text:
The Conservative as Liberal
Stanley Kutler
Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun's Supreme Court Journey by Linda Greenhouse (Times Books, 258 pages, $25.00)
The day that former president Lyndon Johnson died, January 22, 1973, Justice Harry Blackmun announced the Supreme Court's 7-to-2 decision in Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion throughout the nation. The media led with Johnson's passing, while Blackmun, in his diary, noted "abortion flak," including protests from three cardinals and the Vatican. Picketers and police protection greeted him the next day in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As Linda Greenhouse notes in her perceptive portrayal of Blackmun's career, "the rest of Harry Blackmun's life had begun" -- as did our abortion wars.
Supreme Court opinions are collaborative in nature (7 to 2 is an impressive consensus), but as Blackmun's once-comfortable majority dwindled, he increasingly personified the ruling. Militant opponents inundated him with tens of thousands of letters denouncing him as a baby-killer. He confided to a Catholic priest and longtime friend, "It is hard to believe that some clergymen and sisters can indulge in such abuse and still profess to be workers in the vineyard."
Blackmun left a prodigious amount of documentary material, and Greenhouse has used it with rare intelligence. She excavates a flesh-and-blood character from Blackmun's published opinions, a lengthy oral interview, case files, correspondence, and fragmentary notes that amply reveal his personality and the workings of his mind. Greenhouse offers us a nuanced account of the impact of Roe v. Wade within the Court and a clear understanding of Blackmun's long journey to the rejection of the death penalty. The papers also provide a probing revelation of the half-century relationship between Blackmun and Chief Justice Warren Burger, its deterioration, and its significance -- for both the men and the Court they served.
Supreme Court justices have often disappointed their patrons. The judiciary's extraordinary independence, providing insulation from political reprisal, affords a rare opportunity for intellectual candor and honesty in a public position -- just as the Framers intended. After the lame-duck John Adams named John Marshall chief justice in 1801, the newly elected Thomas Jefferson complained that the Federalists had retreated to the judiciary to batter down the works of republicanism. He vowed to name his own ideological soul mates. Jefferson had three appointees, but all proved ideologically compatible with Marshall. President Theodore Roosevelt named Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1902, and the next year Holmes dissented in Roosevelt's first trust-busting case. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had nine appointees, and yet the Court found itself divided by often acrimonious discord and dissension. Dwight Eisenhower lamented that choosing Earl Warren was his worst decision. Like so many others, Blackmun will be remembered as a judge appointed in a president's own image, but through the years he used his independence and intellect to evolve in wholly unanticipated ways.
Nominees today are vetted with everything but a saliva test. Unlike in the past, it has become virtually axiomatic that Supreme Court nominees have previous judicial experience, as if their earlier positions were audition camps. The number of unanticipated surprises is likely to diminish. Appellate judges, with their independence, establish track records less likely to be altered when they enter the "marble palace."
Following the Senate's rejection of his first two choices for the Court in 1970, Richard Nixon trumpeted Blackmun as a judge with a "strict construction" philosophy. Strict construction has been code language for reactionary objectives from its first appearance with Jefferson's abortive attempt to prevent the establishment of a central bank in 1792, through the convolutions of southern apologists for slavery and segregation, down to the present. In practice, the Court has to give a broad construction to the Framers' language to ensure a "living Constitution."
Ironically, Nixon had condemned strict construction in 1962, blaming it for the Court's enforcement of the anti-establishment clause of the First Amendment in a New York school-prayer case. But seven years later, our serial political opportunist -- now anxious to appeal to Americans alienated by judicial rulings on racial equality, church-state separation, and the rights of the accused -- revived strict construction.
Blackmun's record as an appellate judge proved quite solid, albeit somewhat pedestrian, and his Senate hearing lasted less than four hours, during which he assured the Judiciary Committee that he would not hesitate to disagree with his boyhood friend, now Chief Justice Burger. There were no hostile witnesses, and the Senate unanimously confirmed him, 94 to 0. Blackmun was 61. His mother warned him that his relationship with Burger would inevitably change. Mothers know best.
Then–Assistant Attorney General William Rehnquist had ably and perceptively reviewed Blackmun's judicial record. "He does not uniformly come out on one side or the other, though his tendencies are certainly more in the conservative direction than in the liberal," Rehnquist wrote. "His opinions are all carefully reasoned, and give no indication of a preconceived bias in one direction or the other."
When Nixon's press secretary described Blackmun as a strict constructionist, the judge responded that he did not work according to labels but "tried to call them as I see them." Undoubtedly he saw himself as an advocate of "judicial restraint," a term flexible enough to accommodate a broad array of justices across the political and legal spectrum, from Hugo Black to Black's great antagonist, Felix Frankfurter. It used to be axiomatic that justices defied easy pigeonholing. The Washington Post presciently commented that Blackmun's "opinions and reputation indicate that he is a conservative with an independent mind and sensitivity to new ideas."
Blackmun ended his career in 1994, lauded and vilified as the most "liberal" of the justices, but its beginnings certainly did not point in that direction. His earliest opinions were undramatic and workmanlike; most notably, he sided with the government in the Pentagon Papers case, and appeared very much as Burger's close ally.
When Burger became chief justice in 1969, Blackmun told him, "[M]y support is yours for the asking at all times." He told FBI agents investigating Burger's background, "[D]on't assume that his attitude will be the opposite of Mr. Warren's." He insisted that Burger's politics had been "in the liberal tradition and not in the conservative tradition. His era will not be a status quo one. He will incur criticism and opposition not unlike that of Chief Justice Warren but of a different kind." Maybe the source of the rift was that Blackmun discovered he really did not know his old friend.
Greenhouse understands that ideology alone does not explain their eventual estrangement. Blackmun and Rehnquist always maintained cordial relations, as Blackmun did with every other justice. As for Burger, Blackmun wrote, "I do not know what he expected, but surely he could not have anticipated that I would be an ideological clone." After several years, Blackmun no longer viewed the chief justice as his boyhood friend, but instead found himself at odds with a vain, petty, and embittered colleague. Substantial professional differences certainly made the rift more than personal: Burger's shadowy role attempting to avoid a direct confrontation with the president in U.S. v. Nixon; disagreements about affirmative action; and, most important, Burger's steady retreat from Roe.
Blackmun voted with Burger in nearly 88 percent of closely divided cases in the first five years, but in the next five, he joined with the more liberal William Brennan nearly 55 percent of the time, while his agreement with Burger fell to almost 46 percent. In the next five years, the figures shifted to nearly 70 percent with Brennan and only 32 percent with Burger. From 1986–90, his votes with Brennan and Thurgood Marshall increased to more than 95 percent. And thus the journey for the "protégé" of Nixon and Burger -- an unanticipated journey, by any measure.
Blackmun surrounded himself with able law clerks, many of whom prodded him to new paths, and he confronted strong, opinionated colleagues, including Rehnquist, Brennan, and Lewis Powell. Greenhouse's work with Blackmun's papers, however, reveals a man charting and always in command of his own direction throughout his tenure. He used his independence to foster his own development. When asked if the assignment of Roe was good or bad luck, Blackmun thought it fortunate, for he understood what his evolution really was about. "I think one grows in controversy," he said. He realized "it was not the fortuities themselves, but the responses they evoked from him, that shaped his life," Greenhouse concludes. "He became Justice Harry Blackmun."
Stanley I. Kutler is the author of The Wars of Watergate.
Stanley I. Kutler, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin Law School is the author of The Wars of Watergate.
Articles By Stanley Kutler
RSS feed of articles by Stanley Kutler
How Times Have Changed
Letting Go of Iraq
Day 1,461 and Counting
Student Body Right
Inferior Design
Their War, Too
Who Gives a Flying Flag?
Always Political
Dossier: Back to School
Cruel Convergence
Bayou Betterment
Race and Redemption
Communities Helping Kids
Adolescents, Maturity, And The Law
Detention Redemption
Voice-Over America
Pop-Aganda
First Do Some Harm


text:
Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson is right not to speak to the BBC
It's funny how certain phrases become fashionable in different sports – and almost immediately acceptable without any thought attached.
YorkshireLive
In golf you frequently get "it looked good in the air" or "it sounded good" which probably means it was an awful shot!
Football's buzz words of the moment are "scoring goals for fun" and "the ref ruined the game".
Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle were certainly scoring goals for fun at the weekend – as though they ever score them for misery – which offers alarming evidence, yet again, of the gulf between top and bottom in the Premier League.
Chelsea's 14 goals against Wigan in two games either side of summer, represents the sort of result you used to get when Real Madrid met a European qualifier from Luxembourg.
I suspect the likes of Wigan and Blackpool will be buried beneath a few more avalanches between now and the end of the season.
"The ref ruined the game" is the constant bleating I detest most of all, however.
You hear it every time a player is sent off in a match – usually quite correctly – and some dimwit manager claims the match was affected as a spectacle.
What's the ref supposed to do? Say to the player "you were a naughty boy but I'm going to let you stay on to do it again because otherwise it won't be a fair contest."
Ten against eleven can be quite compelling. Numerical advantage doesn't always equal three points.
It's amazing to read manager's quotes after matches, which differ hugely where controversial incidents are concerned. And fans wonder why they never see the same match as a reporter!
Players who have been red carded have "never touched 'im" in the eyes of one boss while carrying out an assassination in the eyes of the other.
We're all entitled to our opinions but I'm afraid the more I hear blinkered, one-eyed managers the less I want to hear them.
That includes Sir Alex Ferguson by the way, who continues to blank the BBC as a result of a Panorama programme about his son a few years ago.
I applaud his stance. Why should he have to speak to anyone if he doesn't want to? Most managers are only too happy for the exposure, but Fergie certainly doesn't need that.
Could you imagine Brian Clough granting a few words simply because of a rule book?
No chance, and Fergie is equally strong and within his rights so far as I'm concerned.
New Highway Code rule car drivers must know at roundabouts in victory for cyclists
CyclingDrivers will need to know about this when approaching roundabouts

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We have all the information you need about public and private plastic surgery clinics that provide arm lift in Nisantasi. Compare all the plastic surgeons and contact the arm lift clinic in Nisantasi that's right for you.
Arm Lift prices from 12000 ₺ - Enquire for a fast quote. Choose from 107 Arm Lift Clinics in Nisantasi with 219 verified patient reviews ★ find the best one for you. Customer Service Award Winners 2018.
I came for my liposuction treatment. I stayed 4 nights in hotel and 1 night at the hospital, 5 nights in total. My surgeon was Mr Eşsiz Çınaroğlu who is very experienced in his field. The surgery took roughly 3 hours and I was feeling very good when I woke up from general anaesthesia. My healing process is going very well at the moment. It only passed 1 week after the surgery but, everything is going well. I'm very satisfied with the Clinic Center. I can honestly say that I couldn't be happier with another clinic. They are very responsible, welcoming and professional in their job. I was worried before my travel to Turkey but, they made me feel at home with their intensive care. I can 100% recommend this clinic to everybody. I experienced plastic surgery only but, as far as I heard they are also good at hair transplant and dentistry.
I had Rhinoplasty Surgery on my nose tip and I'm already satisfied with its look. Hasan Findik and his team did a great job at the clinic along with medical consultants and services. The hall services are well organised, the staff of the hospital and the Dr Hasan Findik were very friendly. He made a good job. I wasn't worried from the beginning till the end. I was advised to choose this hospital from my friend because she had nose surgery in here and I'm amazed by her look.
What an extremely professional lady, I have just had my consultation pre-op day and this lady settled my nerves. She answered all my questions and throughout her manners and demeanour were second to none. Nothing was rushed and I would recommend any person needing/wanting any procedure to use this surgeon.


text:
Mismanagement
Public Dollars
« You have the right ... not to remain silent if you feel the IRS has goofed up | Back to Main Page | Another way loyalty cards can save you at the store »
Lehigh nail salon among businesses, professionals sanctioned by state licensing boards
Posted at 11:37:43 AM on June 11, 2014
Comments: 0 Read/Post Comments
These disciplinary and licensing actions were announced recently (June 3) by Pennsylvania's licensing boards against businesses and professionals in the Lehigh Valley area. The information is taken verbatim from the PA Department of State's website, where you can find all of the actions against professionals statewide.
PA BOARD OF BARBER EXAMINERS
Candace C. Cosenza, license no. CO236823L, of Morrisville, Bucks County, was suspended pursuant to the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County dated March 17, 2014, which the court issued under section 4355 of the Domestic Relations Code. The suspension is effective immediately. (04/01/14)
PA BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY
Maria Mouraleva, license no. CO238370, of Newtown, Bucks County, was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $500 because she practiced cosmetology without a current and active license. (05/05/14)
X Press Nails, license no. CY195673, of Hanover Township, Lehigh County, was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $500 and costs of investigation of $34.38 because they practiced nail technology in a grossly incompetent and/or unethical manner by possessing one razor tool on the premises of the nail technology salon. (05/05/14)
Hollywood Nails, license no. CY194176, of Roslyn, Montgomery County, was ordered to pay a civil
penalty of $2,000 and costs of investigation of $45.89 because it employed an unlicensed individual,
aided and abetted the unlicensed practice of the profession, and the nail technology salon was operated in a grossly incompetent and/or unethical manner through the use of metal rasp tools and razor scraper tools. (05/05/14)
Gwyneed Estates Beauty Shop, license no. CB090220L, of Ambler, Montgomery County, was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $500 because they used or maintained any place for the practice of cosmetology without a current and active license. (05/05/14)
Classic Nails, license no. CY194181, of King of Prussia, Montgomery County, was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $600 and costs of investigation of $45.23 because it practiced nail technology in a grossly incompetent and/or unethical manner and by failing to have an individual license for its employee readily available for inspection by a BEI inspector. (05/05/14)
Schuylkill County
Jessica L. Kegerreis, license no. CO236474L, of Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill County, was suspended for failing to pay a previously imposed civil penalty. (03/13/14)
PA BOARD OF DENTISTRY
Jerimarie Hozey, license no. DH009263L, of Stowe, Montgomery County, was suspended for a period of three years, such a suspension to be immediately stayed in favor of no less than three years of probation, ordered to pay a civil penalty of $1,000, and a public reprimand placed on her permanent disciplinary record with the board because she was found guilty of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude and practiced fraud or deceit in obtaining a license to practice dental hygiene. (05/02/14)
PA BOARD OF MEDICINE
Dorothea E. Holmes, license no. YM013110, of Reading, Berks County, was suspended indefinitely
based on being unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety to patients by reason of illness or
addiction to alcohol. (02/07/14)
PA BOARD OF NURSING
Candace C. Cosenza, license no. RN609898, of Morrisville, Bucks County, was suspended pursuant to the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County dated March 17, 2014, which the court issued under section 4355 of the Domestic Relations Code. The suspension is effective immediately. (04/01/14)
Tricia L. Stoner, license no. RN313721L, of Newtown, Bucks County, was indefinitely suspended such suspension stayed in favor of probation for no less than three years upon enrollment in the Professional Health Monitoring Program, based on findings she is unable to practice nursing with reasonable skill and safety to patients by reason of mental or physical illness or condition or physiological dependence upon alcohol, hallucinogenic or narcotic drugs or other drugs that tend to impair judgment or coordination and for having misappropriated drugs from her employer. (12/23/13)
Chelsea Marie-Louise Roach, license no. PN288356, of Levittown, Bucks County and Wyncote,
Montgomery County was suspended for no less than three years retroactive to September 20, 2012, based on findings she violated the terms of a previous board order. (02/06/14)
PA BOARD OF PHARMACY
Karen Ann Porrini, license no. RP029624L, of Yardley, Bucks County, was indefinitely and actively
suspended for a minimum of three (3) years because she is unfit to practice pharmacy because of
intemperance in the use of alcoholic beverages, controlled substances or any other substance which impairs the intellect and judgment to such an extent as to impair the performance of professional duties, is unfit to practice pharmacy by reason of a physical or mental disease or disability. (05/13/14)
PA BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGY
Stephen A. Martin, license no. PS004221L, of Merion Station, Montgomery County, had a public
reprimand placed on his permanent disciplinary record, was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $2,500 and costs of investigation of $1,221.34, and complete at least 15 hours of remedial education on the topic of boundary issues and ethics, because he engaged in a therapist and employer multiple relationship that risked harm to the person with whom the professional relationship existed. (05/05/14)
Holly Elise Evans-Schaeffer, license no. PS009056L, of Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County, was
indefinitely suspended because she is unable to practice psychology with reasonable skill and safety by reason of illness, drunkenness, or excessive use of drugs. (05/05/14)
REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
George Ryzinsky, license no. RS285611, of Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County, was suspended for one year stayed in favor of probation and assessed a civil penalty of $1,000 based on his felony
convictions. (03/31/14)
Patrick M Clugston, license no. LS215164, of Lansdale, Montgomery County, permanently and
voluntarily surrendered his license to practice as a cemetery salesperson in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, along with any other licenses, registrations, certificates, approvals, authorizations or
permits, issued by the commission to him, because he was convicted of three misdemeanors relating to the practice of the profession and failed to provide information requested by the commission within a reasonable time, as the result of a formal or informal investigation. (05/14/14)
PA BOARD OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Patricia L. Bolich, license no. VT001435L, of Quakertown, Bucks County, was suspended based on her failure to pay a previously imposed civil penalty. (03/13/14)
Categories: Current Affairs, Investigations, Lehigh County, Poor Service, Watchdog, Web/Tech, Weblogs
https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c4fe353ef01a3fd1c1607970b


High intensity 1 million candle power torch with built-in, sealed rechargeable battery.
Telescopic flow-through brush with tough, lightweight aluminium pole. Features on/off water control and quick-connect attachment. Protective rubber bumper and soft bristle tips. For cleaning vehicles, paintwork and conservatories. Extends from 1070 - 1760mm..
Moorland Rider Horsey Greeting Cards (Pack of 6). Six assorted horse themed original designs with matching envelopes, wrapped in a protective cover.


text:
Визица () — село в Бургасской области Болгарии. Входит в состав общины Малко-Тырново. Находится примерно в 16 км к северо-востоку от центра города Малко-Тырново и примерно в 44 км к югу от центра города Бургас. По данным переписи населения 2011 года, в селе проживало 66 человек.

Население

Примечания

Сёла Бургасской области

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Our latest release is heavily focused on customer love in the form of a few much requested features. We're grateful for all your fantastic suggestions – be sure to keep them coming.
With Fuseworks there's no need for crystal ball gazing. Simply use the advanced search tools to create one-off custom reports. No need to arrange keyword monitoring in advance – you can report on anything, anytime.
You've now got the extra option to get reports directly in the body of an email. HTML reports are smartphone and tablet friendly so they can be checked on the go and easily edited.
As well as the preset reporting options in folders you can now enter your own dates and export reports for custom periods. This makes it easy to match up your reporting periods or do one off analysis.
To coincide with the Internet Explorer 10 rollout to Windows 7 users, Fuseworks has added support for Microsoft's latest browser. IE10 loads web pages up to 20% faster – so it's well worth taking a moment to download the free upgrade.
Prettied up the email notifications and added a 'see it online' link to make them even handier to share with others.
As always if there's a must-have feature you'd like us to prioritise please let us know.
* News analytics features for Media Pro and PR Plus users.


text:
National survey shows people in Singapore smoked less in 2020, but more turned to booze
SINGAPORE — People here were smoking less last year but more had turned to binge drinking, which had become more common than it was four years ago.
Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY
Binge drinking was more prevalent among men than women, a national survey found.
Nabilah Awang
By Nabilah Awang
A national health survey found that binge drinking was a habit seen particularly among people aged between 18 and 39
Chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes were also on the rise
The Ministry of Health said the survey findings will be used to track progress towards national health targets, among others
The latest national survey showed that this increase was seen particularly among people aged between 18 and 39 and especially among men, where about one in five of them had a habit of binge drinking.
Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or high blood pressure, and hyperlipidaemia or high blood cholesterol were also on the rise when compared to 2017.
These were among the findings from a national population health survey released on Thursday (Nov 18), which tracks the health and risk factors, as well as lifestyle practices of Singapore residents aged 18 to 74 between July 2019 and March 2020.
About 6,000 residents completed household interviews and over two years, close to 5,000 attended a health examination.
The survey findings will be used by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Promotion Board to track progress towards national health targets and for planning and evaluation of health policies, programmes and healthcare services, MOH said.
SMOKING AND BINGE DRINKING
By and large, the prevalence of smoking among the population dipped from 11.8 per cent in 2017 to 10.1 per cent in 2020.
Last year, daily smoking was most common among:
Men (17 per cent) as compared to women (3.4 per cent)
Adults aged between 50 and 59 (13.4 per cent)
About half, or 48.3 per cent, of the daily smokers indicated that they had plans to quit smoking. However, only 19.3 per cent of them planned to do it within the next 12 months, the survey found.
In recent years, the authorities have stepped up its tobacco control measures such as a display ban of tobacco products at points of sale and increasing the price of such products.
The minimum legal age for the purchase, use, possession, sale and supply of tobacco products has also been raised to 21 at the start of this year.
The survey also found that binge drinking was becoming more common — 10.5 per cent of respondents said that they had a habit of binge drinking last year, up from 8.8 per cent in 2017.
Binge drinking was defined as the consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks for men, or four or more alcoholic drinks for women, in a single drinking session at least once in the past month before the survey.
It was most prevalent among:
Men (14.6 per cent) than women (6.5 per cent)
Chinese (11.6 per cent) and Indians (11.4 per cent) compared with Malays (1.7 per cent)
Those with post-secondary education (13 per cent) compared with those with secondary or primary education (4.4 per cent)
It was also most prevalent among young adults between the ages of 18 and 39.
Men made up the highest proportion of binge drinkers among those aged between 30 and 39, while women made up the highest proportion among those aged 18 and 29.
Binge drinking was reported to occur most frequently at pubs, bars and hotel lounges (39.5 per cent), followed by at a friend's or relative's place or at home during parties or celebratory occasions (31.6 per cent).
The survey did not ask the respondents' motivation to binge drink.
TODAY reported last month that anecdotally, more people are turning to booze to cope with stressors brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Studies in some countries have uncovered the problem of "pandemic drinking".
Experts said that the trend of pandemic drinking arose due to the impact of the unprecedented crisis on people's mental health.
These included the sense of isolation that developed from social restrictions, the stress that arose from blurred lines between work and personal life when working from home, as well as anxiety due to job insecurity.
Correspondingly, the inaugural TODAY Youth Survey, which polled 1,066 respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 in early October, found that one of the top three negative habits that respondents had picked up during the pandemic was drinking.
CHRONIC DISEASES AND OBESITY
The national health survey found that more Singapore residents were diagnosed with chronic diseases over the years, though the prevalence for diabetes seemed to have stabilised, after the data was age-adjusted.
Raw data showed that the prevalence of diabetes registered a slight increase from 8.8 per cent in 2017 to 9.5 per cent last year, but a stable trend was seen after adjusting for age.
The chronic diseases that showed an increase in the survey period compared with age-adjusted data in 2017 were:
Hypertension (31.7 per cent, up from 21.9 per cent)
Hyperlipidaemia (36.9 per cent, up from 33.8 per cent)
Diabetes (7.9 per cent, up from 7.8 per cent)
These diseases were most common among men aged between 70 and 74, the survey found.
MOH noted that the risk of developing chronic diseases increases as the rate of obesity in the population rises.
The survey found that about one in 10 respondents were obese.
Obesity was most common among:
Men (11.9 per cent) compared with women (9.3 per cent)
Adults aged 30 to 59 (12 per cent), almost double that of those aged between 19 and 29 (6.6 per cent)
Malays (23.9 per cent) and Indians (17.7 per cent) compared with Chinese (7.4 per cent)
Those with primary education (16.3 per cent) followed by residents with secondary (12.5 per cent) and post-secondary education (8.9 per cent)
In other health matters, the survey also found an increase in the take-up rate of both influenza and pneumococcal vaccination last year.
Pneumococcal disease is a type of bacterial infection that can attack different parts of the body and cause serious infection of the lungs, brain, middle ear, membrane or lining of the brain and spinal cord.
The national adult immunisation schedule recommends all persons aged 65 years or older to be vaccinated against pneumococcal disease.
In 2020, 17 per cent of respondents had an influenza vaccine in the last 12 months, up from 13.1 per cent in 2017.
Similarly, those between the ages of 65 and 74 that have taken the pneumococcal vaccine rose from 11.9 per cent in 2017 to 14.4 per cent in 2020.
MOH said that the findings highlight the need to build upon ongoing health promotion efforts.
It added that public outreach efforts will continue, such as in schools and institutes of higher learning, on the effect of smoking and alcohol consumption.
"The National Population Health Survey 2020 findings highlight the need to build upon our ongoing health promotion efforts while moving ahead to innovate new ways to empower the population to take charge of their health, especially as Singaporeans' behaviours may have changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic," it said.
health Smoking binge drinking drinking diabetes obesity chronic disease Covid-19
Singapore Explore now


A variety of clinical observations suggest that certain forms of epilepsy are due to long-term, progressive changes in neural networks that eventually provoke spontaneous and recurring seizures. Recently, there has been growing evidence that serotonergic neurotransmission modulates experimentally induced seizures and is involved in the enhanced seizure susceptibility observed in some genetically epilepsy-prone animals. Generally, agents that elevate extracellular serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) levels, such as 5-hydroxytryptophan, and 5-HT reuptake blockers inhibit both limbic and generalized seizures. Conversely, depletion of brain 5-HT lowers the threshold to audiogenically, chemically and electrically-evoked convulsions. More specifically, the recent finding that the 5-HT2B / 2C receptor agonist, 1-(mchlorophenyl)- piperazine (mCPP) is anticonvulsant has kindled an interest into the investigation of the serotonergic 5- HT2C receptor subtype as a potential target for the treatment of epilepsy. Further pharmacological evaluation of selective activation or inactivation of the 5-HT2C receptor subtype with selective agonist / positive modulators and antagonists will provide important information about the therapeutic contribution of this receptor to the epileptic circuitry in the brain. Future development of serotonergic antiepileptic drugs will be a significant addition to the therapeutic armamentarium against epilepsy.
NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc., 6850 Goreway Drive, Mississauga, ON, Canada, L4V 1V7.


The independent review of the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program has proposed the reduction of mandatory reporting dimensions in order to expand the scope of the scheme to encompass mid-tier office properties.
The independent review released by Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia Josh Frydenberg at the beginning of February found that improvements to building energy efficiency spurred by the scheme achieved between 2010 to 2014 resulted in as much as $44 million in benefits – an amount far surpassing the program's cost.
These efficiency gains served to significantly diminish the carbon footprint of Australian office buildings, achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of 2,051 kilotonnes of CO2-equivalent during the period from 2010 to 2023.
The CBD program was first launched in 2010, and requires that data on energy efficiency be supplied for transactions involving commercial office space of 2000 square metres or more, with a view to shoring up the sustainability of large-scale office buildings by ensuring that market participants are better apprised of their efficiency performance.
Under the program most sellers or lessors of office properties whose dimensions are 2000 square metres or greater must obtain a Building Energy Efficiency Certificate (BEEC) prior to putting their buildings on the market.
In addition to confirming the benefits brought by mandatory efficiency disclosure the review also proposed two key enhancements program- the first being to expand its scope by halving the required building dimensions from 2000 square metres to 1000 square metres, thus netting many far smaller buildings.
This amendment could have profound implications for the energy efficiency of Australia's sizeable mid-tier commercial property sector, comprised of an estimated 80,000 buildings around the country.
The second proposed enhancement will be to extend the valid period of an office lighting assessment from one to five years.
According to Josh Frydenberg the addition of these two enhancements to the program could bring approximately $60 million in benefits to Australian consumers over the next three years.
Members of the sustainability sector have hailed the findings of the independent review, particularly following trepidations that it would be used by the Coalition to undermine the program.
Romilly Madew, CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia, said the findings of the review further vindicated the effectiveness of the CBD program.
"The review demonstrates why tackling energy efficiency in commercial office buildings is a smart solution to climate change – one that can be done at a minimal cost to industry and the tax payer," said Madew.


This memorial fish, my biggest GT so far, was caught in Oman.
The GT was attracted by the GT-γ after many continuous casts.
It was a great fight, from start to finish.
I was very happy to see the fish swim off strongly after releasing.
and is comfortable and powerful when fighting fish. Never give & keep casting!
Thank you for the wonderful photograph!
Andaman Island with "Andaman Angler"
Thank you for the wonderful photograph.
Copyright (c) Carpenter All Rights Reserved.


text:
Domažlice (Duits: Taus) is een district (Tsjechisch: Okres) in de Tsjechische regio Pilsen. De hoofdstad is Domažlice. Het district bestaat uit 85 gemeenten (Tsjechisch: Obec). Sinds 1 januari 2007 hoort de gemeente Černíkov niet meer bij dit district, maar bij de okres Klatovy.

Lijst van gemeenten
De obcí (gemeenten) van de okres Domažlice. De vetgedrukte plaatsen hebben stadsrechten. De cursieve plaatsen zijn steden zonder stadsrechten (zie: vlek).

Babylon
- Bělá nad Radbuzou
- Blížejov
- Brnířov
- Bukovec
- Čečovice
- Čermná
- Černovice
- Česká Kubice
- Díly
- Domažlice
- Drahotín
- Draženov
- Hlohová
- Hlohovčice
- Holýšov
- Hora Svatého Václava
- Horní Kamenice
- Horšovský Týn
- Hostouň
- Hradiště
- Hvožďany
- Chocomyšl
- Chodov
- Chodská Lhota
- Chrastavice
- Kanice
- Kaničky
- Kdyně
- Klenčí pod Čerchovem
- Koloveč
- Kout na Šumavě
- Křenovy
- Kvíčovice
- Libkov
- Loučim
- Luženičky
- Meclov
- Mezholezy (dříve okres Domažlice)
- Mezholezy (dříve okres Horšovský Týn)
- Milavče
- Mířkov
- Mnichov
- Močerady
- Mrákov
- Mutěnín
- Nemanice
- Němčice
- Neuměř
- Nevolice
- Nová Ves
- Nový Kramolín
- Osvračín
- Otov
- Pařezov
- Pasečnice
- Pec
- Pelechy
- Poběžovice
- Pocinovice
- Poděvousy
- Postřekov
- Puclice
- Rybník
- Semněvice
- Spáňov
- Srbice
- Srby
- Staňkov
- Stráž
- Štichov
- Tlumačov
- Trhanov
- Úboč
- Újezd
- Únějovice
- Úsilov
- Velký Malahov
- Vidice
- Vlkanov
- Všekary
- Všepadly
- Všeruby
- Zahořany
- Ždánov

Domazlice
Geografie van Pilsen (regio)


- Support added to preview image thumbnail (including HEIC format) in EZ Sync.
- Fixed issue that non-admin user fail to create folder in EZ Sync.
AiData is ASUSTOR's file management app for Android devices. AiData allows you to browse the files stored on your NAS and also share them with family and friends.


text:
The Battle of the Little Big Horn, A First for Custer Firearms
A cartridge case discovery leads up to an auction sale of the first firearm forensically proven to have been used at the 1876 battle site.
The "first firearm forensically proven to have been used" at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, as the auction catalog noted, hammered down for a quarter of a million dollars at Brian Lebel's High Noon in Mesa, Arizona, on January 27.
Collectors of artifacts tied to George Custer-—who history best remembers for his decisive defeat in June 1876 that led to the deaths of him and a detachment of 7th Cavalry troops—first widely learned about this Sharps 1874 rifle in a 1988 article written for Man at Arms Magazine by historical archaeologists Douglas D. Scott and Dick Harmon. They discussed not only the supporting forensic evidence, but also the pitfalls of verifying Custer battle guns in general.
Another lot tied to the 1876 battle is this film poster for the 1912 silent short, Custer's Last Fight, which a collector got for a winning bid of $2,750.
An accidental range fire in 1983 paved the path for a 1984 survey of the Montana fight site. Southeast of Lt. James Calhoun's position and also on Greasy Grass Ridge, archaeologists recovered empty .50-70 caliber cartridge cases, among cases from other firearms, on known Indian warrior positions. The ballistic comparisons of two Martin-primed cartridge cases provided near-certain proof that the 1874 Sharps sold at the auction was fired on Custer's battlefield.
Further evidence of the rifle's strong provenance is the unbroken family chain of custody. The rifle, bearing serial C54586, was shipped on April 23, 1875, to Schuyler, Hartley and Graham, one of Sharps's largest agents who shipped many early rifles west for the buffalo hide hunting trade. It was found on the Little Big Horn battlefield in 1883 by rancher Willis Spear and stayed with the family until it was sold at the auction.
Western movie actor Tom Mix's personal batwing chaps and framed carnival cards topped the celebrity lots at the auction, with a $17,000 bid.
If any doubt could be raised on this being a Custer battle gun, it is the fact that the rifle was not found closer to the battle date. Some could speculate that it was fired in 1883 or even afterward, since access to the battlefield was unrestricted, says C. Lee Noyes, a retired U.S. Customs officer and former editor of the Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association quarterly newsletter.
"And there is at least one known and photographed instance of a military firing demonstration there, in 1886, during the 10th anniversary of the Custer battle. In addition, Capt. Edward S. Luce, a 7th Cavalry veteran and long-time park superintendent, reportedly 'salted' the battlefield with cartridge cases and other 'relics' for tourists to find," he adds.
Other Custer battlefield guns before this one, however, had shakier provenance, as they relied solely on historical documentation. As Scott and Harmon wrote, the combination of modern crime laboratory firearms identification procedures with archaeological evidence allowed for this 1874 Sharps to become the "first gun in history that has been scientifically proven to 'have been there.'"
Collectors who lost out on the chance to bid for a Custer battle gun have another opportunity—at the James D. Julia Auction this April 11-13. A Model 1873 Colt Single Action Army revolver, serial 5773, is one of three that 7th Cavalry Capt. Frederick W. Benteen reported unserviceable after the 1876 battle. This revolver has a "pure Little Big Horn pedigree," Noyes says.
Collectors earned more than $1.25 million for their Old West artifacts.
This entry was posted in Battles, Home, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.
Could Gin boost your metabolism and help you to burn calories faster?
The Classic Italian Scooter With a Futuristic Twist


When moving home, the distance that you need to travel is an important factor to consider, as well as the size of the move. Take for example, a move from England's capital city, London to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It's over four hundred miles travelling distance, which means you've got to take extra care.
It's a move well worth making, though. Scotland has fantastic scenery, architecture and wildlife, and is overall a more laid back place to live. It's not just for those with a hiking fixation, either. It's a very creative city, playing host to the biggest annual international arts festival in the world. So, for those who fancy fresh air, are fond of the creative arts, or just want a break from London's notorious hustle and bustle should definitely consider The City of Edinburgh.
So, how should you go about moving? Well, as I mentioned, there's a lot of planning to do – as with every move. Get all of your packing materials together beforehand – all of the packing boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap and labels that you need. Get your packing materials from a trusted packing retailer – don't skimp on the quality, especially since you're lugging your possessions all of the way across the country. Make sure you've got moving boxes that are built to take the strain.
When taking on a Edinburgh move of this magnitude, you should definitely consider hiring a moving company. Be sure to hire one that specialises in long distance moves – so you can have to peace of mind that your goods are in safe hands. Make a shortlist of the moving companies that are most convenient to you, and check their credentials as well as doing a price comparison. Hiring a mover that offers a competitive rate is definitely important, but hiring one that'll do a good job is more so. By the same token, be sure that they are fully insured – they should be covered for their courier work, as well as for public liability. That way, in the event that something goes wrong – say something important is broken or lost on the long journey, you can get the compensation you deserve.
If you want to be more thrifty and adventurous, you could take care of the move yourself. If you do, make sure you either have access to your own van, or rent a van from a firm with a drop off point close to/in Edinburgh. You don't want to drive four hundred miles over a few days, only to drive even further to return a rented van. If you're doing it this way, take all of the precautions you'd take on a normal move – be sure to secure all of your goods with elastic, guide ropes or with a suitable rack before driving. And get a hold of detailed directions, with multiple rest and food stops along the way. You don't want to get lost or tired so far from home.
Now that you've got the moving preparations sorted, you can treat the trip like a holiday. Only you'll have to do a lot more settling. It won't take long for you and your family to soak up the Scottish culture and take in the sights and sounds of the Highland nation. Who knows, you might even pick up the accent as well.


I made an ATC for a lottery we have on About Oriental Art Yahoo Group (AOSA). Our theme was Sunflowers and a coin and of course, an Oriental themed design.
I had a napkin with a sunflower on it. I pulled off the back layers, then crumpled it up. I took ATC blank and put it through the Xyron. I uncrumpled the napkin and applied it to the sticky side of the ATC. I stamped some Kanji in Black then stamped and a little gold Kanji. Added some gold cord, then added the stamped and embossed Asian coin. I had to add some shimmer with Wink of Stella. Then, dragged the ATC through Versamark and added a touch of gold on the edges.
We are off to Colorado on Wednesday for the wedding next Sunday. Wish us good weather and sunshine. Life is Good!
The Technique Junkies Yahoo Group still exists- we have a group of ladies that does an ATC swap every 2 months. The only requirement is that we use a technique from any TJ newsletter or CD.
This is called depressed stains- the embossing is flattened down after it is highlighted- I have been wanting to give this technique a go. The image is Technique Junkies.


text:
Statement by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference on Asylum Seekers
The Australian Catholic Bishops have been involved in many ways with asylum seekers. Some of us have detention centres close to home, and we have worked hard to ensure that asylum seekers receive proper pastoral care and human assistance. We renew that commitment here.
The Bishops have also intervened with Government in an attempt to make policy more respectful of human dignity and basic human rights, which today are being seriously violated.
We now make this urgent plea for a respect for the rights of asylum seekers, not only in Government circles but in the Australian community more broadly. Federal decision-makers in both major parties have made their decisions and implemented their policies because they think they have the support of the majority of Australians. Therefore, we want to speak to the entire Australian community.
The current policy has about it a cruelty that does no honour to our nation. How can this be when Australians are so generous in so many situations where human beings are in strife? Think of the way the Vietnamese boat people were welcomed in the 1970s and 80s. The question becomes more pointed when we think of the politicians who are making and implementing the decisions. They are not cruel people. Yet they have made decisions and are implementing policies which are cruel. How can this be so?
Island dwellers like Australians often have an acute sense of the "other" or the "outsider" – and that is how asylum seekers are being portrayed. They are the dangerous "other" or "outsider" to be feared and resisted because they are supposedly violating our borders.
Do racist attitudes underlie the current policy? Would the policy be the same if the asylum seekers were fair-skinned Westerners rather than dark-skinned people, most of whom are of "other" religious and cultural backgrounds? Is the current policy perhaps bringing to the surface not only a xenophobia in us but also a latent racism? The White Australia policy was thought to be dead and buried, but perhaps it has mutated and is still alive.
There may also be the selfishness of the rich. Not everyone in Australia is rich, but we are a rich nation by any reckoning. The asylum seekers are often portrayed as economic refugees coming to plunder our wealth. But the fact is that most of them are not being "pulled" to Australia by a desire for wealth but are being "pushed" from their homeland and other lands where there is no life worth living. No-one wants them.
The policy can win acceptance only if the asylum seekers are kept faceless and nameless. It depends upon a process of de-humanisation. Such a policy would be widely rejected if the faces and names were known. Bishops have seen the faces; we know the names; we have heard the stories. That is why we say now, Enough of this institutionalised cruelty.
We join with the Catholic Bishops of Papua New Guinea who have voiced their strong opposition to the use of Manus Island for detention. They have urged Australia "to find a more humane solution to people seeking asylum". We do not accept the need for off-shore processing. But even if it continues, it surely does not require such harshness.
The Government and Opposition want to stop the boats and thwart the people-smugglers. But does this require such cruelty? Could not the same goals be achieved by policies, which were less harsh, even humane – policies which respected not only our international obligations but also basic human rights? Can we not achieve a balance between the needs of people in desperate trouble and the electoral pressures faced by politicians? We believe we can; indeed we must.
The Australian Catholic Bishops call on parliamentarians of all parties to turn away from these policies, which shame Australia and to take the path of a realistic compassion that deals with both human need and electoral pressure. We call on the nation as a whole to say no to the dark forces, which make these policies possible. The time has come to examine our conscience and then to act differently.
Bishop of Darwin Eugene Hurley and Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders are both available for interview on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops.
Aoife Connors
Acting Communications Director
Statement: Word (108KB), PDF (122KB)
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2014 by Mark Wei.
← Archbishop Hart re-appointed President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Empowering Women Around The World →


The first "big" film of the year, based on a comic, with superheroes, should have been a stunner, but instead stuttered and stumbled all over the place. The story has an under lying US/Soviet streak set in the 80's with nuclear global meltdown as the plot threat. The heroes don't really seem to have any powers, are sometimes a bit twisted, and certainly earn the film its 18 certificate in certain scenes! A very dark film that didn't really get going and not thrilling us in any particular way.


text:
Hans Kämpfer oder Hans Kaempfer ist der Name folgender Personen

* Hans Kämpfer (1883/1884–1959), Schweizer Fußballspieler
 Hans Kaempfer (1896–1974), deutscher Schriftsteller und Übersetzer
 Hans Kämpfer (Fußballspieler, 1931) (* 1931), deutscher Fußballtorwart


text:
Art Revolutionaries
18 Jan 2017 – 10 Feb 2017
Monday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
Cost of entry
6 Duke Street
St. James's
SW1Y 6BN
Save Event: Art Revolutionaries
Add to my calendar Exhibition: Art Revolutionaries in London
Share Art Revolutionaries
Share Exhibition: Art Revolutionaries in London
Mayoral presents an exhibition inspired by the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne, commemorating 80 years since its inauguration.
Mayoral presents an exhibition inspired by the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne, commemorating 80 years since its inauguration. The original Pavilion marked a crucial moment during the Spanish Civil War (17 July 1936 – 1 April 1939), with the Spanish Republic using it as a platform to demonstrate to the rest of the world the atrocities that were taking place in Spain.
Similar to the original pavilion, this exhibition will feature paintings and sculptures by modernist masters including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder and Julio González. This exhibition in London will also bring together important archival material, such as rare propaganda posters from the original pavilion and a replica of Miró's infamous work El Segador (The Reaper) which disappeared when the pavilion was dismantled in 1937. Mayoral's tribute to the Pavilion is curated by Juan Manuel Bonet, Director of the Instituto Cervantes in Paris, and former Director of Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.
What's on in London?Toggle
There are 268 current events in London. Find out what's previewing today, opening soon and what's popular
Design Trail
WebsiteEvent website
Save / follow Office
This page was added 14th December 2016, 16:33 by Office


text:
This program systematically reviews our heritage policy and planning controls to ensure they are up to date and reflect community attitudes.
The City of Port Phillip continues to experience strong development pressure and population growth. This results in more buildings being adapted, developed and demolished. Council's heritage policy needs to adapt to these changes while also reflecting changing attitudes to heritage and what the community thinks is important to retain.
A four-year heritage program commenced in 2017/18. The aim of the program was to address concerns about Council's alignment with the community about protecting heritage in the municipality and ensuring policy was updated to reflect this. The program, which is now in year four, takes an incremental, continuous improvement approach to ensure the City of Port Phillip retains its heritage character and amenity.
Precinct reviews
Council is progressing the detailed review of the heritage overlay in precincts:
HO5 - St Kilda Hill
HO7 - Elwood, St Kilda, Balaclava, Ripponlea
HO8 - Glen Huntly and Ormond Roads, Elwood.
This detailed review is based on field work and preliminary work conducted in 2019/20 (Year 3).
The heritage precinct reviews will be finalised in 2021/22 following an asssessment of potential new precincts and individual heritage places within the study area.
Recommendations from the precinct reviews are out-of-scope and will be implemented by the Planning Scheme amendments.
Resident generated heritage data
This part of the program is a Pilot Project. It allows our residents to directly recommend places that are important to them, but that may have been overlooked by heritage professionals in previous heritage reviews.
This project was originally planned for 2019/20 based on the outcome of community consultation in 2017, however, was deferred to 2020/21 to align with the timing of the Customer Experience Program. The Customer Experience Program will introduce new technology, impacting the way Council collects and holds data, and overall improving the customer experience including updates to Councils website.
Year 1: 2017/18
Engaged the community through the 'Heritage Here and Now' consultation to identify how community members value heritage and identify gaps in Council's heritage provisions and policy.
Reviewed the Port Phillip Thematic Environmental History (TEH) based on the previous year's consultation. A new TEH framework was prepared. This underpins future reviews of Port Phillip's heritage areas by:
providing a comprehensive context and framework for the identification, review and assessment of cultural heritage
reflecting the rich and diverse history of Port Phillip including more intangible values that were overlooked in the past.
Prepared the detailed TEH, based on the framework developed in the previous year. This also included a review of Council's local heritage planning policy and design guidelines in the Port Phillip Planning Scheme to improve guidance on infill development in heritage areas.
The heritage policy and design guidelines were engaged on and a revised version was included in the planning scheme review. Consultation on a final draft is scheduled in 2021 as part of the planning scheme amendment for the Planning Scheme Review (out of scope for the Heritage Program).
The third year also included a preliminary review of the three large remaining heritage overlay precincts:
HO5: St Kilda Hill
HO7: St Kilda, Elwood, Balaclava, Ripponlea
HO8: Elwood: Ormond and Glen Huntly Roads.
For further information about the Heritage Program, please contact the City Strategy & Policy team:
Visit Online Services
In person: visit St Kilda Town Hall during office hours Monday to Friday


text:
Metaphors of HIV Prevention : The HIV Prevention Buffet
May 31, 2011 by Roger	in Combination Prevention
In the very early years of the HIV epidemic, as it was becoming clearer that the virus was mostly sexually transmitted, HIV prevention was limited to promoting condom use. For years, that was all that was available to protect oneself whilst politicians were debating the threat and relevance of this new disease, if they were talking about it at all. Then as the disease spread and a new kind of activism was able to draw more attention to what was becoming an epidemic of epic proportion, it became evident that more needed to be done and from limited, HIV prevention became simple as ABC.
ABC soon revealed its limitations. Abstinence never worked for very long, nor did faithfulness, and as for condom, 30 years of the same repetitive message led to a general fatigue. In 2002, behavioural changes – such as the ABC approache, was accepted as key to understanding and combating the sexual transmission of HIV and confirmed as the way forward for HIV prevention. In 2004 a consensus statement by leading public health experts observed that all the elements of the ABC model were essential to reducing HIV infection.
Came 2008, when it was finally recognised that ABC was simplistic and was failing to achieve notable and sustainable results. Then, Richard Horton wrote in a Lancet editorial "We need combined prevention, including a portfolio of biomedical, behavioural, and structural interventions".
Combination Prevention is the new metaphor that will be pervading the field for years to come. But to have substance and impact the approach needs to figure out what to combine. Structural interventions are quite straightforward to identify thought far less to implement (e.g. MSM have finally been recognised as a "most at risk population" at the Mexico AIDS conference in 2006 but progress in addressing their needs is still very slow. Women's rights have been on the table since the eary 70s, and we still talk about them). Behavioural changes interventions have been extensively explored and implemented in a broad range of situations but with limited success. To date there are very few successful biomedical interventions and none that can compare with condoms when considering efficacy only. But it is believed that expanding the range of interventions will be key to a successful control of the epidemic
From here there are different ways to work out the role of biomedical interventions in Combination Prevention, and the HIV Prevention Buffet metaphor (a.k.a "fast food" metaphor) is one of them. Though there is not much on the menu of the Prevention Buffet, the story goes like this:
The unabated HIV epidemic is raising the pressure to develop New Prevention Tools. Doing more research will eventually lead to the discovery of New Prevention Technologies (NPTs) that will contribute to building a pool of options. Individuals will be able to choose the prevention they like and want and as a result, increased protection rate will be achieved leading to a reduction in the number of new HIV infections.
Conceived this way, the Prevention Buffet metaphor emphasises developing options and people making choice. It is a consumerist approach which hope to resolve the problem of behaviour change, still very much required by Combination Prevention, by commoditising HIV prevention strategies and by assuming that the offer creates the demand (and vice versa). Preventions tools become a commodity sought and bought by customers whose choices are driven by their preferences rather than the efficacy of the product they buy for the use they intend.
There are numerous problems with the metaphor starting from its rational. To be fair nobody would ever believe that it could be that simple, but the basis, complexity and ramifications of the metaphor are rarely explored and debated. Combination Prevention and its buffet of options are now part of the HIV Prevention Credo.
This picture or a similar one is often chosen to illustrate the HIV Prevention Buffet metaphor… But we should not forget that it could lead to the picture of another epidemic of epic proportion.
But there are other way to approach Combination Prevention whose central role in HIV prevention is without question. Other approaches that do not throw all NPTs in a kitchen sink but make use of them as targeted, tailor-made, specific HIV prevention interventions.
There is a need to develop a conceptual framework to understanding how NTPs could work. The following diagram was built using a System Dynamics approach for thinking and simulating complex situations.
In this version, the story goes like this:
As the number of new HIV infection keeps going up with two new persons infected for every person put on treatment, the pressure to develop new HIV Prevention Tools increases. Such effort should be rewarded by the identification of new HIV prevention technology (NPTs).
It is expected that these NPTs would achieved at least three things. First, they would be more acceptable than current strategies (such as condoms). Second, they would increase the individual interest in protecting oneself. Third, they would increase the personal freedom to protect oneself (because they may be less intrusive or invasive than current strategies or more user-friendly, such as vaginal and rectal microbicide).
The combination of interest, acceptability and usability would lead to a better uptake which would in turn contribute to a higher number of protected sex acts and therefore a decrease in the number of new infections. However, at this point in time, the positive aspects of NPTs remains in the realm of assumptions. But it is worth noting that this is where there is room for consumerist approaches and marketing strategies that would make NPTs fun.
This framework also provides opportunities to identify roadblocks, as well as positive and negative feedback loops. Individual interest highly depends on one's quality of life and prospects in life. In situation where everyday life is a struggle, HIV and AIDS are remote concerns. "Quality of Life" is one of the many black boxes in this framework that would need further exploration. Economic vitality is another. The consequences of the 2008 economic crisis are still being felt and decreased research funding is only one of them.
Gender Inequity and Poor Human Rights are serious roadblocks that negatively affect individual freedom to choose the protection one wants. They are roadblocks that will need to be addressed for NPTs to have a chance to succeed. Of course willingness to use a particular HIV prevention option ultimately depends on its availability. A number of factors affects availability. Evidence-based policy and agendas, be they that of governments, INGOs, funders and researchers are key to the development of options that will not only work but have a sustainable impact on the course of the epidemic.
This Framework also allows for including possible negative effects of the approaches themselves packed under one heading of "Misuse, Disinhibition, and Side effects". These cover a broad range of issues. For instance, misuse is not limited to a prevention tool not being used as recommended (and for example leading to poor adherence) but of a prevention tool being used in circumstances where it creates more harm than good (e.g. female sex worker no longer protected against other STIs or unwanted pregnancies). Side-effects do not specifically relate to the potential side-effect of the drug used as prevention tools but to how they can impact on individual's personal life (stigma, discrimination). In some circumstances NPTs could challenge the freedom of an individual to choose the HIV prevention of his/her choice (when it is the dominant sexual partner who impose the prevention) with dramatic consequences, affecting the overall quality of life of its user and thereby negating the potential to prevent HIV.
Finally, in this framework, "choice" is no longer key to the approach, but "uptake" is, supported by "counselling". This framework departs from the individualistic Buffet approach to prevention by re-introducing specialist medical knowledge and care into the decision to use a particular option. It brings back Prevention into the domain of Public Health.
There is no doubt that Combination Prevention is the future of HIV prevention. Its success will depend on how it is implemented and it is critical to note that at all levels, it hinges on behaviour change, a change that goes far beyond that of the users. It will require governments, NGOs, policy makers, researchers, advocates, activists to re-assess their position, and beliefs and fully appreciate the complexity and challenges hidden behind the metaphor of Combination Prevention.
In this regard, metaphors do matter because they frame an intervention, how it is perceived and as such they can impact dramatically at many levels on its acceptability and ultimately on its success (recent response to PrEP by the AHF is only one exemple). If there is something that 30 years of HIV prevention should have taught us is that perceptions do matter, sometimes more than evidences.
Notes:This post was triggered by a discussion that started on the IRMA list, one of the most active and thought provoking HIV advocacy list. IRMA is dedicated to the development of one of these new NPTs which could make a dramatic and sustainable difference to the future of the epidemic.The Conceptual Framework above is built using System Dynamics, a branch of Systems Thinking that was developed by Jay Forester in the 1950s , popularised by Donnela Meadows "The Limits to Growth" and Peter Senge "The Fifth Discipline". It is a work in progress and I would be delighted to develop this framework further.
HIV Combination Prevention: Ingredients & Recipes for a success Starting an HIV Prevention Revolution with Test and Treat PrEP: for whom are these pills? HPTN 052: One step closer to Universal Test and Treat
Tagged with: Combination Prevention, NPT, PrEP, Prevention Revolution, Programming, Strategy, UTT


DIG: Why did Isaiah call Isra'el the house of Jacob? What was the prophet calling Jacob to do? Why was that calling necessary? What does it mean to walk in the light? Isaiah returns from the vision of the future in 2:1-4, to the reality of the present. What do these verses add to Isaiah's catalogue of sins in 1:21-23? What makes the pagan practices in 2:6b so awful to God (see Deuteronomy 7:1-6; 18:10-11 and Second Kings 16:7-18, where King Ahaz is guilty of clasping hands in pagan worship)? What's wrong with accumulating horses, silver or gold (see Deuteronomy 17:16-20)? What is significant about the people of Judah prostrating themselves before idols (see Deuteronomy 31:16-18)?
REFLECT: What is the spiritual lesson ADONAI wanted Jacob to learn? How does that spiritual lesson apply to you today? Without having to be perfect, do you feel like you are walking in the light today? Why or why not? In the light of the rise of the New Age Movement of occultism and witchcraft, what should a believer's response be? Why does the LORD consider them so dangerous for us? Some live as if "the one with the most toys in the end wins." What would Isaiah say to that pop slogan? In the battle between serving God or money (see Matthew 6:24), which seems to be winning in your life this week? What, if anything, has come between the LORD and you? Why? What can you do about it?
As mentioned before, sandwiched between two sections that are hopeful (Ap - They Will Beat Their Swords Into Plowshares and Aw - The Believing Remnant in the Messianic Kingdom), there is a major section of judgment and hopelessness (Aq – Zion's Pathetic Present Condition and Judgment to Follow). Therefore, in stark contrast to the hope of the previous passage, here Isaiah shows us the foolishness of human pride. In 2:5-21, Isaiah talks in more general terms about this foolishness and its results, while in 2:22 to 4:1, he gives us more details.
Isaiah introduces this major section of judgment by admonishing his readers saying: Come, O House of Jacob, let us walk in the light of ADONAI (2:5). He called Isra'el the house of Jacob, a reference to the descendants of Jacob. Isaiah used this term eight times (2:5-6, 8:17, 10:20, 14:1, 29:22, 46:3 and 48:1), whereas all the other prophets together use it only nine times. When great truths about the future are given in Scripture, we are often reminded of how we should live in the present. Dear Friends, we are God's children now; and it has not yet been made clear what we will become. We do know that when He appears, we will be like Him; because we will see Him as He really is. And everyone who has this hope in them continues purifying themselves, since God is pure (First John 3:2-3 CJB; also First Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:1-9; Second Peter 3:10-14).
The abruptness of the shift starting from 2:5 points to the fact that ADONAI had abandoned Judah in her present condition. The Jews living there could not continue to live in their sin. The prophet, in his despair and in bitterness turns away from his people and addresses God. YHVH had abandoned His people, the house of Jacob, not because He not longer loved them but because they had become like the world (2:6a). God had abandoned His people and three reasons are given.
First, the people were full of superstitions from the East, which meant that they were following the practices of the Assyrian Empire. At the same time the Jews were practicing divination like the Philistines (First Samuel 6:2; Second Kings 1:2), and clasp hands with pagans (2:6b). Divination, from anan, means to practice sorcery or to cast spells (Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10 and 14:2; Second Kings 21:6: Micah 5:12). Y'hudah was guilty of occult practices with sorcery, which was substituted for the God–ordained faith. They were trying to control events in their lives and the life of the nation through the power given to demons. The LORD said that His people were full of superstitions and they practiced divination like the Philistines and clasped hands, or agreed with pagans (2:6b). No wonder ADONAI had abandoned His people.
Secondly, Judah became dependent on foreign wealth against ADONAI's own decree. At the foot of Mount Sinai YHVH had told the nation that they must not accumulate large amounts of sliver and gold (Deuteronomy 17:17b). Yet, Isaiah tells us that during his ministry Isra'el's land was full of silver and gold. In fact, there was no end to their treasures! Moses had also said that Isra'el must not acquire great numbers of horses and chariots (Deuteronomy 17:16a). But their land was full of horses, and there was no end to their chariots during Isaiah's day (2:7). The LORD forbade these things (Deuteronomy 17:16-20), because He knew that great wealth would drive a wedge between Him and His people. And that is exactly what happened!
Thirdly, it was no surprise that they mistakenly reasoned that their newfound wealth came as a result of worshiping their idols. As a result, their land was full of idols. The word Isaiah uses for idols, or elilim, means nonentities, worthless ones or no-gods (40:18-20, 41:6-7 and 28-29, 44:9-20, 45:16-20, 46:1-2 and 5-7), and is a word pun on for God, or elohim. The idols seemed to be the real thing, but they were not! Isaiah uses these word plays constantly in his book. The very LORD, that someday all nations will bow down to, had been exchanged by His own people for worthless idols. They were bowing down to the work of their own hands, to what their fingers had made (2:8). But, amazingly enough, they would not bow down to God.
When we let anything . . . and I mean anything, get between the LORD and us, it becomes an idol. How foolish it is to call what humans have made divine! When people shape God in their own image, then the world is truly without purpose and they are indeed fools.


In the 27 volumes of the Papers of Alexander Hamilton, which took 32 years to complete and were published between 1961 and 1987, Harold Syrett firmly established Hamilton's legacy. Since the publication of Volume 27, additional Hamilton correspondence and documents have surfaced.
Barbara Chernow, an associate editor on the original project, and Columbia University Press are investigating publication of this material in a supplementary volume to complete the series. They will be contacting libraries, collectors and auction houses about acquisitions made since 1986 or material not printed in the original volumes.
If you own, or your institution has acquired, such material and you are willing to assist with this project, please call 212-675-0605 or contact bchernow@chernow.com.


What Makes a Top Esthetician?
When you go to a spa you, as a client, will want to know that the person treating you is a top esthetician and professional in their field. So, what are the characteristics of an esthetician that is not only proficient, but also professional and compassionate? Here at Face Emergency Skin Care we believe that a good esthetician needs to be communicative, needs to stay up-to-date with the latest treatments and technologies, and also needs to find their niche within the esthetic community.
Initiating dialogue is key to creating a relationship with you client as well as ensuring that you know exactly what your client hopes to achieve from coming to see you. Start with a consultation, and ensure that you listen to your client rather than moving on to a treatment that you think is right. Ask them what they want to get out of your session, and provide helpful answers if they are unsure. If they want to learn how to look after their skin, tailor your treatment to them by explaining the process as you work through it in a way that provides them with the information they need without having to actively respond to you. On the other hand, if your client comes to you wanting to unwind and relax, make sure to ask them about their day and focus on their emotions and responses more than the technicalities of the treatment you are providing. By listening to your client, you will be able to notice if they have had a stressful day and simply want to relax and be quiet.
However, a good esthetician must remember that professionalism is integral, even in a relaxed environment. Clients rely on estheticians to create and maintain certain professional boundaries while still being friendly and communicative so that they can relax and fully enjoy their treatments.
A good esthetician will not stop learning as soon as they finish college. Instead, they will work hard to stay abreast of the latest advancement in skin care treatments as well as the development of new products that may be beneficial to their clients. Staying up-to-date with the times and being open to learning new techniques is one of the qualities of an esthetician that care for their clients and is interested in their trade.
Many people who graduate esthetics school do not go on to practice in the field for very long, often because they are unable to find the job that suits them best. At school, estheticians learn many different treatments and services that they can provide to a wide range of clients. However, not every esthetician enjoys every aspect of esthetics, and many are passionate about certain parts of the job. Successful estheticians find treatments and services that they are passionate about and work hard to become experts in those areas. Consequently, a good esthetician may not be able to provide a client with a wide array of services, but the services they do provide will be consistently excellent.
Moreover, when an esthetician finds their niche and what they are passionate about, they will be able to care for their clients more aptly and provide specialized treatments that they are confident about. Luckily, Sharon Morejon is incredibly passionate about what she does, and enjoys creating treatments tailored to her clients in order to boost their confidence and transform their lives. Whether you are having a skin emergency or not, Sharon is here to help with all of your esthetic needs.


Good news, rice lovers: your favorite grain is about to get a whole lot healthier. A new study out of the College of Chemical Sciences in Colombo, Sri Lanka found that cooking rice in a certain way increased its resistant starch content, lowering its calorie count and making it less likely to lead to weight gain. The cooking process could cut the calories in rice by "about 50 to 60 percent," study author Sudhair A. James says, helping heavy rice consumers with their weight-loss efforts.
One cup of medium grain white rice has roughy 246 calories; this new cooking method will cut that number to as little as 147 calories per cup.
To make the lower-calorie rice, add a teaspoon of coconut oil to boiling water. Stir in half a cup of rice and simmer for 20 to 40 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked. Stick it in the fridge for 12 hours, and voila — rice with 10 times the resistant starch and up to 60 percent fewer calories than normal.
"The cooling is essential because amylose, the soluble part of the starch, leaves the granules during gelatinization [which happens naturally as rice cools]," James says. "Cooling for 12 hours will lead to formation of hydrogen bonds between the amylose molecules outside the rice grains, which also turns it into a resistant starch." The process is final — reheating the rice won't reverse any of the changes.
Those who worry that adding calorie-dense coconut oil to rice would make the food more fattening shouldn't worry; the shift in starch type cancels out more calories than the coconut oil adds in.
Interestingly enough, the method isn't far off from Middle Eastern and Turkish methods of making pilaf, or pilav, by cooking rice in a combination of water and butter. Whether that method might have similar results hasn't been tested yet. These studies were performed with unfortified white rice and coconut oil, though James says his team will test different rice types and fats in the future.
Up Next: Can Noodles Ever Be Healthy?


Discussion in 'Suzuki Carry' started by masspilot2004, Jun 3, 2010.
I just wanted to say thanks to all that helped me track down the problem with my truck it was the wires plugs, cap and rotor that had to be replaced it started right up and runs like a champ now. Thanks again it makes people like you all this a real joy.
glad to hear some feedback! enjoy your mini and take LOTS of pictures!!
Don't forget to check oil if you turned it a lot and it wouldn't start your oil is probably contaminated with gasoline. If your oil smells like gasoline change it ASAP. If you wash your crank bearings with gasoline they won,t last long.
The color of the filter might be the only difference, because most come from the same plant.


This inspection was performed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to determine Fermilab's compliance with the Illinois Environmental Protection Act, 35 Illinois Administrative Code 724 Subpart F of the regulations and the Part B Permit.
No findings. This review has been entered into iTrack as Review ID # 39667.


Citation: Bickhart, D.M., Cole, J.B., Hutchison, J.L. 2015. Animal selection for whole genome sequencing by quantifying the unique contribution of homozygous haplotypes sequenced. Journal of Dairy Science. 98(Suppl. 2)/Journal of Animal Science 93(Suppl. 3):649(abstr. W86).
Technical Abstract: Major whole genome sequencing projects promise to identify rare and causal variants within livestock species; however, the efficient selection of animals for sequencing remains a major problem within these surveys. The goal of this project was to develop a library of high accuracy genetic variants found within diverse haplotypes that were in a homozygous state identified from animal genotypes in the national database. An inverted weight function that calculated the value of sequencing an animal based on the sum of the rarity of the haplotypes it had in its SNP-based genotype was used to calculate the estimate, as more common haplotypes would likely be represented within animals already sequenced in subsequent iterations. A weight value was assigned to each 75 SNP haplotype based on the inverse of its frequency within genotyped animals in the national database. Each individual's haplotype weights were summed, and the highest scoring animal was selected for sequencing. Haplotypes from selected animals were removed from future consideration, and the cumulative scores of all remaining animals were recalculated in the absence of those selected haplotypes. This iteration continued until all haplotypes above a frequency threshold of 4% had been selected for sequencing. There were a total of 3,680 75-SNP haplotypes above a frequency of 4% in the national database and 484,522 genotyped Holstein animals. We compared this method against the selection of animals for sequencing based on three additional algorithms: (1) an ascending relatedness weight function, (2) an unbiased predictor of imputation accuracy, and (3) a random selection of animals from the population. By calculating an iterative summed score based on the inverse value of an animal's unsequenced haplotypes, one can quickly determine the value of sequencing a new individual and avoid data redundancy that plagues projects that focus on sequencing highly related individuals in a population.