text:
Issue number 811: July 20, 2009
July 2009 issue of Vaccinate Adults now online
ACIP issues provisional recommendations for the use of Japanese encephalitis vaccine
Need information fast? Cut to the chase with IAC's redesigned diseases and vaccines web section
August is National Immunization Awareness Month; CDC's resources encourage vaccination across the lifespan
FDA reports that Wyeth has voluntarily recalled one lot of its PCV vaccine, Prevnar
CDC updates vaccine supply information for several vaccines
Important: During novel influenza H1N1 outbreak, administer PPSV to all people with existing indications
CDC's novel influenza H1N1 web section updated with planning steps for medical offices, physician guidance for directing parents/patients in home care, and more
IAC updates its HPV, measles, pneumococcus, and polio Q&As for the public
CDC updates its shingles vaccine Q&As for the public
MMWR article reports on Japanese encephalitis among three U.S. travelers returning from Asia during 2003-08
Reminder: July 30 is the date for CDC's Immunization Update 2009 satellite broadcast and webcast
HHS commits $884 million to purchase more influenza H1N1 vaccine ingredients; White House issues text of related letter
VIS translation: Current VIS for PPSV now available in Thai
IAC's Video of the Week features a Council on Foreign Relations conference panel on H1N1 influenza
Emergency physicians issue a plan for managing novel influenza H1N1 in emergency departments
September 15 is application deadline for CDC's July 2010-June 2011 Epidemic Intelligence Service program
Now available from ACIP: Updated draft agenda for the July 29 special meeting and presentation slides from the June 24-26 meeting
Presentation slides from the June 29-July 1 meeting of the National Influenza Vaccine Summit now available
Order IAC's laminated U.S. immunization schedules today!
HHS sponsors 2009 influenza prevention PSA contest; deadline for submissions is August 17
July 17 MMWR includes previously published MMWR Dispatch article about ICU patients with H1N1 influenza
Early Childhood Health and Immunization Summit scheduled for September 14-15 in Las Vegas
Shots for Tots conference planned for October 29 in New Orleans
International Neonatal and Maternal Immunization Symposium to be held November 8-9 in Antalya, Turkey
Issue 811: July 20, 2009
1. July 2009 issue of Vaccinate Adults now online
The July 2009 issue of Vaccinate Adults is now available for viewing and downloading. This free, popular, semi-annual, 12-page resource for health professionals is packed full of easy-to-read and CDC-reviewed educational content, as well as other resources for adult immunization.
Here are the titles of articles included in this issue:
Do I Need Any Vaccinations Today?
Vaccinations for Adults . . . You're NEVER too old to get immunized!
How to Administer IM and SC Injections to Adults
Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, U.S., 2009
Influenza Vaccination for Healthcare Workers: Our duty to our patients
The July 2009 issue is the first issue of Vaccinate Adults that is not being distributed in print by U.S. mail. IAC assures IAC Express and Vaccinate Adults readers that the content of the July 2009 issue--as well as all future issues--is fully up to the standards you have come to expect from the hardcopies of Vaccinate Adults.
This online issue of Vaccinate Adults allows readers to navigate its content by using some of the more than 100 clickable links located throughout.
To download the entire issue, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/va23.pdf
If you don't have time to print the entire issue, select from the clickable links, which you will find at http://www.immunize.org/va
2. ACIP issues provisional recommendations for the use of Japanese encephalitis vaccine
On June 24, ACIP voted on revised recommendations for the use of Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine in travelers and laboratory workers. On July 14, ACIP website posted "ACIP Provisional Recommendations for the Use of Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine." The provisional recommendations will become final after they are approved by CDC and HHS and are published in MMWR.
To access the provisional recommendations for the use of Japanese encephalitis vaccine, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/provisional/downloads/je-july2009-508.pdf
3. Need information fast? Cut to the chase with IAC's redesigned diseases and vaccines web section
The home page of IAC's redesigned diseases and vaccines web section is structured to take web users directly to a broad range of useful and reliable information on 22 diseases and vaccines. If you have two minutes to spare, take time now to learn how to save yourself a lot of valuable time in the future.
Go to the diseases and vaccines home page at http://www.immunize.org/vaccines Click on the orange dot next to any of the 22 diseases/vaccines listed. Then, click around on the various orange dots and hyperlinks on the disease/vaccine page you've selected.
Prepare to be impressed as you gain immediate access to practical, hands-on information for patients and staff; definitive policy and licensing information; compelling videos, case reports, and personal accounts about people who have experienced VPDs; and pertinent articles published in the main-stream media and academic journals.
All of it is focused on the single vaccine/disease you selected. No searching in side bars, no scrolling through lists. Click once and you are THERE, looking at JUST the information you want and ONLY the information you want.
Now that you're familiar with the benefits of using IAC's diseases and vaccines web section, we hope you will bookmark it and visit it often.
4. August is National Immunization Awareness Month; CDC's resources encourage vaccination across the lifespan
The August observation of National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is a great way for health departments and other healthcare organizations to get community groups involved in immunization education efforts. Communities are encouraged to plan local health screenings or fairs, media events, and other related outreach efforts that promote the benefits of immunization.
For general information about NIAM and immunization, and for specific resources that promote immunization throughout the lifespan, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam
5. FDA reports that Wyeth has voluntarily recalled one lot of its PCV vaccine, Prevnar
On July 16, FDA reported that Wyeth was voluntarily recalling one lot of its pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), Prevnar. Information from the FDA website follows.
RECALL: Prevnar Pneumococcal 7-valent Conjugate Vaccine, Wyeth
DATE RECALL INITIATED: July 10, 2009
PRODUCT: Prevnar pneumococcal 7-valent Conjugate Vaccine
(Diphtheria CRM197 Protein)
0.5 mL single dose pre-filled syringe (10 per package)
NDC: 0005-1970-50 (10's)/0005-1970-49 (Singles)
LOT NUMBER: D50002
EXPIRATION DATE: February 28, 2011
MANUFACTURER: Wyeth, Philadelphia, PA
REASON: Wyeth is voluntarily recalling the above lot of Prevnar, Pneumococcal 7-valent Conjugate Vaccine, single dose pre-filled syringes. During a routine physical reconciliation of Prevnar pre-filled syringes, Wyeth determined that a portion of a bulk lot of pre-filled syringes, which was not intended for commercial use, was inadvertently packaged and distributed with commercial product under Lot D50002. The product distributed as Lot D50002 met Wyeth's quality acceptance criteria. Although some of the units of Lot D50002 were not intended for the commercial market, Wyeth performed a medical assessment and has concluded that the affected syringes present no health or safety risk to patients and that there is no need to revaccinate.
To access the recall notice, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/Recalls/ucm172378.htm
6. CDC updates vaccine supply information for several vaccines
On July 3, CDC posted the following updates to its Current Vaccine Shortages & Delays web page:
MONOVALENT MEASLES, MUMPS, AND RUBELLA: Merck does not anticipate its monovalent measles (Attenuvax), mumps (Mumpsvax), and rubella (Meruvax) vaccines to be available for at least two years given its current expectations regarding vaccine manufacturing capacity.
MEASLES-MUMPS-RUBELLA-VARICELLA (MMRV): Merck expects its MMRV vaccine (ProQuad) to be fully available to the U.S. market in the first half of 2010.
HIB AND HIB-HEPATITIS B: Merck is working with regulatory authorities with a goal of making a limited supply of its Hib vaccine PedvaxHIB available in fourth quarter 2009, with full availability of product in first quarter 2010. The market return of its Hib-HepB vaccine (Comvax) will depend on the supply situation for both the Hib and HepB vaccine components.
ADULT HEPATITIS A: Merck's adult hepatitis A vaccine (adult Vaqta) will not be available in 2009. GSK's production and supply of its adult HepA vaccine (adult Havrix) and its adult HepA/HepB combination vaccine (Twinrix) are adequate to meet current demand for adult HepA vaccination.
CDC updates vaccine supply information as needed to provide public information on vaccine shortages and/or delays. To access vaccine supply and shortage information, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/shortages/default.htm
7. Important: During novel influenza H1N1 outbreak, administer PPSV to all people with existing indications
CDC advises healthcare professionals that during the current outbreak of novel influenza A (H1N1), all people who have existing indications for PPSV should be vaccinated according to current ACIP recommendations. This is important because people with existing indications are not only at increased risk for pneumococcal disease, but are also at increased risk for serious complications from influenza. Use of PPSV among people without current indications for vaccination is not recommended at this time.
To access CDC's comprehensive document "Interim guidance for use of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine during novel influenza A (H1N1) outbreak," go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/ppsv_h1n1.htm
8. CDC's novel influenza H1N1 web section updated with planning steps for medical offices, physician guidance for directing parents/patients in home care, and more
CDC recently posted new or updated information to various sub-sections of its H1N1 Flu web section. Following are the titles and URLs of documents that have been posted since the July 13 issue of IAC Express:
10 Steps You Can Take: Actions for Novel H1N1 Influenza Planning and Response for Medical Offices and Outpatient Facilities
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/10steps.htm
Home Care Guidance: Physician Directions to Patient/Parent
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare_directions.htm
H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu): Related Links [to H1N1 information posted on the websites of national and international organizations]
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/related_links.htm
The home page of CDC's H1N1 Flu web section can be accessed
from http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu
IAC has gathered information related to H1N1 influenza in a web section to make it easier to keep up to date with developments. To access this resource, go to: http://www.immunize.org/h1n1
9. IAC updates its HPV, measles, pneumococcus, and polio Q&As for the public
IAC recently revised four of its Q&A print pieces that educate the public about various diseases and vaccines:
(1) "Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Questions and Answers" now has additional information about vaccine side effects and reactions.
(2) "Measles: Questions and Answers" now includes the number of measles cases reported to CDC in 2008.
(3) "Pneumococcus: Questions and Answers" now reflects the new recommendations to vaccinate adult smokers and adult asthmatics with PPSV.
(4) "Polio: Questions and Answers" has been updated with a new question, new statistics, and data on the number of new polio cases reported worldwide in 2008.
The revised pieces are ready-to-print versions of some of the CDC-reviewed material located on IAC's Vaccine Information website (www.vaccineinformation.org). The website is intended for the public, health professionals, and the media.
To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) print piece "Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Questions and Answers," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4207.pdf
To view an HTML version of these Q&As, go to the following:
(1) Human Papillomavirus (HPV) disease:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/HPV/qandadis.asp
(2) Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/HPV/qandavax.asp
To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) print piece
"Measles: Questions and Answers," go to:
(1) Measles disease:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/measles/qandadis.asp
(2) Measles vaccine:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/measles/qandavax.asp
"Pneumococcus: Questions and Answers," go to:
(1) Pneumococcal disease:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/pneumchild/qandadis.asp
(2) Pneumococcal vaccine:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/pneumchild/qandavax.asp
"Polio: Questions and Answers," go to:
(1) Polio disease:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/polio/qandadis.asp
(2) Polio vaccine:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/polio/qandavax.asp
To access Q&As about other diseases and vaccines in PDF format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials/questions.asp
10. CDC updates its shingles vaccine Q&As for the public
CDC recently updated its online shingles vaccine Q&As for the public. To access "Herpes Zoster Vaccine Q&A (Shingles)," go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/vac-faqs.htm
CDC offers an array of information on shingles disease/vaccine for the public, healthcare professionals, and the media. To access it, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles
11. MMWR article reports on Japanese encephalitis among three U.S. travelers returning from Asia during 2003-08
CDC published "Japanese Encephalitis Among Three U.S. Travelers Returning from Asia, 2003-2008" in the July 17 issue of MMWR. The opening paragraph of the article is reprinted below.
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, is a leading cause of encephalitis in Asia. The risk for Japanese encephalitis (JE) for most travelers is low, but varies by travel destination, duration, season, and activities. As part of routine surveillance and diagnostic testing, state health officials or clinicians send specimens from patients with unexplained encephalitis to CDC. To characterize the epidemiologic and clinical features of JE cases, CDC reviewed all laboratory-confirmed cases that occurred during 1992 (when a JE vaccine was first licensed in the United States) to 2008. Four cases were identified, including one previously reported. This report describes the three previously unpublished cases. All were Asian immigrants or family members who traveled to Asia to live or to visit friends or relatives and had not been vaccinated for JE. The three patients experienced fever with mental status changes, but JE was recognized early in the clinical course of only one patient. All recovered, but two patients had residual neurologic deficits. Travelers to Asia might be at increased risk for JE because of rural itineraries and lack of perceived risk. To protect against JE, travelers should seek medical advice on protective measures, including possible JE vaccination, well in advance of departure for Asia. While in Asia, travelers should use personal protective measures to reduce the risk for mosquito bites. Healthcare providers should assess the risk for JE in travelers to Asia and provide appropriate preventive or supportive treatment measures. . . .
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5827a1.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5827.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP recommendations), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
12. Reminder: July 30 is the date for CDC's Immunization Update 2009 satellite broadcast and webcast
CDC will present a satellite broadcast and webcast, Immunization Update 2009, on July 30. The live broadcast will air from 9AM ET-11:30AM ET. It will be rebroadcast the same day from 12 noon ET-2:30PM ET.
Anticipated topics include the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, seasonal influenza, rotavirus, vaccine safety, vaccine supply, "alternative" vaccination schedules, and other issues.
More program information is available at
http://www2a.cdc.gov/phtn/immupdate2009/default.asp
13. HHS commits $884 million to purchase more influenza H1N1 vaccine ingredients; White House issues text of related letter
On July 13, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release titled "HHS Purchases Additional H1N1 Vaccine Ingredients." The press release states: "The funds will be used to place additional orders for bulk H1N1 antigen and adjuvant on existing contracts with sanofi pasteur, MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, and Novartis. The vaccine ingredients will become a part of the pandemic stockpile, for use if a vaccination campaign is necessary."
On July 16, the White House issued the text of a related one-paragraph letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In it, the President writes that Congress has appropriated $7.65 billion to HHS for the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak and gives a few details on the breakdown of the appropriation.
To access complete HHS press release, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/07/20090713b.html
To access the complete White House letter, go to:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Letter-from-the-President-regarding-H1N1
14. VIS translation: Current VIS for PPSV now available in Thai
Dated 4/16/09, the current VIS for pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) is now available in Thai. IAC gratefully acknowledges Asian Pacific Health Care Venture for the translation.
For the Thai version of the VIS for PPSV, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/th_pne97.pdf
For the English version of the VIS for PPSV, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/pneum3.pdf
NOTE: The VIS for PPSV comes in additional languages, including Spanish. To access them, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_ppsv.asp Click on the link to the pertinent language.
For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 35 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis
For general information about VISs from CDC's website go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis
15. IAC's Video of the Week features a Council on Foreign Relations conference panel on H1N1 influenza
IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a 70-minute video of a Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) conference panel on the global response to H1N1. This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the United States and the Future of Global Governance. A transcript of the video is available at http://www.cfr.org/publication/19399/global_response_to_the_swine_influenza.html
The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website through July 26. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the words Video of the Week. It may take a few moments for the video to begin playing; please be patient!
Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video every Monday. To view an IAC Video of the Week from the past, go to the video archive at http://www.immunize.org/votw/jun09.asp
16. Emergency physicians issue a plan for managing novel influenza H1N1 in emergency departments
The American College of Emergency Physicians recently announced the online availability of its National Strategic Plan for Emergency Department Management of Outbreaks of Novel H1N1 Influenza. It is intended to help the nation's emergency departments and first responders plan for and manage the surge in novel H1N1 influenza cases that may arrive as early as September.
To access the plan, go to:
http://www.acep.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=45781
17. September 15 is application deadline for CDC's July 2010-June 2011 Epidemic Intelligence Service program
CDC published "Notice to Readers: Epidemic Intelligence Service Application Deadline--September 15, 2009" in the July 17 issue of MMWR. A portion of the notice is reprinted below.
Applications are now being accepted for CDC's July 2010-June 2011 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program. EIS is a 2-year, postgraduate program of service and on-the-job training for health professionals interested in the practice of epidemiology. . . .
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete notice, go to:
18. Now available from ACIP: Updated draft agenda for the July 29 special meeting and presentation slides from the June 24-26 meeting
ACIP recently updated its website with the following:
Draft meeting agenda for the July 29 special meeting on H1N1 influenza:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/downloads/agenda-jul09.pdf
Presentation slides from the June 24-26 ACIP meeting:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/slides-jun09.htm
19. Presentation slides from the June 29-July 1 meeting of the National Influenza Vaccine Summit now available
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit recently posted presentation slides from its June 29-July 1 meeting. To access them, go to:
http://www.preventinfluenza.org/presentations_2009.asp
20. Order IAC's laminated U.S. immunization schedules today!
IAC has two laminated immunization schedules for 2009--one for children/teens ages 0 through 18 years and one for adults. Based on CDC's 2009 immunization schedules, the laminated schedules offer two significant advantages over paper schedules:
(1) They are covered with a tough, washable coating that lets them stand up to a year's worth of use as guides to immunization and as teaching tools you can use to give patients and parents authoritative immunization information.
(2) Each schedule includes a guide to vaccine contraindications and precautions, a feature that will help you to make on-the-spot determinations about vaccinating patients of any age.
IAC's laminated schedules come complete with essential footnotes and are printed in color for easy reading. Each schedule has six pages (i.e., three double-sided pages), and when folded, measures 8.5" x 11".
An image of each schedule is available, as is specific information about each, and a downloadable order form and online ordering information.
To access an image of the child/teen schedule and related information, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/shop/schedule_child.asp
To access an image of the adult schedule and related information, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/shop/schedule_adult.asp
Prices start at $10 each for 1-4 copies and drop to $6.50 each for 5-19 copies. Discount pricing is available for 20 or more copies. For quotes on customizing or placing orders in excess of 999 schedules, call (651) 647-9009 or email mailto:admininfo@immunize.org
21. HHS sponsors 2009 influenza prevention PSA contest; deadline for submissions is August 17
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently launched a new public service announcement (PSA) contest. The goal is to encourage more Americans to get involved in the nation's flu preparedness efforts by making a 15-second or 30-second PSA. The winning PSA will be featured on national television, and the winner will receive a prize of $2,500. The deadline for submissions is August 17.
For information about the contest and for contest rules, go to: http://www.flu.gov/psa
22. July 17 MMWR includes previously published MMWR Dispatch article about ICU patients with H1N1 influenza
The July 17 issue of MMWR includes an article, "Intensive-Care Patients with Severe Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection--Michigan, June 2009." It was previously published as a MMWR Dispatch on July 10 and was covered in the July 13 issue of IAC Express. Links to the article and entire July 17 MMWR issue follow:
To access a web-text version of "Intensive-Care Patients with Severe Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection--Michigan, June 2009," go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5827a4.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the July 17 issue of MMWR, go to:
23. Early Childhood Health and Immunization Summit scheduled for September 14-15 in Las Vegas
The Nevada Immunization Coalition's "NV'r Miss A Shot: 2009 Early Childhood Health and Immunization Summit" will be held in Las Vegas on September 14-15. The keynote speaker is Dr. Paul A. Offit, chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, and director, Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
To access the conference brochure, which includes a mail-in registration form, go to:
http://immunizenevada.com/documents/document_78.pdf
To register online, go to:
https://esimgt.org/eventcontroller?eventid=1&action=register
24. Shots for Tots conference planned for October 29 in New Orleans
The annual Shots for Tots conference will be held in New Orleans on October 29. The keynote speaker is Dr. Anne Schuchat, director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC.
http://www.shotsfortots.com/docs/conference1.pdf
25. International Neonatal and Maternal Immunization Symposium to be held November 8-9 in Antalya, Turkey
The International Neonatal and Maternal Immunization Symposium (INMIS 2009) will be held in Antalya, Turkey, on November 8-9 2009. Sponsors include the Turkish Pediatric Infectious Disease Society, European Society of Pediatric Infectious Disease, and PATH. The deadline for abstract submissions is August 5.
To access comprehensive information about the program, speakers, registration, and more, go to:
http://www.inmis2009.org


text:
Q: How to create a array in python that searches a string for a particular tag and places the output into a return Currently i have the below code in python:
def get(x):
    up, up1, up2, up3, up4 = "" ,"" ,"","" , ""

    x = x.split(", ")
    for i in x:
        if "Up_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up1_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up1 = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up2_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up2 = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up3_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up3 = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up4_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up4 = str(i) + ', '

    return (str(up) + str(up1) + str(up2) + str(up3) + str(up4))[:-2]

although this functions fine for what i have at the moment if any tags where to be added that contained Up_5 onwards to Up10_ then the function would stop working.
What i want to do is put together a function that searches the "tags" column for any tags containing "Up_" & "Up*_" the * (in SQL terms will return anything with a value between the Up & . Not sure if there is a functionality for this in python) then whatever the array finds is placed in another array that only contains Up and Up*_ tags then applies this to another column.
+---+----------+-------+------------+-----------+--------------+
| product_id |  sku  | total_sold |   tags    | total_images |
+---+----------+-------+------------+-----------+--------------+
| geggre     | rgerg |        456 | Up1_, Up2 |            5 |
+---+----------+-------+------------+-----------+--------------+

want it to look like:
+---+----------+-------+------------+-----------+--------------+-------+
| product_id |  sku  | total_sold |   tags    | total_images | Count |
+---+----------+-------+------------+-----------+--------------+-------+
| ggeggre    | rgerg |        456 | Up1_, Up2 |            5 |     2 |
+---+----------+-------+------------+-----------+--------------+-------+

I already have the count tag thanks to another user:
data["total_tags"] = data["tags"].apply(lambda x : len(x.split(',')))
I just need to know how to created the above array to simplify my if statements and have it to include upto Up10_ tags too.
also this is my python that uses the get and appends the "tags" column to only include the Up tags:
data['tags'] = data['tags'].apply(get)

FULL SCRIPT FOR CONTEXT:

# impoting padas module with an alias of pd
import pandas as pd

# get function assigned to x (x values: up, up1, up2, up3, up4)
def get(x):
    up, up1, up2, up3, up4 = "" ,"" ,"","" , ""

    x = x.split(", ")
    for i in x:
        if "Up_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up1_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up1 = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up2_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up2 = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up3_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up3 = str(i) + ', '
        if "Up4_" in i:
            # print(i)
            up4 = str(i) + ', '
    # returns the values within a string if each maches, it also removed -2 characters
    return (str(up) + str(up1) + str(up2) + str(up3) + str(up4))[:-2]
# data contains the content of the data200.csv file using pandas read_csv function
data = pd.read_csv('data200.csv')

#defines the tags column to equal what up_ tags are in the tags column using the get function
data['tags'] = data['tags'].apply(get)

#
data = data[ (data['tags'] == "") == False]

#creates a new column called total_tags and returns a count of how many elements are between commas
data["total_tags"] = data["tags"].apply(lambda x : len(x.split(',')))

# prints first 5 lines of csv
print(data.head())
# exports everything to test.csv and removes the index column
data.to_csv("test.csv", index = False)

A: You can use regular expressions for that:
import re

def get(x):
    x = x.split(", ")
    out_str = ''
    for tag in x:
        if re.search("^Up\d*_", tag):
            t = re.match("^Up\d*_", tag)
            t = t.group(0)
            out_str += t + ','
    return out_str[:-1]
print(get("Up1_, AS3_, Up2_, Up_, AS_"))

Output:
Up1_,Up2_,Up_

Is this what you were searching for? If you only want the numbers 0-9 in you tag you can change the * in the regex to a ?:
if re.search("^Up\d?_", tag):
     t = re.match("^Up\d?_", tag)

EDIT:
After your edit I know better what you mean and you could simply do:
data['tags'] = data['tags'].apply(lambda x : ",".join(re.findall("Up\d*_", x)))

Or:
data['tags'] = data['tags'].apply(lambda x : ",".join(re.findall("Up\d?_", x)))

Depending if you want only a maximum of one digit between Up and _ or if any number of digits is allowed. Please pay attention, that in the findall() approach the ^ is removed, since we are not only searching from the beginning of the string, but through the whole string for all occurrences.
EDIT 2:
Okay to summarize the comments and additional information gained by those comments you probably want something like this:
data['tags'] = data['tags'].apply(lambda x : ",".join(re.findall("[Uu]p\d?_\S*(?=,)", x)))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
BAROQUE FILMS
FILM/TV PRODUCTION
Purs-Sangs – Wild Horses
Rapailler l'homme
Récupérateurs S01
Shotgun Ménard
Victorieux à deux
C.A.R.E. | DPJ
WIZZKID
Mongol TV
Taverne Mobile
Television Series | Série télévisée
13 x 60 min // *22 x 60 min
Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Neo-Noir | Drame, Mystère, Suspense, Néo-noir
TV-MA | 18+ // *TV-PG | 8+
In Development | En développement
Emily Miller (25), the mysterious new recruit for the Child Abuse Reporting Emergency (C.A.R.E.) team, is far more than what she pretends to be. Beyond what she goes through on her personal quest, Emily is witness to several shocking events with the families she's investigating, which will touch and mark her deeply. C.A.R.E. is a dramatic television series based on true events.
Amélie Faucher (25 ans), la mystérieuse nouvelle recrue de l'équipe d'intervention d'urgence de la Direction de la Protection de la Jeunesse (DPJ), est bien plus que ce qu'elle prétend être. Au-delà de ce qu'elle traverse dans sa quête personnelle, Emily est témoin de plusieurs événements choquants avec les familles sur lesquelles elle enquête, ce qui la touchera et la marquera profondément. DPJ est une série télévisée dramatique basée sur des événements réels.
CREATIVE TEAM | ÉQUIPE DE CRÉATION
Érik Canuel - Director/Scriptwriter | Réalisateur/Scénariste
Born in Montreal, Érik Canuel's impressive career has spanned music videos, commercials, films and television.
His film credits include Hemingway: A Portrait (Genie Award for Best Short Documentary), La Loi du Cochon, Nez Rouge, The Last Tunnel, The Outlander, Cadavers, Lac Mystère, Undercover Grandpa, Barrymore (Special Jury Prize for Artistic Merit at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival), and Bon Cop Bad Cop, the highest grossing Canadian film of all-time.
His extensive international television credits include The Hunger, Seriously Weird, Fortier (Gemini nomination for Best Director), Charlie Jade, Dead Zone, Lost Girl, Rookie Blue, Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, Flashpoint, The Art of More, 19-2 (CSA nomination for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series), and Transporter 2; The Series. Erik served as Co-Executive Producer and Director on the IFC mini-series Bullet in the Face as well as the CBS/TFI/CTV series Ransom. He just finished shooting the last four episodes of Transplant, a hugely successful Sphere Media/CTV/NBC series debuted in February 2020.
Scriptwriter Credits
2016 "9" (Screenplay - Uncredited Collaboration)
2013 Lac Mystère (Screenplay Collaboration)
2012 Sur les traces de la fusion: L'acte 3 (Short) (Screenplay)
2011 Barrymore (Screen adaptation)
2006 Bon Cop Bad Cop (Screenplay - Uncredited)
2004 Le Dernier Tunnel (Screenplay Collaboration)
1999 Hemingway: A Portrait (Short) (Screenplay - Uncredited)
Olivier Adam - Scriptwriter | Scénariste
Son of filmmaker, Olivier Adam made his first appearance in cinema at the age of 3 years old. At age 12, he was assistant editor on a feature film having won numerous awards. And at 18, he wrote and directed his first docudrama on the international cooperation program Canada World Youth.
In 1994, Olivier opened his production company CyberFilms. Scriptwriter, director and editor, he produced many music groups and advertising agencies looking for the video clip dynamic style. Author in his spare time, after his first movie in 2010 he decided to focus on conception, screenwriting and production for the cinema and television.
Olivier has university degrees in Screenwriting, Creative Writing and Communications, a Baccalaureate in Arts (BA) and completed the Master's degree program in Multimedia. He was Grand jury and President of the juries for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television during the French Gemini Awards (prix Gémeaux) in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2019.
Nicolas Canuel - Scriptwriter | Scénariste
Born in Montréal, an actor's child, Nicolas Canuel grew in a theatrical environment and has never left the community. After obtaining a diploma in acting, he participated in more than 12 theater productions, more than 40 films and TV series, and performed in more than 18 outstanding roles. As a songwriter, he released a first album in addition to writing and composing more than fifty musical pieces for TV.
Well known as a versatile actor, he stands out in the roles of the crazy priest of "Sur Le Seuil" or in the character of "St-Amant" in the series "Temps Dur". He also captivated us in: "Ma Fille Mon Ange",The Last Tunnel, Bluff, "La Maison Du Pêcheur", "Les Exs", "Les Sœurs Elliot", "Le 7e Round", "Les Lavigueur", "Elle Veut Le Chaos", "Au Nom De La Loi" and not to be forgotten his interpretation of "Rivière" in "La Run" where he was nominated as best supporting actor. And recently, was part of the huge tv success "Fugueuse".
In addition to his passion for cinema and television, he has always been interested in scriptwriting. After having developed projects with Cinemaginaire, Téléfiction and Locomotion, the encounter with Olivier Adam created a great synergy for writing the C.A.R.E. project.
Marc S. Grenier - Producer | Producteur
Marc is a producer and director. After having directed commercials for more than fifteen years and winning several international awards, Marc went on to direct and produce six feature films for the US and international market.
He produced documentaries and fiction series that have distinguished themselves in Canada and abroad, winning several Gémeaux Awards for: Achieving the Unachievable, Serial Frank and Les Lavigueur (CFTPA Indie Awards – Best Mini-Series). The latter two series were also adapted for broadcast in Greece and Spain. In 2011, he co-founded Baroque, where he produced the Mongol TV project, and many documentary series among others. He presently sits on several boards and is regularly invited to give conferences abroad. Marc has a wife and four daughters and disappears a few times a year to go fly fishing.
Réalisation Direction Érik Canuel
Idée originale Original Idea Olivier Adam
Scénario Script Olivier Adam, Nicolas Canuel, Érik Canuel
Recherche Research Olivier Adam, Nicolas Canuel
Musique Music Jean-Yves André
Producteurs exécutifs Executive Producer Marc S. Grenier, Olivier Adam, Nicolas Canuel
Producteur Producer Marc S. Grenier

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Why is sshd engaging PAM still? Background/Behavior is: if you ssh to box via and GSSAPI/Kerberos succeeds and you have a local user in /etc/passwd, you login fine per below PAM config. All Good there.
But if you don't have a local user in /etc/passwd but you can get a host/XXXXXX service ticket (GSSAPI works), sshd fails the login and never get prompts for SecurID (our pam radius points to a SecurID). I understand that. Since the server 'authenticated' the user and pam_unix knows the user is not in /etc/passwd, there's no need to engage any other auth methods.
However, my question is why is it if I first run kdestroy (intentionally have GSSAPI fail), (and still don't exist in /etc/passwd) do I all of a sudden get a  Securid prompt (i.e PAM is engaged)?
Running sshd with debug shows: postponed keyboard-interactive for invalid user "user". First, why wouldn't it simply fail? Second why delay? pam_radius is 'requisite', not 'required'.
I would expect to also to simply fail because even though I have not authenticated, I never going to get past pam_unix.
Files:
/etc/ssh/sshd_config
....
ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes
GSSAPIAuthentication            yes
HostbasedAuthentication         no
KerberosAuthentication          no
PasswordAuthentication          no
PubkeyAuthentication            yes
RhostsRSAAuthentication         no
RSAAuthentication               yes
UsePAM                          yes
....

/etc/pam.d/sshd
auth       requisite        pam_radius_auth.so conf=pam_radius_auth.conf debug retry=3
auth       required     pam_nologin.so
auth     required     pam_krb5.so.1
account  sufficient      pam_radius_auth.so conf=pam_radius_auth.conf
account    required     pam_stack.so service=system-auth
password   required     pam_stack.so service=system-auth
session    required     pam_stack.so service=system-auth
session    required     pam_limits.so
session    optional     pam_console.so

/etc/pam.d/system-auth
auth        required      pam_env.so
auth        sufficient    pam_krb5.so.1
auth        sufficient    pam_unix.so
auth        required      pam_deny.so
account     required      pam_unix.so
password    required      pam_cracklib.so retry=3
password    sufficient    pam_unix.so use_authtok md5 shadow
password    required      pam_deny.so
session     required      pam_limits.so
session     required      pam_unix.so

A: GSSAPI authentication is not handled by PAM. The PAM module for kerberos is used for password authentication of a user, using the kerberos protocol to obtain a valid ticket.
There are 3 outcomes of the GSSAPI authentication.

*

*Authentication failed because credentials were sent but the credentials were invalid.

*Authentication succeeded using the credentials presented.

*Authentication is ignored because no credentials were supplied.

If the outcome is 1, the request is denied outright as a token was sent but failed. SSHD does not attempt other authentication methods.
If the outcome is 3, sshd will next attempt other authentication methods, which includes the PAM auth section.
I am not familiar with pam_radius but I assume it requests an authentication token regardless of whether or not the user exists for security reasons. Having it fail immediately indicates to a user/attacker that such a user does not exist, so from a process of elimination you could enumerate users.
As for the "requisite" option, in the stack setup given "required" and "requisite" have the same affect. pam_krb can not request a ticket without a valid user anyway so it would end up failing immediately.
For the config given pam_unix is not used for authentication but authorization, this is a step that occurs after authentication. To clarify; authentication deals with proving you are who you say you are, whilst authorization deals with you having correct permissions to do what you want to do (which in this case is login).


Help University of Adelaide researchers Chelsea Graham and Dr Stephen Pyecroft save the Tasmanian devil for the next generation using world-first stem cell research.
Adelaide stem-cell research promising to cure the Tassie devil facial tumour disease is raising money using a crowd-funding campaign launched today.
University of Adelaide PhD candidate Chelsea Graham is collecting fresh teeth from dead devils, extracting stem cells and testing them in the lab at SAHMRI.
These cells hold the key to understanding the devastating devil facial tumour disease, caused by a Schwann cell gone horribly wrong, she said.
"Stem cells can differentiate into multiple different types of cells in the body, including Schwann cells, which is the cell in the devil that has become cancerous," she said.
The next step will be stem-cell therapy to treat the disease in sick devils and hopefully lead to a potential cure.
Research supervisor and senior lecturer Dr Stephen Pyecroft was among the first to realise the disease was a transmissible cancer. It is one of only a handful of cancers known to spread like a contagious disease. Then when Dr Pyecroft heard neurologist Professor Simon Koblar talk about research using stem cells from human molars to treat stroke patients, he realised the same approach could potentially treat devil facial tumours.
But finding the funding to explore the idea has proven challenging, so the researchers have turned to the public for support using the crowd-funding platform Pozible.
The crowd-funding "all or nothing" campaign aims to raise $5000 by Christmas.
It follows the success of last year's "World First Water Filtration System" campaign, which raised $32,284 for the production and distribution of cheap water purification kits in SA's sister state Rajasthan, in India.
Because SA only has a small devil population in captivity, Ms Graham goes to Tasmania to collect the teeth when they become available. She needs to work quickly, with only 24-48 hours to return the canines to SAHMRI before they are rendered unusable.
"Any support is greatly appreciated, it will allow me to get access to more samples, to further the work that I'm currently doing," Ms Graham said.


text:
Terry Schrick was born on a cotton, wheat and cattle farm in southwest Oklahoma in 1938. He wanted to stay in agriculture, but the 1950s Soil Bank program took most of the available farmland in the Midwest out of production, and so Terry decided to become an agricultural educator. He got a masters degree from Oklahoma State University and then found a job in Wilbur, Nebraska. His student livestock judging teams won many contests. Terry also served as the executive director of the Nebraska Pork Producers for many years. Recently, he retired, but he still raises sheep on an acreage.
Judge: "Well, it's sure been a pleasure to come up to York and judge the heifer's part of your County Fair."
Terry: "The judging, you learn to look at that animal live and then visualize what it's going to be when we have a carcass. And that is a skill that they learn. These youngsters are involved with either the county program or a local school program with FFA. They are allowed to bring so many animals to the fair. And we bring them there to pick up these skills of both showing and fitting. And when we talk about fitting, it's just like some people get up and really go through the process of getting their hair just so, and primp. We do that with our livestock."
Judge: "Here's a heifer with a lot of product and meat and muscle in her…"
Terry: "That's what the judges are looking for, is that top overall animal… It's one person's opinion that day. It's official, but it doesn't mean you're 100 percent right. As this old world has continued to change, what our desires are in that livestock has changed. And let's just take the hogs because I worked for pork producers all those years. Back then, and the youngsters don't know it, during the war they primarily wanted a very fat animal. They weren't looking at the red meat. They was looking at fat so that oil could be used for so many things. So that was where we were. In the 50s, we're coming out of that again already. So, we're trying to lean those animals up. In other words, get less fat on them. You look at that on these animals, whether it be cattle or hogs or sheep, visualize what you're doing. You're going from a short, fat animal to your length of them. And the other thing, you can't just stop just with the meat product. You've also got to tie in their ability to gain on the least amount of feed that you can because it's efficiency that we're looking for…
"I always told my youngsters when they were judging, they [the animals have] got to be very sound, physically sound, you know, on feet and legs in order to carry that body and put the red meat muscle on there versus the fat…
"This technology has changed so fast that they're using the genetic testing and everything now and following it all the way through back. And they're really selecting the cattle that will go ahead and marble, which is internal marbling to make that meat tender but still do the gain. In other words, they don't want any more fat on that animal than they have to as long as it'll marble. And you can do that with less fat on them."
Judge: "And then we've got this big old massive Simmental [cattle breed] down there. And then we think about why we brought the Simmental or the Continental breeds into the United States. And that was to give us growth and mass, and to teach us a lesson that maybe these 'belt-buckle' cattle that we were raising back in the the 60s and early 70s weren't what we needed to please our consumers. And over the last three or four decades now, we've bred that into those cattle and they're very functional and play a very important part of our industry. This female, when I look at her, tremendous depth of body…
Judge: "Congratulations, young lady."
Winner: "Thank you."
Terry Schrick – Livestock Judging
Other Excerpts from Terry Schrick's Interview:
Ag Education
The "International Man"
Custom Combining
Soil Bank Program
Lobbying for Ag


Happy first day of April everyone. May you avoid any fooling and foolishness today.
If only. Now I'm hungry!
Love Cat Power. One of my favorite artists. Thanks for posting!
She's brilliant, isn't she? Always good to find an excuse to listen to one of her songs.


Welcome to the world of Ukhane in Marathi language. Ukhane app will inspire you to follow our very own Indian tradition.
During wedding events, everyone will surround the newly wed couple and ask them to say few couplet. The actual couplet is called a Ukhana. The Ukhanes are usually quite humorous, making it one of the wedding game.
We are on a mission to make Ukhane list handy and useful for most of the Marathi people worldwide. This is a small attempt to keep Ukhane culture alive in today's modern lifestyle.
In Marathi culture, Ukhane is one of the key element of life style. It was a practice in olden time in India that when asked about name of one's spouse, he/she would not take it directly but through a couplet.
Every Marathi community knows about Ukhane, but when needed no one will remember on time. For those people Ukhane application is a quick and easy solution, specially in Marathi language. This application cover almost most of the possible categories which anyone can think of to use 365 days and for any event.
First time ever get Marathi Ukhane in digital colorful format on your smart phones/tablet and browse through variety of different categories for female and male. Beautiful images representing Ukhane for different categories.
Useful in Marriages, House warming ceremony, Dohale Jevan, Baby naming ceremony, Pooja, Mangalagaur and other festive season etc, this also include many funny Ukhane for jolly people. Also there are a lot of Ukhane which is for 24 x 7, no need to wait for any occasion and festival, take Ukhana for your love one at anytime, anywhere you like.
Discover, add to favorite and share Ukhane with friends and family and loved ones via different social networking option within application.
We'd love to hear your feedback. Please send us your ideas for improving Ukhane app by popping an email to info@sharaai.com and we'll get back to you.


text:
1 Sep, 2016 16:46
HomeOp-ed
'Why is Clinton using Russia as punching bag for her electoral contest?'
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton © Chris Keane © Reuters
Hillary Clinton is not simply trying to beat Donald Trump in the US Presidential race, she is demonstrating a neo-conservative comeback, where demonizing Russia will be the hallmark of her foreign policy, Brian Becker of the Answer Coalition told RT.
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton once again accused Russia of being behind the hacking of Democratic National Committee (DNC) computers.
A number of US media outlets claim Russia has also been targeting electoral systems in at least two American states, Illinois and Arizona.
However, the only evidence provided by the US government so far has been 'anonymous FBI workers'.
FBI recovers 30 #Clinton emails possibly linked to Benghazi attack — State Dept. https://t.co/6Jfun0NAEipic.twitter.com/JhNsziTaOo
— RT America (@RT_America) 31 августа 2016 г.
RT: After the White House did not officially confirm that Russia was behind the DNC hacks, why is Hillary continuing to push for it?
Brian Becker: Right, there is no presented evidence by the US government; it refuses to present evidence; it refuses to affirm that there is evidence that Russia's behind the hack of the DNC, or now that voter data registration base in the state of Illinois and state of Arizona. And yet Hillary Clinton blithely says in front of the American foreign legion: "Russia did this, and China is doing it too." And then she uses it; she sets up a straw dog and then beats the straw dog – the unfulfilled, unproven straw dog. She hits it with the assertion that we have to step up our game; … and she said in her speech: "Those who are carrying out cyber-attacks against us should be treated the way we would treat anyone who carries out any kind of military attack against us, and they must face the consequences," meaning the US must be prepared to go to war against those who are going to war against it. And again these are unproven allegations.
So why is Clinton using Russia as a punching bag for her electoral contest? Is it just to try to paint Donald Trump as the Manchurian Candidate of the Russians? Or does this reflect the real hawkish hard-line view – so hard-line, I would say more right-wing than any other US president, or president to be, at least since Ronald Reagan, in terms of foreign policy toward Russia. I think it's the latter, I think it's not simply trying to defeat Trump; this is the real Hillary Clinton – the neo-conservative comeback, the demonization of Russia will be the hallmark of her foreign policy.
RT: Does this Russia-blame-game help Clinton in the race for the White House?
BB: It is so interesting that even though Bernie Sanders led a left-wing upraising insurgency against the Democratic Party establishment, against Clinton – once she secured the nomination by day two of the DNC, Clinton has moved steadily to the right. She is embracing and has the support of 150 of the right-wing Republican hawk foreign policy elite. She has got the support of Robert Kagan, the neo-conservative godfather and also the husband of Victoria Nuland…
She [Clinton] was the champion, the demander of the war against Libya; she wants a no-fly zone in Syria. She really is a right-wing hawk, but dressed up as a Democratic Party centrist, and that seems to be acceptable...
Grand distraction
Clinton thinks blaming Russia she can get a lot of good resonance from the American people, as they are very malnourished on the truth since media doesn't tell them the truth, said former CIA officer Ray McGovern.
Clinton camp head alleges Russian hack & release of DNC emails to aid Trump, cites 'press & experts'
RT: After the White House didn't officially confirm that Russia was behind the DNC hacks, why does Hillary continue to push for it?
Ray McGovern: Initially it was the grand distraction. What happened was – that WikiLeaks through a leak, not a hack, confirmed that Hillary Clinton stole the nomination from Bernie Sanders. It was very embarrassing. How are they going to divert attention from that? - "It was Russia's fault?" How does that figure? Well, they constructed the syllogism where Mr. Putin wants Trump to win. Therefore, Mr. Putin wants to harm Hillary – "therefore, it must be the Russians!" But it wasn't the Russians, it was WikiLeaks. "Oh, well, WikiLeaks must be working for the Russians." It's childish, it's adolescent. But apparently Clinton thinks that she can get a lot of good resonance from this from the American people, who are very malnourished on the truth, given the fact that the media doesn't tell them the truth.
RT: The DNC hacks led to the resignation of some of the party's senior figures. Why doesn't Clinton focus on that while blaming Russia for everything?
RM: That led to the resignation of the top five figures in the DNC. She doesn't focus on that because that is too embarrassing. The question would be asked: "Why did they have to quit?" And the answer of course is that these emails showed that they deliberately stacked the deck. They deliberately stole the nomination for Clinton. What surprises me is that Sanders just sits back and says: "Oh, well, ok, they stole the nomination from me. It must be the Russian fault somehow…"
Trends:US Elections 2016


BC Cancer launched the second phase of the Personalized Onco-Genomics project, which sequences the DNA of individual patients to guide treatment. This project identified a life-altering treatment option for a patient with advanced cancer that dramatically reduced the cancer to barely detectable in weeks.
Cancer Cell published BC Cancer research that brings new hope for the treatment of high-risk childhood sarcomas – a cancer that has seen almost no treatment improvement in the last 20 years in spite of intense research efforts.
BC Cancer researchers were featured in Nature as part of a special issue highlighting 20 papers that are the outcome of a seven year project mapping the epigenome. A better understanding of the epigenome may assist in the design of new cancer treatments.
BC Cancer researchers developed a predictive test for follicular lymphoma.
Researchers at BC Cancer and Simon Fraser University announced a ground-breaking method to identify and separate stem cells that reside in the tonsils. Their research, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, shed new light on the fight against oral cancer.
Scientists at BC Cancer and the University of British Columbia made an important advance towards understanding the cellular changes that can lead to human breast cancer, producing breast cancer from normal human breast cells using a single cancer gene.
A prostate cancer drug developed by researchers at BC Cancer and the University of British Columbia entered human clinical trials. The drug is designed to target and shut down metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer when other treatments have failed.
BC Cancer oncologist Dr. David Huntsman was named one of the Canadian Cancer Society's Top 10 Research Impact Stories of 2015 for his research on the genetic risk of an aggressive form of stomach cancer.
Dr. Marco Marra, Director of the Genome Sequence Centre at BC Cancer, received the UBC Faculty of Medicine's $50,000 Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Prize in Cancer Research, one of the most lucrative honours awarded by a Canadian university.


We are very concerned about SB 243, which would allow for the first time the taking of DNA from anyone arrested but not yet convicted of a crime in Nevada. We stand in strong opposition to such proposed legislation.
The use of DNA profiling in criminal investigations can bring benefits to society by helping to solve crimes and assisting in the enforcement of the rule of law. However, DNA farming and warehousing of the sort contemplated by SB 243 is not a legitimate means of identifying individuals who have been merely arrested but nether tried nor convicted of any crime.
Unlike other established forms of identification such as fingerprints, DNA analysis is a window into an individual's medical history as well as that of his or her entire family. Furthermore it can be used for a wider range of surveillance methods, from familial searches to DNA-based profiling. Considering the immense weight of information that DNA carries, allowing law enforcement to seize an individual's DNA for no other reason than that they are under arrest, is to give law enforcement uncontrolled and unprecedented access to the private lives of the citizens of Nevada.
This is particularly so, because the collection of DNA upon arrest is not for the purposes of identification of an individual. The individual has already been identified at the time DNA is collected. Rather, the taking of DNA upon arrest is to investigate individuals for crimes unrelated to the crime for which they were even arrested. Because only a fraction of those who are arrested are ultimately charged and convicted, however, this practice necessarily will permit the government to collect DNA from and conduct DNA based surveillance on innocent Nevada citizens. Adding innocent individuals to DNA databases will not solve crimes.
That any bill in Nevada would sanction taking DNA from innocent persons is disturbing, but the practice visits a special and severe harm upon minorities. Members of minority groups are arrested in disproportionate numbers, and a disproportionate percentage of innocent arrestees are therefore likely to be minorities. As a result, many DNA profiles of innocent minorities will be continuously searched as part of law enforcement investigations that could include cold hit searches, familial searches, and DNA-based racial profiling.
Across the country, forensic DNA labs have had problems with cross-contamination of samples, mislabeling, misinterpretation of samples and in some cases outright fraud. The expansion of DNA collection practices has also increased the statistical probability for false matches and error, which can occur by chance or through poor laboratory practice and cause terrible miscarriages of justice. Collecting the DNA from innocent individuals upon arrest will necessarily subject them to these rarely mentioned but very real harms.
Finally, law enforcement agencies in Nevada are already burdened with limited resources and straining under a backlog created by current DNA collection and database practices. Collecting the DNA of a large new class of innocent individuals will only serve to hinder law enforcement's capacity to investigate and prosecute crimes.
We urge you to reconsider SB 243.


BENGALURU: The top leadership of the Janata Dal (Secular), led by former prime minister H.D.Deve Gowda and incumbent Karnataka chief minister H.D.Kumaraswamy, on Wednesday hit back at the Congress, baring the growing divide between the coalition partners ahead of the parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held later this year.
Gowda warning his alliance partner of trouble if the national leadership of the party does not rein in its leaders.
"Even now we will not let the Congress face any uncertainty, but on one condition that if they don't stop making such statements things may go out of control," Gowda said at the national executive meet in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The constant bickering between the coalition partners and growing factionalism within the Congress giving some hope to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that has been awaiting another opportunity to form the government in Karnataka to help it further penetrate it to other south Indian states. The BJP is hopeful that the differences between the coalition partners would dent the alliance' prospects in the upcoming parliamentary elections which they have decided to contest together. The BJP has also been accused of trying to poach disgruntled members of the coalition to help it bring down the government.
The Congress, that has lost some of its potential allies in states like Uttar Pradesh and other places, putting its alliance with the JD(S) at risk that could further dent its prospects of leading opposition parties against PM Narendra Modi-led BJP government.
Kumaraswamy also hit back stating that he will not be able to 'tolerate' remarks against his leadership by members of the Congress. The CM's reactions coming days after at least three Congress leaders accused Kumaraswamy of poor governance and praising the works of his predecessor, Siddaramaiah.
S.T.Somashekar of the Congress has since been cautioned by the Congress for making the statements, that could further erode trust between the two parties, who have shared a tempestuous past.
Kumaraswamy argued that several of the big ticket projects like metro, peripheral ring road and other infrastructure developments were first given approval during his first stint as CM in 2006. After assuming office, CM has given approval to recommence projects like PRR that had not been developed by successive governments.
Though the Congress has given its support to the JD(S) for the full term, the fragile coalition has faced more than its share of turbulence since they both came together after the state's electorate handed a fractured verdict in the May assembly elections, raising questions on the stability of the government.


text:
Q: How Do I Wire Battery? I'm working on a little project of building a wireless speaker box, I'm getting some help from my dad as he used to build and sell speakers for DJ's as a hobby so that side is all sorted but what I'm having a bit of worry with is the correct way to wire the battery.
I would need the battery to charge from an input on the side of the box and provide power to the amplifier, what I was wondering is if it would be as simple as getting a 12/24v input Example and connecting it to the terminals on the battery and if I am able to connect the amplifier to the terminals too or would need anything extra, I was thinking about using this battery or similar: Battery

A: You should include fuses one for charging and one for discharge.
Do you want the amp to work while charging? If not, then you need a disconnect to turn the amp off while charging - there are some connectors / jacks that do this, check out the connector suppliers.
What have you considered to control charging or turn it off once the battery is charged?

A: The AGM battery that you linked to requires a special charger made for that type of battery. You cannot directly connect it to a 12 volt supply for charging.
If you use an improper charging scheme, there is the possibility that the battery will vent hydrogen which is quite explosive. The battery life will also be greatly shortened.
More advanced circuits bring in 12 volts to operate the electronics and have a special charger for the battery that operates off the same 12 volts. These systems often will use a technique called diode isolation that ensures the battery is used only when the 12 volts is not available.
The OP asked in comments about battery types for this application. For the sake of replication, I will walk through a little bit of the engineering first.
The amplifier sited is a 50 watt per channel, 2 channel amp. But this is not the power the amp will require on a continous basis. In sound engineering, there is a metric called the crest factor.  This expresses the peak to average power ratio of the source. This can vary according to genre, artist, etc. Bands like the Eagles and the Beatles had crest factors approaching 20 dB. That is a 100 to 1 power ratio.
So if we want to be a purist, we should run the amplifier at 1/100th on the average of its maximum power to leave headroom for undistorted peaks of these artists. In the case of a 50 watt amp, this means running it at 0.5 watts average. Take note though that most amps have significant distortion when operating at their stated maximum output power.
For the sake of this example, let's set the average power at 5 watts (allowing a 10 dB crest factor). So two channels is then 10 watts. If we assume 75% efficiency for the class E amp and BT, this is a total power requirement of ~ 15 watts.
Now we need to determine how long it needs to run before being recharged. I will use 4 hours for this example. 15 watts times 4 hours is 60 watt-hours. If the power source is 12 volts, this is 5 amp-hours (60 watt-hours / 12 volts).
Battery amp-hours ratings are over a 20 hour period. If we shorten that period, the capacity is reduced. For a 4 hour discharge period, derate the battery by 30%. This brings the battery requirement to ~7 amp-hours. So with these numbers your chosen battery should work. But you have all the assumptions and math so you can rework things to suit your preferences.
You could also consider using 4 Lithium Ion cells of a similar amp-hour rating. These too require special charging but it may be simpler to have them removable in order to plug them in a bespoke charger. With removable batteries, you can always have a second set to plug in while one set is charging.


DRaaS Guide - Whats your plan?
There are dozens of myths, misunderstandings and uncertainties about IT Disaster Recovery as a Service. Is the service secure and reliable? Is it cost-effective compared to in-house DRaaS solutions? You can learn more about DRaaS in our new guide, which details the ins and outs of disaster recovery as a service for new and experienced users alike.


YurizanB xxtheMisSTresSxx livejasmin. MikiKatoX. TsSexycock9inc. VioletaLilac.
MiaMiamorxGoddessAIRAxxxKarrieDunnBangTrigger .EvaHornyAllyceGoddessLilPinkPantherBABYDOLL951 .TRANSlatinWETQueenofEgyptuRDREAMtopWIFEXXASIANsweetALEXA .01LadyGlamourSorleenamuslimSexyAthlete1RafaelSantana .VioletaLilacpollysweet18HugoMacyvaiolethlopez .pollysweet18AbbyAXa000CrystalEyesTRANSlatinWET .AbbyAXLeila4Luva000CrystalEyesmystery90 .TreWoodMalinkkaaaAhotbabexLeila4Luv .SthefanyMialexsisfayeClaireArdenaTsSexycock9inc .naughtyelizibethHoneyBritneyCherryAmyGentleAtika .EroticEbony21CherryAmyLizaforSexMikiKatoX .
Sakura21inchiMikiKatoXvanesazeveLucyBraun .LeonellebradorionAmazingSashaPinkLatinhotdevilx .BABYDOLL95101LadyGlamourQueenofEgyptnaughtyelizibeth .CharmingBBWa000CrystalEyesa000CrystalEyesSexyAthlete1 .FhobiaHotBustyAlliceSHANIZAJACKSONMikylicious .MiaMiamorvaiolethlopezChasserOneNasstyAngel .LizaforSexSexyAthlete1bellaMichelleRafaelSantana .vaiolethlopezLucineMelodyLilPinkPantherNicoleQuin .01SexyAnneAhotbabexLeila4LuvSHANIZAJACKSON .NikiMoonNikiMoonRafaelSantanaPetiteLana .YOSHIMAALucyBraunNaughtyBabyD0lla000CrystalEyes .


text:
Old Firm Summit
– in the Scottish Parliament on 10th March 2011.
Alert me about debates like this
« Previous debate
All Scottish Parliament debates on 10 Mar 2011
Next debate »
Anne McLaughlin Scottish National Party
4. To ask the First Minister what progress was made at the summit on Tuesday 8 March concerning the disorder at and following recent old firm football matches. (S3F-2954)
Link to this speech In context Individually
Official Report source
Alex Salmond First Minister of Scotland, Leader, Scottish National Party
The Scottish Government, at the request of Strathclyde Police, was happy to convene Tuesday's summit to chart a way forward. There was good will from all parties in addressing the issues that we know are our collective responsibility. There is no place in football for those who let their passion for the game become violence or their pride in it become bigotry. These issues will not be resolved overnight. I know that the chamber is united in supporting that continuing process and the work of the action group that came out of Tuesday's meeting.
Does the First Minister agree that one of the biggest concerns about football violence is related domestic violence? That is not caused by football, nor is it caused by alcohol. Football gives the excuse; alcohol turns thoughts into actions. Until we, as a society, tackle the underlying issues that allow some men to think that violence is acceptable behaviour, all the summits in the world—welcome as that one was, especially as it was held on international women's day—will not turn the problem of domestic violence against women around. We need to get to the root of the problem, which means not just asking why some men are violent after football games, but asking why some men are violent, and what each and every one of us can do to tackle that together.
I thank Anne McLaughlin for raising the issue. The rise in the incidence of domestic violence after old firm clashes was charted and presented by the chief constable and was one of the central reasons for the summit.
Domestic violence is abhorrent and it has long-term implications for future generations. Work done by the violence reduction unit, for example, shows that children who witness such behaviour at home are damaged and go on to be disturbed and violent adults who repeat the cycle. There can be no excuse for domestic violence—not alcohol, not football—but that does not mean we cannot take targeted action together when we see flashpoints and when people and institutions can be mobilised to help the campaign.
One of the positive results of the summit was the police initiative, supported by the old firm clubs, for an agreement to examine the use of football banning orders and the clubs' codes of conduct to deal with criminal behaviour away from the grounds. That criminal behaviour—and it is criminal behaviour—includes domestic violence. That was one of the positive ideas that came out of the summit.
James Kelly Labour
I welcome the continuation of funding to groups that are involved in shifting attitudes against sectarianism. There is no doubt that it is a complex issue that requires a coherent response backed up by leadership. In addition to that funding, what specific civil service resources will be used to provide support and guidance to those groups to bring about a positive change in attitudes in our communities?
I salute the work of the nine anti-sectarianism groups that are funded by the Government. As the member well knows, that funding has increased substantially during the past three years and it is money well spent. The actions and direction of organisations such as the sense over sectarianism project, Nil by Mouth, Show Racism/Bigotry the Red Card, the Iona Community, the Youth Community Support Agency, Bridging the Gap and Supporters Direct in Scotland are community-based actions that should be lauded and supported by every single person in the chamber.
Earlier I mentioned the action group that was formed from Tuesday's summit. That will go ahead with good work. The work of the other groups that I mentioned is to be supported and co-ordinated so that we can be certain that the excellent work that they do has the maximum effect. In addition to supporting each of those groups, as we should do, the co-ordination and the will to make that happen will mean that community initiatives receive greater support from the national Parliament and have greater impact in the communities in which they work.
Robert Brown Liberal Democrat
Does the First Minister agree that the overwhelmingly searing image of the recent events was the sight of the manager of Celtic and the assistant manager of Rangers squaring up to each other, following a number of on-field incidents involving players and staff? Does the First Minister agree that when football managers and players are paid the sums of money that they are and act as role models for our young people, the clubs and the Scottish Football Association must get their houses in order? Was that discussed at the summit? What undertakings did the First Minister get from the clubs on those issues?
Yes, that was discussed at the summit. The clubs willingly made undertakings and the police made proposals that were directed at addressing and reinforcing that point. They were well received and agreed at the summit.
I want to mention another important aspect. Football players and management are heroes or role models to hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland. That must be well understood and they must take responsibility for it.
The summit also considered the spread of threats and violence, particularly because of the recent threats against the Celtic manager that were, of course, condemned by everyone, as we would expect. Threats and sectarian behaviour on the internet were also discussed. I thought that it was a positive aspect of the summit that the police indicated their determination that there can be no immunity and no anonymity. If people commit illegality over the internet, they shall be traced and dealt with just as if they had committed illegality in any other aspect of life.


BUSY Busy Output. This output is high impedance when CS is high.
and synchronizes serial data I/O.
Serial Data Output. Data is shifted on the falling edge of DCLK.
This output is high impedance when CS is high.


Ubisoft Forums > Assassin's Creed > Assassin's Creed - General Discussions > No Ambient occlusion in ACR???
View Full Version : No Ambient occlusion in ACR???
I am just writing to ask why is there no AO in the pc version of AC:R and will there be a patch to fix it?
all the games are standard ports, maybe it will have other options in the future when they get a new engine.
what do you mean by standard port?


text:
'Sons of the Sea' and the tentacles of colonialism
John Gutierrez has crafted Black characters who understand and think about the world around them in a film rooted in the Cape's history and its impact on the present.
By: Mia Arderne
A poster for Sons of the Sea, a film set on the Cape coast. (Photographs courtesy of Die Gawe.)
On the Cape coast, brothers Gabriel and Mikhail find two bags of abalone and a dead man in a hotel room. They take the loot into the shadows, under a sliver of a moon, and are tracked down by a financially burdened official named Peterson. Gabriel is wide-eyed, virtuous. Mikhail is jaded, nihilistic. In both, there are reflections of all of us. Cornered, the brothers turn violently on each other. But they also shoulder one another, softly and seamlessly, while trying to maintain their tenuous clasp on survival. Until finally, they truly see the other as their trajectories diverge forever in this unfolding tragedy.
This is the world that John Gutierrez has crafted carefully with the feature film Sons of the Sea. Inspired by both Mexican folktale El Mechudo and John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl, he showcases with complexity the long-reaching tentacles of colonialism, in a globally resonant story of land, home, family and freedom that is refreshingly devoid of stereotypes.
"I just wanted to make something that I would love to watch," writer and director Gutierrez says at a cafe in Woodstock, Cape Town. The Californian filmmaker from a Mexican-American family is now based in Cape Town. He found resonances across continents.
Undated: Gabriel, played by Roberto Kyle, and Mikhail, played by Marlon Swarts, find two bags of abalone on the beach. From this find the story develops.
"One thing I realised," he says, "is that they're very similar, the Mexican-American culture and the coloured culture here. We do the same shit, we do this thing where we're like crabs in a barrel and we all bring each other down. So it is very much a lived experience for me. It is this thing that I know intimately."
The feature, which won Best South African Film at the recent 42nd Durban International Film Festival, is shot in documentary style. Made with a small cast and budget, the team is filled with people who have deep roots in the Cape. Gutierrez aimed to give the story a "social realist naturalism feel".
The fynbos, sand dunes, proteas, unending ocean and clouds make a pristine backdrop for a dark story.
The past and parallels
Set in Ocean View and Kalk Bay, the film introduces politics from the start. As the brothers walk through the gentrifying neighbourhood, they comment: "The fuckers won't stop building." Gutierrez says this is an ubiquitous Cape Town reality. "These characters are from this place, land, and sea, generationally, ancestrally and it's an encroachment on them personally," he says.
Along with culture, the director notes parallels between the respective colonised histories and creole communities of South Africa and North and Central America.
"Most of these people have very similar families to me, families where you have uncles who are carpenters, cousins who are in gangs. There's this mirror of the two cultures [Mexican-American and those classified as coloured under apartheid]. And so it was interesting to take a story inspired by El Mechudo and bring that here to a city on the other side of the world, and transplant that story, and the story of my own culture."
Undated: The character Gabriel looking at a colonial-era painting.
References to history's imprint on the present in the film are quietly impactful. At several points, we gaze into a hotel painting of settler ships, colonial warfare, rifles and dead slaves in a gilded frame.
"That specific painting was hanging in the hotel when we got there," says Gutierrez. "There's so much of the legacy of colonialism that you want to communicate… As a filmmaker, you have to find a subtle powerful way of doing that. And for me, that painting says it all. It magically foreshadows the tragedy of the film."
The colonial-era painting becomes a motif that is never commented on but is seen by all, and its symbolism resonates deeply with the characters' lived realities.
Hunter and hunted
From the very beginning Gabriel, tenderly played by Roberto Kyle, is pictured with his cue cards, studying, thinking and taking pictures. Gutierrez describes him as "this precocious young man who likes to read, who likes philosophy, who's studying for matric". Gabriel's partner Tanya is an "anti-femme fatale". Played by Nicole Fortuin, her character adds a necessary levity, and their romance reveals a young couple destined for and dreaming of more.
Gutierrez uses several devices deftly to serve his narrative. When Gabriel struggles to pick up the heavy black bags of abalone, taken from a dead man, he drops a cue card. Written on its surface is the line "All world processes are made up of two forces". It becomes a profound plot clue. "It's a description of good and evil, the forces of darkness and light," says Gutierrez. "The two brothers and the duality that relationship represents."
Featuring an entirely Black cast, the director represents multiple different experiences in the same lifeworld. Speaking to the website Africa is a County, Gutierrez mentions that the initial funders "recommended three white male actors for the role of Peterson". The team declined this offer, wanting "to decentralise whiteness in the film" and because "the official needed to come from the same world as the boys … It always hurts more when your own enact violence on you, we know that, and there's a difficult, complicated history of how that happens."
Undated: Peterson, played by Brendon Daniels, walks through a field with his father's old rifle en route to the sea in search of abalone.
Beyond stereotypes and surface, each character is given a complicated humanity. In a beautifully crafted scene, government official Peterson is hunched over on a hotel couch, smoking and making notes while sharing the story of his father, a fisherman from Simon's Town who was driven out by the forced removals to a landlocked area, and started hunting.
Brendon Daniels, who plays Peterson, delivers a stirring speech through wrinkled smiles laden with memory and loss, recalling the days when the water was crystal clear with no seaweed – days when abalone was abundant and could be picked straight off the beach for family dinner; today a scarcity.
Peterson is financially and emotionally distressed, so much so that his dead wife is still his phone screensaver. At night, his young son Adam cries for his mother as Peterson tries to console him, voice wavering between desperation and futility.
Called to action, he takes out his father's old rifle and resolves to find the abalone. Once used to hunt for food, it will now be used to hunt his own. A defeated man with a big gun, Peterson cuts a tragic figure.
Lenses and dream portals
Another of Gutierrez's skilful choices is his use of the lens as a metaphor on perspective. We feel Gabriel's playfulness through his camera lens as he snaps photographs. We sense Peterson's deadly intention looking through his rifle at his target. And we experience Adam's curiosity when we peer through his binoculars at his grief-stricken grandmother stumbling drunk on a sand dune.
Gutierrez places viewers within the characters' perspectives. Through their chosen instrument, we understand their intention – and at any point, could be any one of them.
'Barakat' holds Cape Muslim culture up to the light
From the pointed realism of these lenses, the film moves into unconscious dreamscapes. In a visually striking nightmare full of foreboding, Mikhail is waist-deep in the ocean before he submerges. In Gabriel's dream, he gets pulled under and the ocean plateaus again, flat, unending and still. The seagulls circle the dark sky mirroring the sea. A body floats to the surface, motionless.
"The imagery is inspired from this Mexican folktale called El Mechudo," Gutierrez says, "where a diver gets his hand caught in a giant oyster and never resurfaces. Trapped at the bottom of the bay forever, he haunts the bay. I wanted to capture that. It's like some monster has taken him [Mikhail]. But also the sea has taken him, and the abalone that he's intent on having has consumed him, the evil around it, the darkness around it."
Crabs in a barrel
Mikhail, played by Marlon Swarts, is the hardened, fearless instigator who, on seeing a recently dead man, casually calculates the abalone loot to be worth about R100 000. He issues the instruction to get black bags and shakes his nervous brother Gabriel into action. Unlike his brother, Mikhail is unfazed through most of the ordeal, with a higher capacity for violence and a stronger stomach for the bitter cards life has dealt. Their lives provide foils for each other, alternate possibilities and diverging paths rooted in the opportunities they were given.
While Gabriel has school, a job and a girlfriend, all Mikhail has is this hustle, these two bags, this future. "Jy het dit gesteel (you've stolen it)," says Gabriel, referring to the dead man's abalone. And this is where we're gifted with Mikhail's powerful rebuttal. Affronted by this accusation, Mikhail scoffs at the idea that he's the one stealing anything.
Holding up the abalone, he explains that it came from "onse waters af, ons fokken land (from our waters, our fucking land)", that these waters and this land was stolen from them. Before the houses had sprung up along the shores, their people lived here. "Ons lewe uit die see uit. Die is onse kos (We live from the sea. This is our food.)."
Walking through Kalk Bay's history
Reflecting Gutierrez's intention, the characters are crabs in a barrel, pitted against each other by structural oppression. Mikhail's retort is steeped in political insight and the injustice of scrambling for resources that should be yours.
"It's a truth I feel audiences need to be reminded of," says Guiterrez. "It's important for me that these characters are intellectuals and they think deeply about where they come from."
Of Mikhail, he adds: "He's just not some greedy wannabe gangster. He's political. He knows what his motivations are. He knows why he's in the place he is. And he's frustrated with it and angry about it."
The pink sky and the huge eyes
"I wanted everyone to be rooting for everyone," says Gutierrez of the final scene.
In the light of the pink sky with tangerine-tipped clouds and tall-shadowed shore, Gabriel walks away. For a second, he seems to look directly at Peterson's child, who appears to gaze back with huge eyes, set against the same pink sky. And the audience is left to wonder, do they actually see each other?
Undated: The closing scene of Sons of the Sea has Peterson's child Adam, played by Lamar Esau, standing by the ocean.
"That's intentional," Gutierrez says. "Psychically they are the same person. But we hope for him [Adam]. His future is unwritten. And we are partly responsible for that future. So that's what I wanted to leave the audience with."
A little boy alone at the ocean is the final image, orphaned and destitute as the waves crash behind him. This end shows us a brutal similarity, a repetition of circumstance, place and struggle, as we come full circle.
Sons of the Sea screens in South Africa from 13 September.
Stiff Pap stir up youthful defiance on 'Tuff Time$'
'Flowers' for founder of the 'theatre of resistance'
Lebo Thoka's cathedral of Black liberation


text:
Desjoyeaux hits a whale and retires
Race favourite out of Artemis Transat after whale strike
At 14h45 GMT today, Michel Desjoyeaux contacted The Artemis Transat Race Direction to inform the team he had hit a whale and had to withdraw from the race.
The collision occurred near the starboard daggerboard, and Desjoyeaux is concerned about the state of the lower part of the daggerboard casing. The skipper is unhurt and the boat is still safe and seaworthy. In order not to take any risks for the skipper or the boat, the decision has been taken to retire from the race.
Joined by satellite telephone, the skipper declared:
"About two hours ago, I was upwind doing 10 to 11 knots, I was in the boat and I heard a crack. I felt the starboard daggerboard hit something – it's probably broken. I can't get it up more than 1.5 meters. I hope there won't be a big leak. I don't see any interest in pursuing the race with a boat which is not competitive anymore, it makes more sense to head home to Brittany, which should take me about 4 days. It's a big disappointment, because it has been a very interesting race. It's the first time I have to retire from an offshore race, that's how bad it is"
Desjoyeaux is approximately 1000 miles away from his Brittany base, where he should arrive in about 4 days. He started the race as favourite following wins in the Vendee Globe and Route de Rhum.


Portland Or Air Duct Cleaning should be mandatory in New Construction!
Portland Or Air Duct Cleaning in new construction is a trend that builders have really started picking up on in the past few years. During the new construction process, the vents are uncovered during framing, sawing, sheetrock, painting and all other trades. Most reputable builders will at least take the time to shop-vac the vents out, but many of our Portland Oregon builders have recognized the need for professional air duct cleaning.
At J&M Portland Or Air Duct Cleaning Services, we provide the builder with a certificate to enclose in their final sales packet so the new home buyer can be confident they are breathing clean air and their brand new heating system is not being damaged by construction debris.
The home builder market is still very tough, but we're proud to say that most of our builders have taken the costs of air duct cleaning directly from their profits after realizing the benefits and value. Sheetrock dust, in particular, is harmful to heating system components, and once a layer of sheetrock dust is embedded in ductwork, it accelerates the process of additional debris buildup.
Air Duct Cleaning in our opinion really should be mandatory on all new construction. Please be sure to inquire with your prospective builders to see if the duct cleaning has been done!
Please contact us with any questions, and if you would like us to speak with your builder regarding air duct cleaning we would be happy to!


OntarioMD looks for vendors who can supply goods and services to support our projects.
Open opportunities are posted on this page as they become available.
Please contact info@OntarioMD.com for more details.
There are currently no tenders.


From vowing to crush your gym goals, to eating organic and non-GMO, to finally reading that bestseller sitting on your coffee table, the New Year is an ideal time to start fresh and make changes to your life, your routine or anywhere else that might need a little fine tuning. But this year, why not take it one step further and resolve to become a better steward of your identity? This isn't something you want to "set and forget," it's something that you should be doing year round.
To make this task more manageable, we've broken out action items to implement each season to keep your identity fine-tuned throughout the year.
When you think about frigid temperatures and snow, it's also a great time to think about freezing your credit. Credit freezes, which are now free to everyone in the U.S. (regardless of the state you reside in or your age), restrict access to your credit report and help prevent new lines of credit from being opened in your name by a thief. Freezing your credit is one of the most proactive consumer protection steps you can take to protect your identity. Here is some additional information on how to freeze your credit this winter.
When you think of spring cleaning, your first thought might be about how best to tidy up the garage or attic, but there's something else that most likely needs a "spruce up" and that's your digital presence. Social media profiles and online searches are just a few places where thieves go to glean information about you, which might then be used to guess your password, scam you or gain access to your account. Reducing your digital presence by eliminating old online accounts and social media profiles is a great start.
In addition to your digital presence, your devices – whether new or old– typically contain a treasure trove of data and personal information. If these devices find themselves in the wrong hands, a thief could wreak havoc on your accounts and possibly even your identity. To keep yourself safe, take any old devices sitting around the house, wipe them clean and properly recycle them by going to a free e-recycling event that many communities offer. It's also a good idea to take some time to clean your current devices by removing old apps, double checking all of your privacy settings and more.
And lastly, if you're feeling really adventurous, go through old paper files and shred the documents (using a cross-cut shredder) that you no longer need, especially those containing personal identifying information (PII). If you don't have your own shredder there are free shredding events offered in many communities from trusted organizations.
Just because school is out for you or your kids, it doesn't mean you should stop learning. Continue to educate yourself on how to reduce your risk of identity theft and other cybercrimes. Just by knowing how thieves operate, you will be better equipped to handle scam calls, phishing emails and other nefarious attempts to steal your personal information and your identity. There are plenty of free educational resources out there to take advantage of, like those offered by the Identity Theft Resource Center and the Federal Trade Commission.
It's easy to fall back into old habits, which is why this is the perfect season to revive everything you set out to do back in January and end the year strong. It's also a great season to be a cyber-safe evangelist to your friends, family and co-workers. There is no better way to learn than to teach someone else. Since you've spent most of the year learning new habits, tricks and tips, consider sharing them with your friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers to help them stay safe as well.
If you think you might be a victim of identity theft, the ITRC has a plan for that. Contact us using our live chat feature via our website, call our toll free hotline (888-400-5530) or download our free ID Theft help app from your device store.
LifeLock, a Symantec company, proudly provides financial support to the Identity Theft Resource Center.


text:
Is a semi-unlimited stack a significant advantage?
I've been playing in a "home" game (NLHE $1/$3 with a min/max buy-in of $60/$300) from time to time and I've noticed that one player has taken it upon himself to be the banker. He doesn't buy-in per se, but rather cover his losses at the end of the night.
Where this seems unusual is that the bank, and his chipstack, are often one and the same. If a player cashes out, he pays them and their chips end up added to his.
The net result seems to be that he has a perpetual big stack of 3-5 times the average stack at the table. This may seem like a dumb question, but that this put him at a significant advantage?
cash-game
Remember that stack size is relative. For example, If you have $60 in your stack, it doesn't matter if your opponent has 2x, 3x, 20x your stack, because your top-end risk is only ever $60 at any one time. – Toby Booth♦ Jul 28 '12 at 18:20
Of course it is. If you're a player who knows the game, then having a big stack will also give you a crucial psychological advantage. Your opponents will fold to your bets and raises much more often, this will allow you to make much more effective bluffs. They know that the guy with the big stack is able to go all-in without a significant risk to himself. Which means he's much more likely to do it, even with marginal hands.
This big stack effect is amazingly powerful, surprisingly even. Even good players, that know this fact well, can't supress it.
There are 2 key characteristics of the big stack effect:
big stacks get bigger over time. You can easily see this in both cash games and tournaments. People fold easily against his bets or raises and he can easily collect the pot. This is until...
big stacks are big targets. Everyone at the table focuses on them and tries to get their chips. At one point, someone will find a way to make a big bluff or a smart slow play and they will hit the big stack. Hard (see |1| at the bottom). And, in an instant, the big stack becomes an average stack. This happens especially in No-Limit games because of the ability of players to go all-in whenever they want.
If, when you play, you find yourself among the biggest stacks, do this:
put pressure on the average stacks. They will fold a lot because they don't want to be put against a big decision. They will play very tight and conservative. You will win a lot of pots because of this.
put pressure on the short stacks as well. They will probably just wait for a good / premium hand to go all-in with. All you have to do is keep the pressure on and make a simple decision to call or fold when they do go all-in.
Be careful if you play against people with solid stacks (above average, but below the top) or players that are very good. You have a very big stack, so you can afford to avoid them. This way, they won't be able to put pressure on you.
If you do play against solid players and/or solid stacks, think very very very good about every decision. You can be easily tempted to call a bet or a raise (because of your stack) when such a decision doesn't make much sense.
Bottom line: Having a big stack gives you an obvious advantage. But it's an advantage that is easily lost. Just be careful with it, especially if you're not used to being in this position.
|1| = this is usually the reason why the guy who is chip leader in the middle stage of a tournament can finish in a mediocre position (for example 20th / 100 participants). If I remember correctly, this happened once at a WSOP Main Event final table. The chip leader finished 9th i.e. he was the first one knocked out.
Radu Murzea♦Radu Murzea
If you are a better player than the rest of the players at the table, you want a stack as large as everyone else at the table so that you maximize your winning hands.
Having $1 or $1,000,000 more than everyone else at the table makes no difference in terms of the game itself (but might make a difference psychologically).
SilversanaSilversana
If there is a max buy-in then what he is doing is not fair.
He has the most chips on the table without earning them.
Big stack is an advantage as can apply maximum pressure.
When the hand hits can get max pay-off.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged cash-game or ask your own question.
What is the best strategy once you are chip leader in a tournament?
Should I call this river overbet with an overpair?
Micro Stakes, playing Big Aces pre-flop against multiple very loose opponents
Is it rude to cash out when ahead, then buy back in?
How to play with pocket 10 in low stack situation?