text:
Personal biography
Professional biography
Warp Speed
The Quantum Connection
Von Neumann's War
An Introduction to Planetary Defense
One Day on Mars (series)
Looking Glass War (books 2-4)
Human By Choice
Works featuring stories by Taylor
Travis S. Taylor
American aerospace engineer, optical scientist and author
Travis Shane Taylor (born 24 July 1968 in Decatur, Alabama) is an aerospace engineer, optical scientist, science fiction author, and star of National Geographic Channel's Rocket City Rednecks. Taylor has written more than 25 technical papers, 14 science fiction novels and two textbooks, and has appeared in multiple television documentaries, including NGC's When Aliens Attack.[1]
Taylor grew up in rural North Alabama alongside his older brother Gregory, a chief master sergeant of the Air Force Reserves.[2] As a boy, Taylor read science fiction and dismantled household electronics.[2] His father, Charles Taylor, worked as a machinist at Wyle Laboratories, which subcontracted for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s, wherein he built America's first satellites directly with Wernher von Braun.[1][2] While in high school, Taylor's family moved to Somerville, near Huntsville, next door to an Army scientist.[2][3] At 17 years old, with the help of his neighbor, he built a radio telescope that won the state science fair and placed sixth in the nation.[2][3] This led the Army to offer Taylor a job working at Redstone Arsenal on direct energy weapons systems directly out of high school as well as a scholarship.[2][4] Taylor is a black belt martial artist, a private pilot, a scuba diver, races mountain bikes, competed in triathlons, and has been the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of several hard rock bands.[5] Taylor lives near Huntsville with his wife Karen, daughter Kalista Jade, two dogs Stevie and Wesker, and his cat Kuro.[2][5]
Taylor has worked on various programs for the United States Department of Defense and NASA for over sixteen years.[1][5][6] He is currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space-based beamed energy systems, high-energy lasers,[1] and next generation space launch concepts.[6] Taylor is also involved with multiple Human intelligence (HUMINT),[7] Imagery intelligence (IMINT),[8] Signals intelligence (SIGINT)[9] and Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT)[8] concept studies.[6]
Taylor's degrees are from Auburn University (B.S.E.E. '91) and the University of Alabama Huntsville (MS '94, Ph.D. '99, MSE '01, Ph.D. '12). He has a doctorate in optical science and engineering, a master's degree in physics, a master's degree in aerospace engineering, a master's degree in astronomy, and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.[10][11]
Introduction to Rocket Science and Engineering (ISBN 1420075284).CRC Press (2009).
"Preliminary analysis of light sail systems engineering concepts", AIP Conference Proceedings 552, p. 599 (2001).
"In-space propulsion: connectivity to in-space fabrication and repair" (coauthored with L Johnson, D Harris, A Trausch, G. Matloff and K. Cutting), NASA In-Space Fabrication and Repair Workshop (2005).[12]
"Solar sail application to comet nucleus sample return" (coauthored with Tryshanda T. Moton, Don Robinson, R. Charles Anding , Gregory L. Matloff, Gregory Garbe, and Edward Montgomery), paper AIAA-2003-5275, 39th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference (2003).
"Long-Pulse Narrow-Linewidth Dispersive Solid-State Dye-Laser Oscillator" (co-authored with Frank Duarte). Applied Optics, Vol. 37, No 18, OSA (1998).
According to Taylor, after he expressed his dissatisfaction with space opera and the comparative dearth of recent hard science fiction, he was challenged by his wife to write his first book, and studied Robert A. Heinlein's works for stylistic influence.[13]
Taylor's first novel introduces Dr. Neal Anson Clemons, a physicist who is Taylor's first recurring character, who creates a method of warping space, first for use as a superluminal propulsion system and later as a weapon. Clemons' middle name is shared with Robert Anson Heinlein, an apparent homage to an influential science fiction writer.
Warp Speed belongs to the subgenre known as an Edisonade. Warp Speed was voted No. 3 best science fiction book of 2005 by The Preditors & Editors Readers Poll.[14]
Set in the world created by Warp Speed, Taylor shows the world from the point of view of another character, Steven Montana. Montana is a stereotypical slacker who works in the technology industry. His world was brought to a sudden halt by events from Warp Speed, and The Quantum Connection picks up the story several years after the original events. The book explores the ideas of quantum mechanics, nanotechnology, inter-planetary defense and realistic space-born warfare. It also introduces the "Grey Aliens" of UFOlogy. This book was voted No. 5 on the Preditors & Editors 2005 Science Fiction Book of the Year poll.
(collaboration with John Ringo).
Released in July 2006, Von Neumann's War is about an invasion of the present day Solar System by alien robotic Von Neumann probes, and the battle by Earth's forces to stop them, combining of Taylor's hard science fiction and John Ringo's military perspective on the genre. It is supplemented by an e-book available from Baen called Neighborhood Watch Final Report[15] which is a mock-up of the (fictional) classified technical report to the National Reconnaissance Office describing the discovery of the invasion force on Mars at the beginning of the novel.
(co-authored with Bob Boan, R.C. Anding and T. Conley Powell)
Subtitled A Study of Modern Warfare Applied to Extra-Terrestrial Invasion, this book examines defending Earth in the event of an extraterrestrial invasion. Rather than outlining extreme possibilities for the sake of entertainment, the authors keep most of their speculation within the known possible world. Although they do allow for the possibility of faster-than-light travel.
Some[who?] have commented that it is written as if Taylor is "preaching to the choir," those who are already familiar with the global covert intelligence community. The book makes several assumptions that are common among its intended readership but not necessarily shared by the general public. In particular, the authors insist that any alien contact should be kept secret if at all possible, despite the hindrance this would present to a coordinated global defense effort, not to mention the difficulties of maintaining such secrecy in the first place. They also list perceived problems within the United States, such as shortsightedness and inadequate knowledge of the subject matter on the part of politicians, and a tendency on the part of NASA to focus on superficial observations that are more beneficial to public relations.
The book goes on to suggest that an organization be given funding and authority to investigate and prepare for extraterrestrial contact. Its conclusion is a variant on the Precautionary Principle: the authors advise that it would be better for humanity to prepare for an incursion which never happens than to suffer from an invasion for which we have not prepared.
One Day on Mars begins a military SF series comprising a total of three books. The book takes place on Mars, where a group of separatists have launched an attack against the federal military personnel from Earth who have been instructed to guard them and the surrounding area. A United States Senate, who is there to help with the peace negotiations, and his family get caught up in the subsequent battle and butchery. This book and its sequel both feature the heavy use of Mech-like warriors, very similar to those seen in the Robotech series.
In the sequel, The Tau Ceti Agenda, the Separatist movement prepares a strike against Earth governments. The plan: Kill the U.S. president at Disney World and drive a quantum-teleported kamikaze starship into a heavily populated city. One thing the fanatical Separatists haven't figured on: an America military unleashed by a fighting president: an ex-Marine determined that terrorists won't have the final word on humanity's future! Sequel to One Day on Mars. Published 5/1/2008.
The third book in the series, One Good Soldier, takes place on a single critical day in the history of the United States of the Sol System, and features the extra-solar colonies, the Separatist Revolutionaries of the Tau Ceti system, and all of mankind.
(collaborations with John Ringo)
Ringo and Taylor wrote three books set in Ringo's Looking Glass series. Vorpal Blade (2007) features the USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) as it takes to the stars in an attempt to find the alien enemy race known as the Dreen. Manxome Foe (2008) and Claws That Catch (2008) continue the sequence.
(Collaboration with Darrell Bain)
From publisher Twilight Times Books, the 2009 book features Kyle Leverson, an Army veteran. Leverson, who is retired due to injuries sustained in combat, awakens one morning to discover some sort of alien pods had crashed onto his property in the remote mountains of Arkansas.[16]
(Collaboration with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center engineer Les Johnson)
A novel about a NASA moon mission which ends up having to rescue stranded Chinese astronauts on the moon. The book is built around Constellation Program technology, and was, unfortunately, already obsolete before it came out in print owing to the cancellation of the program just months earlier.
Cosmic Tales: Adventures in Sol System
"The Cleaning Lady"
"Are We There Yet?" (nonfiction)
Future Washington
"Agenda"
Jim Baen's Universe Magazine
"Back to the Moon" (nonfiction)
Taylor first appeared in episodes of The Universe and Life After People for the History Channel in 2010, after his name came up in a search regarding space warfare.[4] Taylor was then on National Geographic Channel's When Aliens Attack in 2011.[17]
In the summer of 2011, the National Geographic Channel announced[18][19] a new series called Rocket City Rednecks which features Taylor. The first episode showed in September 2011.[20] A self-proclaimed 'redneck rocket scientist', Taylor focuses on 'hillbilly ingenuity' for the show's backyard science experiments, aided by his family and best friend, who are all machinists and inventors.[3][21] The show ran for two seasons,[22] from September 2011 to January 2013.[23]
In 2015, he hosted the series "3 Scientists Walk into a Bar", which had four episodes in 2015.[24] In 2017, he appeared on the History Channel show Ancient Aliens Season 12 episode "Voices of the Gods." Taylor also appeared in the Season 13 episode "The Alien Protocols," as well as the show The Tesla Files in 2018. Next, he was on an episode of The Curse of Oak Island on the History Channel in January 2019. He was able to show off his knowledge of searching for underground items using different gasses. Later in 2019, he appeared in an episode of "In Search of Monsters" and the show NASA's Unexplained Files. Taylor led a 2020 History Channel series focusing on mysteries at Skinwalker Ranch, Utah, United States, in which he and a team investigated potential paranormal phenomena. "The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch" program launched a second season on May 4, 2021.[25]
^ a b c d Meet the Rocket City Rednecks, http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/rocket-city-rednecks/articles/meet-the-rocket-city-rednecks/. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
^ a b c d e f g Ben Bartley, "Dr. Travis S. Taylor: Attempting to Understand Auburn's Ubermensch", The War Leader, June 21, 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
^ a b c Meet the Ringleader of 'Rocket City Rednecks' | Space.com, http://www.space.com/13114-rocket-city-rednecks-travis-taylor-interview.html. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
^ a b Exclusive Interview with Travis Taylor of Nat Geo's Rocket City Rednecks, http://www.tvtango.com/news/detail/id/400/exclusive-interview-with-travis-taylor-of-nat-geos-rocket-city-rednecks. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
^ a b c "About the Author", Warp Speed Webscription Ebook, Baen Books," Dec. 1, 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
^ a b c Taylor, Travis S.; Boan, Bob; Anding, R.C.; Powell, T. Conley (2006). An Introduction to Planetary Defense: A Study of Modern Warfare Applied to Extra-Terrestrial Invasion. BrownWalker Press. p. 9. ISBN 1-58112-447-3.
^ "Video Interview with Travis S. Taylor- Baen Books". Baen.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
^ a b Travis S. Taylor (8 May 2006). "Bio | Travis S. Taylor". Doctravis.com. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
^ "Planetary Defense & the The Philadelphia Experiment _ PSI Saturday". No Lies Radio. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
^ Alumni Author Spotlight: Travis Taylor, https://www.uah.edu/library/about/archived-library-events/10359-alumni-author-spotlight-travis-taylor. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
^ "Travis Taylor - Linkedin" (Personal Linkedin profile) https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-taylor-8375915a. Retrieved 07 May 2021.
^ Johnson, L., Harris, D., Trausch, A., Matloff, G.L., Taylor, T. and Cutting, K. (2005). "In-space propulsion: connectivity to in-space fabrication and repair," NASA Technical Memorandum 2005–214184, In-Space Fabrication and Repair Workshop, Marshall Institute, Huntsville, Alabama.
^ Interview with Travis S. Taylor – Baen Books, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012. CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link). Retrieved 24 September 2012.
^ Preditors & Editors Readers Poll
^ Neighborhood Watch Final Report www.webscription.net
^ "Human by Choice - SF suspense". Twilighttimesbooks.com. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
^ Preview: NGC's "When Aliens Attack" and "Area 51 Declassified", Channel Guide Magazine - 20 May 2011.
^ Lindsay Taub (1 August 2011). "NatGeo Previews New Shows at TCA Press Tour in Los Angeles". Pamelaspunch.com. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
^ "Rocket City Rednecks – National Geographic Channel - Fall TV Preview 2011 | Channel Guide Magazine". Channelguidemag.zap2it.com. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
^ Mike Hale (27 September 2011), "The Sticks, With Jet Propulsion" (Review), The New York Times,. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
^ All-New Season, http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/rocket-city-rednecks/. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
^ Matt Wake, "'Rocket City Rednecks' not renewed for third season, National Geographic Channel spokesperson says", AL.com, April 25, 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
^ Rocket City Rednecks , IMDB. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
^ 3 Scientists Walk into a Bar, IMBD.
^ https://premieredate.news/tv-series/6116-the-secret-of-skinwalker-ranch.html
Travis S. Taylor's website to book personal appearances
The Future And You podcast (featuring several interviews with Taylor, in which he describes his expectations of the future)
John Ringo's website
Travis S. Taylor on Baen Books
Interview with Travis S. Taylor - Baen Books
Travis Taylor on Twilight Time Books
An Interview with Travis S. Taylor, Part 1 on YouTube
Travis S. Taylor at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Interview with Travis Taylor of Nat Geo's ROCKET CITY REDNECKS
Travis S. Taylor at IMDb


Can you believe cell-phone ringing is the latest billion-dollar industry?
Apparently there's a cell phone faceplate out there colored the same shade as my Honda Civic. Inwardly, I die laughing to sloppy, bleepy midi versions of songs like "In Da Club" and "Eternal Flame." I can purchase an animated version of Justin Timberlake winking as wallpaper and preference my text message signature to bear a dog licking its unmentionables.
Cell phone customization has slowly crept into the American obsession with personal identity, with some flying-fingered folks paying as much attention to phone aesthetics as they do the food that they put in their bodies. The multi-billion–dollar industry of selling the perfect phone grabs the attention of not only the likes of AT&T and Cingular, but also companies like Fox Networks, Universal Records, and Vans. Most notable of these successions is the rise of the ringtone, an audible declaration to yourself and the public that a) you have a phone call and b) you know how to use the Internet.
Despite the inevitable foray of bleedideedee-dee-deeblees during the highest point of the movie at the local MegaCinePlex 30 and growing number of "wireless-free" zones in public spaces, more than 200 companies have met the growing demand in the touted $1 billion ringtone industry. Mostly in regard to buyers in Japan and Britain, phone-makers, record labels, and even hobbyists team up with major providers to produce music, animal sounds, game themes, celebrity voices, and general noise for $1 to $3 a pop.
Although the U.S. has not been the most participatory in the ringtone revolution, innovators have tried hard to cast the 120 million American cell phone users into the ring and get them to continue buying once they've started.
Companies like Xingtoners allow users to convert their own mp3s and audio clips into ringtones through their Web site and then deliver it to their phone or send to somebody else. Multi-track polyphonic ringtones and special cell speakers are starting to replace monophonic phones, whose technology allows only one note to be played at a time.
Services like Vodafone and Ringtone Galaxy allow a small monthly subscription price to keep users up on downloading Top 40 ringtones, screensavers, and logos. True Tones has developed CD-quality sound for Nokia 3300s, with the capability for sounds of singing and well as instruments. There have even been ringtones developed to repel mosquitos: Korean company SK Telecom introduced a downloadable ringtone in July 2003 that plays a frequency inaudible by the human ear but proven annoying to the flying pests.
In early 2003, companies like SSEYO pumped out ringtone remixers, technology that allows the creation of your own beats out of your personal sound library. And in July, Motorola announced that cell phone users can be their own ringtone DJs; teaming up with DJ Collette, Paul Van Dyk, and Felix da Housecat, the makers have released exclusive tracks by the famous DJs to be tweaked and re-programmed by the user. With control of certain polyphonic inputs such as drum sounds, piano loops, and basslines, Motorola hopes to attract customers by allowing more control and interaction with the technology. So now, That Guy who's always checking out his own ringtones on the subway ("Wow! FunBeat 12 is so wicked!") will now be creating his own "compositions" all the way home.
In Britain earlier this year, the quantity of some ringtones actually outsold the number of record singles sold on the same songs. Because of the U.K.'s 2 million mobile phone users, record companies like EMI, Sony Music, Warner, and BMG have started paying attention to the demand of their products, even if they are humming out from the tiny speakers. With this loud era, labels are even considering buying ringtone companies to provide "singles" from their individual artists to cater to ringtone demands.
With new technologies, Americans have adopted "Why Can't We Be Friends" as part of their identity and rocked the "Itchy and Scratchy Show" theme over the lull of everybody else's buzzing and burring cell noises.
Respect the etiquette, though — it'd be awfully embarrassing to have "Like a Virgin" bleeping over the "I Do"s of a friend's wedding.


A police records check (PRC) for working with the vulnerable sector is required every 3 years, coaches of all house league youth teams and all team officials for Talons teams are required to provide the WCSC with a copy of a current PRC. The WCSC can provide a letter of volunteer status so that the volunteer will not be charged for this service -- we do not provide refunds for those that choose to pay for the service. The PRC online application and ID requirements can be found at this link: Ottawa Police Service for a letter of volunteer status please complete the coach registration form on our website (there is a space there to indicate you need a letter of volunteer status for PRC purposes). Applications are submitted online to the police by and are returned directly to the person named on the application form, please forward a copy of the completed check to the Club Administrator by scanning/emailing or by fax. Registered coaches that indicate on their application the need for a letter indicating their volunteer status will receive the letter by mail if they do not pick it up at the Coach Clinic on May 12. PRC's that have been completed by the police no earlier than Sept 2015 are valid for the 2018 season.
Coach/Assistant Coach/Manager registration: WCSC coaches/assistants and managers are asked to register on our website. Access your family account then proceed with registration for the applicable division(s). You must have your date of birth in your profile in order for the registration option to appear. Coaches under 18 years of age can download and complete the registration form in the "Forms" section -- it must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.
If you have not activated yourself and entered player jersey numbers on the website, please proceed to #4 for instructions.
You MUST generate your game sheet via the site for each game. The game sheet is to be provided to the referee for U8. U6 coaches are asked to keep a record on a gamesheet of players at each game/session and turn in at the year end Festival.
Login Click on "My Team"
Click on "Game Sheets" on the left menu panel.
Your next game will automatically come up.
Click on "Create Game Sheet"
A printable game sheet, with the proper game details and roster, will come up in a new browser window.
Print two copies of the game sheet and take to the game. Provide both copies to the referee BEFORE the game begins. The referee will complete the sheets and return one copy to you at the end of the game. Use your copy to assist you in completing the Game Report.
Coaches should notify the Head Referee if for any reason a Referee is not present at the game and also make arrangements to deliver a copy of the game sheet to the statistician.
There is space on the back of the game sheets for comments, however, any concerns or complaints regarding the conduct or performance of a referee are to be emailed directly to the head referee, after 24 hours has elapsed, and will not be acknowledged if written on the game sheet.
BOTH teams must report the score within 24 hours of the game being played.
The most recent game played will come up.
Enter scores, indicated scorers, indicate shut out keeper (if applicable) and cards (if any).
Once both coaches have completed their reports, the game will be included in the standings and statistics.
IMPORTANT: coaches/managers are asked to input the goals for each player when reporting games -- individual standings will not be publicized at any age group and team standings will not be published for U10 or younger but the records are a valuable reference for team leveling in future years and "seeding" for the festival at the end of the year.
Team Officials that do not agree with a score for their team that appears on the website may send an e-mail to STATS with the game information (their team, opposition, date, game number). The WCSC Statistician will review the game score from the game sheets and issue a final determination of the score.
The Statistician will adjust the score on the website if the original posted score is determined to be incorrect.
For each house league team, a minimum of TWO (max 4) team officials as chosen by the Head Coach [eg. Head Coach and Assistant Coach or Manager] are required to "activate" themselves on the scheduling site.
Enter the code: if it has not been emailed to you, CONTACT admin@wcsc.ca FOR THE CODE (you must be registered as a coach or assistant coach prior to receiving the code).
Complete the form including selecting your team and your position.
Enter players and jersey numbers (registered players are entered in your roster by the administrator) "call-ups" are to be hand-written on the individual game sheets for each game.
If a player is missing from your roster, contact admin@wcsc.ca to add the player to the website, please DO NOT add players to the website as they must be fully registered for insurance purposes before they can play.
Under "Games" you will find the standings for divisions/teams in WCSC House League. At some of the younger age groups, standings will not be posted for public view.
Note: WCSC Policy is to NOT display house league player names on the web site so the site is set to "withhold" the individual names.
Seeding for the tournament will usually be based on the standings after ten games for U8-U18.
Please familiarize yourself with the By-Laws and Rules posted on our website in the House League section.
1. For House League only, the Fair Play rule supersedes the Code of Conduct.
The coach's primary responsibility is to develop the skills of all players on the team. The spirit of the Fair Play rule is that all players must be substituted so that each receives equal time on and off the field. This is to be done each game and throughout each game during the regular season and the tournament.
The exception is the goalie who can play the full game in nets. However, once the goalie has been substituted, the former goalie cannot remain on the field to make up time. In other words, players in goal in one half must be substituted equally in the other half. The rule is extended to situations where coaches have attempted to circumvent the Fair Play Rule by substituting a player in and out of goal during a half without removing the goalie off the field. Again, the executive will interpret these situations as a clear violation of the Fair Play Rule.
Make professional development a priority. Be open to new ideas. It is recommended that all coaches strive to improve their skills through coaching development. West Carleton coaches are encouraged to participate in coaching workshops, training sessions, and certification programs. Most costs will be paid by the WCSC.
Players respect their coaches and, as a result, will often imitate their behaviour. Coaches therefore, are expected to maintain their composure and self-control during games.
Coaches are responsible for sideline behaviour for their team. Coaches must ensure that their team, parents and fans, understand that the team may be penalized for any inappropriate behaviour. The referee has the authority to stop the game until the Coach gets the team and/or fans to behave appropriately.
Coaches should avoid as much as possible yelling instructions from the sideline. Players need to learn make quick decisions on their own during play. Instructions from the sideline like "Shoot!", "Down the wing!", "Boot it", "Send him" usually serve only to distract players and often result in ineffective action being taken because of the distraction.
Each player responds differently to a coach's criticism during games. A good rule to follow is: Correct don't criticize. Correcting means pointing out to the player the source of the problem, suggesting ways to correct it, and then, most importantly, working at fixing the problem during the next training session.


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Lib ad kicks ass on health care
Wonder if the Reformatories are regretting objecting so much to the last one? This one is way, way worse for them.
The scary Steve thing again? Last refuge of a desperate Liberal.
Patrick Hamilton says:
Revenge is a dish best served cold….Bon Apetit, Reformers!…….
smelter rat says:
Is that you, Twatsy??
Domenico says:
fight fear with fear. It works. And if it keeps Harper from a majority it works for me.
RED HOT BUT… It needs some follow-up — otherwise it can just as well be a great spot for the NDP.
Much better! Hopefully they have more like that coming (and it's not too late…)
Derek Keith Richards says:
I don't think fear will work anymore, for five years he has provided stable government. That is a long probationary period, I think Canada will lift the probation. The jury is still out on Iggy though and more doubt today, he seemed angry at Mansbridge for Pete's sake.
If only fear didn't work!
(Now THAT would be quite a problem for Mr. Harper, wouldn't it!)
Sorry, Mr. Harper has not been able to attempt what he would like to do with health care because the Opposition has had Mr. Harper on a very short leash. His opposition to universality is a matter of public record, as the Liberal ad makes abundantly clear.
I dont trust him off-leash on healthcare(or on a whole host of issues for that matter), and I am hoping the Canadian electorate doesnt either…..
Al in Cranbrook says:
May be the worst performance by a leader in an interview during a campaign I've yet seen. Couldn't help but get a sense that he can't wait until this is over so he get the hell out of Dodge and go back to whatever it was he used to do.
Q: "Total power?" As in, "You don't think that's pretty ridiculous?"
A: Pretty much, "Jeez, Peter! Cut me some slack, will ya?"
Well, Liberals will argue that those five years haven't been very stable with Harper browbeating the Liberals with a confidence measure everytime something came up to be voted on, that he never worked with Parliament, yadda yadda yadda. However, you know that Harper is going to go to the people and say to the effect of, "the Tories governed for five years with the help of the Opposition, we couldn't have been that bad", and/or "they can't say I didn't know how to work with Parliament when I kept a minority goverment going for five years". And you know what, it is an easy selling point that will be made. Afterall, Harper himself said at one time that, "the longer I am Prime Minister, the longer I will be Prime Minister".
well, Ignatieff kept his cool just fine, but I was annoyed by that interview, for the way Mansbridge picked at scabs, and was overly judgmental and seemingly completely oblivious to the political realities of the situation, in dwelling so long on the new political ads in the first half of the interview.
It's almost like Mansbridge was autistic or something… or was working for the other camp. (More like, singing for their supper, to try to protect themselves from losing their funding.)
It'd be like a 10-year old student newspaper reporter interviewing a boxer mid-fight, at the end of round 8, thus:
Why are you trying to hit him so hard (i.e., why are you running attack ads?)
[Well, cuz we're in a fight, and he's been attacking me, and I'm losing, so have to fight back, dumbass.]
Oh, that's right, he's been pummeling you for 8 rounds ( 2+ years); say: which hits hurt the most, huh? huh? Come on, which ones really got to you… where don't you want to be hit again?
[When he hit below the belt, jerkwad: what do you think, you moron?!]
And how come you didn't hit back, snicker, snicker.
[Cuz I only have enough energy (money) to do it in the final round when it really counts, you know that.]
But now you're trying to attack him; why are you doing that?!
[Sigh… who is this guy?]
Mansbridge was out to trip him up and couldn't…mansbridge deserved the anger
Exactly this point. As too Mansbridge deserving the anger, while I didn't see any and there is no reason Ingatieff should have been angry. It was a tough interview, but good, Ignatieff handled it very very well. Mansbridge had previously ripped Jack a new one about never becoming PM, essentially calling him a diversion from serious politics. I can't wait to see the Harper interview.
Bottom line for me. Mansbridge was tough but fair and our boy knocked it out of the park.
nic coivert says:
Fear does work, Harper lives on it, but this is fear of a different sort.
That is Harper's plan, he'll gut the Health Act, no denying it either. Does anybody really want a laisses faire capitalist reconstructing our national health system. I'll take Iggy and Jack on that one anyday, and so will the majority of Canadians.
Co-operation when necessary but not necessarily coalition.
Stable Government!!! Are you on crack?
He's initiated two elections and allowed this one to take place. He prorogued Parliament to prevent his governments defeat and thus almost caused a constitutional crisis.
He led the first government to ever have been found in contempt of Parliament.
His government has made the committee system in Parliament virtually unworkable.
He has had literally dozens of ethics scandals.
He tried to destroy public funding for elections and caused a Parliamentary crisis.
His PMO has interfered in dozens of cases of government appointments, blocked FOI requests, blocked legitimate requests for documents by Parliament and interfered with Parliamentary committee appointments & work etc.
This has been the most unstable 5 years in Canadian Parliamentary history. That's why he wants a majority. He wants a stable dictatorship without anyone to block or even argue against his far right agenda. Luckily he has the support of only a third of the country so his secret agenda is unlikely to ever be foisted on Canadians.
Well said, Fritz!
The Liberal line of fearing Harper stopped working a long time ago and now that Iggy has re-opened the coalition government option, the relevant fear is of exactly that. Canadians will vote NDP or Conservative as a result because the Liberal election platform will be torn apart by socialists and separatists.
jon evan says:
WK, this is now disgusting!
To use healthcare as a "lib ad" to "kick ass" is plain disgusting and stupid and you know that.
Has it come to this? As a physician I find it plain dumb and callous for the LPC to play politics by frightening sick patients by this kind of fear mongering!
I understand you are a spin doctor but you are not a medical doctor and you don't know about healthcare! Tell the LPC to stop scaring my patients with this kind of nonsense. NO political party in Canada cares about healthcare right now! I know that, my patients know that and you know that! To think that Ignatieff cares about sick people is just wild and a sign of crazy desperation. They need to stop it.
Are you a proctologist? I know that hanging out with Conservatives so much you would have to love assholes.
Michael Watkins says:
Your patients should be scared.
It is a matter of public record that the National Citizens Coalition is an organization founded for and devoted to eliminating the reach of the Canada Health Act and universality is a key tenet of that legislation.
It is a matter of public record that Stephen Harper has argued against universality, but not in a detached academic fashion, he has actually preached disdain for the concept.
As policy director of the Reform Party Stephen Harper echoed the views of the National Citizens Coalition.
The fact that Stephen Harper worked for the National Citizens Coalition, and later became President of that anti-Health Act, anti-universality, anti-bilingualism, anti-provincial equality organization, is a matter of public record. Under Harper's leadership he did not disavow himself from the record of the NCC but built upon it.
Harper's view is that the federal government has no place in the lives of ordinary Canadians. None. Other prime ministers, including Progressive Conservative John Diefenbaker and Liberal Mike Pearson, have fortunately not been in agreement with Harper's view.
If Canadians projected today's Harper back to the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's, they would see Stephen Harper leading the charge fighting anyone who tried to advance provincial and national health care programs. If Harper were in charge rather than Diefenbaker, or Pearson, we'd have no Canada Health Act today.
If ever given a majority mandate Harper will take steps to divorce federal responsibility from health provision in Canada. We will see the development of have and have not provinces. Individuals increasingly will have to shoulder the burden of payment personally.
What do you really think those TFSA accounts are for, anyway? They are just another version of G.W. Bush's Health Savings Account but without any direct tie-in to Medicare. Consider them a foreshadowing of the future.
TFSAs. Doubling of annual contribution limits. Reduction of consumption taxes (GST/HST). Lower corporate taxes. Even lower personal income taxes. Does this sound like a government which intends to have the financial means to supports Medicare in the years going forward? Or does this sound like a government which doesn't plan on funding very much at all?
Transfers to the provinces being protected is all well and good, provided there is overarching federal legislation that mandates provincial behavior. The path Harper is on is to eliminate those safeguards and let the provinces do there own thing, taking us back to the 1940's. This is exactly what the Fraser Institute is agitating for, right now.
It is perfectly reasonable to introduce the prior work and opinion of Harper, developed over decades, into this and every election debate. His opinions on universality and equalization are quite contrary to modern Canadian thinking, yet he won't, as leader of the Conservative Party, even admit to these thoughts. Instead he hides behind whatever thin veneer of spin he can create so as to create the illusion that he supports the status quo. He doesn't, and never has.
Doctor, your patients *should* be scared. And if you happen to live in a funding-challenged province, maybe your patients should consider moving to another, before its too late.
And in the seeing-is-believing dep't, here's a segment from 1997 in which Harper, the then VP of NCC, explicitly endorses a US-style, two-tiered, public/private health insurance system in Canada (i.e., for the end of universality, which he sees as inevitable):
(see the video two-thirds of the way down this page:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/realitycheck/2011/04/the-conservative-and-liberal-parties.html
msgjp says:
Well I, for one, really liked it. It's never too late for delightful ads like this. As for Derek who says that Harper has provided stable government…Ahem…Stable for whom? I actually voted for Harper the first time around and I think that many like me who voted for him (the Cons) back then have seen the light. Didn't take long for me to regret that vote.
Peter Jackson says:
When did the Liberals hire Matt Drudge to do their ads for them? I'd comment on the content of the ad, but it caused me to have a seizure, so I was busy twitching on the floor.
Agreed, it is a good ad, but it has the same problem as the other one – too little, too late.
Might not be too late if Iggy touches the heart strings of adults with aging parents everywhere. As the years roll on I'm caring more and more about the health care issue where when I first was interested in politics I barely thought about it.
I suspect my mother, who doesn't particularly like Ignatieff (not for any reason she can articulate), likes the traditional definition of marriage and being an old fashioned Catholic might be tempted to vote for a Conservative to back Harper just for that one stand. She's also swayed by Catholic propaganda on euthanasia and believes there's a bill about to pass any day now. She may just be pretty typical of a Canadian who doesn't really look at the issues any deeper than what glimpses she sees on her T.V.
But she will take a hard look at that ad and, I think, find it sways her some distance.
Well, for one she was a RN for decades, and mistrusts government in general when it comes to health care funding.
Now in her retirement very recently she has had to take a trip to emerg in an ambulance and stay for a couple days. While her bed wasn't in a Tim Hortons it might as well have been. Were she self-funding her own health care she'd already be bankrupted by fees for her on-going care since retirement.
She's always been sensitive to healthcare issues while working in the system and now that she's using them rather than delivering them, she's definitely thinking about who she would trust most. Interestingly (maybe not too surprisingly) healthcare pretty much trumps most issues for her. Even marriage and euthanasia.
Take every old mom or dad out there like mine and multiply that by 2.2 sons (or 3.5) sons or daughters who are passively or actively looking after mom or dad, and by the way some of us are getting up there in age too. Suddenly you've got millions of people who *should* take an interest in this and its a bigger group of people than it has ever been before in modern day elections.
That ol' Mom and Dad haven't been a bigger focus in this election and health care in general until really quite late in the game is pretty surprising to me.
Not quite two weeks? Plenty of time to change that.
I'd like to see both Layton and Ignatieff get to work on this topic PDQ. It really is Harper's Achilles heel. He can only spin bland statements about "6%" so far.
Tomas says:
This is an even newer version. But the Tories have another just-visiting ad blended in with something about honesty. It is getting a bit wierd, not Ezra Levant SUN TV wierd, but still …
Fraser Institute calls Canada Health Act a barrier and calls for its suspension (PDF).
Good ol' boys Preston Manning and Mike Harris are senior fellows of the Fraser Institute.
Canadian Medical Association weigh in, labelling Fraser Institute claim "baseless", calling on federal leaders to address this issue.
Just under two weeks left? Big issue on the radar? Hmnn, anything could happen.
JS Rothwell says:
"I will be trolling Warren Kinsella's musings for dirt and of course readership." – http://derekkrichards.blogspot.com/
and I cant tell which is worse, your trolling or your blog d-Keef.
Curt says:
Off topic but what are your thoughts on the CBC interview with Michael today?
Phill St Louis says:
Iggy did not seem angry at Mansbridge, for Pete's sake.
Dude Love says:
Is this the "game changer"??
How many "game changers" are the Liberals going to have in this campaign?
not bad… should have come out a month ago.
No one was listening a month ago.
Laissez faire, that is. The last great capitalist of such ilk in Canada was R.B. Bennett, who had a power base in Calgary. And we no how that ended up for ordinary Canadians.
The Bennett Buggy was a car without an engine pulled by a horse; what would a Harper Hospital look like?
I have an idea……http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52EEzBNn48g
"what would Harper Hospital look like?" — picture a prison and …, well, that's it, a prison. That's all we'll get.
Ignatieff agrees to follow Canadian Constitution!! Stop the presses!!!
you're sure throwing a lot of "c" words around pretty carelessly in a big shell game, there.
"Coalition" has an actual meaning in this context — signed agreement on a shared platform, with Cabinet Ministers being drawn from all the participating parties — which is NOT on the table, acc. to MI; what IS, is what Harper's been doing the past 5 years — governing as a minority, getting support from the indiv. parties on a bill by bill base, if he can — and what he proposed to do in 2004.
So stop lying ("Thus a minority parliament will bs a coalition parliament").
"Not necessarily a coalition, but a coalition if necessary"…w/apolgies to MacKenzie King….
Woiks for me, Mr. Tulk….anything that keeps Mr. Harpers hands of my universal healthcare, same-sex marriage, a womens right to choose, long gun registration, protecting the environment, food safety, and anything else that doesnt fit into "Dear Leaders" ideology…..
Three kicks at the can, and the Con shivs come out for Mr. Harper, and we wind up with a new Con leader who's a bit more enlightened(save Jason Kenney or John Baird, but, well you know)……A happy day that shall be!….
it is a better ad than the first one technically, but it's not going to work much in Ontario I'm betting what with the provincial gov't's e-health trip-up and the LHINS havens.
Also, there's a nice balance of public/private healthcare available in Ontario already and guess what it's not something to be afraid of in the least. Maybe the other parts of the country will buy what the ad's selling? Who knows.
You make a good point about the happenings in Ontario re: health care
Plus it's funny how both provincial Liberal governments in Ontario and Quebec are already mixing in private with public care
The Liberals would have been better to create an ad that showed how they would change and improve the delivery of health care
that would resonate with people
The more fundamental issue isn't how health care gets delivered but how it gets paid for and who is covered.
If you don't believe in universality, have argued against it your entire adult life *except* when running for office, you don't believe in our universal health care system.
There's only one national party leader that has argued against universality throughout his career and that is Stephen Harper.
Reminds me of the intro to The Naked Gun Movies / TV series Police Squad with Leslie Nielson.
Other than that similiar to the other ad and won't get the desired result they're looking for
Secondly…
why have the Cons not come out with any new ads?
Their internal polling must be indicating something that is not being reported
Elisa says:
if everyone wants to know about Harper, look up The Northern Foundation and Heritage Front….google will give you a good read!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: $a_1 = a_2 = 1$ and $a_{n+2}=7a_{n+1}-a_{n}-2$ for $n \ge 1$. Prove that $a_n$ is a perfect square for every n. Let $(a_n)$ be the sequence of integers defined recursively by $a_1 = a_2 = 1$ and $a_{n+2}=7a_{n+1}-a_{n}-2$ for $n \ge 1$. Prove that $a_n$ is a perfect square for every n.
I found this question in The IMO Compendium (longlisted problem 64 of IMO 1986)
I began by listing the terms as follows
$a_3 = 5^2$
$a_4 = 13^2$
$a_5 = 34^2$
$a_6 = 89^2$
$a_7 = 233^2$
Taking difference of the terms which are squared gives another sequence $(8, 21, 55, 144....)$
However I don't see the pattern in either of these. It would be appreciated if someone could help me in finding general term of these sequences, from where I believe it can be proved fairly easily.
If there is an alternate approach to this prove, even that would help.

A: Let us define the sequence $b_n$as:
$b_1=1,b_2=1,b_{n+2}=3b_{n+1}-b_{n}$
Claim) $b_n^2 + b_{n+1}^2 = 3b_{n+1}b_n - 1$ for integer $n$.
Can be easily proved by induction on $n$.
Claim) $a_n=b_n^2$ for all positive integer  $n$.
$7b_{n+1}^2-b_n^2-2=9b_{n+1}^2+b_n^2-2(b_{n+1}^2+b_n^2+1)$
$=9b_{n+1}^2-6b_nb_{n+1}+b_n^2=(3b_{n+1}-b_n)^2=b_{n+2}^2$.
Also note that $b_1^2=a_1=1$ and $b_2^2=a_2=1$.
So, $b_n^2$ and $a_n$ are same sequences.
Therefore, $a_n=b_n^2$, so $a_n$is a perfect square for all n.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A video was posted on the social media shows the moment a bear mauls a forest officer and chases him into a reservoir during a rescue operation that went wrong.
Kumar and other officers had cornered the bear, and were trying to tie it up with ropes when it broke free and began its attack.
The bear had run into the reservoir to try and get away from the forest workers that were trying to rescue it.
He then starts charging towards Kumar, who dashes into the reservoir to try and escape.
He makes it into the water just before the bear catches up to him and mauls him.
Other forest workers managed to stop the attack by throwing stones at the bear to distract it.
Kumar was rushed to Kurnool General hospital and he is still there recovering from his injuries.


Mr. Sanjay Kumar, 1985-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Himachal Pradesh Cadre, has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The post of DG, NDRF fell vacant after incumbent Mr. R K Pachnanda was appointed as the Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
Prior to the appointment as DG, NDRF, Shri Sanjay Kumar was serving as Director General of Police in Himachal Pradesh.


Making a full bodied cup of Teaspressa Tea is easy! This is not your average tea consistency, think of this body being equivalent to a french press coffee. Follow the simple steps below to brew your own cup of Teaspressa Tea!
4. Fill vessel with 2tbs/11g of preferred Teaspressa Tea.
Treat like coffee, add a splash of cream, sugar, or enjoy pure!
Download our Fun "How To" Recipe Cards to Print + Take Notes!


text:
Bell, John L.;Maule, Graham;Wild Goose Resource Group
Broom, Dave
Galloway, Kathy;Orr Macdonald, Lesley
Mead, Joy
Might It Be Called Wisdom (PDF download)
Joy Mead £2.90
Digital download: A personal and poetic meditative reflection on ageing, with an emphasis on a sense of wonder arising from the seemingly small and but immensely meaningful things of life. 18 pages.
Whispers of Light (Downloadable book)
A new collection of poems from Joy Mead. Her poems celebrate what it is to be alive and also, perhaps, what it is to contemplate death.
Whispers of Light
An Ordinary Day (PDF download)
Digital download: A liturgy about the joy of seeing holiness in the ordinary but also for the sadness of the world and the possibilities of transformation. 6 pages.
Understanding the Soul (PDF download)
Digital download: Joy Mead contemplates the nature of the soul, interspersed with some of her poems. 15 pages.
Open Eyes, Open Hands – (PDF download)
Digital download: A poetic exploration of prayer as a diverse, open, imaginative, exciting journey - the complete opposite of hands together, eyes closed. 13 pages.
Nature, Life and Being (PDF download)
Digital download: This meditative look at climate change, the sacrednesss of all life and human responsibility inspires us to be attentive, caring and empathetic with all beings with whom we share the sacred space of the earth. 4 pages.
Walking Our Story (Downloadable book)
A collection of favourite Joy Mead poems, many of them selected by the author's readers and friends, who ask 'Where can I find -?' when they want a poem for a special occasion. Also includes some new works.
Walking Our Story
A Litany of Laughter (PDF download)
Digital download: A poetic exploration of the experience of laughter and the essential, liberating role it plays in all our lives. 5 pages.
Pentecost is Now (PDF download)
Digital download: A short liturgy for Pentecost. 'Pentecost isn't a once and for all happening but ongoing and energising hope here, now, in this world, in this place. It's about that which sustains us, enables us, provokes a just anger and arouses compassion. It's about spirit-filled life bursting out of encounter with darkness and suffering ' 4 pages.
A Reflection, Prayer and Pledge for International Women's Day (PDF download)
Kathy Galloway & Lesley Orr £2.70
Digital download: All the evidence is that gender equality leads to better decisions, fairer policies, more participation, prosperity and peace. International Women's Day presents a challenge to us all - let's reflect, pray and pledge for a radical transformation of the current world order. 12 pages.
Underneath are the Everlasting Arms (PDF download)
Digital download: A reflection for Mothering Sunday on the nature of mothering. Encompassing waiting, cherishing, birthing and sustaining, watching and trusting, mothering is a universal way of being which is at the heart of life and nurture. Taken from the book A Way of Knowing, by Joy Mead. 6 pages.
In the Beginning – (PDF download)
Digital download: A service for celebrating Harvest with an emphasis on the importance of seeds and soil, and reminding us that hunger isn't caused by scarcity but by injustice. 11 pages.
A Reflection on the Story of the Transfiguration (PDF download)
Digital download: Poet Joy Mead takes one of her usual insightful looks at a biblical event, this time the Transfiguration. 3 pages.
A Wee Worship Book: Fifth Incarnation
Wild Goose Resource Group £9.99
This 5th edition of A Wee Worship Book consists of almost completely new material, so those who have used and been inspired by the '4th incarnation' will find here a rich, fresh collection of resources. Six morning liturgies, six evening liturgies and an order for Holy Communion with a range of alternative invitations and prayers. Plus four contemporary affirmations of faith and fourteen chants and sung responses.
Holy Saturday (PDF download)
Dave Broom £2.40
Digital download: A service of waiting and hope, built around the prophecies of Jeremiah and also linked to the theme of water and baptism. From the book The Cross in the Marketplace. 8 pages.
Easter Sunday: A Dawn Service (PDF download)
Digital download: A service for the dawn of Easter Sunday, ideal for the open air rather than inside a church building. A special time of the morning on a very special day. From the book The Cross in the Marketplace. 11 pages.
Seven Meditations for Good Friday (PDF download)
Digital download: Meditations for Good Friday based on experiences of Iona Community island staff who have worked with people on the edge socially, economically and emotionally. Each meditation includes reference to a Bible passage and can be used for personal reflection or as part of a service. From the book The Cross in the Marketplace. 16 pages.
Good Friday Dispersed Worship (PDF download)
Digital download: A simple service of lamentation for Good Friday that can be used by groups of 10 or 12 people in various locations such as people's homes or in different parts of a church building. From the book The Cross in the Marketplace. 8 pages.
Stations of the Cross (PDF download)
Digital download: An extensive Stations of the Cross with, at each station, a Bible reading and a testimony from a person who witnessed one of the events in the story. This is very much a community event in which everyone can be involved. Taken from the book The Cross in the Marketplace. 40 pages.
Maundy Thursday (PDF download)
Digital download: A ceremony of foot-washing, Agape or Communion, the stripping of the church, and a vigil for 'the disappeared' and for prisoners of conscience. Taken from the book The Cross in the Marketplace. 13 pages.
Palm Sunday (PDF download)
Digital download: A service for the day when Jesus demonstrates what his claim to messiahship really means and what his Kingdom is really about - for committing ourselves to the values of the upside-down Kingdom of the unlikely Messiah Jesus, who stands today in the heart of the military-industrial complex and declares: 'Peace.' Taken from the book The Cross in the Marketplace, by Dave Broom. 7 pages.
An Easter Pilgrimage (PDF download)
Digital download: A pilgrimage for the start of Holy Week, mainly in the form of dramatic scripts for each stopping point. Although based on the weekly Iona pilgrimage, it can be adapted for any local environment, including urban ones, or even be used within the church itself. Taken from the book The Cross in the Marketplace, by Dave Broom. 34 pages.
Poem update – Glimpsed in Passing (free PDF download)
A free download providing an updated version of one of the poems in Glimpsed in Passing.
Glimpsed in Passing (Downloadable book)
Poems from Iona Community member Joy Mead. They come from the beauty of the glimpsed moment - a precious jewel held for a short time amid the pain and sorrow of the world, then let go into the bigger picture - The beauty is what we remember, what gives the moment its significance.
Glimpsed in Passing
The Cross in the Marketplace (Downloadable book)
A series of resources and complete liturgies for the major services of Holy Week. The book began life in community on Iona, and includes an Easter pilgrimage. Can be used in a church or house group or for private reflection, to deepen the experience of Easter - and inspire action.
The Cross in the Marketplace
Dave Broom £11.99
What Are You Waiting For? (PDF download)
Digital download: During Advent, we wait for the coming of Jesus Christ and for justice to be done. But God also waits for us, and asks: 'Well, what are you going to do about it all then? How are you, Christ's disciples, going to make a difference in the world?' 9 pages.


Uniquely designed open heart diamond pendant made of 14K white gold. Features .37cttw of round cut diamonds (G-H color, SI1-SI2 clarity). Dimensions: 29x17mm (0.9x0.7"), weight: 3.5g. Comes with a 14K white gold chain, 16 or 18" long.
PROUDLY MADE FROM SCRATCH IN NEW YORK CITY. Please allow 5 business days to complete this order.


If you find that you work on the same clients and projects from one week to the next you can use a previous timesheet as a template and save some data entry. Here's how to clone all the clients, projects, and tasks from one week to the next.
Checkout our new articles on Timesheets and Customisations here.
We talk timesheets every day with our clients and we understand there's often a bit of resistance to that dreaded daily data entry.
Some companies use incentives, and some use penalties to ensure that accurate timesheets are entered. But another technique for getting comprehensive timesheets – is just to make it really easy to enter the data.
We're preaching to the converted a little bit here – if you're reading this email then you're already using a pretty flexible and simple timesheet entry system 🙂 But have you tailored your timesheet layout specifically for your staff and jobs? Or are you still using the 'off-the-shelf' layout?
If you find that your Abtrac Browser isn't displaying data as expected – particularly in regards to the columns in the cross tab entry screen, you may need to adjust your settings in Internet Explorer.
By ticking "Ready to Commit" a timesheet user is indicating that they have completed their required hours (and any overtime). It's also a simple way to confirm that a user has finished entering any comments or disbursements associated with that timesheet period.
Disbursements are categorised and reported on in Abtrac by disbursement type.
From System Management > Administrator> Disbursement Types you can maintain a list of disbursement categories and define system settings for tax, reporting and employee reimbursements.


text:
FAMILY SCIENCE PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS
PATTERN OF ANAEMIA AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING ANTENATAL CLINIC OF FAITH MEDIPLEX, BENIN CITY
ladychampionz January 11, 2022 FAMILY SCIENCE PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS, PROJECT TOPICS No Comments
: Ms Word Format
: 100 Pages
: ₦3000
: 1-5 Chapters
This study was conducted in order to find out the pattern and prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Faith Mediplex, Benin City.
Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is a common problem in most developing countries and a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in malaria endemic areas. A deliberate desire to know the current situation and pattern of this condition in our environment prompted this study. This knowledge will motivate the antenatal care givers towards early detection and prompt management of anaemia in pregnancy
Objective: The objective was to establish the characteristics of antenatal attendees in Faith Mediplex, Benin City who have anaemia. The study will also determine the relationship between gestational anaemia and some aetiological factors in order to make practical recommendations that will improve the management of this condition.
Study Design: The study was a descriptive, cross- sectional study and the sampling method was convenient (non-probability) sampling
Method: This study was conducted among 400 pregnant women at booking in antenatal clinic of Faith Mediplex, Benin City from August to Novermber 2010. A questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic data of each respondent. Physical examination was done measuring weight, height, blood pressure, and symphysio-fundal height. Blood was collected for haemoglobin concentration estimation, genotype, malaria parasite, HIV test and peripheral smear. Analysis of data was done using statistical package for social sciences. Version 16.0 (SPSS 16.0)
Results: The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy was 58.0% (Hb < 11 gm/dl) among antenatal patient in Faith Mediplex, Benin City. There was association between gestational anaemia and socioeconomic status, gestational age and malaria which were statistically significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed only malaria as a good predictor of anaemia in pregnancy. There were no specific trends between anaemia in pregnancy and maternal age, parity and trimester at booking, HIV and haemoglobinopathy. Peripheral smear showed that majority of the respondents (69:2%, N=155) had microcytic, hypochromic anaemia which is a qualitative marker for iron deficiency anaemia. With reference to degree of anaemia, half of the pregnant women had mild anaemia while 7.1% were of severe variety.
Conclusion / Recommendations: Prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy was very high among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Faith Mediplex, Benin City. Majorityhad microcytic hypochromic anaemia indicative of iron deficiency anaemia. Most of the women with gestational anaemia are of mild degree while good number had severe variety. Gestational anaemia had statistically significant relationship with socio-economic status, gestational age at booking and malaria. Logistic regression analysis showed that only malaria was found to be a good predictor of gestational anaemia. A robust public health education to encourage preconception counselling, early prenatal booking with iron supplement, educational and economic empowerment for all women, and promoting preventive measures against malaria (chemoprophylaxis [IPTp] and use of insecticide treated bednets at home) were strongly recommended. All these will ensure considerable reduction in gravid anaemia and safe motherhood.
Keywords: Anaemia, Pregnant women, Antenatal care, Prevalence, Pattern.
COVER PAGE ........................................................................................................................................ i DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................... ii ATTESTATION .................................................................................................................................... iii CERTIFICATION ................................................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................ xi SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER ONE ..................................................................................................................................... 1
1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Relevance to Family Medicine ............................................................................................... 4
1.3 General Objective ................................................................................................................... 5 1.3.1 Specific Objectives ................................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................................... 6
2.0 Literature Review ................................................................................................................... 6
2.1 Definition and Classification of Anaemia in Pregnancy ........................................................ 6
2.2 Epidemiology.......................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Prevalence of Anaemia in Nigeria .......................................................................................... 9
2.4 Aetiology of Anaemia in Pregnancy ..................................................................................... 14
2.4.1 Nutritional Deficiencies ........................................................................................................ 14 2.4.1.1 Iron Deficiency and Anaemia in Pregnancy ......................................................................... 14
2.4.1.2 Folate Deficiency and Anaemia in Pregnancy ...................................................................... 17
2.4.1.3 Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Anaemia in Pregnancy ............................................................ 18
2.4.1.4 Vitamin A Deficiency and Anaemia in Pregnancy……………………………………………………………..19
2.4.2 Infections/Infestations .......................................................................................................... 20 2.4.2.1 Malaria and Anaemia in Pregnancy ...................................................................................... 20
2.4.2.2 HIV/AIDS and Anaemia in Pregnancy................................................................................. 23 2.4.2.3 Hookworm Infestation and Anaemia in Pregnancy .............................................................. 24
2.4.3 Haemoglobinopathy and Anaemia in Pregnancy ................................................................. 25
2.5 Clinical Presentation ............................................................................................................. 27
2.6 Laboratory Diagnosis ........................................................................................................... 27
2.7 Complications ....................................................................................................................... 29 2.8 Management ......................................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................................. 34 3.0 Materials and Methods ......................................................................................................... 34
3.1 Background of the study site ................................................................................................ 34
3.2 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................................... 35
3.3 Study Design ........................................................................................................................ 35
3.4 Study Population................................................................................................................... 36
3.4.1 Inclusion Criteria .................................................................................................................. 36
3.4.2 Exclusion Criteria……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….36
3.4.3 Determination of Sample Size .............................................................................................. 36
3.5 Administration of Questionnaire .......................................................................................... 37
3.5.1 Scoring System for Section A .............................................................................................. 38
3.6 Physical Examination ........................................................................................................... 38
3.7 Laboratory Analysis ............................................................................................................. 39
3.7.1 Sample Collection................................................................................................................. 39 3.7.2 Sample Processing ................................................................................................................ 40
3.7.3 Sample Testing ..................................................................................................................... 42 3.8 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 46 CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................................................. 50
4.0 Results .................................................................................................................................. 50 4.1 Socio-demographic Characteristics of the Patients .............................................................. 50
4.2 Test of Significance .............................................................................................................. 58 4.3 Prevalence of Anaemia ......................................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................................................. 67
5.0 Discussion ............................................................................................................................. 67
5.1 Demographic Characteristics of the Patients. ....................................................................... 67
5.1.1 Age Group ............................................................................................................................ 67
5.1.2 Marital Status. ....................................................................................................................... 68
5.1.3. Socioeconomic status ........................................................................................................... 68
5.2 Prevalence of Anaemia…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 68
5.2.1. Age and Prevalence of Anaemia........................................................................................... 69
5.2.2. Anaemia and Gestational Age .............................................................................................. 70
5.2.3 Anaemia and Gravidity. ........................................................................................................ 71
5.2.4. Socioeconomic Status and Anaemia in Pregnancy ............................................................... 71
5.2.5 Parity and Anaemia in Pregnancy......................................................................................... 72 5.2.6 Malaria and Anaemia in Pregnancy ...................................................................................... 73
5.2.7 Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Anaemia in Pregnancy ................................... 73
5.2.8 Distribution by Peripheral Smear ......................................................................................... 74 5.2.9 Distribution by Haemoglobin Genotype ............................................................................... 75
5.3 Relevance of the study to Family Medicine ......................................................................... 76
CHAPTER SIX ..................................................................................................................................... 78
6.0 Conclusion and Recommendations....................................................................................... 78
6.1 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 78
6.2 Limitations of the study ........................................................................................................ 78
6.3. Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 79 6.4 Further research needs .......................................................................................................... 80 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 81
APPENDIXES ...................................................................................................................................... 90 Questionnaire ........................................................................................................................................ 90
Consent form…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..92
Approval letter for Dissertation……………………………………………………………………………………………………….93
Letter for Ethical Approval……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….94
CHAPTER ONE 1.0 Introduction
Anaemia in pregnancy is a major health problem in the world. It contributes immensely to high prevalence of maternal and perinatal mortality, premature delivery, low birth weight, and other adverse outcomes1. In developing countries, the prevalence rate of anaemia among pregnant women is estimated to be in the range of 35% - 72% for Africa, 37%-75% for Asia and 37% - 52% for America2. Fifty-six percent of pregnant women in West African subregion are expected to have anaemia3.
Anaemia even when mild is associated with reduced productivity at work. During pregnancy, severe anaemia may result in circulatory changes that are associated with increased risk of heart failure. During labour, women with severe anaemia are less able to tolerate even moderate blood loss. Consequently they are at a higher risk of requiring blood transfusion and blood related infections like Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B virus etc. Furthermore, severe gestational anaemia is an important direct and indirect cause of maternal death 1. This also affect the foetus leading to intrauterine growth restriction, still birth and low birth weight4,5.
Estimation of maternal mortality resulting from anaemia range from 34 per 100,000 live births in Nigeria to as high as 194 per 100,000 live births in Pakistan2,6. The high mortality ratio in developing countries was found to be related primarily to differences in available obstetric care for women living in areas with inadequate antenatal and delivery care facilities. This is one the cardinal issue being addressed by the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) programme geared towards reduction of maternal and infant mortality rate by fifty percent in 20157.
In 1983, World Bank ranked anaemia as the eighth leading cause of disease in girls and women in developing countries8. Consequent upon this, some developing nations have worked out short and long term development programme towards improving the well being of girl child and quality of life in women. Anaemia in pregnancy, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), is defined as a pregnant woman with haemoglobin concentration below 11 gramme per decilitre (g/dl) at normal sea level. This presupposes that a different definition will be applied to pregnant women living in high altitude. Anaemia is further classified into mild anaemia (Hb =
– 10.9 g/dl), moderate anaemia (Hb =7.0-9.9 g/dl) and severe anaemia (Hb less than 7g/dl). This is an arbitrary classification since its application varies from one region of the world to another and from developed to developing nations.
It is however very useful to have an internationally agreed cut-off points especially for the purpose of being able to compare outcome of studies conducted at different locations of the world. For the purpose of this study a WHO definition was adapted. The use of haemoglobin concentration for diagnosis of anaemia in pregnancy is preferred to packed cell volume (PCV). This is due to physiological changes in pregnancy resulting in expansion of red cell mass (1825%) and plasma volume (46-55%)9. This observation has made haematocrit to be unreliable in the diagnosis of gestational anaemia.
The pattern of anaemia in pregnancy refers to a broad picture of anaemia with reference to presentation, classification and associated factors. The most cost effective and beneficial screening method for anaemia in pregnancy depends on the local pattern. A study designed to establish the link between these variables with a view to producing a predictive value will help in initiation of health intervention. For instance, the presence of established factors associated with a class of anaemia will prompt an early intervention.
The predisposing factors have been identified to include nutritional deficiencies like iron, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A, malarial infestation, human immunodeficiency virus, haemoglobinopathy, grandmultiparity, low socioeconomic status, late prenatal booking and inadequate child spacing5,6,.
Anaemia in pregnancy is a common health problem seen by Primary Care Physicians. The pattern of this condition varies from developed to developing countries. The reasons for variation can be attributed to many factors which include nutritional status, cultural practices, religious belief, socioeconomic factors and level of health awareness among the population.
The multifactorial aetiology of maternal anaemia demand for an assessment of the pattern which will give a broad and vivid picture of this condition. The clear perspective will guide in elucidating the scope of this health challenge plaguing the pregnant women in our environment. There are a few studies on the pattern of anaemia in pregnancy in Nigeria. Some of the studies available were carried out in tertiary healthcare centres. This then supports the need for such a study in secondary non-governmental, faith-based hospital like ours. Such studies will lead to formulation of a balanced policy that will be transformed into effective and sustainable intervention and control programmes for our pregnant women. A study of aetiological pattern of anaemia in pregnancy will bring to light the most common factors associated with maternal anaemia in our area. This will also underscore the need for further research with a view to establish a clear casual relationship.
1.1 Statement of the Problem
The present study will therefore attempt to answer the following questions:
What is the most common class of anaemia among our pregnant women?
Which are the common associated factors of anaemia?
Finally, the implications of the findings in Family medicine towards meeting the enormous challenges to the health of our pregnant women are discussed.
1.2 Relevance to Family Medicine
It is pertinent to note here that most women in reproductive age group visit primary and secondary health care centres. Consequently, most ante-natal needs are managed in primary and secondary health care centres. Family Physicians who are mostly at this level of health care are better placed to identify some of the risk factors of anaemia during routine clinical care. An early detection and prompt commencement of corrective measures will help to reduce the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy.
Furthermore, an astute frontline Doctor is better equipped to offer prenatal counselling to the women in reproductive age group. This is very apt in view of the fact that most women only visit the Gynaecologist/Obstetrician when they are already pregnant. The high cost of consultation and limited number of Specialist Obstetrician vis-à-vis the pregnant women put the
Primary Care Doctor in a position to manage most of the pregnant women.
This study will attempt to identify the local pattern of anaemia which will help the Family Physician to make better assessment and recognise the factors that can predispose to anaemia in pregnancy. This will lead to giving early corrective measures and subsequent prevention of anaemia and its adverse effect to the foetus and mother.
1.3 General Objective
To determine the pattern of anaemia among pregnant women booking at ante-natal clinic of Faith Mediplex, Benin city in order to make recommendations for early diagnosis, prompt management and prevention of this condition.
1.3.1 Specific Objectives
To determine the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women at booking in ante-natal clinic of Faith Mediplex, Benin City.
To assess the pattern of anaemia among pregnant women booking at ante-natal clinic in
Faith Mediplex, Benin City
To evaluate factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF STAGE AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS – PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS.
MODAL ANALYSIS OF VERTICALLY CURVED CONCRETE FLYOVER BRIDGES
IMPROVEMENT IN EGG PRODUCTION TRAITS IN THE LIGHT LOCAL CHICKEN ECOTYPE USING A SELECTION INDEX
ladychampionz


Here are the points added on 1st DECEMBER. You are placed in merit order within your own forum - remember four forums of four teams play this game [namely Reading, Blackpool, Newcastle and Peterborough].
Once again for your correct guesses en route… it's 2 pts for first place and 1 for second in the table as we woke up on 1st December. With the Christmas period approaching there may well be some unexpected changes, let's see on New Year's Day which is the next progress report!!
At present a ferocious three-way challenge!!!
SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP - Inverness C.T.
No games tonight so - HAPPY NEW YEAR! - and here are the points added on as at 1st January (in case I'm too sloshed to do it tomorrow!). You are placed in order (I think...).
Once again for your correct guesses en route… it's 2 pts for first place and 1 for second in the table as we woke up today. Quite a few table changes in the 'real' world this month!
Just for your interest, how do you compare with those from other forums??
Top guns nationally - those with four dozen points or more!
Once again for your correct guesses en route… it's 2 pts for first place and 1 for second in each table of the '10' as we wake up tomorrow morning. Quite a few table changes in the 'real' world this month, some teams who have been up there have now slightly wavered, such as Wigan, Derby, Dundee Utd. etc, so several changes in the order on the forums!
Once again for your correct guesses en route… it's 2 pts for first place and 1 for second in each table of the '10'. After this update, there are only two more till the grand finale - a normal update on 1st May, and then to the final finishing tables which carry extra points.
Once again for your correct guesses en route… it's 2 pts for first place and 1 for second in each table of the '10'. After this update, it is ONLY the final table positions for the grand finale and these carry DOUBLE UPDATE points.
Anyone to do a late late sprint?!!
Haven't forgotten at all about the game lads ... just waiting for the English play-off finals, as most forums have Aston Villa selected by some so I can't calculate their points yet. Most of the entries are edited for the finish, so just hang on for the last games and everything will be up!!
Here are the FINAL points added on the END of the season. Remember that each month it was 2 pts for first place and 1 for second in each table of the '10'.
But as given in the introductory initial post of all in this thread the end of season final table carries more important points; going from 10 - 7 - 5 - 0 - finally -3 - and -6. This reflects everything from champions (+10) to being relegated (-6) for every team of your ten.
It's been a long slog but we are finally here - thanks for your patience! Have a great close season everyone !
These are the overall winners from the four forums, placed in the very elite champs table!
Dunctoo (Peterborough) TOTAL: 176 Points - CLEAR OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPION!!
What a great competition David and well done both Dunctoo and Duncwon.
A great amount of time must have been put in to run this across so many contestants. As bristle said, I hope you run this again next year!
Thanks David for all the hard work, especially with running it over multiple forums.
and we hope you will continue being an honourary Poshie.


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McGraw-Hill, Boston, 1998, 802 pp.
This text is an in depth introduction to the concepts of Parallel Computing. Designed for use in university level computer science courses, the text covers scalable architecture and parallel programming of symmetric muli-processors, clusters of workstations, massively parallel processors, and Internet-based metacomputing platforms. Hwang and Xu give an excellent overview in these topics while keeping the text easily comprehensible.
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With attention to detail through examples, Hwang and Xu have created a well-written introduction to Parallel Computing. The authors are distinguished for their contributions in this field. This text is based on cutting-edge research, providing the current theories that are in use in industry today.


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