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MoneySuperMarket, PepsiCo, Unilever: 5 things that mattered this week and why
By Sarah Vizard March 16, 2018 March 19th, 2018 No Comments
PepsiCo takes a startup mentality with first ecommerce brand Drinkfinity
PepsiCo has spoken for some time about its desire to increase ecommerce revenues, and while there is an opportunity to drive online sales from its current stable of brands, the company also see an opening for new brands that only operate in this space.
Drinkfinity is one of those brands. Originally launched in Brazil, it is now coming to the market in the US and Europe, including the UK. It is a healthy squash-like drink that comes in the form of plastic 'pods' that are adding to water. It includes flavours such as Blackberry Acai Charge, White Peach Chill, and Pineapple and Coconut Water. Consumers can only buy the pods, along with a reusable bottle described as a 'vessel', on the Drinkfinity.com website.
As a direct-to-consumer play, the first for PepsiCo in the UK, it's an interesting move. The development of the brand is also worth exploring. Designed to mirror how a startup operates, the team behind the brand were kept entirely independent from the rest of the company, working in a separate office and using separate manufacturers. Even the launch and marketing mark a clear distinction, with no mention of PepsiCo on its packaging or website, or its comms.
PepsiCo is one of a growing number of brands looking at how to structure innovation teams and considering whether they are better inside or outside the normal organisational set-up. Here, PepsiCo sees an advantage in letting Drinkfinity test and learn. But hopefully it will be sharing those learnings with the rest of the business.
READ MORE: PepsiCo on the launch of its first ecommerce-only brand Drinkfinity
Unilever's restructure aims to make use of both scale and agility
Hidden amid the headlines that Unilever has opted for Rotterdam over London for its new headquarters was the news that its wider business (and marketing teams) have been given a bit of a restructure too. Unilever will now be made up of three divisions – beauty and personal care, home care, and food and refreshment – with their own mandate on marketing including budgets.
The current 'country category business teams' will remain in place but now report into the separate divisions with the hope this will offer more agility and connection to key consumers and markets. And they won't be losing out on the scale the wider Unilever organisation offers either, with easy access to central functions such as procurement and its in-house content studio U-Studios.
Unilever has been doing a lot of soul searching since the takeover attempt by Kraft Heinz a year ago. A move to be more agile while also still making use of its scale makes sense. And while in reality little will change on the ground for its marketing teams, this restructure should help Unilever and its brands better focus on consumers and new trends, making it better able to compete in an increasingly competitive world.
READ MORE: Unilever hands responsibility for marketing to new category divisions in shake-up
MoneySuperMarket to give marketing a seat at the top table
MoneySuperMarket is in the process of hiring its first chief customer officer, who will sit on the executive board, in a move that makes clear marketing's strategic importance across the business. The move comes as the brand looks to shake up its strategy having ditched Mother, which made the company's ads famous with spots such as 'Epic Strut'.
The issue? MoneySuperMarket thinks the ads are more famous than the brand and says that needs to change.
"Last summer we completed a big strategic review and we have a new CEO and this is very much about how we define the next stage of growth for our business. We want to help make it easier for customers to save money and we have to disrupt ourselves and the category to do that," says marketing director Darren Bentley.
"One thing we absolutely have done is get our ads into the psyche of the UK population. Whether you love them or you hate them, everyone recognises them. The challenge we have is that the ads are more famous than the brand. In a category where customers might only use us once every 12 to 18 months, that is hard to get over."
Whoever takes the CCO role and whichever agency comes in, they'll have a hard time living up to Mother's creative talents. And in a market where salience is all important, MoneySuperMarket will still need to shout about its brand to make sure it stays top of mind.
READ MORE: MoneySuperMarket – We need our brand to be more famous than our ads
McDonald's on why marketing is about taking risks
Everyone in the marketing industry remembers the McDonald's ad fail last year, where it was forced to pull its 'dead dad' TV spot after accusations it made light of bereavement. But were the fingers of recrimination pointed afterwards? UK CEO Paul Pomroy says not.
Speaking at an event held by Oystercatchers, Pomroy said he was very clear that no one should lose their jobs, either at the brand or the agency. And he acknowledged that when taking creative risks there is a chance things can go wrong, but that doesn't undo years of good work.
"You have to look at it all – the people who worked on that quarter also worked on the other 48 quarters," he said. McDonald's in the UK has posted 49 consecutive quarters of growth in the UK and been at the forefront of innovations for the brand including mobile ordering and delivery service.
It's refreshing to hear a CEO say he understands the risks and rewards of standing out creatively. Hopefully more will follow his lead.
READ MORE: McDonald's doesn't want marketers to stop being brave despite the 'dead dad' ad fail
UK ad industry aims to stamp out sexual harassment
The global wake-up call to sexism and sexual harassment over the last year has prompted ad land to launch its own movement in an ambitious drive to stamp out sexual harassment from the industry entirely.
The Advertising Association, NABS and WACL unveiled 'timeTo' – an all-inclusive, non-naming-and-shaming initiative aimed at all sexualities and genders working at agencies, media owners and marketing businesses in the UK.
It will begin with an industry-wide, anonymous online survey to act as a benchmark and gauge the current level of sexual harassment across the industry. From that, it will roll out a best-practice code of behaviou' to all participating companies.
Stephen Woodford, CEO of the AA, said as the UK media industry goes through a "critical reset" in terms of behaviour change, a movement like this is imperative to help ensure it continues to be an economic and social force for good in the years ahead.
It is hoping to effect longer term, culture change through training programmes for both joiners and existing advertising and marketing personnel – and other forms of communication over the next 12 months.
READ MORE: Ad industry comes together to tackle sexual harassment
The post MoneySuperMarket, PepsiCo, Unilever: 5 things that mattered this week and why appeared first on Marketing Week.
Phvntom, Inc. is a digital marketing company located in Boise, Idaho that creates websites, apps, and full-scale promotions/campaigns for other businesses. The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of its authors and were not written by Phvntom. This article was originally published by Marketing Week.
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Home/Marketing/INTERVIEW: A year to remember for Asobi
A range of new distribution deals, more brands in its portfolio and some upcoming top secret launches have helped make 2013 a year to remember for Asobi. ToyNews talks to the company's founder, Thierry Bourret.
INTERVIEW: A year to remember for Asobi
dt-admin 16th September 2013	Marketing 490 Views
2013 has been one to remember for Asobi, and that's not just because of the royal baby.
"It has been a really exciting year for us so far," Asobi founder Thierry Bourret told ToyNews.
"Not only did we secure the 'Seedling's Paint your own Gnomes' involvement in the 100th year of the Royal Chelsea flower show with none other than Elton John taking part, we also took on Vilac in January.
"This has been a truly significant account to work on throughout 2013. Add to this the imminent arrival of Alice's Bear Shop in Selfridges, it is going well."
Alongside its trusty Seedling performer, the company has also seen a number of its other new brands come into their own this year.
"The new Seedling range for 2013 has been such a hit, as has the pocket money collection which is going into John Lewis exclusively with point of sale created especially for them," added Bourret.
"Interest has grown for Radio Flyer, another new brand for us this year. Vilac never ceases to amaze with its products and long heritage – it has a plethora of loyal fans and new ones joining thick and fast thanks to its traditional qualities."
Arriving through a distribution deal with Petitcollin and Jeujura, the company has high hopes for the brand to land on shelves soon.
Bourret told ToyNews: "Vilac came with Petitcollin and Jeujura as they are part of the same company. This was quite a large deal. They are happy with us, we are already 30 per cent up on their UK figures for last year.
"We have also welcomed Krooom and Kid O to our catalogue. Krooom is a brilliant cardboard toy series from Israel and Kid O is a high design plastic toy from the US. Both brands, we hope will be in stock from this September."
And that's not all. Asobi has even more new launches in the pipeline, all under lock and key, but Bourret promises there are exciting things to come.
"I could tell you, but I would have to kill you. No seriously, we are talking to a couple of brands. The brands we are already working with have some very interesting new products coming too, so expect some exciting things ahead.
"I have a few ideas [of sectors to move Asobi into], that we are exploring. I would like to have an Asobi range of products."
Despite the great start to the year, it hasn't been without challenges and for Asobi, these have come
via cash flow.
"Cash flow is always challenging to manage but we seem to have found a happy compromise with our financier," said Bourret.
"Being above forecast from last year, we have some leeway."
Bourret also runs the Slow Toy Awards, an event, which began last year to celebrate traditional toys.
"We are trying to provide a platform for all the other toys out there – not the computer games or the gadgets that distract the market but the real toys that offer genuine play value and a bit of tradition.
"Parents are keen to get the newest gadget and latest trend, but we are trying to give other toys a chance, toys that really allow children to create their own fun. Slow Toys highlights seven toys that offer more traditional style play."
With the second ever ceremony taking place at Harrods this year, the awards have been placed firmly on the map.
"Given the awards are still in their infancy the vast entries received and final shortlist is fantastic. The wonderful part is we have created a platform for smaller brands, showing we have already achieved one of our key goals."
In only four years Asobi has become one of the most loved firms in the toy industry. A success Bourret attributes simply to "passion, commitment and a love of toys," and when asked what he hopes to achieve by the end of this year, it's no surprise he answers "more of the same from the first semester of this year."
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Title: Molecular determinants for the distinct pH sensitivity of Kir1.1 and Kir4.1 channels.
Authors: H Xu, Z Yang, N Cui, L R Giwa, L Abdulkadir, M Patel, P Sharma, G Shan, W Shen, C Jiang
Journal, date & volume: Am. J. Physiol., Cell Physiol., 2000 Nov , 279, C1464-71
Kir1.1 (ROMK1) is inhibited by hypercapnia and intracellular acidosis with midpoint pH for channel inhibition (pK(a)) of approximately 6.7. Another close relative, Kir4.1 (BIR10), is also pH sensitive with much lower pH sensitivity (pK(a) approximately 6. 0), although it shares a high sequence homology with Kir1.1. To find the molecular determinants for the distinct pH sensitivity, we studied the structure-functional relationship using site-directed mutagenesis. An NH(2)-terminal residue (Lys-53) was found to be responsible for the low pH sensitivity in Kir4.1. Mutation of this lysine to valine (K53V), a residue seen at the same position in Kir1. 1, markedly increased channel sensitivity to CO(2)/pH. Reverse mutation on Kir1.1 (V66K) decreased the CO(2)/pH sensitivities. Interestingly, mutation of these residues to glutamate greatly enhanced the pH sensitivity in both channels. Other contributors to the distinct pH sensitivity were histidine residues in the COOH terminus, whose numbers are fewer in Kir4.1 than Kir1.1. Mutation of two of these histidine residues in Kir1.1 (H342Q/H354N) reduced CO(2)/pH sensitivities, whereas the creation of two histidines (S328H/G340H) in Kir4.1 increased the CO(2)/pH sensitivities. Combined mutations of the lysine and histidine residues in Kir4.1 (K53V/S328H/G340H) gave rise to a channel that had CO(2)/pH sensitivities almost identical to those of the wild-type Kir1.1. Thus the residues demonstrated in our current studies are likely the molecular basis for the distinct pH sensitivity between Kir1.1 and Kir4.1.


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Q: How to make sure keras model outputs same accuracy? I set the following:
np.random.seed(7)
# split data to train, validate, test (60%, 20%, 20%)
train, validate, test = np.split(data, [int(.6*len(data)), int(.8*len(data))])
history = model.fit(train, train, epochs=1, batch_size=32, verbose=1, shuffle=True,
                    validation_data=(validate, validate), callbacks=[cb])
score = model.evaluate(test, test, verbose=1)

shuffle=True shouldn't matter here since I'm only training for one epoch.
Now from what I've read this should ensure that my model's accuracy is always the same after training from scratch, but the accuracy results for various runs are 48%, 48%, 56%, 48%, 56%, 47.5% and so on. So I'm wondering if there is something else I have to do to ensure that the resulting accuracy stays the same?

A: The parameters of the model are initialized differently everytime you fit the model, even if it is for the same data. So it will result in different accuracies. If you are insistent on getting the same accuracy, run the model once, save the parameters in a file and then load them again when you are running the code. Refer Keras Documentation for more details.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Changes in the European Pharmacopoeia 9.5 Chapter 3.2.9
Bettine Boltres
Manager, Technical Account, TCS EU
West is committed to the safe and efficient delivery of drug products to patients. An important aspect of this commitment is engagement in standards-setting organizations; West is a member of the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, Group of Experts 16 – who contributed to European Pharmacopoeia 9.5 (effective July 2018).
Many chapters underwent revision and in particular, West contributed to Chapter 3.2.9 – Rubber Closures for Containers for Aqueous Parenteral Preparations, for Powders and for Freeze-Dried Powders. Revisions help to ensure that chapters accurately reflect changes in the marketplace, new regulatory issues and the latest technologies. In the case of Chapter 3.2.9, the scope was broadened to include coated closures, bi-layer seals and lubricated closures.
An example of a technical change that reflects a marketplace change includes revisions around concerns associated with ash and chemical testing. More and more, customers employ closures that are delivered already sterilized, and are therefore ready-to-use. For these closures, ash testing now permits omission of the steam/drying steps, and chemical testing permits omission of the boiling/washing steps. In other words, testing now more accurately addresses actual products.
With intimate knowledge of relevant regulations and the marketplace, West is positioned to assist customers in navigating the regulatory landscape. For more on how West can help, contact a Technical Customer Service representative.


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REVIEW: NATION<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
By Karla Williams
Tuesday, December 1, 2009.
The initial impression when Nation begins isn't a good one. We are greeted by a young black boy (Mau played by Garry Carr) wearing nothing more than a Loin cloth and standing on what looks like a deserted island. A few scenes later, we meet Daphne (Emily Taaffe) an upper class, English school girl on her way to see her father until the ship she is travelling on is hit by a tsunami. Low and behold, Daphne ends up on Mau's island and it appears that we're to be treated to yet another episode of white British colonialist taming the black African savages.
However, Nation is much more than that, and the Terry Pratchett novel adapted by Mark Ravenhill examines issues of belief, history and revenge across cultures.
The island Mau inhabits has also been hit by the tsunami, killing the entirely population including his own family. Daphne and her pet parrot <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Milton (played brilliantly by Jason Thorpe) are not the only survivor of the shipwreck and her butler Cox, along with seamen Foxlip and Polegrave, also make it to the island.
While Daphne and Mau endeavour to work together to create a place where they and the other survivors from various islands can live, Cox has other ideas and seeks revenge for the death of his son to the Russian Influenza - a tragedy he feels should have befit Daphne in his place.
The first major difference between Nation and a non-gender specific re-telling of the story of original Pocahontas (not the Disney fairytale) is that the islanders are played by a cast of various races with only the key figures being played by black actors. Whether this is stated in the original novel or down to the direction of Merry Still is unclear, but it creates a story about contradictory cultures that isn't specific to race. Also Daphne eventually becomes integrated into Mau's way of life rather than the other way round, and she's converted to the island religion even when he is becoming an unbeliever.
The islanders worship the god Emo, to whom they attribute everything; from a child who will die because his mother is unable to feed him to the tsunami itself. And while Daphne does introduce science and some of her own Christian beliefs, these are eventually replaced by 'praises to Emo'. Further to this, the plot of the play reinforces the island traditions above other beliefs, in particular when Daphne has to journey into the world of Locaha - the island equivalent to Satan- to rescues Mau from death.
While the word 'savage' is directed towards Mau and his people from time to time, the plays clearly depicts that the real savage is Daphne's butler Cox. After joining forces with the blood thirsty raiders he seeks to kill both Daphne and Mau in a bid to finally right the wrong of his young son's untimely death. It is these details that turn the play into a drama about cross-cultural similarity and difference, and not another volume in the Great British catalogue of global colonisation.
The excellent young cast are all impressive in their roles; in particular Jason Thorpe as Milton the Parrot is truly a comic relief; and Gary Carr and Emily Taaffe as the mixed race lovers Mau and Daphne are the most remarkable.
The first half of a play can often be an accurate indicator as to the direction of the remaining plot, however, Nation doesn't fit this pattern and the charming, well produced drama ends on a higher note than it started.
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Adapted by Mark Ravenhill
Directed by Merry Still
Nation is continuing in the Olivier Repertoire, London, until 28 March 2010.
For more information: 020 7452 3000.
Cast includes: David Ajala, Gary Carr, Emily Taaffe and Craig Stein.
Karla Williams is a London-based journalist and writer.


Natural/Clear Fibrous casing for making Kabana & Pepperoni etc. These skins provide an end product with an easy peel coating. Do not eat fibrous casings.
* 75mm Diameter. 480mm Long.
* Other styles, colors and sizes available to order please contact us for details.
When using fibrous casings you simply soak them in water for 30 minutes to an hour prior to use.


This listing is for 1 small sola wood flower sample. Purchase as many samples as you need, to help you decide on the color scheme for your bouquet and/or match your bridesmaids dresses, etc.
Flower measure: 1" W approx.
If allergies are an issue, you may substitute the babies breath & preserves for artificial greens; add cost will apply.


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Irma: Barbuda, PR Need IMF & US Action
As Hurricane Irma presses on in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, we continue to pray for all of those affected and those still in the path of the category 5 hurricane. Throughout the night, Jubilee USA's Executive Director, Eric LeCompte was in touch with our partners who are on the islands that have already been hit. Although the religious leaders we work with are safe, we need you to take action to support them and their people.
Ask the International Monetary Fund and other creditors to suspend debt payments for countries like Antigua and Barbuda severely impacted by Irma. Tell the White House and Congress to continue to pass grants, not loans, for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The scenes are heartbreaking.
One thousand four hundred people are homeless in the country of Antigua and Barbuda, and the country is scheduled to make a payment of nearly $3 million to the IMF today.
If the IMF can suspend the debt payments, almost $3 million is immediately available for reconstruction on the decimated island of Barbuda.
Jubilee USA's leadership sent a letter to the head of the IMF urging a moratorium on debt payments. Please join them and sign our petition to the IMF to suspend debt payments for countries devastated by Irma.Sign our petition to the IMF to suspend debt payments for countries devastated by Irma.
The Caribbean islands of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin and the British and US Virgin Islands have faced some of the most severe effects of Hurricane Irma thus far. The US territory of Puerto Rico, although hit by the storm, escaped the level of destruction originally predicted. The US Virgin Islands are struggling with the aftermath of the Hurricane.
Sign our petition to Congress and to the White House to ensure that the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico receive aid in the form of grants, not loans.
We are so grateful for your partnership.
Kate Zeller
Campaigns Director


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Hypo Group Alpe Adria est une banque autrichienne notamment présent dans plusieurs pays d'Europe du Sud-Est. Elle est présente en Autriche, en Allemagne, en Italie, en Slovénie, en Croatie, en Bosnie-Herzégovine, en Serbie, en République de Macédoine, en Bulgarie et en Hongrie. Ses déboires financiers depuis 2008 ont provoqué le plus grand désastre financier en Autriche depuis 1945.

Histoire
Son chiffre d'affaires est passé de 1,87 milliard d'euros en 1992 à 43,3 milliards d'euros en 2008 basée sur une croissance extrêmement rapide dans les Balkans après la disparition de l'ex-Yougoslavie. Les critiques soulignent la « dimension mafieuse » des prêts consentis pour les Balkans.

En , BayernLB a pris 50 % d'Hypo Group Alpe Adria pour 1,63 milliard d'euros. En , BayernLB, Kärntner Landesholding et Grazer Wechselseitige Versicherung ont vendu à l'État autrichien leur participation pour un  symbolique, tout en injectant 825 millions d'euros. En 2013, Hypo Group Alpe Adria est toujours en difficulté et a reçu une aide des autorités.

En , les pouvoirs publics doivent trancher entre deux solutions : déclarer la banque faillite ou un soutien étatique de sa liquidation, dont le « coût exorbitant » reviendra aux contribuables. Selon un sondage, deux tiers des Autrichiens souhaitent que la banque soit déclarée en faillite.

En , le gouvernement autrichien décide de vendre les filiales dans les balkans pour 200 millions d'euros à 80 % au fond Advent et à 20 % à la Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement

Début , en annonçant que l'Autriche n'accorderait pas d'aide publique supplémentaire, le gouvernement du pays place la banque ainsi que le land de Carinthie en situation de faillite. En 2015, le sauvetage de la banque avait déjà coûté près de 5,5 milliards d'euros aux contribuables autrichiens.

Liens internes
 Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank Beograd
 Hypo-Alpe-Adria Bank Banja Luka

Références

Banque ayant son siège en Autriche
Entreprise fondée en 1896

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Story Behind the Song: Kelleigh Bannen, 'Deluxe'
Kelleigh Bannen tells the story of a high-class love on a working-class budget in her swagger-filled song "Deluxe," which she co-wrote with Danielle Blakey. Sultry and evocative, the tune describes a couple treating themselves to a buffet dinner, an evening at a motel with free air conditioning and more. Read on to learn how the song came to be, as told by Bannen herself.
I love the idea of calling a love story "deluxe," but also being a little tongue-in-cheek: allowing it to be not about Mercedes-Benzes and diamonds and business class, but like, to be, wherever you are, as extra as you want to be -- like, extra in your lane.
So the way we wrote the verses, is I was telling Danielle what I had kind of thought the images could be, and she said, "What if that's the language?" -- like, "We're pulling off an exit, pulling into an old motel parking lot and it has an 'AC' sign flashing." She said, "Let's figure out how to say the verses like that."
In the chorus, she had this funky loop going, and we just started trying to rhyme things with "deluxe" that just felt like attitude. So it was one of those songs where it was less that the story was this way and [more that it was like], "Okay, here's the pallet, and now we fill in the story."
Who Is Kelleigh Bannen? 5 Things to Know
NEXT: Kelleigh Bannen Learns to Love Every 'Color' of Life on New Album
Filed Under: Editor's Picks, kelleigh bannen
Categories: Country News, Exclusives, Songs, Story Behind the Song


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Годичево () — поселення в общині Блоке, Регіон Нотрансько-крашка, Словенія. Висота над рівнем моря: 780,3 м.

Посилання

 Статистичне бюро Республіки Словенія, населення, 2002

Населені пункти Словенії


James Colgrove, an associate professor at Columbia University, is the author of Epidemic City, published by the Russell Sage Foundation in 2011. His research examines the relationship between individual rights and the collective well-being and the social, political, and legal processes through which public health policies have been mediated in American history. Epidemic City analyzes the perspectives and efforts of the people responsible for New York City's public health from the 1960s to the present—a time that brought new challenges, such as budget and staffing shortages, and new threats like bioterrorism. For more information, a reading list compiled by Professor Colgrove is available here.
Q: A central premise of your book is that public health is not purely of the scientific or empirical realm, as its practice inevitably involves political and ethical debates. To what extent is your view accepted in public health circles today? Was it widely held before?
Colgrove: The first public health reformers in the nineteenth century recognized their work as highly political. They addressed problems related to urbanization and industrialization, things like unsafe workplaces and overcrowded housing that raised issues of social justice and the state's responsibility for the vulnerable. During the twentieth century, however, many public health professionals shrank from involvement in political battles. They didn't take on powerful commercial interests like tobacco companies or manufacturers of hazardous chemicals. Today, I think there is widespread and growing recognition of the need to fight public health battles in the political arena. The problem is that public health as a field does not have a lot of financial or political power, and there is often hostility to the government's role as a protector of health. Regulations for workplace safety or environmental protection provoke enormous resistance, for example. Efforts to encourage healthy diets and good nutrition are attacked as the "nanny state."
Q: In the period of time your book covers, you say there was a significant change in the common perception of public health. Initially, the field was largely accepted as the objective work of well-intentioned elites. But since the 1960s, different communities, from minorities to industry groups, have attacked it as biased and punitive. What accounts for this change? Do you think these criticisms have meaningfully reshaped public health?
Colgrove: One of the outgrowths of the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s was the rise of community mobilizations around health issues. For example, patient activism brought increased attention and funding for conditions such as breast cancer, AIDS, and mental illness. The involvement of communities in public health problems can be very beneficial, but communities often make conflicting demands on health officials. When the first cases of West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness, appeared in New York City, some residents wanted the city to be more aggressive in controlling mosquitoes with pesticides, while others were more afraid of the pesticides and demanded that the city stop straying completely.
Q: One the episodes you cover is the outbreak of tuberculosis in the late-1980s. Why did the disease resurface in New York City, and how did officials turn the tide?
Colgrove: TB is the classic disease of poverty and deprivation—it spreads where people lack housing, stable income and employment, and access to health care. Rates of homelessness skyrocketed in New York City in the 1980s and the shelters the city operated were a breeding ground for disease. This problem was exacerbated by the emergence of HIV/AIDS, since people with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to TB.
The city's control program had two prongs. First, all patients were placed on directly observed therapy, or DOT, where an outreach worker watches a patient take each dose of medication, at a clinic or in a community setting. Some civil liberties groups criticized DOT as intrusive or coercive, but the other way to look at DOT is that it's a helpful service. This was certainly the view of the Health Department. They truly wanted to help people take their medications so they would get well and not infect others. TB treatment regimens involve multiple pills taken over many months, so most patients need help and support, which DOT provides.
The other component of the city's approach was that the small number of patients who persistently failed to take their medications were placed under detention in a locked hospital ward until they were cured. This may sound draconian, but given that TB is spread through the air, even civil libertarians concede that detention may be warranted in extreme cases in order to protect the public. Only a tiny percentage of the city's TB patients were ever detained. Most patients, when given the support of DOT, will take their medications. This two-pronged approach was remarkably successful in controlling the disease in New York. The World Health Organization now recommends directly observed therapy as the standard of care for tuberculosis.
Q: David Sencer, the former New York City health commissioner and a crucial figure in your book, died recently. His tenure coincided with the early rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the city, and critics say Sencer did not do enough. What is your take on his legacy?
Colgrove: Sencer was working under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. When he assumed the leadership of the health department in 1982, it had been devastated by the city's fiscal crisis of the 1970s. It had lost about a quarter of its staff and was a backwater in terms of technology and scientific capacity. He did a lot to rebuild the department, like recruiting new staff and getting the first computer systems in place, the benefits of which became evident only later on.
His handling of the emerging problem of AIDS was mixed. He was a strong advocate for protecting the privacy and civil rights of people with AIDS. On the other hand, the department under his leadership didn't do a good job of developing educational materials for groups at heightened risk and for the general public. There was a lot of uncertainty about modes of transmission in the early years of the epidemic, and Sencer was very cautious about acting on limited scientific evidence.
Q: You write that "the greatest failure of the American public health profession in the 20th century" was its failure to deal with chronic diseases. Why did public health experts not make the transition away from infectious diseases?
Colgrove: It's a lot harder to prevent heart disease, cancer, and stroke than it is to prevent most infectious diseases. These conditions have complex roots and typically develop over many years. There are no magic bullets here—no surefire preventive like a vaccine. Some of the causes of chronic diseases, like tobacco use or diets high in fat and cholesterol, are woven into the fabric of modern consumer society. These things can be sources of illness, but they can also be sources of pleasure.
Richard Coker. From Chaos to Coercion: Detention and the Control of Tuberculosis. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2000.
James Colgrove, Gerald Markowitz, David Rosner, eds. The Contested Boundaries of American Public Health. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 2008.
Constance Nathanson. Disease Prevention as Social Change: The State, Society, and Public Health in the United States, France, Great Britain, and Canada. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. 2007.


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A service for Catherine Wadsworth Fillmore, 79, a Carson City resident and Nevada native, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Walton's Chapel of the Valley.
Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, at Walton's.
Mrs. Fillmore died Oct. 21, 2002, at her home. She was born June 27, 1923, in Genoa, to Chester and Pansy John Wadsworth.
She attended Stewart Indian School in Carson City.
She married Jimmy Fillmore in 1940. He preceded her in death in July 1979.
Mrs. Fillmore was a housewife. She sat on the Housing Authority Council, the Carson Colony Community Council and the Washoe Tribal Council.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by son, Dean, daughter, Emeline, and brothers and sisters.
Among her survivors are her children Genevieve Morris, Jimmy Fillmore Jr., Warren Fillmore, Byron Fillmore, Norrine Malone, Francine Fillmore and Ellen Fillmore; sister Melinda Murphy; 20 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren and many other family members.
Burial will be at the Stewart Indian Cemetery.
A dinner will immediately follow the burial at the Carson Colony Gym.
Walton's Chapel of the Valley is in charge of arrangements.
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House for sale in Marbella (walking distance to the beach and the old town). Do you wish to live close to the beaches and old town centre of Marbella? Then we may just have the perfect semi detached villa for you. The current owners are going to travel. They have lived in this wonderful house for many years but they now want to see a bit more of the world, so they'll be away for 6 months of the year. Reason for them to sell their house in Marbella – and a great opportunity for you to buy a (semi detached) villa at the average price of an apartment!
Only the rich and famous can say they live walking distance from the beaches and old town of Marbella – but so can you now! There's even a possibility to quite easily add a fourth large bedroom on the roof, which will then have sea views as well. Water and electricity are present and some neighbours have already built their fourth bedroom so you can get some inspiration for the construction from them.
This wonderful semi detached villa is located just a 5 minute walk from shopping mall La Cañada, a 10 minute walk to the beach and a 20 minute walk to order a drink on the famous Orange Square in the old town centre of Marbella. It offers everything from a large terrace to a private plunge pool, three bedrooms and a possibility to quite easily add a fourth. At just € 299,995 (the average price of an apartment in Marbella) we don't think this unique property will be for sale very long!
Wish to know more? Click here for photos and more information. You can of course also call or e-mail us. The reference number of this property is MP1086.


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«Чёрная се́рия» — сборник фильмов, снятых во второй половине 1950-х молодыми польскими документалистами — детьми «оттепели 56-го» — выпускниками московского ВГИКа и национальной киношколы в Лодзи, вдохновлёнными итальянским неореализмом. Короткие документальные репортажи, ставшие манифестом нового польского кино, освещали всевозможные социальные проблемы социалистической Польши — от жилищного строительства и безработицы до алкоголизма, проституции и подростковой преступности; и были посвящены самым разным темам — от партийных съездов до зарисовок жизни курортного Сопота, от будней детского туберкулёзного санатория до репетиций студенческого театра и джазовых импровизаций.

Ссылки
 «Черная серия» польского документального кино

Документальные фильмы Польши
Документальные фильмы 1950-х годов
1950-е годы в Польше
Польская Народная Республика


I go hunting polar furs and the seal—leaping chasms with a pike-pointed staff—clinging to topples of brittle and blue.
The power of beauty at work in man, as the artist has always known, is severe and exacting, and once evoked, will never leave him alone, until he brings his work and life into some semblance of harmony with its spirit.
Lawren Stewart Harris, (October 23, 1885 – January 29, 1970) was a Canadian painter. He was born in Brantford, Ontario and is best known as a member the Group of Seven who pioneered a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century. A. Y. Jackson has been quoted as saying that Harris provided the stimulus for the Group of Seven. During the 1920s, Harris's works became more abstract and simplified, especially his stark landscapes of the Canadian north and Arctic. He also stopped signing and dating his works so that people would judge his works on their own merit and not by the artist or when they were painted.
In 1969 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.


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Austria imposes the mandatory use of the mask outdoors due to the omicron variant
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced on Thursday the imposition of the mask outdoors in an attempt to stop the infections caused by the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
From now on, the use of the FFP2 mask will be mandatory outdoors as long as the social distance of two meters stipulated by the authorities cannot be maintained, such as in crowded streets or queues.
Likewise, businesses will only allow entry to those people who have the complete vaccination schedule. However, the quarantine period for those who test positive has been reduced to five days.
Nehammer has indicated that the situation is "serious", but has clarified that, through a joint effort, it will not be necessary to impose a new quarantine. The number of cases is increasing, according to government data, which have registered 8,853 cases in the last 24 hours.
Risk of abstention on the supplementary dates of Rome for the seat left by Gualtieri
US President Biden warns against accepting political violence


The data reflect only one week of filing in a process that will last until April 15 for most taxpayers, and refund predictions by tax experts have been all over the map. MorganStanley has estimated they will rise by 26 percent, but others are less optimistic.
The size and number of refunds will be politically sensitive this year in particular. Democrats, who uniformly opposed the GOP-drafted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, say more people will owe the IRS this year because of confusion about withholding. But House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Kevin Brady (R-Texas), an architect of the plan, has predicted that the number of taxpayers getting refunds will be around the same as in previous years…..


Needles. Thread. Cloth. A favorite old shirt in need of repair. Cozy wool socks with a worn out heel. An heirloom quilt that required some patching. Our mending class was a big hit. Each person brought some beloved fabric to mend and went home with the skills and confidence to do so. We'll definitely offer this class again!
Learning to make something…a loaf of bread, a pair of knitted socks, a raised bed, are all skills worth passing on.This class reminded me of the great worth and value of learning to repair. That's a skill too. In this world of great abundance and a tendency to dispose or replace the things we need before considering how to fix them, the skill to repair can honor the maker and allow us to breath new life into things that we may deem obsolete or non-functioning. There is a virtue in repairing the torn or worn. There is satisfaction in fixing a problem or something broken. All of these things require us to look at the design and construction of an item and to recreate or repair the piece that no longer functions or operates. What a great way to sharpen and improve our critical thinking skills! Make. Fix. Repair. Mend. So, gather up all of your holey socks and frayed long johns, take out that favorite shirt from your mending basket, and watch here for posts about our next mending class!


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Home » News » Sabrosura Foods Acquires Pancho's, Expanding Snacking Portfolio
Sabrosura Foods Acquires Pancho's, Expanding Snacking Portfolio
November 16, 2021 by Abasto
Sabrosura Foods announced the acquisition of Pancho's Mexican Foods, Inc., the maker of the popular queso dip prepared since 1956. Pancho's will join Sabrosura Foods' family of well-known brands, which includes: El Viajero, La Morenita, Reynaldo's, and Bio Salud!
According to the company, Sabrosura Foods is a natural partner for Pancho's to continue its rapid expansion nationwide across the mass, club, and grocery channels. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1956, Pancho's gained popularity as a local Memphis favorite before evolving as a leading brand in the refrigerated queso dip category, now found at more than 1,200+ stores nationwide. Pancho's maintains a highly loyal consumer following because of its great-tasting, high-quality product, and exclusive use of fresh ingredients, with no artificial fillers and flavors.
Headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, Sabrosura Foods is a marketer and distributor of branded Hispanic food products, including cheeses, desserts, and meats. Sabrosura has several authentic Hispanic brands, including El Viajero, La Morenita, Reynaldo's, and Bio Salud!, alongside broad private label capabilities. The business is a portfolio company of Centre Partners.
Related Article: 10 Essential Elements for the Success of a Small Grocery Store
"We couldn't be more excited to join the Sabrosura Foods family," said Brenda O'Brien, President of Pancho's Mexican Foods, Inc. "Pancho's has been in my family for 65 years, and we have been so grateful to bring people together over delicious food. Now, we are looking forward to our next chapter as part of the Sabrosura Foods team."
Authentic Pancho's Cheese Dips have been famous since the very first Pancho's Restaurant opened in 1956. Pancho's now offers a variety of dips to enjoy, including Original Queso Dip, Chipotle Queso Dip, and White Queso Dip. Consumers can find Pancho's queso dips in the refrigerated dairy case at leading supermarket chains, big-box retailers, and independent grocery retailers throughout the country.
The acquisition adds a historic, 60-year-old consumer-loved brand to Sabrosura Foods' portfolio of Hispanic brands and further enhances the company's position in the fast-growing queso dip category.
"Sabrosura Foods is thrilled to acquire Pancho's, further building our portfolio of Hispanic cheese products available in stores nationwide. A key pillar of Sabrosura Foods' growth strategy has always been focused on acquiring complementary product capabilities," said Jeff Caswell, CEO of Sabrosura Foods. "We are proud to be able to continue Pancho's legacy and are eager to introduce Pancho's queso dip to even more consumers across the fast-growing snacking category."
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Home/ASIA/China urges all related countries to avoid militarizing South China Sea
ASIANEWSPOLITICS
China urges all related countries to avoid militarizing South China Sea
Xinhua News Agency Follow on Twitter Send an email November 23, 2015
Photo: Courtesy of WikiCommons
China hopes all countries in and outside the South China Sea will make concerted efforts to avoid militarizing the region, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.
In response to a question on the issue of militarization on the South China Sea, spokesman Hong Lei said it is "groundless to link China's construction on its own islands and reefs in the South China Sea to militarization."
"China does not seek to 'militarize' the South China Sea," Hong said at a daily press briefing.
Stressing that China firmly pursues a defense policy that is defensive in nature, Hong said China opposes any country launching military operations that undermine regional safety, stability and mutual trust.
All related countries should make joint efforts to maintain safety and stability in this region, he added.
The keynote of the chairman's statement of the just-concluded East Asia leaders' meetings was "positive in general", Hong said
The statement shows the political will that all countries present are committed to enhancing regional cooperation and addressing challenges together, he said.
The statement reaffirms the desire to work together to maintain the South China Sea's peace, security and stability, fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and push forward negotiations on a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea initiated in 2013, Hong said.
"These are all consensus reached by parties participating in the meetings," he said.
China maintains that the South China Sea disputes should be addressed with a dual-track approach, said Hong.
Specifically, disputes should be resolved by directly concerned parties through consultation and negotiation, while China and ASEAN members work together to uphold regional peace and stability.
All parties concerned should follow the DOC spirit and let directly concerned countries resolve territorial and jurisdiction disputes through negotiation in a peaceful way, he said.
"China is willing to work with all sides to make relentless efforts for the peace and stability of the South China Sea, so as to promote the common development and prosperity of the region," said Hong.
ASEAN China South China Sea
Xinhua News Agency
Sponsored by the Xinhua News Agency, Xinhuanet is an important central news service-oriented website, an important information organ of the central government, and an important platform for building up China's online international communication capacity.
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My name is Chloe and I'm an editorial designer with a passion for finding smart solutions to difficult design challenges.
Currently, I live in Washington, D.C. where I work as a designer and animator for Snapchat Discover at The Washington Post.
I recently graduated with a degree in graphic design from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Most of my time there was spent at The Daily Orange, the independent student newspaper, where I designed and art directed for my first three years of college. The D.O. is where I fell in love with news design, and my work from there has been recognized in several competitions.
During my time as a student, I held a variety of internships and freelance positions where I designed for major publications including The Boston Globe, Northern Virginia Magazine, Allure and Sports Illustrated.
In my free time, I enjoy exploring motion design and making fun gifs for all occasions. I also love to travel and spent four months studying abroad in Denmark. Sometimes, I participate in silly news videos on topics like wine and millenial slang. If I'm not designing, you can usually find me petting dogs, making Spotify playlists or dining at Taco Bell.
Want to hear more? I can be reached for freelance opportunities or just to chat at chloeemeister@gmail.com.
Want to chat? Fill out the form and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.


Did you know that the average cart abandonment rate at the beginning of 2018 was 75.6 percent? Therefore, according to the data from SaleCycle, for every four shoppers to your site, three leave without buying anything.
That's a lot of untapped potential, and cart abandonment is a very real issue facing eCommerce retailers today. Thankfully, there are plenty of tactics you can use to try to reduce that 75.6 percent. Let's look at a few ways that you can cut down the number of shoppers who abandon carts.
Your eCommerce website is, naturally, the first thing shoppers see when they make it to your site. It better be a good first impression.
The average bounce rate for eCommerce websites, based on data from Growcode, is nearly 33 percent. That means about 33 percent of those website's visitors leave without making purchases. That percentage skyrockets for first-time visitors, as 99 percent don't buy on their first visit.
eCommerce sells with visuals, unlike brick-and-mortar retailers who have the benefit of a tactile experience. Your imagery must be up to par. Use high-resolution product pictures, multiple pictures from all angles of a product, and imagery that works on desktop and mobile. Consider video as well.
Next to images are the product descriptions. These must be clear, concise, and valuable to your shoppers. Cover all important features of the products. Don't use stock descriptions, either, especially if the product is sold across other retailers with that description. Make yours unique and worth reading.
Site performance is another contributor to cart abandonment. The average retail website load time is 6.11 seconds, according to Moz. A reduction in load time by 1.6 seconds would lead to an uptick in annual revenue by 10 percent. Your site must perform comparably to your competitors.
DigiCert's VP of Operations stated that 25 percent of users have canceled an online purchase due to website security concerns. HTTPS is the common method of securing a website, and shoppers who see the "https" in front of your domain name know they can share payment information with you.
Your website isn't the only factor behind cart abandonment, however.
A 1.6-second reduction in website load time is a 10 percent increase in annual revenue.
Another factor that could cause buyers to walk away is a lack of shipping options. This can be especially relevant for newer retailers who are trying to compete with the big eCommerce marketplaces. Amazon, for example, has its incredibly popular Prime shipping, but buyers can also choose more traditional—i.e. slower—delivery methods for a lower price.
These options are now expected by online shoppers. They want standard shipping, expedited shipping, overnight shipping, and more. Retailers should use multiple carriers for order fulfillment to streamline operations.
In addition to shipping times, "limited options" can mean costs. Retailers must be clear and up-front about all associated shipping costs and production times. Buyers will leave their carts if they get to the shipping details section and still don't know how much their final order will cost.
This should help prevent cart abandonment at point of sale.
Put yourself in your shoppers' shoes for a second. What convinces you to buy a product online? For many, it's product reviews and ratings. These are just one element of the broader customer support features that should be present on your eCommerce site—features that could contribute to cart abandonment.
Starting with reviews and ratings, these elements support shoppers on their paths to purchase. People want to hear from other consumers about their own experiences with your products. A simple star-rating system is beneficial, but it also helps to have a section for customer reviews on each product page. Good reviews can drive sales and decrease abandonment.
Other parts of strong customer support include a section to address customer questions. Like product reviews, this feature is where your business can weigh in on each product and clarify any buyer misconceptions or concerns. The right answered question can make or break a sale.
All these elements make up strong customer support for an eCommerce site.
73% of online shoppers browse with a specific product in mind.
Lastly, pricing is a major contributor to cart abandonment. Alongside shipping, prices are some of the most basic information customers expect on an eCommerce site. Unclear, hidden, or inaccurate prices are fast tracks to cart abandonment.
In addition, online buyers are often browsing with a purpose. The National Retail Federation's Consumer View quarterly study found that 73 percent of online shoppers browse with a specific product in mind. Therefore, they are looking for the best price, and you should ensure your prices are competitive or you risk losing them.
In fact, technology has made it easier than ever to price shop. Consumers are browsing in-store and checking prices on their mobile devices, perhaps even completing the transaction online. They'll know if your price isn't good enough.
Major retailers change prices all the time, but it can still be nerve-wracking to adjust your strategies. Even so, don't be afraid of change. Tactics such as dynamic pricing allow you to alter prices if demand goes up. Or, increase prices as holidays approach or drop them afterward to offload slow-moving inventory. Psychological pricing ($19.99 instead of $20) is another benefit, so don't wait to tweak your prices as needed.
Doing all this manually can also be daunting. Thankfully, you have some help. Automate your pricing strategies by using rule-based repricing. A pricing engine can alter prices depending on market conditions, competitors, holidays, and more. Set price guards to protect your margins and reduce the likelihood of losing buyers over prices.
Finally, be honest with your shoppers about your prices. The last thing they want is to come across a surprise fee or unexpected cost right before completing their purchases. This is a great way to get them to leave and never come back. Your prices should be the easiest thing to find on your site. Display them prominently and proudly. Never deceive a customer, even if it's unintentional (such as from poor web design).
You're never going to close the deal with 100 percent of your website visitors. However, there's always room for improvement.
The bottom line is that consumers are savvy and sensitive. It doesn't take much to drive them to another website or store, from long load times to uncompetitive prices or unclear product descriptions. Do what you can to ensure that these hurdles are few and far between.
How do you plan to reduce your cart abandonment rates? We'd love to know! Wiser offers solutions for brands and retailers to solve their omnichannel problems, including online repricing and more that help turn browsers into buyers. Contact us today.


It's the most wonderful time of the year, and a great excuse to travel to Wine Country to experience special offers and events happening at select wineries.
The Oliver Osoyoos Winery Association is set to host Winter in Wine Country, happening this weekend, November 22-24, 2013. Select wineries in Oliver and Osoyoos are coming together for special wine tastings, food pairings, live music and entertainment, gift specials, christmas light displays and decorations.
Hester Creek Winery is hosting Rose Revolution at 7:30pm. Tickets are only $35.00+gst and include safe transportation, 2 tastings, food+live entertainment. Extra tasting tickets are $1.00 each.
Adega on 45th has special food and wine pairings, children's tree decoration, gift baskets and select wine specials.
Burrowing Owl has rare library wines for sale and lots of seasonal gifts.
Hidden Chapel has full Christmas decorations and wine bottles come with hand knit toques.
Plantinum Bench has freshly baked breads paired with wines.
Silver Sage has wine and chocolate and Santa's Workshop.
Oliver Twist has food and wine pairings, mulled wine, door prizes and more.
Nk'Mip is hosting the festival of trees from 4-6pm. People are invited to tour and vote for their favourite light display.
Black Hills has mulled wine, food and wine pairings, recipe cards, games and prizes.
Castoro De Oro has free tastings of 5 wines, meet and greet with winemakers, live music and more.
Tinhorn Creek has Merlot mulled wine, gift baskets and free wrapping and pumpkin soup and holiday cookie by Miradoro Restaurant.
Jackson Triggs has select food and wine pairings and specials.
Quinta Ferreira has 15% discount on all wine and gift baskets available.
Road 13 Vineyards has complimentary seated Lounge tastings and wine paired with select charcuterie and cheese.
Desert Hills has complimentary wine tastings and 10% off case of wine.
Gehringer Brothers has free wine tastings and German treats.
Hester Creek has holiday features, complimentary mulled wine, food and wine pairing at 1:30pm and brunch.
Nk'Mip Cellars has the festival of trees, complimentary wine tastings and in store specials.
Rustico has an old-fashion cowboy Christmas event, bonfire and food and wine pairing.
Stoneboat has sabering of Piano Brut at noon, Holiday sparkling wine and food pairing.
Tweet @uncorkBC if you travel to any of these wineries this weekend to celebrate Winter in Wine Country!
Visit Winter in Wine Country for more information.
This entry was posted in BC Wine Country, Event Coverage, Wine Tastings and Special Events and tagged BC Wine, Oliver, Osoyoos by uncorkbc. Bookmark the permalink.


The Lord has opened many doors of opportunities for us since we returned to Poland in late May, 1999. One of which is in Gora Kalwaria (literally translated, Mount Calvary).
The town is just south of Warsaw. Another missionary, Don Orlowski and Mike rented a storefront, which we will use for evangelistic outreach and as a meeting place for activities and Bible Studies.
Although the storefront is in a very poor condition, during the first week of December a group from Berean Baptist Church in Lilburn, GA, pastor Dan Sweatt, will be coming to help renovate it.
stalling a drop ceiling, laying new floors, and adding a small bathroom.
We are thankful for each of you who has contributed to this project, either financially or with prayer.
We are excited about this opportunity. We heard that there are about 100,000 people in the area, and not one evangelistic church of any kind.
We want to start Bible studies and outreach activities in January. I have already had two people say that they are interested in coming to a Bible study.
We need an additional $300/ month support in order to meet our budget. Please pray that the Lord would provide.
Don't forget to spread the gospel story during this Christmas season.


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Berg, Stephen; Zhu, Jun; Clayton, Murray K.; Shea, Monika E.; Mladenoff, David J.
A latent discrete Markov random field approach to identifying and classifying historical forest communities based on spatial multivariate tree species counts. (English) Zbl 1435.62411
Ann. Appl. Stat. 13, No. 4, 2312-2340 (2019).
Summary: The Wisconsin Public Land Survey database describes historical forest composition at high spatial resolution and is of interest in ecological studies of forest composition in Wisconsin just prior to significant Euro-American settlement. For such studies it is useful to identify recurring subpopulations of tree species known as communities, but standard clustering approaches for subpopulation identification do not account for dependence between spatially nearby observations. Here, we develop and fit a latent discrete Markov random field model for the purpose of identifying and classifying historical forest communities based on spatially referenced multivariate tree species counts across Wisconsin. We show empirically for the actual dataset and through simulation that our latent Markov random field modeling approach improves prediction and parameter estimation performance. For model fitting we introduce a new stochastic approximation algorithm which enables computationally efficient estimation and classification of large amounts of spatial multivariate count data.
62P12 Applications of statistics to environmental and related topics
62H30 Classification and discrimination; cluster analysis (statistical aspects)
62H11 Directional data; spatial statistics
62M05 Markov processes: estimation; hidden Markov models
Markov random field; historical ecology; stochastic approximation; maximum likelihood; mixture models
\textit{S. Berg} et al., Ann. Appl. Stat. 13, No. 4, 2312--2340 (2019; Zbl 1435.62411)
Full Text: DOI Euclid
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I've discovered you don't have to be New Zealand-born or a male to enjoy this experience, says Natalia.
Ever since I have known my husband Nigel, I wanted him to build a small hovercraft for me so that I could drive and handle it myself. But Nigel has been always so busy building larger hovercraft for his company Hoverworks that he did not have time. One day we were looking online at what one of our friends in South America was doing (he is a hovercraft manufacturer as well) and we saw this little craft which looked like a flying pillow—it looked amazing and in the video went really well. I thought, rather than waiting for Nigel to find time and build a craft for me, Ever since I have known my husband Nigel, I wanted him to build a small hovercraft for me so that I could drive and handle it myself. But Nigel has been always so busy building larger hovercraft for his company Hoverworks that he did not have time. One day we were looking online at what one of our friends in South America was doing (he is a hovercraft manufacturer as well) and we saw this little craft which looked like a flying pillow—it looked amazing and in the video went really well. I thought, rather than waiting for Nigel to find time and build a craft for me, I could just import this one. If it was as good as the video showed, I could drive it myself and offer it to other people interested in a "flying pillow." We contacted our friend (thanks to the internet, everything is so easy and fast nowadays), placed an order and two weeks later the new toy arrived.
When I was putting it together the first time, I was quite surprised by the simplicity of the assembly. I can see how much thought was put into every detail of the design to make it so user-friendly. I am lucky to have a husband who knows everything about engines. This made my life a lot easier, as the fuel tank has to be shifted a little to allow proper air flow through the propeller. I would have spent quite a bit of time doing it myself and probably still got it wrong. Everything else in this hovercraft makes you feel really good about yourself, it is so easy to assemble. The craft can be broken down into five pieces: alloy frame, skirt, two engines with propellers and a seat. Everything fits in the boot of a reasonable-sized family car; you don't need a trailer which is very appealing. Maybe there are ladies who enjoy towing a trailer and are very good at it but I am not in this number.
The second time I drove the QT Hovery was on a lake. The transition from land to water is perfect—you cannot feel any difference in the craft motion over different surfaces. This is what I love the most about hovercraft—it can operate in combination of three areas: on land, on water and in air. I have been teaching physics at high school for nine years and I have noticed that my students think mechanics is the most boring topic of the whole physics curriculum. I so want to prove them wrong and I am going to. The hovercraft is brilliant as a case study – you can talk about rotational motion of a propeller, fluid dynamics, air and water resistance, centre of gravity, and forces acting of the craft as it moves. It is so rich in great examples of the practical application of physics laws. I hope the students won't be bored when they see a video of their teacher flying a hovercraft on YouTube. And then I will expect all Excellence marks for the Mechanics test. Quite a few people took an interest in this little craft, and now I am bringing them to New Zealand for friends and others who are interested.
When the box with the Hovery hovercraft arrived at our place I thought there was a mistake. There should have been at least a couple more boxes of parts for the craft. But I was wrong— everything was there: a skirt, an umbrella-type structure to which all other parts are attached, ducts, propellers, control joystick, cables and all fittings. The engines are supplied in two small separate boxes. The 6.5hp 4-stroke stationary engines are of the type that have compression release for easy starting. The majority of all the metal parts are pre-assembled; only the main components need to be assembled before flight and these components are clipped together and held by pins. Each pin has a nylon string attached to the metal part so that the pin is impossible to lose. The user manual explains how to attach an engine and the propeller to each duct, and for everything else I didn't use the manual—the sequence of assembly is obvious. In shifting the fuel tank 50 mm to allow better air flow, a tricky bit is to remove the air filter to get access to the screws holding the fuel tank. But after reading the instructions twice, I understood how it was done. I was laughing at myself as I always tell my students: "Read the instructions twice before doing the practical and then follow these instructions." And I did completely the opposite. Now I have to admit, all manuals and instructions are written for a reason. With the assembly completed, the components packed in the back of the station wagon and a last quick look through the "how to drive" section of the instruction book, I was ready for my first flight. The local park with large playing fields was just the place for my first hover.
The reassembling of the frame to the skirt and the motors to the frame took less than ten minutes. The skirt system has metal fittings that clip to the main umbrella alloy tube structure. Velcro strips are positioned over these fittings and hold them in place which works very well and makes it so easy to do and undo. I'm ready, I said to my husband who just grinned. The engines were easy to start; I sat myself in the seat and pushed the joystick forward. Initially, I had to give it nearly full throttle, but once it started hovering, I had to reduce the throttle. The gain in speed was rapid and the field which appeared quite large when I started was now shrinking fast as the trees and hedge loomed ahead. A simple joystick control allows the craft to turn by reducing the throttle of one of the engines and speeding up the other. Another discovery I made was that it was important to lean in the direction of the turn. Shifting the centre of gravity facilitates the turn and makes it much easier.
For my second trial I tried the Hovery on water. The transition from land to water at speed is an amazing experience. I feel as if I am doing it by some magic. No other machine can do this and I now can understand the great advantage that hovercrafts have. When I was on the water, I first tried to turn by slowing down, reducing the throttle of one of the engines (using the joystick), and leaning into the turn. I then realised this was not a very efficient technique as the craft nearly stopped and lost most of its air cushion. It worked much better when I gave it full throttle and leaned to the side to start the turn. By doing so I didn't lose speed and kept good balance. Another aspect of operating I discovered is that the little Hovery does not mind short grass, but definitely does not like tall, stiff grass. I drove from the lake to the shore and I thought I could go easily over all grassy areas. No. Got that wrong. The first bunch of very tall grass stopped the Hovery and I flew off the seat. It was a soft landing and a good learning experience. So I have to be realistic— very long thick grass is off the menu. As I became aware of what the little hovercraft required of me, how I could work with it and not against it, the flight became pure enjoyment.
Even though I am a physics teacher, I do not think of the physics theory involved in flight when I am in a driver's seat, and hover over land and water. I use my experience of keeping balance and making the motion smooth, which I gained in years of snow skiing and horse riding, but it happens subconsciously. My mind is free to admire the scenery and enjoy the sensation of a free flight. However, when the flight is over, and Hovery is packed in the boot of my car, my mind starts to analyse the experience in terms of physics laws. I guess it happens to all professionals— there is a part of our brain which is constantly "at work" even if we are not. I think of how I can illustrate physics laws in a fun and engaging way in a classroom. I would show my students a video of Hovery flight, and ask them to think about why is it easier to turn right than to turn left (taking into account the direction of rotation of both propellers)? Why the seat needs to be moved to a different position, depending on the weight of a driver? Why does the skirt have a doughnut shape? Is the water surface flat under the skirt when the hovercraft is moving? Other questions come to mind. Why does leaning forward facilitate takeoff and leaning backwards help to stop it smoothly? Why is "leaning" not required for larger craft? Why is taking into account the wind and its direction important for control? And the question I am sure the students will enjoy the most—why I was thrown off the seat when Hovery suddenly stopped in tall grass? All these thoughts come later. You don't think of anything when you fly – you just enjoy the moment.
Being a physics teacher in New Zealand is a challenge for a foreigner as Kiwis are a DIY nation. Both boys and girls want to see relevance in every piece of knowledge I introduce to them. Relating laws of physics to their experience in sports, driving cars, being on a boat or a yacht, is an absolute must in a classroom in New Zealand. I feel great about my Hovery project as it helps me to think the way New Zealanders do. I love the idea of a Kiwi in a tin shed. As I discovered, you don't necessarily have to be New Zealand-born or a male to enjoy this experience and my background makes this a far from daunting experience.
There are more than 100 universities in Moscow, a city of 20 million and I attended one of the five best engineering universities, dedicated to Power Engineering. There were 30,000 students in 12 different faculties and my faculty of Radiotechnics and Electronics had 2000 students. I studied for five and a half years to be a radio-electronicsengineer and then did research work at the end. I guess I gained the equivalent of a Master's degree although the degree system was different in Russia. I enjoyed my first job as it was a position in the Russian Academy of Science, a large network of research institutions dedicated to fundamental science, where I started my career at the Institute of Radiotechnics and Electronics. The department I worked for did research in the field of lasers and fibre optics. The laboratory next door was studying biological phenomena of people who were able to move objects at a distance using just their will power or could heal other people by manipulating their energy field. I was a bit jealous because it sounded so interesting. Because of political changes in Russia in the early 1990s, the funding for fundamental research stopped. The new government wanted to fund only the projects which could bring immediate monetary return and were not aiming for the distant future. My co-workers and I were not paid for months and I did not like that, as you can imagine.
I started to think of what I could do—not about the situation, as I had no control over that, but within an existing situation. I always loved languages and was the best student in my French class at school. But I knew a reasonable command of English could take me much further so I enrolled at the Moscow Open State Pedagogical University which was training secondary teachers and graduated as a teacher of English as a foreign language. Both my universities happened to be at the other side of the city from the place where I lived, and I had to spend one hour 40 minutes one way in public transport to get there. It would have been hopeless for me to drive a car in Moscow as I would have spent hours in traffic jams and never reached my destination in time. Now I greatly appreciate my car and how easy and quick it is to commute in New Zealand. I scored a full-time job as an English teacher even before I graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages and after 18 months of working at a high school, I started to teach English to Russian engineering students at one of Moscow's two dedicated aviation universities. This job did not pay much but through it I found a large demand for private tutoring which sustained me very well financially. I was happy with the current situation for myself, but I was thinking about my two children and what future I could provide for them. That did not look bright at all. The competition in Moscow is enormous. High-quality education is absolutely essential for any kind of career. Each university in Moscow has its own entrance exams. It is impossible to pass them unless a student has had private tutoring for a year prior to the examinations with professors from this particular university (and they charge a fortune for their lessons).
To obtain a decent job in Moscow, a woman has to be very young, physically fit, beautiful, have at least five years of experience in a related industry, a good command of a couple of foreign languages and of course a degree from one of Moscow's universities (other educational institutions are not regarded as highly). An extra degree from overseas is an advantage. There is another way: you can start your own business, but you have to belong to a certain group of the Russian population so that your business is protected from organised crime. Basically, you have to belong to a larger criminal organisation or keep paying everybody so that they leave you alone. No business can last long under these conditions. All of it made me feel uncomfortable. I was especially concerned for my children and started to think of shifting to another country.
At that point of time, immigration was available to Canada (too cold), Australia (I was 36—too old) and New Zealand. I made some enquiries, passed an English exam, confirmed my qualifications with NZQA, paid a small fortune to immigration consultants (they were nice people, but no doubt, they had to pay to the guys in black for being able to run their business) and 18 months later my plane landed at Christchurch International Airport. I never regretted my decision. I completed a one-year graduate programme at Christchurch College of Education, became a high-school teacher and have been doing it ever since. My children settled in New Zealand schools very quickly as they had studied English from the time they were five years old. Now they are young adults. My son graduated last year from Canterbury University with a forestry science degree with honours and is working for a North Island forestry logistics company. My daughter who is two years younger is doing her fourth year of a landscape architecture degree at Lincoln University. So, my own children have grown up, and now it's time for me to have some fun. The Hovery hovercraft is a very interesting and exciting beginning...I just love it.


Accommodation in and around Muirfield, overlooking the Firth of Forth in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Local towns include North Berwick, Kingston, Whitekirk, Luffness, Aberlady, Auldhame, East Linton, Drem and Dirleton. Gullane is the site of several other high-quality golf courses.


The United Kingdom reopened its embassy in Iran last month in the wake of the nuclear deal struck between Tehran and the P5+1. Amid great fanfare heralding a thaw in diplomatic ties between Iran and Western powers, British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond made his way to Tehran to attend the ceremony that would formally reopen the building – a mere four years after it was closed in far less promising circumstances.
Unlike the US embassy, the British embassy in Iran remained open after the Revolution, finally closing in 2011 after it was attacked by a hardline mob of hundreds. This happened just four years ago, not in 1979. Has Iran, where cries of "Death to America" can still be heard in the streets regularly, really changed so much in four years? Or does the West simply have a short memory?
The irony certainly did not escape the press – even in Iran, where the momentous occasion was described as the reopening of the "Fox's Den." In both the UK and US, meanwhile, many of the headlines announcing the embassy's reopening alluded to its violent past – or at least to its very recent closure.
The BBC, for example, noted in its headline that the Tehran embassy had reopened "four years after closure," while the US News and World Report chose a similar headline for the AP report it published on the matter. Not to be outdone, The Telegraph led its story on the embassy with the following loquacious headline: "Britain's embassy in Iran re-opens with 'Death to England' still graffitied above Queen's portrait." Way to tell it like it is!
Other outlets chose not to go into specifics – inadvertently giving the impression that the reopening was not tinged with the memory of recent violence. The New York Times, for example, chose the neutral headline "British Embassy Reopens in Iran's Capital", while The Guardian took a similar tack, writing simply "British embassy in Iran reopens" – though a more detailed allusion to the "storming" of the building by protesters followed.
CNN, meanwhile, proved to be more optimistic, leading its own report with the headline "UK reopens its embassy in Iran as relations warm." It's easy to warm up to Iran, we suppose – that is, if you have a selective memory.


Has the time come for the U.S. to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world and establish a single-payer health care system? I doubt it!
The arguments for such a system are overwhelming. The average cost of national health care systems in the countries that have them is about 10 percent of GDP. Here, health care costs about 18 percent of GDP. The difference, 8 percent of our GDP, is over $1.6 trillion, or almost $5000 per individual American per year! Moreover, by most metrics, such as longevity, infant mortality, or, more importantly, the percentage of the people to whom health care is readily available, the single payer systems deliver far better results.
However, the pharmaceutical industry, private health care insurers and others who share the needless expenditures, have a $1.6 trillion incentive to block progress toward a single payer system. Their propaganda is successful in spite of the obvious success and popularity of Medicare. They deplore the possibility of government influence on health care replacing that of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. They use anecdotes about Canadians coming to the U.S. for specialized medical procedures, implying that our system is better. Canadians can clearly see the situation in their neighbor to the south and want no part of it. One has trouble imagining people in any country with a national health care system pointing to the U.S. and wanting such a broken system. No country with a national system has ever seriously considered abandoning it.
However, given the extent to which money controls politics, and the amount of big money profiting from the status quo, it is likely that the opponents of a far more cost-effective system will be able to continue to succeed in milking their cash cow for quite some time to come.


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EC Extends Nomination Period of Candidates for Local Government Councils Elections
By Our Reporter
The Electoral Commission appointed the period 21st September to 1st October 2020, as the period for conducting nomination of candidates for Local Government Councils Elections 2021.
Accordingly, the nomination of candidates commenced on Monday 21st September 2020, in all the one hundred and forty-six (146) districts/cities across the country and was scheduled to close today, Thursday 1st October 2020.
However, due to high numbers of aspirants at the nomination centers since the beginning of the exercise, and in accordance with the powers vested in the Commission under Section 50 of the Electoral Commission Act, the Electoral Commission has taken a decision to extend the nomination exercise, which was scheduled to close on Thursday 1st October 2020, for four (4) more days, that is, from Friday 2nd October to Monday 5th October 2020, including Saturday and Sunday, after which, there will be no further extension.
The nomination exercise will continue to be conducted at the venues indicated below, during the above period, beginning at 9.00 a.m. and ending at 5:00pm on each day.
· District/City Chairpersons and Councilors: 2nd – 5th October, 2020 at the respective district headquarters
· Municipality/City Division Chairpersons and Councilors: 2nd -5th October, 2020 at the respective district headquarters
· Sub County/Town//Municipal Div., Chairpersons and Councilors: 2nd -5th October, 2020 at the respective County headquarters.
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