For over twenty-five years, Saul Levit has been at the forefront of the most elite level of family law practice, handling complex property division, business valuation, and highly contested custody matters. He has represented individuals and spouses/significant others of individuals who rank among the upper levels of the business, professional, entertainment and sports communities, and has earned an excellent reputation among family law judges and attorneys. Mr. Levit is known for providing his clients with the highest level of representation in all aspects of divorce, equitable distribution, support, alimony, custody, pre and post nuptial agreements, and related matters.
Mr. Levit has offices both in Radnor and Philadelphia.
As a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Mr. Levit is recognized by the bench and bar as not only an expert practitioner of matrimonial law, but also as an attorney who practices with honesty, integrity, and professionalism.
Mr. Levit has been involved in the advancement of the practice of family law as a lecturer and author for the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and for various law schools and forensic accounting organizations. As a co-founder and active member of the Doris Jonas Freed American Inn of Court, he has been instrumental in establishing the first such organization exclusively devoted to domestic relations matters, providing family law judges and attorneys the opportunity to regularly meet, hold programs, and discuss the significant family law issues of the day. He is a former member of the Council of the Family Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and has served on the Fee Disputes Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Mr. Levit is the author of Pennsylvania Domestic Relations Forms - Practice, a comprehensive practice manual for Pennsylvania attorneys, which covers all domestic relations issues and procedural stages of divorce and custody proceedings. He is a graduate of The University of Chicago, where he serves on the Alumni Services Committee, and the Villanova University School of Law. Mr. Levit has been selected annually for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession, and has received a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV, the highest possible peer review rating in legal ability and ethical standards. He has been recognized yearly as a Pennsylvania "Super Lawyer", appearing in Philadelphia Magazine, and is listed in Marquis Who's Who.


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Early Russian Infantry (1809-1814) - Black Powder
Buy Cheap Black Powder Napoleonic Russian Historical Models Now, Get 20% Off RRP - Free UK Delivery Over £75 - Same Day Dispatch In Stock Orders - Royal Mail 24 Service Standard
1 Napoleonic Wars 1789-1815 Early Russian Infantry (1809-1814) Box Set contains:
24 plastic/metal miniatures
The infantry formed the backbone of all armies in the Napoleonic Wars, but no army relied more on its humble private foot soldier than that of Imperial Russia.
Brave, stubborn and resilient they had to cope with poor conditions, worse supplies and a cadre of mostly incompetent officers. Whenever western observers spent time with the Russian army they were constantly amazed by the sheer tenacity and good humour of the average infantryman in the face of adversity.
Many thousands of men were pushed through the Imperial war machine to take to the fields of Europe in defiance on Napoleon. Often they were on the receiving end of awful punishment but rarely wavered. French officers were in awe of their ability to stand artillery fire, cavalry charges and the famous French attack columns which were used to sweeping all before them. It was said that only when you bayonetted them could you be sure you were dealing with mere men.
The Russian did seem to make use of the bayonet more often than any other army; it seemed to suit their character to get stuck in. In addition the Russian army was usually ill equipped, and the quality of their muskets was generally inferior to their enemies bayonets were always reliable.
Contrary to opinion it was not fear of punishment or excessive alcohol consumption that drove these men to fight on when others may have crumbled although it probably didn't do any harm rather an unwillingness to accept defeat.
Recruitment was never a problem for the Russian army. Many of the recruits came from an agricultural background of serfdom, little more than illiterate slaves. The army offered a steady income and regular meals; any hardship they may suffer was an improvement for many so conscription was not usually seen as a curse. Service was for life, although this was reduced to 25 years after 1805 effectively still a life service in all but name. Upon conscription a man would part his village as if he were already dead, with ceremonies to that effect such were the slim hopes he would ever return.
This box set is designed to allow you to field one regiment of Russian infantry; the variants in the box allow you to both musketeer and grenadiers along with a command section to lead them into battle. We have also provided a selection of flags from a number of regiments so you can get them into the action right away.
For the Motherland!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How Colonel Henry King Burgwyn Lost His Life.
The presence at Raleigh, N.C., of Colonel William H. S. Burgwyn, of Northampton County, who delivered the memorial address of May 10, called attention to the fate of his brother, Colonel Henry King Burgwyn, the gallant young commander of the Twenty-sixth North Carolina Infantry, who lost his life at Gettysburg. It happened among the Confederate veterans who attended the Memorial Day exercises was William M. Cheek, of Lundley, Chatham county, who was a private in Company E of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, and who saw Colonel Burgwyn when the latter was shot. Mr. Cheek said: "It was in the first day's fight at Gettysburg. Our regiment had been formed in line of battle and advanced a considerable distance towards the Federals lines. Our colors were very prominent in the center. Time after time they were shot down by the hot fire of infantry and artillery, and in all they fell fifteen times, sometimes the staff being broken and sometimes a color-bearer being shot down.
"The color-sergeant was killed quite early in the advance and then a private of F Company took the flag. He was shot once, but rose and went on, saying, 'Come on, boys!' and as the words left his lips was again shot down, when the flag was taken by Captain McCreary, who was killed a moment or two later. Then Colonel Burgwyn himself took the colors and as we were advancing over the brow of a little hill and he was a few feet in advance of the center of the regiment, he was shot as he partly turned to give an order, a bullet passing through his abdomen. He fell backwards, the regiment continuing its advance, Lieutenant-Colonel John R. Lane taking command and at the same time taking the flag from Colonel Burgwyn. In a moment, it seemed, he was shot, and then Captain W. S. Brewer, of my company, took the flag and carried it through the remainder of the advance, Major John Jones having then assumed command of the regiment. Our regiment was recalled and retired. I was knocked down by the explosion of a shell, which injured my eyesight somewhat, but soon rose and as myself and some comrades went back, I saw Colonel Burgwyn being carried off the field by two soldiers, named Ellington and Staton, who were using one of their blankets for that purpose.
"Colonel Burgwyn asked me, whom he recognized as being a member of his command, to help carry him off the field, and I at once gave my aid. We carried him some distance towards the place where our line of battle had been formed, and as we were thus moving him a lieutenant of some South Carolina regiment came up and took hold of the blanket to help us. Colonel Burgwyn did not seem to suffer much, but asked the lieutenant to pour some water on his wound. He was put down upon the ground while the water was poured from canteens upon him. His coat was taken off and I stooped to take his watch, which was held around his neck by a silk cord. As I did so the South Carolina lieutenant seized the watch, broke the cord, put the watch in his pocket and started off with it. I demanded the watch, telling the officer that he should not thus take away the watch of my colonel and that I would kill him as sure as powder would burn, with these words cocking my rifle and taking aim at him.
"About that time a shell exploded very near us and took off the entire top of the hat of Captain Brewer, who had joined our party. I left and went to search for one of our litters, in order to place Colonel Burgwyn upon it, so as to carry him more comfortably and conveniently. I found the litter with some difficulty, and as the bearers and myself came up to the spot where Colonel Burgwyn was lying on the ground, we found that he was dying. I sat down and took his hand in my lap. He had very little to say, but I remember that his last words were that he was entirely satisfied with everything, and "The Lord's will be done.' Thus he died, very quietly and resigned. I never saw a braver man than he. He was always cool under fire and knew exactly what to do, and his men were devoted to him.
"He was the youngest colonel I ever saw in all my experience as a soldier. If he had lived he would have been given high rank, I feel sure." After Mr. Cheek had given this interesting story, now told for the first time of the fate of his gallant colonel, he was shown and viewed with much [e]motion the sword, sash and gauntlets which Colonel Burgwyn wore during the terrible first day at Gettysburg; that greatest of battles of all the Civil War, which marked what came to be known as the "high-water-mark of the war," and in which the Twenty-sixth Regiment suffered a greater loss than any other regiment, either Federal or Confederate, during the entire four years' struggle.
Drawing on Burgwyn's own letters and diary, Davis also offers a fascinating glimpse into North Carolina society during the antebellum period and the American Civil War.
From Library Journal: Award-winning historian Gragg offers yet another Civil War title. The 26th North Carolina saw action early in the war at New Bern and Malvern Hill. On the first day at Gettysburg, it fought against the 24th Michigan in McPherson's Woods. On the third and final day, it participated in the infamous Pickett's Charge and suffered an 85 percent casualty rate, the highest of any regiment in the Civil War. Besides recounting the enormous loss of life and the heroic deeds of many men, Gragg reveals the human side of battle. Family diaries and letters describe the difficulties most soldiers faced in coping with military life. The author uses an impressive list of other books and historical sources. What emerges is a detailed but readable history of a regiment whose sacrifices and exploits merit studying. Recommended for its scholarship and depth of coverage to all academic and large public libraries and to special collections.
He discusses the shortcomings of Dan Sickles, who advanced against orders on the second day; Oliver Howard, whose Corps broke and was routed on the first day; and Richard Ewell, who decided not to take Culp's Hill on the first night, when that might have been decisive. Sears also makes a strong argument that Lee was not fully in control of his army on the march or in the battle, a view conceived in his gripping narrative of Pickett's Charge, which makes many aspects of that nightmare much clearer than previous studies. A must have for the Civil War buff and anyone remotely interested in American history.
President Abraham Lincoln was thankful for the early July battlefield victory, but disappointed that General Meade was unable to surround and crush the Confederates before they found safety on the far side of the Potomac. Exactly what Meade did to try to intercept the fleeing Confederates, and how the Southerners managed to defend their army and ponderous 17-mile long wagon train of wounded until crossing into western Virginia on the early morning of July 14, is the subject of this study. One Continuous Fight draws upon a massive array of documents, letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and published primary and secondary sources. These long-ignored foundational sources allow the authors, each widely known for their expertise in Civil War cavalry operations, to describe carefully each engagement. The result is a rich and comprehensive study loaded with incisive tactical commentary, new perspectives on the strategic role of the Southern and Northern cavalry, and fresh insights on every engagement, large and small, fought during the retreat. The retreat from Gettysburg was so punctuated with fighting that a soldier felt compelled to describe it as "One Continuous Fight." Until now, few students fully realized the accuracy of that description. Complimented with 18 original maps, dozens of photos, and a complete driving tour with GPS coordinates of the entire retreat, One Continuous Fight is an essential book for every student of the American Civil War in general, and for the student of Gettysburg in particular. About the Authors: Eric J. Wittenberg has written widely on Civil War cavalry operations. His books include Glory Enough for All (2002), The Union Cavalry Comes of Age (2003), and The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads and the Civil War's Final Campaign (2005). He lives in Columbus, Ohio. J. David Petruzzi is the author of several magazine articles on Eastern Theater cavalry operations, conducts tours of cavalry sites of the Gettysburg Campaign, and is the author of the popular "Buford's Boys." A long time student of the Gettysburg Campaign, Michael Nugent is a retired US Army Armored Cavalry Officer and the descendant of a Civil War Cavalry soldier. He has previously written for several military publications. Nugent lives in Wells, Maine.
Now, acclaimed historian Noah Andre Trudeau brings the most up-to-date research available to a brilliant, sweeping, and comprehensive history of the battle of Gettysburg that sheds fresh light on virtually every aspect of it. Deftly balancing his own narrative style with revealing firsthand accounts, Trudeau brings this engrossing human tale to life as never before.


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Minnesota Vikings |
Vikings' Ross Blacklock inactive vs. Jets due…
Vikings' Ross Blacklock inactive vs. Jets due to Illness
The defensive lineman, who had a sack in Minnesota's last game, will miss his first game of the season.
Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Ross Blacklock (96) sacks New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) on the one yard line in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Thursday Nov., 24 2022. The Vikings beat the Patriots, 33-26. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
By Chris Tomasson | ctomasson@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: December 4, 2022 at 10:21 a.m. | UPDATED: December 4, 2022 at 10:40 a.m.
Vikings defensive lineman Ross Blacklock was inactive for Sunday's game against the New York Jets due to an illness.
Blacklock, who had a sack in Minnesota's previous game against New England, missed practices Thursday and Friday and was listed as questionable on Friday. It's the first game he has missed this season.
Also inactive for the Vikings for the game at U.S. Bank Stadium were tackle Christian Darrisaw (concussion) and tight end Ben Ellefson (groin), who were both ruled out Friday, offensive lineman Vederian Lowe, defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo and edge rusher Luiji Vilain.
Returning to the Vikings after missing four games due to a calf injury was defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson and back after sitting out two games with a concussion was cornerback Akayleb Evans.
Inactive the Jets were quarterback Zach Wilson, running back Michael Carter, wide receiver Jeff Smith, tight end Jeremy Ruckert, safety Ashtyn Davis and cornerback Bryce Hall.
Chris Tomasson
Chris joined the Pioneer Press in 2013 to cover the Vikings. He was a longtime NBA writer with the Akron Beacon Journal, Rocky Mountain News and AOL FanHouse. Before coming to Minnesota, he covered the Miami Heat and Dolphins for Fox Sports. Since joining the Pioneer Press, Chris has won 10 awards in Pro Football Writers of America contests and in both 2021 and 2022 was named a national top-10 beat writer by the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE). Chris is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he spent his college years watching the losingest team in the history of Division I-A football.
ctomasson@pioneerpress.com
Follow Chris Tomasson @christomasson
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Investigators concluded Priefer (left) did advocate dropping a "nuke" on "the gays." But Kluwe says there's more that hasn't become public yet.
:::: UPDATE :::: Today, Kluwe's lawyer, Clayton Halunen, announced plans to file suit against the Vikings have been put on hold, pending further settlement discussions between his client and the organization. Halunen said he plans to push for release of the full report as part of any agreement.
Yesterday, Clayton Halunen contacted a Vikings attorney to request that the two sides engage in conversation. We believe that we have comprehensively investigated Halunen's client Chris Kluwe's claims that were put forth in the January 2, 2014, Deadspin article and have taken the appropriate action to ensure that we continue to have a workplace environment that respects tolerance, diversity, and inclusion. We are willing to listen to Mr. Halunen's continued concerns but will have no further comment in the interim.
Original post (July 22) -- As we told you about yesterday, Chris Kluwe's beef with the Vikings escalated over the weekend after a 29-page summary of an internal investigation into allegations Kluwe made in an infamous Deadspin piece came down mostly on the team's side.
Kluwe believes key evidence gathered during the six-month investigation didn't make it into the summary, and he wants the Vikings to release the entire report, which he says the organization promised it'd do anyway when the investigation was first announced. But with the Vikings showing no signs of reconsidering its stance, Kluwe has taken to Change.org in hopes public pressure might sway team decision makers.
"I believe my public support for LGBT rights cost me my job," Kluwe writes on the petition page. "The organization said it has investigated this claim, but it hasn't publicly released the full investigation report yet, which it had promised to do. That's why I'm asking you to sign this petition, and urge the Vikings to make the entire investigation findings public."
"Now that the six-month investigation is complete, the team does not want to make the complete findings public. Why?" he continues. "Is the organization hiding something? I believe the Vikings should be fully transparent so that the Minneapolis community, Vikings fans and the nation can hold the team accountable for what happened here."
The petition, which is addressed to Zygi Wilf, has nearly 1,200 signatures as of this morning.
Twin Cities attorney and media personality Ron Rosenbaum said he thinks the Vikings are shooting themselves in the proverbial foot by refusing to release the report publicly.
On his "Holding Court" podcast last Thursday, Rosenbaum said, "Sooner than later that report is going to be out -- why don't you put it out and put your spin on it, no matter what it shows?"
"I don't think [the Vikings] have any choice," he continued. "Given the fact there was such a public hubbub about, 'We want to investigate ourselves, we want to see if what Kluwe said, these horrible allegations, are true.' I mean, how much did the public just pump into a Vikings stadium? This is the same organization."
"I don't think the Vikings are going to be able to skate on this," Rosembaum added. "At least if they put the damn report out, they at least get the first say about the spin."
Rosenbaum's analysis was echoed by his guest on the podcast, Minneapolis criminal defense attorney Joe Friedberg.
"Were I Kluwe's lawyer, since there's no question that the Vikings promised [to release it] when that report was done... I'd sue the Vikings for breach of contract and make [the organization] turn that report over, because there was consideration for the promise," Friedberg said. "[Kluwe] stood still on the lawsuit in return for the promise to turn it over. Before I'd go suing anybody about the actual mess that took place, I'd want to read the report and he's got a right to read it."
"The Vikings are making themselves look so bad," Friedberg added.
Send your story tips to the author, Aaron Rupar. Follow him on Twitter @atrupar.


In acute-care hospitals, no evidence of a protective effect of healthcare worker (HCW) vaccination on hospital-acquired influenza (HAI) in patients has been documented. Our study objective was to ascertain the effectiveness of influenza vaccination of HCW on HAI among patients.
A nested case-control investigation was implemented in a prospective surveillance study of influenza-like illness (ILI) in a tertiary acute-care university hospital. Cases were patients with virologically-confirmed influenza occurring ≥ 72 h after admission, and controls were patients with ILI presenting during hospitalisation with negative influenza results after nasal swab testing. Four controls per case, matched per influenza season (2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07), were randomly selected. Univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression models were fitted to assess factors associated with HAI among patients.
In total, among 55 patients analysed, 11 (20%) had laboratory-confirmed HAI. The median HCW vaccination rate in the units was 36%. The median proportion of vaccinated HCW in these units was 11.5% for cases vs. 36.1% for the controls (P = 0.11); 2 (20%) cases and 21 (48%) controls were vaccinated against influenza in the current season (P = 0.16). The proportion of ≥ 35% vaccinated HCW in short-stay units appeared to protect against HAI among patients (odds ratio = 0.07; 95% confidence interval 0.005-0.98), independently of patient age, influenza season and potential influenza source in the units.
Our observational study indicates a shielding effect of more than 35% of vaccinated HCW on HAI among patients in acute-care units. Investigations, such as controlled clinical trials, are needed to validate the benefits of HCW vaccination on HAI incidence in patients.
Hospital-acquired influenza (HAI) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalised patients . Prevention and control of nosocomial influenza entail multiple measures; vaccination of healthcare workers (HCW) is advocated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to obviate influenza transmission in healthcare settings . Influenza vaccine coverage of HCW remains low despite these recommendations , indicating that additional data are needed to establish the benefits of vaccination and promote it among HCW.
No evidence of a protective effect of HCW vaccination on proven HAI in patients has been reported. Indeed, the efficacy of HCW vaccination in preventing influenza among patients in long-term care hospitals was not found in a systematic review by Thomas et al.  in 2006. Earlier, 2 randomised clinical trials [5, 6] disclosed reductions in overall mortality and influenza-like illness (ILI) among elderly patients after HCW vaccination without a decrease in laboratory-confirmed influenza. However, data are sparse in acute-care settings. Studies in long-term institutions were conducted to assess the effectiveness of flu vaccination in preventing disease spread among elderly populations residing in care facilities [4–6]. These settings differed from those in acute-care hospitals in terms of population, care and contact patterns.
Despite such conclusions, HCW vaccination is expected to actually have a protective influence. Simulation studies have shown that HCW vaccination is effective and that its proportion is linked linearly to the influenza attack rate in nursing homes  as well as in acute-care hospitals . Clinical trials are the gold standard for addressing this issue, but their results are not conclusive [4–6]. Clustered, randomised trials are difficult to conduct in acute-care hospitals because of rapid patient turnover.
The objective of our observational investigation was to ascertain the effectiveness of influenza vaccination of HCW on laboratory-confirmed HAI among patients.
Data were extracted from a hospital-based, prospective surveillance study of ILI detailed elsewhere . Briefly, this prospective surveillance study enrolled all ILI patients hospitalised between October 15 and April 15 in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07, in Edouard Herriot Hospital (Lyon, France), a tertiary, acute-care university hospital with 1,000 beds. Totally, 36 (84%) of the hospital's 43 adult short-stay units participated on a voluntary basis: 12 with 224 beds in 2004-05, 29 with 493 beds in 2005-06, and 30 with 537 beds in 2006-07. No specific infection transmission control measures were implemented during the study period. Standard procedures were followed throughout the hospital, with droplet precautions in case of ILI. Once a day, research nurses contacted participating units to search for new patients with ILI, defined as rectal or axillary temperature ≥ 37.8 C, in the absence of antipyretics, with cough or sore throat . All incident cases of ILI during hospital stay were included. At ILI diagnosis, the following variables were analysed: date of admission and discharge, underlying diseases, start and end dates of clinical ILI features, potential sources of exposure to influenza within 5 days before ILI or influenza occurrence, outcome, influenza vaccination status and vaccination date. On the day of ILI suspicion, nasal swab testing served to confirm influenza in cases and controls. When incident ILI was detected (in patients or HCW), a research nurse visited the unit twice daily to document case follow-up and to find secondary cases, which were included in the surveillance according to clinical criteria similar to those for other ILIs. Each secondary ILI case was followed as an incident case, and the whole unit was monitored for 10 days after incident case onset to detect secondary cases. A potential influenza source was defined as the presence of at least 1 person with ILI (patient or HCW) in the units considered as being contagious, within 5 days before onset-from 1 day preceding ILI to 4 days thereafter.
A nested case-control investigation was conducted in this prospective surveillance study of hospital-acquired ILI . Cases were patients with virologically-confirmed influenza occurring ≥ 72 h after admission in acute-stay units . Controls were patients with ILI during hospitalisation with negative influenza results after nasal swab testing. Four controls per case, matched per influenza season (2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07), were randomly selected among all eligible controls. The exposure of interest was the proportion of HCW vaccinated against influenza in these units, collected prospectively by the occupational health department of the hospital. HCW vaccination was confirmed by occupational health department data. All HCW categories were included: physicians, nursing staff, ancillary and allied health staff. The proportion of vaccinated HCW was dichotomised according to the median of its distribution. Potential confounders were gender, likely sources of influenza in the same ward (other patients or HCW) within 5 days before influenza or another ILI occurrence during hospital stay, individual patient vaccination against influenza, type of ward, and underlying disease. Clinical suspicion of influenza was based on the above definition.
All cases and controls underwent similar nasal swab testing by the Centre national de référence des virus influenza région Sud in Lyon. Specimens were analysed for influenza virus by immuno-capture ELISA, immuno-staining, tissue cell culture, and polymerase chain reaction. Sample suspensions were inoculated into Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, epithelial Hep-2 cells and fibroblastic MRC-5 cells. The number of HCW and vaccinated HCW per participating unit as well as per year was recorded prospectively.
Categorical variables were compared by Fisher's exact test, and continuous variables, by the Mann-Whitney U-test. Conditional logistic regression was undertaken to assess factors associated independently with HAI among patients. Covariates with P < 0.15 after univariate analysis as well as gender and age were entered into the initial multivariate model, backward step-wise regression analysis was conducted, and the likelihood ratio test compared models until P < 0.15. Potential interactions between variables of the final model were tested 2 by 2. All tests were 2-tailed, and P < 0.05 was considered significant. The data were analysed by Stata software 8.0 (StataCorp LP 2003, College Station, TX). The protocol design was approved by the hospital's institutional review board. All patients received study information and gave signed, informed consent.
Among 55 patients analysed overall, 11 (20%) had laboratory-confirmed HAI. Median age was 77.3 years, and 41 (75%) were female. Totally, 13 (23%) were hospitalised in a medical unit, 8 (15%) in a surgical unit, 8 (15%) in an obstetrics-gynaecology unit, 26 (47%) in a short-term elderly patient unit, and none in an intensive care unit. Seven (13%) had chronic pulmonary disease, 26 (47%) had chronic cardiac disease, and 2 (4%) were immuno-compromised. One patient died during hospitalisation (unrelated to influenza). Twenty (36%) patients had at least 1 potential patient or HCW source of influenza infection in the same ward within 5 days before ILI or influenza occurrence. The median HCW vaccination rate in the units was 36% (0% to 67%) with a mean of 34%.
Figure 1 shows the repartition of cases and controls according to HCW vaccination rates in the units. The median proportion of vaccinated HCW in these units was 11.5% for cases vs. 36.1% for the controls (P = 0.11). After univariate analysis (Table 1), the presence of at least 1 influenza source in the ward increased the risk of HAI. After multivariate analysis (Table 2), a proportion of vaccinated HCW of more than 35% in the units, compared to a lower proportion, was protective against laboratory-confirmed HAI among patients (odds ratio = 0.07; 95% confidence interval 0.005-0.98), after adjusting for age and the presence of potential influenza sources in the units.
Repartition of cases and controls according to the proportion of vaccinated healthcare workers in short-stay units of Edouard Herriot Hospital, Lyon (France), in influenza seasons 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Data are reported as numbers (%) under descriptive analysis and as OR (95% CI) under logistic regression analysis. Controls were hospitalised patients with ILI and confirmed exclusion of influenza diagnosis after nasal swabbing; they were matched by influenza season (2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07). HAI, hospital-acquired influenza; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; HCW, healthcare workers.
OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; HCW, healthcare workers.
The study objective was to assess the effectiveness of influenza vaccination of HCW on laboratory-confirmed HAI among patients based on prospectively-collected observational data. Our results indicate that a proportion of vaccinated HCW of more than 35% in short-stay units, in comparison to a lower proportion, was protective against laboratory-confirmed HAI among patients, independently of flu season, patient age, and the presence of a potential influenza source.
Simulations have shown that HCW vaccination is effective against influenza in patients from nursing homes or in acute-care settings, but have provided no evidence of a threshold decrease in the influenza attack rate with increasing HCW vaccination proportion [6, 7]. In our investigation, because of its small sample size, we were unable to research a true dose-response relationship (Figure 1). The threshold that we reported was based on the distribution of HCW vaccination in our hospital. A proportion of vaccinated HCW of less than 35% seemed to have no effect on HAI in patients, whereas a proportion of more than 35% could be considered, according to our data, as the minimal vaccination coverage with potential protective impact on hospital-acquired incident cases. This result discloses the difficulties encountered in quantifying the influence of vaccination in clinical trials without taking different HCW vaccination proportions into account. Moreover, 1 simulation study reported an unexpected absence of herd immunity against influenza in nursing homes, implying that the vaccination of every additional HCW protected an additional fraction of patients . Also, while a higher proportion of vaccinated HCW is expected, it has not been demonstrated that the concept of herd immunity, which needs large and closed populations, can be applied in acute-care settings with multiple different contacts.
Our study had some strengths. It was prospective, with case definition based on laboratory-confirmed influenza and standardised definitions regarding the delay to hospital acquisition  as well as virological testing of all controls. Also, HAI could be difficult to diagnose. Our study allowed us to analyse the effectiveness of a vaccination strategy, whereas clinical trials with such an objective would have to be very large (i.e., for simulation, 169 departments per arm would be needed) . Simonsen et al. proposed case-control studies with highly-specific endpoints, such as laboratory-confirmed influenza . We attempted to provide more arguments to a question that remains to be answered, namely: does influenza vaccination of HCW have an impact on the occurrence of hospital-acquired, virologically-proven influenza among patients in acute-care hospitals? The topic is of great concern in the context of flu pandemics and even seasonal epidemics in healthcare settings. The experimental design for obtaining a definitive answer might be difficult to implement. Thus, convergent results from observational studies would be helpful for infection control professionals .
Our study design also had limitations. The main limitations were the classification bias of exposure and the balance of confounders. Other limitations must be emphasized. First, the number of cases was small because our case definition was restrictive, which constrained our study's power. However, the misclassification bias of cases and controls must have been low because all controls were tested for influenza virus. Second, it is possible that units where a higher proportion of HCW are vaccinated are also units where high standards of respiratory hygiene and infection control practices are respected, and could be important in reducing the risk of nosocomial influenza transmission. However, our investigation was observational, and no additional specific measure was formally implemented because of the study. Finally, exposures of hospitalised patients to visitors were not recorded. They may constitute another non-assessed source of exposure to influenza.
In summary, our observational study indicates a protective influence of vaccination of more than 35% of HCW on HAI in patients. Other experimentally-designed investigations are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of HCW vaccination in the control of influenza outbreaks in healthcare settings, and to determine the threshold for vaccinated HCW proportion with more accuracy . Our findings must not be misinterpreted. To date, the HCW vaccination rate of 35% is not optimal to control HAI. Higher vaccination coverage among HCW with strict adherence to recommended infection control measures is warranted, including the screening of visitors and HCW for illnesses suggestive of influenza, the restriction of those with any symptoms from the hospital, the use of neuraminidase inhibitors for the treatment of cases and for the chemoprophylaxis of exposed patients as well as non-vaccinated HCW.
S. Roche, C. Gorain, M. Giard, V. Escuret, F. Najioullah, B. Barret, L. Pollissard, S. David, M.N. Crozet, and R. Ecochard are contributors to the main hospital-based prospective surveillance study of influenza-like illness.
The following personnel of participating units are acknowledged: P.D. Delmas, R. Chapurlat, A. Fontana, E. Tissot, X. Barth, O. Monneuse, B. Comte, H. Paulet-Lafuma, P. Gaucherand, J.A. Chayvialle, O. Boillot, J. Boulez, D. Robert, P. Denis, C. Burillon, M. Michallet, F. Braye, J. Ninet, M. Laville, J.P. Fauvel, D. Fouque, J.L. Touraine, E. Truy, F. Disant, X. Martin, J.P. Carret, and J. Bejui-Hugues.
This manuscript was edited by Mr. Ovid Da Silva.
The main hospital-based prospective surveillance study of influenza-like illness was supported by a grant ("Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique Régional", PHRC) from the French Ministry of Health and Sanofi-Pasteur.
No external support was received.
This study was presented in part at the 21st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the 27th International Congress of Chemotherapy, Milan, Italy, May 7-10, 2011 (O 239).
Bruno Lina received unrelated grants from MedImmune, GSK, Novartis, and Sanofi-Pasteur. All other authors declare that they have no competing interests regarding this study.
TB, CR, NV and PV contributed to study design and data analysis. TB drafted the initial manuscript. OR, BL, SC, BCom and BCop contributed to data analysis and interpretation. All authors read, commented on and approved the final manuscript version.


With over 100 multi-coloured, spandex-wearing superheroes, many have been female. This article will look at ten of the best.
Back in 1993, 25 years ago, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first aired and introduced the world to a multi-coloured superhero team that protected the world. In the last 25 years,Power Rangers has branched out from the television to the movies, comics and computer games for the fans and has introduced over 100 Rangers through the years. While the teams are always dominated by the male Rangers, this article will look at ten of the best female Rangers to grace our screens.
The second Red Samurai Ranger, Lauren entered with a surprise revelation. The true Red Ranger, she went in to hiding to learn the ultimate sealing symbol while her younger brother posed as the Red Ranger. Armed with the means to end the Nighloks invasion of earth, she led the team with valor. Unfortunately, she was unable to seal the Nighlok leader, Xandred, and knew she was not the one to end the battle. Relinquishing the powers back to her brother and she stepped down as the Red Samurai Ranger.
This makes her, to date, the first female Red Ranger through the television shows and movies. A second and third female Red Ranger have appeared through the Boom! Studio's comic books. While her tenure on the team was short-lived, you can not ignore the history being made with her presence in Power Rangers Super Samurai (2012).
When it said female Rangers, it never specified they had to be good. Psycho Pink is an evil and ruthless Ranger that appeared in Power Rangers in Space (1998). Aiming for the Pink Space Ranger, she was double-crossed by Psycho Yellow and destroyed. However, her real evil streak emerged in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999). Resurrected, she obtained the Savage Sword and pierced the Pink Space Ranger's morpher, absorbing its powers. With no other choice, the Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger gave her life to stop Psycho Pink.
While she may not have dozens of episodes, more like a dozen episodes, you can not ignore how she was the first to kill a Ranger. No other Power Rangers have ever died in the televisions shows, this makes Psycho Pink the stand out villain being the only to have a Ranger kill under her achievements.
Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003) broke from Power Rangers tradition with its starting line up in both numbers and colours. Tori was one of those breaks, being the first female Blue Ranger. Armed with ninja stealth and the power of water, Tori added both beauty and grace to her team. But, what was refreshing was how she held her femininity while still being tough and strong.
She stole the heart of the Navy Thunder Ranger, and while the two never shared an on-screen kiss, the chemistry was obvious. She also returned for the 15th anniversary special and joined a team of random Rangers from the past led by Adam, the second Mighty Morphin Black Ranger. She is also, to date, only one of two female Blue Rangers from all the branches of the franchise.
Kat marks multiple points of history for Power Rangers. While many remember Tommy was the evil Green Ranger, many forget Kat was also put under an evil spell by Rita to attack the Power Ranger. Unlike Tommy, she had no Ranger powers, but did what Tommy could not. She actually took a Ranger out of the fight by stealing Kimberly's Power Coin, removing the Pink Ranger from the team. Kat managed to break the spell and retrieve Kimberly's Power Coin, which made her the natural choice to replace Kimberly when she decided to leave.
Kat had a long history with Power Rangers, and has had more Power Ranger outfits than any other female Ranger. She had access to the Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger, Pink Ninja Ranger, Pink Zeo Ranger and Pink Turbo Ranger powers through her time as a Ranger. She even returned for the 25th anniversary special in Power Ranger Super Ninja Steel (2018).
One half of a genius duo, Gemma and her twin brother were part of project "Alphabet Soup" where the minds of gifted children were exploited for military gain. When the project facility was destroyed the pair were thought to have perished. In true Power Rangers' style, Gem and Gemma were revealed to be alive and had been fighting Venjix's forces beyond the dome city of Corinth. Joining the RPM Rangers, the twins proved new fire power and Zords in the fight to retake the planet.
Gemma is the only female Ranger to ever sport one of the glamour 6th Ranger colours. Gold and Silver have been common colours to be used for the 6th Ranger ever since Power Rangers Zeo (1996), but Gemma is the only female in the roster. She also joined Kat in returning for the 25th anniversary special.
Kendall is the brains behind the Power Rangers Dino Charge (2015). During their first season, she was their woman in the command centre feeding them intel. But in the season finale, the purple Energem bonded with her making her the second Purple Dino Charge Ranger. Now a Ranger, she took more of a leading role on the battlefield. She is also, to date, the only female ranger with a multi-function Zord. Her Pleziozord is equipped with an aquatic mode, space mode, and Megazord mode.
All-in-all Kendall is special as she was the first gender-swapped Ranger during a power transfer, the first female Ranger with her own Megazord and the first female Purple Ranger. If that does not make her eligible for any top ten list, I do not know what does.
The Ranger with a singing voice of a song bird and a scream like a pterodactyl, literally, Kira adds a rocker flare to the female Ranger roster. With a unique fighting style and Ptera-Scream, Kira is already a force for evil to fear. But when you arm her with her Ptera-Daggers and she accesses her Super-Dino Mode she becomes the first Power Ranger that takes to the skies. While she is strong and powerful, she is also in touch with her emotions. Ofter releasing her feeling through songs, helping her captured the heart of her fellow Ranger, Trent.
Kira became an updated version of Kimberly as both shared powers with the pterodactyl, both had flying Zords, both had unique fighting styles and both could play the guitar and sing. While you may argue she is simply a copycat Ranger, she had a tougher demeanour and separated herself from being another Kimberly. She also returned to join Adam's team for the 15th anniversary.
Yes, I am sure you have guessed already one of the reasons why she is on the list. She was the first Ranger to make the ultimate sacrifice, but in reality, the actress was fighting leukaemia, which forced her to leave the show to focus on her health. Thankfully, she succeeded in her battle and as a result, she can smile knowing no other Ranger has ever died on the screen, making her character forever rememberable.
Outside of that, she also is worthy of the list due to her sheer intelligence. While every team had a brainy Ranger, Kendall was the first female brain behind her team. Some fans have even questioned if she is related to Kendall from Dino Charge, as both have similar looks, were the brains behind their teams and shared a last name.
The crush of many 1990s boy, Kimberly was the original Pink Ranger. With the powers of the Pterodactyl and her Power Bow she fought Rita Rapulsa with her team and formed a close relationship with Tommy. The pair were the first to have an onscreen Power Rangers kiss. Due to this relationship, she was able to help Tommy both times he lost the Green Ranger powers and was relieved when he returned as the White Ranger.
She is perhaps one of the most popular Power Rangers of all time, let alone being a female Ranger. She fought with agility and grace at her disposal, piloted multiple Zords and reminded us to never just a valley girl by how she looks. She even returned in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie with fellow past Ranger, Jason.
While not the first female leader of a Power Rangers team, Jen is easily the most effective we have seen. While the White Aquitar Ranger was the leader, she took more of a backseat to the Red Aquitar Ranger when on the battlefield. Where Jen was far from one to take the order, and instead give them. With a strong fire and passion, she returned from the past to capture the man that killed her fiancé and take him back to the future. The only problem was, she fell in love with the new Red Ranger, Wes, who was from the present.
While Jen had to return to the future, she led her team through the entire show and proved Pink can lead just as well as Red. She even took the villainous Ransik in out of her Ranger form and became an elite member of Time Force upon her return. Due to all of this, she remains a fan favourite to this day and has appeared in the tabletop RPG Power Ranger Hyperforce (2017-2018).
Do you agree with our choices? Which female Ranger is your favourite?


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Victoria Buzz
Rallies for and against the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue planned for Saturday
Myles Sauer
John A MacDonald (Kyle Schole / Instagram)
On the eve of the removal of Sir John A. Macdonald's statue from Victoria City Hall, two opposing groups are preparing to rally for their respective cause.
A rally in support of removing the statue and a rally to save it are both scheduled to take place at noon Saturday.
The first event is hosted by the Indigenous Solidarity Working Group, while the second is hosted by Aaron Gunn, a spokesperson for the right-wing media organization BC Proud.
The event page for the BC Proud event reads, "Instead of learning from history, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, supported by her radical council, is tearing down a statue of our first Prime Minister, Sir. John A. MacDonald WITHOUT ANY public consultation."
City council formally voted 7-1 in favour of removing the statue on Thursday after Mayor Lisa Helps announced plans to do so on Wednesday.
The decision to remove the statue was reached following a year-long process in which council created a City Family and met once a month with First Nations members.
"As part of this process, decision making with regards to reconciliation (other than budgetary allocations) are made by the City Family with the Songhees and Esquimalt Chief and Councils as witnesses," Helps wrote in a letter published on her campaign site.
While MacDonald is largely known for being the first Prime Minister of Canada, his legacy is complicated by the fact that he was instrumental in implementing Canada's residential school system in which thousands of Indigenous children lost their lives.
"Indigenous people do not need to walk past this painful reminder of colonial violence each time they enter the doors of their municipal government," Helps wrote.
In a video posted to his Facebook page, Gunn asked, "Was [Macdonald] perfect? No, but no one is."
"That progress we've made since is what makes Canada what it is today."
On the posting for their event, the Indigenous Solidarity Working Group writes that "given MacDonald's pivotal role in the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples through the establishment of Canada's residential schools, the removal of a statue in his honour from City Hall will not 'erase' history but is rather a means of reckoning with the injustices of the past."
"In fact," the group adds, "the removal of this statue is itself a historic event."
Former staff editor and writer at Victoria Buzz.
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