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Mass Tort Litigation Blog
Bill Marler on Legal Issues for Food Safety
By Joe Tort
Bill Marler has posted his brief article, Legal Issues for Food Safety, on Marler Blog.
August 31, 2009 in E Coli, FDA, Food and Drink, Food Poisoning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Nestle Not Completely Cooperative with FDA Inspections Prior to E. Coli Outbreak
Article in the Wall Street Journal -- Nestlé Unit Denied FDA Requests, by Jane Zhang. Here's an excerpt:
The Nestlé USA plant at the center of a federal probe into an E. coli outbreak involving cookie dough refused to give inspectors access to pest-control records, environmental-testing programs and other information, according to newly released inspection reports covering the past five years.
In a September 2006 visit, for example, managers at the Danville, Va., plant refused to allow a Food and Drug Administration inspector to review consumer complaints or inspect its program designed to prevent food contamination. The inspector found dirty equipment and "three live ant-like insects" on a ledge but nothing severe enough to give the plant a failing grade.
A year earlier, officials at the Nestlé plant presented another FDA inspector with a list of things it wouldn't do. "Among these are the refusal to review the firm's consumer complaint file, refusal to permit photography, refusal to sign affidavits or receipts and refusal to provide specific information on interstate commerce," the inspector wrote.
June 26, 2009 in E Coli, FDA, Food and Drink, Food Poisoning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Cargill Recalls More Than 1 Million Pounds of Beef Because of E.Coli Risk
Article in the Wall Street Journal -- Cargill Recalls Beef Over Fears Of More E.Coli, by the Associated Press. The article notes that "Cargill Inc. said it was recalling more than one million pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, the second time in less than a month it has voluntarily recalled beef that may have been tainted."
November 5, 2007 in E Coli | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Drug and Device Law Blog has posts on Tort Reform Works in Texas; Notes from the Scientific Underground; Preemption Scorecards; The Vanishing Trial; and Riegel Survives.
Food Law Prof Blog has posts on Cargill meat recall based on e.coli; Bush signs FDA Amendments Act of 2007; More on the Recall Process; CRS Report on Recall Authority; Roberts on Role of Regulation in Minimizing; Thinking About Recalls; and Yet another meat recall -- this one enough for one picnic.
Point of Law has posts on Refik Kozic v. Merck; Absurd RI lead abatement plan developed;
"Defendants See a Case of Diagnosing for Dollars"; and Zyprexa protective order enforcement VI: Egilman settlement.
Torts Prof Blog has posts on Topps Meat Recall: Let the Filing Begin; 9/11 Opt-Outers Settle; Lead Everywhere; Stent Safety and Patents; USSC Denies Cert In Engle (Tobacco) Case; FDA Warns Against Use of Cold Meds by Toddlers; and Sebok's Part II on NJ Supreme Court's Vioxx Ruling.
October 7, 2007 in 9/11, Class Actions, E Coli, FDA, Lead Paint, Mass Tort Scholarship, Medical Devices - Misc., Pharmaceuticals - Misc., Tobacco, Vioxx, Zyprexa | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Civil Procedure Law Prof has a post on Jennifer Wolsing's article, Daubert's Erie Problem.
Food Law Prof Blog has a post on meat recalls increasing (with link to Marlerblog).
Health Law Prof Blog has a post on the FDA and Clinical Trials.
Products Liability Prof Blog has several interesting posts: Senators Brown and Casey Introduce the Food and Product Responsibility Act of 2007; CPSC Announces Massive Crib Recall with Simplicity, Inc.; Mattel Issues Apology to China Over Recalls; and Rhode Island Wants $2.4 Billion for Lead Paint Cleanup.
Torst Prof Blog has interesting posts on NEJM Clears (Mostly) Thimerosol; Goldberg & Zipursky on "Tort Law and Moral Luck"; and Sebok on NJ Supreme Court's Vioxx Ruling.
September 30, 2007 in Class Actions, E Coli, FDA, Food Poisoning, Lead Paint, Mass Tort Scholarship, Procedure, Vioxx | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
United Food Group Expands Beef Recall Because of E.Coli Fears
Article in the New York Times -- Supplier Expands Beef Recall Over Concerns of E. Coli Contamination, by the Associated Press. Here's an excerpt:
A meat supplier has expanded a ground beef recall to include about 5.7 million pounds of fresh and frozen meat because they may be contaminated with E. coli.
David Goldman, acting administrator of the federal Food Safety and Inspection Service, announced on Saturday that the recall would be expanded to include products with sell-by dates from April 6 to April 20. The beef was distributed by United Food Group LLC, based in California.
Mr. Goldman said that none of the latest batch of suspect beef was in stores now because the product would be well past its expiration date, but that consumers might still have some of the meat at home.
"It is important for consumers to look in their freezers," he said.
The meat has been blamed for an E. coli outbreak in the Western states that resulted in 14 illnesses, spanning April 25 through May 18. All the patients have recovered.
June 10, 2007 in E Coli | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
FDA Had Proposed Reform, But HHS Rejected It
Article in the Wall Street Journal -- FDA Stymied In Push to Boost Safety of Produce: Amid Rise in Outbreaks Of Illness, Agency Urged New Rules, Monitoring, by Jane Zhang. Here's an excerpt:
The Food and Drug Administration, under fire for a string of illnesses caused by contaminated vegetables, earlier this year came up with an ambitious, industry-endorsed plan calling for tough new regulations on the handling of fresh produce.
But the plan went nowhere after it got a cold reception from FDA's parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services. And even today, amid continuing concern about the safety of the nation's food supply, efforts to address the problem remain in limbo.
People close to the FDA say HHS officials led by acting Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan rejected the FDA plan, which was presented in February at HHS headquarters. At the meeting, the FDA warned that its current approach to protecting the safety of fruits and vegetables, which relies on the industry following voluntary guidelines, was failing to stop an increase in foodborne illnesses, according to people familiar with the matter. Those in attendance included Robert Brackett, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Among other things, the FDA outlined a three-year effort that would pump $76 million into its coffers to monitor produce safety and impose stringent rules on growers and processors to prevent contamination. Such a campaign could cut produce-related outbreaks of illness in half, the FDA officials said.
May 16, 2007 in E Coli, FDA | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (1)
Vaccines for Humans and Cattle as Way to Battle E.Coli
Article in the New York Times -- Scientists Look to Vaccines in the War on E. Coli, by Andrew Pollack. Here's an excerpt:
Shousun C. Szu, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health, says the best way to prevent people from being poisoned by deadly E. coli would be to vaccinate all infants against the bacteria.
Graeme McRae, a Canadian biotechnology executive, says it would be more practical to inoculate cows instead.
Vaccines for people and for cattle are just two approaches under development to prevent or treat food poisoning by the strain E. coli O157:H7.
Right now, scientists can do little medically to fight the pathogen, which was responsible for two severe outbreaks last fall, one from contaminated bagged spinach and a second from tainted lettuce served in chain taco restaurants.
The main approach has been to try to prevent contamination through careful handling, rigorous inspections and government regulation.
May 2, 2007 in E Coli, FDA | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
FDA Awareness of Dangers to Food Prior to Outbreaks
Article in the Washington Post -- FDA Was Aware of Dangers To Food: Outbreaks Were Not Preventable, Officials Say, by Elizabeth Williamson. Here's an excerpt:
The Food and Drug Administration has known for years about contamination problems at a Georgia peanut butter plant and on California spinach farms that led to disease outbreaks that killed three people, sickened hundreds, and forced one of the biggest product recalls in U.S. history, documents and interviews show.
Overwhelmed by huge growth in the number of food processors and imports, however, the agency took only limited steps to address the problems and relied on producers to police themselves, according to agency documents.
Congressional critics and consumer advocates said both episodes show that the agency is incapable of adequately protecting the safety of the food supply.
FDA officials conceded that the agency's system needs to be overhauled to meet today's demands, but contended that the agency could not have done anything to prevent either contamination episode.
April 25, 2007 in E Coli, FDA, Food Poisoning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
FDA Voluntary Guidelines for Fresh Food
Article in the New York Times -- F.D.A. Offers Guidelines to Fresh-Food Industry, by Marian Burros. Here's an excerpt:
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday offered new, nonbinding guidelines to food processors to try to reduce the risk of food poisoning in fresh-cut produce like bagged spinach leaves, sliced tomatoes and imported melons, but acknowledged that it could not say with certainty what caused the recent outbreaks connected to E. coli and salmonella, or how to stop them.
It has taken the F.D.A. seven years to issue advice to the produce industry on how to reduce the risk of food poisoning in fresh-cut produce. The industry can choose to follow it or not: compliance is voluntary. But the agency said this was the first time it had made food safety suggestions to the produce industry that were like the mandatory regulations the meat industry must follow.
The F.D.A. is suggesting that the fresh-cut produce industry constantly monitor and control vulnerable places in the production cycle where the bacteria are likely to form.
The guidelines also call for record keeping for recalls and covers personal health and hygiene of workers and sanitation operations.
According to the agency, the number of illnesses stemming from produce stayed flat from 1998 to 2004 but more have been coming from the fresh-cut category, the fastest-growing segment of the produce industry, which has had $12 billion in annual sales.
March 18, 2007 in E Coli, FDA, Food Poisoning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
E.Coli Has Shaken Consumer Confidence in Leafy Green Vegetables
Article in the Chicago Tribune -- Consumers Still Worried About E. Coli, by Janet Frankston Lorin of the Associated Press:
September's national spinach recall has shaken consumer confidence in the safety of leafy green vegetables, according to a new national survey.
Consumers are still avoiding greens and questioning safety issues, months after spinach contaminated with E. coli bacteria killed three people and sickened nearly 200.
Plummeting spinach sales have also prompted the produce industry to seek federal oversight to assure buyers that fresh produce is safe.
"We need to be in front of this to maintain consumer confidence," said Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, a leading trade group. "Consumers need to eat fresh produce and feel safe in their choices," he said.
A new national survey to be released Monday by Rutgers University suggests that the broad recall could have lasting effects on spinach and other similar vegetables. As a result, consumers felt uncertain and threw away other bagged produce that was not affected by the recall.
February 4, 2007 in E Coli | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
E.Coli Strain Linked to California
Article in the Washington Post -- Officials Track E. Coli Strain to Calif., by Andrew Bridges of the Associated Press:
Contaminated California-grown lettuce was the possible source of the E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 80 people late last year at Taco John's restaurants in two states, health officials said Friday.
State and federal investigators said they have matched the strain of the bacteria associated with the outbreak to two samples taken from dairy farms in California's Central Valley. The farms are located near lettuce fields, the Food and Drug Administration said.
Investigators continue to study whether bacteria-laden manure from the dairy farms could have contaminated the nearby lettuce-growing areas, the FDA said. The FDA said other sources of contamination were possible.
The outbreak sickened about 81 people who had eaten at Taco John's restaurants in Minnesota and Iowa in November and December. Among those sickened, 26 were hospitalized. There were no deaths.
January 13, 2007 in E Coli | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Lettuce Is Chief Taco Bell E.Coli Suspect
Article in the New York Times -- Shredded Lettuce Is Now Chief Suspect in E. Coli Outbreak, by Bruce Lambert:
Shredded lettuce was the "most likely" ingredient that spread E. coli bacteria in the recent outbreak among hundreds of customers of Taco Bell restaurants in the Northeast, federal health officials said last night.
The new conclusion was not based on testing of food samples, which so far have been negative for E coli. Instead, investigators surveyed what the stricken people ate and compared that with what their dining companions who remained healthy had eaten.
Those statistics narrowed the potential sources to lettuce, cheddar cheese and ground beef — all common to many Taco Bell items. Investigators then reviewed the record of those foods in past E. coli outbreaks and the way those foods are handled. The beef, for example, is cooked, and Taco Bell says the cheese is pasteurized.
"We think that shredded lettuce consumed at Taco Bell restaurants was the most likely cause of the outbreak," Dr. Christopher Braden, an epidemiologist for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a telephone news conference. "We're fairly confident" that lettuce is to blame, he said, but added, "we're not done with the investigation."
December 14, 2006 in E Coli | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Still Searching for E.Coli Source at Taco Bell
Article in the New York Times -- With Onions No Longer the Top Suspect, the Search for E. Coli Resumes, by Andrew Martin. The article notes that there are at least 466 confirmed or suspected cases of E.coli related to Taco Bell. Here's an excerpt:
Nearly two weeks ago, on Nov. 30, Taco Bell officials learned that several customers had become sick with a virulent strain of E. coli after eating at one of the chain's restaurants in New Jersey.
By the following Monday, Dec. 4, it became clear that the outbreak was spreading beyond that restaurant, in South Plainfield in central New Jersey, and Taco Bell issued its first public statement, saying it had closed nine restaurants in New Jersey and New York.
Two days later, Taco Bell appeared to have a major break: Preliminary tests by a private laboratory showed that green onions were the probable culprit, and it ordered them out of all 5,800 restaurants nationwide. Now, almost a week after saying they had zeroed in on a possible cause of the outbreak, investigators say that those early indications appear to be wrong and that they may never learn the cause with certainty.
More sophisticated testing of the green onion samples — the required next step — actually found no traces of E. coli O157:H7. Although additional testing continues, the authorities now say the source of the E. coli outbreak could be any number of ingredients used by Taco Bell, but probably not onions.
An article in the Washington Post -- Lettuce Suspected in Taco Bell E. Coli, by Andrew Bridges of the Associated Press -- notes that interviews with the ill indicated that lettuce may be the source of the E.coli.
Source of E.Coli in Taco Bell Still Unclear
Article in the Washington Post -- Source of Taco Bell E. Coli Remains Unknown, by Steven Reinberg:
Investigators are no closer to determining the source of an outbreak of E. colithan they were when the first of 64 people in the Northeast became ill in early November, federal health officials said Monday.
Tests on green onions, believed to have been a possible cause, were negative, they said.
But the outbreak, linked to Taco Bell restaurants, may be winding down. No new cases have been added to those reported in five states since late last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Dr. Christopher Braden, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news teleconference there may yet still be unconfirmed cases of people sickened by E. coli.
A Single Federal Food-Regulation Agency?
Op-ed in the New York Times -- Has Politics Contaminated the Food Supply?, by Eric Schlosser. Apart from noting breakdowns in regulation and the resulting illnesses, the op-ed piece also endorses recent proposed legislation to create a single federal food-regulation agency:
Last year, Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, both Democrats, introduced an important piece of food-safety legislation that tackles these problems. Their Safe Food Act would create a single food-safety agency with the authority to test widely for dangerous pathogens, demand recalls and penalize companies that knowingly sell contaminated food.
It would eliminate petty bureaucratic rivalries and make a single administrator accountable for the safety of America's food. And it would facilitate a swift, effective response not only to the sort of inadvertent outbreaks that have occurred this fall, but also to any deliberate bioterrorism aimed at our food supply.
The Safe Food Act deserves strong bipartisan backing. Aside from industry lobbyists and their Congressional allies, there is little public support for the right to sell contaminated food. Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, you still have to eat.
December 11, 2006 in E Coli, FDA, Food Poisoning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Stronger FDA Regulation Likely After E. Coli Outbreaks
Article in the New York Times -- Stronger Rules on Produce Likely After Outbreaks of E.Coli, by Andrew Martin:
With processed fresh produce like bagged salads and baby carrots growing in popularity in the past decade, the Food and Drug Administration realized as long ago as 2000 that recommendations for safe handling of the products were needed.
The agency went so far as to draft guidelines and kept the issue high on its priority list, but pressed by budget cuts and competing F.D.A. demands, the proposal languished.
Now, with the recent outbreaks of E.coli related to processed vegetables, the F.D.A.'s oversight of produce is likely to be treated with new urgency.
"I think it's fairly clear that something needs to change," said Dr. David Acheson, the chief medical officer for the F.D.A.'s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Regulations for produce could be part of the changes, he said.
Over 60 Sickened from Taco Bell E. Coli
Article in the New York Times -- Taco Bell E. Coli Tests Clear Most Foods, by the Associated Press:
Taco Bell announced Saturday tests have ruled out all its ingredients except one -- scallions -- as a possible source of a harsh strain of E. coli that has sickened more than 60 people in the Northeast.
The green onions had been pulled from the company's 5,800 restaurants nationwide on Wednesday after it said preliminary tests showed scallion samples contained the E. coli strain, and it no longer plans to sell them, said Rob Poetsch, a spokesman for the Irvine, Calif.-based company.
Poetsch said samples from the company's entire menu were collected from multiple restaurants in several states for the independent testing done by Certified Laboratories in Plainview, N.Y.
Another interesting article in yesterday's New York Times -- E. Coli Fears Inspire a Call for Oversight, by Marian Burros -- which details moves by the produce industry asking for greater government regulation:
Facing a loss of consumer confidence in fresh fruits and vegetables because of repeated outbreaks of food-borne illness, three major produce industry groups have for the first time called for government regulation in an industry that until now has had none.
One of the groups, Western Growers, says it has gone further, meeting over the past six weeks with state officials in California to draw up an agreement that would call for a formal system of farm inspections, regulations of water and soil quality and sanitation and even cease-and-desist orders for violations.
The agreement may be ready by spring, said Tim Chelling, vice president of communications for the group, which represents growers in California and Arizona who account for half the nation's produce. "Anyone who ignores this," Mr. Chelling said, "will be out of business."
E.Coli, Produce, and the FDA
Article in the New York Times -- Green Onions Identified as Source of E. Coli Cases, by Andrew Martin and Bruce Lambert. Given the E.coli infections earlier this year related to spinach, we might expect growing calls for reforming FDA oversight of produce. The New York Times article notes:
"I think we are really at a tipping point for consumer confidence with fresh fruits and vegetables," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, the group's director of food safety. She noted that the F.D.A.'s guidelines for safe farming practices were voluntary and that the number of inspectors had been pared by budget cuts.
The F.D.A. regulates the produce and seafood industries, while the Department of Agriculture oversees poultry and meat production.
"We are doing a number of things to address food-borne outbreaks and recognize that the system is not perfect," said an F.D.A. spokeswoman, Julie Zawisza. "But fresh produce does carry risks, and we are committed to finding effective ways to prevent and reduce incidents and have made good progress using available resources in a more targeted and strategic way."
For additional coverage, see the L.A. Times article, Outbreak triggers calls for tougher produce guidelines, by Jerry Hirsch and Ellen Barry.
December 7, 2006 in E Coli | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Taco Bell Green Onions & E. Coli
Article in the Wall Street Journal -- Taco Bell Removes Green Onions After They Are Tied to E. Coli, by the Associated Press:
Taco Bell ordered scallions removed from its 5,800 U.S. restaurants yesterday after tests suggested they may be responsible for the E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least three dozen people in three states.
The fast-food chain said preliminary testing by an independent lab found three samples of green onions appeared to have a dangerous strain of the bacteria.
"In an abundance of caution, we've decided to pull all green onions from our restaurants until we know conclusively whether they are the cause of the E. coli outbreak," said Greg Creed, president of Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc.
The company wouldn't immediately identify the supplier of the scallions, so it was unclear whether contaminated green onions reached other restaurants or supermarkets.
For additional coverage, see the New York Times article -- Thousands of Taco Bells Discard Green Onions, by Andrew Martin and John Holusha.
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I've played about briefly with AX.25 in the past when tinkering with APRS, but never really had much success with it and with TNCs being both hard to come by and damn expensive for what they are, it has always been out of my reach. Recently I acquired a couple of second hand TNCs and have spent the weekend setting up and connecting.
The first TNC I attempted working on was a Paccom TNC 320. This meant creating a cable to go from the 5 pin DIN connection on the back of the TNC to the 6 pin mini-DIN connection in the back of my ICOM radio. The first attempts at this involved using the mini-DIN tails from old PS/2 Mice or keyboards, testing to see if their wired up pins were going to be any good for the TNC and then just soldering the 5 pin DIN on the other end. I spent an evening with VK7ZMS doing this and after much testing, we got to the point where we had PTT and 1200 baud AF working, but no RX. Even then. the AF out tones were low.
Over the weekend I bit the bullet and visited Jaycar and bought some more mini-DIN, 5 ping DIN and multi-core wire and created my own cabling. This time I was also armed with an MFJ-1270B TNC which was my fallback option if I had no luck with the Paccom.
Plugged everything in, fired up a Putty serial connection, got presented with garbage. Changed the terminal baud settings, still got presented with garbage. Thought at this point it's probably a good time to read the manual. Interesting thing about the MFJ TNCs is that they use 7 bit words, not 8 bit like many other devices. Updated my settings and bingo, was presented with text that looked like a TNC.
Ran the calibration tests, PTT worked, I could hear tones being sent loud and clear, and most importantly I was receiving packets as well. I was in business. Finished assembling the cable, plugged everything back in and found I had Rx, PTT but no tones out. Back to workshop again and found in the final assembly I had caused a small short across some of the pins. I fixed the issue, liberally applied hot glue to hold it all in place and provide isolation and put it all back together again, and now it works!
As you can see above, I have managed to successfully connect to VK7ZMS. I have also connected to VK7HDM-9 using VK7ZMS as a via.
I already know of a few other amateurs getting interested in packet again, so who knows, we might see a bit of a packet radio revival in southern VK7!


Grains mixed in the overnight session with corn up slightly at ½ cent, wheat down 3 ½ cents, and beans unchanged.
U.S. corn and soybean harvests were full speed ahead over the weekend and will continue until rains hit mid-week.
Cattle on Feed was pegged at 105%, below the 105.6-107.4 range.
Soybeans rejected recent highs after U.S. suggested there may be no new trade talks with China.
Brazilian farmers have now planted 34% of their soybeans compared to the 5-year average of 18%.
Today's chart shows U.S. projected soybean carryout, from the start of the official new-crop S&D's in May through the following October. The government has tacked on an even half a billion bushels to the ending stockpile since June, to an unprecedented 885 million bushels; even with no increase in yields from the current 53-bushel-per-acre area, and with the USDA already having decreased acres and more than maxed out export prospects, assumed ending stocks are current closer to the ugly billion-bushel range.


As the holidays draw near, there are PSAs everywhere about how to protect your pet from the most dangerous of plants: the poisonous poinsettia. While the holidays do bring some extra challenges and risks for our pets, that particular danger is a bit overblown. Think twice before you ditch yours just because of a pet (or curious toddler). As it turns out, the poinsettia's reputation is rather undeserved.
The poinsettia is naturally found in Mexico and has become a traditional holiday decoration. The plant has bright red and green leaves reminiscent of the Christmas season. For some reason, the poinsettia has been labeled as a toxic plant—dangerous to children, pets, and maybe even your spouse! In reality, there is very little evidence to back up this claim and Snopes believes the myth began as a faked news story about a toddler dying after eating a single leaf.


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Mellis railway station was a station in Mellis, Suffolk, England. It was opened in 1849 by the Eastern Union Railway on the Great Eastern Main Line from London to Norwich.  In 1867 the Eye Branch was opened and Mellis became a railway junction.

The branch line to Eye closed to passengers on 2 February 1931, but the line continued to serve goods traffic until the 1960s.
Mellis was closed as part of the large-scale Beeching cuts on 7 November 1966, when local services between Ipswich and Norwich were withdrawn.

The line through Mellis was electrified in 1986, and carries regular passenger traffic between London's Liverpool Street station and Norwich.

Opening

The station at Mellis was proposed by the Ipswich and Bury Railway as part of their route to Norwich. Such were the changes in the railway industry that in 1847 the Ipswich and Bury Railway became part of the Eastern Union Railway, which started operating service between Haughley and Burston on 2 July 1849.

The Eastern Union Railway became part of the Eastern Counties Railway in 1854, and was superseded itself by the Great Eastern Railway, which took over operation of the station in 1862.

History

Mellis acted as a railhead for Eye, the only sizeable town in the area; a connecting horse omnibus ran for many years. By the 1860s the economic impact of not being on the railway network was being felt in Eye, and proposals for a branch line were realised with the Eye Branch opening in 1867.

The branch was served by a single platform that curved away from the main line; passenger trains to Eye started their journeys here. There were a number of goods sidings on this side of the station connected with the operation of the branch. A goods shed was built on the western side of the line, where a corn mill and maltings were also served by rail, in 1867. There were also livestock pens for cattle. Incoming traffic was largely domestic coal; outgoing traffic was mainly agricultural.
Initially four main line trains called at Mellis per day (four up towards Ipswich and  four down towards Norwich), but by 1863 this had increased to five. Three of these started from Bishopsgate railway station in London, the predecessor of Liverpool Street station, and the other two from Ipswich.

Before the First World War there were six trains per day; this continued until closure. Generally the Eye branch had four return services a day connecting with main line trains.

In 1923 the London and North Eastern Railway took over operation of the station. At this time a shunting horse was based at the station to shunt the goods yard and prepare goods trains for the Eye branch.

Passenger services on the Eye branch ceased on 2 February 1931.

In 1948, following nationalisation, the station and its services became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways.

Closure

In July 1964 the Eye Branch was closed, and the station goods yard followed in December. During 1965 most of the track on the Eye Branch was lifted; some track work that remained on the down (western) side was removed in 1969.

Passenger services were withdrawn on 7 November 1966, although the station building itself was not demolished until 1975.
During the mid-1980s the line was electrified and re-signalled with electric services to Norwich operating from June 1986. The signal box, built in 1883 to replace an earlier structure, and the remains of the platforms were demolished soon after.

Little remains of the station today, as of 2020 the most notable remains in the area are the former maltings (now a furniture shop), Robinsons mill (now apartments) and the foundations of Savll's corn mill on the north side of the crossing.

References

External links
 Mellis station on 1946 O. S. map

Disused railway stations in Suffolk
Former Great Eastern Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1966
1849 establishments in England
Beeching closures in England
1966 disestablishments in England

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


資料來源:International Monetary Fund, "World Economic Outlook Database," http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/01/weodata/weoselgr.aspx.
資料來源:Angus Maddison, "Statistics on World Population, GDP and per capita GDP, 1-2008 AD," GGDC Net http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/oriindex.htm.
 International Monetary Fund, "World Economic Outlook Database," http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/01/weodata/weoselgr.aspx.
 Stockholm International Peace research institute, "SIPRI Military Expenditure Database,"https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/SIPRI-Milex-data-1949-2017.xlsx.
 Shinzo Abe, "Asia Democratic Security Diamond," Project Syndicate, December 27, 2012, https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a-strategic-alliance-for-japan-and-india-by-shinzo-abe?barrier=accesspaylog.


text:
Minor International is a Thai multi-national company based in Bangkok, Thailand. The three core businesses of Minor are hospitality, restaurants and lifestyle brands distribution, operated under subsidiary companies Minor Hotels, Minor Food, and Minor Lifestyle respectively.

Minor Hotels is a hotel owner, operator and investor with a portfolio of 530 hotels and serviced suites under the Anantara, AVANI, Oaks, Tivoli, Elewana, NH Hotels, NH Collection, nhow Hotels, Four Seasons, St. Regis and Radisson Blu brands in 65 countries across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe and South America.

Minor Food is one of Asia's largest restaurant companies with over 2,300 outlets operating system-wide in 27 countries under The Pizza Company, The Coffee Club, Thai Express, Riverside and Benihana brands, alongside franchise and joint-venture operations under the Swensen's, Sizzler, Dairy Queen, Burger King and BreadTalk brands.

Minor Lifestyle is one of the largest distributors of lifestyle brands in Thailand with a portfolio of international brands including Brooks Brothers, Esprit, Bossini, Etam, OVS, Radley, Anello, Charles & Keith, Pedro, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Joseph Joseph and Minor Smart Kids, and a footprint of over 470 retail outlets.

History
Minor International was founded in 1978 as Royal Garden Resorts (RGR) with initial capital of three million baht. The company was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) on . In late 2004, the company completed the acquisition of 100 percent of the Minor Food Group and followed this in January 2005 with its de-listing from the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

In 2006, Anantara entered Dubai at The Palm Jumeirah. In 2008, William Heinecke acquired 70 percent of Thai Express and 50 percent of The Coffee Club and 50 percent of Elewana Afrika for US$12 million. In 2008 he opened the Desert Islands Resort and Spa (Anantara) on Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

On 12 June 2009, the company completed a business restructuring plan with Minor Corporation (MINOR). As a result, the company has directly and indirectly owned 99.92 percent of Minor's equity interest. On 22 June 2009, Minor was delisted from the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

In July 2011, MINT completed a compulsory acquisition and purchased most of the shares of Oaks Hotels and Resorts Limited, a listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange and doing Management Letting Right (MLR) business in Australia, New Zealand, and Dubai with a portfolio of 36 serviced suites under the "Oaks" brand.

Businesses
MINT operates three main businesses:
 Hotels and mixed use
 Restaurants
 Retail trading and contract manufacturing

Hotels and mixed use

MINT has 530 hotels and serviced suites with over 76,000 rooms in its portfolio. The hotel business can be divided into four categories:

 Owned hotels. MINT operates 27 wholly owned hotels.
 Joint venture hotels. Mint has partnerships in 25 hotels.
 Managed hotels. MINT manages 27 hotels.
 Management of serviced suites. MINT manages 47 properties in Australia, New Zealand, and Dubai.

Hotel-related businesses include:
 Spa business: MINT operates over 55 spas in leading hotels in 15 countries under the brands Anantara Spa, Mandara Spa and AvaniSpa.
 Plaza and entertainment business: MINT owns and operates three shopping plazas adjacent to its hotels. MINT also runs eight entertainment outlets at its Royal Garden Plaza in Pattaya.
 Residential property development business: MINT has two residential development projects, in Bangkok and Ko Samui.
 Points-based Vacation Club Project: First under the Anantara brand, Anantara Vacation Club is a collection of luxurious shared-ownership villas and apartments located in a variety of resort destinations for the use of its owners. Current properties include Koh Samui, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Bali, Queenstown - New Zealand, Sanya and Dubai.

Restaurants
Through its subsidiary, Minor Food Group PCL, MINT has one of the largest quick service restaurant operations in Asia, with over 2,300 restaurant outlets in Thailand, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. In 2022, Minor bought London's Corbin & King restaurant group, removing founder Jeremy King.

Retail trading
MINT operates its retail trading and contract manufacturing business through Minor Corporation PCL, the group's consumer lifestyle company. Minor Corporation is a distributor of international lifestyle consumer brands in Thailand, focusing primarily on fashion, cosmetics, and household products through retail, wholesale, and direct marketing channels.

References

External links
Minor International website
Minor Hotels website
Minor Food website

Hospitality companies of Bangkok
Hospitality companies established in 1978
Companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand
1978 establishments in Thailand
Hotel chains
Timeshare


text:
India continues to have the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world
New Delhi, November 2, 2017:
Seven countries accounted for 64% of the total burden, with India having the maximum number of TB patients, followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa, the report said. According to the report, in India, an estimated 27.9 lakh patients were suffering from TB in 2016 and up to 4.23 lakh patients were estimated to have died during the year.
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. WHO estimates that worldwide, there were 600,000 new TB cases with resistance to rifampicin—the most effective first-line drug, of which 490,000 had MDR-TB. Almost half of these cases were in India, China and the Russian Federation.
The report highlighted that underreporting and under diagnosis of TB cases continue to be a challenge, especially in countries with large unregulated private sectors and weak health systems, including India." Of the estimated 10.4 million new cases, only 6.3 million were detected and officially notified in 2016, leaving a gap of 4.1 million. India, Indonesia and Nigeria accounted for almost half of this global gap," the report stated.
Though the Indian government has made several announcements to eliminate TB by 2025, the WHO report showed that up to 27.9 lakh patients were estimated to be infected in the country in 2016. The infection burden in China, a more populous country, is one third of India at 8.95 lakh. Out of the 27.9 lakh estimated patients, only 1,938,158 TB cases were notified in the public and private sector in India, which means over 8.5 lakh cases were missing the treatment options. The report said TB care and prevention investments in low- and middle-income countries fall almost $2.3 billion short of the $9.2 billion needed in 2017. In addition, at least an extra $ 1.2 billion per year is required to accelerate the development of new vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines.
Thrombosis cases have shown a four-fold increase in the last 10 years
IMA calls for immediate cancellation of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Pressure Cleaning Sorrento is the highest rated, professional pressure cleaning & exterior house washing business in Sorrento. We service all residential areas throughout Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula.
It is suggested for many paths, swimming pools & patio areas, pavers, tennis courts & keeping walls. For roofs, we have a unique treatment to prevent tile deterioration and to reduce the risk of water damage.
Roofing systems can become extremely unattractive due to natural growths like moss and lichen. Roofs are likewise regularly discoloured and stained by a prevalent germs called gloecapsa magma. Roofing associations and makers do not recommend high pressure washing to clean roofs. It might remove moss from the roofing, but the aggressive jets of water might likewise damage tiles, ridge capping and other roofing system fittings as well as boost the risk of flooding. There is likewise a great chance that the moss will grow back. Cleaning with the manufacturers preferred detergent is recommended. This is exactly what we do! Softwash roof washing is by far the most efficient way to clear moss or other bacterial developments from the roofing, whenever they are at risk of ending up being a major problem.
Have you got tired looking timber decks? Our team will make them look new once again. We apply a light chemical that will clean and rejuvenate the wood. This is followed by 2 coats of top quality decking oil or stain. Our process will make your deck look a million dollars and leave you really surprised by the outcomes!
Do not let amateurs practice on your biggest investment. Our professional group of professionals has more than Twenty Years worth of experience, so we understand what we are doing. For your comfort we ensure all our work, and even better, we have very competitive rates. Our service is insured and we're totally licensed to deal with your home or business.
We works with businesses throughout Sorrento, offering environmentally compliant, high pressure steam cleaning and water blasting services that allow organisations to meet hygiene compliance guidelines and provide personnel and visitors with a pleasant environment.
Our qualified, licensed and totally guaranteed staff clean both indoor and outdoor areas around your company. Our trusted staff are readily available to work after hours to avoid any disturbances to your company. We are also qualified and licensed to work at height as our service frequently includes tall buildings, which might require abseiling or elevated work platforms.
Our company has a strong reputation amongst its customers for reliability and craftsmanship. No 2 jobs are alike, so call us to discuss your sandstone high pressure cleaning Sorrento requirements, whether you require a one-off pressure clean or a regular contracted service.


Trash Windows install Linux Mint 17.1 then don't worry about malware, viruses, spyware, or anything just surf securely.
LOL They Know how to fix it. I HOPE!!!!!
My bad, I tend to think everyone is using the same OS as me. Too many Windows variations out there.
I tried to upgrade to Win7 & it did not work. I can't afford a new computer.
For all the bad press Vista got my wifes big (18.4" I-7) Toshiba laptop has Vista and it runs great.
I know my computer, just not the internet.
We have ALL been there once .. at least once ...the Internet is a constantly changing and evolving "thing"
There really is no "safe" place in terms of malware, virus, worms, trojens and keyloggers.. at best we can only "manage" the risk.
This entails a properly layered software defense and safe browsing habits but also a proper backup and recovery plan.
That in itself will turn disaster into mere inconvenience.
Biggest problem in that is who do you trust?
One point is ... if you have a solid system backup IMAGE, you can afford to "poke your nose out" a little ... if you get popped, with a good backup image... no harm-no foul ... just put it back like it was.
Otherwise, you try to take the "temperature" of the Internet .. daily.
The MS & Security forums should be on every ones daily "visit" list just to see if the latest Microsoft updates are trashing peoples computers (for the last 4 months "Patch Tuesday" has had some system killers in it.
That website will give some insight to what is happening on the 'net .. before it happens to you.


text:
#ifndef SPIRE_ES_ACORN_HPP
#define SPIRE_ES_ACORN_HPP

#include <es-log/trace-log.h>
#include <entity-system/ESCoreBase.hpp>
#include <es-cereal/CerealCore.hpp>
#include <es-systems/SystemCore.hpp>
#include <set>
#include <spire/scishare.h>

namespace spire {

class SCISHARE Acorn : public spire::CerealCore
{
public:
  Acorn();
  virtual ~Acorn();

  /// Execute core with current time in milliseconds.
  virtual void execute(double constantFrameTime) = 0;

  /// Runs the system once over all applicable components.
  void runSystemOnce(const std::string& systemName);

  /// Adds a kernel space system. No system added to the kernel space can
  /// be removed. A warning is issued if user space attempts to add a system
  /// that is already in the kernel. Same goes for removal of systems.
  /// See es-systems/SystemCore for a description of the parameters.
  void addKernelSystem(const std::string& name, uint64_t ms = 0,
                       uint64_t referenceTime = 0, uint64_t stagger = 0);

  /// Adds a user space system. These are the only systems that can be removed.
  /// Check to ensure the system is not already present before loading.
  void addUserSystem(const std::string& name, uint64_t ms = 0,
                     uint64_t referenceTime = 0, uint64_t stagger = 0);

  /// This function does not check to see if the system already exists before
  /// adding. It adds it anyways and es_system will sort out any conflicts
  /// during renormalization. This is useful if you know that the system may
  /// be removed during the course of the current frame and you want it to
  /// remain after its duplicate is removed from the system. Used in the
  /// loading system.
  void addUserSystemForced(const std::string& name, uint64_t ms = 0,
                           uint64_t referenceTime = 0, uint64_t stagger = 0);

  /// Remove user space system.
  void removeUserSystem(const std::string& name);

  /// Remove all user space systems.
  void removeAllUserSystems();

  /// Returns true if the system is active.
  bool isSystemActive(const std::string& name);

  /// This component will not be cleared with the rest of the components when
  /// clearAllNonExemptComponents is issued.
  template <typename T>
  void addExemptComponent()
  {
    mExemptComponents.insert(spire::TemplateID<T>::getID());
  }

  /// Adds a garbage collector system. Can be used in conjunction with
  /// garbageCollect() to run a one time garbage collection cycle, usually
  /// inbetween loading stages in the program. Alternatively, you can have
  /// these garbage collectors running on scheduled.
  void addGarbageCollectorSystem(const std::string& sys);

  /// Runs one garbage collection cycle across all garbage collectable systems.
  /// This is very expensive function as you can imagine. It involves much
  /// dynamic memory deallocation *and* allocation (to create the garbage
  /// collectors). If you cannot incur this cost, take the list of garbage
  /// collectable systems and have them run at infrequent intervals which
  /// will ammoritize the cost over time.
  void runCompleteGC();

  /// Clears out all components *except* for the components matching the
  /// given list of template IDs. You will have to manually clean the components
  /// in the exception list if any entities in those components need to be
  /// removed.
  void clearAllNonExemptComponents(bool debug = false);

  /// Display entity vs system info. Whether the entity satisfies the system
  /// and if it doesn't, what components it needs to satisfy the system.
  /// Also displays number of components associated with the entity for
  /// each system component. Expensive function -- involves dynamic memory
  /// allocation.
  bool displayEntityVersusSystemInfo(uint64_t entityID, const std::string& name);

  /// Registers a system with the SystemCore.
  template <typename T>
  void registerSystem()
  {
    mSystems->registerSystem<T>();
  }

protected:

  /// Get the system core.
  std::shared_ptr<spire::SystemCore> getSystemCore() { return mSystems; }

  /// Returns true if the system is present.
  bool warnIfSystemPresent(const std::string& name);

  /// Systems associated with kernel space. Systems will never get removed
  /// during the execution of the program.
  std::set<std::string> mKernelSystems;

  /// Systems associated with user space. These systems are frequently added
  /// and removed depending on the currently needs of the system.
  std::set<std::string> mUserSystems;

  /// Contains all systems that correspond to garbage collectors that can
  /// be run across the entire entity component system.
  std::vector<std::string> mGarbageCollectorSystems;

  /// The set of exempt components. Exempt components are similar to kernel
  /// space systems. They can still be removed, but they will not be removed
  /// by the clearAllNonExemptComponents function.
  std::set<uint64_t> mExemptComponents;

  /// All registered systems.
  std::shared_ptr<spire::SystemCore>  mSystems;
};

} // namespace spire

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
LISTEN: Star & Micey, '#1'
Artist: Star & Micey
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Song: "#1"
Album: Get 'Em Next Time
Release Date: March 11
Label: Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: "I've come to believe that at the bottom of every heart is a desire to do good or be the best you can. The desire to maybe become somebody, to be number one at something — 0r, just as important, to be somebody's number one. This song was written by Josh and myself as an anthem for that dream.
This song has a strange beginning. A producer told Josh and me that he thought we still hadn't written a number one song. We both went to our homes that night and tried to prove him wrong. The very next day Josh and I met to play each other a new song each of us had written the night before. We quickly realized that the two songs written separate of one another actually went right together. They were the same song! Very strange. So we called it '#1.'" — Nick Redmond
Photo courtesy of Shore Fire Media


text:
More than 40 years after her death, Enid Blyton's controversial tales still captivate children.
By Louise Schwartzkoff
June 30, 2012 — 3.00am
One recent afternoon, author Kate Forsyth was driving a gaggle of eight-year-olds home from ballet. In leotards and pink slippers, the girls, including Forsyth's daughter, Ella, were playing a game of odd-one-out. ''Who's got blonde hair?'' one asked. ''Who's wearing pink shoes?'' another asked. Forsyth's daughter offered a question: ''Who's reading an Enid Blyton book?'' Every girl in the car raised her hand.
Enid Blyton has been dead 44 years. Her universe of ripping summer holidays and blackberry pies has been gone even longer - if it ever existed. Yet more than 500 million copies of her books have sold. On UNESCO's list of the world's most translated authors, she comes in at No.4, one place behind William Shakespeare.
Never-ending tale ... author and Enid Blyton fan Kate Forsyth reads to her daughter, Ella. Credit:Tamara Dean
The publishing company Hachette recently acquired worldwide publishing rights to most of Blyton's work.
''She is my third-biggest brand,'' says the company's director for children's books, Chris Raine. ''You've got parents and grandparents that remember them fondly, but you've also got kids wanting to buy them. It's driven by many generations of readers.''
One of The Famous Five 70th anniversary covers.
New editions of Blyton's books are well worth the publisher's while. The Famous Five, mired in pre-pubescence through 21 books and countless summer holidays, celebrate their 70th anniversary this year. Their first adventure, Five on a Treasure Island, came out in 1942. To celebrate, Hodder Children's Books commissioned five British illustrators to create new covers for some of the books.
Raine says children still want to read about tomboy George, her dog Timmy, and her cousins Julian, Dick and Anne catching smugglers, outwitting kidnappers and feasting on eggs, ham and lashings of ginger beer. This despite decades of Blyton-bashing by adults who thought her, at best, a lacklustre writer and, at worst, a racist snob.
Even when Blyton was alive, many sneered at her work. The BBC refused to dramatise her ''second-rate'' stories on radio for nearly 30 years.
''It really is odd to think that this woman is a bestseller,'' one memo in the BBC's archives says. ''It is all such very small beer.''
There are stories of librarians banning Blyton from their shelves. The Noddy books have been condemned for racial vilification of Toytown's golliwogs. The Comic Strip Presents' 1982 television parody, Five Go Mad in Dorset, made it impossible to read about Julian and Dick feeling ''queer'' without giggling.
The grown-up sniping meant nothing to Paul Giles when he stood in front of his class as an eight-year-old, reading passages from The Secret Seven.
''We had to read excerpts from books we'd been reading and I chose Enid Blyton rather too regularly for the teacher's liking,'' he says.
''From her perspective, I was sticking with the known and familiar, rather than expanding my imaginative horizons.''
She needn't have worried. Giles grew up to become the Challis chair of English at the University of Sydney. He says children read Blyton for precisely the reason adults dislike her books; her imaginary worlds are, as the BBC put it, ''such very small beer''. In Blyton's stories, a school, island or tree becomes the world.
''A child is interested in a much more limited horizon,'' Giles says. ''There is no world outside. It is entirely satisfying. It's even slightly subversive, in terms of what adults think a child should like.''
Blyton's basic prose and microscopic vocabulary remind Kate Forsyth of contemporary books for children who struggle with reading. ''She was writing for kids of all levels at a time when very few people were,'' she says.
In the library of her Sydney home, the author has a bookcase that covers an entire wall. Four shelves are dedicated to Blyton. ''Look, here's one I dropped in the bath,'' she says, pulling out a bedraggled copy of Five Run Away Together.
When she introduced her children to Blyton, she bought new copies so they would not damage her vintage collection. The new books gave Forsyth a shock. Gone were the golliwogs, replaced by goblins. Fanny of The Magic Faraway Tree had become Franny. Villainous adults who once threatened thrashings now offered nothing worse than scoldings.
Such revisions were sanctioned by Blyton's estate. Even her daughter, Gillian Baverstock, believed the changes were necessary, though sad. Forsyth prefers to read the originals as historical fiction.
''All writers are products of their time, and to try and take them out of their time is wrong,'' she says.
But can they have relevance in ours? For Forsyth, the answer is yes. She sees George of The Famous Five as a feminist icon, her refusal to wear dresses or speak softly all the more radical for the contrast of her cousin, the ''good little housewife'' Anne.
Others disagree. The national president of the Children's Book Council of Australia, Julie Wells, doubts she will ever read Blyton to her granddaughter.
''Our children are getting more and more sophisticated,'' she says. ''They're exposed to so many other forms of story … Good readers want something that really extends their imagination.''
For Forsyth, though, the best modern children's books have elements of the Blyton formula. ''Children still want to be amused and entertained,'' she says.


While some manufactures are making the minivan hip and cool like the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, the sales numbers of minivans continue to fall each year as families are opting for a sedan rather than minivan to haul the whole team around. We decided to develop our list of the Top Ten Sedans for You Soccer Moms and Dads based on trunk space for hauling cargo. Whether you are looking to buy a car for the whole family or the whole team, Carsforsale.com has you covered with these great options.
Reason: Although near the top end of price compared to others on our list, the Mercedes-Benz C300 is a sports sedan that offers a high level of comfort and technology features for the whole family such as dual-zone auto climate control and impressive 7in touchscreen display.
Reason: The Cadillac CTS is another addition to our list that is a luxury sedan. While the CTS may be seen as more of an executive car than a family sedan, the 35.4in of rear leg room give plenty of room when you have the whole family driving around. It's quiet cabin make for enjoyable long rides.
Reason: The Mazda6 gives you comfort and technology combined with an impressive 2.5L 184 horsepower 4-cylinder engine in an affordably-priced package starting at a base price of just $21,190. Any other questions?
Reason: Chevrolet is the first and only car company to bring built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi connection to their lineup of vehicles. While this is a compact sedan, the interior offers more than ample room combined with 15.0 ft. of trunk space.
Reason: There is plenty of reasons why the Toyota Camry is America's top selling passenger vehicle including Toyota's advanced safety features and a wide range of trim options to fit anyone's wants; including a hybrid option.
Reason: At 38 highway MPG and a range of over 680 miles on a single tank of gas, the Nissan Altima has one of the highest fuel ratings for any non-hybrid vehicle and also excluding any uber- compact . The purchase price won't break the bank and you'll put more money in your pocket each time you fill up in terms of fuel savings.
Reason: The Honda Accord comes in either sedan or coupe body class but the sedan is the only true option for a growing family. The Accord hybrid boasts fuel economy of 50 MPG and all trim options include the standard rear view backup camera along with many other safety options.
Reason: The Volkswagen Passat is longer and wider than most of our list and also includes over 15 ft. of cargo room. It's everything you look for in a family sedan with great fuel economy and is affordable at only $21,340 base price.
Reason: With 18.8 ft of truck space, nearly 3 cubic ft. more than the Ford Fusion, the Impala is a great family sedan for those looking for a large trunk. Much like the Cruze, the Chevy Impala also includes built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi to keep the little ones occupied on tablets and online games during road trips.


text:
WWE hires new Executive Vice President of Digital Media
WWE announced the hiring of Perkins Miller as the new Executive Vice President, Digital Media, who will be in charge of overseeing the development of strategic plans and initiatives across all of WWE's digital and social channels on a global basis. He will report directly to WWE Executive Vice President of Creative, Stephanie McMahon.
Prior to joining WWE, Miller was Chief Operating Officer and Founding Member of Vocativ, a global digital media start-up. Previously, Miller was Chief Operating Officer for Universal Sports Network, a venture between NBC Sports and InterMedia. Miller also spent time as Head of Digital Media for NBC Olympics where he led the division's largest digital events, including the 2010 and 2008 Olympic Games, which spanned online, mobile, VOD and gaming. While Senior Vice President at NBC Sports, Miller oversaw the first-ever Internet stream of a network NFL game and launched NBCSports.com.
In 2008, Miller was named among Sports Business Journal's Top 20 "Most Influential in Digital Sports." He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College in Vermont.
WWE executive hires
Previous articleCommercial for Gail Kim's wedding special on The Food Network
Next articleLinda McMahon releases family's 2011 tax returns, earnings of $24 million
WWE hires new SVP of Creative Writing Operations
WWE announced the hiring of Christine Lubrano as the...
WWE Senior VP of Programming and Media Operations Craig Tello departs company
Craig Tello, the WWE Senior Vice President of Programming...
WWE's Vice President of TV Technology Kevin Quinn let go after 30+ years
WWE has let go another long-time employee of over...
WWE continues overhaul of its top positions with two firings and one new arrival
In a first of two filings with the Securities...


text:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">

<title>Uses of Class java.awt.BufferCapabilities.FlipContents (Java Platform SE 8 )</title>
<meta name="date" content="2014-12-17">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../../stylesheet.css" title="Style">

JavaScript is disabled on your browser.

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Overview

Package

Class

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Standard Ed. 8

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Uses of Class
java.awt.BufferCapabilities.FlipContents

Packages that use BufferCapabilities.FlipContents

Package
Description

java.awt

Contains all of the classes for creating user
interfaces and for painting graphics and images.

Uses of BufferCapabilities.FlipContents in java.awt

Fields in java.awt declared as BufferCapabilities.FlipContents

Modifier and Type
Field and Description

static BufferCapabilities.FlipContents
BufferCapabilities.FlipContents.BACKGROUND

When flip contents are BACKGROUND, the
 contents of the back buffer are cleared with the background color after
 flipping.

static BufferCapabilities.FlipContents
BufferCapabilities.FlipContents.COPIED

When flip contents are COPIED, the
 contents of the back buffer are copied to the front buffer when
 flipping.

static BufferCapabilities.FlipContents
BufferCapabilities.FlipContents.PRIOR

When flip contents are PRIOR, the
 contents of the back buffer are the prior contents of the front buffer
 (a true page flip).

static BufferCapabilities.FlipContents
BufferCapabilities.FlipContents.UNDEFINED

When flip contents are UNDEFINED, the
 contents of the back buffer are undefined after flipping.

Methods in java.awt that return BufferCapabilities.FlipContents

Modifier and Type
Method and Description

BufferCapabilities.FlipContents
BufferCapabilities.getFlipContents()

Methods in java.awt with parameters of type BufferCapabilities.FlipContents

Modifier and Type
Method and Description

protected void
Component.FlipBufferStrategy.flip(BufferCapabilities.FlipContents flipAction)

Flipping moves the contents of the back buffer to the front buffer,
 either by copying or by moving the video pointer.

Constructors in java.awt with parameters of type BufferCapabilities.FlipContents

Constructor and Description

BufferCapabilities(ImageCapabilities frontCaps,
                  ImageCapabilities backCaps,
                  BufferCapabilities.FlipContents flipContents)

Creates a new object for specifying buffering capabilities

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 Copyright © 1993, 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.


text:
Tag Archives | major league soccer
A dialogue with Alan Rothenberg on the history, development & future of the MLS and football
By Kenneth Cortsen on December 22, 2020 in Best Of, Sport & Events, Sport Economy, Sport Management, Sport Marketing
From a sports business, there are interesting insights about the heart of football/soccer history and development. Alan Rothenberg, a renowned expert in sports law, sports leadership and sports business, participated in a dialogue earlier this year (2020), in which he gives the audience first-hand knowledge from how he participated in boosting football's (soccer in the […]
Major League Soccer: How the economics of co-branding will help the MLS grow its business. Part 1
By Kenneth Cortsen on August 2, 2017 in Best Of, Sport & Media Relations, Sport Economy, Sport Management, Sport Marketing
Co-branding and co-creation are vital elements in shaping a football/soccer culture on North American soil. The MLS has come a long way since the first game was played in 1996. However, a football/soccer culture is not built overnight in a nation that still climbs to the NFL and the pervasive power of Super Bowl as […]
The passion of sports fan culture – case of Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers derby
By Kenneth Cortsen on September 4, 2015 in Best Of, Sport & Events, Sport Economy, Sport Management, Sport Marketing
The derby between Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers reflects two US cities that just embrace their soccer teams and thus help to build unique fan cultures. So, although the MLS and football (soccer) in the US is new in the professionalized version that we experience today, there are still great lessons to learn about sports […]
Governance in football when it comes to player valuations, transfer market activities and contract negotiations
By Kenneth Cortsen on April 29, 2015 in Best Of, Sport & CSR, Sport Economy, Sport Management, Sport Marketing
Given the rapid commercialization and globalization in the football economy in the wake of the Bosman ruling, professional football clubs have had an intensified focus on investments across national borders to influence the national and international competitiveness. This development has produced some problem areas that football's international governing bodies FIFA and UEFA (and the national […]
Do sports sponsors have a responsibility for the creation of enhanced fan experiences?
By Kenneth Cortsen on October 24, 2014 in Best Of, Sport & Events, Sport & Media Relations, Sport Economy, Sport Management, Sport Marketing
With the intensified vitality of brand management in the sports industry, major sports properties and their business partners have allocated more resources towards strategies aimed at building profitable brand solutions. That has shaped current and modern sports branding and sports economic trends in the sense that top sports properties as well as sports properties at […]


text:
Kenyan Quakers, Frogginess, Svetlana Alexievich, Funerals, Bad Biology
The Future Of Quakerism Is Kenyan
Nathan Siegel | Roads And Kingdoms | 11th May 2016
Kenyan Quakers are "just getting started". Already they account for one-third of the world's 300,000 Quakers — and their numbers are increasing, while congregations elsewhere are shrinking. Kenyan Quakerism goes back more than a century, but in recent years it has been diverging rapidly from the Western tradition and converging with the style of other Christian denominations in Africa. Churches have bands, worship and vestments. Silence is out. "We're noisy Quakers"
Pip, Continued
Chris Arnade | Last Word On Nothing | 13th May 2016
Lessons learned from keeping a frog as a pet — which began as "a silly hobby to pass the time and to bond with my kids". But life calls out to life. "It was absurd, but I started worrying about Pip". What are one's duties to a frog? Can one make a frog happy? "I decided that the answer to one of those questions, Pip's happiness, was to try and make his life as Froggy as possible — without the predators and the periodic starvation, the things that kill frogs. Maximize his frog existence" (1,290 words)
Second-Hand Time
Svetlana Alexievich | Times Literary Supplement | 11th May 2016
Selections from the concluding volume of Alexievich's epic survey of the human condition in the former Soviet Union, based on 20 years of interviews. "Today, people just want to live their lives, they don't need some great idea. This is entirely new for Russia. At heart, we're built for war. We were always either fighting or preparing to fight. The drums were beating, the banners flying, our hearts leaping out of our chests. People didn't recognize their own slavery – they even liked being slaves" (7,600 words)
Ashes For Ashes
Kim Willcocks | The Anthill | 13th May 2016
Notes from a Chinese funeral. "The family gathered at the death bed at five in the morning to perform a ceremony that involved breaking a pot to release Lao Lao's soul from the room." Even at 6.15am the crematorium is crowded. "Funeral keening is visceral and high-volume and it gets to you, even if you're not grieving very much. When it started up my first thought was that something had gone dreadfully wrong or a fight had broken out". The crematorium band plays Auld Lang Syne (1,170 words)
Bad Biology And Economics
Frans De Waal | Evonomics | 13th May 2016
Memes and metaphors are ripped from biology to be misused ignorantly or deliberately in other fields, especially economics. Genes are not "selfish" any more than a stormy sea is "angry". We can see Nature as "cruel" but we can also see Nature as "kind"; it happens to be the cruelty which is more eventful and which catches our eye. If natural selection means a war of all against all, why has it endowed us with brains that share the distresses and the pleasures of our fellow human beings? (3,080 words)
Video of the day: How Far Can We Go?
What are the physical constraints on human exploration of the observable universe? Kurzgesagt explains (7'44")
The neurotic has problems, the psychotic has solutions
Thomas Szasz
Sumo, Enrichment, Reproduction, Bernanke, Virginia Woolf
Diamonds, Ageing, Beasts, Harry Potter, Jenny Diski


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Browser plug-in helps people balance their political news reading habits
Engineering | News releases | Politics and government | Research | Social science | Technology
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, many voters become voracious consumers of online political news. A tool by a University of Washington researcher tracks whether all those articles really provide a balanced view of the debate – and, if not, suggests some sites that offer opinions from the other side of the political spectrum.
Balancer, a free plug-in for Google's Chrome browser, was developed this summer by Sean Munson, a new UW assistant professor of Human Centered Design and Engineering. The tool analyzes a person's online reading habits for a month and calculates the political bias in that behavior. It then suggests sites that represent a different point of view and continues to monitor reading behavior and offer feedback.
"I was a bit surprised when I was testing out the tool to learn just how slanted my own reading behavior was," Munson said. "Even self-discovery is a valuable outcome, just being aware of your own behavior. If you do agree that you should be reading the other side, or at least aware of the dialogue in each camp, you can use it as a goal: Can I be more balanced this week than I was last week?"
The tool classifies more than 10,000 news websites and sections of news websites on a spectrum ranging from far left to far right, using results of previous studies and existing media-bias indices. For a few popular sites the tool also tries to classify individual columnists whose views may be different from those of the overall publication's slant.
If a reader's habits swing to one side of the spectrum, the tool will suggest top news sites on the other side. As more people start using the tool, it will instead suggest articles currently popular among study participants who show a different political bias.
When someone who has installed the Balancer plugin clicks in the upper right-hand corner of the browser, a cartoon pops up to show the degree of political balance in their online reading.
People who install the tool get a cartoon of a tightrope walker holding a stick with a red block on one end and a blue block on the other end. If their reading is balanced, the blocks are equal and the stick is level. If not, the stick begins to tilt to one side as the character appears increasingly distressed. The experimental tool is now used by a few dozen people, and researchers hope to recruit more before the November election.
It's not perfect. While the tool tracks all the reading in that Web browser, it misses reading on mobile browsers, through mobile apps and, of course, reading on paper. Munson also would like to develop more targeted ways to classify individual articles and to include more than just Democrat and Republican slants.
The tool was developed at the University of Michigan, where Munson earned his doctorate, with funding from the National Science Foundation.
Back when cable news talk shows and the Internet first emerged, Munson said, many experts feared they would fragment news consumers into ideologically specific camps. Instead, it seems some people gravitate toward coverage that reinforces their opinions, he said, while other people use technology to seek out more diverse coverage. His research seeks to understand people's habits and learn how technology might influence their behaviors.
"Depending on whether I wake up on the right or wrong side of the bed I either think that there's this incredible potential for political discussion online, if we could only get it right, or that it's just this huge problem," he said.
Sean Munson
Munson started a political blog as a high school student in New Jersey, and in his junior year in college he was awarded press credentials to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
"My goal with the blog had been to have a dialogue and in the process educate myself about politics," he said. But he found most of his readers already shared his opinions. "In the end I didn't feel like there was any sort of deliberative discussion or progress made, and I hadn't learned a lot in the process." He stopped posting and deleted the blog.
His research now explores ways the Internet might be used to encourage constructive political dialogue, as opposed to the echo chamber of partisan news sites or what he describes as the "appalling cesspool" of some online comments.
Munson is also teaching a UW research class this quarter on the Internet and the 2012 election, which will explore topics such as political news reading habits, the spread of political rumors online and the intersection of political preferences and social networking sites.
For more information, contact Munson at smunson@uw.edu or 206-221-7699.
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Does Spreading the Ball Around Make a Passing Attack More Efficient?
On June 28, 2017 November 28, 2017 By Kevin ColeIn Statistical Analysis
Part of analyzing an NFL team's passing game is measuring the distribution of passing stats among its receivers: targets, yards, touchdowns, etc. A good way to do this is looking at the percentage distribution to different receivers, i.e. the WR1 received 25 percent of receiving yards, the WR2 got 15 percent, and so on. This is useful when projecting stat lines for receivers, but doesn't give us an easy way of comparing generally how concentrated one passing game is versus another.
A commenter at Chase Stuart's Football Perspective gave him an idea from the finance world for calculating portfolio concentration, which Stuart used to conclude that teams are spreading it around more these days. The formula sums the squared passing yard ratios for each receiver to form a single number, or what Stuart calls the concentration index. The more spread out a passing game, the lower the concentration index, and vice versa.
I decided to dig into concentration index a bit more to see if we can learn anything about the benefits or costs of have a diversified passing game.
A look at 2016
There isn't really any correlation between a quarterback's total passing yards and his concentration index. You can see a consistent spread in the concentration index from around 0.125 to 0.185, until the range narrows for the top three passers: Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Kirk Cousins.
How to the top quarterbacks compare?
One of the issues with concentration index is the lack of an adjustment for injuries. If a quarterback's WR1 is injured mid-season and account for 20 percent of passing yards in the eight games he plays, then the replacement WR1 accounts for 20 percent of the yards in the next eight games, the concentration index sees this the same way as if two receiver had 10 percent share and played the entire season. Unfortunately, my ability to adjust the numbers for these circumstances is limited by the lack of play-by-play participation data available to the public. I tried to make some adjustments with snap counts, but without knowing exact formations on each play, snap-count adjustments tend to over emphasize the relative performance of part-time players.
But there is something to be learned by looking directly at the concentration indexes of the top quarterbacks over time.
The passers included in the chart include the quarterbacks will be in the Hall of Fame, might not but should be (Rivers), and excludes those who may make it but haven't been efficient enough to deserve it (sorry, Eli).
A quick glance reveals that even the top passers see quite a bit of fluctuation year-over-year in their concentration indexes. Brees stand out as the only passer to maintain a relatively low concentration index since 2006. Philip Rivers has been right around Brees since 2010, but his concentration index has likely been artificially low as top receiving option Keenan Allen consistently missed time. Brees is known for spreading the ball not only among wide receivers and tight ends, but also his running backs.
If we group all the top passer above to one index and compare them against the league average, you'll see that there isn't a huge difference between the two averages.
Top passers have spread the ball out more in seven of the 11 years, but I wouldn't call that conclusive that better passers spread the ball around more often. You'll also see a little of what Stuart was pointing to in his post: the league-wide concentration index is trending down over time.
Who drives passing concentration? Quarterbacks or receivers?
Seeing how these quarterbacks have been successful despite differing concentrations in their passing presents a chicken-or-egg questions: Is passing distribution driven by the quarterback or the differential in talent of his receivers?
We can get a better historical picture by plotting all passers' concentration indexes from 2006 t0 20116.
The trend line is fairly weak in the direction of more concentration leading to better passing efficiency. The highlighted name near the top of the graph illustrate how efficient season can be produced with a wide variety of passing concentration.
I think the correlation between concentration and passing efficiency, while slight, could be a function of the fact that you need to have stud receivers to have a concentrated passing game. I doubt Aaron Rodgers couldn't have spread the ball around more in 2014 if he chose. But why target less efficient options when you have Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb at your disposal?
The fact that there hasn't been a single 0.20+ concentration index quarterback with an indexed yard per attempt under 85 (or 85 percent of league average that year) probably means something. First, you likely had healthy receivers to achieve that level of concentration. Second, you had to have at least one receiver who was good enough to get consistently open. Last, you likely had less reliance on less efficient passing options, like running backs. Brees may use his running backs efficiently in the passing game, but many quarterbacks primarily use them as secondary or tertiary dump off options.
While it makes intuitive sense that spreading the ball around will help a passing games efficiency, it isn't certain when looking at the numbers. In fact, there is evidence pointing the other direction. But our ability to rely on a single number like concentration index is complicated by its inability to incorporate important factors like injuries and formations.
Would you rather have a concentrated passing attack like Aaron Rodgers in 2014, or spread the ball around like Drew Brees? As long as your receivers stay healthy, there doesn't seems to be anything wrong with staying concentrated. But as we saw with Rodgers in an atypically inefficient 2015, relying too much on your top receivers can leave a passing game fragile in the face of a injuries. Brees, on the other hand, continues to lead the NFL in passing as his top receiving options rotate consistently.
passing efficiencyquarterbacks
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