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Richard was born 5 January 1209 at Winchester Castle, the second son of Isabella of Angouleme and John (the phony King of England from Disney's Robin Hood; he actually became a real king). Richard's older brother was Henry III (born 1 October 1207), who reigned from 1216 to 1272.
Not a lot is known about the early years of Richard, but he did know how to speak English. He was knighted by his brother at age 16, was titular head of a continental campaign, and received the earldom of Cornwall. Throughout much of the later 1220s and early 1230s, Richard was an important baronial ally against his brother. In his capacity as an opposition leader, though, Richard didn't do anything of note – except enriching himself. Every time he challenged Henry, Richard ended up with more money and lands, suggesting that his opposition might have been rather self-serving (a shocking accusation against a medieval baron).
Although her influence cannot be proven, Richard tended to side with the barons of England during the lifetime of his first wife, Isabella Marshal. The daughter and widow of great barons, Isabella was older than Richard and might have influenced his behavior. She certainly drew him into closer connections with her family, for during his marriage Richard rarely rebelled without doing so in concert with one of Isabella's five brothers.
When Isabella died in 1240, Richard generally ceased to be a rebellious thorn in his brother's side. Isabella died in January, and Richard left England in June on a Crusade to the Holy Land. Like nearly every crusade since the First Crusade, this trip was unsuccessful militarily, although Richard did confirm a truce and conducted a prisoner exchange. After the fiascoes of previous crusades, this was a shining achievement. As Sidney Painter, medieval historian, stated in the multi-volume A History of the Crusades, "Richard of Cornwall deserves some credit for what he did but far more for the mistakes he did not make" (485). Way to not horribly screw up, Richard!
On the way home, Richard visited Emperor Frederick II, "Stupor Mundi" or "Wonder of the World." This excessively cultured ruler was a perpetual annoyance to the papacy, which had excommunicated the emperor several times. The crowning moment of this spat was undoubtedly when the pope excommunicated Frederick for going on Crusade - while the emperor was still excommunicated! Perhaps like multiplying negative numbers, Frederick figured two excommunications put him back in communion.
Anyway, Richard's younger sister Isabella had married Frederick in 1235, so Richard was certainly well-taken care of by his brother-in-law. Among his various amusements, Frederick had a harem of Saracen girls who would perform amazing tricks such as balancing on large spheres. These lovely ladies might have performed other services, but the monastic chroniclers of the day are surprisingly reticent about such matters.
Just a few months after his return to England in January 1242, Richard went on campaign with Henry III to France. As usual, the campaign was a disaster, and the English only escaped because Richard, capitalizing on the good will he had accrued by freezing dozens of French prisoners in Jerusalem, arranged an overnight truce, allowing the English to run away under cover of darkness. That's right; the French weren't always cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
After another less-than-stellar campaign, Richard decided to get married again. His second bride was Sanchia of Provence, younger sister of the queens of England and France. For the first thirteen years of her marriage, Sanchia had to content herself with the title of countess and being wife to the richest man in England (even richer than his brother the king), until Richard finally managed to get elected King of the Romans in 1256. King of the Romans was actually the title held by a Holy Roman Emperor before he was crowned Emperor, so Richard was geographically King of Germany and some bits of Italy (not including Rome). He and his wife were crowned in Aachen in May 1257. The Aachen Cathedral treasury even has a few items that were owned by Richard, including a chest decorated with the imperial arms and the arms of Cornwall.
Despite being King of Germany, Richard still spent much of his time in England. During his absence, the barons had forced reforms on Henry III, reforms that the king refused to acknowledge. To telescope several years' worth of history (as Shakespeare was wont to do), civil war broke out in England, led on the baronial side by Simon de Montfort (Henry's French brother-in-law) and on the royalist side by the future Edward I. Richard made an effort to help Henry, but his military ineptness was proven once again when he was captured at the battle of Lewes, hiding in a windmill. Richard missed the final battle of Evesham, in which Edward decisively defeated de Montfort, whose corpse was subsequently mutilated and parts parceled out to royalist supporters. One woman even received de Montfort's genitals, evidence she had really helped Henry!
Richard spent the rest of his life supporting Henry, trying to achieve coronation as emperor (it never happened), and marrying a teenager for his third wife. Tragedy struck when his elder son, Henry, was murdered at Viterbo in Italy, by none other than two of his de Montfort cousins. Henry was slain in a church, while praying at the altar, making it quite the scandal of 1271. Richard suffered a stroke in December of 1271 and died on 2 April 1272. His elder brother Henry died 16 November 1272, paving the way for Edward I (who was on Crusade at the time and wouldn't return to England for two years).
Richard was succeeded as earl of Cornwall by his second son, Edmund (son of Sanchia), who died childless. The earldom of Cornwall reverted back to the Crown, and was later granted to Edward, the Black Prince (eldest son of King Edward III) as the Duchy of Cornwall. The duchy of Cornwall is still part of the lands given to the Prince of Wales.
Richard had three wives. His first was Isabella Marshal, daughter of William Marshal and widow of Gilbert de Clare. She was nearly nine years older than Richard and already the mother of several children. Married to Richard in 1231, the couple suffered several miscarriages and infant deaths before the birth of Henry of Almain in 1235. Sadly, Isabella died in 1240 due to jaundice and complications from childbirth.
Richard did not remarry until 1243, when he espoused the then-fifteen-year-old sister of Eleanor of Provence, Henry III's queen. Sanchia of Provence was renowned for her beauty, and she might have worked to convince her husband to throw in his hat for the position of King of the Romans. Sanchia was crowned queen with her husband in 1257, but was unable to enjoy her new position for long. She died in November 1261, probably after a long illness.
After several years without a wife, Richard married for his third, and final, time in 1269. His final wife was Beatrice of Falkenburg, who was about sixteen to Richard's sixty at the time of the wedding. Beatrice was actually younger than Richard's second son, Edmund. After Richard's 1272 death, Beatrice was involved in a series of disputes with her stepson, Edmund, who perhaps resented having to pay widow's dower. Despite her young age at marriage, Beatrice did not long outlive Richard, dying in her twenties in October 1277.
So that's Richard, earl of Cornwall, a pretty ordinary magnate who lived in the central middle ages. He wasn't particularly gifted (although he seems to have been made of somewhat sterner stuff than his much-maligned brother Henry III), but he was a political force because of his wealth and royal blood.
Happy 802nd birthday, Richard!
If you would like to read more (and seriously, why wouldn't you?) check out some of the titles below:
Paris, Matthew. English History. Volume I-III. Translated by J.A. Giles. London:
Henry G. Bohn, 1852, 1853, 1854.
-This is pretty much the single most awesome chronicle to ever come out of medieval England. It has breadth, depth, human intrigue, and a narrator who is not afraid to tell you how he really feels about people. While not always accurate, Matthew Paris is nearly always entertaining!
And for a truly academic experience read him in Latin (the original language)!
Paris, Matthew. Matthaei Parisiensis, monachi Sancti Albani. Chronica majora. Ed. by H.
R.Luard. 7 vols. London, 1872-1884. [Rolls Series Vol. 57 for those in the know]
Carpenter, David. The Reign of Henry III. London: Hambledon Press, 1996.
Denholm-Young, Nöel. Richard of Cornwall. Oxford: B. Blackwell, 1947.
Powicke, Maurice F. King Henry III and the Lord Edward. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Roche, T.W.E. The King of Almayne: A Thirteenth-Century Englishman in Europe.
London: John Murray, 1966.
Weiler, Bjorn. "Image and Reality in Richard of Cornwall's German Career." The
English Historical Review. Volume 113 (November 1998) 1111-1142.


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Mandatory tagging cuts Victorian industry off from nation
Media 31 August 2016
Wednesday 31 August 2016 Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford has refused to explain why she has isolated Victorian sheep farmers from the rest of the industry by introducing mandatory electronic identification (eID). The refusal came when The Nationals asked Ms Pulford in Parliament yesterday why she had back-flipped on the Government's pre-election promise not to…
Strong Response to Echuca Bendigo Train Line Petition
31 August 2016 The Leader of The Nationals and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh has presented a petition to the Parliament of Victoria calling for an immediate upgrade of the Echuca to Bendigo train line. The petition was managed by longtime local rail advocate Terry Nanscawen who travelled the Echuca Bendigo journey inviting passengers…
Nominate a Victorian Young Achiever – Walsh
Tuesday 30 August 2016 Nominate a Victorian Young Achiever – Walsh Leader of The Nationals and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh is calling for nominations for the Victorian Young Achiever Awards for 2017. Mr Walsh said the Young Achiever Awards recognise the achievements of young Australians who have worked to provide a service program…
Letter to the Editor – Labor drags out review of farmer land rights
Tuesday 30 August 2016 Dear Editor In the past 18 months there have been too many cases of Victorian farmers battling red tape and planning laws threatening to unfairly drive them off their property and out of business. Victoria's agricultural industries are a major source of economic growth for our state but…
Onshore gas moratorium
Tuesday 30 August 2016 The Nationals have always stood side by side with Victoria's farmers on this issue. The Nationals were proud to be part of the previous Coalition government who introduced Victoria's fracking moratorium and who banned the use of BTEX chemicals. Daniel Andrews has followed The Nationals' lead in announcing a permanent…
Melbourne Labor Government's Uber tax charging rural communities
Wednesday 24 August 2016 Daniel Andrews promised no new taxes or fees but is now going to implement a $2 per trip tax on country communities not serviced by ride-share company Uber. There is nothing fair about slugging country pensioners $4 for a taxi trip to the doctors or grocery store. The Government's proposed…
Federal Government to legislate against Daniel Andrews' dirty CFA deal
Tuesday 23 August 2016 Member for Murray Plains and Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh has welcomed a Federal Government proposal that would protect CFA volunteers from a hostile union takeover. The Turnbull Coalition Government's proposed Respect for Emergency Services Volunteers Bill would amend the Fair Work Act to prevent EBAs interfering with the…
Daniel Andrews denies justice for families of murder victims
Monday 21 August 2016 Daniel Andrews is denying justice and closure to the families of murder victims by refusing to pass the No Body No Parole reforms Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh says. New laws put forward in the Liberal-Nationals' Private Members' Bill "No Body No Parole" would require convicted murderers to give…
Letter to Editor – Daniel Andrews Bullying Has Reached New Lows
19 August 2016 Dear Editor Daniel Andrews' bullying reached new lows this week. The Andrews Government defied 150 years of parliamentary convention and blocked requests for a joint sitting of Parliament's upper and lower houses to swear in the new Nationals Member for Northern Victoria Luke O'Sullivan. The Premier's dummy spit is over the suspension…
Letter to the Editor (Chaos in parliament as Labor denys Nth Vic Member swearing in)
Friday 19 August 2016 Dear Editor Daniel Andrews' bullying reached new lows this week. The Andrews Government defied 150 years of parliamentary convention and blocked requests for a joint sitting of Parliament's upper and lower houses to swear in the new Nationals Member for Northern Victoria Luke O'Sullivan. The Premier's dummy spit is over…
Andrews tramples democracy for Northern Victorians
Wednesday 17 August 2016 Daniel Andrews has continued his political thuggery and intimidation denying the people of Northern Victoria their democratic right to full representation. The Andrews Labor Government has thrown the parliament into chaos by denying normal parliamentary conventions for the second time this week preventing the swearing in of the fifth Northern Victorian…
Daniel Andrews' dummy-spit denies regional Victorians their right to democracy
Tuesday 16 August 2016 Background The Government has refused to hold a joint sitting of parliament to swear in the new Member for Northern Victoria Luke O'Sullivan. The Government said it would not hold a joint sitting until Gavin Jennings was allowed back into the house. But Legislative Council President Bruce Atkinson said the Government's…

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Covering the process involved in taking a ripe coffee cherry growing in the Tropics and turning it into a delicious coffee beverage, we share insider tips on how to buy better coffee.
Getting hands-on, we share just how easy it can be to make great tasting coffee at home. Showcasing different brewers we cover a range of brewing styles, including French Press, V60 Pourover and the Aeropress.
a set of brewing recipe instruction cards.


If you need baby gear, don't miss this sale. Target has select baby gear on sale for 30% off (or more). This includes pack 'n play, car seats, swings, and more.
Note: only select colors are at the best prices.
Shipping is free. The deal expires 11/12.


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Sharks Transactions
Lightning Acquire Goodrow from Sharks for First-Round Pick
By Declan Schroeder February 24th, 2020
The powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning continue to add for what they're hoping will be a much-longer playoff run than a year before, acquiring Barclay Goodrow and a third-round pick from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first-round pick and Anthony Greco.
Goodrow Heads Cross-Country
Goodrow is a sound, big, two-way forward who can provide both offence and kill penalties.
The #GoBolts give up a 1st round pick to grab Barclay Goodrow from the #SJSharks . Goodrow is a work-horse who's willing to sacrifice his body and battle for position in front of the net. He adds some grit to a talent-heavy lineup in Tampa pic.twitter.com/dLhWBZ1JJm
— The Point (@ThePointHockey) February 24, 2020
It's not often an undrafted player fetches a first-round pick, but that's exactly what's happened in this case. After spending five seasons with the OHL's Brampton Battalion, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks and has spent his entire career there, suiting up for 268 games and recording 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points.
He's set career-highs in both goals and points this season with eight and 16, respectively, and has also racked up 80 penalty minutes.
Goodrow (centre) has set career-highs in goals and assists this season: he'll have a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup on a stacked Lightning squad. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Goodrow is on the first year of a two-year deal that pays him a modest $925,000 annually. By trading away their first round pick for him, the Lightning — at 40-17-5 and on a tear in recent weeks — have shown they're in "win now" mode after being unceremoniously swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets last spring.
Goodrow is the third player the Bolts have added recently: they acquired Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils last week and picked up free-agent defenseman Zach Bogosian yesterday.
Anthony Greco is an undrafted right-winger playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. He's appeared in one NHL game, for the Florida Panthers, during the 2018-19 season.
Rebuilding Sharks Are Back in the First Round
The San Jose Sharks — sans Erik Karlsson for the rest of the season and now well below .500 — have been sellers this month; they sent Brendan Dillon to the Washington Capitals last week.
Sharks General manager Doug Wilson has gotten himself back in the first round of the upcoming draft by trading Goodrow. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Sharks didn't have a first-round 2020 pick until now, as they sent theirs to the Ottawa Senators as part of the trade that brought them Karlsson. With the Lightning's first-rounder, they'll bring eigh picks to this June's draft in Montreal.
2020 NHL Trade Deadline


A practical performance workshop with Emily Baines of Blondel, exploring the rhythmic interplay found in much 15th-century music. Includes consort songs in a variety of styles, playing single-line repertoire as a group, ornamentation and articulation. Emily also offers pre-formed groups or soloists the opportunity to work on their own repertoire of the periods in a short informal masterclass at the end of the session.
suitable for players with some experience.


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Friday, pressured by renewed concerns that a global trade war could dent energy demand, although impending U.S. sanctions on Iran and falling Venezuelan output limited the decline.
Benchmark Brent crude oil LCOc1 fell 35 cents to settle at $77.42 a barrel. U.S. crude CLc1 slipped 45 cents to settle at $69.80.
Brent closed the month 4.3 percent higher while U.S. crude gained 1.5 percent. Oil has been buoyed by tumbling Venezuelan output and declining shipments from Iran ahead of the imposition of U.S. sanctions on Tehran in November.
On Friday, however, oil "appears to be following equities lower amidst renewed U.S./Chinese tariff concerns that could easily escalate in slowing global economic growth and, hence, world oil demand," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates, said in a note.
The MSCI Emerging Markets index .MSCIEF fell for a second day as a report that U.S. President Donald Trump was preparing to step up a trade war with Beijing dampened risk appetite and erased some gains from a rally this week. In the previous session, concerns about Argentina's currency weakening weighed on the outlook for emerging markets.
Trump threatened on Thursday to withdraw from the World Trade Organization and impose tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports.
Crude exports rose nearly 200,000 bpd in the month, hitting a new record of 2.2 million bpd, more than twice last June's level, the EIA said in a separate monthly report on Friday.
U.S. crude's discount to Brent WTCLc1-LCOc1, which has widened by nearly a third in the past month, has encouraged an increase in U.S. exports, said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.
Production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries increased by 220,000 bpd in August, according to a Reuters survey.
Speculators raised their bullish bets on crude for the first time in more than a month, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed on Friday.


The Tennessean Sports Awards recognizes and honors the top athletic accomplishments in middle Tennessee High School Sports. This event is hosted by the Tennessean and will take place May 31, 2019 at Music City Center. The show features various awards, contests and a special appearance from Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, Golden Tate. The red carpet will open at 6 p.m. and the awards show begins promptly at 7 p.m. We ask that attendees take their seats by 6:45 p.m. No food will be served during the show. All ticket sales are final.


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Posted inNews, News
CSUN Teams Up with University of Pennsylvania to Increase Latino Faculty in the Humanities
by February 4, 2016 March 1, 2021
Photo by Lee Choo
CSUN is teaming up with the University of Pennsylvania to launch "Pathways to the Professorate" to increase the number of Latinos working in the humanities.
Officials at California State University, Northridge are teaming up with their counterparts at the University of Pennsylvania to launch an unprecedented program to increase the number of Latino professors working in the humanities.
The program, Pathways to the Professoriate, is supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the University of Pennsylvania for its Graduate School of Education's Center for Minority Serving Institutions. Over a five-year period, the program will prepare 90 students from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the United States, including CSUN, to move forward and get doctorates in humanities-related fields.
The program comes as colleges and universities across the country struggle to develop faculty that reflect the nation's growing ethnic and cultural diversity.
"Cal State Northridge was honored to be selected to participate in the Pathways to the Professoriate initiative," said Elizabeth Say, dean of CSUN's College of Humanities.
"We know well the quality of our students — what they sometimes lack is opportunity. This partnership with the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and the Mellon Foundation will provide unparalleled opportunity for our students to achieve their educational goals. Together with our other institutional partners, we can begin to transform the professoriate to better reflect and serve the next generation of university students."
The problem of not having enough minorities in the professor pipeline cannot be fixed overnight, said Marybeth Gasman, director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, which will oversee the project.
"We see this program as a way to begin a fundamental change," Gasman said. "We hope this creates a strong pathway to graduate school for Latino students that will grow over time, with these students supporting one another, and one day becoming mentors themselves."
Mariët Westermann, vice president at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, said that as the demographic profile of the United States changes, the country has a compelling interest to obtain the full participation of previously underrepresented communities.
"The past decade has seen considerable gains in doctoral attainment for Latinos, yet these gains have not kept up with the growth in the U.S. Hispanic population," she noted.
Over the course of the five-year program, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions will partner with CSUN, Florida International University and the University of Texas, El Paso — all Hispanic Serving Institutions — and five research institutions — New York University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and the University of California, Davis.
As part of Pathways to the Professoriate, selected CSUN undergraduates in the humanities, social sciences and related fields will take part in intensive summer research programs and cross-institutional conferences, while also receiving mentoring and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school.
CSUN faculty mentors will work closely with each student beginning in the second semester of his or her junior year, and the relationship will continue as the student matriculates into Ph.D. programs.
The summer research programs at CSUN will focus on an exploration of humanities-based methodological approaches, as well as professional skills, including academic writing, graduate school application writing and preparation for taking the GRE. The standardized admissions test is required by most graduate schools in the United States.
Say noted that in the academic year 2012-13, CSUN awarded 1,143 bachelor's degrees in the humanities and social sciences. Thirty-three percent of those went to Latinos.
"We have the students, and now we have a way to help them go on to Ph.D. programs that they may have only dreamed about," she said. "The fact that CSUN faculty mentors will work intensively with each student beginning in the second semester of junior yea — and they will be there as the student goes on into Ph.D. programs — is critical. This investment of time and resources is a game-changer for our students."


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Q: How to select a value in a dataframe with MultiIndex? I use the Panda library to analyze the data coming from an excel file.
I used pivot_table to get a pivot table with the information I'm interested in. I end up with a multi index array.
For "OPE-2016-0001", I would like to obtain the figures for 2017 for example. I've tried lots of things and nothing works. What is the correct method to use? thank you
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
from math import *
import tkinter as tk
pd.set_option('display.expand_frame_repr', False)
df = pd.read_csv('datas.csv')

def tcd_op_dataExcercice():
global df
new_df = df.assign(Occurence=1)

tcd= new_df.pivot_table(index=['Numéro opération',
                              'Libellé opération'],
                              columns=['Exercice'],
                              values=['Occurence'],
                              aggfunc=[np.sum],
                              margins=True,
                              fill_value=0,
                              margins_name='Total')
print(tcd)

print(tcd.xs('ALSTOM 8', level='Libellé opération', drop_level=False))

tcd_op_dataExcercice()
I get the following table (image).
How do I get the value framed in red?

A: You can use .loc to select rows by a DataFrame's Index's labels. If the Index is a MultiIndex, it will index into the first level of the MultiIndex (Numéro Opéracion in your case). Though you can pass a tuple to index into both levels (e.g. if you specifically wanted ("OPE-2016-0001", "ALSTOM 8"))
It's worth noting that the columns of your pivoted data are also a MultiIndex, because you specified the aggfunc, values and columns as lists, rather than individual values (i.e. without the []). Pandas creates a MultiIndex because of these lists, even though they had one
argument.
So you'll also need to pass a tuple to index into the columns to get  the value  for 2017:
tcd.loc["OPE-2016-0001", ('sum', 'Occurence', 2017)]

If you had instead just specified the aggfunc etc as individual strings, the columns would just be the years and you could select the values by:
tcd.loc["OPE-2016-0001", 2017]

Or if you specifically wanted the value for ALSTOM 8:
tcd.loc[("OPE-2016-0001", "ALSTOM 8"), 2017]

An  alternative to indexing into a MultiIndex would also be to just .reset_index() after pivoting -- in which case the levels of the MultiIndex will just become columns in the data. And you can then select rows based on the values of those columns. E.g (assuming you specified aggfunc etc as strings):
tcd =  tcd.reset_index()
tcd.query("'Numéro Opéracion' == 'OPE-2016-0001'")[2017]

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Data partitioning on heterogeneous HPC platforms is formulated as an optimization problem. The algorithm departs from the communication performance models of the processes representing their speeds and outputs a data tiling that minimizes the communication cost. Traditionally, communication volume is the metric used to guide the partitioning, but such metric is unable to capture the complexities introduced by uneven communication channels and the variety of patterns in the kernel communications. We discuss Analytical Communication Performance Models as a new metric in partitioning algorithms. They have not been considered in the past because of two reasons: prediction inaccuracy and lack of tools to automatically build and solve kernel communication formal expressions. We show how communication performance models fit the specific kernel and platform, and we present results that equal or even improve previous volume-based strategies.
This work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund 'A way to achieve Europe' (ERDF) and the Extremadura Local Government (Ref. IB16118). It was also partially supported by the computing facilities of Extremadura Research Center for Advanced Technologies (CETA-CIEMAT), funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).


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Home»Kids Encyclopedia»Mammals Encyclopedia»Alpaca
Kids4Fun February 17, 2015	Mammals Encyclopedia 2,163 Views
Alpaca — The Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.
Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3500 to 5000 meters above sea-level, throughout the year. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike them are not used as beasts of burden but are valued only for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, much as sheep's wool is. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks, coats and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 22 as classified in America. Alpacas and llamas differ in that alpacas have straight ears and llamas have banana shaped ears. Aside from these differences, llamas are on average 1-2 feet taller and proportionally bigger than alpacas.
In the textile industry, "alpaca" primarily refers to the hair of Peruvian alpaca, but more broadly it refers to a style of fabric originally made from alpaca hair but now often made from similar fibers, such as mohair, Icelandic sheep wool, or even high-quality English wool. In trade, distinctions are made between alpacas and the several styles of mohair and luster.
Alpacas are social herd animals that live in family groups consisting of a territorial male, females and their young. They are gentle, elegant, inquisitive, intelligent and observant. As they are a prey animal, they are cautious and nervous if they feel threatened. They like having their own space and may not like an unfamiliar alpaca or human getting close, especially from behind. They warn the herd about intruders by making sharp, noisy inhalations that sound like a high pitch burro bray. The herd may attack smaller predators with their front feet, and can spit and kick. Due to the soft pads on their feet, the impact of a kick is not as dangerous as that of a hoofed animal, yet it still can give quite a bruise, and the pointed nails can inflict cuts.
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Drill Monkeys: Mammals Encyclopedia
Tahr: Mammal Encyclopedia
Deer: Mammal Encyclopedia
Banteng: Cattle – Mammal Encyclopedia
Mink: Carnivorous Mammal Encyclopedia
Buffalo: Cattle – Mammal Encyclopedia


A Welsh Government minister has been found dead just days after being suspended by the Labour Party over allegations of sexual misconduct.
Carl Sargeant, a married father of two and minister in the Welsh Assembly, was found dead at his home in Connah's Quay in North Wales after Labour announced an investigation on Friday. He is believed to have taken his own life.
Sargeant quit his post as cabinet secretary for communities and children in Cardiff last week after what he called "shocking and distressing" allegations were made against him. The nature of those allegations are not known.
His family said in a statement on Tuesday: "Carl was a much loved husband, father and friend. He wasn't simply a part of our family. He was the glue that bound us together. He was the heart of our family. We loved him so very much.
Sargeant had been a member of the Welsh Assembly since 2003. He was made minister for social justice and local government in 2009 and was appointed cabinet secretary for communities and children in May last year.
Did 7/7 Inspire Laws That Have Gone Too Far?


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Q: Show that the rational conic $F(x,y)=ax^2+bxy+cy^2+dx+ey+f$, subject to a certain condition, is non-singular Let $C$ be the conic given by the equation $F(x,y)=ax^2+bxy+cy^2+dx+ey+f=0$.  Show that if
$$\begin{vmatrix}
 2a&b  &d \\
 b&2c  &e \\
 d&e  &2f
\end{vmatrix}\neq 0,$$
then $C$ has no singular points.
So I want to show that there are no points $(x,y)$ such that $F(x,y)=\frac{\partial F}{\partial x}(x,y)+\frac{\partial F}{\partial y}(x,y)=0$.  I've come at this a couple different ways.  First, since the determinant is non zero then this matrix is bijective and thus since its first two rows are precisely the coefficients of $\frac{\partial }{\partial x}$ and $\frac{\partial }{\partial y}$, respectively, this means that I should look at vectors $[x,y,z]$ which it maps to the vectors $[0,0,\lambda]$.  This means that the singular point (there can be only one since otherwise the determinant would be zero) must lie on some complex plane through the origin (in $\mathbb{C}^3$ I guess), which maps to the the $x=y=0$ subspace of $\mathbb{C}^3$.  This doesn't really seem to go anywhere though, so @#%! it, I'll just set the two partial derivatives equal to zero, solve for $x$ and $y$, and then plug those into $F(x,y)$ and hope I can show it can't be equal to zero while keeping the determinant non-zero.  This was a ton of computation but I did it and ended up with a somewhat messy expression in $a,...,e$, but I can't find enough commonality among the terms to say anything useful about its structure.
Thoughts: There must be some reason for their choice of the third row of this matrix, but I'm not sure what it is.  It does make the matrix hermitian, and in a way writing this matrix is based on a homogenization of the equations for the partial derivatives, so maybe I'm suppose to look at things in the projective plane?
So this is where I am, can anyone help me? Thanks.

A: a) The determinant condition you wrote is a necessary and sufficient condition for the corresponding projective conic $\bar C\subset \mathbb P^2(\mathbb C)$ to be non-singular.
The equation  of that projective conic is obtained by homogeneizing $F$ and is $$\bar F(x,y,z)=ax^2+bxy+cy^2+dxz+eyz+fz^2=0$$
 b) Indeed, in general consider  $\Gamma \subset \mathbb P^2(\mathbb C)$  a curve  of degree $d$ in the projective plane  given by $G$=0 for some  homogeneous polynomial $G(x,y,z)\in \mathbb C[x,y,z]$.
A point $P=[a:b:c]\in \mathbb P^2(\mathbb C)$ will be a singular point of $\Gamma$ if and only $$\frac {\partial G} {\partial x} (P)=\frac {\partial G} {\partial y} (P)=\frac {\partial G} {\partial z} (P)=0 \quad (\bigstar)$$ Note that if $P$ satisfies these equations it will automatically be on $\Gamma$ because of Euler's identity for homogeneous polynomials of degree $d$ : $$x\frac {\partial G} {\partial x} (x,y,z)+y\frac {\partial G} {\partial y} (x,y,z)+z\frac {\partial G} {\partial z} (x,y,z)=d\cdot G(x,y,z)$$
c) In your particular question the condition $$\begin{vmatrix}
 2a&b  &d \\
 b&2c  &e \\
 d&e  &2f
\end{vmatrix}= 0$$ is a necessary and sufficient for the system $(\bigstar)$ to have a non-zero solution and thus for the existence of a singular point  $P\in \bar C$  .
d) Finally note carefully that the vanishing of the determinant does not imply the existence of a singular point in the affine part $\mathbb C^2\subset \mathbb P^2(\mathbb C)$ (the part your question is about) : the conic $x^2-x=0$ is perfectly non-singular  in $\mathbb C^2$, although the corresponding determinant vanishes.
That vanishing reflects the singularity of the conic at its  only point at infinity $[0:1:0]\in \bar C\setminus C$.


An interesting article in which the author, a noted "Greenie," illustrates the "problems he sees for the green movement.
First, that they don't really have an understanding of reality, for example, for their proposals to work, progress has to come to a halt and society stagnate, but industry has to reverse direction, not just halt. In human society, that can't happen.
Second, that they have no basis in reality. Their "belief system" was based upon the near-religious belief that when energy supplies weakened, society would collapse, but society simply adapted and found more energy, a bad thing in his opinion.
It is hard to understand what he does see as an actual future that would meet his dreams, but at least he is thinking, not just feeling.
Surely we need to control the #1 issue that no one seems to have the courage to even admit exists, the dramatic population growth in those nations least able to handle a larger population.
Is the result of all the efforts to feed the hungry - just to create more hungry people?
If we do advance their societies, will the result only be more people consuming more energy?
More importantly, if a cure is worse than the problem, isn't it time to consider other options?
"You think you're discussing technologies, and you quickly discover that you're discussing belief systems.
"Cut the electricity supply and we're stuck with oil and gas. If we close down nuclear plants, we must accept an even greater expansion of renewables than currently proposed. Given the tremendous public resistance to even a modest increase in windfarms and new power lines, that's going to be tough.
"most of those who advocate an off-grid, land-based economy have made no provision for manufactures..... I'm talking about the energy required to make bricks, glass, metal tools and utensils, textiles (except the hand-loomed tweed Fairlie suggests we wear), ceramics and soap: commodities that almost everyone sees as the barest possible requirements.
""We think that the crude oil production has already peaked, in 2006." If this is true, we should be extremely angry with the IEA. In 2005 its executive director mocked those who predicted peak oil as "doomsayers". Until 2008 (two years after the IEA now says it happened) the agency continued to dismiss the possibility that peak oil would occur.
But this also raises an awkward question for us greens: why hasn't the global economy collapsed as we predicted?
"The problem we face is not that we have too little fossil fuel, but too much. As oil declines, economies will switch to tar sands, shale gas and coal; as accessible coal declines, they'll switch to ultra-deep reserves (using underground gasification to exploit them) and methane clathrates.
"All of us in the environment movement, in other words - whether we propose accommodation, radical downsizing or collapse - are lost. None of us yet has a convincing account of how humanity can get out of this mess."


text:
An astutely observed debut
by Rob Rector
When looking down from the perch of the administrative overlords, teaching is a generally thankless profession, there is nothing new to this fact (as someone who has made a career of it, I should know). Sure, once in a while, you may be nominated for some plastic-trophy award and, if you're lucky, a $25 gift card at Starbucks, but generally the ratio of what you put in and what you receive from your supervisors is far from equitable.
So when Mitch Carter (played by Matt Letscher) earns California's "Teacher of the Year" award as a humble English teacher at the struggling Truman High School in Los Angeles, an opportunity arises that would allow him to speak across the country and earn a significantly higher salary than his meager pay at the charter school.
It's a potential job that would mean financial stability for his growing family (he and his wife are expecting their second child), but would mean spending more time on the road, and, despite the crappy pay, leaving the students for which her cares.
Written & Directed by Jason Strouse
Cast Matt Letscher, Keegan-Michael Key, Sunny Mabrey
Release Date 19 May 2015
Rob's Grade: B
That's the premise of Teacher of the Year, a serious-minded, partially improvised, and astutely observed "mockumentary" that is masked as a comedy. Featuring the likes of such comics as Keegan-Michael Key (of Key and Peele), the Sklar Brothers (of ESPN's Cheap Seats), and Larry Joe Campbell (According to Jim), it's easy to see where this might be considered yet another National Lampoon-like cheapie that takes the obvious lowest-level jabs at the job and is filled with a bunch of teacher's lounge dick jokes.
But debut director/writer Jason Strouse apparently based it off his own stint in the world of education, and the result takes some very surprising -- and very real -- turns.
While comedy does abound thanks to the Sklar Brothers as a pair of clueless guidance counsellors, comedian Jamie Kaler as an envious fellow teacher, and Key as the useless principal, the story heads off into areas that are often handled with a delicate, nuanced touch that only one with first-hand knowledge of the situation can present.
For example, when a fellow teacher is accused of making an advance at one of his students, we see reactions from all of those who are affected: the teacher's wife, his colleagues, the spiteful student, her mother and the spineless administration who will do anything to keep it out of the news.
We also are treated to how Mitch's new offer affects him both professionally and personally, with the cameras capturing conversations he has at home with his family.
While there are no shortage of laughs to be found, Teacher of the Year deserves a look for more than a chuckle, as it is one of the more accurate, heartfelt glimpses into the current state of education to emerge in quite a while should earn more than just a mere cheap trophy for its effort and passion, much like teachers in the system today.
Tags:Indie, Independent, Review, Low Budget, Comedy, Trailer, Rob Rector, film review, movies, film, Jason Strouse, Matt Letscher, Keegan-Michael Key, Sunny Mabrey


Carmel Convent High School organised one day picnic to Imagica on 16th January 2019.
The students were asked to come to school at the regular time at 7:30 am. The students were filled with excitement and joy. The principal, class teachers and PT masters along with the students boarded the bus and left from the school around 8:30 am. Students had their breakfast in the bus which was carried by them.
d degree celsius. After that the students spent their day in various rides and enjoyed a lot.
At 1:30 PM we had our lunch and at 4:30 PM refreshed with snacks by 6:30 PM there was an Imagica carnival which was mind blowing. We left from the place by 7:00 PM and reached the school around 8:15 PM. Parents were gathered in the school to pick up their wards. This picnic will remain as memorable one for the students. The students thanked the Management and the Principal Sr. Sushmita for organizing such a wonderful Picnic for them.


text:
Everything You Need to Know About the State Fair of Texas
By Hayden Bernstein
Updated on 10/9/2019 at 2:12 PM
Kevin Brown/State Fair of Texas
Forget what calendar says -- fall doesn't begin in Dallas until Big Tex issues his first "Howdy Folks" at the State Fair of Texas. His booming voice signals cooler weather is finally (hopefully) on the way; it also means that a world of fried goodness, midway games, rides, and everything else you might expect from the largest state fair in the country is waiting just beyond his size 96 cowboy boots.
The State Fair is a full-hearted celebration of all things Texas, as diverse and sprawling as the state itself. From live music and pig races to truck shows and chainsaw carving, there really is something for everyone -- but if we're being totally honest, it's the food that keeps most of us coming back year after year. If you can eat it, they've probably got a fried version of it here.
Dating back to 1886, the State Fair's an annual rite of passage for DFW locals (as well as anyone in Texas with a car, which is everyone). Over two million people attended the event during its four-week run last year; in fact, most school districts in the area give students a day off and a free ticket to attend.
Whether this is your first year to attend the State Fair or yet another annual pilgrimage to the kingdom of Big Tex, you'll want a plan of attack to make the most of your time here. Our 2019 Guide to the State Fair is here to answer all your burning questions, and make sure don't miss out.
When is the State Fair?
The State Fair of Texas starts its 24-day run on Friday, September 27 and continues through Sunday, October 20. Gates open at 10am every day of the week, but if you're really determined to eat the very first corny dog of the day, the parking lots and ticket booths open at 7am.
The concessions and exhibits close at 9am Sundays through Thursdays, but on Friday and Saturday, we're treated to an extra hour of fair fun with most everything staying open until 10pm. Be sure to check the Visitor's Guide for exact times of any exhibits you're interested in, as the times can vary by day.
Where is the State Fair?
The fair is held at Fair Park, its home for the past 100+ years. Located just a few miles east of downtown Dallas and south of Interstate 30, the usually quiet collection of Art Deco buildings is consumed by the State Fair each year. While you're there, it's worth taking a moment to look past the Midway lights and appreciate the historic buildings like the majestic Hall of State.
Where can I buy tickets?
You'll encounter plenty of lines while you're at the fair, but at least one of them is avoidable. Yes, you can purchase tickets at any of the fair's 12 entrance gates, but the better move is to buy them online beforehand. You can opt for individual GA tickets, bundled combo packs that include food & ride coupons, or season passes that'll give you 24-day access to the fair -- figure out which option makes the most sense for you, and buy it before you even arrive at the fairground.
If you take the DART train to Fair Park, you can purchase a fair ticket through your DART GoPass app and save $2.00, avoid the lines, and avoid paying to park. There are lots of discounted ticket days to look out for as well. Make sure you check here before you go!
It's important to note, though, that if you opt for the "print-at-home" option you'll still need to pick up your food & ride coupons at one of the fair's Coupon Redemption Centers. Make sure you do that before making a bee-line to the concessions.
How can I experience the fair on a budget?
Your first chance to save a few dollars is at the entrance gate, where you can get half-price admission after 5pm by bringing an empty Dr. Pepper can after 5pm any day of the week. Even deeper admission discounts are offered on most weekdays.
On Tuesdays, that empty Dr. Pepper can is good for half-price entry all day; Tuesday also offers reduced prices on most midway rides, for those who need a midweek adrenaline rush. On Wednesdays, you can get in for only $4 when you bring four cans of food as a donation to the North Texas Food Bank -- it's the best admission discount at the fair, and helps support a great cause. On "Thrifty Thursdays," enjoy discounts on most classic food items (like corny dogs), and half-price admission by bringing an empty 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola.
Once you actually make it inside, you can easily fill your entire day at the fair with only free activities. All of the daily shows and live performances are free to enjoy every day, and there are also multiple free museum exhibits for a healthy dose of culture before you go haggle with the carnies. If you need a break from the madness of the Midway, take a quiet stroll through the indoor Texas Discovery Garden where you can interact with live butterflies, or go see this year's prize-winning livestock in the vast barns, showcasing everything from cattle and pigs to horses and llamas. In the Centennial and Automotive buildings, cruise through the Texas Auto Show where over 400 of the latest car models are on display; it's also where you'll find the best air-conditioning at the fair.
What fair food should I eat first?
With your tickets in-hand, head towards Big Tex for the quintessential State Fair food item: a Corny Dog from Fletchers. There are Fletcher's stands throughout the fairground, but this particular outpost stays busy and you're guaranteed to get a corny dog hot and fresh from the deep frier. Don't worry about the line you'll inevitably find there, as it moves quickly enough and gives you a chance to take your obligatory selfie in front of Big Tex.
Remember: This is a marathon, not a sprint, and there's always a new crop of delicious/outlandish foods to try at the State Fair. The Big Tex Choice Awards fields crazy new items each year and categorizes winners by savory, sweet and "most creative." This year's winners include a stuffed fried taco cone filled with barbacoa, a fried chicken wing served on a Big Red-glazed donut (because we know how much Texans love Big Red), and a fried mango with strawberry sorbet called the "Fla'mango Tango". Each of the 2019 winners and finalists are served at different locations throughout the fair.
All the classics are here, too, with funnel cakes, turkey legs, and corn-on-the-cob around practically every corner. Jack's French Frys is another institution at the State Fair, serving perfectly crispy french fries in a cone under the neon lights of the Cotton Bowl. The Hans Mueller tent pays homage to Central Texas's German roots with bratwurst, sauerkraut, and a great selection of imported beers. If none of that does it for you, there is also the indoor food court with more options like gyros, cajun and burgers. There are even vegetarian, vegan, and healthier foods available, if you're into that sort of thing.
Where can I get something to drink?
It'd be easier to say where you can't get a drink; beer and wine are sold at practically every food stall. If you want better selections, though, hit up the Magnolia Beer Garden for local craft beers, and the State Fair Wine Garden, which serves twelve award-winning Texas wines selected by a panel of sommeliers.
Leena Robinson/Shutterstock
Who (or what) is Big Tex, anyways?
Before becoming the world's tallest cowboy (at 55ft), Big Tex was the world's tallest Santa Claus. Created by the small town of Kerens, Texas to attract holiday shoppers in 1949, his gig as St. Nick lasted just two years before he was sold to the State Fair of Texas for $750. After getting a makeover that included jeans made from 100 yards of denim, Big Tex began his tenure as the official greeter of the State Fair in 1952. Some "feedback" after his debut led fair officials to make him more friendly (aka less creepy) by reshaping his face and adding his now-iconic voice. More than 65 years later, Big Tex has been the State Fair's master of ceremonies that we've known and loved ever since.
Not every year has been a funnel cake walk for Big Tex, though. In 2012, an electrical fire consumed the patron saint of the State Fair amidst literal cries from those in attendance. In a matter of minutes, Big Tex was gone. But in true Texan fashion, Big Tex was rebuilt bigger and bolder than before at a whopping cost of $500,000. He made his triumphant return the very next year, a full 3 feet taller, 19,000 pounds heavier, and capable of withstanding hurricane force winds. Don't mess with Big Tex now.
The first man to voice Big Tex said he was told to talk slowly and sound like a cross between Gary Cooper and Santa Claus. Only six people have had the honor of being the voice of Big Tex and it's a secret who the voice is today. Whoever it is behind the curtain these days (actually, the performer is in a booth called "the doghouse" somewhere nearby Big Tex), he's at the fair every day for 12 hours to make the live announcements every half hour. Cheers to this unsung hero of the State Fair.
What are the best things to do at the fair?
Dozens of events happen daily throughout the fair, so you'll need to prioritize what to check out before that next deep-fried something. Music is a big draw with four stages and bands scheduled every day. This year's lineup includes Bob Schneider on October 11, Billy Ray Cyrus on October 13, and 98 Degrees on October 19 for the boy band lovers living amongst us.
Beyond the music, the World of Birds Show, All-Star Stunt Dog Show, and pig races are all long-time fair favorites that take place multiple times each day. Cap off the evening by watching the nightly parade from the steps of the Hall of State building. For the full lineup along with exact showtimes, refer to the official schedule.
What should I ride on the Midway?
The Midway is full of rides that spin you around and upside down until… yeah, remember all that food? Go with the sure thing and ride the 212-ft. Texas Star Ferris wheel. It's the most iconic aspect of the State Fair after Big Tex and offers an incredible view of the whole fairground with downtown Dallas as the backdrop. Remember that all midway rides require fair tickets as well. Pro tip: Fair tickets from previous years are still valid, so don't feel like you absolutely have to use every last ticket this go-around.
What's the weirdest thing to see at the State Fair?
If a 55-foot-tall cowboy isn't weird enough for you, check out The Woofus. This mythical creature blends a sheep's head, horns of a Texas longhorn, midsection of a pig, tail of a turkey, wings of a duck, and neck of a horse, and there's a statue of it located next to the Swine Building.
Need more weird? There's also a 1,000-pound themed butter sculpture located in the Creative Arts building. This year's theme is "Celebrating Texas Creativity," so it could really be anything.
Sign up here for our daily Dallas email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun DFW has to offer.


Our Handmade Collective0113 4182304work Shop - GiftA Handmade, Handpicked Gift Shopping Experience.
Our Handmade Collective is an independent handmade gift shopping destination housing over 50 designers, makers and artists all working together to provide you with high quality unique gifts to suit any occasion.
Walking into Our Handmade Collective is like walking into Aladdin's Cave - there truly is something for everyone! With upcycled and vintage jewellery, natural bath and body products, origami vases, soft furnishings, Lego artwork, hand painted wine glasses, tea cup candles, fused glass work, rag dolls, keepsake teddy bears, lace patterned ceramics, 1950's inspired pinnies, cards, gift wrap, homewares - the list goes on and on!
Our Handmade Collective is now an award winning shop! Recently voted by the general public as the Best Place to Shop in Leeds as part of the Leeds Love Affairs Independent Business Awards!
And not only that, they also have two Great Taste award winning stockists in Our Handmade Collective. The Harrogate Preserves Co won one gold star for their Chipper Jam and Fudgerrific won one and two gold star respectively for their Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Fudge.
A Handmade, Handpicked Gift Shopping Experience.


text:
Share this Story: What to know about NACI, blood clots and the AstraZeneca and J&J COVID-19 vaccines
PMN Life
PMN Health
What to know about NACI, blood clots and the AstraZeneca and J&J COVID-19 vaccines
Mia Rabson
OTTAWA — With thousands of doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine creeping towards their expiration date in freezers across Canada, many provinces moved in mid-April to let people as young as 40 start getting vaccinated with them.
Generation X stepped up to get the first vaccine they were offered, but then the National Advisory Committee on Immunization came out with a warning: if you aren't at particularly high risk of getting COVID-19, or getting really sick from it, then you might want to wait for the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna instead.
What to know about NACI, blood clots and the AstraZeneca and J&J COVID-19 vaccines Back to video
Josh Greenberg, director of the school of journalism and communication at Carleton University in Ottawa, said the resulting confusion undermines the long-standing message to get the first vaccine you can.
"Lacking the expertise, the knowledge of the science, the quick decisions and interpretations people make is that this is a subpar substandard vaccine," he said.
Here is what you should know about NACI, its latest advice and what it means for the vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
What is the National Advisory Committee on Immunization?
The expert panel was created in 1964 to provide guidance on the use of new or existing vaccines in Canada. Its current 16 members include doctors, nurses and epidemiologists. They look at the current science behind a particular vaccine that has been authorized by Health Canada and come to a consensus on how the vaccine make the best impact.
In 2017, Health Canada authorized a new shingles vaccine. NACI did not issue its guidance until nearly a year later. They don't have that kind of time during the COVID-19 pandemic and in some cases, the science is evolving constantly. New data that emerged on COVID-19 variants of concern was behind the sudden cancellation last month of a planned NACI briefing on AstraZeneca just minutes before it was to go live.
Is NACI part of Health Canada?
The advisory committee reports to the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Branch at the Public Health Agency of Canada, but is considered an arm's-length advisory body.
Its role is separate and distinct from Health Canada, which regulates the use of pharmaceuticals, reviews clinical data and determines if a particular drug can be used. NACI then provides guidance to the provinces on how it should be used.
That advice is not binding. Provincial governments, which have jurisdiction over health-care delivery, decide whether to follow it.
What did it actually say about the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines?
NACI said that these vaccines potentially pose a risk of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) — seven cases were seen in 1.7 million doses of AstraZeneca given in Canada, and 17 in eight million doses of J&J given in the United States.
The syndrome is similar to one caused by the blood-thinning drug Heparin, but has never been seen before with vaccines. It causes an immune response that affects the blood platelets leading to many small clots, which can be fatal if not properly treated.
Because VITT is potentially linked to the vaccines — it's so new the link hasn't yet been confirmed or the exact cause pinned down — NACI said the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that we know don't cause the syndrome are "preferred."
The AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines however are still effective against COVID-19, and for many people, the risks from COVID-19 far outweigh the risks of a blood clot.
How did NACI come to this conclusion?
NACI based its advice on a scientific, risk-benefit analysis that looks at the potential risk of dying from or ending up in the ICU with VITT — either one in 100,000, one in 250,000 or for J&J alone, one in 500,000. They compared those with how successful the vaccines would be at preventing an ICU admission or death from COVID-19.
The COVID-19 risks were further assessed based on five different community infection rates, from very low to very high.
They found, for example, that if VITT occurs at a rate of one in 250,000, the vaccines would prevent more deaths or ICU admissions across all age groups where infections rates were high or very high. That outweighed risk of a severe outcome from VITT.
The analysis ultimately found that because the risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 for younger people are much lower, but the risk of the blood-clot disorder is the same across all age groups, then the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines are more beneficial for older people who live in places with high COVID-19 infection rates.
What if you already got the AstraZeneca vaccine?
Dr. Shelley Deeks, NACI's vice-chair, said the issue around the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines is not about how well they protect anyone from COVID-19. It's about the potential link to the rare blood-clotting disorder, which was not present in anyone who received the messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
She said the 1.7 million people in Canada who have already received the AstraZeneca vaccine should trust that they are protected.
"I would say to them that they have been offered an effective vaccine," she said. "We've been very consistent in terms of our messaging through NACI that all COVID vaccines are safe and effective."
She said once the risk period for VITT has passed, which NACI says is from four days to four weeks after getting the vaccine, then anyone who received AstraZeneca does not need to worry about blood clots at all.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2021.
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The IRS typically announces the dollar limits that will apply for the next calendar year well in advance of the beginning of that year. This gives employers time to update their plan designs and make sure their plan administration will be consistent with the new limits.
This Compliance Overview includes a chart of the inflation-adjusted limits for 2019. Although some of the limits will remain the same, many of the limits increase for 2019.