I found a trig (maybe) in Jindabyne, with tall four metal legs and a corrugated iron top vein, but the plaque underneath says Survey Mark. It has been put there by the Snowy Mountains Hydo. It looks like a trig, but I guess it isn't. Does anyone know about this?
Pending someone who knows better, a trig point will always be associated with a survey mark, however survey marks can be independent of a trig point. As far as I can tell a TS is a trigonometrical station so this looks like it's a survey mark associated with a TrigPoint. I would create a TP listing for this.
Have a look at The Surge Trig TP5375 which is similar to this one & has a SSM near it.
A search for TS1308 on the NSW SIX maps shows a TP that is located out in the Riverina and searching SIX maps for PM1308 and SSM1308 both returned locations up in the Walcha area. I confirmed the PM and SSM location on the NSW SCIMS website. Coupled with "Snowy Mountains Hydro Electrica...." being written on it reinforces, for me at least, that it is not a NSW TP. Looks to me to be a survey point put in by Snowy Hydro.
P.S. NSW SIX maps are very helpful for finding trigs.
It not being a NSW Trig some people will say don't list it as a Trig Point, I on the other hand think it is a trig just not one listed by NSW.
We have one in Tassie that isnt a 'real' trig as it was placed by HEC (Hydro Electric Commission) https://geocaching.com.au/cache/tp0831 but it is a metal marker set in stone and it's at the top of a hill.
Do what you feel and see what people think, if there are views from GZ it's work sharing one way or another.
As far as I can tell the SMA (Snowy Mountain Hydro Authority) placed several hundred of these stations most but not all of which were registered with the NSW Land Dept, such as for instance TS7398SMA1322 instead of a name the SMA ident number was used.
I don't doubt that this is a Trig and was used as such. I would speculate that only the trigs useful after construction was finished were registered to check for land subsidence in the area.


Lavishness and breathtaking studs of a mere ten sparkling nearly white large, rose cut diamonds. Will work wonderful for both elegant everyday wear and perfect for going out. Add the long cool dangles for a playful look.


? can be used as a masturbator or sleeve. Hollow and grooved inner. Smoky-black. Complete length approx. 13 cm, penetration depth. 10 cm, inner depth 11.5 cm. Outer Ø 3-5.5 cm, inner Ø 1.8 cm (flexible). Material: TPE, phthalate-free according to EU Regulation REACH.


Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD is a general name given for a group of symtptoms that describe what's going on in your dog's bowel. It is known by many other names too. If you've come to this page you already know that what's goin' on, isn't good! Right?
Here are some common symptoms associated with dogs who have an irritable or inflamed bowel.
There are many reasons why a dog might have an irritable or inflamed bowel.
Your vet may determine that your dog has low red blood cells indicating anemia, and/or high white blood cells indicating infection. The type of bowel inflammation your dog is experiencing is determined by what type of white blood cells are found.
Folate is a B vitamin that must be broken down in the small intestine. If this is not happening properly, testing will show low levels of folate. Your dog is having a hard time absorbing nutrients due to inflammation. If folate levels are high, it means that the bacteria needed for the absorption and utilization of some B vitamins is growing out of control creating a situation known as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth.
Cobalamin is another B vitamin. If levels are low it means that digestion is not working properly. If levels are high this can also affe ct the Pancreas creating a condition known as Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency.
If the condition of inflammation in your dog's bowel is allowed to continue for long enough, the damage done to the intestinal wall will lead to a condition known as Leaky Gut. The bottom line is, Inflammatory Bowel Disease in dogs, is serious. It's serious and very distressing for your dog. Think about how you would feel if your bowel was hot, red, burning and painful and everything you ate just ran right through you and out the other end!
Your dog's digestive system needs to be healthy from top to bottom. Good health depends on it. If you suspect that your dog has an irritable bowel, or have received a diagnosis of Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease, now is your opportunity to take charge of it yourself. You can help your dog at home in a gentle, natural way that will restore health without the use of drugs.
Olive is a cute as a button, Minature Pinscher who was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Olive's non furry Mom, contacted me for help. I am happy to report that Olive has recovered. We switched food, added some healing herbs and supplements, adjusted when necessary and... time did the rest.
Read the email below received from Olive's non furry Mom.
Olive and I have been really great. Her poops are completely firm and normal, and very small. No tummy sounds, less scratching and her teeth are miraculously cleaner than they used to be when she ate kibble. She recently celebrated a birthday, so I threw her a little party. Since she couldn't have anything from a dog bakery, I made her a tiny raw turkey tartare with egg and shredded carrots. She also got a new sweater. How cute is she?!
Thanks so much for checking on her.
Go ahead! Sign up for our newsletter below! We won't send you any junky garbage, just great information.


Influence attitudes and take action in the local or global communities.
St. Margaret's is registered as an Eco-Congregation and is working its way towards an Eco-Congregation award.
Our Eco-Congregation Co-ordinator is Jan MacDonald.


Copper is an excellent source of conduction, which, in cooking, translates to fast heat-up times and consistent temperatures. Matfer's Bourgeat collection is made with copper exteriors and nonreactive stainless steel interiors that won't impart any flavor. Compatible with virtually all heat sources (minus induction), the pans are a great complement to most kitchen ranges. They come in two different sizes and are fitted with cast iron handles that won't overheat.
Note: At checkout, choose the 9.5-inch (base price) or 11-inch (+ $15) pan.
Estimated ship date is Jan 17, 2019 PT.
Creative Cookware. Code Extra15 gets you added discount. No PST if shipped out of province. Sales seem to rotate - last week the Mauviel was $30 cheaper and I waffled, bought today despite the price increase. (I paid $329 minus 15% plus 5% tax).
Where did you buy the Mauviel for $294 CAD shipped including taxes?
Just bought the same pan (2.5 mm copper with SS interior and cast iron handle) made by Mauviel (who is probably the OEM here) for $294 CAD shipped including taxes. Far better price. The 11" price isn't terrible though. Copper as a commodity is expensive and these are heavy pans!


Since my battle series people have been sending me Doom and Diablo gifs up the Wazoo. So once I get them all posted I'll get to work on battle series #2.
These four are all from Doom I believe. You can usually tell because Doom has guns and Diablo doesn't. Although I reserve the right to mix them all up in my upcoming battle gifs.
The modern day Minotaurs Maze.
My Grampa used to say "Never bring a knife to a gunfight" This is pretty much what he meant.


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Q: Azure REST Service Cost Is there any cost associated in sending API calls to the service endpoints mentioned at the following URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/azure/ provided by Azure using Postman?

A: No, there's no cost associated with calling these APIs (at least API calls to manage Azure Resources Control Plane). However, please keep in mind that there's a limit on how many API calls you can make. You can read more about those limits here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-manager-request-limits.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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National Fund for Sacred Places
Arts in Sacred Places
NYC Dance
Past AiSP Projects
Nordic Churches Project
Central Appalachia
North Carolina Halo
Capital Campaign Management
Shared Space / Adaptive Reuse
The 2020 Religious Architecture & Art Awards
Professional Alliance
Publications and Guides
Transitioning Older and Historic Sacred Places
Economic Halo Effect
Endangered Sacred Places
Fundraising Guide
Community Outreach Guide
Repair & Maintenance Guide
Exemplar Stories
Economic Halo EffectAllison King2021-10-19T14:55:48-04:00
A 2016 study by Partners for Sacred Places quantified the economic impact of congregations stewarding older and historic properties.
Economic Halo Effect of Sacred PlacesSM
An economic valuation tool created by Partners for Sacred Places that calculates the "economic halo effect" of congregations. A study, conducted by Partners for Sacred Places with Ram Cnaan, Director of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice, found that the average urban historic sacred place generates over $1.7 million in economic impact annually.
In addition, this research affirms that:
Congregations employ, on average, 5 full-time and 6 part-time staff
Each sacred place is a magnet for visitors, attracting 780 visits each week with only 11% of visits for worship and 89% of visits for other purposes
87% of the beneficiaries of the community programs and events housed in sacred places are not members of the religious congregation
In 1996, with the support of the Lilly Endowment and other funders, Partners for Sacred Places conducted the first scientific study in which the contributions of congregations housed in historic and older buildings were quantified. Conducted in Partnership with Dr. Ram Cnaan and the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice, this study, Sacred Places at Risk, found that an average urban congregation creates over $140,000 per year in value through the contribution of volunteer time; space at below market rates; and cash and in-kind donations to community-serving programs. The study also found that four of five individuals who visit a given sacred place are beneficiaries of the sacred place's programming rather than members of the congregation.
Sacred Places at Risk established a new methodology for documenting the public value of congregations and led to a new course of study, which was inaugurated by Dr. Cnaan's book, The Newer Deal: Social Work and Religion in Partnership, and further validated with the publication of The Invisible Caring Hand: American Congregations and the Provision of Welfare and The Other Philadelphia Story: How Local Congregations Support Quality of Life in Urban America.
Though groundbreaking, Sacred Places at Risk and subsequent works did not attempt to quantify all of the ways that congregations impact their communities. The Economic Halo Effect of Historic Sacred Places does.
In 2010, Partners was funded by the William Penn Foundation to test the concept of an expanded methodology. Partners again collaborated with Dr. Cnaan and the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice to craft a comprehensive approach to quantifying the public value of congregations. The pilot, conducted in Philadelphia, sought to take into consideration factors such as area spending and support for local businesses; building maintenance costs; visitor spending; activities that promote community economic development; the impact on individuals' lives; and values inherent to religious properties (green space and recreation space).
Based on an extensive review of available, academically vetted methodologies, the team identified nearly two-dozen quantifiable measures of economic impact relevant to congregations stewarding historic and older sacred places, and assembled a singular methodology to pilot in Philadelphia. The results of this pilot were published in 2013 in the scholarly, peer-reviewed Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion.
With funding from the Lilly Endowment and the McCormick Foundation, Partners built upon the pilot by undertaking a larger study. This study differed from the first in that it included a greater number of congregations (ninety), and congregations were selected at random from three large cities (Chicago, Philadelphia, and Ft. Worth). The results were published in November of 2016, and are available here.
The results of The Economic Halo Effect of Historic Sacred Places prompted the creation of The Economic Halo Effect of Sacred PlacesSM, a tool that is being used to calculate the economic impact of congregations throughout the United States.
Interested in calculating The Economic Halo Effect of your congregation or group of congregations? Partners for Sacred Places offers Halo assessments for one congregation, a cluster of congregations or even a full judicatory.
READ THE PRESS RELEASE: NEW "ECONOMIC HALO EFFECT" RESEARCH FINDINGS REVEAL CIVIC VALUE OF AMERICA'S SACRED PLACES
DOWNLOAD THE ECONOMIC HALO EFFECT OF HISTORIC SACRED PLACES
DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE SACRED PLACES AT RISK REPORT
Partners' Sites
Faith & Form Awards
Nordic American Churches

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


These past few weeks have been a bit slow in the sense of 'I'm not at the shop as frequently as busy wedding season'. But if you know me, I have two tiny humans - both 1 year old (until Abel turns 2) next week. So slow sense of life is not even a thing. (Ha) It's crazy, full, & fun. if you could see my heart right now, you know it's bursting- with all the kinds of joy getting to be home with my hunnies for a good chunk of the week.
Working from home with little babies means late (and I mean late) nights, because that nap time- time slot is filled up fast - you know with dishes & laundry.. I'm slowing morphing into my late night loving business partner; coming from the 9pm bedtime gal. But, in this season- it's working. By the time my 'in shop' work days come, I'm ready to get to work & get creative in that way- with my favorite r&r gals!
In relation to my life, I can look back & see how much I've grown. Especially in these roles of business ownership & motherhood over the last few years.
But there are times when I've felt dry in my creativity & tired in my roles. Although it's all a blessing, burnout shows no mercy.
And, also times where I gave myself time to just be watered; to take a real day off, soak in to my sweet family, read, praise god, ride my bike, play in the garden, and learn more about my craft. all things that give me life & make my heart happy.
which in turn, make me THRive!
By doing this, really feel the effect of growth. To see it play out & reflect on how important it is for self care. As wives, mamas, business owners and women we are pouring out a lot of ourselves. usually for others, which is a beautiful yet exhausting thing. - our to do list is ever growing. With these roles naturally come those responsibilities.
for me, I want to be intentionally walking into this next season of Spring & wedding season, with a reminder to take time to be watered. to not wait til i'm bone dry to do so. To make time for myself & the things that bring me true joy, because with that life is lived & lived well.


Upon waiting for atleast some time, Vivo has finally launched their latest addition to their V5 lineup, the V5 Plus, a selfie-centric phone which is really anticipated due to its two front-facing cameras that can give you the bokeh effect on your selfies.
Though this is a "Plus" version of the Vivo V5, the screen remains the same size (5.5″) and they instead focused, on the inside features and hardware. The V5 Plus gets two front-facing cameras, an improved rear camera, a Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor, that runs on Vivo's Funtouch OS 3.0 on top of Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). Moreover, the design looks like an iPhone, except for the home button down there.
The Vivo V5 Plus is now available on any Vivo PH stores and is priced at Php19,999. This set comes with a free gift (headphones and Little V speakers).


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ALDRICH, William
45th (1877–1879), 46th (1879–1881), 47th (1881–1883)
ALDRICH, William, (father of James Franklin Aldrich and cousin of Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich), a Representative from Illinois; born in Greenfield Center, Saratoga County, N.Y., January 19, 1820; attended the common schools and the local academy; taught school until twenty-six years of age; moved to Jackson, Mich., in 1846 and engaged in mercantile pursuits; moved to Wisconsin and settled in Two Rivers, Manitowoc County, in 1851; continued mercantile pursuits and also engaged in the manufacture of lumber, woodenware, and furniture; superintendent of schools 1855 and 1856; chairman of the county board of supervisors 1857 and 1858; member of the State house of representatives in 1859; moved to Chicago, Ill., in 1861 and engaged in the wholesale grocery business; member of the Chicago City Council in 1876, serving as chairman; elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1883); unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1882; resumed his former business pursuits in Chicago and was also interested in the milling business at Fond du Lac, Wis., where he died, while on a business trip, December 3, 1885; interment in Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, "ALDRICH, William," https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/A/ALDRICH,-William-(A000086)/ (January 20, 2021)


In Paris in December 2015, national governments as parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will meet to negotiate a new climate agreement. One of the catalysts for success in these negotiations will be the issue of technology and particularly technology transfer. Practical Action makes the case for Technology Justice to be a central principle in the new agreement. Climate-related risk is accelerating and only by providing the poorest and most vulnerable with access to the technology they need will this be reversed. This briefing paper introduces how poor and vulnerable people need to benefit from technological change. Not as mere recipients but as equal partners in its design, development, and implementation. Technology Justice can enable communities to make the transformational change required where adaptation is too late. The technology of tomorrow needs to respond to the very real challenges of today. At the United Nations in September 2015 the global community pledged to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve this we will need a holistic approach to development, one that positions Technology Justice, Loss and Damage, and adaptation as mutually supportive components that build the resilience of the poorest to the growing threat of climate change.


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"Does Air Pollution Play a Role in Infertility?: a Systematic Review" (2017), by Julie Carré, Nicolas Gatimel, Jessika Moreau, Jean Parinaud and Roger Léandri
In 2017, Julie Carré, Nicolas Gatimel, Jessika Moreau, Jean Parinaud, and Roger Léandri published "Does Air Pollution Play a Role in Infertility?: a Systematic Review," hereafter "Does Air Pollution Play a Role," in the journal Environmental Health. The authors completed a systematic literature review to investigate the effects of air pollutants on fertility in exposed populations.
Subject: Publications, Reproduction
Estrogen and the Menstrual Cycle in Humans
Estrogen is the primary sex hormone in women and it functions during the reproductive menstrual cycle. Women have three major types of estrogen: estrone, estradiol, and estriol, which bind to and activate receptors within the body. Researchers discovered the three types of estrogen over a period of seven years, contributing to more detailed descriptions of the menstrual cycle. Each type of estrogen molecule contains a slightly different arrangement or number of atoms that in turn causes some of the estrogens to be more active than others.
Subject: Theories, Reproduction
Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt (2016)
In the 2016 case Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, the US Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the Texas requirements that abortion providers have admitting privileges at local hospitals and that abortion facilities meet ambulatory surgical center standards. Whole Woman's Health represented abortion care providers in Texas and brought the case against the commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services, John Hellerstedt.
Amenorrhea as a Menstrual Disorder
Amenorrhea is considered a type of abnormal menstrual bleeding characterized by the unexpected absence of menstrual bleeding, lasting three months or longer. Menstrual bleeding typically happens approximately once a month when blood and endometrial tissue, or tissue lining the inside of the uterus, sheds from the uterus through the vagina. Menstruation is expected to stop with pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause, or the natural cessation of the menstrual cycle at an older age.
Medical Vibrators for Treatment of Female Hysteria
During the late 1800s through the early 1900s, physicians administered pelvic massages involving clitoral stimulation by early electronic vibrators as treatments for what was called female hysteria. Until the early 1900s, physicians used female hysteria as a diagnosis for women who reported a wide range of complaints and symptoms unexplainable by any other diagnosis at the time. According to historian Rachel Maines, physicians provided pelvic massages for thousands of years to female patients without it being considered erotic or sexually stimulating.
Subject: Reproduction, Technologies, Ethics
Albert William Liley (1929–1983)
Albert William Liley advanced the science of fetal physiology and the techniques of life-saving in utero blood transfusions for fetuses with Rh incompatibility, also known as hemolytic disease. Due to his advances, fetuses too young to survive premature delivery, and likely to die in utero if their Rh incompabilities were left untreated, were successfully transfused and carried to term. Liley was as passionate as a clinician and researcher as he was about his views on the rights of the unborn.
"The Familial Factor in Toxemia of Pregnancy" (1968), by Leon C. Chesley, et al.
In the 1950s and 1960s, researchers Leon Chesley, John Annitto, and Robert Cosgrove investigated the possible familial factor for the conditions of preeclampsia and eclampsia in pregnant women. Preeclampsia and eclampsia, which are related to high blood pressure, have unknown causes and affect at least five percent of all pregnancies.
Subject: Reproduction, Experiments, Disorders
An Atlas of Fertilization and Karyokinesis of the Ovum (1895), by Edmund Beecher Wilson
Edmund Beecher Wilson in the US published An Atlas of Fertilization and Karyokinesis of the Ovum (hereafter called An Atlas) in 1895. The book presents photographs by photographer Edward Leaming that capture stages of fertilization, the fusion of sperm and egg and early development of sea urchin (Toxopneustes variegatus) ova, or egg cell. Prior to An Atlas, no one photographed of eggcell division in clear detail. Wilson obtained high quality images of egg cells by cutting the cells into thin sections and preserving them throughout different stages of development.
Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes (1880-1958)
Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 15 October 1880 to Charlotte Carmichael Stopes, a suffragist, and Henry Stopes, an archaeologist and anthropologist. A paleobotanist best known for her social activism in the area of sexuality, Stopes was a pioneer in the fight to gain sexual equality for women. Her activism took many forms including writing books and pamphlets, giving public appearances, serving on panels, and, most famously, co-founding the first birth control clinic in the United Kingdom.
James Marion Sims's Treatment of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula
James Marion Sims developed a treatment for vesico-vaginal fistulas in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1840s. Vesico-vaginal fistulas were a relatively common condition in which a woman's urine leaked into her vaginal cavity from her bladder, and many regarded the fistulas as untreatable during the early 1800s. After years of efforts to repair the fistulas with myriad tools, techniques, and procedures, Sims developed the speculum and a vaginal examination position later named for him.
"Elective Induction of Labor" (1955), by Edward Bishop
In 1955, obstetrician Edward Bishop, a physician specializing in childbirth, published the article "Elective Induction of Labor," in which he proposed the best conditions for pregnant women to elect to induce, or begin, labor. Elective induction of labor requires an obstetrician to administer a drug to help a pregnant woman to start her contractions, and to rupture the fluid-filled sac surrounding the fetus called the amniotic sac.
Subject: Reproduction, Publications
William Smellie (1697–1763)
William Smellie helped to incorporate scientific medicine into the process of childbirth in eighteenth century Britain. As a male physician practicing in childbirth and female reproductive health (man-midwife), Smellie developed and taught procedures to treat breech fetuses, which occur when a fetus fails to rotate its head towards the birth canal during delivery. Throughout his career, Smellie compiled a wealth of information about female anatomy in his writings. He modified medical technology such as the obstetrical forceps, an instrument used to maneuver the fetus during childbirth.
Robert Geoffrey Edwards's Study of Fertilization of Human Oocytes Matured in vitro, 1965 to 1969
Robert Geoffrey Edwards, a British developmental biologist at University of Cambridge, began exploring human in vitro fertilization (IVF) as a way to treat infertility in 1960. After successfully overcoming the problem of making mammalian oocytes mature in vitro in 1965, Edwards began to experiment with fertilizing matured eggs in vitro. Collaborating with other researchers, Edwards eventually fertilized a human egg in vitro in 1969. This was a huge step towards establishing human IVF as a viable fertility treatment.
James Marion Sims (1813-1883)
James Marion Sims developed a surgical cure for ruptures of the wall separating the bladder from the vagina during labor, ruptures called vesico-vaginal fistulas, and he developed techniques and tools used to improve reproductive examinations and health care for women in the US during the nineteenth century. Sims's lateral examination position allowed doctors to better see the vaginal cavity, and his speculum, a spoon-like object used for increased view into the vagina, helped to make gynecological examinations more thorough.
Charles Robert Cantor (1942- )
Charles Robert Cantor helped sequence the human genome, and he developed methods to non-invasively determine the genes in human fetuses. Cantor worked in the US during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His early research focused on oligonucleotides, small molecules of DNA or RNA. That research enabled the development of a technique that Cantor subsequently used to describe nucleotide sequences of DNA, a process called sequencing, in humans. Cantor was the principal scientist for the Human Genome Project, for which scientists sequenced the entirety of the human genome in 2003.
Harry Hamilton Laughlin (1880-1943)
Harry Hamilton Laughlin helped lead the eugenics
movement in the United States during the early twentieth century.
The US eugenics movement of the early twentieth century sought to
reform the genetic composition of the United States population through
sterilization and other restrictive reproductive measures. Laughlin
worked as superintendent and assistant director of the Eugenics
Research Office (ERO) at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Cold
Spring Harbor, New York, alongside director Charles Davenport.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 established the legal framework that governs infertility treatment, medical services ancillary to infertility treatment such as embryo storage, and all human embryological research performed in the UK. The law also defines a legal concept of the parent of a child conceived with assisted reproductive technologies.
The Baby Doe Rules (1984)
The Baby Doe Rules represent the first attempt by the US government to directly intervene in treatment options for neonates born with congenital defects. The name of the rule comes from the controversial 1982 case of a Bloomington, Indiana infant Baby Doe, a name coined by the media. The Baby Doe Rules mandate that, as a requirement for federal funding, hospitals and physicians must provide maximal care to any impaired infant, unless select exceptions are met. If a physician or parent chooses to withhold full treatment when the exceptions are not met, they are liable for medical neglect.
Isotretinoin (Accutane) as a Teratogen
Isotretinoin is a molecule and a byproduct (metabolite) of vitamin A, and in greater than normal amounts in pregnant women, it can cause fetal abnormalities including cleft lips, ear and eye defects, and mental retardation. Isotretinoin is commonly called by its trade name Accutane, and it's a chemical compound derived from vitamin A, or retinoic acid. Doctors prescribe isotretinoin to treat severe acne. For pregnant women, too much vitamin A or isotretinoin can also cause greater than normal rates of stillbirths and fetal disintegrations after the ninth week of gestation.
US Regulatory Response to Thalidomide (1950-2000)
Thalidomide, a drug capable of causing fetal abnormalities (teratogen), has caused greater than ten thousand birth defects worldwide since its introduction to the market as a pharmaceutical agent. Prior to discovering thalidomide's teratogenic effects in the early 1960s, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not place regulations on drug approval or monitoring as it later did. By 1962, approximately 20,000 patients in the US had taken thalidomide as part of an unregulated clinical trial before any actions were taken to stop thalidomide's distribution.
Cocaine as a Teratogen
Cocaine use by pregnant women has a variety of effects on the embryo and fetus, ranging from various gastro-intestinal and cardiac defects to tissue death from insufficient blood supply. Thus, cocaine has been termed a teratogen, or an agent that causes defects in fetuses during prenatal development. Cocaine is one of the most commonly used drugs in the US and it has a history of both medical and illegal recreational use. It is a drug capable of a wide array of effects on physical and mental health.
Doe v. Bolton (1973)
In the 1973 court case Doe v. Bolton, the US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that a Georgia law regulating abortion was unconstitutional. The Georgia abortion law required women seeking abortions to get approval for the procedure from their personal physician, two consulting physicians, and from a committee at the admitting hospital. Furthermore, under the statutes, only women who had been raped, whose lives were in danger from the pregnancy, or who were carrying fetuses likely to be seriously, permanently malformed were permitted to receive abortions.


Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's untrustable. But no one would've known any of that had happened had we not fought and made that happen.
Naturally, the rest of the House Republicans are outraged: not, of course, at Trey Gowdy for ghoulishly making a political meal out of the bodies of four dead Americans, but at McCarthy for blabbing.
The political press corps is caught in the middle. Lots of those reporters and editors, especially at the New York Times, have been more than willing to peddle Gowdy's "partial-transcript" leaks as if they had news value, and to let Gowdy and his staff hide behind anonymity to defame a political rival. In other words, they've been playing according to the Clinton Rules, which hold that anything a Clinton does is guilty even after it's been proven innocent.
So far, most of that crowd has reacted to McCarthy's stunning admission, which makes them look like fools or scoundrels or both, by ignoring it. But I'm hoping that the second round of stories, with other Republicans commenting on McCarthy's blunder, will start to crack that Wall of Silence. And I'm starting to look forward to Clinton's appearance before Trey Gowdy's inquisition. He might well come out of that experience as no more than a Deuce.
HRC apologizes to Obama for a smear against him by her New Hampshire co-chair. Mark Penn then goes on TV and says "cocaine," just in case anyone had forgotten the substance of the smear.
I'm glad to see that Hillary Clinton has dumped Bill Shaheen as co-chair of her New Hampshire campaign, and apologized to Barack Obama for Shaheen's references to Obama's drug use from college days.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized personally to Senator Barack Obama on Thursday for a top adviser's public suggestion that Republicans would go after Mr. Obama for his youthful drug use.
This came a day after Mike Huckabee apologized to Mitt Romney, a Mormon, for remarks that suggested Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers.
But in the aftermath of the apologies, both the Clinton and Huckabee campaigns kept the original slurs alive through a series of interviews, raising questions about the sincerity of their apologies, especially in the heat of a wide-open campaign with the first voting less than three weeks away.
That seemed to infuriate the others. "This guy just said 'cocaine' again," Mr. Trippi said.
Anyone who is fooled by HRC's assertion that there was no central decision to spread slime about Obama must want to be fooled. A fish rots from the head.
Update Wait! It gets worse.
Clinton didn't mention specifics in the taping of an interview on "Iowa Press" this morning, but drew a contrast with unnamed rivals that echoes Bill Shaheen's now-notorious claim that unexplored elements of Obama's candidacy will make him an easy Republican target.
This appears to be the emerging core of the electability case against Obama: that elements of his public record and — unspoken — his private past, could scuttle what should be a Democratic sure thing, and that he is untested by real partisan combat.
"Whoever we nominate will be subjected to the full force of the Republican attack machine, and I know that they know I know that and I have no illusions about what this race will entail," she said.
I repeat: from the head.
Second update Speaking of going negative … err, "comparative" … Paul Loeb has some comparisons between the conduct of Obama's "Leadership PaC," for which HRC has criticized him, and her own conduct. Bottom line: if Hillary hadn't been such a money hog, spending $40 million to run virtually unopposed and transferring $12 million to her Presidential campaign &#8212 if, that is, she'd acted like Edwards and Obama, who raised money for and gave money to other campaigns nationwide &#8212 Democrats could have picked up a bunch of extra seats in the House and at least one in the Senate.


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Bar Tour Attractions In Italy
1. Sunflower Santa Margherita Ligure
2. Playa El Flamingo Marina Di Camerota
3. Harvest Pub Bologna
4. Taverna Azzurra Palermo
5. 3Divino Cinisi
6. The Hidden Pub Florence
The history of the Jews in Italy spans more than two thousand years. The Jewish presence in Italy dates to the pre-Christian Roman period and has continued, despite periods of extreme persecution and expulsions, until the present. As of 2007, the estimated core Jewish population in Italy numbers around 45,000.
7. Bar L'angolo delle Grazie Anversa Degli Abruzzi
8. Caffe Milano Riccione
9. Statale 53 Vedelago
10. Tiki Beach Turin
This is a list of observatory codes, or IAU codes, with their corresponding astronomical observatories. The Minor Planet Center – a service of the International Astronomical Union – assigns for each registered observatory a 3-digit code in the range 000 to Z99. The code serves as a unique identifier for observations taken of hundreds of thousands of minor planets and thousands of comets orbiting in the Solar System. More than 197 millions such astrometric records exist. This list is based on MPC's periodically published and revised List Of Observatory Codes. Over time, the number of astronomical observatories worldwide has been growing constantly. As of October 2018, this list contains 2095 observatory codes published in MPC's official list.The registry is limited to observatories whic...
11. Colosseum Pub Crawl Rome
12. Schezzini.it Venice


I know. More peaches. This time, Peach Ice Cream from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop. We had so many peaches from the farmers market two weeks ago that not only did we make the Peach Crostata, but we also made this ice cream and ate it on top the crostata plus we still had peaches for breakfast!
I was a little apprehensive about this recipe because it uses sour cream and past ice creams we have made with sour cream as an ingredient have not impressed us. Happily, this one did. The sour cream flavor was not too noticeable and it really brought out the taste of the peaches.
The other reason for my apprehension: no eggs. Usually, I do not like homemade ice cream unless it is a cooked custard recipe.
I like this ice cream a lot. It has a wonderful peach flavor without being too peachy and it is a pretty light ice cream. My only complaint is that while it scoops nicely into a bowl or on top of the crostata, as soon as I sink my spoon into it, it crumbles. It doesn't detract from the flavor, but I'm not sure how I feel about crumbly ice cream! I am thinking the crumbling might be because of no eggs, but I could be wrong. While this is a very tasty peach ice cream, next time I might be tempted to find a peach ice cream recipe with eggs.


text:
Q: Create empty text node in DOM Document How can we create an empty node in a DOM document without getting java.lang.NullPointerException while writing XML files with Transformer?
I am writing an XML Document with some nodes possibly with empty values using element.appendChild(documnet.createTextNode(nodeValue));
Here this nodeValue could be an empty String or lets say null or empty value, then how could we force it to write this empty text node like <emptyTextNode/> or <emptyTextNode><emptyTextNode>
If I just simply write this node with an empty value, Transformer throws NullPointerException, while transforming the Document to XML.
This nullpointer exception needs to be avoided and allow this empty node in output XML anyhow condition.

A: If you are using Java SE org.w3c.dom you will only get NullPointerException if you append a null child. If you append no child or an empty text node you will get an empty element, but not a NullPointerException.
For example, suppose you create these elements in a DOM:
Element root = doc.createElement("root");

Element textNode = doc.createElement("textNode");
Element emptyTextNode = doc.createElement("emptyTextNode");
Element emptyNode = doc.createElement("emptyNode");
Element nullNode = doc.createElement("nullTextNode");

textNode.appendChild(doc.createTextNode("not empty")); // <textNode>not empty</textNode>
emptyTextNode.appendChild(doc.createTextNode(""));     // <emptyTextNode></emptyTextNode>
// emptyNode: no child appended                           <emptyNode />
nullNode.appendChild(null);                            // null child appended - causes NPE!!

root.appendChild(textNode);
root.appendChild(emptyTextNode);
root.appendChild(emptyNode);
root.appendChild(nullNode);

Only the nullNode causes NullPointerException. To avoid it, you should guarantee that nodeValue is not null, but it can be an empty string.
If the line that causes NPE is commented, the result will be:
<root>
  <textNode>not empty</textNode>
  <emptyTextNode/>
  <emptyNode/>
  <nullTextNode/>
</root>

A: Well, I found my mistake here,
I am using element.appendChild(documnet.createTextNode(nodeValue)); to write the empty or null value to node. Which is not correct.
I should simply just create the Element and leave it like this without attempting to write null as TextNode value. Since empty or null can never be a TextNode.
So, I have to be extra careful in my code and avoid trying to write null values.
In other words, check the value first, if it's not null then only write as TextNode otherwise simply write the Element and leave it to be interpreted by the serializer while transforming.
Element childElem = document.createElement("Child");
rootElement.appendChild(childElem);

Now if some String is not null then only,
childElem.appendChild(document.createTextNode(someString));


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text:
Q: Obtaining value based in two rows in pandas as new row I have dataframe with genes:
    pName     genotype  feture
    person_1    TT    feature_1
    person_1    TY    feature_2
    person_1    YY    feature_3
    person_1    TY    feature_4
    person_2    TT    feature_1
    person_2    TT    feature_2
    person_2    YY    feature_3
    person_2    YY    feature_4

And I have collection of some ills. Most of them based on one genotype for example:
IF feature 1 == YY interpretation =  RED
IF feature 1 == TY interpretation =  BLUE
IF feature 1 == TT interpretation =  Green

I wrote pandas code for that:
data.loc[(data['feture'] == 'feature_1') & (data['genotype'] == 'YY'),'interpretation'] = "RED"
data.loc[(data['feture'] == 'feature_1') & (data['genotype'] == 'TY'),'interpretation'] = "BLUE"
data.loc[(data['feture'] == 'feature_1') & (data['genotype'] == 'TT'),'interpretation'] = "Green"
etc. (3x 10 feauters)

So I got:
     pName     genotype  feture  interpetation
    person_1    TT    feature_1  Green
    person_1    TY    feature_2  ...
    person_1    YY    feature_3
    person_1    TY    feature_4
    person_2    TT    feature_1  Green
    person_2    TT    feature_2  ...
    person_2    YY    feature_3
    person_2    YY    feature_4

but I have problem for based on two genes features.
For example:
IF feature_3 == YY interpretation =  RED
IF feature_4 == TT interpretation =  BLUE

but additionally:
(IF feature_3 == YY) & (IF feature_4 == TT) interpretation =  R/B

And as U can see I need to add new row for each person who has feature3 and feature4.
Final dataFrame will be looks that:
     pName     genotype  feture  interpetation
    person_1    TT    feature_1  Green
    person_1    TY    feature_2  ...
    person_1    YY    feature_3  RED
    person_1    TY    feature_4  BLUE
    person_1    YYTY  new_feature_34     R/W    #new feature based on two others
    person_2    TT    feature_1  Green
    person_2    TT    feature_2  ...
    person_2    YY    feature_3  BLUE
    person_2    YY    feature_4  BLUE
    person_2    YYYY  new_feature_34     W/W    #new feature based on two others

SO IF:
(IF feature_3 == YY) & (IF feature_4 == TY)

I added new row with:
person, both genotypes and combine names and interpretation. As in example.
And I have no idea how can I do it by pandas. I tried to found a solution but I didn't.
I solve my problem by pure python:
1) creating list of persons.
2) For Iterate on df and check two features for each person.
3) add new feature to dataframe: person + CAT(genotype1, genotype2) + newFeatureXY + interpretation
But it sooo slow if I have more than 1000 person.
It's possible to do that in pandas?

A: You can use a groupby and apply here to build the new lines, and then append them to the dataframe. But as the function building the new lines is not trivial, I would declare it explicitely:
def feat34(x):
    y = (x['feture'] == 'feature_3') & (x['genotype'] == 'YY')
    z = (x['feture'] == 'feature_4') & (x['genotype'] == 'TY')
    if y.any() and z.any():
        return pd.DataFrame([['YYTY','new_feature_34', 'R/B']],
                            columns=x.columns[1:])
    else:
        return None

data = data.append(data.groupby('pName').apply(feat34).reset_index(
    level=0)).sort_values('pName')

with the sample data, it gives:
      pName genotype          feture interpretation
0  person_1       TT       feature_1          Green
1  person_1       TY       feature_2            NaN
2  person_1       YY       feature_3            NaN
3  person_1       TY       feature_4            NaN
0  person_1     YYTY  new_feature_34            R/B
4  person_2       TT       feature_1          Green
5  person_2       TT       feature_2            NaN
6  person_2       YY       feature_3            NaN
7  person_2       YY       feature_4            NaN

A: You can generate new column 'feature_genotype' and use groupby and apply as Serge Ballesta suggested:
import pandas as pd

n = 20_000
name = ['person_']*4*n
name = [p + str(i//4) for i, p in enumerate(name)]
df = pd.DataFrame({'pName': name,
                  'genotype': ['TT', 'TY', 'YY', 'TY']*n,
                  'feature': ['feature_1', 'feature_2', 'feature_3', 'feature_4']*n,
                  'interpretation': ['Green', '...', 'RED', 'BLUE']*n})

def fill_values(x, new):
    v = x.feature_genotype.values
    if 'feature_3_YY' in v and 'feature_4_TY' in v:
        new.append({'pName': x.name,
                            'genotype': 'YYTY',
                            'feature': 'new_feature_34',
                            'interpretation': 'R/W'})

df['feature_genotype'] = df.feature + '_' + df.genotype
new = []
%time df.groupby('pName').apply(lambda x: fill_values(x, new))

Wall time: 1.19 s

So, for 80000 dataset it takes 1.19 sec. It's also important for drop duplicates, because apply sometimes process the first group twice:
new = pd.DataFrame(new)
new = new.drop_duplicates()
df = df.append(new).drop('feature_genotype', axis=1).sort_values('pName')

But actually, I suggest it would be more comfortable to process this df with one row per each unique 'pName' creating columns for each unique value of the other columns.


text:
Category: Best writers are under 40
NYT: Best Writers Under 40; Readmill Shutters; How We Read/Share News
NYT Best Writers Under 40
This is just one more reason why I'm glad I stopped reading the NYT almost altogether about five years ago. The NYT and Guardian UK are claiming that the best writers are, indeed, under the age of 40. Guardian even titles its post: "Let's Face It, After 40 You're Past It." And the NYT actually said: "They often compose their best and most lasting work when they are young," among other things that will make most sane people cringe. So Randy Susan Meyers did a little research in an effort to disabuse these idiots at these publications and she came up with a list of 41 authors all over 40. Bravo!
I tried to resist writing this — especially after my plea against categorizing authors. Plus, so many of us hide our age in this world of never-get-old, unearthing this information, even in our Google-ized world, was difficult.
I can tell you from over 20 years experience that I don't think it's possible to tell when a writer is peaking. John Irving has been around since I studied his books in college and he wrote the best book of his career last year…In one Person…that won awards. Once again, yet one more reason to stay away from the NTY altogether. And many authors over 40 won't even show you what they wrote before 40.
You can read the list of 41 who are over 40 here. And there's an easier post with the list here…no ads.
Thank you, Randy Susan Meyers for spotting this and putting the list together.
And one thing is both ironic and for certain: the idiots who wrote these articles clearly have not reached their best moment in time.
Readmill Shutters
This is interesting because we've been seeing what we thought were other established online businesses shutter and close all month. Now Dropbox just acquired Readmill and is doing away with it.
"Readmill's story ends here," writes Henrik Berggren, co-founder & CEO of Readmill on the company blog. "Many challenges in the world of ebooks remain unsolved, and we failed to create a sustainable platform for reading. For this, we're deeply sorry. We considered every option before making the difficult decision to end the product that brought us together."
You can read a full final letter from Readmill here.
For those who never heard of Readmill, here's a good description from their web site.
I think we're entering a new phase, and only the strongest will last. Hint to authors: if you haven't already done this, you might want to look into indie publishing to have that back up plan if your publisher or small e-press doesn't stick around. It would be a shame for an author with a following and a decent readership to be rendered helpless because a press couldn't figure out how to survive. When you're an author you're in business for yourself. I know it's nice to be part of a team of authors with a small e-press at times. But they only look at you as part of a team, not as an individual.
How We Read/Share News
This article talks about how Americans share news stories, and how often they do it.
The graphic features new research that delves into American news consumption. According to the survey, 60 percent of Americans read or watch 3 to 10 news stories a day. The research also revealed that 56 percent of those surveyed still pay for a print news subscription and 68 percent of those people subscribe to a local newspaper.
I don't know anything about the company that did this survey, but I have a feeling someone who owns stock in the print newspaper business. I could be wrong about that, but it doesn't make sense to me on just a small scale. It states 60% still read newspapers. The only people I know who still read print newspapers are all over seventy. Many are computer illiterate. And just locally we've lost all our print newspapers completely and we can't even get local news anymore unless we go online. And then there's a cost factor. Newspapers aren't cheap anymore; online news sources are in most cases free as of right now. So there's something not right about this particular survey. I hope it wasn't done at Shady Pines Rest Home.
But there are a few interesting things about sharing news. And I do think the TV stats are accurate. Most of us still do look to TV for news.
NYT sucks
Randy Susan Meyer
survey on reading and sharing news
writers over 40
ma<


Volunteers are more than simply an extra pair of hands. They bring special skills, are trusted service delivery partners, and can extend your connections with diverse communities far beyond your agency's doors. They are also key financial contributors, donating ten times more than non-volunteers.
Join us and learn where to strategically invest effort throughout the volunteer lifecycle and make the most of community involvement.
Our presenter, Tobi Johnson, is an internationally recognized expert and thought leader in the field of volunteer management. In this free webinar, she will share seven fundamental best practices to attract qualified supporters and keep them coming back for more.
Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA is an internationally recognized author, speaker,thoughtleader in the field of volunteer engagement. She is the President of Tobi Johnson & Associates, a consultancy that helps nonprofits of all sizes strengthen their volunteer strategy, and Chief Engagement Officer of VolunteerPro, an online learning and networking community for leaders of volunteers.
Tobi is also a contributor to Volunteer Engagement 2.0: Ideas and Insights for Transforming Volunteer Programs in a Changing World, edited by VolunteerMatch.org and published by Wiley & Sons in May 2015. She shares insights and evidence-based strategies to attract, inspire and mobilize top volunteer talent through Tobi's Volunteer Management Blog.


The Clambake is the premier fundraising and networking event of The American College Penn Mutual Center for Veterans Affairs. Now in its fifth year, The Clambake is transforming the lives of our Active Duty service members, Veterans, and their spouses by raising money for full scholarships for professional designations and degree programs offered by The American College of Financial Services. This unforgettable event features thought-provoking, immediately useful content, Broadway-caliber entertainment, and a moving, patriotic award ceremony.
At the heart of the excitement beats the mission of the Center: to provide educational support and career opportunities to men and women who have honorably served in the Armed Forces. The Clambake's generous supporters have allowed more than 100 deserving veterans, active duty members, and their spouses to receive full scholarships to programs offered by The American College.
Another key component of the event is The American College Soldier-Citizen Award ceremony, celebrating the sacrifice, service, and selflessness of its recipient with a patriotic salute. Click here to learn more about the award.
Check out pictures from the 2018 Clambake here.


NOW FREE ENTRY FOR ALL VISITORS!!!
The Tallangatta Farming Expo on April 11th 2019 (organised by the Rotary Club of Tallangatta in North East Victoria) is now in its 26th year, and is looking to increase visitor numbers through the gates in order to give Exhibitors value for money for their site fees.
This years Expo will showcase all things farming, but will place particular emphasis on *sustainable* farming, including small-holding farming, as well as sustainable living.
Exhibits focusing on renewable energy, innovative building materials and more have all been invited, and these will complement the traditional farm exhibits such as machinery, animal genetics, animal fertility, fodder, fencing, soil fertility and much, much more!
This years Farming Expo will also have a more interactive feel, with Exhibitors given the opportunity to run "Tiny Talks Under the Towering Trees" on topics important to them and their clients. In addition to this, Mitta Valley Landcare will run a feature on Biological controls of weeds and vermin, and this will be open to *all* visitors!


text:
Galway midwives seek to improve maternity care
A group of midwives at the University Hospital Galway are hoping to improve maternity care across Ireland and beyond.
The midwives are hoping that midwifery-led care will become more common among women who have what is considered to be a low-risk pregnancy.
According to local news source the Connacht Tribune, 38% of women who gave birth at the University Hospital Galway came through the midwives' clinic.
Clinical midwife at the unit Jennifer Duggan said: "We are really hoping midwifery-led care will become the norm for all low-risk pregnancies."
In April this year, Irish Minister for Health Leo Varadkar announced that a steering group had been appointed to prepare a National Maternity Strategy in Ireland that will "put the needs of mothers, babies and their families at its centre."
The strategy aims to provide pregnant women in Ireland more access to safe and high quality maternity care that suits their needs.
Midwives are now hoping that the National Maternity Strategy, once it has been completed, will help support their vision of increased midwifery-led care.
Research, published in the Cochrane Library into midwifery-led continuity models versus other care options, found that midwifery-led care offered health benefits for women and children.
According to the results, midwifery-led care had "no adverse effects" in comparison to medical-led and shared-led models of care.
To read the research in full, visit the Cochrane website here.
More from MIDIRS
Weight loss surgery can improve fertility, claims study
Midwives' views welcome at NHS Maternity Review
African midwives trained through board game
Roar Conference: Compassion in Maternity Services


One of the most revered names in sf and fantasy, the incomparable Roger Zelazny was honored with numerous prizes—including six Hugo and three Nebula Awards—over the course of his legendary career. Among his more than fifty books, arguably Zelazny's most popular literary creations were his extraordinary Amber novels. The Great Book of Amber is a collection of the complete Amber chronicles—featuring volumes one through ten—a treasure trove of the ingenious imagination and phenomenal storytelling that inspired a generation of fantasists, from Neil Gaiman to George R.R. Martin.
A science fantasy that can be in \"either\" sci-fi or fantasy.
Hugo nominated science fiction novel, originally published in serial form in Analog Science Fiction. The book is dedicated to Isaac Asimov.
Conrad Nomikos has a long, rich personal history that he'd rather not talk about and a job he'd rather not do. Escorting an alien grandee on a tour around a shattered post-nuclear war Earth is not something he relishes, especially when he becomes central to an intrigue determining Earth's future.


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Travelling is the only thing you buy and makes you richer, that's why in Despegar you can find travel promotions and several payment alternatives, such as credit card or cash. Choose your favorite!
Whether before traveling or when you're at your destination, you can check the info and the status of your reservations by entering My Trips from the web or the app. Manage changes, make the web check-in and much more!
How to buy at Despegar?
In Despegar you can buy everything for your vacations very easily. First, enter the information of your trip in the search box. Compare among hundreds of options and choose the one you like best from the Buy button. Upload the passengers' information, select your payment method and complete the required information. Take advantage of the Despegar promotions! Finally, click again in Buy and that's it! You'll receive your vouchers by mail so you can start enjoying your trip.
To buy your trip in Despegar you must have the identity document number, the name, surname and date of birth of each of the passengers. Before traveling, check the detail of your reservation in My Account to know the visas and vaccinations required in the country where you're travelling to. This includes the stops, connections, tours and strolls you make during your trip. If a children travels alone or accompanied, s/he must have a compulsory authorization to leave the country.
Can a purchase be modified or canceled?
In Despegar you can manage the change or cancellation of a reservation, although note that some providers or rates don't allow it or charge an additional cost to do so. In flights, hotels and cars, you can only make changes with the same provider. You can also cancel a reservation for all or some of the passengers. What you can't do is change ownership to another person, that's, yield your reservation. Remember to check the change and cancellation policies of your reservation in My Account.
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In gardens and allotments all around the country, there's one plant that will almost certainly be flourishing this summer - every gardener's favourite, the tomato.
From top celebrity gardeners to old Bob down the allotment, we're all be sowing the distinctive tomato seeds over the next few weeks in the hope of improving on last years' crop, maybe trying new varities and even testing out one of the many tomato-based products on the market.
And make no mistake, there are lots of support frames, watering systems and fertilisers which almost guarantee a bumper crop of bright red, blemish free tomatoes - in fact, wading through the mass of products can prove very confusing.
It really is a one-stop tomato shop, as we've even got seeds -organic, of course - to help you on your way!
What with these products and an online visit to Sarah Raven or our Kitchen Garden - where, incidentally, you'll find tips on how we've used these products (two growbags instead of one with the A-Tom frame means greater root growth) - you can't go wrong!


text:
Home CRIME Exclusive Details Of How US Govt Busts Nigerian Gov's Senior Aide, Rufai, In N312 Billion Unemployment Scam
Exclusive Details Of How US Govt Busts Nigerian Gov's Senior Aide, Rufai, In N312 Billion Unemployment Scam
As the likes of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Asisat Oshoala shatter global records to cast Nigeria — whose image has been starkly soiled — in a positive light and correct the world's perception about her citizens, a small group of individuals appear to be in a constant overdrive to stifle these efforts.
One of them, Abidemi Rufai, is a senior special assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, who this week, put Nigeria in the global hall of shame.
Unsatisfied with his riches and core of questionable jumbo perks that come with his political office, Rufai's greed drove him during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, to harvest the Social Security numbers and other personal information of over 100 US citizens which he then used to file bogus claims for unemployment benefits from the Washington state Employment Security Department (ESD).
Between March and August 2020, according to the office of the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, the 42-year-old Nigerian politician, under the alias Sandy Tang, received well over $350,000 (about N140 million) as proceeds of the fraudulent claims.
The funds, he later transferred to different accounts using 'Green Dot,' an online payment system while also using 'money mules' to mail some to Jamaica and New York addresses of his relatives.
Statement from the office confirmed the suspect evaded security systems at the ESD making use of a simple feature of Google's free Gmail service.
Rufai who owns a sports betting organisation named Ecobet, is widely regarded as a "young business turk, philanthropist; gregarious and enterprising dude."
Before his appointment as Special Duties aide in 2020, he has resided in Lekki, Lagos, for donkey's years as neighbour and business associate of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state.
In 2019, Rufai made an unsuccessful run for a legislative seat in the Nigerian House of Representatives with the slogan "Ready and Committed to Serve with Trust and Ethics."
Rufai's Eleventh Hour Arrest At The Airport
Rufai was picked up by the operatives of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last Friday at the New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, just before fleeing the country for Lagos, Nigeria, via Royal Dutch Airlines flight KL644.
The suspect appeared before a federal court Saturday on fraud charges with a detention hearing held for him yesterday, Wednesday.
Andrea Desanto, FBI special agent in charge of Rufai's case, said the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington issued an arrest warrant commanding the suspect be taken into custody on May 14, 2021, for flouting Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 (wire fraud).
His arrest came nearly a year after the ESD temporarily halt unemployment benefit payments having discovered criminals used stolen social security numbers to file for federal and state unemployment benefits payments.
Rufai was also connected to potential unemployment related fraud across Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
FBI tracked him down through a single Gmail account he had used to file 102 claims for unemployment benefits with the harvested personal identities of Washington residents.
Court documents showed that in January, Google was issued a warrant from a federal court, allowing investigators to search Rufai's Gmail account which led to the unraveling of over 1,000 emails used for the stolen benefits.
Emails containing bank and credit card numbers, birth dates and other personal identifying information, images of driver's licences, and "a very large volume" of tax returns of U.S. taxpayers were also found in Rufai's possession.
The recovery phone number listed to Rufai's Google account was a Nigerian number matching his 2019 U.S. visa application, and pictures matching his physical appearance in his 2019 visa application were seen in the linked Google Drive account.
Special Agent Desanto while speaking on the suspect's arrest recalled, "On or about May 13, 2021, law enforcement received information that ABIDEMI RUFAI would be boarding Royal Dutch Airlines flight KL644 at John F. Kennedy International Airport ("JFK Airport") in Queens, New York to Amsterdam, with a final destination of Lagos, Nigeria.
"At approximately 7:45 p.m. on May 14, 2021, RUFAI arrived at JFK Airport. Law enforcement officers met RUFAI, who waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak to law enforcement officers without an attorney present. While speaking with law enforcement officers, RUFAI verified his name and date of birth."
"RUFAI'S appearance matched photographs from the defendant ABIDEMI RUFAI's passport and identification cards. I further recognized RUFAI from the defendant ABIDEMI RUFAI's 2019 visa application photograph and from secondary inspection photographs taken by United States Customs and Border Patrol in 2017 and 2020.
Ogun State Govt Reacts
As news of Rufai's arrest by US authorities began to swirl in the Nigerian media, the Governor Dapo led government wasted no time as it immediately issued a statement disowning him.
Kunle Somorin, the state's chief press secretary, said "Our position is that the law should take its course."
"Meanwhile, the governor has ordered his immediate suspension from office to answer charges against him."
Premium Times citing sources within the governor's orbit reported that Mr. Abiodun ordered Rufai's suspension the moment he was briefed about of his arrest.
Rufai Speaks On Allegations
Abidemi Rufai, has in the meantime, denied involvement in all fraud allegations against him.
He spoke through his attorney, Michael Barrows of Garden City, New York, on Tuesday.
Mr Barrows who is currently pursuing a bail for the suspect said he (Rufai) "doesn't represent a flight risk, in part because he has given up his passport."
Premium Times quoted the legal counsel as arguing that his client could be "prevented from fleeing through less restrictive means than having him remain in jail, including travel restrictions and electronic surveillance."
Mr Barrows further maintained that suspects with more egregious allegations are released on self-recognisance.
"You have white-collar criminals [such as] insider traders who steal millions of dollars who are released on their own recognizance," he said.
According to Tessa Gorman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Rufai is looking at potential 30 years in prison, if convicted of the wire fraud charges based on Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 which he is alleged to have violated.
A Recurring Tale
Rufai is just one in a relay of politicians and Nigerians whose greed have cast Nigeria in a bad light.
In February this year, Obinwanne Okeke, listed by Forbes as one of the 100 Most Influential Young Africans, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud.
Fondly called Invictus Obi, Okeke was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at Dulles International Airport while leaving the US over $11 million internet fraud in 2019.
The 33-year-old was jailed for his involvement in a computer-based intrusion fraud scheme that resulted in known losses of $11 million to his victims.
Similarly, a Nigerian Instagram celebrity Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, known as Hushpuppi was busted in June this year along with others for a multimillion-dollar fraud and money laundering.
Hushpuppi and another cyber-heist suspect Olalekan Jacob Ponle (aka Mr Woodberry) were arrested in Dubai, where they lived, by the city's police and extradited to the United States.
At the time of his arrest, Dubai police said they recovered $40m (£32m) in cash, 13 luxury cars worth $6.8m, 21 computers, 47 smartphones and the addresses of nearly two million alleged victims.


2638 CHARLES STREET Vancouver East, House/Single Family | 3148 sq ft | Built: 2007 | Renfrew | 2 Storey w/Bsmt. | 7 beds & 5 baths | List: $1,880,000.
2638 CHARLES STREET Vancouver East was listed on February 5th, 2019, or 73 days ago, 12 years old & located at V5K 3A5 postal code. Lot size: 4191.00 sq ft, or 33.00 x 127 feet lot. Listed at $1,880,000, or $449 per lot square foot.
Service De Garde Le Petit Jardin 13 minutes on , call 778-877-3030.
Good prices for a small convenience pharmacy. I work in the area and stepped in to buy some over-the-counter allergy medication. Turned out to be almost $10 cheaper than Save-on-Foods. Staff was pleasant and friendly.
Excellent service! Went for flu shot with kids and pharmacist was wonderful. Made my kids feel less anxious about shot. Very sweet.
Ocean and Crow Yoga/Space, located just 12 minutes on , call +1 778-706-8805.


text:
Tedaröns naturreservat är ett naturreservat som omfattar ön Tedarö i Enköpings kommun i Uppsala län.

Området är naturskyddat sedan 1979 och är 206 hektar stort. Reservatet består av barrskog på höjder och lövskog längre ner med ek, lind och hassel.

Referenser
Länsstyrelsen: Tedaröns naturreservat

Naturreservat i Enköpings kommun
Naturskyddsområden bildade 1979
Natura 2000-områden i Uppsala län

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


ON appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the county of Washington in the District of Columbia.
This case was argued by Mr. Sergeant and Coxe, for the appellants, and by Mr. Key, for the appellees.


text:
#ifndef _GAMESCREEN_H_
#define _GAMESCREEN_H_

#include <GL/glew.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <glm/glm.hpp>
#include <glm/gtc/matrix_transform.hpp>

#include "World.h"
#include "WorldRenderer.h"
#include "Screen.h"
#include "Text.h"
#include "Rectangle.h"
#include <map>

/*
Main game class
*/
class GameScreen : public Screen
{
private:
	std::unique_ptr<World> world;
	std::unique_ptr<WorldRenderer> renderer;

	Rectangle crosshairs;
	float crosshairsSize;

	// Texts
	Text text;
	Text forceShieldHPtext;
	Text gameFinishedText;

	// Helper booleans
	GLboolean showingInstructions;
	GLboolean showingDebugInfo;
	GLboolean cameraCannonView;

	int windowWidth, windowHeight;

	// Helper map for handling key-down events for GLFW
	std::map<int, GLboolean> heldKeysMap;

	ShaderProgram textShaderProgram;

public:

	GameScreen(GLFWwindow * w): Screen(w) { }
	~GameScreen() { };

	void init();
	void render();
	void update(GLfloat deltaTime);
	void release();

	void updateCamera(GLfloat deltaTime);

	// Input
	void checkGameplayInputs(GLfloat deltaTime);
	void checkMenuInputs();
};

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
More info on Medical imaging
Medical imaging: Quiz
Neuroimaging quiz
Radiology quiz
Functional magnetic resonance imaging quiz
Positron emission tomography quiz
Magnetic resonance imaging quiz
Visualization (computer graphics) quiz
Computer graphics quiz
Medical ultrasonography quiz
Visual perception quiz
magnetic resonance neurography creates detailed medical images of nerves?
videokeratography is a non-invasive medical imaging technique for mapping the surface topology of the cornea?
More interesting facts on Medical imaging
Categories: Image processing | Medical imaging | Medical physics | Nuclear medicine | Radiology
Question 1: This imaging modality utilizes a wide beam of ________ for image acquisition and is the first imaging technique available in modern medicine.
Radiation therapy Nuclear fusion Ionizing radiation X-ray
Question 2: ________ scans on the entire brain can accurately pinpoint hippocampal atrophy rate while PET scans is able to measure the brain's metabolic activity by measuring regional glucose metabolism.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging Medical imaging Magnetic resonance imaging Positron emission tomography
Question 3: The ________ or radiologic technologist is usually responsible for acquiring medical images of diagnostic quality, although some radiological interventions are performed by radiologists.
Radiologic technologist Psychology Dietitian Nutrition
Medical imaging, Positron emission tomography and Nuclear medicine are all:
Article sections to be split from March 2010 Medical physics Radiology Nuclear medicine
Question 5: Short-lived positron emitting isotope, such as 18F, is incorporated with an organic substance such as ________, creating F18-fluorodeoxyglucose, which can be used as a marker of metabolic utilization.
Carbohydrate Fructose Sucrose Glucose
Medical imaging, Magnetic resonance imaging and Positron emission tomography are all:
Medical physics Article sections to be split from March 2010 Nuclear medicine Radiology
Question 7: Measurement and recording techniques which are not primarily designed to produce images, such as electroencephalography (________), magnetoencephalography (MEG), Electrocardiography (EKG) and others, but which produce data susceptible to be represented as maps (i.e.
Nervous system Electroencephalography Epilepsy Neurosurgery
Medical imaging, X-ray and Ultrasound are all:
Article sections to be split from March 2010 Nuclear medicine Radiology Medical physics
Question 9: A typical ________ goes through multiple phases and can take up to eight years.
Medical research Placebo-controlled study Clinical trial Clinical trial protocol
Question 10: ________ (PET) uses coincidence detection to image functional processes.
Positron emission tomography X-ray Single photon emission computed tomography Radiation therapy


Missing individuals from various types of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds in Hemel Hempstead have their own particular purposes behind vanishing and it could be the worry of a troubled family life at home in Berkhamsted.
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Within Hemel Hempstead, kids in child foster care have greater likelihood of getting away from their houses.
Any time kids are put a far-away foster homes, they tend to go away these properties to go back to their particular authentic family members inside Hemel Hempstead.
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text:
3 Tips for Better Android Security
Android is the most popular consumer computing platform in the world, used across billions of phones, tablets, smart TVs and other connected devices. However, its popularity and distinctive structure – under which carriers and manufacturers may heavily modify it – make it a magnet for cyberattacks.
As an Android user, what can you do to stay safe? Let's go through some of the most reliable steps you can take to reduce risk.
In July 2019, security researchers flagged an Android-specific ransomware strain that was typical of the types of threats that often compromise unsecured devices, in that it:
Included links to malicious applications that were not scanned for vulnerabilities by the official Google Play store.
Was delivered via SMS text messages, which are more prominent on Android than on iOS, due to the lack of an equivalent messaging platform to Apple iMessage.
Resembled an advertisement, promising benefits such as free photo uploads or online sex simulation.
The good news is that this particular threat didn't cause widespread harm, due to some intrinsic flaws limiting its efficacy. Still, it's prudent to realize that such dangers exist. As an Android user, what can you do to stay safe? Let's go through some of the most reliable steps you can take to reduce risk.
1. Keep everything (even the type of device you have) up-to-date
Outdated software has long been recognized as a major security liability, as it contains known vulnerabilities that malware can exploit. Just as risky, though, is outmoded hardware.
Every Android phone or tablet has a de facto expiration date, namely a point at which it can no longer receive the latest operating system or application updates. This type of obsolescence is often the result of its hardware capabilities no longer being sufficient to handle the requirements of cutting-edge software.
While there's no hard and fast rule about when Android devices usually become obsolete, it's prudent to think about upgrading if you haven't done so for more than three years. That's usually the timespan after which even flagship Pixel and Nexus devices from Google itself have fallen out of official support.
2. Don't download anything from unofficial app stores
Unlike iOS, Android offers multiple sources from which to download software without having to sideload or go through a similarly complex procedure. Some of these storefronts, like ones maintained by device makers such as Samsung, are safe and can be used in conjunction with or as alternatives to the Google Play store.
Others, though, are more risky. If a storefront isn't affiliated with Google or an original equipment manufacturer (i.e., the company that made the device), it should be avoided. Also, do not download software directly from a website. That's what caused trouble for the victims of the ransomware strain discussed earlier.
Most of the time, you won't have to take any action to stay safe from unofficial stores and unvetted apps. Android devices typically are set to accept software only from Google Play or a store like Samsung Galaxy Apps by default. Simply leave that setting alone to stay safe.
3. Install and run antivirus software
Among mobile operating systems, Android has a unique need for modern antivirus (AV) software. Its relatively open structure and fragmentation across different versions, devices and vendors means that there's potentially many exploitable attack surfaces.
Solutions such as Total Defense Mobile Security provide real-time protection against the most common threats facing Android users. It also includes other features such as the option to lock or erase data on a lost or stolen device.
To learn more, visit the product overview page. You can also take a look at our daily security tips for more advice on how to stay safe.
Android MalwareAppsMobile AntivirusMobile DeviceMobile MalwareMobile Security
Amazon Alexa: privacy concerns and best practices for IoT devices
Defend the Defenseless
Total Defense has been a proud supporter of the National Center for Missing & Exploited children for over 10 years.


text:
Michael Parry experience summary
Michael Parry's CV
IMCL Limited
Case Study: national PFM reform – Tajikistan
Case Study: Public Expenditure Management Peer Assisted Learning (PEMPAL)
Case Study: implementation of IPSAS – Georgia
Case Study: using a participative approach to technical reform – implementing a SAI for Bosnia Hercegovina
Case Study : Public Internal Financial Control – Moldova
Case Study: acquisition and implementation of FMIS and other PFM reforms – the Maldives
Case study: web based PFM open distance learning – Somalia
Case Study: PFM reform including FMIS and establishing sustainable training capacity – Papua New Guinea
Case Study: process approach to PFM reform and bespoke FMIS – Nepal
Case Study: Establishing a professional accountancy body – Bangladesh
Photos of Tajikistan
Photos of PEMPAL events
Photos of Georgia
Photos of Bosnia Hercegovina
Photos of Albania
Photos of the Maldives
Photos of Moldova
Photos of Somalia
Photos of Papua New Guinea
Photos of Nepal
Photos of Bangladesh
Development of Supreme Audit Institution – Bosnia Hercegovina 1998 – 1999
Sarajevo tram in winter
Michael Parry led a team to design and then help establish a Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). This assignment was undertaken soon after the end of the civil war and therefore posed the additional challenges of a post conflict situation.
In the post war situation BiH lacked functioning institutions for either the state or the constituent entities. Furthermore, as a former Soviet Union country there was no tradition of an independent Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) for the public sector. Therefore the first stage was to agree a model and structure for the SAI. The approach adopted was to form a working group of senior representatives from each of the two constituent entities (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Sprska). A series of "policy option papers" were developed for the working group setting out different approaches to establishing and operating an SAI. From these an agreed approach was adopted, based on one SAI for the Joint Institutions of the State of BiH, and one for each of the two constituent entities.
Subsequently the workshop members formed implementaiotn teams to put into practice the policy options. This provided an effective participative approach to implementing technical reforms:
The workshop groups chose between real options – so that they "owned" the policy option selected
Considering policy options and papers presented by the advisers was itself a learning experience for the workshop participants
The teams moved into implementaiotn with the knowledge gained and with decisions to which they had made and hence were committed
Legislation was developed and enacted for the three SAIs, which were then formed. The working group was transformed into an implementation team, which then supported the development of the three SAIs. The objective was to ensure as far as possible consistency of approach. Detailed organisational arrangements, standards (based on INTOSAI standards) and procedures were developed and staff trained.
All three SAIs have become fully functioning and effective institutions generating important and often controversial audit reports.
We have also supported the development of SAIs in Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
A number of lessons have been learnt:
A participative approach to technical reform may appear to take longer, but will always result in more appropriate and sustainable reforms
Individuals can work together effectively on technical issues even in post conflict situations
An SAI can make a significant contribution to improving governance, transparency, and in reducing the opportunities for corruption.
© Copyright Adira Limited 2012.


I don't know why this dish is so addictive for me, but I can make up a batch and eat a serving every day. It's full of B6 and folate, and perhaps that is why. Perhaps it's because I love sour so much. Traditionally served alongside sausages like Brautwurst.
*Acid is key to keeping the deep color of the red cabbage. If you do not use any vinegar (or lemon juice) you will end up with a lavender color.
Brown onions and shallots to caramelize in the fat.
Put all other ingredients except flour into the pot. Cover and simmer until desired tenderness, about 20 minutes. Cook longer til you get it as soft as you want.
FOR PRESSURE COOK: In an iPot pressure cooker, the setting for "Soup" (30 minutes of medium pressure) will yield a very soft cabbage that will begin to fall apart when stirred. Almost too soft for my liking, but still okay. Try 20 minutes of pressure.
Adjust salt. Pepper to taste.
It is not necessary to thicken, but you can. Try 1 Tsp. whole grain flour such as spelt, kamut or wheat. Sprinkle it on before last 5 minutes of cooking, then stir.
This entry was posted in *Recipes for Autumn, *Recipes for Winter, Cheap Eats, Paleo & Primal, Recipes for Vegetables and tagged B6, Folate. Bookmark the permalink.


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Click the button below to add the Angel Phantom Quartz (Amphibole) - 7 Tumbled Stones rt549f to your wish list.
Angel Phantom Quartz (Amphibole) - 7 Tumbled Stones. The picture shows the stones you will receive. Soft white, yellow, red, tan and black inclusions. These stones are approximately 1 1/8 to 1 5/8 inch in the longest direction, though most are in between so please use the picture for scale. Some pits and rough areas. Wonderful stone for crystal healing and energy work.


text:
Inflatables Architectures
Vicenç Sarrablo & Nuria Prieto
Inflatable architectures (coined 'inflatoestructuras' in Spanish by architect Prada Poole) invite us to look for the means, the way to build space forms that provide alternatives to the strict architectural paths that we found so disappointing when we were kids.
Current pneumatic architecture stems from the researches developed during World War II. Military research centers built hospitals, hangars and even inflatable bridges that were very effective because they were portable and quick to deploy. Even inflatable tanks were built to confuse enemy surveillance aircrafts. After the war, all this acquired experience was applied to the industry for the production of radar protections and ship decks, as well as portable hangars.
_x005F_x000D_ Later on there was a second period of splendor when plastic materials came back into fashion, in the 1960s and 1970s. Countercultural architecture studios used this language it as a means to adopt a subversive and critical stance against the most academic architecture, presenting it as the architecture of change and the non-permanent, as the habitat of the contemporary nomad. These precepts inspired proposals like Yellow Heart by Hauss-Rucker-Co (1968), Parasites by Missing Link Productions (1969), Dyodon by Jean Paul Jungman (1967), Inflatables by Ant Farm (1970) or Instant City by Prada Poole. _x005F_x000D_
PTW / CSCEC / Arup, Beijing National Aquatics Center (2008) © Tim Griffith / Arcaid
Herzog & de Meuron, Allianz Arena (2005) © Duccio Malagamba
From 1967 onwards the symposiums devoted to inflatable architecture became very important in Europe, and were an opportunity to display the new developments carried out in research centers. Thanks to these encounters it was possible to test several types at the most important event in the history of pneumatic architecture: the Osaka Expo of 1970, an international show of inflatable pavilions where several proposals stood out particularly: the United States Pavilion by Davis & Associates and Geiger, the Mobile Roofs by Tanero Oki, the Floating Theater by Murata and Kawaguchi, and the Italian Pavilion by Studio d'Architettura and Industrial Design.
_x005F_x000D_ Scarce attention was paid to plastic materials in the following decades, apparently putting an end to the story of these structures. However, over the past years they have once again come to fore with strength in several areas of human activity: games, art, design, haute couture, leisure, advertising and, of course, architecture. The current technology has even allowed to test pneumatic lunar modules that NASA hopes to install in our satellite in 2020.
_x005F_x000D_ Though classifying the great variety of pneumatic structures is a hard task, it is however possible to present them in two major groups depending on the precincted space that remains pressurized: air-supported membranes, in the one hand, and membranes formed by inflated elements on the other. _x005F_x000D_
The development of pneumatic construction was strong during World War II because it permitted building large temporary structures quickly and cheaply, structures that were furthermore easy to move.
Dummy tank (1943)
Davies & Associates y Geiger, US Pavilion for the Expo, Osaka (1970). ©Obayashi-Gumi Ltd
Inflatable structures _x005F_x000D_ are classified in two groups: with a pressurized interior, like the Serpentine Pavilion of 2006 or Pneumatic Serendipity _x005F_x000D_ of 2014, and those made of inflated elements.
Koolhaas / Balmond, Serpentine Pavilion
Snøhetta, Tuballoon (2006) © Robert Sannes
Air-supported Membranes
_x005F_x000D_ In these systems, the membrane is held by pressurizing the interior space covered, so this space has a slight overpressure with respect to the exterior. For this reason the doors and anchorage to the ground must prevent pressure leaks and take on the tensile stress generated by the stretched membrane. Furthermore, the enclosure has a reduced thermal resistance, though in those programs with climate control needs the insulation can be improved by doubling the membrane. Because of these requirements these inflatables are used mainly for temporary events or as provisional formworks for more permanent structures.
_x005F_x000D_ Among the ephemeral structures that have gone up in recent years there are two obvious examples that have drawn much attention, both developed as museum extensions: the Serpentine Gallery in London by Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond (2006) and the proposal for the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (2009). Both projects (the latter still unbuilt) aesthetically exploit that contrast between their huge balloons and the existing architecture.
Because of its quick assembly, this system offers many advantages as provisional cast for concrete layers, through several patents currently in the market. Some consist of spraying concrete on the inflatable form from the outside, as in the Domecrete system by Israeli architects Haim and Raphael Heifetz (Heifetz System) or the spectacular domes spanning up to 36 meters by the Italian architect Dante Bini (Binishell System). And others, like the American Monolithic Dome System, were built by spraying from the interior to ensure that the inflatable membrane makes the concrete's exterior waterproof. The most widely known system is the patented Concrete Canvas. In this case the inflated membrane is a three-dimensional fiber matrix whose interior contains a mixture of dry concrete that hardens when hydrated with water from the exterior, and once cast the fibers reinforce the concrete. _x005F_x000D_
The envelopes consist of inflated structures (or cushions) that permit a greater versatility because the interior precinct doesn't have to be kept closed to maintain a pressure higher than _x005F_x000D_ that of the exterior.
Sarrablo + Buildair, MET Festival Pavilions (2005)
Nicholas Grimshaw, Eden Project (2000) © Nilfanion
Membranes of Inflated Elements
_x005F_x000D_ Unlike the previous examples, in these systems pressure goes into the the enclosing elements and not the contained space, making it easier to design more complex forms. In this case the precinct does not need to be watertight, so there is a free-flowing relationship between interior and exterior, with no need for doors.
_x005F_x000D_ This formal freedom and absence of doors can be seen in projects like the Tuballoon by Snøhetta (2006), the Air Forest by Mass Studies (2008) and the Golden Dome by AmidCero9 (2011). The Tubaloon is 40 meters long and 20 meters tall, and covers jazz concert stages, with a suggestive shape the evokes wind instruments or the geometries of the inner ear. Further formal evocations can be found in the design by Mass Studies for City Park in Denver, a spectacular forest made of nylon fabric with gradients of silver dots that move, like leaves, with the wind and pressure changes, making visitors feel as if they were inside a living animal. And the more daring Golden Dome is a helium-filled form, a prototype of which was displayed at Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art._x005F_x000D_ However, the most important developments have been achieved with the repetition of inflated forms that are then sown together.
Lenticular forms or cushions, these elements can often be combined and held by auxiliary metallic structures or cylinders that, folded or arched, take on all the loadbearing responsiblity.
_x005F_x000D_ The first, the metallic frameworks and the enclosures of inflated lenticular forms, have favored permanent uses and the largest spans. The pioneering tests carried out by Gernot Minke or Jens Pothl have led to works like the Eden Project and Leicester Tower by Nicholas Grimshaw, the Water Cube by PTW Architects, and the Allianz Arena by Herzog & de Meuron.
_x005F_x000D_ The company Buildair is known in the field of pressurized cylindric arches, and has managed to build the largest cover for temporary aircraft hangars, like the one they did for Airbus in Getafe (Madrid, 2013), measuring 54 x 75 meters. The same company has also carried out intensive formal research, with examples like the inflatable pavilions for the MET Festival in the port of Barcelona (2005), designed by Sarrablo, covering an area of 1,800 square meters: one of the largest pneumatic structures for events ever built in Spain.
_x005F_x000D_ From a tangible technological maturity, architects continue to show interest in the possibilities of these volumes that are evanescent, lightweight and offer freedom of design, and whose unique presence usually sparks at once curiosity and at knowing smile, as those of a child playing with a balloon.


Jason came to us with no experience, but with a lot of dedication. He accelerated his game and went on to place in his very first competition after only 90 days. Here is his story. Thanks Jason!
After moving away for work, Rodney comes back for a hard training session and takes a minute to share about his experience with Carlson Gracie Temecula.
Dave recently received his purple belt from Carlson Gracie and is on the road to mastery. He takes a minute to share his experience. Thanks Dave!
A tough training partner and dedicated student, Sal shares his experience with Carlson Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Thanks Sal!


McLaren Engineering Group provided site planning, engineering and permitting services for the growing Laytonsville Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD). Established in 1954, they advanced into the current site in 1966, and now into a 2,500-square-foot addition that includes greater space for administrative, residence and training. The expansion also included an additional parking area, a relocated drive aisle, a reallocation of spaces across the existing lot, and new access connections.
McLaren's team of engineers worked to accommodate all the desired site features within the limited space. The two existing buildings, existing and proposed roadways, and an active septic field presented constraints on all four sides of the project site. The site design also incorporated a future public road connection for a proposed adjacent residential development, as well as adding an access/entrance to Laytonsville Road for non-emergency traffic. McLaren provided a wide variety of civil engineering services to assist the LVFD in developing this challenging land parcel.
Civil engineering services include overall site planning and layout, grading, erosion and sediment control and low-impact development design for the expansion. The stormwater management design utilized MDE Environmental Site Design guidelines, utility design, paving design and landscape plans. McLaren lead the environmental plans and permit process and wove the challenges into a unified permit plan, to meet local and state regulatory requirements. McLaren also addressed and coordinated with Maryland State Highway Administration for pedestrian traffic across Laytonsville Road.
To facilitate plan approvals, McLaren prepared renderings using the detailed plans for the Town and Planning Board hearings. McLaren also performed the necessary plan processing and permitting, including construction period services all the way through bond close-out.