text:
5 Minutes with New Missional Storyteller Jelani Greenidge
Jan 11, 2022 By covwebster3 Comments
This month, longtime Companion columnist Jelani Greenidge joins the Marketing Communications team as our new missional storyteller. We asked him why storytelling is important to the church and what his vision is for his new role.
Can you tell us about your journey that led you to this role?
Well, longtime readers will know me from my columns for The Covenant Companion that date back to 2012.
But yeah, I'm a nearly lifelong Covenanter, and I've been in church work for most of my adult life. I'm a third-generation pastor and worship leader and grew up in one of the Covenant's first intentionally multiethnic churches, planted by my father, Henry Greenidge, in the late 1980s. That said, I've always viewed myself as something of an outsider because I'm neither licensed nor ordained, and also because living in Oregon and Washington, I've felt somewhat isolated from the rest of my Covenant sisters and brothers in North America. Taking this role was an opportunity for me, not only to reconnect with some of the folks I met during my North Park years in Chicago, but more importantly, to get a better understanding of what Covenanters across the board are going through. As a columnist, my job is to share a slice of my perspective on life and ministry. As a storyteller, I want to flip that around—to receive the perspectives, stories, and experiences of others and share them widely. My hope is that together we might all be enriched, emboldened, and equipped for the work God has put in front of us.
Why do you think storytelling is important to the church?
Stories are important because they turn the abstract into the personal.
If I gave you all kinds of facts and statistics about infection and transmission rates for Covid-19 in February 2021, maybe you would be interested, but you might just as easily tune it out as just more noise. But if I told you that my wife and I spent Valentine's Day driving through a snowstorm to check ourselves into the hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, and that I came pretty close to being put on a ventilator because my oxygen saturation levels were so low, and that I spent about 24 hours rethinking all of my life choices while trying to figure out the entertainment system in my suburban hospital room…well, that changes things, doesn't it? Now it's not just a story that I'm telling you, but it's my story.
Stories activate us, they move us toward action, and they help us to remember that behind any position, policy, or perspective is a real, three-dimensional human being made in the image of God. We need stories to keep us grounded to what's real, as well as to help us move toward a future where all of us can thrive.
What's your vision for storytelling that serves the entire Covenant?
Well, the goal for this role is to tell stories that represent the Covenant Church in all its diverse expressions. And representation is a big deal right now. When people say, "I want to read about someone like me" or, "I want to see someone like me in TV or in the movies," it's not just an ego thing or a way to keep score. It's a way for us to be reminded that we're not alone, that there are others who go through similar struggles. And even though we're all different, we all still have certain things in common.
So yeah, I want to find stories from many different places. Of course, I want the stories for the big events and campaigns that we're known for, such as Midwinter, Unite (formerly CHIC), Gather, CovCares, etc. But I also want to find stories in the nooks and crannies of Christian life, places where you wouldn't normally think to look. We want stories that reflect the diversity of our denomination, not only racially and ethnically but geographically, age, station, and vocation. I want stories that celebrate our victories as church and ministry leaders, but I also want stories that affirm the dignity of the human struggle, from people who don't just speak of their challenges in past tense. If we as the editorial team do our job well, we will create opportunities for Covenanters to see themselves in each other's stories.
What movie or TV show did you most often recommend to others in 2021?
Oh my goodness, there are so many I don't even know where to start. That said, one of my favorite TV shows from 2021 was Rutherford Falls. It's created by sitcom veterans Sierra Teller Ornelas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Happy Endings, Superstore) and Michael Schur (The Office, Parks & Recreation, The Good Place). It's the story of larger-than-life characters whose conflicts regarding the inner workings of their small town reveal layers of buried trauma and provide opportunities for healthy reorientation. It's thought-provoking, and very, very funny.
What else should readers know about you?
I'm a Gen-X hip-hop head and comedy nerd. I like to play video games and fly drones. I still love playing video games, but I'm not as competitive as I used to be because my reflexes are slowing down, so I'm hoping I start an XBOX-Over-40 group where I won't get completely destroyed by 16-year-olds with more fast-twitch muscle fibers.
And if you read something where it looks like I'm trying to stir things up, it's not because I thrive in chaos. But rather, when it's done in a healthy manner, questioning things can help us understand what we truly believe and sometimes calls us to new understandings. Over time, I've learned to lean into difficult dialogue rather than away from it. Because no matter how it might look or feel, God isn't through with any of us yet.
Richard Nystrom says:
Blessings Jelani as you share our stories.
Scott Bolinder says:
Grateful to see this position being added to the team and delighted Jelani has accepted this important assignment. I have appreciated his good writing for years and reading this interview I was impressed with his vision for the power of effective storytelling. It will be a privilege to pray for Jelani and the entire communications team.
Dan Schuttler says:
Hey ECC – Jelani is a great hire! (Shout out for the PACNW!) Looking forward to the stories!
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Some criticize this site because they think this information should be provided by the Town directly. I don't agree with the criticism, but I agree the Town should be posting this information on its own. In fact, the Mayor promised to do just that back in October 2010. More than five years later, that promise remains unfulfilled. Here's what I had to say about it in September.
Those records were not posted online in the nearly five years since John Harkins issued that release, so during the public forum before the last Town Council meeting, I asked that the Town Council do something about it and pass an ordinance or resolution to require the Town to finally fulfill the Mayor's promise. I also said that I would ask for the records and post them on this website if the Town didn't post them on its own.
On Monday, I plan to file a draft ordinance that, if passed, will require John Harkins to finally fulfill his promise to post the Town's disbursements online. If there is one thing the past five years has taught us, it is that this administration deserves the public scrutiny that the Mayor says he welcomes.


text:
Q: Bluez example-advertisement interval linux I am using Bluez 5.50 example-advertisement to work with a custom server that I edited from the example-gatt-server. It works just fine however I want to reduce the advertising interval i.e. increase the advertisement frequency.
Most help available online is using the hcitool for example here.  I read the details about the advertisement packet and it should be possible to set the interval to a described vale as per the supplement to Bluetooth core specifications described here. However, when I try to add it to the properties of the advertisement there is a parsing error. I am unsure how to go about this because of my unfamiliarity with python and dbus.
I am attaching my code for the advertisement below. I added the set_advInterval section where it was needed along the code.
    `#!/usr/bin/python

    from __future__ import print_function

    import dbus
    import dbus.exceptions
    import dbus.mainloop.glib
    import dbus.service

    import array

    try:
      from gi.repository import GObject  # python3
    except ImportError:
      import gobject as GObject  # python2

    from random import randint

    mainloop = None

    BLUEZ_SERVICE_NAME = 'org.bluez'
    LE_ADVERTISING_MANAGER_IFACE = 'org.bluez.LEAdvertisingManager1'
    DBUS_OM_IFACE = 'org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager'
    DBUS_PROP_IFACE = 'org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties'

    LE_ADVERTISEMENT_IFACE = 'org.bluez.LEAdvertisement1'

    class InvalidArgsException(dbus.exceptions.DBusException):
        _dbus_error_name = 'org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.InvalidArgs'

    class NotSupportedException(dbus.exceptions.DBusException):
        _dbus_error_name = 'org.bluez.Error.NotSupported'

    class NotPermittedException(dbus.exceptions.DBusException):
        _dbus_error_name = 'org.bluez.Error.NotPermitted'

    class InvalidValueLengthException(dbus.exceptions.DBusException):
        _dbus_error_name = 'org.bluez.Error.InvalidValueLength'

    class FailedException(dbus.exceptions.DBusException):
        _dbus_error_name = 'org.bluez.Error.Failed'

    class Advertisement(dbus.service.Object):
        PATH_BASE = '/org/bluez/example/advertisement'
    def __init__(self, bus, index, advertising_type):
        self.path = self.PATH_BASE + str(index)
        self.bus = bus
        self.ad_type = advertising_type
        self.service_uuids = None
        self.manufacturer_data = None
        self.solicit_uuids = None
        self.service_data = None
        self.local_name = None
        self.include_tx_power = None
        self.data = None
        self.advInterval=None
        dbus.service.Object.__init__(self, bus, self.path)

    def get_properties(self):
        properties = dict()
        properties['Type'] = self.ad_type
        if self.service_uuids is not None:
            properties['ServiceUUIDs'] = dbus.Array(self.service_uuids,
                                                    signature='s')
        if self.solicit_uuids is not None:
            properties['SolicitUUIDs'] = dbus.Array(self.solicit_uuids,
                                                    signature='s')
        if self.manufacturer_data is not None:
            properties['ManufacturerData'] = dbus.Dictionary(
                self.manufacturer_data, signature='qv')
        if self.service_data is not None:
            properties['ServiceData'] = dbus.Dictionary(self.service_data,
                                                        signature='sv')
        if self.local_name is not None:
            properties['LocalName'] = dbus.String(self.local_name)
        if self.include_tx_power is not None:
            properties['IncludeTxPower'] = dbus.Boolean(self.include_tx_power)
        if self.advInterval is not None:
            properties['Interval']=dbus.Uint16(self.advInterval)

        if self.data is not None:
            properties['Data'] = dbus.Dictionary(
                self.data, signature='yv')
        return {LE_ADVERTISEMENT_IFACE: properties}

    def get_path(self):
        return dbus.ObjectPath(self.path)

    def set_advInterval(self,interval):
        self.advInterval=dbus.UInt16(interval)

    def add_service_uuid(self, uuid):
        if not self.service_uuids:
            self.service_uuids = []
        self.service_uuids.append(uuid)

    def add_solicit_uuid(self, uuid):
        if not self.solicit_uuids:
            self.solicit_uuids = []
        self.solicit_uuids.append(uuid)

    def add_manufacturer_data(self, manuf_code, data):
        if not self.manufacturer_data:
            self.manufacturer_data = dbus.Dictionary({}, signature='qv')
        self.manufacturer_data[manuf_code] = dbus.Array(data, signature='y')

    def add_service_data(self, uuid, data):
        if not self.service_data:
            self.service_data = dbus.Dictionary({}, signature='sv')
        self.service_data[uuid] = dbus.Array(data, signature='y')

    def add_local_name(self, name):
        if not self.local_name:
            self.local_name = ""
        self.local_name = dbus.String(name)

    def add_data(self, ad_type, data):
        if not self.data:
            self.data = dbus.Dictionary({}, signature='yv')
        self.data[ad_type] = dbus.Array(data, signature='y')

    @dbus.service.method(DBUS_PROP_IFACE,
                         in_signature='s',
                         out_signature='a{sv}')
    def GetAll(self, interface):
        print('GetAll')
        if interface != LE_ADVERTISEMENT_IFACE:
            raise InvalidArgsException()
        print('returning props')
        return self.get_properties()[LE_ADVERTISEMENT_IFACE]

    @dbus.service.method(LE_ADVERTISEMENT_IFACE,
                         in_signature='',
                         out_signature='')
    def Release(self):
        print('%s: Released!' % self.path)

    class TestAdvertisement(Advertisement):

        def __init__(self, bus, index):
            Advertisement.__init__(self, bus, index, 'per

ipheral')
        self.add_service_uuid('180F')
        self.add_manufacturer_data(0xffff, [0x00, 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04])
        self.add_service_data('9999', [0x00, 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04])
        self.add_local_name('TestAdvertisement')
        self.set_advInterval(0.2)
        self.include_tx_power = True
        self.add_data(0x26, [0x01, 0x01, 0x00])

def register_ad_cb():
    print('Advertisement registered')

def register_ad_error_cb(error):
    print('Failed to register advertisement: ' + str(error))
    mainloop.quit()

def find_adapter(bus):
    remote_om = dbus.Interface(bus.get_object(BLUEZ_SERVICE_NAME, '/'),
                               DBUS_OM_IFACE)
    objects = remote_om.GetManagedObjects()

    for o, props in objects.items():
        if LE_ADVERTISING_MANAGER_IFACE in props:
            return o

    return None

def main():
    global mainloop

    dbus.mainloop.glib.DBusGMainLoop(set_as_default=True)

    bus = dbus.SystemBus()

    adapter = find_adapter(bus)
    if not adapter:
        print('LEAdvertisingManager1 interface not found')
        return

    adapter_props = dbus.Interface(bus.get_object(BLUEZ_SERVICE_NAME, adapter),
                                   "org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties");

    adapter_props.Set("org.bluez.Adapter1", "Powered", dbus.Boolean(1))

    ad_manager = dbus.Interface(bus.get_object(BLUEZ_SERVICE_NAME, adapter),
                                LE_ADVERTISING_MANAGER_IFACE)

    test_advertisement = TestAdvertisement(bus, 0)

    mainloop = GObject.MainLoop()

    ad_manager.RegisterAdvertisement(test_advertisement.get_path(), {},
                                     reply_handler=register_ad_cb,
                                     error_handler=register_ad_error_cb)

    mainloop.run()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()
`

A: According to https://kernel.googlesource.com/pub/scm/bluetooth/bluez/+/5.50/doc/advertising-api.txt the advertising interface api does not have property "Interval". Therefore we cant set the adv interval via this interface.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
AAA Future Where We Share Our Cars
Curated Article | Fast Company
To use AAA's newest service–a one-way car-sharing startup in the Bay Area called Gig–you don't have to own a car. The nonprofit, which is best known for its roadside assistance, is piloting the service as one step toward a future where self-driving cars, and dropping rates of car ownership, mean that the organization's traditional business model needs to change.
Gig is the first service to come out of AAA's new innovation lab, called A3 Ventures, which is dedicated to finding new ways to serve the organization's members as transportation changes. The service aims to fill a gap in local transit options, beginning in Oakland and Berkeley. Unlike other car-sharing services in the area, it's designed to be one-way; you don't have to return it in the same place you pick it up. Instead, through an agreement with local government, the cars can be parked in almost any parking space in both cities.
"Unlike traditional station-based models where you go out shopping for the day and you're paying for the car while you're not using it, while it's sitting there parked, with the one-way model, you can take a car, drive to where you're going, end your trip, and not have to pay for a vehicle while you're doing whatever you're doing," says Hetke. "And then grab a different car to drive back home."
"By charter, we're not a for-profit member service organization," says Hetke. "We exist to create value for members, we don't exist to create value for shareholders or make a giant profit. So we should be constantly reinvesting our profits back into new sources of value for our members . . . [Gig] is part of a longer vision of how AAA would be positioning itself to be that consumers' advocate in consumers making the shift to a world where cars drive themselves."
Read the source article at fastcompany.com
Conservation North America
Biodiversity Loss in Britain Continues Despite Protections
How Wastewater Recycling Can Help Curb California Droughts

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Women's Health Self-Study CME
Enhance your ability to develop evaluation and treatment plans for every woman you treat, at every stage of her life with AAFP self-study CME package.
https://www.aafp.org/cme/all/womens/self-study.html
Urinary Catheter Management - American Family Physician
Jan 15, 2000 - The use of urinary catheters should be avoided whenever possible. Clean intermittent catheterization, when practical, is preferable to long-term catheterization. Suprapubic catheters offer some advantages, and condom catheters may be appropriate for some men. While clean handling of ...
September 15, 1998 - American Family Physician
...Management of Female Sexual Assault Linda M. Petter; David L. Whitehill Recognizing Occupational Disease-Taking an Effective Occupational History Michael B. Lax; William D. Grant; Federica A. Manetti; Rosemary Klein Departments AAFP News: AFP Edition Newsletter...
https://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0915/
Violence (Position Paper)
Read AAFP's position paper on family violence as an important public health issue.
About AAFP |AAFP Policies and Recommendations
https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/violence-position-paper.html
Managing Somatic Preoccupation - American Family Physician
Jun 1, 1999 - Somatically preoccupied patients are a heterogeneous group of persons who have no genuine physical disorder but manifest psychologic conflicts in a somatic fashion; who have a notable psychologic overlay that accompanies or complicates a genuine physical disorder; or who have ...
Corrections - Feb 1, 2009 - American Family Physician
Feb 1, 2009 - ...of Female Sexual Dysfunction, (March 1, 2008, page 635) an incorrect source was listed for a portion of Table 5 on page 639 and the following sentence on page 638: The ALLOW (Ask, Legitimize, Limitations, Open up, Work together) model facilitates completion of the sexual history and...
American Family Physician : Corrections
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0201/p180a.html
Undetected Childhood Sexual Trauma and Its Health Effects in Adults
...by sexual abuse or related trauma. I would like to talk with her about this. What is the best way to discuss this subject? If sexual trauma is revealed, how do I proceed? Commentary It is essential for physicians to understand the relevance of childhood sexual trauma to adult...
...Diagnosis and Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction JENNIFER E. FRANK, MD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Appleton, Wisconsin PATRICIA MISTRETTA, MPAS, Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Georgia JOSHUA WILL, CPT, MC, USA, Evans Army...
afp20080301p635-s1.pdf
...Therapy for Female Sexual Dysfunction Therapy/dosage Population Effects Adverse effects Evidence Transdermal testosterone, 150 to 450 mcg daily (not FDA approved for use in women) Surgically menopausal women receiving estrogen therapy who have diminished sexual interest or...
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2008/0301/afp20080301p635-s1.pdf
Surveillance of the Adult Cancer Survivor
...should be addressed to optimize function and longevity. Common late effects of cancer and its treatment include second primary cancers, sexual dys- function, and psychosocial issues. Cancer recurrence is a significant concern. After treatment for colorectal cancer, intensive...
...I n the United States, approximately 43 percent of women and 31 percent of men experience sexual dysfunction.1 It is not surprising that testosterone, primarily used to treat sexual problems, is being prescribed more often than in the past; a 500 percent increase in sales has...
Gynecologic Aspects of Crohn's Disease - American Family Physician
Nov 15, 2001 - Because Crohn's disease has a tendency to be transmural and to form fistulas, it may involve contiguous organs. Gynecologic involvement is frequent, diverse and often difficult to diagnose. Inflammation involving adjacent structures has been reported in as many as one third of patients....
Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis of Dyspareunia -- American Family Physician
...depends on the definition used and the population sampled. In a national proba- bility sample7 assessing the prevalence of sex- ual dysfunction in the United States, women with dyspareunia comprised a smaller group than women with decreased interest in sex, orgasmic difficulties,...
Dyspareunia in Women
Recognition and Management of Tourette's Syndrome and Tic Disorders - American Family ...
Apr 15, 1999 - Tic disorders and Tourette's syndrome are conditions that primary care physicians are likely to encounter. Up to 20 percent of children have at least a transient tic disorder at some point. Once believed to be rare, Tourette's syndrome is now known to be a more common disorder that ...
...deconditioning, and neurologic impair- ment. Other common problems include poor appetite with possible weight loss, falls, and sexual dysfunction. Psychological morbidities, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and depression also often occur in the post-intensive care...
Managing the Adverse Effects of Radiation Therapy
...radiation cystitis include anticholinergic agents and phenazopyridine. Sexual dysfunction from radiation therapy includes erectile dysfunction and vaginal stenosis, which are treated with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors and vaginal dilators, respectively. (Am Fam Physician....
Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Family Medicine Residents, AAFP Reprint No. ...
...l. Sexual dysfunctions i. Sexual interest/arousal disorder ii. Orgasmic disorders iii. Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder iv. Sexual pain disorders v. Sexual dysfunction related to a general medical condition m. Gender dysphoria n. Personality disorders i. Paranoid ii....
Med School and Residency
https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/medical_education_residency/program_directors/Reprint270_Mental.pdf
Depression in Children and Adolescents - American Family Physician
Nov 15, 2000 - Depression among children and adolescents is common but frequently unrecognized. It affects 2 percent of prepubertal children and 5 to 8 percent of adolescents. The clinical spectrum of the disease can range from simple sadness to a major depressive or bipolar disorder. Risk factors ...
ACOG Releases a Statement on Identification and Treatment of Adolescent Victims of ...
Mar 15, 1999 - ...Sexual Assault VERNA L. ROSE Am Fam Physician. 1999 Mar 15;59(6):1688. In an educational bulletin published in the October 1998 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) discusses the management of adolescent victims of...
American Family Physician : Special Medical Reports
...but generally include gastrointestinal issues, neuropathy, pain, urinary symptoms, fatigue, psychological issues, cognitive problems, sexual symptoms, and stoma care. Carcinoembryonic antigen testing should be performed at each visit in patients who are candidates for further...
...Sexual health is defined by the World Health Orga- nization as a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity.1 Sexual health is foundational to the physical, emotional, and...
ables
...Common side effects of SSRIs include transient nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, somnolence, dizziness, akathisia, and long-term orgasmic dysfunction.5 How- ever, secondary pharmacologic actions may A ccording to a recent survey1 of the most common reasons for patient visits to family...
...the second-generation antipsychotic clozapine. All antipsychotic medications are associated with an increased likelihood of sedation, sexual dysfunction, postural hypotension, cardiac arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death. Primary care physicians should understand the individual...
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Chronic Daily Headaches - Letters to the Editor - American ...
Aug 1, 2005 - ...Childhood Sexual Abuse and Chronic Daily Headaches Am Fam Physician. 2005 Aug 1;72(3). to the editor: would like to comment on the article1 by Dr. Maizels in the December 15, 2004, issue of American Family Physician titled "The Patient with Daily Headaches." I appreciated the...
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0801/ol1.html


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text:
Sony BDP-S7200 review
Best Blu-ray player £150-£300, Awards 2015. Serves up a classy picture and stunning sound – an impressive all-rounder Tested at £220
By What Hi-Fi? Posted 2014-08-13T09:17:48Z Review
Best Blu-ray player £150-£300, Awards 2015. Serves up a classy picture and stunning sound – an impressive all-rounder
Excellent 2D and 3D picture quality
Detailed, dynamic and entertaining sound
Minimalist design
Works with high-res audio
Limited on catch-up TV services
Scarily consistent. That's how we'd describe Sony's recent track record when it comes to Blu-ray players.
Its budget decks have been showered with Awards and five- star ratings over the past few years, and the BDP-S7200 is the latest of a long line to come under What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision scrutiny.
MORE: Awards 2014 - Best Blu-ray players
Sony has given the S7200 a traditional, minimalist design
The BDP-S7200 sits at the top of Sony's range of Blu-ray players (there's a choice of five machines, from £60). The other four have the Sense Of Quartz design, but the 'S7200 gets a more traditional boxy look.
The player doesn't look any worse for it: we're quite taken with the minimalist design. The player has also been styled this way to match nicely with Sony's latest home cinema amplifiers (including the excellent the STR-DN1050).
The S7200 has picture processing technologies you won't find on any of Sony's other machines, as well as a number of audio components specific to this model.
Sony even claims that the player's wi-fi has been improved to give greater range. Where it does fall in line with Sony's current models is in offering 4K upscaling, intuitiveness and smart functionality.
The Sony supports playback of high-resolution audio files
The bulk of music and video on-demand comes under the umbrella of the Sony Entertainment Network, alongside the usual suspects such as BBC iPlayer.
There are a couple of gaps, however, notably ITV player and 4oD, which weren't available at the time of writing. Another plus point is that the Sony supports high-res audio file compatibility including 24-bit/192kHz WAV files, FLAC and DSD.
The drawback is that not all formats are supported over a home network. FLAC and WAV are, but DSD will need to be played via an SACD disc or portable USB drive hooked up to the player.
Not the end of the world.
Round the back you'll find HDMI, ethernet, USB and coaxial connections
The Sony's star shines brightest when it comes to sound quality: it's entertaining, exciting and musical, impressing us when it comes to Blu-ray discs, DVDs and CDs.
Watching Muppets Most Wanted, the Sony handles the musical numbers with finesse – unusual at this level. During the opening song, We're Doing A Sequel, the S7200 displays great timing and enthusiasm.
When the film moves on to dialogue-heavy scenes, Kermit and Piggy sound good, with their voices textured and natural.
The Sony also excels visually. Whether it's the fine detail on Kermit or the fuzzy fur on Fozzie Bear, the Sony produces a stunningly realistic picture.
There's a great sense of depth and realism to the image too. The player shows skill with the subtle and bold hues of the main characters, while lines are sharply drawn and stable.
Moving on to The Great Gatsby in 3D, the S7200 continues its excellent showing. The New York skyline is drawn superbly, and pops out of the screen with an impressive amount of detail.
The Sony can handle explosive soundtracks too: play Man Of Steel and the player hits you hard with solid, weighty and well-defined lows, with subtleties following once the action settles.
Switch to the DVD of Lincoln and the Sony does a great job upscaling to 1080p resolution. Lincoln rides through the Petersburg battlefield, enjoying solid blacks and excellent insight in the shadows.
There's no shortage of Blu-ray players out there, but the BDP-S7200 stands out. It will be a tough one to beat.
MORE: Awards 2014 - all the winners
Manufacturer Website Address http://www.sony.co.uk
Brand Name Sony
Product Type Blu-ray Disc Player
Manufacturer Sony Corporation
Manufacturer Part Number BDPS7200B.EC1
Product Name Sony BDP-S7200
Product Model BDP-S7200
4K Blu-ray Disc Player
2 x "AAA" Batteries
DLNA Certified Yes
HDMI Yes
Audio Formats CD-DA, MP3, ACC, ATRAC, WMA
Sound System Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS HD
Features 4K Upscaling, Internet Streaming, Screen Mirroring, 2D-3D Conversion, Screen Saver, Child Lock, Parental Control, Web Browser
3D Type 3D
Media Formats BD-RE, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, CD-RW
Dual-Layer Media Supported Yes
Streaming Service Catch up TV, YouTube
Wireless LAN Yes
Weight Approximate 2.30 kg
Dimensions 4.9 cm (H): 43 cm (W): 21 cm (D)
Scanning Modes Progressive Scan
Scan Format 1080p
Video Formats BD Video, DVD Video
Sony 70in 4K TV drops again in Prime Day deals – now half price
Marshall Monitor Bluetooth headphones are half price on Amazon Prime Day
Prime Day TV deal: 32 inch Sony smart TV now just £199


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De Permanente Vertegenwoordiging van België bij de Verenigde Naties of Permanente Vertegenwoordiger van België bij de Verenigde Naties is het voornaamste lid van de delegatie van België bij de Verenigde Naties in New York.

Permanente Vertegenwoordigers

 1945–1946: Paul-Henri Spaak
 1946–1948: Fernand Dehousse
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 1951–1952: Fernand Dehousse
 ????
 1955: Fernand Van Langenhove
 ????
 1959–1965: Walter Loridan
 1965–1969: Constant Schuurmans
 1972–1973: Edouard Longerstaey
 1974–1977: Patrick Nothomb
 1978–1981: Andre Ernemann
 1981–1988: Edmonde Dever
 ????
 1994–1998: Alexis Reyn
 1998–2001: André Adam
 2001–2004: Jean de Ruyt
 2004–2008: Johan C. Verbeke
 2008–2012: Jan Grauls
 2013–2016: Bénédicte Frankinet
 2016–2020: Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve
 2020-heden: Philippe Kridelka

Voetnoten

Internationale betrekkingen van België
Verenigde Naties

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Bawku West: Soogo E/A appeals for help to feed, house, support refugees from Burkina Faso
Residents of the Soogo Electoral Area in the Upper East Region's Bawku West District are pleading with the government and well-meaning organisations and people for assistance. The support would go toward providing food, shelter, and clothing for refugees who have fled their native Burkina Faso and are looking for asylum in Ghana.
When the Assemblyman for the area, Osben Asaki spoke to Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show today, Monday, January 23, 2022, he mentioned that over 800 men, women and children have moved to temporarily reside in the area. It has been difficult for the locals to find the resources needed to meet these asylum seekers' concerns.
"In my electoral area, the numbers that we have are 845. Majority of them are women and children. Almost everybody is fed by their relatives. Since they run into the houses, they [the locals] would ensure that they eat in the morning, afternoon and evening. They have to ensure that they bathe and get everything that they [asylum seekers] need."
"It is a serious issue. I remember the community members had to contribute food and other materials and even money, in support of them. We need support from the government, the assembly and anybody that is willing to come to the aid of the community. When they [the asylum seekers] came, they had to drain the houses they came to stay in; particularly foodstuffs. I do not think they would be able to take care of their families until the rainy season. A house is hosting about 35 or 45 or 50 refugees, I think it is not easy," he said.
The situation is no different from the situation in Widnaba, also in the Bawku West District.
More than 1,700 persons from Burkina Faso have fled the troubled country and are currently taking up residence in the homes of persons living in the Widnaba Electoral Area of the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region.
The presence of the refugees, according to Elisha Abila, the Assemblyman for Widnaba Electoral Area, is causing a strain on the financial situation of community residents.
He said this when he spoke to Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show today, Monday, January 23, 2023.
"The whole thing happened in Burkina Faso. The jihadists gave the threats to the community members. So those threats made the people, the women and children, including some of the men pack their things, and they started trooping into our community."
"Some [of the refugees] went to Soogo. Others went to Sapeliga, but the nearest place was Widnaba. When you come here, you would see that really, there are foreigners here. Most of the houses are hosting at least 5 or more people," he said.
Soogo


A few seasons ago, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra delivered a stimulating reading of the "Beethoven Journey", as he performed and conducted Beethoven's concertos from the piano. This season, he makes his return with the same ensemble for a Haydn-Mozart duo and enjoys the luxury of performing two of the finest concertos by the maestro of Salzburg in one evening. These two virtually contemporary pieces composed within several weeks of each other, are different yet complementary. Concerto No. 20 brims with passion and tragic grandeur while No. 21 makes it mark with calm sensuality. We are convinced that the Norwegian pianist will do full justice to the climax of each these two major works from the concerto repertoire.


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Gigaclear unlocks potential of rural communities with Telehouse
To succeed in its mission of unlocking the potential of rural communities, Gigaclear collaborated with Telehouse. Gabriel Yepes, Head of Networks, Gigaclear, discusses its need to establish a presence in a well-connected data centre in London to offer exceptionally fast speeds and reliable full fibre broadband to rural homes and businesses. We learn how the […]
Macquarie Telecom Group becomes first company certified by DTA for cloud and data centre services
Macquarie Telecom Group has announced that its cloud services have been 'Certified Strategic' by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) under its Hosting Certification Framework. The certification makes Macquarie the first company to have all its data centres and cloud services Certified Strategic, a key feature of the DTA's Whole-of-Government Hosting Certification Framework. It follows the certification of […]
China Mobile International scales up new data centre in Frankfurt
ABB has provided electrical switchgear and control equipment to China Mobile International (CMI), an international telecommunications company located in 36 countries and regions, for its new data centre in Frankfurt, Germany. The solution was delivered via electrical power distribution supplier E+I Engineering, with the package including four medium-voltage (MV) switchgear panels equipped with ABB's Relion […]
Giganet chooses Neos Networks to drive UK network expansion
Neos Networks, one of the UK's leading fibre connectivity suppliers, has announced it has been chosen by Giganet, an established Internet Service Provider (ISP), to provide backhaul and data centre connectivity to support its new southern counties network and its ambitious plans to rollout gigabit Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) services. Through strategic network partnerships, Giganet is already […]
DataVita expands partnership with FNT Software to deliver new value-added services to customers
FNT Software, a leading provider of software solutions for the integrated management of IT, data centre and telecommunication infrastructures worldwide, has announced its extended partnership with DataVita, a Tier III certified data centre and multi-cloud provider for public and private sector organisations. Through the partnership, FNT provides Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) and enables DataVita […]
stc's MENA Hub to build infrastructure with Greek telecom TSSA
stc expands complete digital eco-system with cable to EU. stc group's MENA Hub is to build the East to Med Data Corridor (EMC) undersea and land fibre-optic data cable that will link Europe with Asia, with Greek partners. stc's MENA Hub with this new project shows the nature of its ambition to provide ever-increasing global […]
NTT reveals plans for new Trans-Pacific Submarine Cable
NTT, Mitsui & Co, PC Landing Corp and JA Mitsui Leasing have announced the launch of a new company, Seren Juno Network Company (Seren), which has been founded to construct and operate 'JUNO,' the new and largest Trans-Pacific submarine cable system that will run between Japan and the US. According to a leading telecommunications industry […]
Interxion expands London Metro Connect as city tech investment reaches all-time high
Interxion: A Digital Realty Company and leading European provider of cloud-and carrier-neutral data centre, colocation and interconnection solutions, has announced the extension of its London Metro Connect solution, allowing customers to connect to 12 London data centres and six interconnected colocation and scale data centre campuses across Greater London. The Connected London project, which initially […]
ST Engineering launches breakthrough cooling solution to enable greener data centres
ST Engineering has announced the launch of its new Airbitat DC Cooling System, marking its entry into the data centre cooling market. An innovation by its Urban Environment Solutions (UES) business, the Airbitat DC Cooling System delivers powerful pre-cooling for tropical data centres, achieving annual net energy savings of more than 20% over conventional chiller […]
Nokia and Innventure collaborate to commercialise high-performance cooling technology
Nokia and Innventure announced plans to commercialise high-performance cooling technology developed by Nokia Bell Labs for data centres and mobile network equipment. Innventure has established a new company, Accelsius, which has acquired the rights to the cooling technology from Nokia and will be responsible for its further development and commercialisation. The ground-breaking, scalable cooling technology […]


Materials: Caribbean Green Amber with Sterling Silver eyelet.
Notes: This knot is the symbol for eternity (the figure 8) interlaced with the symbol of unity (the circle). It is sold on a cord but can be switched to a jump ring and chain if desired.


Re-mixed: Can Ryan Vachon Repeat at the Ouray Ice Fest Comp?
For the 2016 Ouray Ice Festival Elite Mixed Climbing Competition winner, the secret to success was all in his head. We tapped him this week for training advice in the lead up to the 2017 event. What we ended up with was a peak into a philosophy that pays dividends in any outdoor pursuit.
Truthfully, gear is only half of the equation—maybe less. If your mind isn't at least as dialed as your pack and what's in it, things can turn pretty quickly into an adventure in the not-so-great outdoors.
And really, it's about more than just mental toughness. Sure, gobbling up miles on a long-distance hike or bushwacking through untold miles of brush require a certain mettle, but you also have to know why your out there in the first place. For most of us, that's an intensely personal thing. Feeling the wind in our hair in a place that's far, far away from traffic noise and other human pollution is a start. But really, distilled down—all the way down—an ultralight experience is about pushing yourself, out of your comfort zone and into the unknown.
Need proof? Hyperlite Mountain Gear ambassador Ryan Vachon stands as an example to us all. An elite climber with a penchant for near-impossible mixed routes, PhD, climate scientist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, podcaster, educator and business owner, it could be said that Ryan has his house in order, especially when it comes to what's going on upstairs.
A year ago, Ryan surprised pretty much only himself when he handily won the elite mixed climbing competition at the 2016 Ouray Ice Festival. A self-proclaimed "nerd," the intensity that drove his ascent up the walls of the Uncompahgre River gorge (he was the only competitor to top out) pervades his entire existence. And as diverse as his pursuits may be, to him life is all about a single and solitary focus: the pursuit of knowledge. Knowledge of the world, science, nature and most of all, knowledge of self.
As evidenced by his subsequent second ascent of Saphira (M15-) in March 2016, which many consider to be the hardest mixed climb in the United States, he has the physical ability to compete at a very high level locked down. But he describes the act of achieving that level of focus outside of his comfort zone as a sort of next level mental barrier, a challenge unto itself.
"Can you truly be yourself in front of people? That's a huge experiment for me," he says. Despite the fact that Ryan has been traveling to Ouray from his home in Boulder for the Ice Fest since around 2002 specifically to be enmeshed in a community that he loves, climbing there, in front of his friends, neighbors, colleagues and sponsors became a psychological crux.
"I really, really love the people," he relates. "But it's a scary experience because climbing in front of them challenges me to do something I'm very uncomfortable with." It wasn't a matter of simply overcoming stage fright; he knew he'd have to get to a place where the fun of climbing could shine through.
Some preliminary mental calisthenics, a good word or two from his partner, Susan Owen, and he was off. And in addition to a laser-focused training regiment, he mostly credits the win to his ability to cast off the layers of insecurity and ego and reconnect with the fundamental joy of hanging high above the ground with only his tools and his wits to rely on. In the end, he pieced together a critical crack, topped out and won the day. And then set off down-canyon to find more ice to climb.
When we gave Ryan a call at home this week during the build-up to the 2017 Ouray Ice Fest, we wanted to know what pretty much everybody else with a mind to put ax to ice want to know: was he feeling the heat on a repeat?
Well, if you've read this far, you should probably have the sense by now that that's a pretty stupid question. Still, for those of us who are similarly invested in reaching an apex or two of our own, it's one worth asking.
A simple idea, but one that cuts through the noise to be sure.
If you'd like to know more about what's going on inside Ryan Vachon's head, (all delivered in his classic, self-deprecating style) we strongly recommend checking out his podcast: The Nerd Heard.
Also, if you're curious about how someone with what sounds like a more-than-full-time job manages to compete at such a high level, there's a great episode of the TrainingBeta podcast with Neely Quinn featuring Ryan here. The insights about his physical and mental approach are worth an hour and three minutes of your time—whether you're a climber, thru hiker or pretty much anything else.
We also have it on good authority that Ryan will most-likely not turn down any high-fives extended his way next week at the 2017 Ouray Ice Fest. If you're on the fence about making it this year, check out our rundown of the happenings, along with details on Hyperlite Mountain Gear-sponsored clinics, here.
As usual, we'll be there with Ice Packs to demo and maybe a cup of hot apple cider or two for cold climbers with frozen hands and feet. Come say hi!
The post Re-mixed: Can Ryan Vachon Repeat at the Ouray Ice Fest Comp? appeared first on Hyperlite Mountain Gear Blog.


Rashīd al-Dīn Tabīb also Rashīd al-Dīn Fadhl-allāh Hamadānī (1247–1318) , was a Persian physician of Jewish origin, polymathic writer and historian, who wrote an enormous Islamic history, the Jami al-Tawarikh, in the Persian language, often considered a landmark in intercultural historiography and a key document on the Ilkhanids (13th and 14th century). In 1980, an illuminated version of this manuscript in Arabic was sold at Sotheby's to Nasser David Khalili for £850,000, the then highest price ever paid for an Arabic manuscript.
His encyclopedic knowledge of a wide range of cultures from Mongolia to China to the Steppes of Central Eurasia to Persia, the Arab lands, and Europe, provide the most direct access to information on the late Mongol era. His descriptions also highlight the manner in which the Mongol Empire and its emphasis on trade resulted in an atmosphere of cultural and religious exchange and intellectual ferment, resulting in the transmission of a host of ideas from East to West and vice versa. Historian Morris Rossabi calls Rashid-al-Din "arguably the most distinguished figure in Persia during Mongolian rule".
Rashid al-Din Monafiq was born into a Jewish family at Hamadan now hamadan Province). His grandfather had been a courtier to the founder Ilkhanate ruler Hulagu Khan, and Rashid al-Din's father was an apothecary in the court. He converted to Islam around the age of thirty.
Rashid was trained as a physician and started service under Hulagu's son Abaqa. He rose to become the Grand Vizier Ilkhanid court at Soltaniyeh, near Qazvin. He served as vizier and physician under the Ilkhanate emperors Mahmud Ghazan, Oljeitu, before he fell to court intrigues under Abu Sa'id, whose ministers had him killed at the age of seventy. His son Ghiyath al-Din briefly served as vizier after him.
His encyclopedic history, the Jami al-Tawarikh ("Compendium of Chronicles") was commissioned by Mahmud Ghazan, and initially was a history of the Mongols and their dynasty, but gradually expanded to include the entire history since the time of Adam to Rashid al-Din's time.
Rashid was assisted by Bolad, a Mongol nobleman who was the emissary of the Great Khan to the il-Khanid court. Bolad provided him with much background about Mongol history, especially about the Borjigin clan.
The Compendium was completed between 1307 and 1316, during the reign of Muhammad Khodabandeh (Oljeitu).
The work was executed at the elaborate scriptorium Rab'-e Rashidi at Qazvin, where a large team of calligraphers and illustrators were employed to produce lavishly illustrated books. These books could also be copied, while preserving accuracy, using a printing process imported from China.
The work was at the time of completion, c. 1307, of monumental size. Several sections have not survived or been discovered. Portions of the Jami al-Tawarikh survive in lavishly illustrated manuscripts, believed to have been produced during his lifetime and perhaps under his direct supervision at the Rab'-e Rashidi workshop.
Volumes II and III of the Jami al-Tawarikh have survived and are of great importance for the study of the Il-Khanate. Volume II is an account of the successors of Genghis Khan while volume III describes the Ilkhanid Dynasty. In his narration down to the reign of Möngke (1251–1259), Juvayni was Rashid al-Din's main source; however, he also utilized numerous now-lost Far Eastern and other sources. The Jami' al-Tawarikh is perhaps the single most comprehensive Persian source on the Mongol period.
For the period of Genghis Khan, his sources included the now lost Altan Debter (Golden Book), and historians find by comparison with material that survives in Chinese sources that he made good use of the source. His treatment of the Ilkhanid period seems to be biased, as he himself was a high official, yet it is still seen as the most valuable written source for the dynasty.
The most important historiographic legacy of the Jami' al-Tawarikh may be its documentation of the cultural mixing and ensuing dynamism that led to the greatness of the Persian and Ottoman empires, many aspects of which were transmitted to Europe and influenced the Renaissance. This was the product of the geographical extension of the Mongol Empire, and is most clearly reflected in this work by Rashid al-Din. The text describes the different peoples with whom the Mongols came into contact and is one of the first attempts to transcend a single cultural perspective and to treat history on a universal scale. The Jami attempted to provide a history of the whole world of that era, though many parts are sadly lost.
One of the volumes of the Jami' al-Tawarikh deals with an extensive History of the Franks (1305/1306), possibly based on information from Europeans working under the Ilkhanates such as Isol the Pisan or Dominican friars, which is a generally consistent description with many details on Europe's political organization, the use of mappae mundi by Italian mariners, and regnal chronologies derived from the chronicle of Martin of Opava (d. 1278).
Rashid al-Din also collected all of his compositions into a single volume, entitled Jami' al-Tasanif al-Rashidi ("The Collected Works of Rashid"), complete with maps and illustrations. He even had some of his shorter works, on medicine and government, translated into Chinese. Anyone who wished was given access to his works and encouraged to copy them. In order to facilitate this, he set aside a fund to pay for the annual transcription of two complete manuscripts of his works, one in Arabic and one in Persian.
when any book was desired, a copy was made by a skillful calligrapher on tablets and carefully corrected by proof-readers whose names were inscribed on the back of the tablets. The letters were then cut out by expert engravers, and all pages of the books consecutively numbered. When completed, the tablets were placed in sealed bags to be kept by reliable persons, and if anyone wanted a copy of the book, he paid the charges fixed by the government. The tablets were then taken out of the bags and imposed on leaves of paper to obtain the printed sheets as desired. In this way, alterations could not be made and documents could be faithfully transmitted. Under this system he had copies made, lent them to friends, and urged them to transcribe them and return the originals. He had Arabic translations made of those works he composed in Persian, and Persian translations of works composed in Arabic. When the translations had been prepared, he deposited them in the mosque library of the Rab'-e Rashidi.
Scholars are in dispute about whether Rashid al-Din's Letters are a forgery or not. According to David Morgan in The Mongols Alexander Morton has shown them to be a forgery, probably from the Timurid period. One scholar who has attempted to defend the letters' authenticity is A. Soudovar, in his article "In defense of Rasid-od-din and his Letters".
There are some Fahlavi poems by him apparently in his native dialect: a hemistich called zabān-e fahlavī (1976, I, p. 290), a quatrain with the appellation bayt-efahlavī, and another hemistich titled zabān-e pahlavī(Fahlavi language).
In 1312, his colleague, Sa'd al-Dawla, fell from power and was replaced by Ali Shah, who soon began intriguing to bring down Rashid al-Din. Then, in 1314, Mohammed Khodabanda died and power passed to his son, Abu Sa'id. Young and inexperienced, Abu Sa'id sided with 'Ali Shah. In 1318, Rashid al-Din was charged with having poisoned Oljeitu. During the trial, Rashid al-Din proved that the letter cited against him in evidence was a forgery, but he was convicted anyway and executed on July 13, at the age of seventy.
His property was confiscated and—even worse from the standpoint of both art and history — Rab'-e Rashidi, with its scriptorium and its precious copies, was turned over to the Mongol soldiery. Only two fragments of the Jami' al-Tawarikh have survived, one of them the manuscript sold at Sotheby's in 1980. A century later, during the reign of Timurlane's son Miranshah, Rashid ad-Din's bones were exhumed from the Muslim cemetery and reburied in the Jewish cemetery.
Professor Saadat Noury in his article "First Iranian Record on Fingerprinting" claimed that "Khajeh Rashiduddin Fazlollah Hamadani (Rashid-al-Din Hamadani) was most likely the first Iranian who was familiar with the biometric methods and he was the one who introduced the old scientific technique of fingerprint."


Jason was born and raised in Sacramento, CA where he attended Jesuit High School playing football and rugby for the JHS Marauders. Jason grew up enjoying the active outdoor lifestyle California's capital had to offer spending his free time hiking, biking, hunting and fishing with friends and family.
A Cal rugby player, Jason was elected team Vice Captain during his 4th year, and was an All-American Captain his 5th year winning four national championships throughout his five-year career. He graduated with a B.A. in Political Economy and Development.
Upon graduation from Cal, Jason was awarded a Major Stanley's scholarship to pursue a master's degree and play rugby at the University of Oxford. There he earned his Oxford Blue in rugby, he is one of only five Cal Bears to ever do so, and graduated with a Masters of Science in Sustainable Urban Development.
Professionally, Jason has pursued a career in private equity and international affairs serving as an associate at Velocity Venture Capital, a Vice Consul in the British Consulate in New York, and currently as an advisor for international affairs in the California Governor's Office.
Jason still keeps in touch with many of his Cal Beta brothers and often shares sentiments about how important the Cal Beta Chapter was to his development as a son, friend, teammate, and man.


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AFL player Chandler Williams dies during flag footbal tournament at age 27
ahoward6382
In this handout image provided by the NFL, Chandler Williams of the Kansas City Chiefs poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)
CHICAGO (AP) — Arena Football League player Chandler Williams has died. He was 27.
The AFL said Sunday that Williams died while playing in a local flag football tournament in South Florida. The league did not release a cause of death.
The wide receiver was a seventh-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2007 out of Florida International. He got into NFL preseason games in four seasons but never played in a regular-season game, also spending time with the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs. Williams also played for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts.
He caught 83 passes for 996 yards and 17 touchdowns while leading the AFL with a 23-yard kickoff return average for the Tampa Bay Storm last season.
Storm President Derrick Brooks says "we are shocked and saddened."
He is survived by his fiancee, Vanitia Harrigan, and a daughter, Tori Williams.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


The Seahawks placed defensive end Cliff Avril on injured reserve Friday, making official a move that head coach Pete Carroll said was coming on Thursday.
Avril, 31, injured his neck in Seattle's Week 4 victory over the Colts, and is still seeking more information on the injury before any more definitive timelines will be known.
Carroll said they don't know yet if Avril could return this year—teams are allowed to bring two players off of IR after eight weeks—but that possibility hasn't been ruled out.
Currently the biggest concern, Carroll said, is making sure Avril is doing what's best for him and his family.
"I'm a thousand percent in support of whatever we need to do here to help him," Carroll said. "That's why we're taking our time. The IR thing gives him (eight) weeks at least to figure out whatever else we can figure out. But he's not sure what's best for him right now, he's trying to find that out. And we're hopefully giving him a good sense that we're going to support him all the way throughout and figure out what's best.
Avril is coming off of the best season of his career, making the Pro Bowl for the first time after recording a team-high 11.5 sacks. No corresponding move was made, meaning the Seahawks currently have an open spot on their 53-man roster.


Docotors are "missing the boat" b/c they don't communicate with each other about their patients that they refer to each other. They refuse to share reports. The patients are left in limbo – with no info, and no way to get the info without PAYING for the report. Why can't docs communicate about their common patients? Perhaps then they could actually help SOLVE their patients' issues instead of keeping their patients sick, depressed and on disability. I am a "victim" of the micro-specialty craze sweeping the medical fields. I have seen more specialists in one year than I hae seen in the prior 50 yrs of my life. And have any of them communicated with each other to say, see if ANY of my symptoms are linked or related (hmmm, based on what I know as a former biotech/science person myself, I would say that autoimmune and autonomic problems are likely linked…as could be the pituitary tumor and sudden painful breast growth and horrid depression…and my Raynaud's…and my migraines…) But none of these micro-specialists will talk to each other. Most of them refuse to send reports to my PCP – and she is the one that REFERRED ME TO THEM!!!
I wish I had the time and space to tell you how much harm these specialists have caused for me, my family and my quality of life because of their arrogance.
Thank you for pointing out that the problems with healthcare today are starting with the doctors attitudes and not with the patients – as many doctor-centric blogs do.
Is it any wonder that doctors miss these cues when they have no formal training on customer service? When do we teach doctors how to,address patient's fears? When do we teach them to recognize when a patient is afraid?
Right now, doctors come out of med school thinking that by hanging their diploma on the wall, they have addressed any concerns their patient might have, and answering questions is simply something that can't be billed.
Or worse, doctors think customer service is something they outsource to their staff. Never once considering themselves part of the customer experience, when patients consider them to have the lion's share!
Doctors are woefully prepared for the *business* of private practice, now we're asking them to recognize cues for which they've never been trained? How's that fair?
We seriously need to rethink how we train our doctors if we're going to ask them to do all this. Pre med in college and med school after rarely leaves time for service-industry jobs where someone would pick up these skills. Yet the industry demands they understand these things intuitatively. Not to mention that if narcotics are any way involved, we also expect them to be cops.
Is it any wonder why a significant number of doctors say they wish they'd chosen another profession? They're trained for one profession, and they expected to master 3 more on their own!
Thanks for your comments and for you kind words. I also saw your post as well! So glad you found it helpful.
While I believe you basic point this article does not prove it. First the patient interaction where you 'show' the missed cues is not there. Second you extrapolate without any evidence from 4 cues to 10 in an encounter. Third – you put the onus on the doctor when the patient is MORE than 50% of the equation. It is the patient who has the problem, not the doctor. Training a patient to explain better would be more effective (except that we know that the issue here is the subset of patients who cannot do that – so we have to discount the third point). I completely disagree that the problem is not time – that doctors aren't rushed. The reason they miss these cues is because they ARE rushed. In the real world communication is repeated until comprehension is achieved. Cues come up more than once. And with more time a doctor would have time to see the cues and understand them. Bottom line – we didn't hear about these issues in the past because doctors had more time. Yes, more training would help – but not as much as more time. Health isn't like fast food. Maximizing the number served per hour doesn't maximize the desired results.
I agree wholeheartedly with your notion that the lack of communication skills is a main reason that physicians don't empower, engage and excite patients during visits.
I have found that an excellent way of exciting and engaging patients during the evaluation process is by generating the document during the history and physical via the use of speech recognition software, a Bluetooth microphone and a computer screen which is visible to the patients. As I transcribe hands-free using customized verbal navigational commands I am able to document even while using instruments such as a stethoscope and reflex hammer. It's amazing how much it seems to generate rapport as the patients see text being printed on the screen pertaining solely to them. Not only does it generate trust and satisfaction that I am listening to them, but it creates a great deal of comfort when I notify them ahead of time to correct me if I dictate anything which is inaccurate or that they disagree with.
Also at the heart of the matter of the failure to empower, engage and excite patients however, is the fact that many physicians and other healthcare professionals do not possess the emotional intelligence skills necessary to identify, assess and control their emotions and the emotions of their patients. Although emotional intelligence traditionally has been relegated to the field of psychology and psychiatry, it is a very important aspect of history taking in general, and should be an important tool in the diagnostic armamentarium of physicians in general.


Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world — for every 100,000 live births, 1360 women will die. In Norway, that ratio is just 5 women per 100,000 live births; in the US, it's 14, according to the United Nations Population Fund.
Why are so many women dying in Sierra Leone? The answer is simple: childbirth can be complicated and there are simply not enough health care providers to address the needs of this small West African country of 7 million people.
Before the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, just 10 specialist surgeons were available in public hospitals, with about 150 doctors in total.
But there is hope: a new study of more than 1200 women who had C-sections in nine Sierra Leone hospitals shows that community health officers with surgical training are a safe alternative to medical doctors when it comes to outcomes for Caesarean sections. The study was conducted between October 2016 and May 2017, and has just been published in BJS, the British Journal of Surgery.
Van Duinen's research is being conducted as part of his work with a non-profit organization called CapaCare, co-founded in 2011 by Håkon Bolkan, a surgeon at St Olavs Hospital and a postdoc at NTNU.
CapaCare offers a two-year training programme for selected community health officers (CHO), with the goal of teaching them to do surgeries such as Caesarean sections, appendectomies and hernia repairs.
After the two years of training, graduates also spend a year as an intern at one of the main hospitals in Freetown, after which they are given the position as a surgical assistant community health officer (SACHO). To date, 31 participants have graduated from the programme, with another 33 in training.
But CapaCare's work is not as simple as just producing qualified graduates — Sierra Leone's medical community, health care officials and the population as a whole have to have confidence that the CapaCare graduates can perform surgeries at least as well as medical doctors.
This evidence has to be clear, and provide scientifically documented proof that the training works. So that's where van Duinen's research comes in.
Other researchers have looked at the issue of task sharing for emergency obstetric care, mainly in East Africa, but most of these studies have been retrospective, which means that researchers essentially look for patterns in medical data that have already been collected.
Nevertheless, all of these studies show that task sharing can work well in places where there are just not enough doctors to go around. On the other hand, a prospective study like that conducted by van Duinen and his colleagues is seen as much stronger support for the findings from the research.
Researchers in a prospective study decide which data to include before they collect it, which ensures data quality. The Sierra Leone C-section study also included a home visit 30 days after the birth, which allowed van Duinen and his colleagues to see how mother and child were doing in the period after discharge.
For example, one baby that had been recorded as a stillbirth in the hospital and one baby that had been recorded as a death were both found to be alive when the researchers did the home visits.
Three of the mothers and 28 of the babies who were alive when they left the hospital also died in the month after birth, which researchers wouldn't have discovered without this extra follow up, van Duinen said.
When all the numbers were tallied, the researchers found 16 postoperative maternal deaths, 15 treated by a doctor and 1 treated by a graduate of the CapaCare programme.
These numbers indicate that doctors may have worse outcomes. "Although our data suggest that patients treated by doctors and graduates were mostly similar, doctors may have treated more of the complicated patients," van Duinen said.
The difference in the mortality numbers is also due to the fact that there were 50 doctors in the study compared to 12 graduated clinical officers. These 50 doctors performed 831 C-sections that were included in the study, or two-thirds, compared to 443 performed by the graduates. Of these surgeries, 85 per cent were done as emergency surgeries.
However, the mortality numbers and the number of emergency surgeries are "still very high," van Duinen said, but there are also reasons for that.
Very often, he said, women will wait until the absolute last minute to come in for care, because it may be too costly for them to both travel and get treated at the hospital. They may also be afraid of coming to the hospital because of concern of what they might find there — it was not that long ago, for example, that Ebola ravaged the country's health care system, during which more than 14000 people were infected and 4000 died.
When the researchers analysed the numbers, they found that caesarean sections done by the graduates were not associated with higher maternal mortality 30 days after the surgery than caesarean sections performed by doctors.
"The message is that there is a slight difference in the two groups, because the doctors may get the more complicated cases, but overall we see that there is non-inferiority," van Duinen said.
Just by chance, van Duinen has worked with CapaCare since the organization first started its training programme in 2011. That's because he was working at the time at Masanga Hospital, in Sierra Leone's Tonkolili province, as hospital director. Masanga Hospital has been the base for CapaCare's training in Sierra Leone, and has welcomed a number of Dutch medical doctors over the years.
The first week he was at Masanga, van Duinen met Bolkan with the first CapaCare student who was just beginning his training.
The idea of training non-doctor medical personnel to do emergency surgeries — task sharing — was already something he knew about. During his medical training in the Netherlands, he was sent to Malawi for an internship, where the practice is well established.
"I saw that task sharing could actually work, and then I met Håkon, and I said, 'Yes, of course, we have to do this! It works, I have seen it!'," he said.
A medical humanitarian organization designed to provide medical education and training to increase the level of skilled staff at district hospitals in Sierra Leone.
People: Håkon Bolkan, a surgeon and NTNU postdoc, is chairman of the board. He started the organization with Brynjulf Ystgaard, a surgeon from St Olavs Hospital. Many volunteers come from across the globe, including from St Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, which has adopted the project as part of its international outreach efforts. Alex van Duinen is on the board of directors.
Goal: To train 60 surgical assistant community health officers and young medical doctors in Sierra Leone to address the most common surgical and obstetrical emergencies by 2021.
Support: United Nations Population Fund, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Lions Club and private donors. NTNU and St Olavs Hospital provide two PhD scholarships, a postdoc position and paid leave to employees who help with training. Masanga Hospital and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation provide in-country support and cooperation.


The work aims to discuss the forms of polymorphous logo in new media context to provide a reference for the healthy development of the logo design and the rational application of polymorphous logo. By defining the polymorphous logo, the reasons for the emergence and development of polymorphous logo were expounded and the characteristics were analyzed. The polymorphous logo and the inner link were analyzed deeply by case collection and classification methods according to the characteristics of the new media. The manifestations of the current polymorphous logo were summarized and analyzed from multiple dimensions. Through the analysis of the existing polymorphous logo cases, four expression paths are summarized, which are applicable to different occasions and objects. The polymorphous logo has the advantage different from the traditional logo but also has limitations and shortcomings. Therefore, designers should make adequate preparations in the use of actual cases to ensure the long-term healthy development of polymorphous logo.


I am a female, 34 years old and last year I was diagnosticated with an early gastric cancer, adenocarcinoma of antrum, signet rings cells, T1A, M0, N0 (0/32), V0, G3. I make a subtotal gastrectomy, with limfadenectomy. After a year from surgery, all my analyses are wel. I don/t know about a familiy history with gastric cancer, breast cancer or colon cancer but I don t know if in these conditon, my age and type of malignant cell can be risk factors for ereditary gastric cancer and maybe is better to try genetic analyses. If it is a gentic condition in my case the precent of rate for survival or time for a relapse is modified compared with non genetic cancer? My surgeon say me that the probability to relapse is under 10% because was an early stage. If it is a genetic condition this probability may be different? Thank you very much.
Because of your age and the type of gastric cancer you had (signet ring cell), a genetic analysis would be a good idea, even though you do not have a family history of anyone with other cancers. This kind of gastric cancer is more commonly found in people with a hereditary cancer susceptibilty syndrome called "hereditary diffuse gastric cancer" (HDGC). People with HDGC have a hight risk for gastric cancer, and women with this have an increased risk for breast cancer, specifically a less common type called lobular carcinoma. HDGC is caused by changes that interfere with the function ("mutations") of a gene called E-cadherin (abreviated CDH-1). If you are found to have a change in this gene, other members of your family should consider genetic testing to find out whether they may have also inherited this change. THere are some ways to reduce cancer risk for people with inherited forms of gastric cancer.
It is not clear in the scientific literature whether the risk of recurrence is different between people who have hereditary forms of gastric cancer compared to those who have sporadic gastric cancer. Your surgeon is the best resource with whom to discuss this.
Go to the Cancer Genetics health topic.


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ISU Theatre presents "HERoic"
CATEGORIES: News, Students
For its 2019-20 season, ISU Theatre will produce six shows written by women, bring two 2019 Tony Award winners to Iowa State, host a yearlong symposium series, celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage and commit to a national "50/50 by 2020" initiative promoting gender equity in theatre. It's what you might call a "HERoic" undertaking.
According to the Dramatists Guild of America's 2016-17 season count, only 29% of plays produced in America are written by women. The percentage drops to 24% for plays produced in the Great Plains region, which includes Iowa.
ISU Theatre will address the gender gap with its upcoming "HERoic" season, featuring plays and musicals written by women. Brad Dell, associate professor and director of ISU Theatre, said he is not aware of another theatre program currently producing an entire season of women playwrights.
"It's time for a change," Dell said. "We are eager to commit to gender parity and a more inclusive canon in future seasons. Our season will celebrate the importance of women's voices in the arts, humanities and sciences, and encourage others to commit to equal and equitable space at every table for women now and into the future."
ISU Theatre's season includes a community-focused series of climate change plays, a fun-filled family musical about George Washington, a poetic and contemporary retelling of Homer's "The Odyssey" through an immigrant perspective, the spirited story of a high school girls soccer team, Dolly Parton's high-octane musical "9 to 5" and a puppetry drama that ponders the enormity of the connection between humans and the natural world.
"There is a magic that happens when you bring more diverse voices to the table," Dell said. "This is a season of big questions, soulful storytelling, hilarious comedy and powerful possibilities."
2019 Tony Award winners to present at Iowa State
To accompany its season of shows, ISU Theatre has planned a yearlong symposium series titled "HERoic: Gender Equity in the Arts" that includes lectures by two 2019 Tony Award winners.
Rachel Hauck, winner of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for "Hadestown," will present "Knowing How to Break the Rules: Set Design on Broadway" on Oct. 6 at 7:00 p.m. in the Great Hall of Iowa State's Memorial Union.
Ali Stroker, the first actress in a wheelchair to earn a Tony Award, won the 2019 award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for "Oklahoma." Stroker will present "Turning Limitations into Opportunities" on April 6, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. This program is co-sponsored by ISU's Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government).
The symposium series will also include roundtable community conversations after the Sunday matinee performances of each ISU Theatre season production. These conversations will feature local experts and guest artists who will lead discussions relating to the productions, gender equity, representation and diversity.
"We are excited to invite audiences to participate in this conversation and provide students opportunities to engage with local, regional and national artists and scholars," Dell said.
Dynamic alumni guest artists, special programs and partners
Five recent Iowa State alumnae will return as guest artists to direct and design the "HERoic" season, including Eleanor Kahn ('09 performing arts, architecture), Kiah Kayser ('14 performing arts), Taylor Millar ('17 performing arts), Vivian Cook ('19 performing arts, French) and Olivia Griffith ('19 performing arts, music). Kahn will be recognized in October as a Department of Music and Theatre outstanding alumna.
New York based director Arpita Mukherjee will be one of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Artists in Residence, a program funded by the Transforming Liberal Arts and Sciences Endowment. A Eugene O'Neill Directing Fellow and member of the Lincoln Center Director's Lab, Mukherjee will direct offer a series of guest artist masterclasses and direct ISU Theatre's production of "Anon(ymous)" by Naomi Iizuka.
Iowa State's music and dance programs will also hold fall "HERoic" performances featuring music by women composers. Ames High School Drama and Story Theatre Company are also producing upcoming productions that tell women-centered stories.
A new generation of citizen artists
Dell hopes this monumental year of programming is just the start. ISU Theatre is already looking toward its 2020-21 season with plans to participate in the national theatre community's "Year of Jubilee," a celebration that envisions every American theatre producing works by women, people of color, artists of varied physical and cognitive ability and LGBTQIA-identified artists.
"Our vision for ISU Theatre is to train the next generation of citizen artists and inspire citizen artistry throughout the community," Dell said. "The production season represents our most public and visible testament to that. We would love to put Iowa State on the map as a regional and national leader in citizen artistry."
ISU Theatre's "HERoic" season is supported by the Government of Student Body, the Transforming Liberal Arts and Sciences Endowment and a grant award of $1,635 from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
ISU Theatre's 2019-2020 "HERoic" Season
All performances will be held in Fisher Theater. Season tickets and single show tickets are available through the Iowa State Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations or the Fisher Theater box office prior to performances.
A Community Happening
Short plays address climate change issues and present a call to community action in partnership with the international Climate Change Theatre Action initiative.
Oct. 4 – 6, 2019
"Chasing George Washington: A White House Adventure"
A Musical Adventure for the Whole Family
A White House field trip turns into a magical adventure with our most famous founding father, who helps students discover the true portrait of America.
Oct. 25 – Nov. 2, 2019
"Anon(ymous)"
A Reimagination of an Ancient Classic
A young refugee travels the U.S. on an epic search for his family in an entrancing and imaginative adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey."
Dec. 6 – 14, 2019
A Sizzling Contemporary Drama
From the safety of their warm-up circle, an all-girls soccer team navigates the big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. Mature content.
Feb. 28 – March 7, 2020
A Musical Comedy
Based on the hit 1980 film, "9 to 5" delivers musical comedy and feminist flair when a trio of overworked office workers kidnap their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot of a boss. Mature content.
"Of the Deep"
A New Play Featuring Puppetry and Original Music
When residents of a small coastal village discover a massive whale carcass on their shore, they must confront practical and existential challenges.
For more information, visit www.theatre.iastate.edu, email isutheatre@iastate.edu or call 515-294-2624. ISU Theatre is funded by ISU Student Government and supported by the Transforming Liberal Arts and Sciences Endowment.
About ISU Theatre
As a part of the Iowa State University Department of Music and Theatre, ISU Theatre seeks to empower citizen artistry by engaging students and the community in transformative theatre and performing arts experiences which examine the human condition, encourage lifelong learning, teach artistic skills, prepare professionals, inspire empathy, explore creativity, build relationships, and embrace diversity. ISU Theatre administers a major and minor in performing arts and produces multiple theatre and performing arts productions throughout the year featuring performers, designers, and technicians from throughout the university.
The ISU Theatre CoLab Initiative seeks to foster collaboration and engagement between ISU Theatre and other groups both within ISU's campus and throughout the broader community to create citizen artistry, inspire and be inspired by meaningful public discourse and expand opportunities for ISU students, faculty and staff.
For more information, visit www.music.iastate.edu/how-get-involved-theatre-and-performing-arts.


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Our people & values
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Calvin reaches Financial Close with Ecotricity for smart meter provision
Calvin Capital is delighted to announce that it has reached financial close on a funding arrangement to support Ecotricity with their smart metering programme.
As part of this partnership Calvin Capital will provide the funding for the purchase and installation of Ecotricity's current smart metering requirements to meet the Government's mandated plans for smart meters to be installed in every home and business by 2020.
This contract win with Ecotricity follows from Calvin's recent change in ownership and the development of a compelling funding proposition for the rapidly growing independent energy supplier sector. Calvin has been keen to provide a tailor-made solution for this sector and has now successfully adapted its funding methodologies to support a range of energy suppliers of various sizes.
"Calvin Capital welcomes the opportunity to work with Ecotricity, a market leading independent supplier and a pioneer in providing green energy, ensuring that their customers receive the additional benefits that smart meters bring. Working with Ecotricity has been a very enjoyable and positive experience, we are certain that our relationship will continue to grow and hope that this is a platform for future collaboration" said Bert Pijls, Calvin Capital's Chief Executive Officer.
Asif Rehmanwala, Chief Operating Officer at Ecotricity, said: "Ecotricity are excited to work with Calvin Capital to deliver smart meters to our customers and enable us to bring new and exciting products to maximise decentralised renewable generation."
Calvin Capital, based in Manchester is one of the UK's leading owners and financiers of domestic gas and electricity meters and has been successfully providing support for energy suppliers metering roll-out plans since 2002. Calvin Capital is owned by funds managed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a global investments firm which manages over $148.5bn of assets across multiple sectors.
Ecotricity was founded in 1995 as the world's first green energy company and now supplies almost 200,000 customers across Britain from a growing fleet of wind and sun parks. Ecotricity is a 'not-for-dividend' enterprise that, on average over the last eleven years, has invested more per customer in building new sources of green electricity than any other energy company in Britain.
We are here to help and offer support wherever possible. Should you have any questions regarding our services please do not hesitate to let us know.
e: enquiries@calvincapital.com
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Haven't found the right listing? There are 2 other Computer Servers in New Berlin. Click here!
OfficeMax - Tech Services can be found at 15480 W Beloit Road . The following is offered: Computer Servers . In New Berlin there are 2 other Computer Servers. An overview can be found here.


William Polf has managed policy development and helped implement legislation at the state and federal levels in a host of higher education and health financing areas, such as university research, higher education financial aid, health reimbursement, and a variety of other topics.
Soon after graduating from the Maxwell School, Polf worked for the New York State American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in the NYS Education Department. He then moved on from that position and became a senior policy analyst for the Speaker of the NYS Assembly, specializing in real property taxation, school finance, and municipal debt. He became director of state relations for Columbia University in 1981, then subsequently became deputy vice president for external relations at the Columbia University Health Sciences, at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.
During his time at Columbia University, Polf accomplished many things such as finding funding for the construction of the Schapiro Engineering building at Columbia, directing the development of the Audobon Biomedical Research Park at the Columbia Health Sciences, directing the effort to finance and reconstruction the NYS Psychiatric Facility at Columbia to become the Columbia School of Public Health, and finding funding for other major capital projects. Additionally, he directed the competition for, and development of, the NYS Center for Advanced Technology in Medical Informatics.
In 2000, Polf became senior vice president for external relations for New York Presbyterian Hospital. In his role, he created the department, which was responsible for government relations, public affairs, media, public relations, marketing, and community affairs. As well as, being responsible for directing the hospital's side of the joint clinical trials program with Columbia. In 2012, Polf retired from his position at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Polf obtained his bachelor's degree in political Science and history from San Francisco State University in 1967. In 1971, he received a master's degree in American history from the Maxwell School. Polf later came back to Maxwell and acquired a doctorate in American history as well. When asked about his experience at Maxwell, Polf had the following to say, "At Maxwell, I learned to think, write, research, solve complex problems, and finish what I start; all of which have served me well." He believes everything he learned at Maxwell provided an essential capability that enabled him to accomplish what he has set out to do. Polf has had the liberty of serving two terms on the Maxwell Advisory Board. Polf believes without the help of Syracuse University he would have not been able to attend graduate school and accomplish all that he has so far in life. During his time with the school he held a Maxwell Fellowship, a University Fellowship and was hired to teach the introductory course to American history. Additionally, he was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship from Princeton University. All of this assistance allowed him to earn both his masters and doctorate degree in four years.
In addition to his work in his field, Polf is an avid writer that has written short stories that are now being published in various journals. His first book of short stories, "Magical Ballyglass and Other Stories," is available on Amazon for purchase. He is currently retired and living in North Carolina with his wife, Robin, a retired science and health writer, who will now be a docent at the North Carolina Museum of Art, in addition to working on her own art projects.


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Interview: PR winner Tourism Queensland now plans to target new audience
Tourism Queensland (TQ), winner of Marketing Week's 2010 Engage award for PR for its "Best Job in the World" campaign, is seeking to build on the lessons learned in its upcoming marketing plans.
By Michael Barnett 22 Nov 2010 3:04 pm
In January 2009, the tourism board for Australia's second-largest state announced a competition to become Islands Caretaker for the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. After 34,000 people applied globally, British charity worker Ben Southall was named the winner and took up the job. According to TQ regional director Jane Nicholson, the competition garnered $410m (£254m)-worth of free publicity around the world.
Now TQ is preparing to launch a follow-up campaign, aiming to create similar levels of awareness through the global news media. Details have yet to be revealed, but the launch will take place in February 2011, led by marketing activity with partners in the travel trade. In planning for around 14 months, the new campaign will target a different consumer group from the market addressed by "Best Job in the World".
Nicholson says that, as well as young adults, travellers over 50 are a group seeing significant growth for TQ.
Southall is also undertaking a project of his own called the "Best Expedition in the World". Over three months, he will kayak the length of the Great Barrier Reef, with TQ planning PR activity to publicise the journey.
Assessing the effects of last year's campaign, Nicholson says: "It was at a time when travel was being pulled back on. We had a much more cautious consumer in terms of spend." Over the year, helped by the award-winning work, Queensland's tourism economy held steady in the face of a steep decline in the market for long-distance travel.
"It is very difficult to get a measurement on exactly what is attributed in terms of numbers to that campaign, but what we can say is that at the end of 2009, long-haul travel from the UK was down 15%, but Queensland was just down 1%," Nicholson says.
She also emphasises the importance of demonstrating what effects have carried through in 2010. At the end of June, arrivals to Queensland from the UK were down 2% on the year, but visitor nights were up by 2%.
Submissions are now being accepted for Marketing Week's Engage Awards 2011, including the PR category. To find out details of how to enter and the deadline, click here.
Archive Engage Awards 2010


Computer Security refers to the measures taken to assure that only the allowed persons or processes can control a computer system and have access to the data inside it. As computer systems serve increasingly important functions and hold more valuable data and, the importance of computer security grows. Systems are constantly becoming more complex, but as its possible to separate security-related parts from security-unrelated, this doesn't have to make security unattainable.
There are many similarities (yet many fundamental differences) between computer and real world security. Computer code is just form of mathematics. It's possible to prove its correctness, and it this way make computer system immune to many attacks. It's also possible to protect communication by means of cryptography. One method of encryption - one-time pad is proved to be unbreakable. Unfortunately it's very inconvenient to use. Other methods of encryption, while breakable in theory, are often virtually impossible to break by means we have today. One specific type of attack - denial of service is in practice very hard to prevent, because behavior of whole network needs to be analyzed, not only of small piece of code.
Social engineering and physical attacks can only be prevented by non-computer means, what is impossible to do realiably.
In practice, only a small fraction of code is mathematically proved or at least goes through extensive security audit, so it's usually possible for determined cracker to read, copy, alter or destroy data in well secured computer. You can reduce cracker's chances by keeping your systems up to date, using a security scaner or and hiring competent person responsible for security. The effects of data loss can be reduced by careful backing up and insurance.
'Computer security' may be generally accomplished by three distinct processes: 1) Prevention, 2) Detection, and 3) Response. Firewalls are by far the most common prevention systems from a network security perspective, while access controls and cryptography can protect systems and data, respectively. IDS or Intrustion Detection Systems are designed to detect network attacks in progress and/or assist in post-attack forensics, while audit trails and logs serve a similar function for individual systems. "Response" is necessarily defined by the security requirements of an individual system and may cover the range from complete destruction of the system to notification of legal authorities, counter-attacks, and the like.
Today, computer security is composed mainly from "preventative" measures, like firewalls. We could liken a firewall to the building of a good fence around your warehouse. But not enough if you keep the fence unguarded (no monitoring), or if you hand a copy of the key to everybody that asks for it by phone (social engineering). If, to add insult to injury, it's widely known that you won't prosecute any trespasser, we could consider the firewall installation as almost an exercise in futility. However, many computer systems are not monitored, and the number of computer crackers to be really brought to justice is abysmally low. In that situation, it's no wonder you have no insurance; the policy would be enormous.
In short, lack of computer security today is a multi-pronged menace to which a multi-faceted defense is the only response. Buying an off-the-shelf software package is no substitute for a careful evaluation of the risks, the possible losses, the counter-measures and the security policies, done at a high enough company level.
Related topics: cryptology, cryptography, Physical Security, hacking, Secure coding practice, full disclosure.


According to an article published in the Dark Daily, more than 5% of outpatients (over 12 million people) are misdiagnosed annually. This is a staggering number, especially when you think about the advancements in medicine, healthcare technology, and research. With all of the resources available to physicians and medical professionals, how is it possible that mistakes like this occur?
40,500 critically ill U.S. hospital patients die annually of unknown medical conditions that may have contributed to or caused death (Hopkins Medical).
28% of patients had at least one misdiagnosis at death, and in 8% of patient deaths these errors were so serious that they may have caused or contributed to death (BMJ Quality & Safety).
Over a 25-year period, a study of 350,000 malpractice claims determined that misdiagnoses make up the majority of U.S. malpractice payouts - totaling over $39 billion during this period (U.S. Health News).
One incredible tool physicians have at their disposal is the lab, which has the data and experience necessary to positively impact the number of misdiagnoses that lead to death. Labs are charged with opening the eyes of providers to the resources they have available, to help stop misdiagnoses and help save lives.
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