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General Film Discussion
Blood Red Sky (2021) - Dark Urban Fantasy
Thread starter ctg
weaver of the unseen
A young mother, travelling on an overnight flight with her son, is forced to embrace the supernatural powers she has been trying to suppress when the plane gets hijacked and embroiled in an international conspiracy.
Reactions: G.T. and BAYLOR
First of this is a German film production, but the language in the film is a mix of English, German and Arabic. It didn't bother me at all. In fact I welcomed it as a refreshing take on the whole film scene that is so often dominated my American English, and not the variations. You will hear proper Queen's English instead as American's doesn't enter the picture. In a way I could say that the whole film feels so refreshing and almost immediately as a cult classic.
You know that you cannot get that title easily as it has to be earned just like it happened with the Dog Soldiers and many other fringe horror movies. The producers has approached the movie very well and there aren't any scenes that you could fault them scientifically speaking. In fact, all the physics and sciences work as intended.
Action wise there are plenty of surprises, especially in the plane cargo hold that gets utilised in multiple scenes as the tension rises up. But that is the thing as this film slowly ramps up in speed and the tension starts to pile up on the transatlantic flight.
At the heart of it is a mother. She like any of them, super-protective and lovely at the same time. She and her son gets caught in the high-jacking attempt that vaguely feels like a classified op in the way it is written. They have everything planned and there are contingency plans. But what they don't realise that as soon as they start to threaten the family, the mother responds unnaturally.
Not just by hissing and spitting or behaving badly, because she begs them to not to do it. To not show the violence and spill blood, because it'll make her boil from the inside. In other words, there is a beast inside her and it wants to emerge. Claw and tear, slash and spill, so she could drink it, because the demon inside her is hungry.
Yes, you guessed it, she's a vampire and I loved that they made her like the original Nosferatu: bald, pointy ears, mouth full of fangs and those claws at the end of long, bony fingers. And just like the original one, she isn't invulnerable as she gets hurts.
The marvel in this movie is that it is a slow burning and very tensile to the last moments. It explores MC's history, it gives reasons and explanations, when they are needed. The acting from all of them, except the doctor, was superb and they really do show emotion.
One thing that is negative, there is no continuation. This is one off movie and it should be awarded somehow. I suspect that BFA might feature it in this years category and if this had gone in SunDance, it could have won some categories.
Personally I loved the MC as there is a lot of corrolation between her and my Jane McGriffin.
Reactions: tde44
ctg said:
Cool poster and the film sounds like fun.
BAYLOR said:
the film sounds like fun
I hope so because sometimes my views are so different from you guys.
Don'r feel bad , I Like Zardoz and think it an under appreciated post apocalyptic film that deserves reassessment.
I went a read a lot of reviews in the iMDB. There are a surprising number of 8's and 1's. Those who absolutely hated it that it was the worst s*** and very badly written. Some complained that there were stereotype and cardboard characters, especially with the kid and the Arab.
This movie had fifteen million budget, it is written like a novel, with paying a lot of attention to the Main Character, who really turned out to be a vampire. Some people complained that the vampire didn't show enough of blood lust, even though you'll see struggle in multiple shots against the beast within her. There are very few complaints on the vampires, and couple of them comes from official press reviews that go in detail.
There are a lot of people who don't under how feral those victims went and how the mother, with her experience with the beast, held against the rage all of that time. They also forgot that she'd medicated herself and at the end, there was no saving her as she turned to a full feral vampire, with one aim to do things, to kill.
The Tain
Erynnmor Plateau
I watched this at the weekend and at first, I thought the running time (2hrs) would be a bit too long and in the end, they could tighten the film up a bit (at one point there is a flashback, inside another flashback) but overall it was good. I didn't feel bored, which sometimes happens with Indie movies that are long for no good reason (and bad acting) but there was very little bad acting and the effects were pretty good.
One thing that is negative, there is no continuation.
I wouldn't be sure about that.
Reactions: ctg
G.T. said:
I thought the running time (2hrs) would be a bit too long and in the end, they could tighten the film up a bit (at one point there is a flashback, inside another flashback) but overall it was good.
I know, it is a lengthy film but what good a ten, fifteen minutes shorter run would have done to the film? The crew got to tell the story as they wanted.
but what good a ten, fifteen minutes shorter run would have done to the film?
Who knows? We don't know if they released when they wanted or if someone said it was time because of costs, etc.
With the budget they had, they did a great job, and I'd have no problem recommending this movie to anyone, but with praise also comes criticism, it's just an opinion.
praise also comes criticism, it's just an opinion.
What did you really liked about it? To me it was the old Nosferatu, cursing the life in darkness, all of their kind. It was as if he'd tried for a very long time to solve the curse, but hated the solution he'd come up with at the end.
To be honest, I don't know what good that medication could have done at the end. They were all gone so far beyond the border that there was no coming back.
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11.08: The Walking Dead - For Blood
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Typhoon underscores hard security truths in SE Asia
From UPI (Nov 22): Typhoon underscores hard security truths in SE Asia
Typhoon Haiyan has revealed festering security problems in Southeast Asia.
How so? First, on Nov. 12, communist insurgents of the New People's Army attacked the Philippine Army's 903rd Infantry Brigade while on a relief mission headed for Leyte, so reported Col. Joselito Kakilala, the unit's commander.
Second, after initially ignoring the Philippines' calamity due to a sticky maritime dispute, China eventually offered a mere $2 million and a handful of rescue personnel to help with disaster relief.
These two Philippines issues -- low-intensity conflict (LIC, or terrorism and insurgency) and state vs. state friction -- mirror similar problems throughout the rest of Southeast Asia.
This is an issue if the United States is going to make its Asia pivot a reality. It means increased politicking, security assistance and business activities in Asia. In the process, the United States will get closer to these LICs and state vs. state problems.
Regarding the Philippines, on top of the NPA, there are four other groups fighting the government, some with links to al-Qaida. They include the Moro National Liberation Front, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayaaf Group.
A fifth, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, is in tenuous but hopeful peace talks with Manila.
The others are quite active.
The MNLF, for example, attacked Zamboanga in September, seizing 180 hostages, burning 500 homes and forcing some 69,000 civilians to flee for their lives.
In Thailand, while Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is desperately trying to keep tense domestic politics from devolving into widespread civil unrest, an Islamist jihadist insurgency seeking its own homeland on the border with Malaysia rages. It's killed more than 5,000 since 2004.
And while Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has made great strides over the past 10 years striking peace deals with most of its 20-plus insurgent groups, some continue to fight.
The Kachin Independence Army remains active in the northeast along the border with China where some of the world's newest natural gas and oil pipelines run.
Other troubling signs in Myanmar include a string of bombings in October by unknown assailants. One exploded in the Traders Hotel in Yangon, injuring a U.S. woman.
Worse, Buddhist vs. Muslim Rohingya violence that, since 2012, has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands shows no signs of stopping.
In Indonesia, the new version of JI and other terror groups such as Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid and Indonesian Islamic State continue their quest to turn that country into a strict Islamist state.
Indonesian authorities have been rounding up terrorists in a nationwide crackdown for months. The latest arrest happened in October when Detachment 88, the police counter-terror unit, seized an NII suspect wanted for robbery, terrorist training and illegal weapons possession. R
egarding state vs. state friction, China has claimed the entire South China Sea as its own, which would be fine if Vietnam, the Philippines and four other claimant states didn't see this as infringing on their territorial boundaries.
Vietnam has deployed naval patrols and is protesting internationally instead of shutting up and just accepting the situation, as a miffed Beijing would prefer.
And the Philippines, with no real navy, has taken an aghast China to court at the United Nations.
No small matter, China and Vietnam have fought over this issue before, which cost Vietnam more than 60 killed in 1988 at Johnson Reef.
China in March staged amphibious exercises 50 miles off the coast of Malaysia to boost its claims. A similar scenario is playing out further north between Japanese and Chinese naval forces between Okinawa and Taiwan. -- What's it all mean?
First, it means outside Iran and North Korea, Asia's maritime disputes are, collectively, one of the world's most contentious conventional security problems.
An epic, WWII-style sea battle any time soon is highly unlikely but with so many naval vessels "hawking" each other amid high tensions, a skirmish is certainly possible. History shows that.
The problem is twofold: A skirmish might get quickly out of control and Asian maritime commerce could be severely curtailed, which would smack the global economy in the face.
Second, regarding Southeast Asia's LICs, while the sky is by no means falling -- countries there have well-functioning economies and governments -- from little, local wars come bigger terror attacks. And little wars can spill over borders and spread chaos.
Witness 9/11. It turned Afghanistan, which was generally ignored once Russian withdrew in 1989, into a multination battlefield for more than a decade because Osama bin Laden received refuge there.
In Asia, Myanmar's religious violence has resulted in a Buddhist temple bombing in Jakarta and a bombing attempt on the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta.
And while Southeast Asia's LICs don't portend failed states, they certainly portend failed regions of functioning states, which is troubling. It behooves Washington, then, to get educated on these problems ASAP so it knows how to better deal with Asia.
To be sure, there are experts in the U.S. arsenal engaged in these issues, especially the South China Sea. But are there enough? And with all the leaderless chaos and incompetence swirling around D.C. these days, is Washington up to the task? It doesn't appear so.
(Jeff Moore, Ph.D., is the chief executive officer of Muir Analytics, which assesses threats from insurgent and terror groups against corporations.)
(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Analysis/Outside-View/2013/11/22/Typhoon-underscores-hard-security-truths-in-SE-Asia/UPI-14741385096580/?spt=rln&or=3
Army's 24IB holds successful intel operation vs NPA remnants in Zambales
From the Philippine Information Agency (Nov 25): Army's 24IB holds successful intel operation vs NPA remnants in Zambales
The 24th Infantry Battalion (24IB) of the Philippine Army was recently commended by the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) for a successful intelligence operation against remnants of PNS Tarzam of the New People's Army (NPA) in barangay Pinagrealan in Candelaria, Zambales.
Under the leadership of Captain Ramon Rayala and 1st Lieutenant Wilson Usman Jr., the November 18 operations led to the recovery of two M16-A1 rifles, assorted military items, communication equipment, and subversive documents.
"This showed the importance of military intelligence operations in gathering accurate information and cooperation with the residents against the NPA remnants," NOLCOM Commander Lieutenant General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said.
"This bespeaks well of 24IB's adherence to what is expected of a soldier as specified in my Command guidance Kawal ay Disiplinado, Bawal Abusado Dapat Asintado that resulted in zero collateral damage and casualty on our troops and civilians in the community," Catapang added.
http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=561385303513
Water purification system provides much needed resource
From DVIDS (Nov 20): Water purification system provides much needed resource
Members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force dispense water from a tactical water purification system at MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park Nov. 21 during Operation Damayan. Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on Nov. 7 with estimated sustained winds near 200 mph and gusts near 230 mph. Nearly 1,800 tons of relief supplies have been delivered and more that 17,500 people have been evacuated from the impacted provinces during the operation.
TACLOBAN, LEYTE, Republic of the Philippines – Fresh water is one of the most important resources people need to survive. It is something people use every day for cooking, staying hydrated and fulfilling basic sanitation needs; Operation Damayan is enabling hundreds of thousands of people affected by Typhoon Haiyan to use this essential resource once again.
At MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park, near Tacloban, Leyte, one of the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Haiyan, Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 4 set up two tactical water purification systems Nov. 19 to spearhead the U.S. military effort to provide easily transported potable water where it is needed most.
Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines Nov. 7 with estimated sustained winds near 200 mph and wind gusts eclipsing 220 mph. The Government of the Philippines and Armed Forces of the Philippines are leading recovery efforts with the assistance of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in support Joint Task Force 505, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Philippines' Department of Social Welfare and Development. Members of each organization were on hand to help distribute the vital resource.
"This will be a really big help to the people here who are craving water," said Eddie Eacaldo, a social worker with the DSWD. "Their water system (had) been destroyed by the typhoon."
The TWPS systems uses state-of-the art reverse osmosis technology to produce potable water. The system produces approximately 1,500 gallons per hour and each storage bladder holds 20,000 gallons of water, according to Lance Cpl. Jarrett Soto, a water support technician with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, currently assigned to 3rd MEB in support of JTF-505.
"The main water source here is seawater," said Jarrett. "We are using our TWPS to purify 20 gallons of seawater per minute."
With potable water, residents can not only hydrate, they can cook, bathe and wash their clothes, all of which improves quality of life and helps maintain proper sanitary measures.
USAID provided boxes of plastic containers for the purified water to be stored and distributed by the AFP and DSWD.
"Our purpose here is to move supplies coming from Manila to our central warehouse where it waits to be dropped off at specific points," said Wayne Belizar, a social worker with DSWD.
The AFP's continuing efforts help manage the distribution efforts and make improvements in the lives of every day Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan, according to Belizar.
"(The improvement comes from) the coordination and help coming from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and also the (U.S.) forces," said Belizar.
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/117116/water-purification-system-provides-much-needed-resource#.UpK6w44o4cB
Philippine Marine connects 31st MEU to relief efforts
From DVIDS (Nov 24): Philippine Marine connects 31st MEU to relief efforts
Capt. Matthew C. Kelly, left, adjutant for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and a native of Carver, Mass., talks to 1st Lt. Jose Eugenio E. Eclavia, right, security officer for the Philippine Navy Ship Gregorio Del Pilar, Patrol Force 15, and a native of IloIlo City, Republic of the Philippines, about ship to ship communication on the deck here, Nov. 21. Eclavia is a liaison officer from the Philippine Marine Corps working with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to help coordinate disaster relief efforts in support of Operation Damayan. The 31st MEU and the ships of Amphibious Squadron 11 are capable of delivering robust air, ground, and maritime transportation; medical and dental health services; distribution services for food, water and other supplies; and engineering assets for infrastructure repair and road clearance. The 31st MEU is deployed at the request of the government of the Republic of the Philippines and in coordination with Joint Task Force 505 personnel and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
USS GERMANTOWN, At Sea – When responding to a natural disaster, providing effective relief for affected people requires the cooperation and knowledge of the local government.
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently operating along the coast of the Republic of the Philippines, integrated a liaison officer from the Philippine Marine Corps into the command staff to help coordinate their disaster relief efforts in support of Operation Damayan , Nov. 21.
"I'm here to act as a guide, a link between [the 31st MEU] and the Philippines for providing help," said 1st Lt. Jose Eugenio E. Eclavia, security officer for the Philippine Navy Ship Gregorio Del Pilar, Patrol Force 15, and a native of IloIlo City, Philippines.
Eclavia worked with Marines within the MEU's Command Element to gain an understanding of the unit's disaster relief capabilities. He then relayed that information to his superiors in the Armed Forces of the Philippines who continue to organize relief efforts through their government and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
"Through [Eclavia], we have been able to inform the Philippine government what we are capable of bringing to the relief operation," said Capt. Matthew C. Kelly, adjutant for the 31st MEU.
The 31st MEU and the ships of Amphibious Squadron 11 are capable of delivering robust air, ground, and maritime transportation; medical and dental health services; distribution services for food, water and other supplies; and engineering assets for infrastructure repair and road clearance.
Participation in Operation Damayan marks the fifth deployment of the 31st MEU in support of disaster relief operations in just the past five years. The unit's experience has developed their appreciation for a cooperative effort in relief.
"Working through [Eclavia] provides a local perspective of the situation, a first-hand account of how the damage affects the people," said Kelly, a native of Carver, Mass. "Working with our brothers in the Philippine military makes sure we can get help to where it is most needed."
The 31st MEU is deployed at the request of the government of the Philippines and in coordination with Joint Task Force 505 personnel and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The 31st MEU is the Marine Corps' force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific and the only continuously forward-deployed MEU.
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/117299/philippine-marine-connects-31st-meu-relief-efforts#.UpK5no4o4cA
Watchdog slams disqualification of bidder in AFP project
From the Philippine Star (Nov 24): Watchdog slams disqualification of bidder in AFP project
An anti-corruption advocate acting as third party observer in the government's acquisition of big ticket items for the military has questioned the decision of the Department of National Defense-Bid and Awards Committee (DND-BAC) to disqualify a South Korean company from supplying the Armed Forces of the Philippines protection equipment despite offering the lowest bid for the project.
The Coalition Against Corruption (CAC) urged DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to reconsider the decision of the BAC, which disqualified Kolon Global Corp. from supplying the Army and the Marines with 44,080 pieces of armored vests worth P800 million.
The coalition is composed of the Ateneo School of Government, Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.
The group's lawyer Paterno Menzon said that Kolon was one of the four companies that tendered the lowest bid of P800 million to supply the military with armored vests out of the total P1.763-billion project put up for bidding by the DND.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/11/24/1260134/watchdog-slams-disqualification-bidder-afp-project
'Deploy attack copters' advice
From the Daily Express: Independent National Newspaper of East Malaysia (Nov 24): 'Deploy attack copters' advice
SINGAPORE: The recurrent security problems posed by the notorious Abu Sayyaf resulting in several kidnappings for ransom and early this year by the so-called Royal Sulu Army in their attempt to reclaim Sabah can be best overcome through superior aerial firepower, according to a naval attache.
Stressing that it was only his view as a defence strategist, Cdr Skivel Thomasen, a naval attachŽ from a European country based in Singapore, said what Sabah may be lacking is fast attack helicopters on duty round the clock on the east coast facing the Philippines and Indonesia.
"Sabah's security (under Esscom) can be better secured by fast combat helicopters like Singapore's Apache squadron who are on duty 24/7 in order to react to any small but fast sea borne threats that can come in minutes and disappear across the sea boundary just as fast," said Thomassen.
"I may be wrong but I believe no Royal Malaysian Air Force jets are based in Sabah, nor does the country possess any attack helicopter squadron or long range turbo-prop aircraft in daily sea surveillance like what Singapore is doing day in and day out."
He said Royal Malaysian Navy frigates of the Kedah Class patrol Sabah waters but carry Seahawk helicopters in their hangers that are meant for search and rescue.
He also said Malaysia should have considered buying the more economical South African attack helicopter - the Rooivalk - when it was displayed at a past Lima event in Langkawi, if the US or EU models were out of cost consideration or faced with too many conditions.
The Rooivalk has been designed to operate for prolonged periods without sophisticated support.
"Only constant show of force will earn the kind of respect for preparedness and readiness for the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
For instance, terrorists will think twice before attempting to strike Singapore across its sea borders given its capability and reputation for effective targeted results," Cdr Thomasen said.
When Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was Defence Minister during the PBS Chief Ministership of Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, he staged the Malaysian Rapid Reaction Strike Force paratroopers landing in Kota Kinabalu Airport that was witnessed by Pairin, with the message that Sabah is part of Malaysia and would be vigorously defended against separatism.
Since then, no paratroopers were dropped in Sabah for its security against intruders.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=87225
PN's latest frigate now in station off Tacloban Bay
From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 25): PN's latest frigate now in station off Tacloban Bay
The Philippine Navy (PN) announced that the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), the country's latest frigate, is now stationed off Tacloban Bay since Sunday afternoon helping with the ongoing relief efforts for the victims of Supertyphoon "Yolanda".
Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, PN spokesperson, said the vessel cannot dock at the Tacloban City Pier due to her deep draft, necessitating the need to anchor in Tacloban Bay.
Fabic said the relief goods and personnel carried by the ship is transported to shore via rubber boats which the Filipino frigate carries in sufficient quantity.
BRP Ramon Alcaraz carries 123.7 tons of relief supplies and 12 Seabees to help in the ongoing construction efforts.
The former relieved BRP Greogio Del Pilar (PF-15), which was on site since Nov. 17.
With the arrival of the PN's newest ship off Leyte, the number of Navy ships undergoing relief duty for "Yolanda" is now placed at 25.
Army scores NPA for violating own ceasefire
From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 25): Army scores NPA for violating own ceasefire
The Capiz-based 3rd Infantry Division strongly condemned the New People's Army (NPA) for violating its own ceasefire declaration by firing upon troopers of the 11th Infantry Battalion who were conducting peace and security patrols in La Libertad, Negros Oriental Sunday afternoon.
Major Ray Tiongson, the unit's spokesperson, said the incident transpired around 5:05 p.m. in Sitio Center Cut, Barangay Pitogo in La Libertad town.
He added that 11th Infantry Battalion troopers were patrolling in the vicinity when fired upon by around 10 rebels.
Tiongson said government troopers fired back with he exchange of gunfire lasting 10 minutes. One NPA fighter died while government forces sustained no casualties.
The encounter also resulted to the recovery of one M-1 Garand rifle with loaded magazine, several spent M-16 shells and a military backpack that contains subversive documents and personal belonging.
Tiongson said the troops were in the area to maintain support to government and civil authorities' peace and development programs.
Brig. Gen. Francisco Patrimonio, 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, said the NPA attack is a clear violation of the NPAs' ceasefire declaration.
"It only shows that their leadership has no control over their units. The Army here in Negros remains vigilant in securing and protecting the people from these lawless armed elements," he added.
This is the second time that the NPA has violated their ceasefire declaration.
Last Nov. 16, the rebels also fired upon the government troops in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental two days after they declared a ceasefire in the guise of helping the typhoon-victims.
One soldier was wounded in the encounter.
Japan warns of 'unpredictable events' over China's new air zone
From InterAksyon (Nov 25): Japan warns of 'unpredictable events' over China's new air zone
Japanese Foreign Ministr Fumio Kishida. AFP FILE PHOTO
Japan warned Sunday of the danger of "unpredictable events" and South Korea voiced regret following China's unilateral declaration of an air defense zone over areas claimed by Tokyo and Seoul.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said his country was considering making stronger protests "at a higher level" after China announced Saturday it was setting up the zone over an area that includes Tokyo-controlled islands claimed by Beijing.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday they were "deeply concerned" at China's move and were committed to defending Japan.
China said it was setting up the "air defenSe identification zone" over an area including the islands in the East China Sea to guard against "potential air threats."
It released a set of aircraft identification rules that must be followed by planes entering the area.
Kishida told reporters that Japan cannot accept the Chinese measure, calling it "a one-sided action which leads us to assume the danger of unpredictable events on the spot," in remarks that later drew a rebuke from Beijing.
China said it "firmly" opposed Japan's remarks, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang calling them "groundless and utterly wrong," according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Qin, who also urged the United States not to take sides over the issue, said Beijing had "lodged representation" with US ambassador Gary Locke over the American response to the air zone, calling for Washington to correct its mistakes.
Qin said the aims of the zone, which he asserted complies with international law, "are to protect China's state sovereignty and territorial and airspace safety." He added that the move did not target any specific nation "and will not affect the freedom of over-flights in relevant airspace."
The dispute over the islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China, heated up last year when Japan's government bought some of them from a private owner.
China has since sent coastguard vessels and other state-owned ships as well as aircraft close to the islands, sometimes breaching asserted airspace and territorial waters around them.
This has prompted Japanese coastguard boats and air force fighter jets to try to warn them off.
The Japanese defense ministry said Saturday two Chinese planes entered Japan's own air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, prompting its air defense force to scramble fighter aircraft.
The ministry lodged a strong protest with a minister at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo by telephone.
US Defense Secretary Hagel reiterated that the islands fall under the US-Japan security treaty, meaning that Washington would defend its ally Tokyo if the area is attacked.
He made it clear that the United States, which stations more than 70,000 troops in Japan and South Korea, would not respect China's declaration of control over the zone.
However, Washington has repeatedly said it takes no position on the islands' ultimate sovereignty.
Japan has vowed not to cede sovereignty or even to acknowledge a dispute with China over the islands.
It accuses its neighbor of trying to change the status quo through intimidation.
Former Japanese foreign minister Masahiko Komura, speaking as deputy head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said defense officials of the two countries must keep in close communication "to prevent a touch-and-go situation from arising."
In Seoul, South Korea's defense ministry said the Chinese zone partly overlapped its own.
"We find it regretful that China's air defense zone partly overlaps with our military's KADIZ (Korean Air Defense Identification Zone) in the area west of Jeju Island," said a ministry statement, according to Yonhap news agency.
"We will discuss with China the issue so as to prevent its establishment from affecting our national interests."
A military source quoted by Yonhap said the overlapping area is 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide and 115 kilometers long.
The Chinese zone also includes a South Korean-controlled submerged rock that lies within the two countries' overlapping economic zones, according to a South Korean defense ministry official quoted by the news agency.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/75512/japan-warns-of-unpredictable-events-over-chinas-new-air-zone
Taiwan to send naval ship loaded with relief goods
From GMA News (Nov 24): Taiwan to send naval ship loaded with relief goods
Taiwan is sending a naval vessel to the Philippines on Monday to bring relief supplies for victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
A report on Taiwan's Central News Agency Sunday said the tank-landing ship "Chung He" will travel 900 nautical miles from Southern Taiwan's Zuoying district. The voyage is expected to take four days.
Defense Ministry spokesman Luo Shou-he is quoted as saying this will be the first time Taiwan's navy visits the Philippines since the Vietnam War nearly 40 years ago.
"(The) last time Taiwan's navy visited the Philippines was to help transport Vietnamese refugees in Subic Bay in 1975," the report said.
The Philippines is reeling from Yolanda, which devastated Visayas and Southern Luzon on November 8.
Earlier, Taiwan donated $200,000 and sent 150 metric tons of relief supplies from charity groups to affected areas.
Citing figures from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the report said government and civic groups contributed more than $6.42 million in supplies.
Relations between the Philippines and Taiwan soured earlier this year over the death of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters.
The Philippines has since formally apologized for the incident and the National Bureau of Investigation recommended homicide and obstruction charges against Philippine Coast Guard personnel involved in the incident.
The NBI maintained, though, that the incident happened within Philippine waters.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/336923/news/nation/taiwan-to-send-naval-ship-loaded-with-relief-goods
Chinese hospital ship arrives, docks off Tacloban
From GMA News (Nov 24): Chinese hospital ship arrives, docks off Tacloban
The Chinese hospital ship "Peace Ark" arrived in the Philippines and docked 10 miles off this city Sunday to give medical aid to those affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.
"The ship is a hospital ship. It's very big, about 14,000 tons. It's too big to be anchored at any port so it's anchored 10 miles away," Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing told reporters.
She said that while the vessel is ready to treat patients, the patients have to be brought there via ferry.
Ma said the vessel has about 100 doctors to treat various medical conditions.
"I hope it would be a big help," she said.
Meanwhile, China's CNTV reported a team from China's Red Cross has reached Tacloban and is now coordinating with Philippine rescue workers on how to distribute medical supplies from "Peace Ark."
China's ship is part of the international efforts to help the Philippines, after Super Typhoon Yolanda battered Visayas and Southern Luzon and left more than 5,000 dead.
The ship has a capacity of 300 beds and a staff of 106.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/336909/news/regions/chinese-hospital-ship-arrives-docks-off-tacloban
US says China's move on East China Sea airspace 'destabilizing'
From InterAksyon (Nov 25):
A Chinese military plane Y-8 airborne early warning plane flies through airspace between Okinawa prefecture's main island and the smaller Miyako island in southern Japan, out over the Pacific, in this handout photo taken on October 27, 2013 by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan. PHOTO: JOINT STAFF OFFICE OF THE DEFENSE MINISTRY OF JAPAN/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS
The United States on Saturday sharply criticized China's move to impose new rules on airspace over islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with Japan, calling it a "destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region."
China's government-run Xinhua news agency published coordinates for a newly established "East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone," which covers most of that sea and includes the skies over the disputed islands.
China warned that it would take "defensive emergency measures" against aircraft that failed to identify themselves properly in the airspace.
The White House, Pentagon and State Department all voiced concerns about the move.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in a strongly worded statement, said China's announcement would not change how the United States carries out military operations in the region.
"We view this development as a destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region," Hagel said.
"This unilateral action increases the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations."
Many countries including the United States have air defense identification zones, which extend beyond a nation's sovereign airspace. The United States requires approaching foreign aircraft to follow its air defense identification zone procedures only if they intend to enter U.S. national airspace.
But China's announcement suggests that foreign aircraft merely passing through that zone would have to follow China's procedures - or face unknown, potentially dangerous consequences.
One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China's move was being interpreted as "a direct challenge" to Japan's operations in the area.
Secretary of State John Kerry said freedom of overflight was essential to stability and security in the Pacific.
"We urge China not to implement its threat to take action against aircraft that do not identify themselves or obey orders from Beijing," Kerry said in a statement.
U.S. 'coordinating' with allies
The White House said the "escalatory development" increased regional tensions and affected U.S. interests and those of its allies.
"We have conveyed our strong concerns to China and are coordinating closely with allies and partners in the region," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council.
Tensions in the region are expected to be a topic of discussion when Vice President Joe Biden travels to China, Japan and South Korea in early December.
The United States has not taken a position on sovereignty issues in the regional maritime disputes, but has stressed the need for the free flow of commerce, a reduction in tensions, and peace and stability in the region.
But China has long harbored suspicions about U.S. interests in the island dispute because the U.S.-Japan security treaty commits the United States to intervene in defense of Japan if there is an attack on Japanese-administered territory.
The United States has a hefty military presence in Japan, including on the southern island of Okinawa, which is close to the disputed isles.
"The concern would be: what happens if China tries to regulate aircraft that are overflying the Senkakus," a second U.S. official told Reuters, using the Japanese name for the islands that China calls the Diaoyu.
The islands are believed to be surrounded by energy-rich seabed.
Xinhua said the rules came into force on Saturday and the Chinese air force conducted its first patrol over the zone. The patrol included early warning aircraft and fighters, it said.
Japan scrambled fighter jets on Saturday afternoon against two Chinese reconnaissance planes over the East China Sea, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
Kerry said the United States had urged China to exercise caution and restraint.
"We remain steadfastly committed to our allies and partners, and hope to see a more collaborative and less confrontational future in the Pacific," Kerry said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/75473/us-says-chinas-move-on-east-china-sea-airspace-destabilizing
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The first full trailer for the sequel to Disney's Wreck-It Ralph has been released, which sees Ralph and Vanellope discover the internet.
Set within a vibrant new world of the internet, the film already looks to be hilarious with references to all things trending, including social media, shopping sites and of course Disney itself, bringing together all of Disney's princesses for what looks to be one iconic scene.
The first footage to the highly anticipated sequel to Disney Pixar's 'The Incredibles' has been released.
The sequel sees the tables turn as Bob is left to take care of the kids whilst wife Helen is out fighting crime, which is taking a toll on him. But as a new villain emerges, the family will have to come together, all whilst Jack Jack is starting to develop powers of his own.


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Features | Manufacturing
The world's fastest high-precision 3D printer
by Advanced Science News | Jan 29, 2020
KIT Scientists develop a new 3D-printing system for building submicron structures in record time.
3D printers working in the millimeter range and larger are increasingly used in industrial production processes. Many applications, however, require precise printing on the micrometer scale at a far higher speed.
Now, researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a system to print highly precise, centimerter-sized objects with submicrometer details at unmatched speeds. Their work was recently published in Advanced Functional Materials.
To demonstrate not only the speed, but also the reliability of their setup, the team printed a lattice structure of 60 cubic millimeters in size with details down to the micrometer scale. It contains more than 300 billion voxels. (A voxel is the three-dimensional analogue of the pixel in the 2D printing).
"We have by far outperformed the record reached by 3D-printed aircraft wings. This is a new world record," says Martin Wegener, professor at KIT and spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellenece. "3D Matter Made to Order (3DMM2O), within the framework of which the system was developed.
For this type of 3D printing, the beam of a laser passes through a photoresist in a computer-controlled manner. Only the material located in the focus of the laser is exposed and cured.
"The focal points correspond to the nozzles in inkjet printers, with the difference that they work in three dimensions," says Vincent Hahn, first author of the publication.
In this way, highly precise filigree structures can be produced for various applications, such as optics and photonics, material sciences, biotechnology, or safety engineering. Typically, several hundred thousand vocels per second have been produced with a single laser light beam. This means that it was nearly a hundred times slower than graphical inkjet printers, which impeded many applications so far.
Scientists at KIT and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia have now developed a new system within the 3DMM2O Cluster of Excellence.
Using special optics, the laser beam is divided into nine partial beams, which are each bundled into a focal point. All nine partial beams can be used in parallel and, thanks to improved electronic control, they can be moved rapidly and precisely. This, along with some additional technical improvements, allowed the researchers to achieve 3D printing speeds of about ten million voxels per second, which corresponds to the speed reached by graphical 2D inkjet printers.
KIT will continue to research and develop this technology. "After all, 3D printers will be used to print not just one page, but thick volumes," says Hahn. This will require progress in chemistry, such as more sensitive photoresists are needed to generate more focal points at the same laser output.
Press release provided by KIT
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Home / Columns / Clive Bernath
Vitali Ready For Battle With Solis
Clive BernathMar 15, 2011by Clive Bernath
vitali Klitschko and Solis at the press conference
By Clive Bernath: Despite being 39 years old Vitali Klitschko says he is in the best shape of his life. After 15 years as a professional boxer and 38 ko's from 41 wins the Ukrainian born WBC heavyweight champion is fast approaching the end of a very successful career. He may not go down in history as one of the top 10 best heavyweights when he's done but he will be regarded as one of the toughest.
On Saturday night at the Lanxess-Arena in Cologne, Germany Vitali, the older brother of IBF/WBO and IBO champ Wladimir Klitschko, faces arguably the third best heavyweight on the planet in unbeaten Cuban Odlanier Solis-which is why he will have prepared meticulously for this particular battle.
Speaking at Monday's press conference to publicise Saturday's fight a fully focused Klitschko said: "Solis is one of the hardest opponents of my career.
"I am ready, self-confident and I will once again prove my strength in the boxing ring.
Klitschko added; "There is a reason why I have the same belt Muhammad Ali had many years ago."
"Today I once again meet an Olympic champion, a three-times world champion, an experienced guy: young, hungry and still unbeaten as a professional. I am fully convinced that the fight will be very interesting."
Despite admitting the undefeated Cuban could prove to be the toughest fight of his career, Vitali insisted: "I can fight 12 rounds at a high tempo but the fight won't last 12 rounds".
Klitschko has good reason to take the challenge of Solis seriously. The 30 year-old may have fought just 17(12 ko's) times as a pro but he does have a highly impressive amateur record, reportedly winning 347 times against 12 defeats. He is also a three time world amateur champion and Olympic Gold medallist. Of course the differences between amateur and pro boxing is vastly different but nonetheless Solis has been well schooled, is a clever boxer and should not be overlooked. Many experts make Vitali an overwhelming favourite to retain his title for the eighth time but Solis is young, fresh and ambitious.
Understandably, Solis, who beat WBA champion David Haye at the World Amateur Championships in 2001, has other ideas about the outcome of Saturday night's clash: "I will win in the 12th round," Solis insisted. "If it happens sooner, all the better, then I'm happy. But in any case I will win.
Vitali Klitschko has tasted defeat just twice in 43 pro fights, both of those via injury, a damaged shoulder against Chris Byrd (rtd 9) back in April, 2000 and a serious cut eye against Lennox Lewis (tko 6) in June, 2003. Both times Klitschko was ahead on the scorecards. The likely outcome, barring injury, should see Klitschko once again retain his title but Solis will make sure he's made to fight every inch of the way.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Super bright and sunny hand knitted top - sure to brighten up your day (and your outfit!) Buttons to fasten all up the front with a soft scooped neck and rounded edges on the front. Zig zag pattern all over. Wear alone with high waisted jeans or over your fave tee!


A visit to Ribeira should deffo include a boat trip on the Douro. There are plenty of options depending on your time/appetite for fluvial excitement. You can cruise beneath the bridges – Luíz I, Maria Pia, Arrábida, Infante, et al; get all splashed and hyper on a high-speed RIB boat, or take a leisurely day trip upriver to Régua or Pinhão, in the Upper Douro.
Local legend Senhor Fernando ('Náná') is a master at crafting traditional Douro rabelos boats in miniature. It's a skill that's been in his family for generations. Check him out at the Oficina do Náná.
Adega São Nicolau is one of the most famous restaurants in the Ribeira and one of the best in Porto. The tables outside on the Escadas de São Nicolau are much sought after, as are the Portuguese dishes served here. Try bolinhos de bacalhau (cod-and-potato cakes), filetes de polvo com arroz do mesmo (octopus fritters with octopus rice), galo à bordalesa (chicken stewed with red wine) and wash it all down with a cracking local wine.
A national monument since 1924, the Casa do Infante (House of the Prince) is one of Porto's oldest buildings, associated with Infante Dom Henrique (1394-1460), also known as 'Prince Henry the Navigator'. It hosts temporary and permanent exhibitions and is home to the municipal historical archive.
La Paz is a Porto menswear line inspired by the sea, and opened its first store in a former pharmacy in Rua da Reboleira. Pieces bear anchors, stripes and other jaunty maritime motifs. Sr. Pereira, a seller of fishing nets, is the brand's figurehead.
Don't be surprised to see local kids in the Ribeira jumping into the river from the lower deck of the Luiz I bridge. As well as being a great way to cool off on hot days, they hope to win a few coins with their daredevil acrobatics. This tradition is so well established that it even features in a number of films.
This is one of the best spots in Ribeira for a sundowner. It is right by the river, next to the Luíz I bridge, and has good cocktails, frosty buckets of bottled beer and a view that is simply crying out for Instagram.
Otherwise known as the Ascensor da Ribeira (the Ribeira Lift) this Meccano-like contraption whisks you up from the Rua da Lada to Barredo, further uphill in Ribeira, in less than a minute. It's free and it will give you a whole different perspective of the Luíz I bridge and the Serra do Pilar hill.
Porto is famous for its fish and seafood, but at Rib Beef & Wine meat is definitely the star. Confirmed carnivores should beat a bloody path here for tomahawk steak, Irish Black Angus, Chateaubriand, boneless entrecôte and so on. There are cocktails too. You know, as well as meat.


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Heavenly Bhutan can guarantee you best hotels and flight tickets even for last minutes booking.


text:
Civil claims against Sheldon, others dismissed
"The sheriff's office is satisfied with the resolution" of claims filed by two female deputies and a former deputy
Civil claims against Sheldon, others dismissed "The sheriff's office is satisfied with the resolution" of claims filed by two female deputies and a former deputy Check out this story on mansfieldnewsjournal.com: http://ohne.ws/2gqxl5i
Mansfield News Journal Published 5:35 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2017 | Updated 5:37 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2017
Sheriff Steve Sheldon(Photo: Submitted)
CLEVELAND - Civil claims made by two female deputies and a former female deputy against Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon, Maj. Joe Masi and Capt. James Sweat were dismissed with prejudice Friday morning.
Claims against Capt. Donald Zehner and the sheriff's office were settled and dismissed with prejudice, meaning the plaintiff is barred from filing another case on the same claim. Each party is to pay its own costs.
U.S. District Judge Dan Polster mediated the settlement.
The sheriff's office released the stipulated dismissal entry that came out of a settlement conference on Tuesday.
Sheldon released an emailed statement.
"The sheriff's office is satisfied with the resolution of this matter," he said. "We look forward to developing and cultivating a positive relationship with our employees and hope to provide them with a workplace that is both enjoyable and reflects the mission statement of this office."
The hearing stemmed from a civil rights action filed by two current female deputies and a former female deputy.
Deputies Stacy Dittrich and Amber Alfrey and former deputy Alexandria Wagner filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division.
The suit alleged a pattern of sexual discrimination existed in the sheriff's office, that gender discrimination resulted in a hostile work environment for the female deputies and that officials, including Sheldon, retaliated against the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs asked that each be awarded lost past and future wages and benefits, compensatory damages in excess of $75,000 and attorney fees and costs, plus interest.
Read or Share this story: http://ohne.ws/2gqxl5i


In the early days, those single parents are required to pay a similar premium for private medical coverage as couples with their children. Be that as it may, since 2007, there has been a change to be reasonable for each person who needs to profit the wellbeing reserves, the course of action to permit one less grown-up per single parent approach. This will just imply that the single parent would now be able to spare enough to offer route to the protection she enlists.
1. With it, you can pick the emergency clinic and specialist you favor for treatment.
2. On the off chance that you are secured with a decent arrangement, at that point you are permitted to pick private clinics and get your private room in the emergency clinic.
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text:
JAMA Surgery
Subscribe to the JAMA Surgery journal
Figure. Adjusted effect estimates for outcomes by time of presentation and by subsets of the patient sample. ISS indicates Injury Severity Score; ICU, intensive care unit; LOS, length of stay; and CI, confidence interval.
Table 1. Patient Characteristicsa
Table 2. Outcomes by Time of Presentation
Table 3. Outcomes by Time of Presentation and Subsets of the Patient Sample
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Emergency Medicine Trauma and Injury
Carr BG, Reilly PM, Schwab CW, Branas CC, Geiger J, Wiebe DJ. Weekend and Night Outcomes in a Statewide Trauma System. Arch Surg. 2011;146(7):810–817. doi:10.1001/archsurg.2011.60
Weekend and Night Outcomes in a Statewide Trauma System
Brendan G. Carr, MD, MS; Patrick M. Reilly, MD; C. William Schwab, MD; et al Charles C. Branas, PhD; Juliet Geiger, RN, MSN; Douglas J. Wiebe, PhD
Author Affiliations: Departments of Emergency Medicine (Dr Carr), Surgery (Drs Carr, Reilly, and Schwab), and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (Drs Carr, Branas, and Wiebe), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, Mechanicsburg (Ms Geiger).
Arch Surg. 2011;146(7):810-817. doi:10.1001/archsurg.2011.60
Objective To evaluate whether mortality and clinical outcomes vary for injured patients in a mature trauma system on weeknights and weekends compared with weekdays.
Design Retrospective cohort study.
Setting Pennsylvania trauma system.
Patients A total of 90 461 patients over 5 years.
Intervention Treatment at a level I, II, or III trauma center.
Main Outcome Measures In-hospital mortality, time to procedures, and length of stay.
Results In adjusted analyses, patients presenting on weeknights were no more likely to die than patients presenting during weekdays, and patients presenting on weekends were less likely to die than patients presenting on weekdays (odds ratio = 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.97). Presenting on weeknights was associated with longer intensive care unit stay (incidence rate ratio = 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.10) and longer hospital stay (incidence rate ratio = 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.04). Presenting on weekends was associated with longer intensive care unit stay (incidence rate ratio = 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.10) but not longer hospital stay. Delays to laparotomy or craniotomy were not seen in either group.
Conclusions We demonstrate comparable mortality among injured patients presenting on weeknights vs weekdays and lower mortality among injured patients on weekends vs weekdays. Systems-based solutions of the trauma model are protective against the weekend effect and inform care for other emergency care–sensitive conditions.
Weekend and night presentation has been identified as a risk factor for patients presenting with unplanned critical illness requiring rapid diagnostics and interventions.1-5 This phenomenon, termed the weekend effect, has been observed for time-sensitive conditions including myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, and ischemic stroke.6-8 Variability in emergency care outcomes has been attributed to less frequent use of aggressive interventional procedures,6 less availability of subspecialty care,8 increased complications,9 more medical errors,10 and differential staffing.7,11,12 The Institute of Medicine recently highlighted the emergency care system's shortcomings, describing the system as "at the breaking point."13,14
Emergency care in the United States is provided by independently functioning emergency departments based primarily in private hospitals. Although accredited by The Joint Commission standards, emergency departments are not regionally coordinated and availability of staffing and resources is variable. In contrast, the American College of Surgeons publishes trauma care guidelines15 that describe resources and staffing required for definitive trauma care as well as the importance of coordinating care between hospitals to create a trauma system. The Institute of Medicine celebrated the trauma system as a model of emergency care because coordination, accountability, and regionalization of care have resulted in improved injury outcomes.
If the design of the trauma system protects against the weekend effect, there are substantial implications for the structures and processes that should be put in place in the further development of the broader emergency care system. We thus sought to determine whether the probability of death or negative clinical outcomes was higher among injured patients if they presented at night or on the weekend as compared with the weekday in a mature state trauma system. We hypothesized that outcomes after trauma would be similar for patients presenting at night or on the weekend.
We performed a retrospective cohort study to determine the relative risks of adverse outcomes during weeknights and on weekends compared with weekdays. We included all patients treated at trauma centers in Pennsylvania during a 5-year period.
Data were obtained from the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcome Study (PTOS), a product of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation. The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation is the sole organization responsible for accrediting trauma centers in Pennsylvania and has been reviewing and surveying applicant hospitals since 1986. There are 3 levels of trauma centers in Pennsylvania. Level I trauma centers require trauma research, a surgical residency program, and an annual volume of 600 PTOS patients per year. Level II trauma centers do not require the research and residency components, have several groups of subspecialists, and only require 350 PTOS trauma patients per year. Level III trauma centers are smaller rural centers that do not require a minimum volume of trauma patients or neurosurgical resources, admit mildly injured patients, and focus on stabilization and transport of trauma patients to a higher-level trauma center.16
The PTOS includes all records from the 32 accredited trauma centers in Pennsylvania. Data are collected in real time by dedicated trauma registrars within each hospital who have been trained in the PTOS data collection process. All patients presenting to Pennsylvania trauma centers are eligible for inclusion in the standardized hospital registry if they have a diagnosis of injury (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes 800-995), are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) or step-down unit, are pronounced dead after arrival, die of injuries in the hospital, are transferred, or remain in the emergency department or hospital longer than 48 hours from the time of emergency department arrival. Available demographic data include race, age, and sex. Collected clinical data include Trauma-Related Injury Severity Score (TRISS), Glasgow Coma Scale score, comorbidities, and procedures performed.17
We obtained data for all patients in the PTOS registry who were treated from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2008. We then excluded children (aged <18 years), patients with a primary diagnosis of a burn, and patients transferred from another facility. The study was approved by the institutional review board at the University of Pennsylvania.
Main and secondary outcomes
The primary outcome variable was in-hospital mortality. The ICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, and a delay longer than 2 hours to treatment by laparotomy or craniotomy were considered secondary outcomes.
Exposure variables of weeknight and weekend presentation
Historical definitions for the exposure variables of day and time of presentation are variable.6,7,18 We chose to create 3 distinct categories representing weekdays (9:00 AM to 5:59 PM Monday through Friday), weeknights (6:00 PM through 8:59 AM Monday through Friday), and weekends (Friday at 6:00 PM through 8:59 AM on Monday). To assess the robustness of the results and enable direct comparison with work conducted previously,1 the analyses were repeated with historical definitions (weekends defined as between 11:00 PM on Friday and 6:59 AM Monday, and weeknights defined as between 11:00 PM and 6:59 AM on weekdays) and with an alternate 4-category definition (weekday, weeknight, weekend day, weekend night).
Power analyses were performed using PS Power and Sample Size Calculator version 2.1.31 (Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee). We determined the mortality difference that would be detectable given our sample size, a 2-tailed α of .05, a power of 90%, and baseline mortality differences associated with weeknight and weekend presentation based on pilot data.18 Separate power analyses were performed for weeknight vs weekday presentation and for weekend vs weekday presentation. We determined that we would be powered to detect a 0.63% difference in mortality for patients presenting on weeknights and a 0.53% difference in mortality for patients presenting on weekends.19-22 The known mortality variability between level I trauma centers exceeds 1%,23 so we considered our analysis to be adequately powered. Given the importance of potentially finding no differences between groups, the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) around the effect estimates were our focus in evaluating the outcomes. If the bounds of a 95% CI are between 0.85 and 1.20,24 we fail to reject the null hypothesis that the likelihood of mortality differs between groups and conclude that the risk of mortality is similar when presenting during weeknights or weekends.
Case mix adjustment
A modification of the Charlson method was used to adjust for case mix.25 The Charlson Index is traditionally calculated based on 19 comorbidities. Each comorbid condition is assigned a weight, and the sum of the weighted conditions that are present for a patient is used for predicting the probability of death. The PTOS data do not include information on peripheral vascular disease, any tumor, leukemia, and lymphoma; thus, the Charlson Index that we calculated is based on 15 rather than 19 comorbid conditions.
Injury severity adjustment
The TRISS method was used to adjust for injury severity. The TRISS incorporates both an anatomical injury scoring system (the Injury Severity Score [ISS]) and a physiological scoring system (the Revised Trauma Score). The TRISS is a standard and comprehensive comparator used to correct for severity in outcome analysis and to predict survival in trauma patients.26,27 Severe injury was defined as an ISS of 16 or higher.27
Descriptive statistics and unadjusted analyses
Unadjusted analyses were performed using Stata version 10 statistical software (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas). Pearson χ2 tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and t tests were used to evaluate characteristics of the patient sample. Logistic regression was used to estimate the unadjusted relative likelihood of death for patients presenting on weekends vs weekdays and for patients presenting on weeknights vs weekdays. Logistic regression was also used in the models that evaluated the secondary outcomes of delayed laparotomy and delayed craniotomy. The secondary outcomes of ICU LOS and hospital LOS were modeled using negative binomial regression. The effect estimates derived through logistic regression are presented as odds ratios (ORs), and the effect estimates derived through negative binomial regression are presented as incidence rate ratios (IRRs). For each of the outcomes, subgroup analyses were performed by stratifying patients according to age group, injury severity, and injury type (blunt or penetrating).
Adjusted analyses
Adjusted analyses were performed using Stata version 10 statistical software (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas). The variables of age, sex, race, TRISS, and comorbid conditions were added to the regression models to estimate the relative likelihood of each outcome while controlling for potential confounding. Variance inflation factors were used to detect multicollinearity and model fit, and outliers were evaluated using conventional methods.28 In all of the unadjusted and adjusted regression analyses, missing data were managed through the use of multiple imputation by chained equations with 20 imputed data sets.29,30
A total of 90 461 patients were treated during the 5-year period and were included in the study. About a quarter of patients (n = 23 841 [26.4%]) presented on weeknights and just more than a third (n = 37 349 [41.3%]) presented on the weekend. Compared with patients presenting on weekdays (mean age, 57 years), those presenting on weeknights were younger (mean age, 45 years; P < .001), as were those presenting on the weekend (mean age, 45 years; P < .001). Also, compared with patients presenting on weekdays (57.6% male), those presenting on weeknights (64.8% male) and weekends (64.2% male) were more likely to be male (P < .001 for both). The ISS was not significantly different as a function of when patients presented. Statistical tests rejected the null hypothesis that patients presenting on weeknights or weekends did not differ from patients presenting on weekdays in terms of Glasgow Coma Scale score and TRISS, but the patient groups overall were clinically similar in these variables. Penetrating trauma was more common among patients presenting on weeknights than in those presenting on weekdays (12.8% vs 5.4%, respectively; P < .001) and was more common among those presenting on weekends than in those presenting on weekdays (10.6% vs 5.4%, respectively; P < .001) (Table 1). A total of 38 237 patients (42.3%) had no comorbid conditions, and the number of comorbid conditions ranged from 0 to 16 (median, 0; mean, 2.9). Charlson Index scores ranged from 0 to 13, with a median of 0 and a mean of 0.4. The TRISS was missing for 13.2% of patients. No other variables had more than 5% missing data.
Unadjusted analyses
In unadjusted analyses, compared with patients presenting on weekdays, patients presenting on weeknights were more likely to die (6.6% vs 7.5%, respectively; OR = 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07-1.22), to have longer than the median ICU LOS (37.0% vs 43.4%, respectively; IRR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.08-1.17), and to have longer than the median hospital LOS (46.8% vs 46.2%, respectively; IRR = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04). There was no difference in delay to laparotomy or delay to craniotomy for patients presenting at night (Table 2).
Patients presenting on the weekend were not more likely to die than patients presenting on weekdays. Weekend presentation compared with weekday presentation was associated with longer than the median ICU LOS (41.1% vs 37.0%, respectively; IRR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.06-1.13) but not longer hospital LOS (42.0% vs 46.8%, respectively; IRR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.00). There was no significant difference in delay to craniotomy or delay to laparotomy for patients presenting on the weekend (Table 2).
In adjusted analyses, patients presenting at night were not differentially likely to die or have a delay to procedure (craniotomy or laparotomy) compared with patients presenting during the day. After adjustment, patients presenting at night continued to have significantly longer ICU LOS (IRR = 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10) and hospital LOS (IRR = 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.04) (Table 2).
Patients presenting on the weekend were less likely to die than patients presenting during weekdays (IRR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81-0.97). No difference was noted in delays to procedures. Weekend presentation compared with weekday admissions was associated with longer ICU LOS (IRR = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10) but not with longer hospital LOS (IRR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.00).
To examine the relationship between subgroups and outcomes, we performed separate analyses for populations of interest. Results for each outcome after stratifying by age group, injury severity, and injury mechanism are shown in Table 3 and the Figure.
No differences were observed in the likelihood of death associated with presenting during weeknights vs weekdays within the subgroups of patients defined by the variables used for stratification. Presenting on weekends vs weekdays was associated with decreased odds of death for patients who sustained blunt trauma (OR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81-0.97), for patients with lower-severity injuries (ISS <16; OR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70-0.99) as well as higher-severity injuries (ISS ≥16; OR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.80-0.99), and for younger patients (OR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71-0.94).
Icu and hospital los
There were 3 patient subgroups in the stratified analyses among whom presenting on weeknights vs weekdays was associated with longer ICU LOS. The ICU LOS was longer among patients with lower-severity injuries (ISS <16; IRR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07-1.19), patients with blunt trauma (IRR = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.00-1.09), and younger patients (IRR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07-1.18). In addition to longer ICU LOS, patients presenting on weeknights with less severe injuries (IRR = 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04) and with blunt injuries (IRR = 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.04) were found to have longer hospital LOS than patients who arrived on weekdays. For other subgroups of patients, the likelihood of differential hospital or ICU LOS did not differ as a function of presenting on weeknights vs weekdays.
Three subgroups of patients, including patients with lower-severity injuries (ISS <16; IRR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.13), patients with penetrating trauma (IRR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02-1.32), and younger patients (IRR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07-1.17) had longer ICU LOS if they presented on weekends as compared with weekdays. Overall hospital LOS was shorter on weekends compared with weekdays, however, for patients with less severe injuries (IRR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99), patients with blunt trauma (IRR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99), and older patients (aged >55 years; IRR = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99). For other subgroups of patients, the likelihood of differential hospital or ICU LOS did not differ as a function of presenting on weekends vs weekdays.
We examined whether injured patients presenting to a trauma center at night and on the weekend experienced increased mortality or negative clinical outcomes compared with patients presenting during weekdays in a mature state trauma system. In contrast to previous work examining a number of other nontrauma emergency care–sensitive conditions,6-8 we found no differential adverse outcomes associated with presenting outside traditional working hours. These findings are robust to a number of definitions of weekend and night as described earlier (results not shown). Given the recent attention directed to the shortcomings of the emergency care system in the United States,13 the increased interest in understanding the comparative effectiveness of different models of care,31 and the federal government's interest in coordinating emergency care in the United States,32 these findings have significant implications for the staffing and design of the emergency care system.
Although the potential for patients admitted outside traditional working hours to fare worse than patients admitted during the week has been recognized for decades,1 a weekend effect specific to patients with unplanned critical illness requiring complex or re-source-intensive interventions has more recently been described.3,6-8 Higher mortality rates on weekends for patients with myocardial infarction were attributed to lower rates of invasive cardiac procedures or treatment delays.6 Similarly, cardiac arrest survival was lower on nights and weekends except in the emergency department and on the trauma service, where staffing is similar independent of time and day.7 Data examining the effect of weekend admission on stroke outcomes are mixed, and an organized systems-based approach has been suggested as a potential solution to counter the adverse outcomes observed on weekends.8,33,34 The principal conclusions from our analysis are that the number of deaths does not increase on nights and weekends in a mature state trauma system and that clinical outcomes are also not compromised. A plausible explanation is the particular organizational model of trauma care in the United States.
The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma15 first published guidelines for the organization of trauma care in 1976.35 Updated frequently, they describe not only the essential components of trauma centers including resources and staffing but also the philosophy of an integrated system of components of care spanning from prehospital care to rehabilitation. Trauma centers are categorized, and an inventory is made publicly available for consumers as well as policy planners (http://www.amtrauma.org/).36,37 In addition, professional surgical societies have created and endorsed evidence-based practice management guidelines to standardize care across facilities (http://www.east.org/tpg.asp). Severely injured patients treated at trauma centers have had markedly reduced mortality compared with those receiving care at nontrauma centers.14 The trauma center's systems-based approach has been celebrated by the Institute of Medicine as a model of coordinated, regionalized, and accountable emergency care.13
Although the primary conclusion from our analysis is that patients do not have worse outcomes when presenting outside typical working hours, a number of additional findings are notable. We found no variability in overall mortality for patients presenting at night, but we found that weekend presentation is associated with a decreased likelihood of death. This finding is contradictory to most data describing the effect of weekend presentation on outcomes for time-critical conditions, and the immediate availability of resources and personnel that might otherwise be occupied during normal working hours may account for this finding. The explicit requirements of trauma centers to be staffed and prepared to deliver optimal care independent of time of day and day of week may be instructive for other emergency care–sensitive conditions. The financial, practical, and logistical realities associated with developing an emergency care system that is prepared 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year warrant further research and discussion. In subgroup analyses, we identified a few cohorts in which LOS was longer for patients presenting at night compared with patients presenting during the day. We expect that this may be related to either differential use of available ICU beds at night (ie, quicker decision to admit to a higher level of care to facilitate flow) or peculiarities of the hospital process including the practice of awaiting discharges for patients on the floor to facilitate transfer out of the ICU. More surprising, however, were the findings that patients presenting on the weekend were less likely to die and that several subgroups had shorter hospital LOS than comparable patients presenting on weekdays. Again we speculate that these findings may be associated with the somewhat unique structure of the trauma center, where during the typical workday there is competition for personnel (elective operative schedules and office hours) and resources (blood bank, pharmacy, immediate operating room availability) but where processes of care may be streamlined outside typical business hours given the absence of scheduled patients.
We present a negative study, and although we were appropriately powered to detect a mortality difference of 0.63% for night admissions and 0.53% for weekend admissions, these thresholds may be too low and significant differences may have been missed. In addition, we may have been underpowered for subgroup analyses and analyses of secondary outcomes. We believe, however, that the finding of a general trend toward decreased mortality and secondary outcomes lessens this concern. Although ISS and comorbid conditions were included to adjust for underlying mortality risk and case mix, our models may have insufficiently adjusted for unmeasured confounders. Also, we were unable to track transferred patients across hospitals; therefore, such patients were excluded from the analysis. This could have introduced bias if referring facilities transferred only their sickest patients in a manner that varied systematically by time of day or day of week. Finally, we describe trauma care in a single state and recognize that our results may not be generalizable. The Pennsylvania trauma system is a mature trauma system; these protective effects may not exist in developing trauma systems. In addition, the relevance of LOS, examined as secondary outcomes, can be difficult to interpret. In future studies, subgroups including patients requiring subspecialty interventions (craniotomy, pelvic vessel embolization, etc) should be further explored. Standardized risk adjustment strategies such as those used in the trauma quality improvement program would be useful,38 and internal hospital process measures should be considered.
We demonstrate no difference in adjusted survival for injured patients presenting to the trauma system at night and demonstrate an adjusted survival benefit for injured patients presenting to the trauma system on the weekend. These findings support the use of the trauma model's systems-based approach in the development of care delivery models for time-critical conditions including ischemic stroke,39,40 acute coronary syndrome,41,42 critical care,43 and cardiac arrest44-46 as well as the emergency care system as a whole.
Correspondence: Brendan G. Carr, MD, MS, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 929 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (carrb@upenn.edu).
Accepted for Publication: January 24, 2011.
Published Online: March 21, 2011. doi:10.1001/archsurg.2011.60
Author Contributions: Dr Carr had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Carr, Reilly, Schwab, and Branas. Acquisition of data: Carr, Branas, and Geiger. Analysis and interpretation of data: Carr, Reilly, Branas, and Wiebe. Drafting of the manuscript: Carr, Branas, Geiger, and Wiebe. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Carr, Reilly, Schwab, Branas, Geiger, and Wiebe. Statistical analysis: Carr, Branas, and Wiebe. Administrative, technical, and material support: Carr, Reilly, Schwab, and Geiger. Study supervision: Carr, Reilly, and Branas.
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Funding/Support: Dr Carr is supported by career development award K08HS017960 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Role of the Sponsor: The funder had no role in the design, analysis, or interpretation of the study.
Disclaimer: These data were provided by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, Mechanicsburg. The Foundation specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations, or conclusions.
Previous Presentation: This paper was presented at the 2010 Annual Conference of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 27, 2010; Bethesda, Maryland.
Additional Contributions: Peter Jenkins, MD, University of Pennsylvania, helped with data acquisition and institutional board approval and Nathan McWilliams, MPA, Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, helped with data acquisition and preparation.
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Q: How to upload and download file to hdfs using Java code i am newbie to hadoop, and trying to upload and download files to hdfs via. Java code. which should behave as
Data Uploading:
 hadoop fs -put or -copyFromLocal filename directoryName

and Data Downloading
  hadoop fs -get or -copyToLocal filename directoryName

from hdfs. i need this one because datasets contain image, audio, video etc file. above command works fine with all type of data, if i try using Java i/o reader code , it is working fine for text files , but not for images, video. docx etc..
pls any help here.
Edited Here:
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub

        Configuration conf=new Configuration();
        FileSystem fs = FileSystem.get(conf);

        Path path=new Path("data");
        Path file=new Path(path,"screenshots.png");

        BufferedImage image = ImageIO.read(new File("/home/hduser/Desktop/screenshots.png"));
        if (!fs.exists(path))
          throw new IOException("Output not found!");

        ImageIO.write(image, "png", fs.open(path));

    }

As asked i have edited here code that i am using to upload image file to hdfs. here ImageIO.write is not accepting arguement fs.open(path) , because is asking for file, but i have to give path here as to read and to write to hdfs we need to give path only. Actually i am in need of a method to upload and download file from hdfs using code for all type of data, so i should not write code and use plugins for all type of file.

A: ImageIO.write can take an OutputStream as well as a File.  However, fs.open is returning an InputStream because it is for reading files only.
You need to call:
ImageIO.write(image, "png", fs.create(file));

The create method will return an OutputStream which ImageIO can write to.
http://hadoop.apache.org/docs/r2.2.0/api/org/apache/hadoop/fs/FileSystem.html

A: *

*If path is already exists than you will overwrite that file with your image. I think that you want to save your image into some existing folder in HDFS. In that case you need to write your image to new Path(path, "SomeImageName.png");.

*You don't need to use ImageIO to copy the image from local file system to HDFS. Try to use copyFromLocalFile method of FileSystem:
fs.copyFromLocalFile(new Path("/home/hduser/Desktop/screenshots.png"), path);

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