193.

Enlaces externos

Óperas de 1708
Óperas de Georg Friedrich Händel
Óperas estrenadas en Hamburgo
Óperas en alemán
Óperas perdidas


The Ladies Auxiliary Craft and Vendor Shows are held in the Spring and Fall.
DESCRIPTION: The Ladies Auxiliary of Jefferson Township Fire Department Co. #2 is hosting a Vendor and Craft Fair.
Come and get your Mother's Day shopping done while supporting our semi-annual fire department fundraiser! If you are an Independent Sales Rep or Crafter purchase a table for our event!


May 30, 2017 Dwyane Wade, Playoffs, Tom D'Angelo.
Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley needed a timeout while on the TNT set last week following Game 4 of the Cleveland-Boston series.
At one point Shaq, as he has done through the years, reminded Barkley he never has won an NBA title, something Shaq has done four times.
Barkley, whose only appearance in the Finals was 1993 with Phoenix which lost in six games to Chicago, then dismissed Shaq's four rings, saying he was "riding Dwyane Wade's and Kobe's coattails," referring to Shaq's 2006 championship with the Heat and three titles with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant.
Barkley later added Heat center Alonzo Mourning to the list of players who coattails Shaq hopped on board on his way to winning titles.
Shaq was stung, calling Barkley "a bum" and saying people question "why you're in the Hall of Fame." At this point, show host and referee Ernie Johnson stepped in and asked why things got so personal.
Shaq's fourth and final title came two years after he joined the Heat in 2004. While Shaq and Wade had All-Star seasons, Wade was better during the regular season and clearly was The Man in the Finals.
But the real question is did Shaq actually ride Wade's coattails for a fourth ring?
Wade averaged 27.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists during the season in which he turned 24 in January. He was sixth in the MVP voting and second-team All-NBA. He was even better in the playoffs (28.4 ppg) which culminated with a historical finals in which he averaged 34.7 points and 7.8 rebounds while winning the MVP.
Shaq turned 33 in March of 2006 but still had a lot to give, as his being voted to the All-NBA first team for the seventh consecutive year shows (he was not in the Top 10 of the MVP voting). He averaged 20.0 points (the last time he would average 20 in his career) and 9.2 rebounds and led the league in shooting at 60 percent. He was an All-Star for the 13th time (he finished with 15).
And although his scoring tailed off in the Finals to 13.7 points, he led the Heat with 10.2 rebounds.
Clearly, the Finals was Wade's stage and his coming out party as one of the best players in the league. But Shaq was a huge contributor to the Heat's first title.
But to me, nobody rode anybody's coattails.
The Heat would not have won the title in 2006 without either player. …. Not without Shaq coming aboard two years prior and certainly not without Wade.


Continued request and reminder, please….
Having recently been honored to receive the "new blogger" Liebster Award, it is now my privilege and responsibility to nominate five to ten other bloggers for this distinction.
In order to be eligible for the Liebster Award, blogs must have fewer than two hundred followers.
If you are a retiree who has started blogging–or if you are a seasoned blogger who knows such a new blogger–please leave a comment to this post or please Tweet @bakrawiec with a blog site url for nomination consideration.
Thank you so very much! Happy retiree blogging!
p.s. Remember–tomorrow is the International Day of Older People. Enjoy and congratulations!
This entry was posted in Blog, Blogger, Blogging, Liebster Award, Retiree, Retirement. Bookmark the permalink.
3 Responses to Fewer than 200 followers?
International Older People Day – what a crack up! Refresh my memory, at what age do you become an Older Person? At what age do you become just plain old? At what age do you become elderly?
I love it!!!! …According to the UN for purposes of the Day–60.
Bernadette–can I quote you? I love what you wrote! BTW, I'm assuming you have way more than 200 followers, right?


Create a modern, two-tone tunic from jersey t-shirts, and add a graphic pop with an appliqué design of mixed prints. Amy shows how to make design decisions when you create your tunic, as well as how to prep and machine appliqué a design. This project incorporates a quilting technique into a fashion project, with Amy's fresh sensibilities.


Relatives have been expressing curiosity about our kitchen arrangement. So, as promised, here are a few photos of where we cook now. We still don't have warm water outside the cellar, and the spot where we will ultimately install a proper kitchen is still buried under a pile of boxes, and this isn't likely to change for another few months.
We have to cook somewhere, so we've put together a makeshift cooking area in the former Garderobe of the church. We chose that room since it has a stone floor (not carpet), is next door to the toilet block where there's water, and features firmly installed hat racks on the walls which can serve as shelves. We re-purposed an Ikea sideboard that used to be in our Vienna hallway as dish storage. A newly purchased Ikea glass-topped garden table provides the work surface.
The garden table was the first thing we purchased on the night we moved in to the church. Ikea closed for the night as we walked the trolley with the 50kg garden table to the car. After much heaving and huffing and puffing, we conceded that the box was just a couple of cm too big to fit in the car, no matter the orientation. We were left with not much of a choice: TheHighPriest drove the car home, and I took off on foot down the bike path into the cold dark night with the table and trolley. My long walk was uneventful, save for the rather puzzled look I got from a passing cyclist. (We did return the trolley the next morning). The frosted glass of the table is turning out to be a pretty good work surface – it's relatively tough and quite easy to clean. We're even considering something similar for our "real" kitchen in the future.
With the hotchpotch of different furniture and supplies, together with the open shelving, our little temporary kitchen isn't exactly stylish, or even particularly neat, but it will do. In particular, the hat racks and the stained glass of the windows really clash. I've tried to pull the look together by emphasizing colors that match the hat racks. The space isn't easy to photograph since there's so much going on, but hopefully these images will give some sense of how we have improvised.
View from the entrance to the "kitchen".
We cook using two cheap induction hot plates. They've got marks for variable size, but alas, those seem to be just decoration. The plates do their induction thing on only a narrow diameter.
Another view of this side of the "kitchen".
The other side of the "kitchen".
The other side of the kitchen, from another vantage point.
What follows are random detail shots of stuff in the kitchen that I took mostly for photography practice.
Vase full of lemon balm clipped from the baskets I planted a few weeks ago.
This lemon balm, she is an attention seeker! A portrait in the style of a fun fair photo booth.
To keep this post classy, here's some beer. The repeating lines caught my eye.
Is that Neumarkter Lammsbräu I spy? That's from my neck of the woods (sorta…Neumarkt is about 40 minutes away from Regensburg). I seem to recall that it's a Bio-Bier brand (right?) and that their Weizen was pretty good.
Nice work on the kitchen improvising!
Off-topic, but my understanding of a garderobe was a medieval open latrine which doubled a clothes closet – a cunning plan because the foul smells emanating from below kept moths away from the clothes.
Is this part of your plan?
That's… awesome Well, the sewage line does in fact run under this room….
I meant the word as it is used in German (and since this is how the room is labelled on the blueprints). The word apparently joined the German vocabulary in the 16th or 17th century, when I think the latrine thing wasn't so much part of the meaning anymore.
Beautiful espresso machine and spice rack! And the kitchen seems like a good space to inspire yourself to cook good things!
Thanks! That espresso machine is kind of our baby I always thought that I'm waaaaay too messy for open shelving, but it's so handy to have those spices out in the open right before my nose as I put stuff together.
Beautiful espresso machine and spice rack!


Spend more time together in the Adelaide home featuring an open kitchen overlooking the dining area. The spacious dining area is an ideal spot for a casual meal and to catch up on the day. After dinner, enjoy a family game night in the bonus room.


Implementing Webservice clients can be a pain, there are many ways of doing it and even more ways to screw it up. MoltenCore provides you with many tools for implementing your Webservice Clients. Its goal is to help reduce the total number code required to access your data, thus freeing you up to focus on what really matters, doing something awesome with the data!
MVSRestWebserviceBase - Base class for webservices that follow the rest model.
The bulk of this article will be focused on introducing a new design pattern and the first base class listed above.
Not having a single object responsible for handling webservice callbacks makes an app more robust.
It allows you to have exactly one instance of your webservice ever (Singleton style) without fear that your Webservice delegate will be deallocated and cause a crash.
The callback object (delegate) still has a required Objective-C protocol. This is done so we can ensure that the callback object implements some kind of an error handling method.
Secondly the method that gets called upon success is supplied at call time to the method.
The second note is perhaps the most important one. The user gets to specify the method they want called. Let that soak in for a second. I know that kinds of crazy. You get to decide how something is done. Yes there are a couple of rules but overall you are in control. Perhaps what I love about that this fact the most is when I am quickly whipping up a new project and I decide I want to try a couple of different ways of writing the code that handles the returned data I don't have to comment out code. I simply write two different methods and test them out side by side.
At this point you are probably thinking, "The Follow Me pattern is cool, but I thought we where discussing implementing webservice classes with MoltenCore". And you would be right, the Follow Me pattern is essential to understand though as I use it heavily in the webservice classes. So lets take a look at a basic class that contains the webservice call mentioned in the last section.
That is all straightforward I think. We define a class called ServiceClient that is of type MVSRestWebserviceBase. It has a single method called serviceCall1. The first thing we need to take a look at is the init method.
The base url you set will be used to derive the rest of your URLs for your calls.
For the most part you can implement a webservice call (The part that actually makes the request) in two lines of code. Yup I have it done in two lines. Granted this overlooks a few things, like processing the data once it comes back, but that is handled in a separate method anyways.
// Callback - The Selector you want called when your data comes back.
// If self.isAsynchronise == YES then this will be stuffed in an operation queue, otherwise it will block.
// callbackSelector - Selector within this client that you want called when the request has finished executing.


If you have any other unanswered questions or questions regarding specific orders, please use the contact form or direct them to asterlisque@gmail.com.
Due to recent changes with USPS, prices for international shipping increased. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about this.
Usually orders will be shipped in batches once every week or two. If you need a package quickly, say for a birthday, please make a note of it during checkout and I will see if I can ship it out ASAP. Please note that not all requests can be honored especially if it's very close to the date.
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At times it can take a couple of hours or a day for tracking to update. The only thing you can do is wait a couple hours before checking again. Other times, it can be as simple as the shipping label being printed but it hasn't reached the post office yet.
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Unfortunately, there are no returns or exchanges under most circucmstances. If the item you receive is defective (ie. printing error, improper packaging) or the wrong item was sent, please contact me (preferably in a timely matter).
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All orders will be shipped first class through USPS. Tracking is included within the US for free.
If in the US, expect your order to arrive around 3-5 days once dropped off. You will get an email notification once this happens. For orders outside of the US, expect a minimum of one week for delivery and upwards of one month or more.
Please make sure your address is correct. If in the case a package is returned, I will happily reship the order provided the customer pays for reshipment.


text:
Music, Reviews
Bombay Bicycle Club: "Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)" Track Review
By: Jillian Jacobs
Music Journalist
Five years after their last release, So Long, See You Tomorrow, and a hiatus that felt like ages; Bombay Bicycle Club (BBC) dropped their first single for their album in the works, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, projected to come out Jan. 17, 2020.
Now I don't know about y'all, but since BBC announced their hiatus in 2016 I've been begging for their arrival. The band took a break after their fourth album to venture off down different avenues. For a band that has been playing together since high school taking a break at the age 24 makes sense. Jack Steadman, BBC's frontman, took on a project under the name Mr. Jukes and released God First an album that exemplifies soul and funk. Even their bassist, Ed Nash, took this time to create Toothless, a musical project where he created an EP and a well received album, The Pace of the Passing.
This break allowed the quartet to produce a piece that feels familiar yet distant, a step in the right direction. "Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)" wraps you up in a blanket and makes you feel warm and snug. BBC drew from all four albums to create a track that feels close to the past, yet yearns for the future. The whines of the guitar in the chorus illustrate a yearning for a significant other; or in BBC's case a yearning to continue to create with one another.
"I can see where you are, dream where you are
Will the song never end?"
Steadman uses the same pulse of urgency in this phrase similar to that which can be heard in the album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose. The longing this line emits can be related to the distance the band had and the want for their togetherness. In the realm of this being about a significant other you can hear the pain in Steadman's tonality. The idea of someone floating around in our head and our longing to feel this giddy forever is something we never want to end.
"I may not say it outwardly
So all I have are memories
Those looks at the start, the words in the dark
But never a flame, we just wanted the spark"
As the bridge comes in the feelings still remain. BBC reminisces on what they had in the beginning and this pondering ignites the spark. Because as a flame can die, a spark symbolizes zest and a birth of what's yet to come. Before closing out we get a classic BBC chant of the chorus accompanied by a simple bass line and as the sample from the beginning increasingly begins to ring again they break out into euphoric madness.
"Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)" pays homage to the fans that could not stop thinking about the come back of BBC; those who did nothing but eat, sleep, and wake to a day where they'd be reunited again.
October 8, 2019 October 7, 2019 Arlett Ramirezbombay cycle club, everything else has gone wrong, jillian jacobs, track review
One thought on "Bombay Bicycle Club: "Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)" Track Review"
Dad says:
Nice article Jill
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text:
Pandemics: prevention before cure
Posted bymichael roberts September 6, 2020 September 7, 2020 Posted incapitalism, economics, marxism
There is now firm evidence of a strong link between environmental destruction and the increased emergence of deadly new diseases such as Covid-19. Indeed, increasing numbers of deadly new pandemics will afflict the planet if levels of deforestation and biodiversity loss continue at their current catastrophic rates. That is the conclusion of scientists who will present reports at the end of this month to the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity under the theme of "Urgent action on biodiversity for sustainable development."
There, delegates will hear that rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of farming and the building of mines in remote regions – as well as the exploitation of wild animals as sources of food, traditional medicines and exotic pets – are creating a "perfect storm" for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people.
Almost a third of all emerging diseases have originated through the process of land use change. As a result, five or six new epidemics a year could soon affect Earth's population. "There are now a whole raft of activities – illegal logging, clearing and mining – with associated international trades in bushmeat and exotic pets that have created this crisis," says Stuart Pimm, professor of conservation at Duke University. "In the case of Covid-19, it has cost the world trillions of dollars and already killed almost a million people, so clearly urgent action is needed."
It is estimated that tens of millions of hectares of rainforest and other wild environments are being bulldozed every year to cultivate palm trees, farm cattle, extract oil and provide access to mines and mineral deposits.
This leads to the widespread destruction of vegetation and wildlife that are hosts to countless species of viruses and bacteria, most unknown to science. Those microbes can then accidentally infect new hosts, such as humans and domestic livestock. Such events are known as spillovers. Crucially, if viruses thrive in their new human hosts they can infect other individuals. This is known as transmission and the result can be a new, emerging disease.
Zoologist David Redding, of University College London explains what happens in places where trees are being cleared, mosaics of fields, created around farms, appear in the landscape interspersed with parcels of old forest. "This increases the interface between the wild and the cultivated. Bats, rodents and other pests carrying strange new viruses come from surviving clumps of forests and infect farm animals – who then pass on these infections to humans."
In the past many outbreaks of new diseases remained in contained areas. However, the development of cheap air travel has changed that picture and diseases can appear across the globe before scientists have fully realised what is happening. "The onward transmission of a new disease is also another really important element in the pandemic story," said Professor James Wood, head of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University. "Consider the swine flu pandemic. We flew that around the world several times before we realised what was going on. Global connectivity has allowed – and is still allowing – Covid-19 to be transmitted to just about every country on Earth."
In a paper published in Science last month, Pimm, Dobson and other scientists and economists propose setting up a programme to monitor wildlife, reduce spillovers, end the wildlife meat trade and reduce deforestation.
They estimate that such a scheme could cost more than $20bn a year, a price tag that is dwarfed by the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has wiped trillions of dollars from national economies round the world. Spending of about $260bn over 10 years would substantially reduce the risks of another pandemic on the scale of the coronavirus outbreak, the researchers estimate, which is just 2% of the estimated $11.5tn costs of Covid-19 to the world economy. Furthermore, the spending on wildlife and forest protection would be almost cancelled out by another benefit of the action: cutting the carbon dioxide emissions driving the climate crisis.
In the report, several estimates of the effectiveness and cost of strategies to reduce tropical deforestation are made. At an annual cost of $9.6 billion, direct forest-protection payments to outcompete deforestation economically could achieve a 40% reduction in areas at highest risk for virus spillover.
A recent report, from the New Nature Economy project, published by the WEF, says: "We are reaching irreversible tipping points for nature and climate. If recovery efforts do not address the looming planetary crises, a critical window of opportunity to avoid their worst impact will be irreversibly lost."
And yet the cost of action to deal with these impending disasters would be not much more than the recent fiscal spending by governments to save jobs and businesses from the current COVId-19 pandemic.
What is not mentioned in any of these reports is that is the drive for profit under the capitalist mode of production which breaks the necessary connection between human activity and nature. It is not 'illegal logging, clearing and mining' or wildlife markets that are the problems. They are the symptoms of the expansion of productive forces under capitalism. Logging and forest burning and clearing are done not only by large corporations, but also by many poor farmers unable to make a living as the land and technology is mainly owned and exploited by big business. It is the very uneven development of capitalist accumulation that is the fundamental cause.
Over 140 years ago, Friedrich Engels noted how the private ownership of the land, the drive for profit and the degradation of nature go hand in hand. "To make earth an object of huckstering — the earth which is our one and all, the first condition of our existence — was the last step towards making oneself an object of huckstering. It was and is to this very day an immorality surpassed only by the immorality of self-alienation. And the original appropriation — the monopolization of the earth by a few, the exclusion of the rest from that which is the condition of their life — yields nothing in immorality to the subsequent huckstering of the earth." Once the earth becomes commodified by capital, it is subject to just as much exploitation as labour.
Yes, science helps us to understand what is happening. As Engels said, " with every day that passes we are learning to understand these laws more correctly and getting to know both the more immediate and the more remote consequences of our interference with the traditional course of nature. … But the more this happens, the more will men not only feel, but also know, their unity with nature, and thus the more impossible will become the senseless and antinatural idea of a contradiction between mind and matter, man and nature, soul and body."
We need the work of climate change and environmental scientists because "by collecting and analyzing the historical material, we are gradually learning to get a clear view of the indirect, more remote, social effects of our productive activity, and so the possibility is afforded us of mastering and controlling these effects as well." (Engels).
But the reports of the scientists at the UN meeting and others and making people aware are not enough. The Extinction Rebellion recently issued a statement saying that "we are not a socialist movement. We do not trust any single ideology, we trust the people to find the best future for us all. A banner saying socialism or extinction does not represent us." Well, maybe Extinction Rebellion does not recognise that the battle to save the planet is connected to replacing the capitalist mode of production. But ER's view contrasts, it seems, from that of climate activist Greta Thunbergh, who recently said that "The climate and ecological crisis cannot be solved within today's political and economic systems. That isn't an opinion. That's a fact."
As Engels said: "To carry out this control requires something more than mere knowledge." Science is not enough. "It requires a complete revolution in our hitherto existing mode of production, and with it of our whole contemporary social order."
Abenomics: a review
The US rate of profit before the COVID
17 thoughts on "Pandemics: prevention before cure"
Either ignorance triumphs or memory fails. Which Engels is cited here? Anti-Duhring? The Housing Question?
What will change since Delivery Hero replaces Wirecard in the DAX? (in German)
https://marx-forum.de/Forum/index.php?thread/1025-delivery-hero-capitalism-today/&postID=5508#post5508
Traditional industrial capitalism continues to exist, albeit with low growth and low profit rates. Alongside and below, however, a merciless casino capitalism is developing, whose business model is: Give us your money (by buying shares or bonds or credit), and we (maybe) increase your money without industrial work, simply through trickery and skill!
patbyrneme2014 says:
Great Post Michael. Good hearing you on the session about the BRI and Latin America. Gave me some useful ideas for the left in Brazil. Will chase up the links from the session. Pat
Well done comrade. But this is only one of two aspects. Your article deals very well with the propensity to pandemics driven by capitalist abuse of our planet. It does not deal with the expected depth of these pandemics. As you know I have written extensively on my site that the the severity of a pandemic is due to the nature of the virus or bacteria or even fungus, the underlying health of society, and the capacity of health services.
What is interesting is that the media is grappling with a problem I drew attention to at the onset of this pandemic. Why is it that in Africa, which is poorer, where medical services are patchy, surviving the pandemic is thirty times higher than in the West with all its medical care and supermarkets. Here is an example of this trawling around for an answer. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-africa-53998374 It makes one cringe. The one issue they cannot address is that the west is over-medicated. 91 – 98% of those who died in the west were chronically ill, kept that way by Big Pharma who seek to take over function rather than restore function (cure) in order to sell the same pill month after month and year over year.
But once function is lost, people are very vulnerable to infections because their immune system is disorganised. So add this loss of function to the increased propensity of pandemics, as outlined in your article, and we have the makings of a global catastrophe. We need to shine a light on both aspects, propensity and vulnerability.
And well observed about XR. The magical 6, the unelected and unaccountable leadership of top down XR, are all under the spell of capitalist management protocols which informs their form of organising. Once a revolutionary movement kicks in, I can see issues with XR arising.
richardfalvey555101905 says:
Ucanbepolitical, could you expand on your last paragraph re XR's Magical 6 or point me to sources that do? Thanks Richard
Hi Richard send me your email to briangreen@theplanningmotive.com and I will send you XR constitution including Clause 6 which discuss the limits to local autonomy.
Thanks ucanbpolitical, have mailed you. Address is richard.falvey@gmail.com should it not reach you. R
Roger Annis says:
Fyi, spelling corrections needed:
* We need the work of climate change and environments scientists… (should be 'environmental scientists')
* But ER's view contrasts, it seems, from that of climate activist Greta Thubergh… (missing 'n' in Greta's family name).
Comma needed after the word 'There' in 'There delegates will hear that rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of farming…'
Thanks Roger will correct!
Hi Michael, I quite often see 'slips from haste' or typos in your blog pieces. Do you like to be made aware of them as a rule?
Richard – every time please. Im getting old
opinecon says:
Thanks for this analysis Mr Roberts. Also, do you know when is the release date for your Engels book?
Struggling to finish it!
David Oks says:
Mr. Roberts, is there a good email at which to contact you? For a media interview. Thanks so much.
David give me your email and I'll contact you
my email is david@gravelinstitute.org. Thanks so much Mr. Roberts!
Nuttula says:
A new study making rounds in some leftist spaces, maybe worth a commentary?
Maybe before the end but not before it is too late will mainstream academia finally acknowledge Capitalist imperialism?
"High-income nations (the 'core' of the global economic system) depend on resource-intensive industrial technologies and infrastructures whose efficient functioning is contingent on annual net transfers of resources from distant (peripheral) areas (Frey et al., 2018; Jorgenson and Clark, 2009a). Moreover, high-income nations obtain significantly higher revenues for the resources they export than poorer nations, which is mostly due to the positions occupied in global supply chains and their respective roles in the world economy (Piñero et al., 2019; Prell et al., 2014; UNCTAD, 2013). The asymmetry of international trade, i.e. of the net transfers of resource volumes and monetary values, is a crucial determinant of the capacity of individual nations to accumulate capital and technological infrastructure and to thereby achieve economic growth (e.g., Grossman and Helpman, 1991)."


Runefall is an adventurous match 3 quest in the medieval town of Rivermoor. Once, this was a bustling township, but a devastating war wiped out its impressive appearance with the blink of an eye. Form rows of three or more to collect resources and rebuild the town to its former glory. Meanwhile, retrieve artifacts of the Chronicle Ruin. Enjoy lots of innovative challenges with Runefall!
This update includes a fix for the progress block at the end of the game.
This is a critical update.
I have great news! A new version of Runefall is now available . This update includes a fix for the progress block at the end of the game.
•	Turn based strategy combat set against a rich and interesting alternate 1880's history.
•	Roguelike campaign mode where death is permanent but with persistent rewards from one game session to the next. Drive back the invading forces and press forth for victory!
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•	Customise your Ironcast with a range of unique weapons and defensive systems. Over 50 different unlockable items will ensure an almost limitless number of combinations.
•	Passive Augmentations allow players to modify their Ironcast's weapons and abilities.
Inspired by Victorian era science fiction writers such as H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, Ironcast is set in an exciting alternative history; a time when refined men and women in top hats and bonnets commanded gigantic walking war machines, laying waste to the enemies of the British Empire! Take control of a 7 meter tall walking vehicle called an Ironcast and face off against an invading force of enemy Ironcast in order to defend 1880′s Victorian England.
Battles are fought by generating resource nodes which in turn drive the Ironcast's various weapons and systems. You must choose how to spend these nodes wisely, either offensively in order to cripple and destroy your opponents, or defensively, if they suspect a barrage of incoming weapons fire is due.
√ Turn based strategy combat set against a rich and interesting alternate 1880′s history.
√ Roguelite campaign mode where death is permanent but with persistent rewards from one game session to the next. Drive back the invading forces and press forth for victory!
√ Hand painted art style.
√ Inspired by the steampunk genre and Victorian science fiction.
√ Loot new technology and upgrade abilities from the wrecks of fallen enemies.
√ Customise your Ironcast with a range of unique weapons and defensive systems. Over 50 different unlockable items will ensure an almost limitless number of combinations.
√ Passive Augmentations allow players to modify their Ironcast's weapons and abilities.
Exciting challenges for sorcerors' apprentices!
Sorceror's apprentice Anton accidentally causes mayhem right before his magic exam: when his robe gets caught on a teleporter's lever, its destination is changed, and now he has to face a much more challenging test of his budding magical skills than originally planned.
Luckily, his master manages to throw a handful of scrolls through the portal, so Anton still has a chance to learn four useful spells that may help him to find his way back home. In 80 exciting and challenging Match 3 levels with bubble shooter elements Anton has to face his hardest test so far in a beautiful setting – will he manage to find the teleporter that will take him back to his master?
Exciting story in a world full of magic and adventure.
In Queen's Garden 2, the Princess became a queen! Help her loyal assistant Jack rebuild the garden from scratch in this unique match 3 game. Play over 130 levels, collect coins and special jewels, purchase plants and decorations to design the greatest garden the Kingdom has ever seen. Join Jack and the Queen in this adventure and smell the scent of the roses!
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Play Jewel Match Super Pack, and enjoy 4 amazing games in one single download! Jewel Match is a gem that will make your eyes sparkle with joy! You will be hooked before you know it. Help young Luna restore the castles of Nevernear in Jewel Match 3 Deluxe, a dazzling matching adventure. What are you waiting for? Download Jewel Match Super Pack now!


text:
Deadly Blaze Stirs Debate On How China Fights Forest Fires
By Shen Fan, Ren Qiuyu, and Huang Yuxin
Firefighters battle the forest fire in Sichuan. Photo: Caixin
The deaths of 30 firefighters in a forest fire in southern Sichuan province this week has restarted a debate over China's firefighting methods and preparation.
The bodies of 27 forest firefighters and three local fire department officials were found on Monday after they were sent to contain a blaze at an altitude of 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) on Sunday. According to officials, they were killed by a fireball caused by a sudden change in wind direction.
Of the 27 forest fire personnel, only one was over the age of 30, according to the public list of the names of the deceased. The fire was China's deadliest since 2015, when an explosion in Tianjin started a chemical fire that killed 173 people, including at least 21 firefighters.
This week's tragedy has renewed a debate about forest fires and how to fight them. State-owned media outlets have called for China to improve its firefighting system.
Liu Futang, an environmental activist who used to be in charge of fire prevention in Hainan province, released a statement calling for China's firefighting system to emphasize the safety of firefighters above all else. "I have always called for the safety of people to be the first priority in fighting forest fires," he wrote. "Trees can burn for a long time, but people can't recover."
Liu Naian, vice director of the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science at China's University of Science and Technology, said an early warning system must be implemented because fires are more likely to occur in specific weather, terrain, and combustibility conditions. For example, in canyon areas with steep slopes, firefighters should be aware that a fire may occur at any time. "In a canyon terrain, fires most often break out at the bottom of the canyon. Firefighters should know not to stay at the bottom of the canyon for extended periods," he said.
Reports have said that the 30 firefighters were killed while on their way to the fire. Fire prevention specialist at the Guangdong Academy of Forestry Wu Zepeng wondered whether the firefighters should have been in the area in the first place. On complex terrain at such a high altitude, the wind direction is likely to change at any time, causing huge risks to the firefighters. "Under such circumstances, if there are no facilities around and the fire does not pose a threat to residents, it is not advocated that the fire should be directly put out or put under control immediately," he said. "During the California wildfires in 2018, the fires were not completely extinguished immediately. First the fires were controlled, then the residents were evacuated."
Others pointed out that while forest fires can be destructive, they do have environmental benefits. According to the California state government, forest fires can, for example, remove low-growing underbrush, leaving more room for grasses and opening the forest floor to sunlight. They can also allow the forest to regenerate. Liu Naian pointed out that China's forest resources are "not abundant," but said that firefighting should be used to "prevent large-scale forest fires."
Liu Futang, who worked in the Hainan Fire Prevention Department for 17 years, told Caixin that the complexity of the region would not have allowed for any direct rescue. He noted that the wind at 4,000 meters above sea level is uncertain and even small changes in the weather can have a big effect. "We ought to wait for an opportunity and find a refuge site in advance before going to fight the fire," he said. "When the fire is far away, firefighters should consider where the refuge point is if the wind changes."
The experts agreed that this type of fire in Sichuan is rare. However, Liu Futang maintains that human casualties in firefighting can be avoided, and joined others in calling for greater research into the causes of and ways of managing such wildfires.
"The fire caused heavy casualties among the firefighters, and the reason cannot be attributed to the lack of experience of local firefighters, because such extreme fires are relatively rare," Liu Naian said.
Contact reporter Ren Qiuyu (qiuyuren@caixin.com)
Investigation Launched Into Deadly Forest Fire in Sichuan
Gallery: Fighting Fires in China
A remote forest fire that broke out Saturday in Southwest China's Sichuan province has killed 30 of the 689 people sent to contain it. Forest fires occur frequently around the country during the spring in China. Of those who died, 27 were firefighters and three were employees of the fire department of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture's Muli county, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.


text:
Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model
Yu Teng, Nan Kong, Wanzhu Tu
Background: Chlamydial infection is a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide, caused by C. trachomatis. The screening for C. trachomatis has been proven to be successful. However, such success is not fully realized through tailoring the recommended screening strategies for different age groups. This is partly due to the knowledge gap in understanding how the infection is correlated with age. In this paper, we estimate age-dependent risks of acquiring C. trachomatis by adolescent women via unprotected heterosexual acts. Methods: We develop a time-varying Markov state-transition model and compute the incidences of chlamydial infection at discrete age points by simulating the state-transition model with candidate per-encounter acquisition risks and sampled numbers of unit-time unprotected coital events at different age points. We solve an optimization problem to identify the age-dependent estimates that offer the closest matches to the observed infection incidences. We also investigate the impact of antimicrobial treatment effectiveness on the parameter estimates and the differences between the acquisition risks for the first-time infections and repeated infections. Results: Our case study supports the beliefs that age is an inverse predictor of C. trachomatis transmission and that protective immunity developed after initial infection is only partial. Conclusions: Our modeling method offers a flexible and expandable platform for investigating STI transmission.
Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics
https://doi.org/10.1186/2043-9113-4-7
Acquisition risk
State transition model
Transmission probability
Teng, Y., Kong, N., & Tu, W. (2014). Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model. Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics, 4(1), [7]. https://doi.org/10.1186/2043-9113-4-7
Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model. / Teng, Yu; Kong, Nan; Tu, Wanzhu.
In: Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics, Vol. 4, No. 1, 7, 2014.
Teng, Y, Kong, N & Tu, W 2014, 'Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model', Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics, vol. 4, no. 1, 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/2043-9113-4-7
Teng Y, Kong N, Tu W. Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model. Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics. 2014;4(1). 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/2043-9113-4-7
Teng, Yu ; Kong, Nan ; Tu, Wanzhu. / Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model. In: Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics. 2014 ; Vol. 4, No. 1.
@article{f63fddbfe7fc4397888cdfe2591b3e99,
title = "Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model",
abstract = "Background: Chlamydial infection is a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide, caused by C. trachomatis. The screening for C. trachomatis has been proven to be successful. However, such success is not fully realized through tailoring the recommended screening strategies for different age groups. This is partly due to the knowledge gap in understanding how the infection is correlated with age. In this paper, we estimate age-dependent risks of acquiring C. trachomatis by adolescent women via unprotected heterosexual acts. Methods: We develop a time-varying Markov state-transition model and compute the incidences of chlamydial infection at discrete age points by simulating the state-transition model with candidate per-encounter acquisition risks and sampled numbers of unit-time unprotected coital events at different age points. We solve an optimization problem to identify the age-dependent estimates that offer the closest matches to the observed infection incidences. We also investigate the impact of antimicrobial treatment effectiveness on the parameter estimates and the differences between the acquisition risks for the first-time infections and repeated infections. Results: Our case study supports the beliefs that age is an inverse predictor of C. trachomatis transmission and that protective immunity developed after initial infection is only partial. Conclusions: Our modeling method offers a flexible and expandable platform for investigating STI transmission.",
keywords = "Acquisition risk, Chlamydial infection, Parameter estimation, State transition model, Transmission probability",
author = "Yu Teng and Nan Kong and Wanzhu Tu",
doi = "10.1186/2043-9113-4-7",
journal = "Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics",
T1 - Estimating age-dependent per-encounter chlamydia trachomatis acquisition risk via a Markov-based state-transition model
AU - Teng, Yu
AU - Kong, Nan
AU - Tu, Wanzhu
N2 - Background: Chlamydial infection is a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide, caused by C. trachomatis. The screening for C. trachomatis has been proven to be successful. However, such success is not fully realized through tailoring the recommended screening strategies for different age groups. This is partly due to the knowledge gap in understanding how the infection is correlated with age. In this paper, we estimate age-dependent risks of acquiring C. trachomatis by adolescent women via unprotected heterosexual acts. Methods: We develop a time-varying Markov state-transition model and compute the incidences of chlamydial infection at discrete age points by simulating the state-transition model with candidate per-encounter acquisition risks and sampled numbers of unit-time unprotected coital events at different age points. We solve an optimization problem to identify the age-dependent estimates that offer the closest matches to the observed infection incidences. We also investigate the impact of antimicrobial treatment effectiveness on the parameter estimates and the differences between the acquisition risks for the first-time infections and repeated infections. Results: Our case study supports the beliefs that age is an inverse predictor of C. trachomatis transmission and that protective immunity developed after initial infection is only partial. Conclusions: Our modeling method offers a flexible and expandable platform for investigating STI transmission.
AB - Background: Chlamydial infection is a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide, caused by C. trachomatis. The screening for C. trachomatis has been proven to be successful. However, such success is not fully realized through tailoring the recommended screening strategies for different age groups. This is partly due to the knowledge gap in understanding how the infection is correlated with age. In this paper, we estimate age-dependent risks of acquiring C. trachomatis by adolescent women via unprotected heterosexual acts. Methods: We develop a time-varying Markov state-transition model and compute the incidences of chlamydial infection at discrete age points by simulating the state-transition model with candidate per-encounter acquisition risks and sampled numbers of unit-time unprotected coital events at different age points. We solve an optimization problem to identify the age-dependent estimates that offer the closest matches to the observed infection incidences. We also investigate the impact of antimicrobial treatment effectiveness on the parameter estimates and the differences between the acquisition risks for the first-time infections and repeated infections. Results: Our case study supports the beliefs that age is an inverse predictor of C. trachomatis transmission and that protective immunity developed after initial infection is only partial. Conclusions: Our modeling method offers a flexible and expandable platform for investigating STI transmission.
KW - Acquisition risk
KW - Chlamydial infection
KW - Parameter estimation
KW - State transition model
KW - Transmission probability
U2 - 10.1186/2043-9113-4-7
DO - 10.1186/2043-9113-4-7
JO - Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics
JF - Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics
10.1186/2043-9113-4-7


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EuropeExploreFrance
Caroline Longstaffe — June 1, 2022
The Floating Harbours at Arromanches
There were many factors contributing to the success of D-Day. Strategic planning, deception and the successful outcome of some of the initial targets was critical, such as Pegasus Bridge, and Point du Hoc. But the major challenge of landing at Normandy was that it had no harbor. The beaches were suitable for landing heavy armor and it was within range of Allied air cover. Once liberated, the Normandy port of Cherbourg would provide vital access for further supplies but there was no where to dock ships and unload vehicles and tanks.
With remarkable intuition, Churchill had discussed this issue back in May 30th 1942, determining that if there was no port, one would have to be built. Huge mulberries comprising of floating roadways and pier heads which would go up and down with the tide were constructed in England, towed across the Channel and assembled off the Normandy coast. Misinformation spread by the Allies helped to ensure that the enemy were expecting an invasion at Calais, not Normandy and Arromanches-les-Bains was chosen to set up Churchill's incredible floating harbor.
Churchill's floating harbor is still visible at the picturesque little town of Arromanches-les-Bains.
Despite the British resources being at breaking point, they completed the work within 9 months. Arromanches was liberated by nightfall on June 6th and the first ships scuttled the next day. In order to avoid rough seas, huge hollow concrete blocks and old hulks were sunk to form a breakwater, by June 8th the first of these Phoenix Caissons had been submerged and on June 14th the first cargoes were unloaded.
Photograph of The Mulberry Harbours at The Arromanches 360 Cinema
The port at Arromanches was totally operational by the beginning of July, so later that month when Montgomery launched his large-scale offensive against Caen, up to 18,000 tonnes of goods were unloaded daily. An incredible engineering feat, this newly created port was the key to victory in Europe.
The remains of the Mulberry Harbours are still on the beach at Arromanches today.
Several dozen Phoenix Caissons continue to provide a calm and sheltered stretch of water.
D-Day 75 Garden
High on the cliff over looking overlooking Arromanches and the Mulberry Harbors is this new garden memorial. It was designed to pay tribute to the D-Day veterans on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
The statue depicts 97 year-old Bill Pendell MD looking back at himself as a 22 year-old landing on the beaches 75 years earlier.
The garden was first exhibited in 2019 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, during The Chelsea Flower Show. It was gifted to the mayor of Arromanches-les-Bains by Field Marshall Montgomery's grand-children to remain as lasting legacy to D-Day.
Arromanches 360 : Circular cinema
The fascinating 360 degree cinema which brings the D-Day story to life is perched just below the D-Day 75 garden. It is well worth a visit. Tickets can be bought online, click here for details
Arromanches Museum
In the town itself, is the Arromanches Museum, also should not be missed. Click here for details
The Normandy Memorials
Visiting The Normandy Memorials like all war memorials and cemeteries is very emotional. The sheer scale of human sacrifice is intensely humbling. It's a debt that can never be repaid.
British Memorial at Normandy
It is hard to believe that until 2019 there was no official British Memorial at Normandy. Situated near the village of Ver-sur-Mer it is managed by the Common Wealth War Graves Foundation. It was unveiled by The Prince of Wales, on 6 June 2021, the 77th anniversary of D-Day.
The pathway leading to the main monument is flanked with commemorative pillars that tell the Normandy story.
THE BEACHES AND THE BRIDGEHEAD 6 June -15 June 1944
STRUGGLING TO ADVANCE 16 June -30 June 1944
BATTLE FOR CAEN 1 July- 15 July 1944
This incredible story continues as the path way continues towards the main monument
THE BREAK-OUT BEGINS 30 July-15 August 1944
VICTORY IN NORMANDY 16 August-31 August 1944
And then you arrive at the monument's center.
On the main walls words of key World War II leaders have been chosen for each face. On the front, motivational encouragement from Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery's before he led his soldiers into battle:
"To us is given the honor of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history And in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our doings" Field Marshal B.L. Montgomery
On the opposite side, running up from the beach is a statue of those soldiers.
They are facing the other side of the monument, engraved with Churchill's famous 'We shall fight on the beaches' speech alongside King George VI's inspiring D-Day broadcast:
"Four years ago our nation and empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy with our backs to the wall tested as never before in our history once more the supreme test has to be faced this time the challenge is not to fight to survive but to win the final victory for the good of all and for a world in which goodness and honor may be the foundation of the life in every land" King George VI June 6 1944
There is also the support offered by Charles de Gaulle from London, aimed specifically at the French:
"The supreme battle has begun . An immense force of attack or to us of assistance has begun to be deployed from the shores of old England. France submerged for four years, but by no means reduced or defeated stands ready to participate. From behind the heavy cloud of our blood and our tears the sun of our grandeur is starting to reappear." Charles de Gaulle June 6 1944
And then there are the names. Thousands of brave British soldiers who lost their lives, for all of us, on the beaches of Normandy…………
Harry Billinge
One of the soldiers who landed on Gold Beach all those years ago, was a young 17 year-old soldier, Harry Billinge. Harry survived while all around him his friends fell. He has never forgotten them and throughout his life Harry strived continually to champion the building of this memorial. He was able to be here when it was opened and only passed away a few weeks before my own visit. Much loved by all who knew him and a hero of Normandy you can read his heartfelt tribute here.
Like all the Normandy memorials, it is free to visit this thought provoking, astounding place, sat above the beach known as 'Gold Beach' on D-day. Click here for more information
The Canadian Memorial
The Canadian War Cemetery, is situated about 11km east of the British Memorial, closer to Caen, at Bény-sur-Mer.
At this beautiful, tranquil spot we remember Canadian soldiers from the 'Queen's Own Rifles of Canada House', now known simply as Canada House.
The Canadians landed at 'Juno Beach'.
The 2,049 Canadians who lie here were killed either on that beach or during the subsequent month-long Battle of Caen, or were executed while prisoners of war.
This immaculately kept memorial with its beautiful plants and shrubs is one of two Commonwealth burial grounds also maintained by the The Commonwealth War Graves Commission devoted to Canadians. Click here for more information
The second memorial can be found at the Juno Beach Centre and memorial park near Courseulles-sur-Mer. The centre runs its own guided tours of the museum and the beach, and the German beach defences there can be visited underground (April to October) Click here to learn more
The American Normandy Memorial and Cemetery
The American Normandy Memorial is at Colleville-sur-Mer. If you were driving along the coast you'd probably visit the Canadian Memorial first (45km to the east of the American) then the British (27km east) before continuing to the American. Situated above Utah Beach where the Americans landed there is an informative museum which tells the American's D-Day story. The memorial is run by the American Battle Monuments Commission
The entrance to the memorial gardens is stunning.
Like the other memorials, the American memorial looks down 'Omaha Beach' one of the D-Day beaches where the Americans Landed, 'Utah Beach' being the other.
The thousands of white crosses are a stark reminder of the tragic loss of life. Like their British and Canadian allies these young American boys landed in Normandy with no thought of personal gain but to fight for the freedom of the world. The fighting on Omaha beach on D-Day was one of the the bloodiest with over 3000 casualties.
The memorial pays tribute to those soldiers. Click here for more information about visiting this site.
Ultimately the Allies were successful, the careful planning, deception and strategy meant that three months after D-Day, Normandy was captured, it marked the beginning of the end. Yet the loss of life which the memorials attest to, was horrendous.
There are many other sites to visit at Normandy which remember what happened there on D-Day. Click here to learn more and plan your visit.
words of General Bradley spoken about the landings, which I read at the American memorial, will remain with me and seem an appropriate way to end this post:
"The battle belonged that morning to the thin, wet line of khaki that dragged itself ashore on the channel coast of France"
General Omar Bradley US First Army Commander June 6 1944
A line of khaki we should never forget…..
Tags: American Battle Monuments CommissionArromanches-les-BainsBény-sur-MerBill PendellColleville-sur-MerD-dayD_DAY 75 GardenFranceGeneral De GaulleGeneral Omar Bradley US First Army CommanderGold BeachHarry BillingeJuno BeachMulberry HarboursNormandyPhoenix caissonsSword BeachThe British Normandy MemorialThe Commonwealth war graves commissionUtah BeachVers-sur-MerWinston ChurchillWorld War II
Carol Williams
So interesting Caroline. Hope you and your family are well!
Thank you Carol, how lovely to hear from you! We're all great, currently in Provence. Hope life is good for all of you x
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What is the Hoax Bombs crime?
The Hoax Bombs crime in Texas gives police the right to arrest you if they think that you make, sell, buy, carry or possess a hoax bomb and intended to use it to convince someone else that it's a real explosive or to cause an emergency reaction from first responders. That specifically includes agencies set up to deal with public safety and volunteer agencies that cope with emergencies.
What is the law in Texas about the Hoax Bombs offense?
How can I be charged with Hoax Bombs?
What is the punishment for Hoax Bombs in Texas?
The Hoax Bombs offense is described in Section 46.08 of the Texas Penal Code.
You can be charged with Hoax Bombs if the state's attorneys believe that each of the elements of 46.08 as described in the section above have been met.
The offense of a hoax bomb charge in Texas is a Class A misdemeanor.1 A Class A Misdemeanor is punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a maximum possible fine of $4,000. Learn about the differences between grades of felonies and misdemeanors.


The Briscoe Western Art Museum offers a great selection of activities involving the historical American West. Click through the slideshow to check out 25 cool things about the museum.
The Conflict Room has a a great showcase of pistols, rifles and other wartime firearms.
This is a popular item in the museum, made of leather and silver by Joaquin Rodriguez and Alberto Tulan Cingo Marquez.
The Conflict Room has an assortment of pieces surrounding the Battle of the Alamo, further highlighting San Antonio's rich history.
Doug Hyde created this piece, "Northern Plateau Women," out of pink Portuguese marble. He will be attending the Night of Artists event at the Briscoe in March.
The Women's Gallery offers insight into the lives of women in the West. Visitors can watch video interviews with important figures and experts in the culture.
On the first Tuesday of every month, you can converse with experts on a variety of Western-related topics - from whiskey and teepees - with local artists and noted historians.
If you swing by the Briscoe Museum by Feb. 12, you can partake in the Pony Express Love Letters community project. Craft a personal love letter, or let your imagination run wild in a gift that will be delivered either by bike messenger or through snail mail.
The third floor Alamo diorama gives a birds-eye view of the famous siege in intricate detail, along with narratives from those on both sides of the battle.
Dedicated to depictions of how people made a living throughout the years, the Work Gallery has a mix of old and contemporary pieces of art that offer a closer look at the building blocks of labor.
Where else can you get up close and personal with Santa Anna's sword, a vintage bear trap and a 1910 Chuckwagon?
You can get a look at a number of spurs from various time periods on the museum's third floor. The Briscoe's head of education programs, Jennifer Chowning, said they have one activity for visitors where they write up a fictional story on who they think wore a particular spur in the display.
You can support Native American artists selling a wide variety of baskets, pottery, jewelry and textiles while enjoying festive cultural performances from Oct. 2-4.
This year's Briscoe Film Series highlights the Comedic West, and runs from May through August. Food trucks and cold brews enhance the cinemative experience with notable scholars facilitating a post-screening discussion.
There are listening stations on the third floor, where visitors can listen to songs and stories of the West and the way of life from hundreds of years ago.
Take a bit of the West home with you. It's always free to visit the store.
Attend the Annual Night of Artists Art Sale on March 28 and take home your very own masterpiece by one of the country's top Western artists.
Take in the magnificent architecture of the restored museum building that was San Antonio's first public library. You can marvel at the gilded lobby ceiling and resotred staircase, count the number of buffalo head nickels that line the ceiling and stop by the library portal to learn more aout the history and hauntings of this grand old structure.
Bring the kids for Story Time Stampede!
Kids can learn more about the history of the West with Story Time Stampede!, which is held every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Kampmann Library Portal at the museum.
Now you can explore the museum with a lil' partner. Designed for the little ones, the bags include self-guided materials for exploration, play and interaction in the museum's galleries. The bags have themes, including campfire, grub, call of the wild and trouble.
The Kampmann San Antonio Public Library Portal at the Briscoe Museum is the perfect spot to curl up with a book and ease into a comfy leather chair. You can also check out their stellar collection of American West and Texas History books available in print and via digital media on provided iPads.
You can gather with like-minded bibliophiles on the first Tuesday of every month to discuss selected books while enjoying wine and cheese. The best part: It's free!
Bring a sandwich, grab a coworker, and enjoy lunch in the shaded courtyard right on the River Walk. No admission fee is necessary. This spot also acts as a great spot for a wedding ceremony or band performance.
This room in the museum showcases works of art and pieces of history concerning the motivation by many people to move West and explore that portion of the United States.
The museum offers a drop-in tour every Friday at 10:30 a.m. that provides an in-depth look at select works that illuminate the Western experience from multiple vantage points with plenty of lively discussion.
Whether it's a reception, corporate event or quinceanera, the Jack Guenther Pavilion at the Briscoe Museum is a stunning venue with beautiful vistas overlooking the picturesque San Antonio River Walk.


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An advert which appeared in the Bromley & District Times on the 24th May 1918 (page 6), advertising for the women of Britain to help with home service during the war.
Will you come and cook for the men who are defending you and your home?
7,000 Cooks and waitresses are wanted now for home service only with the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps. Cooks and waitresses also required for service overseas.
Fill in this form, then cut out the advert and send to Ministry of Labour, Martlett House, Bow St.


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Exclusive-As fund board diversity lags, U.S. SEC advisers push for details on race, gender
By Ross Kerber
FILE PHOTO: U.S. SEC's Gensler speaks at a hearing in Washington
(Reuters) -Mutual fund boards would be required to disclose information on the gender and racial diversity of their directors under a rule change recommended to the top U.S. securities regulator.
The suggestion from an advisory subcommittee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which would need further approval, goes further than subcommittee members had outlined in the spring and mirrors a growing focus from other quarters on the financial industry's lack of diversity.
At present, there is "virtually no representation of women and minorities" on the boards that set policies across the $29.3 trillion U.S. mutual fund industry, Gilbert Garcia, chair of the subcommittee and managing partner of a Houston investment firm, said in an interview late on Monday.
Garcia said the subcommittee does not have a specific set of disclosures in mind, but said in general more data should lead to more diversity. "The theory is that by shining transparency on this, market forces will change the makeup" of boards, he said.
The push for new information is in line with other steps aiming to show the lack of women and minority representation in many realms of U.S. business. A new Illinois law requires public companies headquartered in the state to list the race and gender of each director, for instance.
Fund boards are distinct from the directors who run publicly traded asset-management businesses like BlackRock Inc or T. Rowe Price Group, and traditionally face less public scrutiny. Fund boards oversee areas like the fees that funds pay to managers and their performance.
Garcia had said on March 19 the subcommittee would likely recommend other changes including having investment advisers report on the race and gender of officers.
That idea remains among the official recommendations the subcommittee has made to the SEC's asset management advisory committee ahead of its Wednesday meeting, according to a subcommittee report.
Other recommendations include calls for demographic details on fund firm workforces, for new SEC guidance on how asset managers are chosen, and for a study of how political contribution rules could influence asset allocation at the expense of smaller firms owned by women and minorities.
NEW METRICS FROM WASHINGTON
Gary Gensler, the SEC chair appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden this year, said at a conference last month he has asked staff to propose "human capital disclosure" details that could include information on diversity and other workforce demographics.
Skeptics worry Gensler and other officials will adopt regulations that are hard to enforce on areas outside of traditional finance. Beyond social issues like board room diversity these include climate change considerations and executive pay metrics.
Speaking on a panel organized by the conservative-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute on Tuesday, which was webcast, Jennifer Schulp, director of financial regulation studies at the Cato Institute think tank in Washington, said the SEC could move too quickly or overstep its mandate.
"We're going to suffer from haste here," she said.
A survey from February by the Investment Company Institute, a fund industry trade group, and the affiliated Independent Directors Council found women represent 30% of all independent fund directors and that racial minorities represent 11%, although both figures rose significantly among independent directors who were nominated and started serving in 2019.
Asked about the subcommittee's recommendations, Thomas Kim, the IDC's managing director, said in an emailed statement that it has a working group on diversity and inclusion that is "committed to take actionable steps to foster a more diverse and inclusive fund director community. We also look forward to working with others in the industry, including the SEC, on this important issue."
(Reporting by Ross Kerber in BostonEditing by Matthew Lewis)
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A quick overview of our recently published ebook looking at the 8 stages of workplace conflict.
Will mediation work? A four box tool analysing the drivers to mediate.
How do we know if mediation is appropriate and whether it will work. This 4 box tool looks at drivers for mediation and helps answer these questions.
Workplace conflict - is 'DIY Mediation' possible?
In my last blog I asked 'workplace mediation – bring someone in or do it yourself?'. What should HR do when faced with this question?
HR is often the first port of call when a line manager has a 'people problem' they need resolving.
Workplace bully – malicious or misunderstood?
I was recently asked onto BBC Berkshire radio to discuss the latest report published by ACAS on bullying in UK workplaces.
A recent article on the Moneywise magazine website identified ten things which will affect the value of your home. And number one?
New ACAS research – conflict conundrum to mediation miracle?
In depth case studies on the impact of introducing mediation into an organisation are relatively few and far between.
When I first came across workplace mediation some years ago I was shocked and a bit embarrassed at my lack of awareness.


Berlin - The Coen brothers' all-star romp Hail, Caesar! featuring George Clooney as a bumbling Hollywood actor playing the Roman emperor will open the 66th Berlin film festival in February, organisers said on Friday.
The Oscar-winning American siblings are due to walk the red carpet in the German capital on 11 February to kick off the 11-day event, ranked with Cannes and Venice among Europe's top cinema showcases.
"It's wonderful that Joel and Ethan Coen are once again opening the Berlinale," festival director Dieter Kosslick said in a statement.
"Their humour, unique characters and fantastic narrative skill are guaranteed to thrill the audience," he added, calling it the "perfect start" to the 2016 edition.
The Coens presented what would become their cult classic The Big Lebowski in 1998 at the Berlinale, as the event is known, and opened the festival in 2011 with their remake of the western True Grit.
A festival spokeswoman told AFP that Hail, Caesar! would screen out of competition for the event's Golden Bear top prize, which will be awarded by a jury led by Meryl Streep on 20 February.
The movie, which is due to be released in the United States on 5 February , is a send-up of Hollywood's 1950s Golden Age when the big studios still had the industry in their grip.
It presents a madcap day in the life of a studio fixer played by Josh Brolin and features a cast including Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum.
The Coen brothers have described the role for Clooney in interviews as the third in a Numbskull Triology after O Brother, Where Art Thou? in 2000 and Intolerable Cruelty in 2003.
This year's Golden Bear went to Taxi by Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi.


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