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Decreased severity of disease during the first global omicron variant COVID-19 outbreak in a large hospital in Tshwane, South Africa
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first reported in Wuhan China in December 2019, is a global pandemic that is threatening the health and wellbeing of people worldwide. To date there have been more than 274 million reported cases and 5.3 million deaths (World Health Organisation 2021). South Africa has borne the brunt of COVID-19 on the African continent, registering in excess of 3 million cases and 90 000 officially reported deaths (National Department of Health 2021). The number of deaths could be as high as 275,976 (Bradshaw et al., 2021), putting this country's death toll among the highest in the world with a cumulative excess death rate of 464 per 100,000. South Africa is currently experiencing its fourth COVID-19 wave, being driven by the recently identified Omicron variant. Previous waves were associated with the Ancestral, Beta and Delta variants.
The City of Tshwane (incorporating Pretoria and surrounding areas just north of Johannesburg), with its population of 3.31 million people (Office of the Executive Mayor 2021) has had 241,794 cases of SARS-CoV-2, 35 090 hospital admissions and 7,086 deaths (National Institute for Communicable Diseases 2021) since the first COVID-19 admission at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital on 4 May 2020.
The first case of Omicron was documented in the City of Tshwane on 9 November 2021 (World Health Organization 2021). This was followed by a rapid rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 associated hospitalisations from 14 November 2021, heralding the onset of the fourth wave in South Africa. Omicron rapidly displaced the Delta variant in the City of Tshwane and the Gauteng Province of South Africa (Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) 2021).
During the resurgence in Tshwane, we observed a difference in the clinical picture of COVID-19 ward patients compared with prior COVID-19 waves. We report from the first global epicentre of Omicron-driven resurgence on the patient profile of admissions to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, the heart of the Tshwane District. In the current study, we compare the clinical profile of 466 COVID-19 patients admitted in the first 33 days since the commencement of the Omicron driven fourth wave with that of 3962 patients admitted during the 3 pandemic waves over the previous 18 months since May 2020 and provide a description of the clinical profile of 98 patients in the hospital at the peak of the Omicron wave on 14-15 December 2021.
The Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) is an 800 bed tertiary academic hospital to which is attached the 240-bed Tshwane District Hospital and the University of Pretoria's Health Sciences Faculty. Sections of the hospital, including ICU, high care and general wards were repurposed for the management of adult and paediatric COVID-19 patients. This included areas in the Emergency Units, labour wards and theatres. All clinical departments provided both staff and services to the COVID-19 areas as required.
At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, a national hospital admissions surveillance system (DATCOV) was established by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). Hospital level data were extracted from the COVID-19 hospital surveillance system for patients admitted to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) from 4 May 2020 to 16 December 2021. These hospital records were reviewed for a comparison between patients admitted during the Omicron wave and previous waves. All patients were included in the sample.
466 records from DATCOV of patients admitted during the Omicron wave were compared to all 3962 records of patients admitted during three previous waves over a period of 18 months. In addition, a snapshot analysis of 98 records of patients occupying COVID-19 beds in the hospital at peak bed occupancy were reviewed for severity of illness, primary indication for admission, oxygen supplementation level, self-reported vaccination and prior COVID-19 infection status. These data were entered into the internal hospital information system. Oxygen supplementation levels for 588 patients admitted to the hospital during the first wave were reviewed (Boswell et al., 09 December 2021).
The record files of 21 deceased patients for the period 14 November through 16 December 2021 were requested from the hospital registries and reviewed for cause of death.
Hospital COVID-19 bed occupancy was obtained from daily statistics captured by the Nursing Services Manager responsible for bed management at the facility.
Data for the city and province-wide cases, deaths and hospital admissions were provided by the NDOH (National Department of Health 2021) and the NICD (National Institute for Communicable Diseases 2021). Data analysis was done using Excel and STATA 16. Data smoothing was performed using LOWESS in STATA 16 (Stata/IC 16 2020).
There was an exponential increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections in the City of Tshwane, commencing in the week of 7 November 2021 as shown in Figure 1, reaching 11 010 cases in the week of 28 November 2021 and peaking in the week of 5 December 2021.
Figure 1 Weekly number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in Tshwane District, 24 October through 11 December 2021 (NICD)
View Large Image | Download Hi-res image | Download (PPT)
The highest single day occupancy of COVID beds during the Omicron wave was 108 on 13 December 2021, much lower than the highest level of COVID bed occupancy over previous waves, which was 213 beds occupied on 13 July 2021 at the peak of the Delta wave.
There were 466 admissions to the COVID-19 wards between 14 November and 16 December 2021 compared to 20 admissions in the preceding two weeks, showing the rapid rise in hospital admissions during this period (Figure 2).
Figure 2 Daily number of COVID-19 hospital admissions for Steve Biko Academic Hospital, 31 October to 16 December 2021
Table 1 compares 466 patients admitted during the Omicron wave and 3962 during previous waves, showing significant differences in the age distribution, outcomes, level of care required, and length of hospital stay. Mean age was significantly lower (39 vs 49.8 years), most admissions were in the 30 – 39 year age group, 68% of admissions were for those below age 50 compared to 44.5% previously, and the proportion of admissions in 0-9 year old age group doubled.
Table 1 Description of COVID-19 admissions at Steve Biko Academic Hospital Complex, fourth wave compared to previous waves
4/5/2020-13/11/21
TEST PARAMETER
SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL
n(%) or mean(SD)
# Admissions
Mean age
39(22.4)
49.8(21.8)
t= - 10.2
p< 0.00001
Proportions in age groups
284(7.17)
z= 5.1
17(3.7)
z = 2
P = 0.044
255(6.4)
z=8.8
105(22.5)
z= - 1.9
p = 0.15
1763(44.5)
2169(54,7)
Z=-8.9
z = -5.5
z= -2.7
P = 0.0061
4.0(3.7)
t = - 5.4
172(4.3%)
P 0.0007
21(4.5%)
847(21.3%)
There were 21 (4.5%) hospital deaths compared to 847 (21.3%) and 5 (1%) ICU admissions compared to 172 (4.3%) in the Omicron wave compared to previous waves. Length of hospital stay was significantly shorter (4.0 days) in the Omicron wave compared to 8.8 days in previous waves.
A cause of death analysis for 21 deceased patients in the Omicron wave at the hospital showed COVID-19 with a confirmed COVID pneumonia as the cause of death in 10 (48%) patients, another cause exacerbated by COVID pneumonia in 4 (19%), and a cause unrelated to COVID pneumonia in 7 (33%).
Figure 3 and Table 2 show clinical severity of 98 patients in the COVID wards on 14-15 December 2021.
Figure 3 Tree diagram showing COVID-19 disease severity in patients at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital on 14-15 December 2021
Table 2 Levels of oxygen supplementation for COVID pneumonia patients at Steve Biko Academic Hospital Complex 14-15 December 2021
Oxygen Supplementation Modality
Nasal Prongs Oxygen
Face Mask Oxygen
Double Oxygen Nasal Prongs+ Face Mask Oxygen
High Flow Nasal Oxygen
Non Invasive Ventilation
Confirmed COVID Pneumonia
Thirty-six patients (37%) had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID pneumonia, of which 31 (86%) required oxygen supplementation.
Sixty-two (63%) patients were incidental COVID admissions, having been admitted for another serious primary medical, surgical, obstetric or psychiatric diagnosis. These cases have been labelled 'incidental COVID' as they were diagnosed as the result of hospital admission procedures, rather than having the typical clinical profile or meeting a case definition for COVID-19. This phenomenon of 'incidental COVID' is not a phenomenon observed before in South Africa and most likely reflects high levels of asymptomatic disease in the community with Omicron infection. As all patients being admitted to the hospital are tested for SARS-CoV-2 as per the policy, those testing positive are admitted to the designated COVID wards.
Fifty-four patients (55%) coped on room air without supplemental oxygen. Fewer than half (45%) of patients in COVID-19 wards compared to 99.5% (Boswell et al., 09 December 2021) in the first wave required oxygen supplementation.
Table 2 shows the level of oxygen supplementation as an index of severity among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia of whom 26 (72%) required no or low levels of oxygen supplementation. Ten patients (28%) required high care or ICU admission. Among the 4 ICU admissions, 3 patients exhibited features of a COVID-19 pneumonia, however only 1 patient required invasive mechanical ventilation primarily for COVID-19 associated respiratory failure. One (1) patient required invasive mechanical ventilation for confirmed pneumonia with severe COPD and cardiogenic shock in the Emergency Care Unit. The six paediatric admissions to paediatric high care/ICU were attributed to diagnoses unrelated to COVID-19.
The Emergency Medical Unit in the SBAH complex reported a marked decline in the use of reticulated oxygen volumes compared to previous waves.
Among 55 pregnant women admitted to the COVID-19 labour ward only 2 required face-mask oxygen, mirroring the 'incidental COVID-19' picture seen in the adult and paediatric COVID-19 wards. One of these two patients had a mild COVID-19 pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen for 3 days. The second required supplemental oxygen for a diagnosis unrelated to COVID-19.
The findings described above for the Steve Biko Academic Hospital were comparable to city-wide trends when cases and admissions from all public and private hospitals reported in the national hospital surveillance system were observed. The data from the NICD DATCOV database showed that there was a total of 33,643 SARS-CoV-2 cases, 3,233 COVID-19 hospitalisations and 130 deaths reported in the City of Tshwane in the same period (14 November to 16 December 2021), reflecting a lower admission per case ratio, lower death rate and lower rates of admission to the ICU compared to previous waves.
Figure 4 further shows an uncoupling of the case and death rates for the Gauteng Province as a whole, confirming the local hospital experience of significantly fewer admissions to the ICU and deaths compared to previous waves.
Figure 4COVID-19 cases and reported deaths rates for the Gauteng Province (National Department of Health 2021)
As it has been demonstrated elsewhere that the Omicron variant rapidly displaced Delta in the region in which this study was conducted (Viana et al., 2021), the assumption that the clinical profile described in this paper represents disease caused by the Omicron variant is reasonable. The Omicron outbreak has spread and declined in the City of Tshwane with unprecedented speed, peaking within 4 weeks of its commencement. Hospital admissions increased rapidly and began to decline within a period of 33 days. This demonstrates a significantly different transmission trajectory and epidemiological profile from that of previous variants of concern and can be expected to be replicated in other parts of the world.
Peak bed occupancy was about half that of the third (Delta) wave suggesting a lower rate of hospital admissions relative to the number of cases in the Omicron wave compared to previous waves. The mean age of hospitalized patients in the Omicron wave was 11 years younger than previous waves and may reflect the higher rate of vaccination in the elderly population. Fewer ICU admissions and deaths and a shorter length of hospital stay indicate decreased severity of disease caused by the Omicron variant. A third of deaths resulted from a cause other than COVID-19, and there were no paediatric deaths related to severe COVID-19 disease. Sixty three percent of COVID-19 patients in the snapshot at peak bed occupancy were in hospital for an alternative primary diagnosis, and were 'incidental COVID' patients as they were diagnosed as the result of hospital admission procedures, rather than having the typical clinical profile or meeting a case definition for COVID. This phenomenon has not been observed to this extent before in the Steve Biko Academic Hospital or anywhere in South Africa and most likely reflects high levels of asymptomatic disease in the community with Omicron infection.
The low percentage of patients in the COVID-19 wards with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia has implications for the application of clinical skill and expertise being deployed to the COVID-19 wards, with all specialties required to manage their 'incidental COVID' patients under COVID-19 infection control standards. It also implies much lower oxygen utilization levels in the COVID-19 wards. The categorization of patients into 'incidental SARS-CoV-2' and moderate to severe COVID-19 disease may lead to a radically different internal organization of COVID-19 wards at the hospital.
A similar profile of patients is being seen in COVID-19 wards in the Western Cape Province of South Africa (Mendelsohn et al., 2021) and reports of similar patterns of the clinical profile of patients have been described by one of South Africa's largest private hospital groups (Maslo, 2021r).
The changing clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection is likely due to high levels of prior infection and vaccination coverage in this setting. The estimated seroprevalence of immunity from prior infection and vaccine induced immunity for the City of Tshwane is 66.7% (95% CI, 54.2 to 69.0) (Madhi Shabir et al., 2021). About 36% of adults aged 18 to 49 and 58% over age 50 in the Gauteng Province are vaccinated. Another plausible cause for the lower number of admissions and decreased severity is a decrease in pathogenicity or virulence of the highly mutated Omicron variant, though more research is required to fully establish this theory.
A similar pattern is likely to emerge in other provinces in South Africa as Omicron spreads rapidly across the country, but may differ in countries where levels of hybrid immunity or the mix of immunity from prior infection and vaccination are different.
Limitations of the study include the inability to compare the Omicron wave to each of the three previous waves separately due to the difficulty of defining the beginning and end dates of previous waves. Another limitation of the study is that it was unable to compare clinical parameters of patients in the COVID-19 wards across waves due to poor electronic record-keeping of these parameters, including clinician evaluations, chest-xray finding and blood biomarkers for COVID-19 disease.
There was decreased severity of disease in the Omicron-driven fourth wave in the City of Tshwane, its first global epicentre, with fewer deaths, ICU admissions and a shorter length of hospital stay. The younger age profile of patients is likely to have been a factor of this clinical profile.
The wave increased at a faster rate than previous waves, completely displacing the Delta variant within weeks and began its decline in both cases and hospital admissions in the fifth week following its commencement.
There are clear signs that case and admission rates in South-Africa may decline further over the next few weeks. If this pattern continues and is repeated globally, we are likely to see a complete decoupling of case and death rates, suggesting that Omicron may be a harbinger of the end of the epidemic phase of the Covid pandemic, ushering in its endemic phase.
F.Abdullah1, 2, 11, J.Myers4, D.Basu3, G.Tintinger2, V.Ueckermann12, M.Mathebula5, R.Ramlall6, S.Spoor6, T.de Villiers6, Z.Van der Walt6, J.Cloete7, P.Soma-Pillay8, P.Rheeder2, F.Paruk9, A.Engelbrecht10, V.Lalloo10, M.Myburg5, J.Kistan3, W.von Hougenhouck-Tulleken2, M.T.Boswell2, G.Gray11, R.Welch12, L.Blumberg12, 13, W.Jassat12
1 Division of Infectious Diseases, Steve Biko Academic Hospital
2 Department of Internal Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria
3 Department of Public Health Medicine, University of Pretoria
4 School of Public Health, University of Cape Town
5 Steve Biko Academic Hospital
6 Tshwane District Hospital
7 Department of Paediatrics, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria
8 Department of Obstetrics, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria
9 Department of Critical Care, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria
10 Department of Emergency Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria
11 South African Medical Research Council
12 National Institute of Communicable Diseases
13 Right to Care, South Africa
Original article available on International Journal of Infectious Diseases Website


SAN MARCOS, TX – Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) is pleased to announce Wimberley Diagnostic Clinic is now Central Texas Medical Associates (CTMA) Wimberley. CTMA is a primary care doctor's office created by Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) to serve families in San Marcos, Kyle and now Wimberley. Janet Strickland, M.D., Internal Medicine and Eric Price, M.D., Family Practice, will see patients at CTMA Wimberley located at 950 FM 2325, Suite B.
Dr. Strickland holds a Board Certification in Internal Medicine. She is a graduate of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where she also completed her residency. She began her practice in 1975 and most recently practiced with Wimberley Diagnostic Clinic.
Eric Price, M.D. will join Dr. Strickland in Wimberley on November 15. Price is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the U.T. Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He holds a Board Certification in Family Practice and most recently practiced in Portland, Oregon.


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The best Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals: Best of the rest
CES 2020 will allow sex tech on a trial basis
The best Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals: Day two, the afternoon edition
Birdly and HTC Vive let you fly like a bird over Manhattan
It ain't easy being a bird, as I found out.
Richard Lai, @richardlai
06.01.16 in Gadgetry
Nope, we're not quite done yet with the HTC Vive demos at Computex. In addition to the three VR titles we tried yesterday, there was one more that we managed to hop onto after the show floor cleared. Yes, it was that popular. Birdly is a full-body simulator ride that uses multi-hinged flaps and motion feedback to give you a taste of flying like a bird. Better yet, there's a fan in front of the user to simulate headwind which gives you a better sense of flying speed. The visuals and head-tracking are offered by an HTC Vive, which allowed me to enjoy a nice bird's eye view while gently flapping my way through the skyscrapers in Manhattan. Well, I say gently, but it got intense once I started climbing my way back up -- it's definitely a fun alternative to working out in the gym.
This isn't our first time checking out Birdly. Back in January 2015, our very own Edgar Alvarez got to ride on the same rig at Sundance Film Festival, except that version was based on the Oculus Rift. At the HTC booth, we checked with a rep from the Swiss startup, Somniacs, and he confirmed that Birdly has switched from the Rift to the Vive for good -- not because of the joint promotion at Computex, but because of the Vive's more advanced tracking system.
You see, while the Rift works fine on its own, you'll want to use its external tracking sensor for optimal experience -- which isn't possible on the Birdly as it'd be affected by the fan's vibration, according to Somniacs' rep. The Vive, on the other hand, doesn't have this limitation, as its positional tracker (only one is needed here instead of both) doesn't have to be placed directly in front of the headset -- just anywhere with a direct line of sight would do just fine.
We understand that Somniacs sold its first Birdly just last January, and to date, only eight machines have been sold in total. This goes to show just how expensive the rig is, but the startup is keeping the price close to its chest. The only hint we got was that a Birdly costs more than your average car, so you better start saving up.
Stay on top of all the latest news from Computex 2016 right here.
In this article: birdly, computex2016, FlightSimulator, gadgetry, gadgets, gear, hands-on, htc, simulator, somniacs, video, vive, vr
By Richard Lai @richardlai
Richard's love for gadgets was probably triggered by an electric shock at the age of five while poking his finger into power sockets for no reason. He managed to destroy a few more desktops and phones until he was sent to England for school. Somehow he ended up in London, where he had the golden opportunity to buy a then senior editor a pint of lager, and here we are.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Cuomo OKs bill paving way for rail link to LaGuardia Airport
NEW YORK — A rail line that will let train passengers travel between midtown Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport will get started with the signature of legislation by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
"How can you not have a rail train to the city from a New York airport? I mean, it's just incomprehensible, right?," the Democrat said Monday before signing the AirTrain construction bill into law after detailing the plans during an event at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.
The $1.5 billion plan calls for an elevated train line connecting the airport with the No. 7 subway and Long Island Rail Road stations in Queens at Willets Point, location of Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.
Officials said the new 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometre) line will get travellers to the airport in 30 minutes from either Penn Station or Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. LaGuardia, the region's only airport without direct rail access, is undergoing a multibillion-dollar redevelopment of its aging terminals.
The train-to-the-airport measure, passed by the Legislature as it wrapped up its 2018 session last week, lays out a corridor where the rail line could be constructed while allowing for multiple potential alternatives to be considered as part of the environmental review process. That process, required under state law, will begin this year and be completed in 2019, officials said.
Construction is expected to begin in 2020, with the project's completion set for 2022, officials said.
Officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the airport's operator, said the AirTrain will have two stops at LaGuardia, one at the Delta terminal and the other at the main terminal. Both are still under construction as part of the state's $8 billion rebuilding of an airport once compared by then-Vice-President Joe Biden to a Third World facility.
Notorious for traffic jams that clog roads leading to the terminals, LaGuardia has needed direct train access for years, officials said.
"For too long, LaGuardia Airport has had the dubious distinction of being the only major East Coast airport without a rail link, and that is unacceptable," said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.
The legislation authorizes the state Department of Transportation to acquire publicly-owned land within the construction corridor once it's established. State officials said no private property would be impacted.


The site 26-2.ru's front page was last entered by gilturl 5-3-2010. The source was comprised of 251 characters, of which 95 are code, leaving an organic character count of 58. The total specialized word count on the 26-2.ru home page is 215. We calculated that number of unique words is 224. We extracted 150 top keywords, leaving 224% above the threshold. Total Phrases above the threshold was 1020.


ISLAMABAD, Jan 11 (APP): Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet Wednesday approved three projects including the Prime Minister's Package of Incentives for Exporters.
The summary of the Prime Minister's Package was moved by Finance Division and formulated with a view to mitigate exporters' difficulties and enhance the country's exports.
The committee meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
The incentives package will have an estimated financial impact of Rs 180 billion, and is applicable for the period from January 16, 2017, till June 30, 2018.
The incentives for next FY 2017 18 would only be available to those exporters who would achieve an increase of 10% in their exports as compared to their exports for FY 2016 17.
The ECC approved the proposal of Ministry of Water and Power to extend the closing date of collection of Neelum Jhelum Surcharge at Rs 0.10/kWh up to June 30, 2018, for the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project. The previous closing date for the surcharge was December 31, 2016.
The extension in the closing date for a period of 18 months up till June 30, 2018, is expected to result in collection of Rs 9 billion which will assist in ensuring successful completion of the project.
In pursuance of the decision of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the ECC approved the proposal of Ministry of Water and Power for issuance of Letter of Comfort / GoP guarantee by Finance Division to WAPDA for settlement of Net Hydel Profit claims of Government of Punjab.
On the occasion, the Finance Division informed the ECC about the latest key economic indicators, including reviews of product's prices, inflation, commodity stock position, energy figures, foreign exchange reserves, foreign investment, trade performance and tax revenues.
The ECC was informed that headline inflation measured by the CPI increased by 3.7% in December 2016 as compared to 3.8% in November 2016.
On average, during July December FY 2016 17, the CPI is recorded at 3.88%. te ECC was apprised that the reported stock of wheat as on January 3, 2017, is 7.5 million tons showing that sufficient quantity of local wheat is available for daily releases to mills by Provincial Food Departments and PASSCO.
The Finance Division informed the ECC that the stock of various POL products averaged 34 days on January 10, 2017.
It was also informed that production in the Large Scale Manufacturing sector stood at 2% in July October FY 2016 17.
The ECC was apprised that worker remittances received during July December FY 2016 17 amounted to US$ 9,459 million. It was also informed that gross foreign exchange reserves stood at US$ 23.183 billion as on January 9, 2017.


Go han-déanach, táim ag cur suas na grianghraif a ghlac mé nuair a bhíos ar an gCeathrú Rua, sa Ghaeltacht, le mo comh-ghleacaithe ón Gúm (cuid de Foras na Gaeilge anois).
Bhíomar ag múiniú cúrsa foclóireachta san Acadamh atá ann faoi láthair. Bhí roinnt mhaith aistritheoirí den scoth ag freastal ar an gcúrsa agus an tuairim atá agam ná gur bhain siad taitneamh as an gcúrsa.
Bhí uair nó dhó saor againn ar an lá roimhe sin agus shocraigh mé an deis a thapú chun roinnt grianghraif a ghlacadh den tuath. Tá súil agam go dtaitníonn siad libh! Tá fáilte roimh gach ráiteas.
Very late, I am putting up the photos I took when I was in Carraroe, in the Gaeltacht [Irish-speaking area], with my colleagues from An Gúm (part of Foras na Gaeilge).
We were teaching a lexicography course in the Acadamh [Academy] that's down there at the moment. There were a good number of high-level translators attending the course and it seemed to me that they enjoyed the course.
We had a free hour or two the day before the course and I decided to take the chance to go out and take some photos of the countryside. I hope you like them! All comments welcome.
Déan clic ar "Read the rest of this entry" chun na grianghraif a fheiceáil!
Click "Read the rest of this entry" to see the photos!
This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 10:41 pm	and is filed under Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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Ambedkar Varsity, Apollo Institute to Offer MBA in Hospital Management
VIJAYAWADA:The Dr BR Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) and Apollo Institute of Health Care Management (AIHCM) are jointly offering courses in MBA hospital and health care management for 2015-16, according to an official press release from BRAOU.
The issuance of application forms has commenced for the two-year full time on-campus programme. Candidates who possess a Bachelor's Degree (10+2+3) in any discipline (except Fine Arts and Oriental Languages) from a recognised University with minimum 50 per cent marks are eligible for admission, which is through an entrance test to be held on June 13 at Apollo Health City, followed by a group discussions and personal interview.
The admission forms can be obtained from the AIHCM, Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad by paying Rs 800 cash or through a demand draft drawn in favour of "The Director, AIHCM" payable at Hyderabad. The Application can also be downloaded from www.braou.ac.in or www.apolloihcm.ac.in.
The last date for issue and submission of application forms at Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills is June 4. The list of applicants along with their hall ticket number will be displayed on the websites of BRAOU and AIHCM. More details can be had at 040-2355 6850/2354 3269.


The 32nd edition of MTV's The Challenge is here and some of the fan-favorite cast members have returned to participate. Welcome to The Challenge: Final Reckoning. But, before we get into all the spoilers on who the contestants are this season, the twists and even the winners, THIS IS YOUR MAJOR SPOILERS WARNING. If you do NOT want to know who reportedly wins this season, who gets eliminated, and other plot lines, STOP READING NOW.
With that out of the way, let's get into this season's cast members, the winners, and the twists. Read on below.
Longtime host TJ Lavin has returned to host the show. The male contestants this season include Brad Fiorenza, Chris "CT" Tamburello, Chuck Mowery, Cory Wharton, Derrick Henry, Devin Walker, Hunter Barfield, Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, Joss Mooney, Jozea Flores, Kyle Christie, Nelson Thomas, Paulie Calafiore, Shane Landrum, Tony Raines and Zach Nichols. Raines reportedly comes on as a replacement. At some point, The Challenge Wikia has reported that Devin Walker must leave the show because of a family emergency. Sadly, his father died.
For the women, the participants are Amanda Garcia, Angela Babicz, Ashley Mitchell, Britni Thornton, Cara Maria Sorbello, Da'Vonne Rogers, Faith Stowers, Jemmye Carroll, Jenna Compono, Kailah Casillas, Kam Williams, Kayleigh Morris, Marie Roda, Melissa Reeves, Natalie Negrotti, Sylvia Elsrode, Tori Deal and Veronica Portillo, as reported by Reality Blurred.
Ashley Mitchell, Cory Wharton, Devin Walker and Hunter Barfield's roles in the mix are as mercenaries.
When it comes to romantic relationships this season, there are several solid relationships coming into the house, some hookups and some cheating scandals. Compono and Nichols rekindled their relationship after years apart and come into the house as one unit. Previously on a challenge, Thornton and Fiorenza got together and come into the house still dating, according to their cast interviews with MTV. When it comes to hookups, they reportedly involve Garcia and Mooney, Bananas and Babicz, Mitchell and Christie, Stowers and Christie as well, and Thomas with Morris. Sorbello also hooks up in the house and the two are reportedly still dating. Sorbello gets with Paulie Calafiore, who was reportedly in a relationship with former fan-favorite Bachelor in Paradise star Danielle Maltby, according to E! News.
According to The Challenge Wikia, Ashley Mitchell and Hunter Barfield are the winners, but Mitchell pulls a Johnny Bananas when she is given the option to take the full $1 million prize or share with Barfield. Mitchell steals all the money for herself.
Joss Mooney and Sylvia Elsrode are this season's runners up, Natalie and Paulie Calafiore come in third, an Cara Maria Sorbello comes in fourth place with Marie Roda.
In addition to the winners and the romances in the house, there are still a ton of spoilers. Several cast members get disqualified for fighting and they include Melissa Reeves, Kailah Casillas, Cory Wharton and Tony Raines. Devin Walker also may be involved in the altercation between Wharton and Raines.
There are several familiar twists in the game, as well as a few new ones. According to MTV, redemption house and the double cross have returned. Cast-offs get the opportunities to redeem themselves from the redemption house and, again, the double cross is used to send other players into elimination rounds. There is also the opportunity to steal the prize money at the end, which we covered. And, instead of runners-up receiving a share of the money, The Challenge Wikia has reported that only the winner gets the cash.
Get the rundown on The Challenge: Final Reckoning, from the winners to some of the other major cast spoilers.


Nigel had a number of problems with the look of his smile he wanted to improve and came to us wanting a complete smile makeover.
Ten veneers were placed on his upper teeth combined with lower whitening to achieve a result that truly exceeded his expectations.
A close friend was brave enough to go first…..what a result! I signed up immediately.
Way better than anticipated .
The results truly exceed my expectations.
I can now smile in photographs.
You will with this lot! Professional, fun and serious attention to detail!


Discussion in 'Performance' started by GazHyde, Jan 8, 2013.
Been having a look as I need a new FK452 when the wheels have been refurbed. Luckily my local tyre centre has a couple in stock (at £108.60), so may be lucky this time round.
No one seems to list the FK452 online now, which must be down to the Falken Azenis FK-453 appearing on the sites I'm using.
My Step-Dad has put those on various cars from his old Supra to my Mum's current S2000 and he swears by them.
He tried to convince me to get a set for my 3.0 but I read a few reviews online and chickened out, spending a bit more on a pair of Contact Sport 5s.
I'm really happy with my Conti's but I'd like to know how you rate the Toyos if you get them!
I'd like to know how you rate the Toyos if you get them!
I was reading up on those and they do seem to get a good review. I'll have another look at them and see if my local can supply them.
Which Maxxis are the ones which get the good reviews? Was reading up about the Maz 1, and they seem well received.
Was quoted £108 each for the remaining few FK452's at my local place.
225/40R18 92W MAXXIS MAZ1 from Event Tyres works out at £85.08 a tyre.
Certainly looks an aggressive tread!
Maxxis MA Z1 225/40/18 - £75 each supply only from my local tyre dealer.
If you look on the Maxxis website they have a "drift" version of the tyres I bought, which is clearly what he has.
On the list of features it says "Special compound makes much more smoke."
Just been out for a blast with the MA-Z1's fitted. Nice greasy slippery roads, and they feel great so far. Went down a couple of atrocious back lanes, and some quick A roads at a variety of speeds.
Better tyres out there than falcons. Vreds are a lot better.
Run Toyo Proxes T1 Sports all round on mine and no issues at all.
T1R are still around at some suppliers but are being replaced by T1S.


text:
Q: Получение количества полей таблицы БД. Господа, просветите, пожалуйста, как в delphi программно получить количество полей определенной таблицы БД? В качестве сервера используется Interbase. Для соединения с бд используется модуль с помещенными на него DQLConnection, SimpleDataSet, SQLQuery, DataSource.
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.SQL.Clear;
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.Fields.Clear;
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.SQL.Add(Format('select count(*) from NEW_TABLE',[]));
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.Open;
string1:=datamodule3.SQLQuery1.Fields[0].Value;

Данный код возвращает 0.
A: Если Interbase поддерживает INFORMATION_SCHEMA, то так:
select COUNT(*) from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS where TABLE_NAME = 'NEW_TABLE'

Если нет, то нужно использовать системные таблицы:
SELECT count(*)
FROM RDB$RELATION_FIELDS
WHERE RDB$RELATION_NAME='NEW_TABLE';

A: а разве вариант:
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.SQL.Clear;
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.Fields.Clear;
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.SQL.Add(Format('select * from NEW_TABLE limit 1',[]));
datamodule3.SQLQuery1.Open;
string1:=datamodule3.SQLQuery1.Fields.Length;//или Count не помню

не работает?
Но правда не уверен что это будет быстрее чем вариант @msi. Но зато на любой БД должен работать.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


sexual assault | What Did You Say?
During the contentious confirmation hearings of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in October 2018, countless officials and pundits on the left played the role of judge, jury and executioner in regard to vague and uncorroborated allegations of sexual assault lodged against the nominee.
One of Kavanaugh's many outspoken critics was the Democratic mayor/city council member of West Hollywood, John Duran, who was sharply critical of the judge's behavior during the confirmation hearings and seemed to have uncritically accepted at face value the unconfirmed allegations of sexual misconduct that had been made public.
"It is abhorrent to think we are placing our future, our equality, and our liberty in the hands of a drunken frat boy who sexually assaulted a teenage girl while his friend Mark Judge stood by and laughed. This is a sad moment in the history of our nation," Mayor Duran added.
On top of that, Duran has also been linked to the scandalous deaths of two gay black men at the home of prominent Democratic donor Ed Buck. Duran, who is also an attorney, used to represent Buck.
For his part, Duran hypocritically sought to demand the due process he had denied Kavanaugh and defend himself from the accusations lodged against him in a lengthy statement posted to Facebook, a post that concluded with a vehement "HELL NO" in response to the demands that he resign.
"But none of us (including me) wants to ever be accused falsely and have people jump to opinion and conclusion without any process in between. That is contempt prior to investigation," he added, apparently oblivious to how differently he treated Kavanaugh versus how he demands to be treated.
Too bad Duran didn't apply that same standard to Kavanaugh just four months ago, while he hypocritically now demands it be applied to himself.
The woman who yelled at Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona while he was in the confines of an elevator Friday has also been vocal since then, revealing her name to be Ana Maria Archila. She and another woman in the elevator, Maria Gallagher, have been dubbed "heroes" by many on the left.
But Archila is an experienced activist with ties to George Soros. She is co-executive director of the left-wing Center for Popular Democracy, a New York-based organizing group that gets much of its money from the liberal billionaire.
On Friday morning, Flake made his way to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing after announcing that he intended to vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Archila and Gallagher were among the women who confronted him while blocking the door to the elevator he was on.
"This is not tolerable!" they screamed at him.
"You have children in your family. Think about them! I have two children. I cannot imagine that for the next 50 years they will have to have someone in the Supreme Court who has been accused of violating a young girl. What are you doing, sir?!" Archila shouted at Flake.
Gallagher said Flake's decision had personal significance for her, telling Flake that she was sexually assaulted and nobody believed her.
"I didn't tell anyone, and you're telling all women that they don't matter, that they should just stay quiet because if they tell you what happened to them you are going to ignore them. That's what happened to me, and that's what you are telling all women in America, that they don't matter," Gallagher said in the emotional confrontation.
Flake listened to their shouting silently, occasionally nodding in response. When the women finished and allowed him to pass, he continued to the committee hearing.
"I wanted him to feel my rage," Archila said in an interview Friday with The New York Times. Her opportunity to express it to him came after she had spent all week in Washington protesting Kavanaugh's nomination.
After private meetings with Senate Democrats, Flake told the panel that he would only vote for Kavanaugh on the condition that the Senate vote be delayed and another FBI investigation be conducted.
"Much of his record on civil rights, worker protections, health care and reproductive justice is an abomination. So, too, is his personal history of treating women as less deserving of respect and control over our lives, as these accusations against him have shown," Archila wrote.
It doesn't come as much of a surprise that the activist had political motives for the confrontation, but the revelation of her ties to Soros falls in line with concerns that many Kavanaugh protesters are paid players in the political arena.
Jeff Flake flakes out on Kavanaugh enticed by the seductiveness of trying to please the Leftist media and the Democrats.
The Democrat party has now weaponized the #MeToo movement devastating equal justice under the law along with the presumption of innocence.


4. Preserving at all times the confidentiality of information about the residents.
The Resident Advisor (RA) must answer the phones and take messages for all staff and residents. The RA is to ensure that only authorized individuals are admitted into the Facility. RA's must make regular rounds of the building to ensure an orderly and safe environment. RA's must monitor security cameras to ensure that there are no unauthorized/illegal activities occurring inside or outside the building. Resident Advisors must respond quickly to all resident incidence/emergencies, complete incident reports, document in daily log and contact Property Manager as necessary. RA's may be required to perform other duties as assigned by the Property Manager.
High school diploma or GED. Prior work experience with mental health, drug/alcohol or related experience required. Must have excellent customer service skills and be able to communicate well with people. CPR and Crisis Management Training, a plus. Child Protection Clearances PA Act 153 requires that all prospective employees complete the following clearance and background checks: PA Child Abuse History Clearance, PA State Police Criminal Record Check and FBI Criminal Record/Fingerprint Check. Must have an understanding of, and appreciation for, the Mission of The Salvation Army and the Sanctuary Model.
Contact: If you are interested in this position please submit your resume and cover letter as instructed below.
Current Salvation Army Employees can apply online at http://internal-usesalvationarmy.icims.com.
Prospective employees can apply online at http://careers.salvationarmy.org.


Find out more about our experts at the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology.
Jelena (BA, MSc, FSA) has a Master's degree in Osteology, Palaeopathology and Funerary Archaeology from Sheffield and Bradford University.
After university, Jelena worked as a human osteologist on excavations in Jordan on a British Museum excavation and skeletal material from the Czech Republic for the Institute of Archaeology, City Museum and National Museum in Prague.
She also worked on the site of the Spitalfields Market excavation from 2000 as an on site human remains finds processer on the skeletal material.
Since 2003 Jelena has been based at the Museum of London and was an original member of the research osteologist team with the establishment of the Wellcome funded Centre for Human Bioarchaeology.
As part of the Wellcome team she analysed and recorded on to the Wellcome Osteological Research Database (WORD) skeletal material from different sites and time periods that make up the unique stratified human remains collection curated at the Museum.
In 2007 Jelena became a Curator of Human Osteology and in the summer of 2008, was deeply involved in the Skeletons: London's buried bones exhibition at the Wellcome Trust.
She has a particular interest in post-Medieval bioarchaeology and palaeopathology, with specific knowledge and experience of the large curated London assemblages. Recent analysis and research has focused on the skeletal remains with biographical information retained at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street.
From the recent analysis and recording of the individuals this has led to collaborative projects with Quinnipiac University, USA with a digital x-ray project and hair sampling in collaboration with La Trobe University, Australia.
Jelena is a representative on a number of committees, frequently speaks at archaeological and historical societies and was in 2011 elected to be a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Her specialist interests include palaeopathology, osteoarthritis, Medieval and post-Medieval bioarchaeology.
Jelena is currently working on the Wellcome Trust's touring exhibition of 'Skeletons: our buried bones'.
CRANID, Medieval and post-Medieval, health in London, bioarchaeology.
Curator of the Skeletons: Our Buried Bones exhibition in collaboration with the Wellcome Collection, now on tour around the UK.
Work on the impact of industrialisation on London health, in collaboration with City of London Archaeological Trust.
Interpretation and analysis of the St Bride's named sample, London.
Bioarchaeology of the St Bride's sample: collaborative project with Tania Kausmally and Adrian Miles, funded by the Society of Antiquaries.
Inspire Appeal Wren Centre Working Group.
See a full list of Jelena's publications.
Before joining the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology in 2008, Rebecca (BA, MSc, PhD, FSA) was the curator of physical anthropology at The British Museum and had previously worked for Museum of London Archaeology as a human osteologist on The Spitalfields Project from 2003 to 2007. Rebecca was elected to be a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2011 and in 2012, was awarded the RM Baguley Award by The Prehistoric Society for her paper on the bioarchaeology of Maiden Castle hillfort. In 2016, she was made an Honorary Research Associate at Durham University.
Her special interests include diet, ethics, palaeopathology, the archaeologies of ageing and gender, impairment and disability, medical practices and violence, and she has published widely on these topics Rebecca is currently working on the Wellcome Trust's touring exhibition of 'Skeletons: our buried bones'.
Iron Age and Roman Britain, bioarchaeology, palaeopathology, and ethics.
Human remains from the River Thames, in collaboration with the Natural Environment Research Council, the Natural History Museum and University College London.
Mobility and diet in elite late Iron Age burials from Dorset (project funded by the Society of Antiquaries).
Population diversity in Roman London.
Cremation practices in Roman London with Professor Tim Thompson of Teeside University.
Health in Roman Britain and the Empire: regional patterns and differences between rural/urban populations.
Congenital and developmental anomalies in medieval London.
Bioarchaeology and mobility in Iron Age and Roman Dorset.
Museum of London co-representative on the Human Remains Subject Specialist Network.
See a full list of Rebecca's publications.


text:
Hagbart Berg (født 16. oktober 1874, død 1. marts 1936 i Slagelse) var en dansk postmester og politiker. Han sad i Folketinget for Venstre fra 1918 til 1924 og fra 1926 til 1929.

Berg var søn af lærer Jens Nikolaj Poulsen Berg (1827-1881) og Dorthe Marie Jensen (født Agergaard; 1835-1909). Familien var engageret i politik hvor både faren og farbroren C. Berg, som sad i Folketinget i mange år, var venstremænd. Berg var bror til seminarieforstander og kvindesagsforkæmper Birgitte Berg Nielsen. Han blev gift i 1907 med Kirsten Kirstine Jeppesen (1880-1957).

Berg blev født i Vandborg vest for Lemvig 16. oktober 1874. Han afsluttede sin skolegang med præliminæreksamen i 1891 og blev ansat i Postvæsenet som postekspedient i Lemvig i 1901. I 1921 blev han postmester i Bjerringbro og siden i 1926 i Ringkøbing og i 1932 i Slagelse.

Han var aktiv i politik hele livet, først i Venstrereformpartiet og senere i Venstre. Han var byrådsmedlem i Lemvig 1906-1908 og 1910-1918. Berg var formand for Venstres organisation i Lemvigkredsen fra 1913. Han stillede op ved folketingsvalget 1913 i Rudkøbingkredsen men tabte til P. Munch. Han stillede op og blev valgt i Lemvigkredsen ved folketingsvalget i 1918 idet kredsens hidtidige folketingsmedlem Elias Sandbæk for Venstre var død kort før valget. Han blev genvalgt indtil 1924 og var igen i Folketinget fra folketingsvalget 1926 til 1929. Han blev ikke valgt ved folketingsvalgene i 1929 og 1932 og stillede derefter ikke op igen.

Berg var formand for Venstres folketingsgruppe 1926-1929 og formand for Venstre i Jylland 1924-1927. Han var hovedbesyrelsesmedlem i Danmarks Afholdsforening 1928-1930.

Referencer

Eksterne henvisninger

 Hagbart Berg i Dansk Biografisk Leksikons 3. udgave (1979-1984)

Folketingsmedlemmer i 1910'erne
Folketingsmedlemmer i 1920'erne
Tidligere folketingsmedlemmer fra Venstre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
J.K. Kelly
Fuelin' Around
Sometimes Change is Good
BAM! Stunned by the loud gunshot, the girl fell backward and onto the floor as the chair rolled out from under her. BAM! The second shot rang out. "What the hell are you doing?" she yelled as she cowered from her place on the office trailer floor. Her ears were ringing and for a moment she thought she had gone deaf. The gunman pulled the .357 caliber handgun back from the open window and the summer heat and set it down on his desk.
"Just chasin' the stray dogs," he laughed, reaching over to help her up from the floor. Flustered from the commotion and embarrassed that she fell, she tried to hold in her laugh and just looked at him as she brushed herself off and fixed her skirt.
"I was told working here would be a lot of fun, but next time give me a heads-up, okay?" she demanded with a smile. He nodded. "Is the boss coming in today?" she asked as he walked out the door.
"You just never know. He might show up every day for two weeks or we might not see him for a month," he replied.
That was the young girl's first day on the job at VP. I laughed really hard the first time I heard that story and to this day remember it fondly. The owner had hired her to answer the phones and keep the books but had never offered in the interview any hint of how present or absent he might be. Little did anyone know from that small site located thirty miles south of the Alamo in San Antonio, a young man named Steve Burns would lead a classic American success story and take so many of us on the ride of a lifetime. His VP Racing Fuels would evolve and grow to wage epic David versus Goliath battles and wars that continue today. Miles away, while the history of VP's earliest days in the racing fuel business were being written in Texas, I was living a much different life in the Northeast.
On a particularly cold winter night in the suburbs of Philadelphia I found myself in a precarious position, carrying precious cargo. The evening had started out awkwardly enough. As I entered the warmth of that family's living room my eyeglasses immediately fogged over and I couldn't see a damn thing. I quickly took them off as I began to introduce myself but it left me legally blind and struggling to read the faces of the people who were greeting me. To make matters worse, the weather was turning. While we were inside the house attending to the grieving family and the deceased, a frosty mist had fallen and everything outside had begun to freeze over with ice. So there I was, backing down the front steps of a row home, wrestling with the heavy end of a stretcher. Not only were the steps very steep but also there seemed to be a small mountain of them. We were headed for the silver station wagon that we'd double-parked in the street.
Suddenly I started to slip and slide on the steps, and this caused the guy on the other end to stumble too. Off we went, very quickly and somewhat unprofessionally down the steps. I managed to jump backward onto the hood of a car parked at the curb as my end of the stretcher slammed hard into the front fender. How my helper managed to maintain his footing I will never know. Luckily, our precious cargo was unharmed. The family and many of the neighbors had been watching and seemed relieved none of us were hurt. One of the relatives slipped his way down the steps and checked his car for damage but there was surprisingly not even a scratch. The best thing about the funeral business, and especially just then, was that the person left in your care never complained. Okay, they rarely did. On the drive to the morgue, after laughing off the tension, I reminded myself, "This is only short term. I won't have to do this forever."
My father owned a very successful funeral home and encouraged me to be a part of it. He had always wanted me to follow in his footsteps and hoped that by working in it I would take a greater interest. When I wasn't in school, working a regular job, or out trying to have a good time, he paid me to put on a suit and go to a hospital, nursing home, or private residence. There, I'd essentially do what was referred to in the business as a removal. If we were moving someone that had died at home, I would be the family's first contact. I was the son of the funeral director who they knew and trusted, and since I'm a very compassionate person I believe I handled things very well - one family helping another. My being there gave the surviving family and friends the reassurance that their loved one was being taken care of with the respect and dignity they deserved. I would carefully place the remains of someone who had just died on a stretcher for transfer to the morgue. Sometimes people would want to help. Other times they were too overwhelmed with grief. It might sound like a pretty messed up job, but someone had to do it, and for doing this sort of thing the money was very good. That winter night, with the fogged up glasses and the ice follies on the front steps, was not a typical one but reminded me to always maintain a sense of humor.
I might have been very good at helping people through difficult times but it would take a toll on me and I wanted to be living life, not watching people mourn the loss of one. One morning in particular I had to drive into Philly to do what I considered was the toughest part of my job. There I was, standing in the morgue at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office, literally picking up the remains of an infant who had died suspiciously under the care of a babysitter. Three days later I would help the baby's mother place him in a little white casket and physically support her as she said goodbye. My heart broke for her. She and everyone in her family were crushed. Funerals are tough enough but when it came to children, and in this case, an infant, all of us hurt. All of us were numb. Luckily I was always able to keep my emotions in check and do what I was there to do. Help. That was the day I knew I had to get as far away from that business as possible and in my life, timing has been everything. I needed to get back into racing.
One of my best high school buds, Glen Sides, introduced me to live motorsports in the '70s. I had watched some racing on television but when he took me to a NASCAR race in Pocono, Pennsylvania I was hooked. I didn't give any thought to what fuel the cars were racing on, I only recognized the familiar day-glow red stripes and STP logos on Richard Petty's blue #43 and the Purolator #21 Ford that David Pearson was driving. Glen and I went to high school together and had after-school jobs as custodians. It was there that I met Fred Morrison and before long the three of us we were getting into all sorts of things. We'd pile into someone's car and drive non-stop to Gainesville, Florida every March for the NHRA Gatornationals drag race. Gas ups and pee breaks were the extent of our few pit stops. Counting down the endless billboards along I-95 touting the South of the Border food and gas was the only thing that kept whoever was driving entertained once everyone else nodded off. They called it the Gators, not only because you could find them in the state, the track also had a few resident alligators that often made things interesting for the onsite campers and their barbeques. They have gators at Volusia Speedway near Daytona but that's a dirt oval and an entirely different animal from drag racing. The National Hot Rod Association sanctions drag strips across North America. They put on over twenty events across the U.S. featuring the best of the best in the professional classes, and some of the best local, regional, and touring sportsman racers. Back in the '70s, we were thrilled to escape the cold, wet weather and head to North Florida where the temperature was in the 80s and sunny. The fact that a drag race was going on made the trip even more worthwhile. We'd bake in the sun at the track for a few days and then haul ass north on the interstate so everyone would be back in class, or work, on Monday morning. It was our Spring Break and we loved every minute and mile of it.
After high school, just about everyone headed for college. I wasn't completely sure of what I wanted to study, or if I wanted to study at all, so I took the year off to try to figure that out. I hate to waste time. So many of my friends who jumped right into college switched majors about five times and today aren't even working in the fields they were degreed in. Fred started at West Chester University nearby and got a part time job working with Bobby Thompson at his auto body shop in Havertown, Pennsylvania. "BT" specialized in corvette repairs and restorations by day but by night and many weekends all focus turned to Thompson's beautiful '67 canary yellow B/MP Corvette drag car. It was the first race car I was ever involved with. In all honesty, I was tasked with keeping that beauty clean while trying to learn as much as I could from the real gear heads that tended to her like a baby. The shop was one of many in this little industrial park. It seemed everyone was doing tune-ups and bodywork by day and working on their own race cars by night, a scene that takes place in little racing "villages" like that one all across the country.
I grew up discovering the world through the pages of LIFE and National Geographic magazines and developed an interest in photography. Yes, the topless native women were a curiosity for any boy at that age but the photos captured moments. They captured people and events, history. Being a part of that intrigued me. When my grandmother died she left me $100, and with it I bought my first 35mm single lens reflex camera. On one of our excursions to Gainesville, I took some candid photos of drivers like professional drag racers Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Shirley Muldowney. Prudhomme was already a legend and Muldowney was the first woman to win national drag race competitions. Her amazing story was told in the film Heart Like a Wheel. I was also fortunate enough to capture a few action shots of nitromethane fueled "funny cars" doing what they seemed to do best, go really fast and sometimes – blow themselves up. I sent them off to Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine to see if they were good enough for publication. The late Steve Collison, the editor for SS&DI at the time, must have liked what he saw. He was the first guy to give me a break in motorsports photojournalism and for that I will be forever grateful.
In no time I was traveling to the NHRA Nationals with credentials that got me into the races for free, but more importantly they were all-access passes. I could go into restricted areas and snap away. For a race fan and a novice at what I was now into, I remember one time in particular that took place early on that was pretty cool to me. Prudhomme's U.S. Army Monza funny car had just made a fast pass down the quarter mile but the driver had used one of the early exit roads to pull off the track and wait for his crew to retrieve him and tow him back to their pit. The NHRA Safety Safari trucks were on site as always, strategically parked at various points down track, able to react to an emergency as quickly as possible. From their vantage points they could see that Prudhomme didn't seem to be in any trouble so they remained where they were and waited for the next set of cars. There I was taking photos of the funny car as it rolled pretty much right to me. Inside it I saw two gloved hands making a lifting gesture so I slung the camera straps over my shoulder, pulled the body release handle, and raised the fiberglass body up high enough to let the driver climb out from behind the sizzling hot engine. I got the cameras back to work and snapped away as he removed some very cumbersome safety gear. It was pretty cool. I guess at this point I can say The Snake popped my cherry. There would be many other times to come when I found myself in the same spot but got to hear some language much different from Prudhomme's words of appreciation. I actually learned some four-letter ones I had never, ever heard before. A few would become my favorites and anyone who knows me well can attest to that.
There were plenty of ways for me to get to the races. Either Glen, Fred and I would drive non-stop to a race or I'd go by myself. I'll never forget driving all night to cover the IHRA National Event at Darlington in South Carolina. I remember pulling into the parking lot of a Waffle House, a road warrior's favorite. It was a few hours before dawn so I crawled into the back seat of my midnight blue Dodge Charger and caught a few hours before the racing would begin. Nothing like brushing your teeth in one of those bathrooms and then crushing a plate of waffles, grits, home fries, and whatever kind of "meat" that sausage patty was supposed to have been. Other times, BT would drive his race car hauler to an event and Fred and I would ride along. We'd take turns in the bunk that lay just behind the front seat. You'd climb though the area where the back window used to be and hope for a smooth ride when it was your turn to snooze. Hopefully the radio or the 8-track tape player would take it easy on anyone trying to sleep but quite often it was called on to overcome the intriguing sounds of someone snoring. This was all long before iPhones and iPads and ear buds and such. Each day at the track, I'd be off taking pictures while Fred would be helping BT with his car. We'd reconnect when the racing was done and then head home again. At some point though I realized that I needed to get serious so I enrolled at a local college and then moved to Penn State's main campus at University Park. I'd always had an interest in and desire to help people, protecting people, especially those who are picked on by those bigger than them.
I like to sit, listen and observe. Assess things, design a game plan, anticipate reactions to my actions, and so on. No interest in writing speeding tickets though. I wanted to be involved in law enforcement and had a friend at the FBI in Quantico who suggested the path I take to becoming a Fed. The courses were fascinating and I really got into it. I also pursued a minor in accounting at their recommendation; that would help with going after white-collar crime. But with the suddenness of a guillotine my dream was dumped in a bucket. It had turned out that my uncorrected vision wasn't good enough to get me into the FBI or Treasury and I was devastated. Contact lenses may have given me 20/20 but that didn't matter. This was all years before they developed corrective laser surgery. I may have moped around a bit but I got to abandon the accounting minor and thank God for that. Boring! I switched majors and pursued another passion, journalism. I've always had an investigative curiosity, something that drives some of my family crazy to this day. I don't miss a detail, remember more than I should, and have a keen sense about people. That particularly endeared me to my two daughters much later in life as I got to screen, I mean meet, a few of the boys they were dating.
I figured if I couldn't put a bad guy in jail with a badge then perhaps I would use my talents to go after them in another way. I had paid attention as the Nixon nightmare unfolded and watched the Watergate hearings on TV throughout the summer of '73. I was impressed with the investigative, never-give-up attitude of Woodward and Bernstein and thought that might be for me. However, two things happened at Penn State. First, I partied more than studied. We turned the off-campus condo into party central. We'd do things like place a large bowl on a table inside the front door and to gain entry you had to pay the toll. Pills of all sorts, bags of what is now legal in many states, and loose change would fill the damn thing pretty quickly. It would always seem that half the house would be wired and the other half would be extremely mellow but there was never a dull moment. For me, I learned quickly that one of my inner demons would be excess. It's part of my personality. Remember the potato chip commercial, "bet you can't eat just one?" In years to come that trait would be an asset to any employer but a troublesome one for me. I would take everything to excess. Chasing sales contests, going after the Goliaths, drinking, connecting with the ladies, whatever and wherever. Second notable thing from my Penn State experience was that I dated a nurse and that could have killed me, well almost. There was an interesting business in town and they wanted your blood! Actually, they just wanted your plasma. Twice a week my roommates and I would head down and bleed. A nurse would check your vitals, including your protein level, and give you the go ahead to participate. Back in the late '70s they'd pay you something like $6 for the first pint and $9 when you came back later in the week to give the second. Simply, they'd take out a pint, separate the RBC (red blood cells) from the plasma, and then put them back into the donor. It was beer money for the weekend and you could study while lying there if you were so inclined. Most of us just flirted with the nurses.
We'd have loaded up on free peanuts at a bar the night before going. The protein levels needed to be high to participate. So what's the issue with dating a nurse? Well this one lovely thought she was doing me a favor and allowed me to participate while I was running a pretty good fever. Between that and the partying I got sicker than sick. Before long, taking my behavior and my grades into account, I left Penn State and focused on my motorsports photography, plying whatever I had learned studying journalism by writing feature stories, and finding a full time job. I never really liked the classroom anyway. Since I was already selling my work I figured, "who needed school?"
Eventually I was able to put my journalism and writing skills really to work and produced race coverage, feature stories, and a monthly column titled "Afterthought." To date, some of my most memorable excursions were to Sanair International, the dragstrip, about a fifty-five minute drive to the east from Montreal.
I had spent many summers in Quebec visiting my aunt, a cloistered nun, and was very familiar with the French-Canadian environment. Race fans north of the border are some of the most enthusiastic on the planet and flock to the tracks to be part of it all. In addition, many of the region's most beautiful women showed up in thongs. There must be something in the poutine up there! Aside from the skin show and the high octane Molson Brador, what sticks in my memory banks the most was Don Garlits. There he was sitting with us in the grandstands, enjoying a plum. He was amazed that the track vendors sold fresh fruit while back in the U.S. we were usually offered artery-cloggers like churros and French fries. It wasn't all fun and games though. One thing that occurred that weekend was unsettling and I still remember it like it happened yesterday.
I had already seen the ultimate price so many young men had paid in Vietnam. My cousin Stephen, serving as a medevac helicopter pilot, was killed in action during that damn war. His viewing, held at our funeral home, and burial wasn't the first or sadly the last we would be involved in as a result of the nightmare that was Vietnam but it most certainly was the toughest. My Aunt Jane, Stephen's mom, stayed with us in the residence above the funeral home. Just five months before that, Stephen and Jane and the rest of the family had been there to bury her husband Charlie, Stephen's dad. I was a junior in high school back then in 1972 and had learned to hold in the emotions and be as helpful and compassionate as possible for the people the business brought to our door. But that was a numbing week that finally ended as I watched my dad, Stephen's godfather, say goodbye graveside at West Point. Then, and in years to come, participating in the funerals of America's military veterans killed in action or at rest after a long life, was always a moving experience. Whether they were buried at a local cemetery, West Point, or Arlington National Cemetery, it was a privilege to have participated in honoring them.
A few years later, back at Sanair, I watched as Vietnam came back to haunt one of our friends who had fought in the war. As we stood near the finish line at the quarter mile mark, just as one of the nitro funny cars made it past us, the engine exploded in a very loud, fiery display. There were two distinctive sounds at big time drag races that spectators had to experience. One was the big vibration and roar of a race engine that was fueled with nitro as it launched from a standing start. If you have never been to a race and felt this firsthand you have to consider it a bucket list item. The other sound that nobody really wanted to hear was the concussive blast let loose when one of those 2,000 horsepower race engines suffered a catastrophic failure at 275 miles per hour. Engine parts of all shapes and sizes would fly from the race car and land pretty much wherever they wanted. In the stands, inside the driver's seat of an open pickup truck window, wherever. When the engines erupt they go off like a bomb and that's exactly what our Vietnam vet reacted to. We were all saying "wow" and looking around to see if anyone got hit and there was our friend, lying on the ground. Just as quickly as he'd dropped he jumped up, back on his feet. He was clearly shaken by what had happened and embarrassed by the look he got from the Canadian fans standing nearby. That was a sobering moment for those of us who had never experienced what he and so many others had. As fast as the incident occurred he put it behind him and went back to admiring the many thongs and race cars. It was the first time I had witnessed what's now called PTSD. It was unbelievable.
Now, in present time, those engines rarely let go but when they do there are a number of safety devices required by the NHRA and other sanctioning bodies to keep damage, oil leaks, and the shrapnel, to a minimum. I pray that all of our servicemen and women, regardless of where or when they served, always get the support and attention they need to help cope with what they've been through. Their service and sacrifices, and those of their families, should never be forgotten or taken for granted. That of course goes for our friends in law enforcement and fire and rescue as well.
Meanwhile in Texas
While I was finding my way, Steve Burns was pursuing his passion down south. He grew up in San Antonio and his father had served in the U.S. Army, a veteran who came ashore at Utah Beach in Normandy during World War II. It was a patriotic household and that continues to pulse through "ASB" as we call him still today. Steve had some involvement with drag racing in Texas but wasn't satisfied with the race gas products that were on the market there. If you knew Steve you'd know his natural curiosity won out and when his parents took him to Washington D.C. for an annual vacation his father mentioned that anything and everything you might want to learn about is within the building they were driving by. It was the Library of Congress and Steve immersed himself in what he found there. This of course was long before the Internet and Google searches and I suggest that he didn't keep going back just for the research. I knew damn well there had to be at least one particularly helpful attractive young librarian there and his boyish grin confirmed it the last time we spoke about those early days in D.C. Steve read everything he could get his hands on and his father may have helped point him in a specific direction. During World War II, there was a huge need for fuel development in Europe, particularly in Germany. The scientists in that country needed to get the highest octane out of the fuels they put in their military aircraft. They also needed to generate fuel products from any and every source available to them. When you're fighting a war with motorcycles, autos, trucks, tanks, aircraft, submarines, destroyers and everything motorized in between you need reliable fuels that you can source and that will perform.
Want more? Order Fuelin' Around, in paperback or eBook now!
"I stayed up all night and read it from cover to cover. I couldn't put it down."
– Mike Christopher, NASCAR Modified Driver
"Your book is great!"
– Bruce Larson, NHRA Funny Car Champion & Hall of Fame Driver
"A page-turner you're going to attempt to read in one shot and if not, it's going to keep you coming back."
– John DiBartolomeo, Drag Racing Edge Magazine.
"FUELIN' AROUND is a story of the American Dream of success, courtesy of hard work and dedication. I read the entire book in two sittings. Fascinating and enjoyable stories, I laughed out loud more than once."
– Andy "Tog" Rogers, News Editor, Eurodragster.com
"FUELIN' AROUND is a must read if you are into racing, fast cars, or the concept of an entrepreneurial, whatever it takes workplace. The insight into the motorsports industry is worth the price of admission alone. But the peek inside, at the growing pains and corporate nuances of VP Racing Fuels, adds the spice to this great read. For book lovers and those who rarely pick one up, FUELIN' AROUND is hard to put down."
– Bob Merz, former Vice President, Advertising & Promotions, Pennzoil Products Company.
Copyright ©2023 J. K. Kelly. All rights reserved.


bar/restaurants etc. Great views, great potential and good price.
Entering the house at the left hand end into the kitchen/breakfast room of 24m2 with doors leading to a rear hall accessing a w.c. of 2m2 and a door to the rear garden.
To the side of the kitchen a door leads through to the main house lounge of 36m2 with open fireplace, wide French doors to the front and stairs to the 1st floor.
An interconnecting door leads through to the dining room/second kitchen of 27m2 with doors to a 2nd rear hall also with rear garden access and doors to a bathroom of 6m2 and a separate w.c.
A door from the dining room leads through to extension lounge of 32m2 with wide French doors to the front garden and a door into the conservatory of 15m2.
Stairs lead up to the large 1st floor loft space from the lounge which has a w.c; all for easy conversion to a possible 3 beds.
The stairs from the main house lounge lead up to the 1st floor landing with three doors, one interconnecting with the loft area, one to a bedroom of 15m2 and the third to a bathroom of 6m2; then stairs from the landing continue up to two bedrooms of 12m2 and 8m2.
The ground floor is tiled throughout and there are many old beams and character features.
Outside there is a drive around 120m2 asphalt parking area to the front leading onto a lawned rea to the front, side and rear of the property.
The conservatory has been built onto the right hand end of the house so looks out onto the front, side and rear garden. The majority of the garden is to the rear laid to grass, very secluded and with great views.
Real old character property which could make a great family home with possible B&B/gite income potential.


text:
package com.github.highcharts4gwt.generator.common.field;

import java.util.List;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;

import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import com.github.highcharts4gwt.generator.common.ClassRegistry;
import com.github.highcharts4gwt.generator.common.ObjectOrOption;
import com.github.highcharts4gwt.generator.common.OutputType;
import com.google.common.collect.Lists;

public class FieldTypesExtractorVisitor implements ReturnTypeCategoryVisitor<ObjectOrOption, List<FieldType>>
{
    private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(FieldTypesExtractorVisitor.class);
    private final Matcher matcher;

    public static final String COLOR = "Color";
    public static final String ARRAY = "Array";
    public static final String LT = "<";
    public static final String GT = ">";
    public static final String STRING = "String";
    public static final String NUMBER = "Number";
    public static final String OBJECT = "Object";
    public static final String BOOLEAN = "Boolean";
    public static final String CSSOBJECT = "CSSObject";
    public static final String MIXED = "Mixed";
    public static final String FUNCTION = "Function";
    public static final String ELEMENT = "Element";

    public static final String SERIES_STATES = "plotOptions.series.states";

    public FieldTypesExtractorVisitor(Matcher matcher)
    {
        this.matcher = matcher;
    }

    @Override
    public List<FieldType> visitSimple(ObjectOrOption in)
    {
        String returnType = in.getReturnType();
        List<FieldType> out = Lists.newArrayList();
        if (returnType == null && in.getFullname().equals("data.googleSpreadsheetWorksheet"))
        {
            // TODO remove this special case should be ok now
            logger.warn("Wrong documentation for this field bug opened;not treated;option;" + in);
            out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
        }
        else if (returnType == null)
            out.add(FieldType.Object);
        else if (returnType.equals(""))
        {
            if (!in.isParent())
            {
                logger.warn("Field with empty return type;not treated;option;" + in);
                out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
            }
            else
            {
                out.add(FieldType.Object);
            }
        }
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(OBJECT) && !in.isParent())
            out.add(FieldType.JsonObject);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(OBJECT))
            out.add(FieldType.Object);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(NUMBER))
            out.add(FieldType.Number);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(STRING))
            out.add(FieldType.String);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(BOOLEAN))
            out.add(FieldType.Boolean);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(CSSOBJECT))
            out.add(FieldType.JsonObject);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(ARRAY))
        {
            // TODO ask highcharts to improve doc for those
            if (in.getFullname().equals("xAxis.categories") || in.getFullname().equals("yAxis.categories"))
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayString);
            else
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayNumber);
        }
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(COLOR))
            out.add(FieldType.String);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(SERIES_STATES))
            out.add(FieldType.Object);
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(MIXED))
        {
            fieldMixedCase(in, out);
        }
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(FUNCTION))
        {
            fieldFunctionCase(in, out);
        }
        else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(ELEMENT))
            out.add(FieldType.Element);
        else if (ClassRegistry.INSTANCE.getRegistry().get(
                new ClassRegistry.RegistryKey(new com.github.highcharts4gwt.generator.object.Object(returnType, returnType, returnType), OutputType.Interface)) != null)
        {
            logger.info("Object found in class registry;" + in.getReturnType() + ";OptionOrObject;" + in);
            out.add(FieldType.Object);
        }
        else
        {
            logger.warn("field type not supported yet;" + in.getReturnType() + ";OptionOrObject;" + in);
            out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
        }

        return out;
    }

    private void fieldMixedCase(ObjectOrOption in, List<FieldType> out)
    {
        if (in.getTitle().equals("stack"))
        {
            out.add(FieldType.String);
            out.add(FieldType.Number);
        }
        else
        {
            // TODO support crosshairs case
            logger.warn("field type not supported yet;" + in.getReturnType() + ";option;" + in);
            out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
        }
    }

    private void fieldFunctionCase(ObjectOrOption in, List<FieldType> out)
    {
        if (in.getFullname().contains("events"))
        {
            out.add(FieldType.Event);
        }
        else
        {
            // TODO support function case
            logger.warn("field type not supported yet;" + in.getReturnType() + ";option;" + in);
            out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public List<FieldType> visitSimpleWithPipe(ObjectOrOption in)
    {
        String returnType = in.getReturnType();
        List<FieldType> out = Lists.newArrayList();

        for (int i = 1; i <= matcher.groupCount(); i++)
        {
            String type = matcher.group(i);
            if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(OBJECT))
                out.add(FieldType.JsonObject);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(NUMBER))
                out.add(FieldType.Number);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(STRING))
                out.add(FieldType.String);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(BOOLEAN))
                out.add(FieldType.Boolean);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(CSSOBJECT))
                out.add(FieldType.JsonObject);
            else if (returnType.equalsIgnoreCase(COLOR))
                out.add(FieldType.String);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(ARRAY))
                logger.warn("field type not supported with simple pipe;" + returnType + ";option;" + in);
            else
            {
                logger.warn("field type not supported with simple pipe;" + returnType + ";option;" + in);
            }

            logger.info("field possible type;" + type + ";option;" + in);
        }

        // if (out.size() == 0)
        // {
        // logger.warn("field type not supported with pipe;" + returnType +
        // ";option;" + option);
        // out.add(FieldType.Other);
        // }

        return out;
    }

    @Override
    public List<FieldType> visitArray(ObjectOrOption in)
    {
        String arrayType = matcher.groupCount() > 0 ? matcher.group(1) : null;
        String matching = matcher.group(0);

        List<FieldType> out = Lists.newArrayList();
        if (matching.equals(ARRAY))
        {
            if (in.getFullname().equals("xAxis.categories") || in.getFullname().equals("yAxis.categories"))
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayString);
            else
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayNumber);
        }
        else if (arrayType.equals(STRING))
            out.add(FieldType.ArrayString);
        else if (arrayType.equals(NUMBER))
            out.add(FieldType.ArrayNumber);
        else if (arrayType.equals(COLOR))
            out.add(FieldType.ArrayString);
        else if (arrayType.equals(OBJECT))
        {
            if (in.getFullname().equals("drilldown.series"))
            {
                // TODO treat that pseudo inheritance case
                logger.warn("drilldown.series not treated yet;");
                out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
            }
            else if (!in.isParent())
            {
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayJsonObject);
            }
            else
            {
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayObject);
            }
        }
        else if (ClassRegistry.INSTANCE.getRegistry().get(
                new ClassRegistry.RegistryKey(new com.github.highcharts4gwt.generator.object.Object(arrayType, arrayType, arrayType), OutputType.Interface)) != null)
        {
            logger.info("Object found in class registry;" + in.getReturnType() + ";OptionOrObject;" + in);
            out.add(FieldType.ArrayObject);
        }
        else
        {
            logger.warn("field type not supported yet;" + in.getReturnType() + ";option;" + in);
            out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
        }

        return out;
    }

    @Override
    public List<FieldType> visitArrayWithPipe(ObjectOrOption in)
    {
        String returnType = in.getReturnType();

        List<FieldType> out = Lists.newArrayList();

        for (int i = 1; i <= matcher.groupCount(); i++)
        {
            String type = matcher.group(i);
            if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(OBJECT))
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayObject);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(NUMBER))
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayNumber);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(STRING))
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayString);
            else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase(COLOR))
                out.add(FieldType.ArrayString);
            else
            {
                out.add(FieldType.DoNotTreat);
                logger.warn("array type not supported with pipe;" + returnType + ";option;" + in);
            }

            logger.info("field possible type;array<" + type + ">;option;" + in);
        }

        return out;
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Dental crowns are perfectly formed prosthetics that are fixed onto previously decayed, fractured or filled teeth.
They improve the appearance of teeth, strengthen damaged teeth, and even protect teeth from potential fractures.
Dental bridges are like three crowns stuck together replacing a missing tooth while still supporting that natural and beautiful smile you've always wanted. Bridges use a system where two teeth beside the gap of a missing tooth or missing teeth, are crowned and used as support for the bridge.
These bridged teeth are then fused to the supporting crowns to give your teeth that full look once again.
Veneers are used to reshape and recolour front teeth. They are paper-thin requiring little and sometimes no tooth preparation. They are either made of porcelain or composite filling material.


KOHIMA (NAGALAND): The picturesque hills in Kohima will reverberate with the sounds of roaring cars as the JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally returns to the annual Hornbill Festival of Nagaland in a bigger and more exciting format.
The three-day event, beginning on Sunday, will see some of the country's top rallyists battle for honours as the entire town turns into party mode.
The annual rally, which is in its 9th year of existence, has added the off-road challenge as well which will take place on December 4.
The exciting off-roading event making its debut in this iconic event will see top of the line drivers from the region as well as the country traversing through a course of 1.5 kms negotiating six gruelling obstacles in their bid to be crowned champions.
Arguably the most exotic Northeast state, Nagaland is also organizing a World War 2 Peace Rally to pay homage to its martyrs during the Battle of Kohima. Family members of the heroes will be part of a very touching rally, as they will be taken on a parade in vintage cars and jeeps towards the cemetery.
All three events coincide with the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, a seven-day extravaganza of cultural performances, ethnic food courts, handlooms and handicrafts bazaars, film and art festivals, fashion shows and a national rock contest.
Commenting on the rally, Head of JK Tyre & Motorsports Sanjay Sharma said: "We are extremely delighted to be part of the Hornbill Motor Rally once again. JK Tyre has always been keen on tapping motorsport talents from every corner of the country."
"The Northeast has a number of motorsports enthusiasts and I am sure this year's competitions will be exciting," he added.
Chennai Patrika is the leading search engine for digital newspapers, giving readers unrivalled access to international, national and regional newspapers. Chennai Patrika is an independent newspaper, established in 1983 for the purpose of presenting balanced coverage of events, and of promoting the best interests of India. It owes allegiance to no political party, ethnic community, religious or other interest group.
Copyright © 2018 chennaipatrika - All Rights Reserved.


text:
Kong Christian IX modtager Storhertug Friedrich-Franz af Mecklenburg Schwerin je dánský němý film z roku 1903. Režisérem je Peter Elfelt (1866–1931). Film trvá necelou minutu.

Děj
Film zachycuje inauguraci přívozové trasy mezi dánským městem Gedser a německým městem Warnemünde, kterou 30. září 1903 otevřela dánská státní společnost Danske Statsbaner (DSB) za účasti dánského krále Kristiána IX., meklenbursko-zvěřínského velkovévody Fridricha Františka IV. Meklenburského, dánského korunního prince Frederika a členů vlády Johana Henrika Deuntzera.

Externí odkazy

Dánské černobílé filmy
Dánské němé filmy
Krátké filmy
Filmy z roku 1903


text:
Continuing Education and Programs
Food, Health, and Ecological Well-Being
Meet our program director and faculty.
Melanie L. Harris
Director of the Food, Health, and Ecological Well-Being Program
mharris@wfu.edu
Dr. Melanie L. Harris is Professor of Black Feminist Thought and Womanist Theology jointly appointed with Wake Forest School of Divinity and the African American Studies program at Wake Forest University. Dr. Harris is also the Director of the Food, Health and Ecological Well-Being Program. A graduate of the Harvard Leadership Program, Dr. Harris is a former American Council of Education Fellow and Founding Director of the TCU African American and Africana Studies program. Her research and scholarship critically examines intersections between race, religion, gender and environmental ethics. She is the author of many scholarly articles and books including Gifts of Virtue: Alice Walker and Womanist Ethics (Palgrave), Ecowomanism: Earth Honoring Faiths (Orbis) and co-editor of Faith, Feminism, and Scholarship: The Next Generation (Palgrave) as well as numerous journal articles and book chapters.
More about Dr. Harris
Jill Y. Crainshaw
Blackburn Professor of Worship and Liturgical Theology
Crainshaw emphasizes in her writing and teaching how Christian worship and leadership arise from and return to human experience. Her newest book, When I in Awesome Wonder: Liturgy Distilled from Everyday Life (The Liturgical Press, September 2017), explores how worship's sacramental elements such as bread, wine, and water are connected to local fields and farmers, waters and artisans. Crainshaw's teaching focuses on intersections between religious leadership and sustainability, social justice, and "grounded" human experiences. Crainshaw is the program director for the School of Divinity's clergy leadership program, Clergy Making a Place: Early Career Pastors as Generative Community Leaders, funded through the Lilly Endowment, Inc. She is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Crainshaw is a regular contributor to Patheos' Unfundamentalist Christians and The New Verse News, an online publisher of "politically progressive poetry on current events and topical issues." Crainshaw recently edited two student publications, Uncommon Words, Common Worship (Library Partners Press, WFU, 2016) and Words Made Flesh: A Collection of Poems and prayers for Worship (Library Partners Press, WFU, 2017). Both books feature student liturgical writing completed as part of a course project.
Course(s) taught with an emphasis on food, health, and ecology:
– Roots and Branches: Eco-Judaism in Context
Derek S. Hicks
Associate Professor of Religion and Culture
Hicks teaches and researches broadly in the areas of African American religion, religion in North America, race, the body, religion and foodways, theory and method in the study of religion, Black and Womanist theologies, and cultural studies. Currently he serves as co-chair of the Religion and Food Group at the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Hicks is the author of the book Reclaiming Spirit in the Black Faith Tradition (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). He is currently working on a second monograph entitled Feeding Flesh and Spirit: Religion, Food, and the Saga of Race in Black America (under review with UNC Press). In addition, he served as assistant editor of the volume entitled African American Religious Cultures (ABC-CLIO Press). He also contributed chapters for the books Blacks and Whites in Christian America: How Racial Discrimination Shapes Religious Convictions (New York University Press, 2012) and to the edited volume Religion, Food, and Eating in North America (Columbia University Press, 2014). In support of his scholarship, Dr. Hicks has been awarded fellowships and grants from the Ford Foundation, the Fund for Theological Education, the Louisville Institute, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Wabash Center.
– Culinary Culture in Black Religious Experience
Mark E. Jensen
Teaching Professor of Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology
Jensen's PhD work was in Pastoral Care, Psychology of Religion, and Theology, and his current research and teaching interests lie at the intersections of faith, health, food systems, sustainability, and community. He helps lead the concentrations in Religious Leadership in Food, Health, and Ecology, is the faculty liaison for the joint degree in counseling, and leads the school's travel course to Nicaragua in partnership with AMOS Health and Hope. Jensen is a Certified Supervisor with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and serves as a Chaplain Supervisor in the Division of FaithHealth at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He recently received a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina, along with colleagues in Public Health Sciences, to conduct asset mapping on food pathways in Forsyth County. Jensen serves on the Executive Committee of the Forsyth County Food Consortium, a regional food policy council, and leads a Task Force on International Issues for the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education.
– Food, Faith, Health & Community
– Multicultural Contexts for Ministry: Nicaragua
Learn more about the program:
What School of Divinity Students Are Doing