Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by Hercules Rockefeller, Mar 7, 2012.
You seem to be laboring under the misunderstanding that life is, at it's simplest, different from chemistry. It is not. Definitions of life come in more or less simple forms but it's really an arbitrary line drawn by various individuals at different points on the continuum of simple chemistry to complex lifeforms. At it's simplest life is a molecule able to assemble copies of itself from free chemical compounds in it's environment AND NOTHING MORE! The Last Universal Common Ancestor was far along in comparison and probably separated in time by 100s of millions if not billions of years. Nor was it likely the first form of life to do all the things you think it should, it was just the one lucky enough in the evolutionary crap shoot to survive and have progeny that survived all the way to us. I'm really having difficulty in understanding what your point is. LUCA existed, deal with the implications.
I would life to see a proof of this.
I have MIT, Harvard and Oxford links that will show you are wrong.
The theory is not viable if abiogenesis is not viable.
Otherwise, TOE must rest its theory on the magical emergence of life.
Provide the links that you claim support your assertion.
Demonstrate why it does not.
The theory of evolution speaks only to the transition from one kind of organism that already exists to another. It is silent about the origin of the first organism, for the very good reason that it cannot have arisen through evolution, and therefore it is outside the realm of the theory.
It is scientists, not science who assume that the first organism must have arisen through abiogenesis. If you read your links carefully, you will see that the writers all make that assumption, often implicitly, but sometimes explicitly--which BTW is much better science!
You need look no further than the top-notch universities in, for example, the Jesuit system. Jesuits pride themselves on the quality of their science courses. Indeed even we atheists regard them as top-notch and encourage our children to apply to Gonzaga, Loyola, Georgetown, etc. The Jesuits do not consider evolution incompatible with divine creation. Even the Pope himself has admitted that much of the Bible is metaphor, and the leaders of virtually all respectable Christian denominations agree. (Obviously I'm excluding the American woo-woo sects here.) The same goes for the Jews and other Abrahamists, if perhaps not so universally among their more conservative branches.
Evolution does not require abiogenesis. Besides, to entertain the supernaturalists' hypothesis for the sake of argument, there's no reason that abiogenesis could not have been part of the gods' methodology.
Hipparchia is 100% correct, although I would add an asterisk to his list noting that divine intervention is not mutually exclusive from any of the other mechanisms on it.
In other words, if I understand the assertions of the supernaturalists correctly, "God can do anything he wants."
The first part of your statement is true: the theory of evolution deals with transitions between populations of organisms. The second part is misleading to the point of being false.
Evolution, as a term describing survival of the fittest, was almost certainlyat work in prebiotic chemistry. It is one of the things that makes the decision of where to place life/non-life so difficult and ultimately so pointless.
In fact I seem to recall linking to some papers in this thread in the last page or two discussing the occurence of evolution in prediotic chemistry.
I an not prepared to say how life originated. I just know at this time given the latest mainstream evidence abiogenesis is ruled out.
Well, it would seem LUCA existed. However, there does not exist a current valid mainstream theory to explain it.
However, there does not exist a current valid mainstream theory to explain it.
1) It is false to conclude that TOW does not purport to explain abiogenesis. The whole purpose of TOE is to provide a theory to explains life as a sequebnce of natural events based on chemistry and physics.
If this is false, then TOE is another religion.
Further, I provided many of the latest mainstream conclusions that demonstrates that TOE is not able to "naturally" explain LUCA.
Now, I am not advocating any alternative theory. I simply do not know.
But, what I do know is any theory will have a very difficult task in naturally emerging a redox cycle (electron transport) in order to construct carbohydrates.
You are wrong to assume TOE is not required to explain the natural emergence of life.
Otherwise, how can it explain the natural emergence of traits?
Further, there have been experiments done at MIT that prove TOE can't even correctly explain acquired traits.
Several recent studies, one conducted by researchers at MIT and another by researchers at the Tufts University School of Medicine, have rekindled the debate once again. As reported in MIT's Technology Review in February 2009, "The effects of an animal's environment during adolescence can be passed down to future offspring ... The findings provide support for a 200-year-old theory of evolution that has been largely dismissed: Lamarckian evolution, which states that acquired characteristics can be passed on to offspring."
I have already explained, this logic is not valid.
How about the fact that it's wrong, for a start.
You and I are different.
I supply undisputed mainstream links to support my conclusions.
Do you have said links to support yours?
Acknowledged the limitations in the evidence I have supplied.
Even asked you pointed questions when you disputed their relevance - questions which remain unanswered.
I have ready confessed, I do not have a answer for the natural emergence of chemicals to life.
I was simply presenting a list of current possible explanations. Until you have disproved those, the notion that life came from simpler chemical constituents remains.
No, troll, it is not what I meant.
Do you have any answers yet troll? I asked you some pretty direct questions.
Where do you draw the line between chemicals and life, troll? Is a Virus alive?
As of 2009, TOE has not explanation for the electron transport mechanism to construct carbohydrates.
You didn't respond to my statement: presumably you don't mean ribose. What does carbohydrate synthesis have to do with the origins of life?
You're assuming that the weight of natural history hangs on this question. It doesn't. It hangs on the evolution by natural selection, and the complex phenomena that run their course in parallel. Oversimplification has no effect.
In 2009, the genome project proved the gene to protect bacteria from the heat of vents did not come until later in the DNA.
You mean your source. Not the project itself. "Prove" is not a word the investigators used. In any case, it's not a show stopper. It's more evidence to put on the scales with a vast weight of other evidence.
Around vents, you have free sulfur that can function as an electron transport mechanism I guess.
And if it's a hydrothermal vent, there is tepid zone a few meters back. Which is how many creatures exploit them today.
So, since sulfur and Oxygen at in the same column of the periodic chart, then O will do.
And a few other essential columns. Especially column V, which is even more energetic.
But, it is now the consensus that life originated in temperate climates. What is the problem with that?
No, read your source again. It said nothing about the origin of life. Nor would any credible source try to conquer the issue as you feel you have done. And to the extent your source addresses climate, it's nothing more than a vague mention.
Unlike volcanic vents where sulfur occurs unbound, in temperate climates Oxygen does not.
You are just reaching. You're making all kinds of assumptions without bothering to establish them. For starters, what are you assuming about the primordial atmosphere, and whether life originated above or below water?
So, we have no viable electron transport mechanism to construct food (carbohydrates). Check the mainstream on this.
In short, there is no disproof of anything as you seem to think. There is merely best evidence. It all fits together mostly, except at the ragged outer edges.
And that's the mainstream position. If anything, evolutionary biology is marching on, in the same direction it's been in since Darwin discovered natural selection. Nothing's been overturned in terms of the general principles. In fact for the most part it has all been reinforced, as much as any other area of science.
I have already handled these.
As of 2009, there is no viable mechanism to support electron transport. I have been through that with countless posts.
So, this list is a set of past parts of the theory..
I am sorry, could you be more specific about this?
I am not trying to evade your debate position, I just cannot connect it.


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Presentation at Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease Meeting Highlights How Diadem's AlzoSure® Predict Can Enable AD Clinical Trials and Screening for Early Detection of AD
--Longitudinal Analyses Show AlzoSure® Predict Identifies Individuals Who Will Progress to Alzheimer's Disease with High Accuracy Up to Six Years Before Diagnosis--
--As an Accurate Prognostic Test, AlzoSure® Predict Can Stratify Patients for AD Clinical Trials, Potentially Enabling More Rapid and Efficient Approvals by Making It Possible for Drug Developers to Select and Monitor the Patients Most Likely to Benefit--
--AlzoSure® Predict Requires Only a Simple Blood Draw and a 24-Hour Lab Analysis ─ Diadem Is Partnering with Clinical Labs to Ensure Wide Access after the Expected 2022 Launch--
Diadem srl
MILAN, Italy and BOSTON, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Diadem srl, a company developing the first blood-based test for the early prediction of Alzheimer's disease (AD), today reported that it presented extensive data at the 14th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) meeting showing that its AlzoSure® Predict prognostic biomarker test is accurate in identifying individuals with few or no cognitive symptoms who will decline to AD up to six years before diagnosis. The data also showed that AlzoSure® Predict is more accurate than other available diagnostics in identifying AD patients early in the disease process.
Based on the positive data results from the longitudinal studies completed to date, Diadem CEO Paul Kinnon concluded that AlzoSure® Predict could enable the widespread prognostic screening that is a prerequisite for the early interventions needed to slow or stop Alzheimer's disease progression, noting that AlzoSure® Predict is a simple, blood-based biomarker test that is expected to be widely available through clinical laboratories at an accessible cost.
Kinnon also pointed to the important role that AlzoSure® Predict can play in facilitating and accelerating clinical trials for new therapeutic candidates to treat AD, by enabling drug developers to easily identify patients who will progress to AD early in the disease process, when potential new therapies have the best chance of slowing or stopping the disease progression that results in serious cognitive impairment.
Kinnon's presentation in the November 11th Focus on Biomarkers in AD session included data from multiple studies confirming the ability of the AlzoSure prognostic test to discriminate with high accuracy between individuals who will remain cognitively normal, those who will decline to cognitive impairment and ultimately AD, and those affected by non-Alzheimer's cognitive disorders. The Diadem assay uses a proprietary antibody to measure blood levels of a conformational variant of the p53 protein (U-p53AZ), which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of AD in more than 400 published scientific studies.
Kinnon presented conclusions from the first phase of Diadem's Clinical Validation Study that includes data on 482 patients followed for up to 12 years. Patients were aged 50 years or older and asymptomatic or at the prodromal stages of AD or other dementias at the start of the study. Available data used in the comparative analyses included PET imaging studies, cognitive test performance, and cerebral spinal fluid and blood biomarker scores. Results of the first phase Clinical Validation Study were published in an August MedRxiv preprint. The second phase of the Clinical Validation Study includes biobank data on more than 1,000 patients in the US and Europe and is due for completion around the end of this year.
Kinnon noted, "Interest in improving the diagnosis and treatment of AD has never been greater, as the enormous individual and societal costs of this devastating disease have been brought to the fore by the pandemic. We believe AlzoSure® Predict can play a valuable role in identifying individuals who will progress to AD years before symptoms are established, allowing interventions at an early stage when they are most likely to be helpful. Importantly, the prognostic accuracy of AlzoSure® Predict can facilitate clinical trials for new AD therapies, helping drug developers identify and monitor early-stage patients who will progress to AD if nothing is done, and at a stage when drug candidates may have the best chance of modifying the progression of the disease."
The first phase of the AlzoSure® Predict Clinical Validation Study concluded that AlzoSure® Predict:
Is able to predict cognitive decline to AD dementia with an AUC (a measure of accuracy) of greater than 90%, regardless of the cognitive status of patients at the time of the test.
Can determine the classification of the patient's stage of dementia (cognitively normal or mild cognitive impairment) in a single test, with an AUC of greater than 95%.
Showed superiority compared to "gold standard" Pib-PET imaging in identifying which patients with milder cognitive deficits would decline to AD dementia.
Achieved superior prognostic performance compared to amyloid biomarkers.
Achieved superior performance to CSF methods for detecting early AD.
Achieved good specificity in differentiating individuals progressing to Alzheimer's disease from those experiencing other types of dementia.
Has an 84% concordance with amyloid levels in all individuals tested.
Kinnon added, "We look forward to wrapping up our larger cohort clinical validation study in the coming months and to partnering with biopharmaceutical firms and clinical laboratories to begin to make AlzoSure® Predict widely available to the millions of people who could benefit."
The Diadem CTAD presentation will be available on the Diadem website beginning November 15.
About Alzheimer's Disease
There are about 50 million people suffering from dementia worldwide. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form and accounts for 60-70% of cases. At present there are no disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer's, and therapies to treat symptoms are limited. There are about 10 million new cases per year, and the incidence is rising rapidly as the population ages. The current total cost of care is enormous--estimated at $1 trillion in the U.S. annually and expected to double by 2030. Currently, diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is slow, inconclusive, invasive and expensive. Development of effective therapies for Alzheimer's has been hindered by the lack of accurate and cost-effective prognostic and diagnostic methods.
About Diadem
Diadem was founded as a spin-off of the University of Brescia (Italy). The company is developing the first blood-based prognostic test for the early detection of dementia, with a focus on Alzheimer's disease. The lack of accurate, accessible and affordable diagnostic tools is a major contributor to the absence of effective treatments for this devastating condition. As a result, patients are not diagnosed until late in the illness, when effective treatment is no longer possible. Diadem's rapid, accurate and cost-effective blood-based prognostic test makes it possible for the first time to identify patients early in the disease process, when effective interventions and better outcomes are far more feasible. The utility of the approach has been demonstrated in early clinical studies. Additional retrospective and prospective clinical trials are ongoing and planned to further validate clinical claims and support widespread adoption and use. Diadem's founding lead investor is Milan-based Panakes Partners, a venture capital firm that finances promising high potential biomedical companies in Europe and Israel. Diadem is preparing for rapid commercialization of its initial Alzheimer's prognostic via a global launch in collaboration with strategic partners. For more information, visit www.diademdx.com/.
Diadem :
Paul Kinnon
CEO [email protected]
Barbara Lindheim
BLL Partners for Diadem
SOURCE Diadem srl
http://www.diademdx.com
Diadem Presents Data at 22nd International Conference on...
Diadem Announces New Publication Reviewing How Post Translational ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Humankindness Heals
At Dignity Health, we believe humanity and kindness are at the heart of healing. Powerful alone, but better together. They inspire what we do for patients and what we do for each other. Hello humankindness.
You hold the power to heal. To have a real impact on health of the people around you. We all do. Which is why modern medicine is ripe for a change in perspective.
Because each of us is human. Our body, mind, and spirit is one and the same. So if our mind is calmer because we feel we are being taken care of by those around us, our body responds. Stress levels go down and we can heal faster.
This is the true power of humankindness. It's the effect we can have on one another when we reach out and help ease each other's pain. These beliefs are at the very core of our mission, and have been for over 100 years. Which is why we aim for nothing less than to inspire change in health care that leads to more empathy, listening, and respect. Alongside the latest in technology and medical breakthroughs, we can champion the healer in all of us. Not simply because it's nice, but because it's good for us.
And because it works. For all the negativity, disease, and toxicity in our lives, we have a very real and very powerful tool against it. We call it humankindness. And we believe it has the power to change not just health care, but the world in which we live.
Join us. For we are all caregivers at heart.
We all Hold the Power to Heal
Read how Lloyd H. Dean's life journey has given him unique insight into what ails our communities and how we can all lead with understanding and kindness. Learn how we can treat fear with compassion and, no matter what, find common ground.
Healing Our Communities
CEO Lloyd H. Dean is asking all of us to join him, by listening to one another, celebrate our differences, and embrace our shared humanity to heal each other and our communities.
Healing Begins with Humanity
Cultures around the world all have unique ways to heal, and being a leader in health care means understanding and respecting these differences. Watch as Frank from St. John's Hospital demonstrates to his peers how to express humankindness toward patients from all backgrounds.
New Clothes, New Beginnings
Giving to others fosters stronger connections and can help you understand another person's perspective. Tajh and Miguel from Glendale Memorial share what they learned from giving their clothes to patients in the mental health ward.
Kids Challenging Preconceptions
"We have preconceptions in our minds...but he reminded me a simple kindness goes a long way." Anna Enriquez at Woodland Healthcare has learned a lot from her son Garrick, age 19, who shared lunch with a homeless man on a ride to school.


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Lisbon Maru Documentary: Call for information
August 12, 2018 fepowhistory
A call for information from Laurel Films – please contact Major Brian Finch directly (details below) if you are have any information that may help.
Laurel Films are making a documentary film about the sinking of the Lisbon Maru on 2 October 1942 and we would like to contact relatives of all those British prisoners of war who were on the ship. Please get in touch if you are willing to share your memories, photographs, letters or any other material. We hope that your contribution will preserve and respect the memory of your relative and help us bring this terrible human tragedy to life.
Anything you share will be treated sensitively. Screenwriter and producer Fang Li, who runs Laurel Films, has a personal ambition to ensure that the 828 British prisoners of war who perished in the disaster are not forgotten, and nor are all the other British and allied servicemen who fought in the Far East – many sacrificing their lives and others facing terrible suffering – all in the defence of freedom.
Laurel Films is an established Chinese film company with a string of successful productions and the winner of international awards and plaudits. We have pulled together an award-winning team to produce a comprehensive and authoritative documentary about the sinking of the Lisbon Maru.
We will be collecting data, film footage, documents, photographs and other material from a wide range of sources in the UK, the USA, Hong Kong, China and Japan to compile the most complete record of the incident ever produced. Your contribution will help us produce the fullest possible account, fleshed out with individual human stories, many of which will be very moving. The event is not widely known about and our aim is to spread knowledge more broadly. The film will be produced in English for an international audience and will also be screened in other languages. Filming has already started and we plan to release the documentary in early 2020.
We have appointed Major Brian Finch as our UK liaison contact. Brian served with one of the Lisbon Maru survivors, and has recently published his English translation of a Chinese book on the subject, A Faithful Record of the "Lisbon Maru" Incident, published by Proverse Hong Kong in November 2017. He can be contacted at: bfinch@tiscali.co.uk.
FEPOWLisbon MaruWW2
Featured, News, Past Events
Cycling the Sandakan death march – Dr Clare Makepeace
July 12, 2018 fepowhistory	2 Comments
Dr Clare Makepeace writes for RFHG about her moving eleven-day SpiceRoads/TKY Adventure Tours cycling trip in the north of Borneo, on which she mountain biked part of the Sandakan death march and visited memorials to the prisoners of war (POWs) who died there in the final year of the Second World War.
Part of the Sandakan death march track as seen today. © Dr Clare Makepeace.
The fate of the hundreds of Australian and British prisoners held at Sandakan, on the east coast of the Malaysian part of Borneo island, is one of less well-known episodes of captivity in Southeast Asia, despite being the most fateful. Their death rate was 99.99%, the highest suffered by any group of prisoners held by the Japanese.
In 1942 and 1943, 2,700 POWs were transferred to Sandakan to construct a military airport. Initially, conditions were similar to other camps: work was tough, discipline tight, but food was relatively plentiful. Gradually, however, rations were reduced and physical abuse increased.
From early 1945, fearing Allied invasion, the Japanese forced over one thousand of the prisoners on three marches westwards to the town of Ranau, 260km away. The conditions endured were atrocious. Already skeletal and suffering from diseases such as beri-beri and tropical ulcers, the prisoners were given no medical assistance, little food and often wore just a loin cloth. The Japanese were also under orders to execute anyone who could not keep up.
Approximately 500 POWs died on these marches, the rest perished in camps at Sandakan and Ranau, succumbing to starvation, illness or exposure, or were murdered in cold blood. Of 2,434 POWs imprisoned at Sandakan in January 1945, just six of them – all Australians who had escaped into the jungle – survived.
Navigating the Sandakan death march track. © Dr Clare Makepeace.
I always find it incredible to visit sites of such significant history; to feel, in some tiny way, the conditions these men endured. It is immensely humbling. I found it challenging enough to bike down a single-track dirt lane, push my heavy mountain bike through numerous river crossings, cycle in saturating humidity and under the intense heat of a tropical sun. This, of course, was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to what those POWs faced. I would like to say that having been there, I can better imagine what they went through, but I can't. Perhaps that is testament to the extremities of human endurance they experienced; so far from our lives today that it is impossible to envisage in the slightest, even when one is stood on the same physical spot.
Until recently, little had been known about the Sandakan death march. That all changed in 2005, the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, when the route of the march was first mapped out.
I was inspired by how extensively it is now being memorialised in Borneo. Our trip included an overnight stay at Sabah Tea Plantation. The march passed through this area and the Plantation strongly identifies with this history. It carries two memorials to the prisoners and the accommodation also commemorates them. I stayed the night in 'Lofty Hodges cottage', named after the Sergeant who helped rescue four of the Australian escapees. We also visited two other memorials. One at Ranau, occupying the site of the camp of the survivors of the first march; another in the town of Kundasang. Kundasang war memorial contains two gardens dedicated to the British and Australians, as well as a roll of honour.
The roll of honour at Kundasang War Memorial. © Dr Clare Makepeace.
The location for the list of the dead seemed highly fitting. Placed high above Kundasang valley and taking in a breathtaking panoramic view, there was a serenity and majesty to this space. It was absolutely the memorial these men deserved.
Yet, once I came to read through the roll of honour, that tranquillity was shattered, as I became aware of one final horrendous feature of this atrocity. As I glanced through the alphabetical list, I noticed that beside the names of S. O. Bexton and T. Bexton were the words 'These two were brothers'. Then I saw an F. A. and an F. R. Burchnall, with an additional note: 'These two were father and son'. As I read on, I counted seven more pairs of brothers, one pair of twins and then, alongside the initials that shared the 'Dorizzi' surname, the horrifying sentence 'These three were brothers'.
'These three were brothers'. Kundasang War Memorial. © Dr Clare Makepeace.
The younger two Dorizzi brothers died on the same day – 11 February 1945. It appears they were shot at Sandakan when they applauded the allied bombing of the airstrip. Their elder brother was killed on the march. Could war get any crueller than that?
Dr Clare Makepeace's debut book is Captives of War. British Prisoners of War in Europe in the Second World War (Cambridge University Press, 2017)
BorneoFEPOWHistoryPOW campsSandakanWW2
Events, Featured, News, Researching FEPOW History
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine – FEPOW DOCUMENTARY ART STUDY
June 30, 2018 lollie44	2 Comments
We're thrilled to introduce the first in a series of exclusive blogs for RFHG by Meg Parkes, previewing the artwork of previously unrecognised British military artists (both amateurs and trained).
These men took enormous risks to record and keep hidden their documenting of conditions and life in and around POW camps across south east Asia and the Far East during WWII. Since 2012 this artwork – identifying the artists and locating and interpreting their work – has been the main focus of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine's Far East POW (FEPOW) documentary art study. In addition to the six recognised British military documentary artists held captive in the Far East (i.e. Searle, Chalker, Meninsky, Rawlings, Thrale and Old), the study has uncovered artwork by over 40 more previously unrecognised FEPOW artists. Largely held in private collections, mostly by the descendants of the artists, much has remained unseen by the public.
LSTM in partnership with the Univeristy of Liverpool, is staging an exhibition to showcase these artists and their work. Liverpool's Victoria Gallery & Museum will host the show, opening on Saturday 19 October 2019 and running through till mid-June 2020, the 75th anniversary year of the ending of WWII and Far East captivity. LSTM first became involved in the care and treatment of returned FEPOW in late 1945. It has stayed involved ever since.
Andrew Atholl Duncan
Andrew Atholl Duncan was born in 1918 in St Andrews, Scotland. He studied mechanical engineering at St Andrews university and was proficient in technical drawing. As a member of the university's Officers' Training Corps (OTC) he took a commission in the Highland Light Infantry at the outbreak of war. While serving in the British Expeditionary Force in northern France he transferred to 6th Btn Argyll &Sutherland Highlanders (A&SH) and was drafted east in January 1941 to join 2nd Btn A&SH, part of Singapore's garrison force. He joined HQ staff, trained in ciphers and was transferred to Java under General Wavell to set up British HQ in mid-January 1942. He was promoted in the field to captain shortly before fall of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI).
Captured in late March 1942 he was held at Tandjong Priok transit camp, on the dockside north of Batavia (now Jakarta) in Java, for the first eight months of captivity before being shipped to Japan to work in the coalmining camps in southern Honshu. Later he was transferred to Zentsuji and finally Miyata, a Dutch camp under a harsh regime in the mountains due north of Nagasaki.
He secretly kept diaries throughout his captivity and also made several pencil sketches of the interior and exterior of huts at Zentsuji, as well as detailed plans of three of the four camps he was in, drawn to scale and complete with compass bearings.
'From My Bedspace', interior of hut at Zentsuji POW camp, Shikoku Island, Japan 1944, pencil sketch by Capt. A.A. Duncan (© Duncan collection)
Plan of Tandjong Priok camp drawn 1942-1943 by Capt. A.A. Duncan (© Duncan collection)
His pencil sketches and camp plans show an eye for detail. The sketches reveal a good understanding of perspective and give a clear insight as to living conditions in the camp he spent the longest time in (Zentsuji). He kept his diaries and artwork hidden throughout captivity in a false bottom and inside lining of a Dutch kitbag he had acquired.
Following his repatriation in autumn 1945, Atholl Duncan decided not to complete his engineering studies but instead switched courses to study medicine, qualifying in 1950 and becoming a GP in Wirral in 1951. He said his decision to study medicine was in part due to the extraordinary work he witnessed doctors and medical staff doing in camp.
Through much of his post-war life he spoke little of his experiences, taking just a few close friends into his confidence over time. He did not join a FEPOW club. Neither did he ever keep diaries, or draw for pleasure; both had served a purpose.
His diaries were published after his death. Atholl Duncan is one of the "unrecognised" artists whose work will feature in the Liverpool exhibition.
ArtExhibitionFEPOWHistoryLiverpoolSecond World WarWW2
Books, Featured, News
Stranger in My Heart – Mary Monro
June 11, 2018 lollie44	1 Comment
On 9 June 2018, Mary Monro's moving book, Stranger in My Heart, was published. Mary spoke about the book at our Leeds workshop in March 2018. Here, Mary describes how she learned of her father's wartime experiences, including his escape from Hong Kong, and her own journey to retrace his steps and all that it uncovered.
Stranger In My Heart by Mary Monro
It's the silence that gets us all started isn't it? This is how I unlocked my Dad's silence, 30 years after he died, and in the process how I learned much about who I am. The Dad I knew was a Shropshire farmer, horseman, watcher of the TV news. We received a letter from his old Chinese interpreter every Christmas, but he never said a word about his 25 years in the Royal Artillery or about his experiences in the Second World War.
Major John Monro, 1942; © Mary Monro
Battle of Hong Kong
Dad fought at the battle of Hong Kong in December 1941 and kept a diary. This gave me an eyewitness account of the battle, which I could cross-reference with official reports and the accounts of other combatants.
Imprisonment at Sham Shui Po
After the surrender on Christmas Day 1941, 5000 – 6000 Allied troops were imprisoned at Sham Shui Po Barracks on the mainland. It was clear that they were in for a rough time. They faced the awful dilemma of staying for an unknown period in terrible conditions or escaping into territory patrolled by the Japanese and inhabited by potentially hostile Chinese, where they didn't know the country, couldn't communicate and couldn't hide. Senior officers in the camp were against escape and the Japanese Commandant promised that escapes would result in reprisals for those left behind. But Dad was determined to go, and it later turned out that reprisals were more than offset by the boost to morale generated by escapes.
Escape From Hong Kong
Dad travelled 1200 miles across China from Hong Kong to Chongqing, a destitute refugee in a nation of destitute refugees. It was hard to understand his escape route which seemed to be a crazy zig-zag across the map. I had to learn where the Japanese forces were; road, river and rail links; the location of British Military Missions, and so on. Chongqing, China's wartime capital, turns out to be the preferred destination for escapers and so I was able to compare his account with those of other escapers.
Major John Monro's Escape Route, 1942; © Mary Monro
Plan to Liberate Hong Kong PoWs
In Chongqing Dad was made Assistant Military Attaché and remained there until the end of 1943. Searching his diary I stumbled across a barely known piece of history.
November 26th 1942: "Cooper came to lunch today. Afterwards we had a long discussion on the intelligence he required and the steps to be taken to prevent news of American Airforce movements on the Kweilin airfield leaking to the enemy. Finally Cooper, Ride and I went out onto the balcony for a long talk. As a result of this Ride and I stayed up most of the night concocting a plan".
There is a lot of information in those 4 sentences. Col Lindsay Ride was founder of the British Army Aid Group, a humanitarian organisation set up to support PoWs in Hong Kong. Dad had a plan to evacuate all these PoWs with the help of the American Airforce. This meeting was to firm up the plan with the Americans. Col Merian Cooper was Chief of Staff to General Claire Chennault of the US Air Force, and was a pioneering aviator, movie producer and creator of King Kong.
Chennault and Cooper were forward thinkers, keen to use air power to attack Japanese supply lines in China. A co-benefit of this plan would be the liberation of the Hong Kong PoWs. But Chennault reported to General 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell, a traditional infantryman who was determined to have a land-based war in Burma.
Chennault and Stilwell presented their opposing plans to Roosevelt and Churchill in May 1943. Chennault's plan was approved but Roosevelt omitted to sign the directive and Stilwell's buddies at the War Department ensured that the error was never corrected. Thus Chennault never received the supplies he needed. This was catastrophic for Dad's plan and for the multitude who lost their lives in Asia as a result of the subverted strategy.
I was becoming frustrated by the written word and decided to retrace Dad's escape route across China. But would I gain anything from visiting a country that has seen huge changes over the last 70 years?
I started in Hong Kong, touring the battlefield sites and visiting the military cemetery at Stanley. It brought my grief to the surface but it also made me feel close to Dad. I took the train to Shaoguan, where dad had stayed for 10 days writing reports about the conditions for PoWs back in Hong Kong. I continued to Guilin with its stunning Karst landscape and learned more about the conquest of the city by the Japanese. Guizhou, a haven for many of China's ethnic minorities, is relatively undeveloped, so I felt I was seeing it through Dad's eyes. In Chongqing I visited Stilwell's offices, preserved with furniture intact and giving a sense of the dramas that must have unfolded in those rooms. My trip still left me wanting more.
Stilwell's office in Chongqing. © Mary Monro
I started writing, using Dad's diaries, reports and letters and filling in the background however I could. I hired researchers in the UK and the USA. I found that Roosevelt's entire presidential archive is available online for free, so I researched that from home. I studied as many books on Hong Kong and China's war as I could find and pestered friends for any other sources they might have lurking at home.
Finding Community
Unbound is publishing my book and will bring this story to a wider audience. I felt morally bound – and keen – to try and contact the descendants of the people whom Dad mentions. Their responses were truly heartwarming and I felt an immediate sense of community. We all wanted to honour and remember our relations. We were all floundering because of the silence. But for me, the silence had broken, opening to a greater understanding of China, my father and myself.
escapeFEPOWHong KongNewsWW2
Events, News, Researching FEPOW History
FEPOW Workshop Report
May 3, 2018 lollie44
In March 2018, we held our first one day workshop. The atmosphere was relaxed, inclusive and reflected the mix of speakers and delegates who had a range of interests – to escapes from camp through to the transgenerational effects of the captive experience.
A short report summarising each talk on the day is available to downoad here.
We've received a lot of really positive feedback about the workshop, and we're pleased that the format worked well for everybody involved. We are making plans to organise the next one, so do keep an eye out for future news.
FEPOWHistoryworkshop
WarGen – Your Help is Needed to Record Stories from WW2
April 23, 2018 lollie44
WarGen is a small team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Snow and James Holland, WarGen is creating a crowd-sourced online repository of oral-history from the people who lived through World War 2 – and they are asking for help.
Here is the precise moment War Gen was formed in 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vhoRgNJZXo.
Since then, more than 100 interviews have been recorded but they need more.
If you can help, email: shane@wargen.org to help.
HistorySecond World WarWarGen
Fergus Anckorn: The Conjuror on the Kwai
March 23, 2018 lollie44
It is with sadness that we have learned of the death of the remarkable Fergus Anckorn, 22 March 2018 aged 99.
Anckorn, of the 118th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, survived the horrendous Alexandra Hospital Massacre and went on to become a POW – first at Changi, and then on the Thai-Burma Railway.
A member of the Magic Circle, Anckorn had performed his magic tricks as a POW to help save the lives of his fellow men, and can be heard speaking here about how magic helped him to acquire food in the camps. His oral history recording for the Imperial War Museum can be listened to online.
In 2016, Anckorn's story would capture the nation's hearts, as Britain's Got Talent winner Richard Jones used magic to tell the story of 'the conjuror on the Kwai' himself.
A thoroughly inspirational man, he will be much missed.
Image credit: Meg Parkes
The Secret Art of Survival Survey
February 17, 2018 lollie44	1 Comment
The Secret Art of Survival: the hidden documentary artwork of WWII Far East captivity.
LSTM will be working with Far East prisoner of war (FEPOW) community groups, schools and local communities to stage a fascinating exhibition of hidden artworks at the Victoria Gallery & Museum. With the help of additional funding the project is also planned to deliver an extensive education and public engagement programme.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this via a quick survey that will help us to shape the project further.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SecretArtofSurvival
Featured image by ex-FEPOW Jack Chalker.
ExhibitionFEPOWsurvey
Changi Concert Party: AWM Talk
February 9, 2018 lollie44
Free public talk
Thursday 15 February, 12 pm
Research Centre Reading Room
https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/events/changi-concert-party
After the fall of Singapore in February 1942, many Australians were imprisoned in the Changi prisoner of war camp. Within a few days the Changi Concert Party was formed. During their imprisonment, the men of the concert party staged hundreds of performances, each with a detailed, vibrant program. Join a curator from the Research Centre to learn more about these programs, the concerts they advertised, and the men who made them.
Image: Concert Party, Changi Camp, 1942. Murray Griffin. Courtesy of AWM ART24467.
Australian War MemorialChangiFEPOW
Call for Information: The Art of Henk Brouwer
Henk Brouwer was a Dutch artist who drew portraits of PoW in Singapore.
Stichting Tijdlijn Historische Projecten (STHP) is trying to trace the portraits that are held in possession by families or relatives.
They want to organize an exhibition and publish a book.
If you have a portrait or picture drawn by Mr. Brouwer, please contact:
http://www.henkbrouwerchangi.com/
Image: Staff Sergeant Arthur Cyril Robinson, by Henk Brouwer. AWM: ART 92787.
ArtAustralian War MemorialFEPOW
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Kesari is a very popular South Indian dessert/sweet made with Rava (Sooji) for any occasion – festivals, weddings or even a weekend get-together. This variation is made using carrot and is healthy.
2. Add the cashewnuts and roast until golden.
4. Add some more ghee and add the rava.
5. Roast until rava is golden, stirring from time to time.
6. Heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium flame.
7. Pour water and simmer for a few minutes.
8. Add the rava gradually and carrot pulp.
9. Mix well. Ensure no lumps are formed.
10. After couple of minutes add sugar, cardamom powder, cashew nuts and stir.
11. When the kesari stops sticking to the sides of the pan, switch off the flame and transfer to a greased plate or bowl.
Feel free to comment or share your thoughts on this Carrot Kesari Recipe from Awesome Cuisine.


An organization is a social set up, which has a boundary that separates it from its environment, pursues its own collective goals, and controls its own performance (Hicks and Gullet, 1975). In a formal organization, interactions are rationally coordinated and directed through time on a continuous basis. The person at the helm of affairs is usually the leader.
Kraines (2001) stressed that the word leadership has been used by most disciplines: political science, business executives, social workers and educationist. However, there is large disagreement as regards the exact meaning.
This view was also supported by Taffinder (2006), who gave different definitions to leadership: "a simple meaning: leadership is getting people to do things they have never thought of doing, do not believe are possible or that they do not want to do". With reference to an organization, he defined leadership as "the action of committing employees to contribute their best to the purpose of the organization".
While on a complex and more accurate view, he explains that you only know leadership by its consequences – from the fact that individuals or a group of people start to behave in a particular way as a result of the actions of someone else".
It is important to distinguish between leadership as an organizational function and as a personal quality. According to Bowery (2004) the later entails special combination of personal characteristics, which brings to light qualities and abilities of individuals. The former refers to the distribution of power through out an organization and it brings to focus the pattern of power and authority in the organization.
Defining leadership in its various reflections is very important.
However, it is necessary to buttress what our focus is when any of its definition is referred to and under what condition.
Previous views about leadership show that it is seen as a personal ability. However, Messick and Kramer (2004) were of the opinion that the degree to which individuals' exhibits leadership depends not only on his characteristics and personal abilities, but also on the characteristics of the situation and environment in which he finds himself.
Messick and Kramer (2004) further explained that since human beings could become members of an organization in order to achieve certain personal objectives, the extent to which they are active members depends on how they are convinced that their membership will enable them to achieve their predetermined objectives. Therefore an individual will support an organization if he believes that through it, his personal objectives and goals could be met, if not the person's interest in the organization will decline.
Glantz (2002) further explained that models on human relation shows that there are no essential conflicts that can satisfy workers social and psychological needs. These needs are entirely congruent with organizational goals of effectiveness and productivity.
The researcher embarked on this study due to the problems.
Inability to identify the factors that are responsible for worker's low performance in the selected area of study.
Over managing i.e not willing to delegate responsibilities.
Inability to plan strategically small scale business owners.
This research work is aimed at achieving the following end.
2. To determine the pattern of leadership and the extent it has affected organizational performance.
3. To identify the factors that is responsible for worker's low performance in organization.
4. To find out how leadership style has affected labor management relations and productivity in the selected area of study.
5. To identify the set goals or objectives of the organization under study and to ascertain whether the organization is achieving that ideal leadership.
1. What pattern of leadership usually affects organization positively?
2. Does effective leadership enhance organizational growth?
3. Does leadership style influence workers performance?
4. Can leadership style affect the performance of small scale businesses in Nigeria?
5. Which of the leadership style exist in most small scale businesses?
The following hypotheses were posited to guide us in reaching the research objectives.
Hi: Existence of a conducive working environment enhances employees' high input to their organization in the selected small scale industries.
Hi: effective leadership promotes maximization of the objectives of an organization.
Performance in Small Scale industries in Nigeria; A Case Study of Selected Small Scale industries in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
Aba, which is located in eastern part of Nigeria, is chosen because it is one of the strongest commercial nerve centers of the country. The number of small-scale industries springing up from this area is unparalleled when compared to other cities in the country.
It is believed that this study will be of immerse importance because it will reveal the relationship between leadership and organizational performance in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria and how leadership style could be applied to small-scale industries bearing in mind the environmental differences. Secondly, it will be of great importance to the student of business administration who may be heading small-scale industries after their studies.
Finally, this study will enable management and leaders of small scale industries to become aware of the factors that actually motivate their employees to low and high productivity in their work areas.
Leadership: the word leadership does not have a single definition because the meaning could often be affected by what it intends to cover. Taffinder (2006) gave the following as definitions of leadership: "a simple meaning: "a simple meaning: leadership is getting people to do things they have never thought of doing, do not believe are possible or that they do not want to do".
Employer: an employer can be defined as a person or institution that hires people.
Employee: this refers to the person being hired (supplier of labor).
Management: this can be defined as an act of controlling and directing people so as to coordinate and harmonize the group thereby accomplishing goal(s) within and beyond the capacity of people being directed (Dubrin, 2007).
Motivation: Efklides (2001) defined motivation as a conscious act aimed at spurring better results from individuals who may ordinarily not ready to go beyond their capacity.
Organizational environment: Dubrin (2007) explained that organizational behavior refers to the microenvironment affecting the performance of an organization. This includes suppliers, customers, small-scale industries and the public.
Organizational performance: this was explained by Stankard (2002) not to mean the performance of the single parts or units of the organization but the product of all interactions taking place in the organization.


Pam Duchene, Vice President of Education and Training at Harmony Healthcare International (HHI), interviews Gary Kelso, President and CEO of Mission Health Services, in the 2018 AHCA Provider Lounge. Gary discusses the culture change that drives his organization and helps his facilities excel in person-centered care. Following Eden Alternative principles, Mission Health Services transform their caregivers into "world-makers". As world-makers, Mission Health employees strive to expand the residents' world beyond the walls of the facilities. By encouraging employees to share their outside world with residents, Mission Health fosters engagement and provides purpose to their staff. Gary posits that when you give your employees purpose, they will stay in their jobs.
Therapy Services (PT/OT/ST) rendered in SNF are subject to the parameters outlined in the Medicare Benefit Policy, Chapter 8.
In our previous blog post (read here), Harmony Healthcare International (HHI) discussed the 4 Foundational Concepts of a Person-Centered Care. As we continue to discuss the concepts, we'll focus on defining the role of Resident Assessment in Person-Centered Care Planning.
Harmony Healthcare International (HHI) continues to work with providers to mine through the implementation of Phase 1 of Requirements of Participation (RoP). One area we begin to discuss is the foundational concept of Person Centered Care Planning.


1. Do I need to have intellectual property protection?
Yes. It is recommended that you apply for the protection of your intellectual property before you submit the same to Whitebox. It is important to safeguard your intellectual property rights to secure your creativity and inventiveness and prevent the information contained in your submission from being appropriated by a third party.
2. When should I protect my intellectual property?
You should take steps to protect your intellectual property at earliest possible juncture. It is recommended that you should not disclose any information regarding your intellectual property if you have not registered it or applied for registration. Disclosing such information before registration may lead to the appropriation of the information by a third party and hinder your ability to subsequently file for registration.
3. What forms of protection are available for my intellectual property?
Intellectual property may be protected using Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights. You can protect your Intellectual property by registering with the relevant government agency. Ownership can be by a natural person or registered legal entity.
4. What are the benefits of protecting my intellectual property?
Intellectual property is a business asset and therefore securing it is essential to your business and brand. Secured intellectual property rights exclude third parties from appropriating your rights thus adding value to your business and giving you a competitive edge.
Patents afford protection to inventions in the technological or industrial sector. The Kenya Industrial Property Institute undertakes the registration of patents. The requirement for the registration of a patent can be found here.
Copyright affords protection to artistic works of musical, audio visual, literary and artistic nature. To acquire copyright for a particular work, the Copyright Act does not require registration. It is however recommended that you register in order to claim exclusive rights to the works. Registration of copyright is done by the Kenya Copyright Board. The process of registering copyright can be found here .
Trademarks afford protection to brand names, marks, signs and logos associated with certain goods and services offered by an enterprise. Use of the trademark serves to distinguish the goods and services of such enterprise. The process of registering trademarks is undertaken by the Kenya Industrial Property Institute. The requirements for the registration of a trademark can be here.
Create an account, tell us who are, and submit details of your innovation and/or product/solution.
Priority will be given to products that focus on the BIG 4 Agenda.
Viable innovations will be considered for further support to be developed into product, service.
Work with the Huduma Whitebox team and partners to role out approved products or services guided by Government procurement law.
Equipped working spaces with administration support, to qualified startups.
Access to expert guidance from a network of industry, legal, management and finance experts to provide guidance on financing opportunities and access to market strategies.
The Government will support the WhiteBox Program by promoting the use of local products and innovations within Government and in the Private Sector.
At the very least, appropriate MOUs may be entered with relevant bodies such as the Youth Fund for support.
In clear instances of product success in the market, financial support maybe considered.
The program is a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to present/share/sell an idea idea, innovation, invention or solution. The WhiteBox facility will addresss submissions on a need, and case by case basis whilst creating opportunities for financial support, office facilities, technical support, advisory services, access to market, networking opportunities and access to incubation and accelerator facilities/programs through the extensive partner ecosystem.


Today I saw a board for volunteering in Africa. Together, with the photos of kids playing games, laughing, and having a grand time, were photos of zebras. Now, realize that zebras are animals, and kids in Africa, just like kids elsewhere, are human. This board had me confused. Was this trip to help kids in Africa, or save Zebras from poachers?
It annoys me that the combination of photos of people and animals are so commonly placed next to one another, as if in the same category, when referring to non-western societies. To western societies, the exotic means everything that is not western, including exotic plants, exotic food, exotic animals, and….exotic people? That doesn't even sound okay to me.
So then I thought, what if this was a board about volunteering in a suburban area outside of, let's say, Chicago. Along with the photos of the kids, would there be photos of suburban wildlife as well? Sure, lets lump the kids together with the squirrels, raccoons, and occasional roadkill deer. They all live in the same area don't they?
Quit making a spectacle out of the non-western world.


Illustration of Fort Vancouver and its environs in 1855.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in the states of Washington and Oregon. The National Historic Site consists of two units, one located on the site of Fort Vancouver in modern-day Vancouver, Washington; the other being the former residence of John McLoughlin in Oregon City, Oregon. The two sites were separately given national historic designation in the 1940s. The Fort Vancouver unit was designated a National Historic Site in 1961, and was combined with the McLoughlin House into a unit in 2003.
The main unit of the site, containing Fort Vancouver, is located in Vancouver, Washington, just north of Portland, Oregon. Fort Vancouver was originally an important 19th century fur trading outpost that was established in 1824 by the British Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), under the command of chief factor John McLoughlin. It was the center of activity on the Pacific coast and its influence stretched from the Rocky mountains in the east, to Alaska in the north, Mexico in the south, and to Hawaii in the Pacific. Then in 1843, the Hudson's Bay Company, in the face of increasing US settlement, moved their base of operations in the region to Fort Camuson, now known as Fort Victoria in what is now Victoria, British Columbia. In 1846 the Treaty of Oregon was ratified, and Fort Vancouver became part of the Oregon Territory of the United States. The Treaty permitted HBC to continue to operate the Fort Vancouver site even after the boundary dispute was settled, but they eventually abandoned the post in 1860.
In 1849, the United States Army constructed a barracks adjacent to the British trading post; and took over the Hudson's Bay facility when it was abandoned. A fire destroyed the fort itself in 1866, but the Army facility has continued in operation in various forms down to the present.
Fort Vancouver was separated from the Army's barracks and became a national monument in 1948. Congress expanded the protected area in 1966 and re-designated the site as a National Historic Site. For some years after its addition to the National Park System, the National Park Service was reluctant to begin reconstruction of the fort walls or buildings, preferring to manage it as an archaeological site as provided by its standing policies. However, in 1965, with the urging of the local community, Congress directed reconstruction to begin. All fort structures seen today are modern replicas, albeit carefully placed on the original locations. In response to concerns about the designation of reconstructed structures, the Park Service designated the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Historic District to encompass reconstructed buildings as well as historic Army and Mission 66 era Park Service structures.
The McLoughlin House unit consists of the homes of McLoughlin, and of Dr. Forbes Barclay, an explorer and associate of McLoughlin's; the two homes are known respectively as the McLoughlin House and the Barclay House. They are located adjacent to each other on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River in Oregon City, Oregon, on a plot of land set aside for public use by McLoughlin in the 1840s.
In 1846, McLoughlin left the employ of Hudson's Bay Company, and purchased from the company a land claim located on the Willamette River in Oregon City. McLoughlin constructed the house there, and lived there until his death in 1857. The house, a two-style colonial mansion, is typical of East Coast residences from the time.
After McLoughlin's death in 1857, his widow lived there until she died three years later; their heirs sold the house in 1867. The home soon became a bordello known as the Phoenix Hotel. In 1908, the paper mill that owned the property wished to expand and the house was threatened with demolition, but preservationists saved it the next year. The house was moved from the riverfront to its current location on a bluff overlooking downtown Oregon City in 1910. It sat there for twenty-five years, until restored in 1935-1936 under the auspices of the Civil Works Administration, and opened as a museum.
The Barclay House was built in 1849 by Portland carpenter and pioneer John L. Morrison, and occupied by Dr. Barclay and his family. Barclay died in 1874; the house remained in the family's possession until 1930 when it was moved from the waterfront to its present location, next to the McLoughlin House. Today, the Barclay House contains museum offices and a gift shop.
The McLoughlin House became a National Historic Site in 1941, and both homes were added to the National Park System in 2003, becoming part of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The McLoughlin House unit lies on the Oregon National Historic Trail, a part of the National Trails System. The graves of McLoughlin and his wife are on the premises. The house contains both original and period furnishings.
^ "Fort Vancouver National Historical Site". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1504974.
^ "Listing of acreage as of 12/31/2010". Public Use Statistic Office, National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/Acreage/acrebypark10cy.pdf.
^ "Fort Vancouver: Cultural Landscape Report". National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/archive/fova/clr/clr2-6.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
^ "Fort Vancouver National Historic Site: Draft General Management Plan". National Park Service. October 2002. http://www.nps.gov/archive/fova/gmp/gmp1.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-28. .
^ "HBCo. Blacksmith Shop". List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. 2008-11-18. http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=WA&PARK=FOVA&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=1.
^ "McLoughlin House". End of the Oregon Trail. http://www.endoftheoregontrail.org/mchouse.html.
^ a b "The McLoughlin Memorial Association". http://www.mcloughlinhouse.org/. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
^ a b Richard Engeman. "Residence of Dr. John McLoughlin, Oregon City". Oregon History Project. Oregon Historical Society. http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=A48360BC-D3F0-6364-BD52EBC8479B177F. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
^ "Barclay House". The McLoughlin Memorial Association. http://www.mcloughlinhouse.org/barclay.html. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
^ PL 108–63, July 29, 2003, 117 Stat. 872, accessed at "U.S. Code Collection". Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode16/usc_sec_16_00000450--ff000-notes.html. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
^ "Fort Vancouver National Historic Site - McLoughlin House". National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/fova/historyculture/mcloughlin-house.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-23.


text:
Medical Sciences heads to IF Oxford
General Public Engagement with Research
Researchers from the Medical Sciences Division will be running activities on topics from genetic editing to chocolate.
IF Oxford is an annual science and ideas festival taking place in locations across the city. It offers a variety of events, workshops and talks to explore the latest scientific research with audiences of all ages, and creates an opportunity for thousands of face-to-face interactions between Festival visitors, researchers and innovators.This year's festival runs from 12- 22 October, and researchers from the Medical Sciences Division will be out in force!
A huge variety of events co-ordinated by Oxford Neuroscience (from departments including Experimental Psychology, Pharmacology, Physiology Anatomy and Genetics, Psychiatry and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences) will offer visitors the opportunity to explore how the brain controls everything from our muscles to our breathing, and the techniques researchers use to find out more about it. Also don't miss 'The Consciousness Field' an interactive art installation that offers a journey through the mammalian brain.
Another art exhibition from Meg Rahaim, the artist in residence at the Wellcome Centre For Human Genetics in Oxford for the 2017/18 academic year, will also be open to the public for the duration of the festival, and offers an insight into human genetics through the mediums of printing and crochet - find out more.
© NDM Strategic
Hands on activities at a previous Festival
Researchers from the Radcliffe Department of Medicine will be exploring genome editing, genetic sequencing, and the importance of blood through hands-on activities, talks, and virtual reality, while scientists from the Department of Biochemistry will demonstrate the wonderful world of crystals - which make chocolate taste great, and can help us to understand human diseases. Further activities run by researchers from the Nuffield Department of Medicine, NDORMS, Department of Pharmacology, Department of Paediatrics, and Department of Surgical Sciences will also offer insights into the Medical Research done at the University.
There are hundreds more activities taking place over these ten days, so make sure you check out the IF Oxford website for a full programme. You can also find out more about how the Medical Sciences Division engages with the public here.
Oxford spinout trials revolutionary bioelectronic implant to treat incontinence
The first participants in a clinical trial of a bioelectrical therapy to treat incontinence have received their "smart" bioelectronic implants.
COVID-19 is a leading cause of death in children and young people in the US
A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford's Department of Computer Science has found that, between 2021 and 2022, COVID-19 was a leading cause of death in children and young people in the United States, ranking eighth overall. The results demonstrate that pharmaceutical and public health interventions should continue to be applied to limit the spread of the coronavirus and protect again severe disease in this age group.
Three or more concussions linked with worse brain function in later life
Experiencing three or more concussions is linked with worsened brain function in later life, according to new research.
New blood test could save lives of heart attack victims
Researchers in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) have developed a blood test that measures stress hormone levels after heart attacks. The test – costing just £10 – could ensure patients receive timely life-saving treatment.
COVID-19 increased public trust in science, new survey shows
A survey of over 2000 British adults has found that public trust in science, particularly genetics, increased significantly during the pandemic. However, those with extremely negative attitudes towards science tend to have high self-belief in their own understanding despite low textbook knowledge.
Gero Miesenböck awarded 2023 Japan Prize
Congratulations to Professor Gero Miesenböck, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG), who has been awarded the 2023 Japan Prize in the field of Life Sciences, together with Professor Karl Deisseroth, for pioneering work in the field of optogenetics.


Pepper Hart is a cheater, and her Hubby knows it. Hubby knows his place in Pepper's life: he's the sole wage-earner and a good, good friend. He's not her sexual partner, per se. You're about to watch a typical day in Pepper's life: Hubby comes home early from work in hopes of walking in to the kitchen to find Pepper prepping his dinner. Instead, he finds his wife disheveled, sitting on a messed up bed with her lipstick smeared across her pale, freckled face. Pepper's barely dressed, and Hubby very clearly hears men trying to suppress their laughter in the bedroom closet. Sure enough, Hubby's caught Pepper in the act…again. This time it's three Bulls, and once they realize Hubby is a cuck, they push him aside and continue laughing as they take all three of Pepper's holes.


This client is a well know Nursery in Northern VA. They needed a website that was mobile responsive, easy to manage, and provided the ability to grow as the needs of the business grew. This website has custom functionality that has been built to meet some of the businesses unique and ever-changing needs.


Join us tonight during the Funk Zone Art Walk for a special event featuring the works of Santa Barbara based photographer Jim Stoicheff.
Wall space gallery has a special Open Studio event happening Friday December 11th during the Funk Zone Art walk. Santa Barbara photographer Jim Stoicheff will debut his black and white images with his lens focused to the open spaces of California.
The field of iconic landscape photographers is deep. As we look at their images we consistently re-interpret ours, reminding us of our longing to connect to that open space. To stand out among the masses is a tall order, finding nuance and unique identity creating a lasting visual memory. Approaching a harsh visceral landscape and imbuing life into it is something that connects Jim Stoicheff to the earth he photographs. The desert provides the creative duality of hard and soft scapes, of light and shadow, of texture and evolution. Stoicheff's images are graphic, full of rich contrast, dense blacks and stark whites.
Jim's method involves mentally deconstructing a subject by stripping away less essential elements or dividing it into parts, at least temporarily, and then examining what remains from different perspectives. His creative process incorporates that, but permits him to work the other direction, making something from the results of that deconstruction and analysis, with the intention that the image reveals something beautiful or unique in the sense of discovery.
Jim Stoicheff, based in Santa Barbara is a renaissance man of many talents. With majors in Theology and Religious Studies, MFA in Creative Writing, past position as an attorney and now a creative life in photography, Jim embraces all that life has to give.
Prints are available in three sizes and editions.
Please contact the gallery for more information, or even better, stop into the gallery and see these beautiful images in person.


On Monday I was talking to one of the lead authors of the Australian Temperament Project, a major research project of the Australian Institute of Family Studies between 1983 and 2000.
This research recruited 2443 Victorian families, and studied their children's temperament and emotional and behavioural development from infancy to age 18. The author I spoke to, Professor Margot Prior (one of those scary people with more letters after her name than in it, except don't be scared, she's very nice) pointed out that this research also included an examination of this large group of Australian children's reading progress.
This research provides some insights into what seems to put children at risk of reading difficulties, what might protect them, and how likely they are to catch up if they do fall behind.
I was pretty ashamed of myself for not having known all about this, so I've been reading the report, and summarising it for this blog post, as penance. Apologies to Margot et al for the loss of precision that's inevitable in all summaries, and please read the report yourself if you want more detail.
300 children had extensive testing on a range of skills between age 3 and 7. By Grade 1, the ones doing well on literacy tended to be smart kids (according to intelligence tests, teacher evaluation and the kids themselves) with good letter-sounding skills, auditory discrimination and blending.
52 children (22% of the sample) were still struggling to learn literacy in Grade 1, and also tended to have difficulties with behaviour, attention and hyperactivity.
By Grade 2, nearly a third of children who had been struggling in Grade 1 had caught up. The two thirds that hadn't caught up still had poor awareness of sounds and understanding of letters. Teachers also rated them as having poorer language skills generally. They also often continued to have difficulties with behaviour and attention.
In Grade 2, teachers of all the children in the study were asked to report on children's academic and behavioural progress, and give them a short reading test which also tested vocabulary skills.
16% of children were found to be well behind their peers on reading, with 3% unable to read any of the words on the test. Falling behind on reading was strongly associated with behaviour difficulties, especially for boys.
Like many others, this study confirmed that children make better progress in reading if they have some knowledge of letters, a good spoken vocabulary, and if their parents are interested in their reading and encourage them to read.
About half the kids who were struggling to read in Grade 2 were followed up in Grade 4, along with a group of children who had had behaviour problems in Grade 2 but not reading problems, and a group of children with neither difficulty.
Very few of the children with reading difficulties in Grade 2 had caught up by Grade 4. Most were now 18 months behind on spelling, and kids with behaviour problems were doing worse than those without.
The children who had improved were more likely to have parents with higher education and occupational status. Children who had started out with behaviour problems, but made good progress in reading, had improved their behaviour.
Behaviour problems tended to have a long history dating back to toddlerhood, suggesting that children with behaviour problems need help with things like paying attention, ignoring distractions, persistence, compliance, and general self-regulation, or these can later feed into learning problems.
However, temperament and early socio-emotional factors did not predict reading difficulties at Grade 4.
Again in Grade 6, teachers of all the children in the study were asked to give the children a reading test that also tested vocabulary skills.
A quarter of all children were found to be well behind the level expected for their age, the majority (64%) of them boys. Otherwise, boys seemed to have caught up with girls on reading by Grade 6. 16% of children tested as well above average on reading, about equal numbers of them girls and boys.
80% of the children who had had reading difficulties in Grade 2 were still behind on reading, and only 20% had caught up.
A second, more detailed study examined the cognitive and reading skills of a group of children who had been falling behind on reading in Grade 2. This study was looking for particular cognitive skills, such as memory, which might explain why some of these children caught up, while others didn't.
The best predictor of catching up for boys was absence of behavioural problems, but awareness of sounds in words also played a role.
No obvious factor was found that might help explain why some girls caught up, and others didn't. Sigh. More research is needed.
133 of the children who had had reading difficulties in Grade 2 were visited at age 13 or 14 for more testing of their reading, written arithmetic and spelling. More than 80 percent of them still had learning difficulties of one sort or another, whether they'd had remedial assistance or not (and the report doesn't indicate how well-targeted or evidence-based any assistance provided was).
Over half of these children still had reading difficulties, and three-quarters of them had spelling and/or maths difficulties.
The strongest risk factors for boys were vocabulary knowledge, behaviour problems and to some degree socioeconomic status.
Risk factors for girls remained a mystery – there were still no clear, specific predictors.
Children who were reading very well at age 7 or 8 tended to have low levels of behavioural difficulties, more positive temperaments, more positive ratings by teachers on school readiness, temperament, behaviour, social and academic skills, and came from more advantaged families.
Does school failure lead to rejection by peers?
The study examined the effect of a child's temperament on their relationships with their peers, and predictably found that small children who were irritable, uncooperative or inflexible tended to get along less well with their peers when they were older.
However, happily, neither poor school performance, socio-economic status nor family life stress seemed to be significantly related to children's ability to form peer relationships.
This major study supports the early teaching of letter-sounding skills, auditory discrimination and blending in literacy education.
It also suggests that language skills more generally, and particularly vocabulary, really matter in the development of reading. So doing the things that build language and vocabulary like listening, talking and reading to children, and encouraging their reading also matter.
Which is kinda obvious, but not all families can provide this – something with which the education system needs to contend.
For boys in particular, attention and behaviour seem to be related to reading skills, so building a child's attention control, persistence, compliance, and general self-regulation skills could help their reading.
But I guess the headline message from this study is: make sure your kid gets off to a good start in reading before they are 7 or 8, because once they fall behind, it's pretty hard to catch up.
This entry was posted in literacy problems, research, teaching strategies, theory on February 27, 2013 by alison.


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Thousands waiting more than 4 weeks to see their GP - how long do you have to wait?
GP waiting times in Oxford revealed amidst ongoing recruitment problems
By Chris Ord @OxMailChrisO Health Reporter
THOUSANDS of patients are being forced to wait longer than a month to see their GP in Oxfordshire as practices struggle to recruit enough doctors to cope with demand.
With GP numbers in 'freefall', coupled with a growing and ageing population, experts have warned of a 'perfect storm' as patients struggle to get appointments at packed surgeries across the county.
More than 13,600 patients in Oxfordshire were forced to wait longer than four weeks for a GP appointment in March, according to the latest NHS figures available.
UPDATE: Readers tell us their average waiting times in online poll
The stats also show nearly a fifth (17.7 per cent) of all patients making appointments during March had to wait longer than two weeks.
Based on the most recent GP survey in Oxfordshire, the county is 21 GPs short, while in order to meet the needs of a growing population, more than 100 GPs will need to be recruited in the next 10 years.
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The figures are based on projections from Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) which holds the purse strings for NHS care in the county.
However, executive director of Healthwatch Oxfordshire, Rosalind Pearce, said unless action is taken to make becoming a GP 'more attractive' to young doctors the situation was only going to get worse.
She said: "These figures come as no surprise to us, as patients are constantly telling Healthwatch Oxfordshire about the difficulties they face in getting a GP appointment.
"The combination of increasing demand and a shortage of GPs is creating a 'perfect storm' which is not just confined to this county.
"However, it's worth pointing out that Oxfordshire is leading the way in initiatives to combat this, such as telephone triage systems at surgeries.
"But until General Practice becomes a more attractive proposition for newly-qualified doctors, it is likely that the problem is going to continue to get worse."
As of March last year, 18 per cent of Oxfordshire's GPs were aged over 55, meaning they will retire within the next ten years.
Ms Pearce also highlighted the impact the shortage of GPs is having on other health services adding: "In the meantime, patients will need to give serious thought as to whether the GP is the appropriate place to seek help, or whether alternatives such as pharmacies would be more suitable."
READ MORE: EU staff leave Oxford hospitals in droves over Brexit anxiety
Last week the GP recruitment crisis forced a Bicester surgery to start turning away new patients.
Montgomery Surgery announced it was suspending all new registrations as it is short-staffed.
Speaking about the long waits, a spokesperson for OCCG said: "The data from NHS Digital includes people who chose to book a GP appointment four weeks in advance: for example, if they need a review of their treatment or medication after four weeks. In addition, there is likely to be a seasonal variation because there is usually more demand during the winter months."
Schemes to cut waiting lists include the extended-hours GP access hubs, which have offered around 79,000 extra routine appointments at evenings and weekends in Oxfordshire in the last year.
OCCG also said it had stepped up international recruitment of GPs and also launched various incentives such as a flexible careers scheme to boost retention.
The news comes as analysis by the Nuffield Trust for the BBC this week revealed the number of GPs per 100,000 people had fallen from nearly 65 in 2014 to 60 last year (58.4 in the Thames Valley).
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It marks the first sustained fall in GP numbers in the UK for 50 years.
Responding to the research by the Nuffield Trust BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey, said: "In recent years, GP numbers have been in freefall as repeated government pledges to boost numbers have fallen flat.
"Family doctors are under intense pressure to meet rising demand from a growing population, many of whom are elderly and living with increasingly complex conditions, and in many cases, workload has become unmanageable, leading doctors to reduce their hours or retire.
"As more doctors leave the profession, the workload gets heavier still for those left behind, and the situation gets far more serious for both patients and staff."


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Floated Magazine's Mix-Genre Showcase Shakes Up Expectations of a Traditional Lineup
Words by: Joe Massaro; Photos by: Amber Doerr
>> Last Friday night, we hosted a mix-genre showcase concert at the Bug Jar that featured five solid acts on the bill, including one from Albany. Typically Bug Jar shows are filled with such chaos triggered by the lively local punk scene with the slamming doors, spilled beers, sloppy mosh pits and fizzled crowd surfing. However, this past Friday night wasn't the case for such antics. The Bug Jar is one of those venues constantly pulling in an audience that's diverse, which was well-paired with the eclectic music heard that night.
The indie-rock trio Fowls was first up, with their half-hour of diverse abstract melodies, which sometimes sounded like a trade-off of Talking Heads and Vampire Weekend. With eyes glued to their alluring math-rock driven riffs and complex chord progressions, you can tell the band challenges itself, especially with the heavy dueling guitars from frontmen Reuben Vazquez and Vadim Ovcharov. Even though Fowls hasn't released a full-length album since 2013's "Into the Wild," they released a new track last April called "A Phase in the Life." And during the show, it seemed like they played some tracks that haven't been released yet.
After members of Fowls went to the bar, local rapper KZA K' Lee took the stage, but was first fondly introduced by his mother. KZA brought an abundance of beats and plenty of references to Dragon Ball Z. KZA also has a tremendous balance of sounds reminiscent to the underground hip hop scene eighties and nineties with the mumble rap of the current rap SoundCloud generation. KZA is definitely one of the more woke rappers in the area, whose music sounds reflective of the world.
Great Red brought more of an '90s alt-rock style to the stage with a bit of contemporary psychedelia thrown in the mix. Frontman Zach Kochan delivered his always hypnotically warm and pure vocals, especially on the title track of their latest EP, released last month. Like Fowls, they're another band that clearly challenges themselves not only in the studio but on the stage. However, it felt there was some self-restraint amongst the guitarists, who would fool you thinking they would lead into an entirely new direction. But that might've been just part of the journey the audience encountered with Great Red's music.
The night ended with local rapper MF SKUM a.k.a. S.K.U.M. (Sacred Knowledge Uniting the Masses) who's set was the most engaging. Due to technical difficulties, SKUM ditched the stage to perform in the crowd and work his lo-fi beats behind the production booth. Some concert-goers even took the concert to social media by going live. Even though SKUM carried more energy during his set than KZA's, both rappers carried a lot of personality and most importantly showed their inventiveness to their home.
Unconventionality seems to be a common theme at Bug Jar shows—I mean, you are playing under furniture. But it was the venue for an Albany-based psychedelic hip-hop and sometimes dance-punk duo like Major Niño, consisting of Runey Ghosh and Major Capers, who brought their unique free-spirited stage presence on Friday night. Their set was like a party—full of energy, a couple undirected and at times comical conversations with the crowd (adding to their aesthetic) and of course the crowd shaking their rumps to the funk. MF SKUM even jumped on stage to freestyle, which just shows how unique and creative these acts are. "Fitness" was the main highlight from their set, which sounded like if Inspectah Deck and Prince were featured on a b-side from Beck's Midnite Vultures. This band certainly gave it their all on Friday night and was the main highlight of the night. <<
bug jar
major nino
mf skum
kza k' lee
great red
psych folk
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Hotel Max Prestige is located in Budva, 700 metres from the beach. It offers air-conditioned accommodation with a balcony and a flat-screen cable TV and an outdoor pool.
Each room and studio has free access to Wi-Fi and is equipped with a safe, a work desk and a minibar. Bathrobes, slippers and toiletries are provided in all bathrooms.
The spa area features a hot tub and a sauna. Massages are organized on request. Sunloungers and parasols are provided at the pool.
The hotel's restaurant offers local specialities and international cuisine. Meals are served in the elegant dining room or on the sunny terrace.
Hotel Max Prestige has a 24-hour front desk which arranges car rentals. Laundry facilities are also on site. The centre of Budva can be reached within 1 kilometre. Free private parking is offered at the hotel.
Hotel address: Montenegro, 85310, Budva, Zrtava fasizma bb.