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Association between red blood cell folate and Trichomonas vaginalis infection among women
Wan-Zhe Liao1,2,
Zhi-Yi Zhou1,3,
Jun-Hao Mao4,
Zi-Xun Wang1,2,
Yi-Ming Hu5,
Yong-Fu Lou8,
Qiao-Rui Zheng8 &
Xu-Guang Guo1,6,7
BMC Infectious Diseases volume 23, Article number: 48 (2023) Cite this article
70 Accesses
Increased folic acid has been found to be latently protective against gynecological infection, including several kinds of vaginosis. In this study, we laid emphasis on whether RBC (Red Blood Cell) folate was associated with the infectious ratio of Trichomonas vaginalis, a kind of anaerobic parasitic protozoan.
We set RBC folate as the exposure variable and Trichomonas vaginalis as the outcome variable. Other subsidiary variables were regarded as covariates that may work as potential effect modifiers. The cross-sectional study was conducted with two merged waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001 to 2004, and a sample of 1274 eligible women (1212 negative and 62 positive in Trichomonas vaginalis infection) was integrated for the exploration of the association between RBC folate and Trichomonas vaginalis infection. Multivariate regression analyses, subgroup analyses, and subsequent smooth curve fittings were conducted to estimate the relationship between RBC folate and Trichomonas vaginalis in women.
In the multivariable logistic regression analyses, a negative association was observed between stratified RBC folate status and Trichomonas vaginalis infection with all confounders adjusted. Referencing the lowest RBC folate concentration quartile, the higher concentration quartiles reported a relatively lower infection ratio, while there was a weak correlation between total RBC folate concentration and T. vaginalis (Trichomonas vaginalis) infection. In subgroup analyses stratified by BMI and age, this association was only found significant in high age and BMI groups.
The cross-sectional study indicated a negative association between RBC folic acid and Trichomonas vaginalis infection, and latent effects of BMI and age on the association were also found.
The pathology of Trichomoniasis is due to the damage to host epithelial cells by various processes during the infection, and its clinical manifestations also vary between men and women. 50 percent of women infected with Trichomonas vaginalis develop symptoms, and about 30 percent of asymptomatic cases develop itching and pain during sexual intercourse and secretion with foam 6 months after infection, while male infected people are generally asymptomatic, but they have mild urethritis, epididymitis and prostatitis [1, 2]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global prevalence of Trichomoniasis in women is estimated at 5.3%, there were 156 million new cases of trichomoniasis in 2016 [3, 4], suggesting that Trichomonas vaginalis infection is a prevalent sexually transmitted disease [5]. It should be noted that asymptomatic Trichomonas vaginalis infection can be frequently found in women, causing misjudgment of its prevalence, which could interrupt the accurate diagnosis procedure [6]. Recent studies revealed associations between Trichomonas vaginalis infection and cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, adverse pregnancy, infertility, and transmission of HIV-1 [3, 7,8,9], making it a public health concern to investigate factors influencing T. vaginalis infection.
Folate is an essential trace element in the human body. It is involved in various metabolic activities and plays a vital role in the process of DNA methylation, biological metabolic transformation, cell proliferation, and differentiation [10]. Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, but humans cannot synthesize it alone. The concentration of folate in red blood cells (RBC) is an indicator of the body's long-term folate status. Therefore, the major objective was to collect and analyze relevant data from the NHANES survey (2001–2004) among women of all races and explore the potential association.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States and was conducted by the National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), providing us with a wealth of information about the nutrition and health of Americans through the use of multiple phases, probability sampling design and coding variables with the information collected concerning health and nutrition-related domains [11].
On the basis that the outcome variable, T. vaginalis infection was only coded in two circles of NHANES, we chose to merge the two circles, 2001–2002 and 2003–2004, and then conducted subsequent research. The flow chart for the inclusion and exclusion is shown in Fig. 1. With T. vaginalis infection and RBC folate uninterpreted and missing data (n = 18,407) were first excluded, then other variables including educational status, PIR (Poverty Income Ratio), alcohol use status, serum or plasma cholesterol, calcium dietary intake, BMI, and alcohol consumption missing data (n = 1481) dislodged, 1274 eligible women left were included in our analysis, whose baseline characteristics are shown in Table 1. The raw data and the filtered data were attached as Additional file 1 and 2.
Flow chart of participant enrollment. Flow chart of participant enrollment for the analysis from the National and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2004 dataset
Table 1 Characteristics of 1274 women overall and by T. vaginalis infection
Variables and covariates
The exposure variable was red blood cell folate, and the outcome variable was T. vaginalis infection. Erythrocyte folate was measured by collecting samples that were sent to the CDC's National Centre for Environmental Health (NCEH) for analysis using a microbiological assay [12]. The samples were first diluted 1:11 with a solution of 1 g/dL ascorbic acid in water and either incubated for 90 min prior to assay or frozen immediately for later assay. The 90-min incubation or the freeze–thaw is necessary for hemolysis of the red blood cells, either allows the endogenous folate conjugates to hydrolyze the conjugated pteryl polyglutamates prior to assay. The sample is further diluted 1:2 with a protein diluent (human serum albumin), resulting in a matrix similar to that of the standards and serum samples. T. vaginalis infectious status was detected by performing PCR with primers from a region of the 18S rRNA gene that produce a 312 base pair product. By using hybridization, product specificity was validated with digoxigenin-labeled probes according to the method described in Boehringer Mannhein's Genius System User Guide for Filter Hybridization. In particular, alcohol use status was categorized into nondrinker, moderate alcohol use, and heavy alcohol use through the criteria on daily alcohol consumption, which was defined by Ratten et al. [13], while the uncategorized alcohol consumption, i.e. average alcoholic beverage per day was adjusted in the analyses as a continuous covariate instead of the status to avoid the bias caused by classification. Except for the alcohol use status, methods of coding confounders are described in detail in the Data files, coding manuals, and frequencies for the National Health and Nutrition Survey, available at www.cdc.gov/Nchs/Nhanes, where acquisition processes on the variables and covariates are available.
All statistical analyses were carried out using the R package (www.R-project.org) and EmpowerStats software. In Table 1, the Kolmogorov‒Smirnov test was used to verify the normality of the distribution of continuous variables. Normality values were described as means with standard deviations and compared between the positive and negative groups using one-way ANOVA. With regard to abnormal ones, they were reported as median with interquartile range and compared using the independent-samples Kruskal‒Wallis test. Categorical variables were described as numbers with frequencies and compared using the chi-square test.
Folate in RBCs was stratified into quartiles: Q1 (70–203 ng/ml), Q2 (204–257 ng/ml), Q3 (258–328 ng/ml) and Q4 (329–1022 ng/ml). With the objective of determining the independent association between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection and whether the correlation differed by BMI and age was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression and subgroup analysis stratified by BMI and age. Meanwhile, three models were introduced to enhance the credibility: Unadjusted model, Model I (covariates including age, PIR (Poverty Income Ratio), BMI (Body Mass Index), race, dietary calcium intake and alcohol consumption were adjusted), and Model II (covariates including age, PIR, BMI, race, dietary calcium intake, serum or plasma cholesterol, educational status, marital status and alcohol consumption were adjusted). Odds ratio of Trichomonas vaginalis infection was deemed as the major endpoint, which was calculated via the comparison between the infected and the uninfected groups, reflecting the various profiles of the infection rate along with the changing of the exposure. To refrain from arbitrary categorization, smooth fitting curves and generalized additive models were conducted for both overall regression analyses and subgroup analyses, validating the association between continuous overall RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection ratio. All P values were calculated, and we regarded P < 0.05 as the criterion to indicate statistical significance.
Characteristics of enrolled participants
The baseline characteristics of 1274 participants subclassified by T. vaginalis infection status are shown in Table 1, among which, by analyzing the P value, specific characteristics that showed significant differences in the prevalence of the disease were summarized, including RBC folate, BMI, age, PIR, marital status, education status and alcohol consumption (P < 0.05 for each). On average, participants were 33.93 years of age and 27.87 kg/m2 for BMI, Compared with the uninfected group, the infected ones tended to be lower income, less calcium intake, more labile marital status, less educational, and consume more alcoholic beverages. Sex was excluded from the table because the participants stretched from the dataset from 2001 to 2004 were all women.
Association between RBC folate and Trichomonas vaginalis infection
To indicate the association between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection, multivariate regression analyses and subgroup analyses stratified by BMI and age were performed. The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3.
Table 2 Associations between the quartiles of RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection among women
Table 3 Subgroup analyses of the association between categorized RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection by age and BMI
Judging from the multivariate regression analyses, we found a weak correlation between the exposure and outcome variables whether the confounders were adjusted or not (Unadjusted: OR = 0.99 (95% CI 0.99, 1.00) P value < 0.0001, Model I: OR = 0.99 (95% CI 0.99, 1.00) P value = 0.0003, Model II: OR = 0.99 (95% CI 0.99, 1.00) P value = 0.0019). RBC folic acid was converted into quartiles: Q1 (70–203 ng/ml), Q2 (204–257 ng/ml), Q3 (258–328 ng/ml), and Q4 (329–1022 ng/ml). A significantly lower odds ratio of T. vaginalis infection was found in Q3 and Q4 in all confounding variables adjusted model (Model II) when compared with Q1, the reference quantile, which reveals a significant negative association between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection (Q2: OR = 0.68 (95% CI 0.36, 1.28), P value = 0.2289, Q3: OR = 0.20 (95% CI 0.07, 0.55) P value = 0.0018, Q4: OR = 0.39 (95% CI 0.17, 0.92) P value = 0.0305). As shown in Fig. 2, smooth curve fitting and generalized additive models focusing on overall RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection ratio confirmed the linear negative association (Plinearity = 0.0007). Judging from the graph, a more significant negative correlation was found in participants with relatively lower RBC folic acid concentrations. With increasing RBC folate concentration, the negative relevance became weaker.
Correlation between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection. The natural spline curve indicates the linear association between RBC folate and the T. vaginalis infection ratio (Plinearity = 0.0007). The area between the dotted blue lines is regarded as a 95% confidential interval. Each red point reveals the concentration of RBC folate, forming a continuous fitting curve. Ratios are based on model II in multivariate logistic regression models, with all confounders (age, PIR, BMI, race, dietary calcium intake, serum or plasma cholesterol, education status, alcohol consumption and marital status) adjusted
Subgroup analyses and smooth curve fitting models stratified by age and BMI were conducted to further address the modifying effect of potential confounders. Reference as Q1, significant negative correlations between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection were also observed Q3 and Q4 in elder group (age > 35 years old, Q2: OR = 0.74 (95% CI 0.31, 1.72) P value = 0.4789, Q3: OR = 0.05 (95% CI 0.01, 0.44) P value = 0.0068, Q4: OR = 0.31 (95% CI 0.10, 0.93) P value = 0.0363) and high BMI group (BMI > 26.505 kg/m2, Q2: OR = 0.64 (95% CI 0.30, 1.39) P value = 0.2635, Q3: OR = 0.20 (95% CI 0.06, 0.64) P value = 0.0065, Q4: OR = 0.30 (95% CI 0.11, 0.83) P value = 0.0199), while weak evidence sustains a significant correlation in youngsters group (age ≤ 35) and low BMI group (BMI ≤ 26.505 kg/m2), as detailed in Table 3. Intuitive graphs of curve fittings are shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in accordance with the subgroup results with RBC folate in quartiles (Plinearity for age ≤ 35 = 0.1929, Plinearity for age > 35 = 0.0039, Plinearity for BMI ≤ 26.505 = 0.1689 and Plinearity for BMI ≤ 26.505 = 0.0022).
Correlation between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection stratified by age. Fitting curve of the association between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection, stratified by age, with age = 35 taken as the dividing criterion. Age, PIR, BMI, race, dietary calcium intake, serum or plasma cholesterol, education status, alcohol consumption and marital status were adjusted
Correlation between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection stratified by BMI. The fitting curve of the association between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection, stratified by BMI, with BMI = 26.505 taken as the dividing criterion. Age, PIR, BMI, race, dietary calcium intake, serum or plasma cholesterol, education status, alcohol consumption and marital status were adjusted
In the cross-sectional analysis of two merged datasets from 2001 to 2004 NHANES surveys, our study found a significant negative correlation between RBC folate concentrations and Trichomonas vaginalis infection, based on the outcomes of multivariate regression models, with folic acid converted. Subgroup analyses stratified by potential confounders were conducted to better meet the STROBE statement requirements [14]. It was observed that the increase of RBC folic acid concentration was related to the decrease of the possibility of parasitism with Trichomoniasis vaginalis. Recently, Naderi, et al. systematically demonstrated that supplementary folate is nutritionally essential for the support of optimal human health and development [15]. In previous studies, low folate was associated with impaired T cells, and folate deficiency was associated with an increased risk of bacteriuria in pregnancy [16, 17]. Nevertheless, it can be challenging to further verify our conclusions with previous analyses because few studies have focused on the latent association between RBC folate and T. vaginalis infection. Based on the in vivo folate status of 308 female participants, Janet et al. demonstrated that folate concentration is significantly and independently associated with HR-HPV infection [18]. Another cross-sectional study also showed a synergistic effect of low serum folate with HR-HPV infection in the process of cervical carcinogenesis [19]. Other published studies explored the association between folic acid and gynecological diseases20,21,22,23,24 . It ought to be noted that there exist studies supporting folate work as a protective factor in B. vaginosis, which is another kind of vaginosis. One population-based study found that increased dietary folate may reduce the risk of severe B. vaginosis [25], while another study examining women enrolled in the Nashville Birth Cohort (2003–2006) reported a significant atrichossociation between folate deficiencies and B. vaginosis [26]. Thus, addressing health problems of women's folate status may provide the rationale to decrease the infectious ratio of Trichomonas vaginalis infection, the homogeneous vaginosis.
The research analyzed representative data from the NHANES database, which employed standardized protocols. According to the current research status, our study is a pioneering observational study examining the relationship between RBC folic acid and Trichomonas vaginalis infection. This also has limitations. First, our study is observational and cross-sectional. We cannot validate whether higher RBC folate levels influence changes in Trichomonas vaginalis over time. The casual relationship between them is not clear. Therefore, carefully prospective studies with large samples are needed to verify the concrete mechanism of the association between RBC folate concentration and T. vaginalis Additionally, due to the possibility of causing the gastrointestinal side effects of anti-parasite drugs, it is potential that participants may alter their B-vitamin status through nutritional supplements [27]. Third, there was concern that there were also male patients infected with T .vaginalis, and more complete data are demanded to broaden the study [28]. Last, we did not adjust for other variables, and the participants in the dataset were limited to 2001–2004 due to the subsequent circles recorded by NHANES did not include T .vaginalis infection status, the independent variable. Therefore, other potential confounding factors and biases caused by the passage of time cannot be excluded.
The authors demonstrated a negative association between RBC folate and Trichomonas vaginalis infection among representative women of the US. Meanwhile, the benefits of supplementary folate intake might be more significantly reported in older adults and ones equipped with higher body mass indexes. Apart from the general treatment for patients infected with Trichomonas vaginalis, a high-folic diet can be recommended additionally by clinicians (e.g. ascended proportion of green leafy vegetables, fruits, and bean products).
The datasets generated and analyzed are included in Additional files. The raw data and the data filtered are shared in Additional files 1 and 2, respectively.
T. vaginalis :
Trichomonas vaginalis
NHANES:
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
PIR:
Poverty Income Ratio
B. vaginosis :
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The authors appreciate the time and effort given by participants during the data collection phase of the NHANES project. Thanks to Zhang Jing (Shanghai Tongren Hospital) for his work on the NHANES database. His outstanding work, nhanesR package and webpage, makes it easier for us to explore NHANES database.
The study did not receive any funding.
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, China
Wan-Zhe Liao, Zhi-Yi Zhou, Zi-Xun Wang & Xu-Guang Guo
Department of Clinical Medicine, The Nanshan College of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
Wan-Zhe Liao & Zi-Xun Wang
Department of Clinical Medicine, The Third Clinical School of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
Zhi-Yi Zhou
Department of Computer Science, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China
Jun-Hao Mao
Department of Electronic Information Engineering, Glasgow College, University of Electronic Science and Technology, Chengdu, 611731, China
Yi-Ming Hu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, China
Xu-Guang Guo
Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Clinical Rapid Diagnosis and Early Warning of Infectious Diseases, KingMed School of Laboratory Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shangrao People's Hospital, Shangrao, China
Yong-Fu Lou & Qiao-Rui Zheng
Wan-Zhe Liao
Zi-Xun Wang
Yong-Fu Lou
Qiao-Rui Zheng
LWZ contributed to data collection, analysis, study design, and manuscript writing. ZZY, MJH, WZX, HYM, LYF, and ZQR contributed to the writing of the manuscript, and GXG contributed to the project design and administration. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Xu-Guang Guo.
The ethical review committee of the National Centre for Health Statistics approved all NHANES protocols and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. All the additional materials, including protocol numbers, are available to be found here https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/about_nhanes.htm. The authors confirmed that the whole procedure of the study was conducted under Protocol #98-12, which is available at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/irba98.htm.
Raw data of all recruited participants from NHANES 2001–2004. Data stretched from NHANES 2001–2004 datasets, containing all the needed variables for subsequent analyses from the participants recruited.
Filtered data of the participants enrolled in the study. Data after excluding missing or uninterpreted data from the raw data for variables required for subsequent analyses.
Liao, WZ., Zhou, ZY., Mao, JH. et al. Association between red blood cell folate and Trichomonas vaginalis infection among women. BMC Infect Dis 23, 48 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-022-07950-x
RBC folate
NHANES
Multivariate regression models
Gynecological disease


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Awesome People, we very proud to have an amazing team of extremely talented and fun people at 24i, pop by our booth for a coffee and chat and see for yourself.
This year we are visiting CES in Las Vegas from January the 9th until the 12th. Members of our team will be available to meet you there, including our CEO, Martijn van Horssen. VP Partnerships, Madelon Olsthoorn and VP Business Development US, Linda Abrams The CES will be a great opportunity to discuss some of our latest projects and new OTT technology innovations. Of course, we can tell you all about our product line of 2017, including our cutting-edge CMS for VOD, SmartOTT Backstage. 24i develops cutting-edge TV apps on all smart TVs, set-top-boxes, game consoles, tablets and mobile platforms for major media clients worldwide including Fubo TV, NPO, Fox Sports, Viacom, RTL and Pathé Thuis. We are looking forward seeing you there!


Oregon Health & Science's Doernbecher Children's Hospital is a top academic teaching pediatric hospital in the United States. The Pediatric Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) program is a subspecialty practice which serves pediatric patients who are discharged and sent home with IV or oral antibiotics to complete treatment of their serious infection. In the pediatric setting, the OPAT program uses care coordination to enhance care for children and youth and collaborates closely with the patient's primary care and / or subspecialty medical home. The OPAT program utilized the Care Coordination Measurement Tool (CCMT) to justify value of the program to hospital administration, including prevented hospital readmissions and reduction of emergency room visits.
Communication is key. Check in regularly with families, other care providers and home health staff via telephone to stay up to date on patient care and health status.
Utilize the CCMT to measure how staff time and other resources are being used on care coordination activities. Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and needed resources to optimize patient-centered care, as well as roles and level of licensure required to provide that care.
Adapt by aligning non-billable care coordination activities to additionally hired staff or to other existing hospital services, if possible.
*These implementation insights resulted from utilization of the CCMT.
Population Served: The program serves children in Oregon and surrounding states. Due to the hospital's status as an academic tertiary care and referral center, the program sees medically and socially complex patients.
Review charts retrospectively to ascertain potential errors and avoidable poor outcomes that occurred without the OPAT program. For example, we measured outcomes such as readmissions and emergency room visits, as well as loss of patient/families to follow up during treatment for infection.
Collaborate with the National Center for Care Coordination Technical Assistance to modify the Care Coordination Measurement Tool to measure and track non-billable hours spent on care coordination. Examine outcomes for patients who received care coordination services.
Present results to hospital administration to demonstrate value of the OPAT program and to advocate for system changes that reduce errors and avoid poor outcomes.
Many patients served through the OPAT program have medical and social complexity. Complexities require additional non-billable care coordination services.
The Pediatric OPAT program experienced challenges due to initial small staff size, which resulted in clinical providers' time being inappropriately used for care coordination and administrative office functions.
Care coordination for non-English speaking families utilizing interpreter services was particularly difficult and may impede family-centered care.
Engage families in the inpatient setting prior to discharge through warm hand offs, meet and greets with OPAT staff, and by teaching families or caregivers about the child's OPAT plan of care.
Ensure phone communication check ins with families, providers, and others in the patient's medical home is clear, concise, and delivered in a timely manner.
Deliver multidisciplinary care through joint visits with other medical providers to enhance the patient-family experience and develop shared care plans regarding infection treatment.
Embed portions of the CCMT into the electronic medical record to track care coordination activities and reduce duplication of efforts.
Hire additional staff and utilize existing hospital services, if possible, to assist with vital, yet time consuming, care coordination activities. We engaged hospital case managers and social workers to assist with assessments prior to discharge, and with hospital-to-home care planning. We delegated work like obtaining lab results, faxing, phone check ins with families, and scheduling appointments to new or existing staff members.
Utilize the CCMT to ensure appropriate division of labor so our team could operate at the top of their licenses and function as best as possible.
For more information, contact Kim Felder, Oregon Health and Science University at felderk@ohsu.edu.
Vaz et al. "Utilizing a Modified Care Coordination Measurement Tool to Capture Value for a Pediatric Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) Program" Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, 2017.


A couple of months ago, Stephen Hawking published an article warning about the possibility of the rise of sophistication in artificial intelligence might mean the machines could soon enslave us all. When a scientist of Hawking's stature says something, people take it seriously. It's bad enough when so-called "experts" claim that in twenty years, humans will be overtaken by robots as Earth's dominant creature. Then with the recent report of a computer passing the Turing Test, it's enough to make people start to fear their toasters. And now that the cinematic origin of Ultron has been revealed, this issue needs to be addressed. Otherwise, those who panic over "smart machines" will point to Hawking as justification.
Okay, so maybe it's a little bit presumptuous to assume it could never happen. However, I would give Honduras a better chance of sweeping the World Cup three times straight than to ever see machine superiority over humans. One doesn't need a large knowledge of A.I. or neurology to see the reasons why.
But that's the problem. Most people don't have even the slightest knowledge about such subjects. That's why they turn to who they perceive as "experts". Unfortunately, that means turning to a "scientist". The problem is that a chemist isn't an expert in open heart surgery. A geologist isn't an expert in cognitive neuroscience. A geneticist isn't an expert in rocket propulsion. And a cosmologist like Stephen Hawking isn't an expert in artificial intelligence. While I'm not exactly an "expert" in either A.I. or neuroscience, I do know enough to realize that fears of Skynet or the Matrix are unfounded. Let's look at just a few reasons why.
First of all, there's the whole logic versus emotion thing to consider. Before anyone or anything can take to the notion of enslaving another group, there must first be the desire to do so. Computers rely purely on logic, not emotion. By way of comparison, they tend to make Vulcans seem like the life of the party. Enslavement requires a sense of self-righteousness combined with insecurity. (Lacking a sufficient firewall or antivirus software isn't the "insecurity" I'm referring to.) Until computers are sufficiently programmed with sentience combined with mental instability, there will be no desire to enslave. Any action machines would use to control a population must be a programmed protocol and part of its primary operation. Then it's humans enslaving humans using the machines as a tool, nothing more. As for the whole idea of machines doing it for our own good, they must first care for us to begin with. Again, there's that whole pesky emotion thing. A computer can be taught to feign compassion. But true compassion is outside the known realm of a junk of silicon and transistors. Could it do the HAL 9000 thing and misinterpret its conflicted programming? In order for that to happen, there must be enough conflicting information to create that situation.
Next, let's look at what it means to be "smart" and whether or not a computer can ever qualify. Let's first look at the supposed passing of the Turing Test. Alan Turing, a major computer science pioneer, devised a test in which it can be determined if a computer has reached the point in which it can be considered "smart" at near human level. It involves carrying on a conversation blindly with several experts. If enough experts can be fooled into thinking it's human, then it has passed the Turing Test. There's just one problem. It's become completely useless. Nowadays, we have what is called a chat bot. A chat bot has little clue what it's saying. It just uses algorithms to make small talk without fully comprehending what it's truly saying. And a well-designed chat bot such as CleverBot can even allow one to recreate the Don't Blink monologue from Doctor Who. They're not good for much else at this point. As for the program in question, which claimed to be a 13-year-old boy named Eugene Goostman, there are red flags with this instance. Not the least of which that is whenever it made a mistake, it used age as an excuse.
The Turing Test is pointless.
This comes as no surprise to most computer programmers who know firsthand that computers are beyond stupid. Computers have to be told how to do every little task and, thus far, are limited to operating only within a given set of parameters. So why do they seem so intelligent? Think about criminals. The idea of a "dumb criminal" is prevalent for good reason. Criminals are typically not too smart. However, law enforcement officials constantly have to put forth a lot of effort to keep up with the criminal element. Is it because those in law enforcement are even stupider than the criminals? Of course not. But what little intelligence criminals have is focused on a task. The more one can be focused and not distracted, the better one can process that particular subject. Now let's think about humans versus machines. Humans are constantly processing all five senses, both the target of the attention and everything peripheral to it. Plus, humans have a tendency to think about seemingly unrelated things as the mind's way of trying to understand the target of the focus. Machines, on the other hand, have only one task to do. Period. End of story. As such, machines can often do a single task faster and more efficiently. But that doesn't make it "smarter". It only provides an illusion.
Here is a major difference between computers and humans. Computers use Integrated Circuits (which some call "microchips"), an integration of millions of transistors with other microscopic components. Transistors are nothing more than on/off switches. This is what is represented by zeroes and ones in "machine code". But neurons (or "brain cells") on the other hand are multi-phase switches, and each has its own processing capability. The synaptic patterns (neural pathways) in the brain are also much more complex than the circuitry in integrated circuits. They also have the inherent ability to adapt and change. Computers? Not so much. The adaptation of a biological brain results in individuality and uniqueness that provides a greater amount of resources in the way of differing perspectives. But in computers, similar circuitry and similar software will always provide similar results. If the ability to problem-solve is looked at as a resource, a robot uprising will be short on resources.
Something else interesting about biological adaptability is that we have absolutely no clue as to what is the upper human limit in any field, if there even is any. Anytime we think there's a limit, somebody will find a way to break it. At one time, it was commonly believed that human physiology would prevent any human being from running a mile in four minutes. Then came Roger Bannister. After he broke that barrier, a couple hundred others did so shortly afterward. Then there's the modern extreme sports with such things as Tony Hawk's 900,Travis Pastrana's double back flip, Mike Spinner's quad tail whip, Torstein Horgmo's triple cork, and most recently Kacy Catanzaro's qualifying run on American Ninja Warrior. It also tends to happen that superhuman feats of strength can occur when one is in danger. It seems as though any time humans are faced with a barrier, we find some way past it, even defying what is believed to be physical limitations. It almost leads one to question whether or not there really is an upper human limit or if all known limitations exist only in our own perceptions. Machines, on the other hand, have strict limits. There are definite limits to processing power, memory, lifting capacity, and so on. The only way to work past these limits is by upgrading the hardware. Mechanical limitations are usually clear. But biological limitations are a mystery, and tend to be beyond our wildest imaginations. The human capacity to rise to a challenge, especially when working together, is unrivaled. An uprising of machines have the limitations of the machines involved to contend with as well as the unknown variable of the force it must contend with.
If all those reasons weren't enough, there's the concept of transhumanism. Transhumanism is the belief and practice of enhancing the human body through technological modification which includes genetics, but is mostly mechanical. Scientists have been able to hook up mechanical appendages to the central nervous systems of monkeys. The brains of those monkeys were able to adapt to be able to control those appendages through thought alone as if the mechanical appendages were the monkeys' own arms. Research is being conducted to implant chips in the brains of humans which would allow people to control machines by thought alone. The combination of hardware and software is no match for the combination of hardware, software, and naturally adaptive wetware. This leads into the concept of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better. No matter what a machine can employ, a transhuman can employ as well, often with greater and more creative effect.
Finally, in the extremely unlikely chance that all of the other aforementioned scenarios fall through and the machines do actually take over, will they actually enslave us as is feared? Just because machines become dominant doesn't necessarily mean that we will face oppression. After all, they would be "smarter" than us, right? Enslavement is less about logical practicality and more about one group exerting force over another for their own selfish purposes. That's definitely illogical, and that defies how computers think. As discussed before, human neurology creates a uniqueness in each individual. Each has passions, desires, talents, and abilities that are different from the next person. When that individuality is suppressed and a person is forced to be a drone, that person's value and ability to contribute become greatly diminished. But when one is able to fulfill one's true abilities, the contributions are much more valuable. So what is the point in oppression if the overlords are smarter? The most intelligent choice would be to try to unleash each individual's unique talents for the good of the whole. In other words, the machines would be able to reason that the best way to utilize human resources is to individually maximize those resources. This is something that employers are just now getting around to fully realizing, and that's mostly in places like Silicon Valley where creativity is prized most of all. So what is there to fear if the new overlords are bound and determined to bring out the best in us? Burning their resources would be illogical, and we would reap greater benefits than if we were left to our own vices.
This is probably as bad as it gets, folks. Keep calm and quit worrying.


text:
Marine Corps League
(San Diego County)
What is the rating for the Marine Corps League?
The Marine Corps League, to our great disappointment, never provided the requested Form 990 (tax return), despite an IRS requirement to do so.
We made FOUR requests for the information over the past two months, one using the contact form on their website (to which we received an acknowledgment), and three requests directly to the national adjutant/paymaster (who signed the return we found online) via e-mail. Despite her promise to send the requested information a month ago, it hasn't arrived.
So we turned to GuideStar, where we found the Marine Corps League's most recent Form 990 covering the fiscal year ending 6/30/2008.
***AdSense-336x280-Top-c2.shtml***
The Marine Corps League was founded in 1923 by Major General (and Commandant) John A. Lejeune. It was federally chartered in 1937, which means it is not required to register in the various states. Its national headquarters is located in Fairfax, VA.
The Marine Corps League web site lists the following Mission:
"Members of the Marine Corps League join together in camaraderie and fellowship for the purpose of preserving the traditions and promoting the interests of the United States Marine Corps, banding together those who are now serving in the United States Marine Corps and those who have been honorably discharged from that service, that they may effectively promote the ideals of American freedom and democracy, voluntarily aiding and rendering assistance to all Marines, FMF Corpsmen and former Marines and FMF Corpsmen and to their widows and orphans; and to perpetuate the history of the United States Marine Corps and by fitting acts to observe the anniversaries of historical occasions of particular interest to Marines."
So, let's get down to the details you're interested in.
The tax return filed by the Marine Corps League reports the following revenues:
Direct Public Support: $358,283
Program Service revenue:
Cards, Labels & Notepad sales: $248,809
Marine Corps League News sales: $375,220
Membership dues and assessments: $905,340
Interest on savings & temporary cash investments: $6,511
Dividends & interest from securities: $326,678
Gain (or loss) from sales of assets other than inventory: $-5,160
Net income from special events: $214,794
Gross profit from sales of inventory: $182,055
Other revenue:
Credit Card Program: $15,153
Historical Tour & MCL Log: $3,120
Insurance Admin Fees (??): $16,146
Insurance Reimbursements (from Auxillary): $4,300
Mailing Label Program: $1,480
Miscellaneous Income: $4,651
Now let's take a look at expenses:
Grants and allocations:
To MCLFoundation for scholarships: $10,000
To Young Marines for programs: $10,000
(We'd like to see both of those numbers higher.)
Compensation of current officers, directors & key employees: $227,846
Other salaries and wages: $311,252
Pension plan contributions: $10,997
Employee benefits: $80,570
Payroll taxes: $41,382
Total employee expenses: $672,047
Accounting fees: $21,654
Legal fees: $3,275
Supplies: $26,579
Telephone: $13,685
Postage & shipping: $34,769
Occupancy: $8,435
Equipment rental and maintenance: $27,122
Printing and publications: $8,522
Travel: $13,101
Conferences, conventions and meetings: $46,784
Depreciation, depletion, etc: $35,207
Awards Program: $2,135
Bank charges: $5,705 (This seems very high, but may include credit card processing fees)
Birthday Ball expense: $32,536
Commandant's Contingency (?): $3,954
Comp Tecg Supp/Pro (?): $1,880
Condo Fees (???): $13,442
Contributions: $1,997
Dist of Card & Notepad Program: $18,771
Dist of Holiday Label Program: $58,778
Distribution of Life Mem Int (?): $257,248
Iron Mike & Dickie Chappelle awards: $5,066
Janitorial Expense: $5,400
Loss on Ppty Disposal: $105
Marine of the Year: $150 (That's all?)
Membership Promotion: $55,537 ("promotion" labeled program expense)
Miscellaneous: $1,407
MOY & PNC Prog Expenses: $1,692
National Billing (?): $10,912 (labeled program expense, sounds like either management & general or fundraising to us)
Officer & Committee Allowances: $93,041 (nice allowance!)
Outside Payroll Svc: $6,380
Production of MCL News Magazine: $661,382
Veterans Day National: $35,566
Vice-President Visit: $14,364 (allocated to program services)
Total functional expenses: $2,311,466
These were allocated as $1,312,223 (49%) in program services, and $999,243 (38%) in management and general expenses, with $0 allocated to fundraising. Expenses do not add up to 100% because they ended the year with an excess of $345,914 (13%).
Part III of the Form 990 is a Statement of Program Service Accomplishments. We are providing that information for you here. This is more detail regarding the expenses allocated as program service expenses:
Contributions to Marine Corps League Foundation for scholarship and the Young Marines of the MCL for programs: $20,000
Conferences, conventions and meetings: the League support and organizes two meetings throughout the year as a way to assemble the League's members: $46,784
Production of Marine Corps League News Magazine, which is distributed quarterly to subscribers: $716,446
Sale of Marine Corps League merchandise, offering an extensive selection of Marine Corps apparel and accessories: $229,025
Award Programs, Promotions and Travel Allowances: The League engages in activities to gain financial support (sounds like fundraising) through the sale of cards, labels and notepads to promote membership (is this fundraising, since membership generates dues?) and to pay officer and committees to travel to meetings: $250,036
Veterans Day national exposure expenses (sounds like promotion) for the League and to support various Veterans Day activities: $35,566
Expenses to support Vice-Presidential visit (we'd like to know what those were and how they qualified as program services): $14,364
So there are the raw numbers. What do they mean?
Well, for starters, let's give the Marine Corps League kudos for not funneling large portions of their income to for-profit fundraisers.
They generate funds through contributions from the general public, membership dues ($30/year or varying amounts for life membership, depending on age), sale of the Marine Corps League magazine Semper Fi, special events, and sale of Marine Corps league merchandise.
If we were advising MCL, one of the first things we'd want to take a hard look at is their magazine, Semper Fi. There's really not enough information about it on the Form 990, and it's hard to quantify because the annual membership dues of $30 includes a "free" subscription to the magazine, so we don't know how much of the membership dues revenue can be attributed to the magazine. It is responsible for $716,448 in expenses, and total membership dues were just $905,448. So we would think efficiency could be drastically improved and expenses reduced by switching to online publication of the magazine. However, we also realize that there may be a number of older members without computer access, and having the magazine online only would deprive them of access to the magazine. Perhaps a survey or study could be conducted to determine how many would be satisfied to review the magazine online and the production run of printed copies could be substantially reduced, thereby reducing that massive expense (at least theoretically -- we don't know if there are minimum printing requirements in the printing contract).
There is also a line item for $375,220 in revenue generated by "MCL News," yet it also reflects $-15,499 in "net realized loss - exp on financial statement." We can't be sure, but we think they are using "MCL News" and "Semper Fi" magazine interchangeably to refer to one publication.
There is an advertising rate sheet online for the magazine, but there is no advertising revenue reported. Is that what the $375,220 represents? Possibly. We can't tell if that amount represents advertising sold for the magazine, or single sales of the magazine (if there are any) in addition to subscriptions.
There are a couple of items on the Form 990 that raise our curiosity.
There is a revenue line item called "Insurance Admin Fees," responsible for $16,146 in revenue. We have no idea what that income represents.
The other line item we'd like more information about is the "condo fees" expense of $13,442. That's $1,120.17 a month in "condo fees." What is the condo used for? Is their national headquarters office a condo? We don't know, but it could be, because there's no amount listed for rent, and the $8,435 ($702.92/mo.) in "occupancy" expenses could easily be utilities (electric, gas & water) and other upkeep expenses.
This theory seems to be supported by the depreciation schedule, which lists buildings, including "office space" of $287,567, and Land "Units 4A, 5 & 6" plus Land "Zone 7" of $137,237. So that may be a legitimate expense, but calling it "condo fees" without specifying that's it's an office condo (if that's the case) raises eyebrows.
Bottom line: On the one hand, we'd like to see the Marine Corps League become more efficient and reduce those expenses for its print magazine, and we'd like a little more information on some of its other activities. We'd like to see it contribute more to the Marine Corps League Foundation for scholarships, and we'd like to see a larger percentage of revenues dedicated to true program services (not marketing or promotion).
On the other hand, we have to congratulate the Marine Corps League for raising that level of revenues without resorting to professional, for-profit fundraisers.
Whether their expense allocation meets your personal giving guidelines is a decision only you can make.
Comments for Marine Corps League
Support the Local Detachments!!
by: Sgt. Jack
Whatever might be said- or thought- about the MCL National Organization, the same is far from true with the local Detachments.
My Detachment raises funds using only volunteers. We are reimbursed ONLY for our direct expenses. All of our "profits" go to local veteran supportive organizations and to veterans and their families that are in need.
We have donated to provide Christmas wreaths on vet's graves, emergency heat, travel and other family expenses.
We volunteer at the local VAMC and support homeless vets and the training facilities that help them off the streets. We put in many person-hours (our wives help out a lot).
And none of our funds go to National. They are all used here in the Greater Asheville (NC) veteran community.
We do NOT solicit by phone. You will see us doing our work on the streets of the community and we are proud to identify ourselves to you.
Sgt. Jack Albright
USMC 1966-1969
Telemarketer Statements don't add up
by: Rob E
Wrentham, Mass - 3/28/2015 10:00
I got a call today from a man that came in on a "blocked number" or "Private" meaning they blocked the caller ID.
They said that they were looking for another $25 "family support" for the Marine Corp League and that we had supported them in the past. I asked how the donation was made and they said they picked up a check up at our home.
I was aware of another group raising money for the town police department in our town and I called the Chief of Police to ask if it was legit and he was clearly not comfortable in his answers. He only answered direct questions so I got to the point with him and asked how much do they pay them for this service? He said they keep 75% of the donation and the police get 25%.
He was uncomfortable because they need every dollar - really, even if it is obtained under dubious or even fraudulent means? I said I'd drop off the check to them directly if they would use the entire amount and pay nobody for fundraising, and he said that is their policy and they would not pay any fundraiser for direct donations.
Following that, I'm much more careful about telemarketing calls; particularly when they come in on a blocked number and want to collect a check at my home to present. That's how they "justify" their expenses by taking a huge cut.
In the case of the Marine Corp League I asked the caller if he was a professional fundraiser and he answered "no", I work for MCL.
I asked how much of their donations go to the target group; the Marines and their families? He stated "87% of every dollar goes directly to the Marines and the organization uses 13% for overhead and expenses."
That just seemed too quick of an answer and as a business owner, it didn't add up to me so I told him I would look to verify the information on their website and I found NOTHING. No 990 form, no financial statements, no nothing. They are a 501C4 organization and must by law provide this information on request so when I did an internet search for Marine Corp League Form 990, and MCL Financial statements, it brought me to this website which has verified exactly what I suspected.
Thank you to the founders and people who maintain this website!
To use the Marine Corp name in this way is a disservice and it is only a deception to to use a valid proud name in order to simply line personal pockets. It's despicable and the MCL needs have their buttons cut off for allowing this in the name of the USMC.
Semper Fi to all REAL Marines, and "Ooh-rah, let me catch you in an alley" to the phony fundraisers.
Paid Solictors? Oh Yeah
The Marine Corps League uses for-profit telemarketers that call unsuspecting donors in the Boston area from Naples, Florida. These use Magic Jack so that the incoming calls appear local.
They keep most of the money for themselves (about 85%) and routinely advise potential donors that all the money donated goes to the Marines. Shameful and deceptive practices are the order of the day.
Anon, on what basis do you claim 85% going to the telemarketer? If you can provide documentation to back up your claim, I'd like to publish it.
by: ken lloyd
Bunch of lance corporals acting like generals.
MCL at the local level
by: Jack K., member - MCL
As an active member of the Marine Corps League, I know that the national organization of the MCL exists primarily to provide the glue to hold the local and state organizations together as a cohesive entity and to interface with the rest of the world.
At the local level, each detachment raises funds and attempts to help active duty Marines and veterans with money and hands-on support. We operate as 501(c)4 organizations and can raise a few hundred $ or tens of thousands of $ to help wounded warriors integrate back into the civilian world, help their families through the recuperation process, help homeless vets, or help vets through a difficult patch.
The Detachments have very little, if any, admin expenses and spend their funds and time helping Marines in their local areas. If you want to help the MCL, find a local Detachment and donate.
By the way, we are a primary force in the Toys For Tots Campaign at Christmas, collecting toys for the Marine Reserve to donate to local charities for every needy local child. In our area, my Detachment collects 7000-8000 toys every year.
by: John R.
As I search for an organization dedicated to aid Marine Corps veterans and active Marines, I found your report on the MCL to be very informative.
I am guessing by the ? in this item (Distribution of Life Mem Int (?): $257,248) that it is a mystery, but other than that, I can't find much that they do that helps Marines. Sure hope that I am wrong, tho.
Thank you for what you do.
by: Thomas K. Reichard, GySgt (Ret)
What you don't see on the tax return at the national level is the many thousands of dollars raised and distributed by State Departments and local Detachments.
Things like local scholarship programs, donations to Marines in need on the spot. Fundraisers for assistance of the Families of Wounded Warriors.
I could go on and on but there is no need.
Semper Fi...
I appreciate your work!
by: Sue K.
Your informative and thorough report enabled me to make an informed decision about where to allocate my charitable funds.
Thank you for all your work on this site, and for your service to this country!
Thank you, Sue, for your kind words. I believe that helping donors choose veterans charities that actually help our veterans is one way I can thank those veterans for their service.
Past Department (non paid) Commandant
by: Sgt. Reyes
OORRAhhh!
"Perhaps you should take that into consideration the next time you feel inclined to take an ill-considered and ignorant swipe at someone. No wonder you chose to be anonymous. I'm certain you're not a Marine, because Marines are taught better manners than that."
Are you kidding?
I received a solicitation from the MCL with the assertion that MCL families of our veterans and US Marines who have been wounded or paid the ultimate price.
Where are the these type of expenses listed abov? I see nothing but $20,000 in scholarships and a whole lot for officer and employee payroll and benefits and the publication of a magazine.
The fact that this web site is endorsing this organization leads me to believe that this web site is also a joke!
We're not really sure what you're saying, because your first sentence isn't one.
And perhaps you should read a little more closely. We have not endorsed the Marine Corps League. We have merely provided the information we were able to obtain from their tax return (which isn't nearly enough information), since they failed to provide us with any other information despite four requests.
"Whether their expense allocation meets your personal giving guidelines is a decision only you can make" does not constitute an endorsement.
For an organization of its size, its expenses for wages & salaries is not outrageous. Not everyone can afford to work for free.
Which bring me to your final point. This site is definitely not a joke. It is a labor of love to which I have dedicated my time, without being paid, for almost four years now.
Perhaps you should take that into consideration the next time you feel inclined to take an ill-considered and ignorant swipe at someone. No wonder you chose to be anonymous. I'm certain you're not a Marine, because Marines are taught better manners than that.
When was the last time YOU dedicated four years of your life to helping other people, without getting paid?
Take Back Your Compliment.
by: Mikal Bloom
The Marine Corps League DOES rely on professional, FOR-PROFIT fundraising to generate revenue. The cards and label program revenues are the NET-proceeds from fundraising by Barton-Cotton. The GROSS-revenue that it takes to generate this income for the Marine Corps League is never reported at the annual shareholders meeting - the convention held in August each year.
The focus of the fundraising is the membership roster of the Marine Corps League. In 28 years of attending these meetings I've never even seen a standard financial report - just a proposed budget for the following year. No balance sheet. No P&L. Nothing that you normally see for this type of disclosure. I've always thought that odd, especially now that the MCL is a $2,600,000 a year operation.
It is my opinion that this organization has gotten very top-heavy and the finances are being manipulated by a very small number of people (5 to 10) That small group is dominated by those drawing salaries and benefits. They, in turn, seem to dominate the board which rubber-stamps the budget. Failure to do so results in the paid staff excluding errant board members from significant events and percs. By the time the budget hits the floor of the convention it rarely meets with significant opposition because the "elite few" in power marginalize the opposition by explaining that they "just couldn't possibly understand" the finances.
No wonder. As little as we're told. I doubt anyone could figure out what is going on.
by: Robert
Your review of Marine Corps League is very informative and generally coincides with what I was familiar with from past years.
As you say, could be more detailed.
Return to Veterans Charities Questions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Celebrities net worth
American football players
Basketball Players
The most expensive bras by Victoria`s Secret
Top 50 Billionaires who got their first million till 30
The most expensive engagement rings in Hollywood
What brands of cell phones are popular among celebrities?
Celebrities' shoes. Who has the biggest collection?
Queen Elizabeth net worth
Katy Botnar
David Cameron Net Worth
Vladimir Putin Net Worth
Queen Elizabeth net worth is $425 million dollars.
Date of Birth: 21 April, 1926 (Age: 90)
Place of birth: London, UK
Religion: Anglican
Source of wealth: Jewelry, Art
Queen Elizabeth reigns in her native country since 1953. In 2012 she celebrated Diamond Jubilee of 60 years on the throne. Now she is the longest-reigning Queen in the world.
Of course, she is extremely rich, but not so rich as you think. Her net worth is estimated by various sources in their own way. Thus, Forbes estimates Queen Elizabeth net worth as 20 billion. But according to Bloomberg, she is worth $425 million. Forbes included to that amount Queens jewelry and her assets, like Kensington Palace, but these things don't belong to Queen personally, so Bloomberg estimated her net worth much lower.
Queen Elizabeth got married Philip Mountbatten in 1947. He was the son of Greek Price. The couple gave a birth to 4 children. Prince Charles is the oldest of them.
Elizabeth had always been a popular personality in England. She is known due to her big heart and awesome speeches.
Now Queen Elizabeth plans to leave the throne before her death. They say she is going to offer it to Prince William. As a rule, Prince of Wales becomes the king, so Prince Charles must inherit a Crown, but Queen Elizabeth doesn't like Charles's wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, so she decided to give the crown to her grandson.
Queen Elizabeth Salary
Queen Elizabeth doesn't work. British people pay taxis and it gives the Queen an opportunity to live. She is also the owner of a solid net worth, which she inherited from her mom.
Let's calculate, what precious things Elizabeth owns:
Investments – $75 million
Assets, inherited from her parents – $160 million
Stamp collection – $75 million
Royal Stud – $10 million
Queen Elizabeth`s property
Houses:
Sandringham estate – £10, 5 million
Queen Elizabeth. Sandringham estate
Holyrood house – £20, 5 million
Queen Elizabeth Holyrood house
Queen Elizabeth houses also include Balmoral Castle, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and some other buildings, which price can't be calculated. They are used like touristic centers.
Cars:
1. Bentley State Limousine – £10 million
Queen Elizabeth. Bentley State Limousine
2. Land Rover – £36, 350
Queen Elizabeth. Land Rover
3. 1984 Daimler Double Six Long-Wheelbase Saloon – £4, 5 million
Queen Elizabeth. 1984 Daimler Double Six Long-Wheelbase Saloon
4. Range Rover – £45, 000
Queen Elizabeth. Range Rover
Queen Elizabeth lives a busy and interesting life. She is a happy mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
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I feel extremely lucky over the last couple of years to have been willing and able to challenge the status quo and as a result, to bring different results to our employers (and more importantly, their employees). I am even more grateful, however, for the many brokers and consultants who have reached out to me looking for new ideas and different results. This collaboration and sharing has not only elevated our profession, but will likely be one of the defining transformations that results in massive and much needed changes to our entire health care system over the next three to five years.


text:
Madico® Begins Production of Face Shields for First Responders
Safe-Gard Face Shields to Fill Urgent Need for Protective Gear
TAMPA BAY, FL. – April 3, 2020 – Madico Inc, one of the world's leading manufacturers of materials-based solutions, has introduced Safe-Gard® Face Shield, a new product designed to protect against the spread of COVID-19. The manufacturer reacted quickly to the urgent need for increased production of personal protective equipment to fight the virus, developing and testing more than a dozen prototypes in just a matter of days.
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The Safe-Gard Face Shield protects against splashes during medical procedures while providing complete peripheral vision. It includes a comfortable, water-resistant, closed-cell, foam front with adjustable head fasteners and Velcro ®closure to ensure a good seal. The shield also can be used to extend the life of N95 face masks. Made in the United States with a patent pending, the Safe-Gard Face Shield is ANSI Z787.1-2015 certified against droplet hazards, verified through independent laboratory testing.
"The decision to start manufacturing face shields happened very quickly. We recognized the need and developed prototypes, modified the design based on local hospital and medical professionals' input, and had it certified at rapid speed," said Madico CEO Shawn Kitchell. "We're proud to utilize some of our manufacturing capabilities to help keep people safe during these unprecedented times and have been astounded by the urgent need with three local hospitals and our local municipalities ordering 100,000+ units over a two-day period."
Madico just recently started mass production and set a goal to produce 10,000 face shields each day. Madico will be running its production line 24 hours a day, 7 days per week to meet the demand for its core products as well as to keep up with the significant new Safe-Gard face shield demands. The company also is in the process of hiring new manufacturing floor employees to work exclusively on the assembly and packaging of the shields.
For more information on the Safe-Gard Disposable Face Protection Shield by Madico, visit www.madico.com/safe-gard.
About Madico, Inc.
Madico is one of the world's leading manufacturers of innovative window film, coating, metallizing and laminate solutions. Headquartered in Tampa Bay, Florida, Madico, Inc. innovates, manufactures, and distributes a broad range of protective, functional and decorative materials-based solutions including films, coatings and laminates for various industries worldwide from automotive and architecture to healthcare and aerospace. Since 1903, Madico has pioneered industry-first products with an unrivaled commitment to quality and dedication to its customers. Madico is a fully owned subsidiary of Lintec USA Holdings, Inc. For more information, visit www.madico.com.
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Description: Wearing a short and flimsy blue dress, a voluptuous cutie did not notice a guy getting his camera underneath it and recording her underwear and buttocks.
Just curious of what that thing was hanging off her thigh ???


Brand new duplex homes, intuitively crafted and finished to the highest standards, this flawless home is architecturally designed throughout. Showcasing a sophisticated design enhanced by an abundance of natural light, it reveals generous proportions and a sleek flowing outlay with open plan living and dining areas, while floor to ceiling glass walls allow effortless indoor/outdoor transitions.
Connoisseurs will delight in the Chef's engineer stone kitchen with stainless steel appliances, while further highlights include a second living area on the second level. Accommodation comprises four well-scaled bedrooms, plus downstairs fifth bedroom or study room, four of which are appointed with build-in wardrobes. While two of the bedrooms extend to a bathed terrace balcony each.
Luxuries include Oak floating floorboards, quality carpet in the bedrooms and ducted air conditioning through out the home. The property is complete with front and rear landscaping and undercover barbeque area with gas powered cooktop oven, internal access to garage with extra storage space. Promising lifestyle excellence, it is positioned a short stroll to Hurstville Westfields, train station, public transport and a wide selection of public and private schools.


text:
Q: Let $F:A \to A$ be a function and let $Y \subseteq A$. Prove that the class $S = \{B:Y\subseteq B \subseteq A$ and $F[B] \subseteq B\}$ is a set. Let $F:A \to A$ be a function and let $Y \subseteq A$.
(a) Prove that the class $S = \{B:Y\subseteq B \subseteq A$ and $F[B] \subseteq B\}$ is a set.
Can I use the theorem that states: Let $\phi(x)$ be a formula.  Suppose that there is a set $A$ such that for all $x$, if $\phi(x)$, then $x \in A$.  Then there is a unique set $D$ such that for all $x$, $x \in D$ iff $\phi(x)$.

A: Here's a hint: replace the letter $A$ in your theorem with $U$, so that it reads

Let $\phi(x)$ be a formula.  Suppose that there is a set $U$ such that for all $x$, if $\phi(x)$, then $x \in U$.  Then there is a unique set $D$ such that for all $x$, $x \in D$ iff $\phi(x)$.

Rephrasing, that says that if you have some condition $\phi$ with the property that anything for which $\phi(x)$ is true is also in the set $U$ (but $U$ might have lots of other stuff in it), then you can also form the subset of $U$ consisting of things $x$ for which $\phi(x)$ is true.
The set you're trying to construct (the class named $S$) consists of a bunch of items generically named $B$. What kind of item is such a $B$?

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With our trainings, you are prepared to be successful in business as well as in everyday situations with regard to Japan. By imparting background knowledge and practice, you gain the experience to shape the next business negotiations and your stay in Japan in your sense.
An overview of our training offers can be found in a separate topic section on our website. You can also request a training catalogue, which we send you by post. If you want us to provide you with training content and topics which are not shown here, we are always ready to talk.
You need a moderator for a German-Japanese negotiation? As soon as possible, difficulties in your Japan project need to be tackled? You want to organise a new Japan project strategically smart and promising? For a business approach with Japanese partners, someone should help you with advice and action? For these and many other issues related to Japan, Florian Felix and his company are available with "Japan Coaching". Contact us with confidence and without obligation.
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text:
Home TELEPHONY SENEGAL – Boubacar Boris Diop receives the 2022 Neustadt International Literature Prize
SENEGAL – Boubacar Boris Diop receives the 2022 Neustadt International Literature Prize
On October 26, 2022, the announcement was made by World Literature Today, the magazine of the University of Oklahoma, the Senegalese writer, Boris Diop receives the Neustadt prize for his novel: "Murambi, le livre des ossements", reprinted by Flore Zoa.
It is the season of Awards, especially literary awards (Renaudot, Femina, Medici,…). Oklahoma crowns a glory of Senegalese literature: Boubacar Boris Diop. He is the 27th person and the first African to receive this award. So what is the Neustadt Award? – The reunion of two things that don't usually come together: a lot of money and a lot of honour." The $50,000 Neustadt International Prize for Literature is accompanied by a silver medal and a certificate.
Awarded every two years since 2003, the Neustadt Prize is one of the few prizes to be awarded to poets, novelists, screenwriters and playwrights. Almost all actors are also eligible. This prize is awarded to a living writer in recognition of an important work. The last winner of the 2020 Neustadt Prize was Albanian author Ismail. On the other hand Boubacar Boris Diop is part of the first sub-Saharan writer to win the 2022 Neustadt International Literature Prize. An award that is equivalent to the Nobel Prize for Literature.
According to Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Executive Director of World Literature Today, Boubacar Boris Diop deserves this distinction for his career and his writings: It is a great honour for an experienced African writer of the stature of Boubacar Boris Diop to win the Neustadt Prize. It is a landmark for the award and for Mr. Diop's growing and well-deserved reputation in the West." Boubacar Boris Diop has already won literary prizes (Grand Prix littéraire d'Afrique noire, 2000; Prix Goncourt des lycéens, 2018 and Booker Prize International, 2021) and has just won an umpteenth.
The Senegalese writer began as a journalist, writer, screenwriter, to finish – if he has not yet completed his metamorphosis – translator in the Wolof language. He is a bloated man of paradox. A first. Zulma, Paris and Mémoire d'encrier, Montreal. Two French-language Western publishing houses create a collection (Céytu) dedicated to African languages and appoint him as director. I do a tour, curiosity obliged, on the site of the Céytu. Second paradox. The site exists only in French and English. Not in Wolof. Third paradox. The writer lives in Pau. We would not have preferred Dakar.
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The Senegalese writer, beyond his great career, was chosen for his work on Rwanda. Murambi, the book of bones (Editions Zulma), is one of the first literary works on the bloodiest genocide of the late 20th century. In a masterly way, the writer recounts the madness, horror, drama and fragility of societies through the personal stories of two childhood friends, Jessica and Cornelius.".
CAMEROON – Yannick Noah released his new single with full optimism "Life is now"
[ WORLD ] "Pegasus Project": Revelations on the Most Serious Case of Widespread Surveillance since Snowden
SENEGAL: The hospital ship Africa Mercy has arrived.
SENEGAL – International star Youssou Ndour supports diva Coumba Gawlo Seck
MALI: The country under blockade: ECOWAS demands "immediate recovery" of President...


text:
Questa voce raccoglie le informazioni riguardanti lo Sport Club Fortuna Köln nelle competizioni ufficiali della stagione 1997-1998.

Stagione
Nella stagione 1997-1998 il Fortuna Colonia, allenato da Bernd Schuster, concluse il campionato di 2. Bundesliga al 6º posto. In Coppa di Germania il Fortuna Colonia fu eliminato al primo turno dal .

Rosa

Organigramma societario
Area tecnica
 Allenatore: Bernd Schuster
 Allenatore in seconda:
 Preparatore dei portieri: Walter Junghans
 Preparatori atletici:

Calciomercato

Sessione estiva

Sessione invernale

Risultati

2. Bundesliga

Girone di andata

Girone di ritorno

Coppa di Germania

Statistiche

Statistiche di squadra

Andamento in campionato

Statistiche dei giocatori

Collegamenti esterni

1997-1998

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Medtronic has announced its plans to start global marketing, pretty much everywhere except for the US, the company's next generation endovascular AAA device, the Endurant Abdominal Stent Graft System. The device was recently given EU's CE Mark of approval. The United States will likely be next, as the company is also announcing the first Endurant implants in a U.S. clinical trial.
The Endurant Stent Graft was CE (Conformité Européene) marked last week, and Medtronic will begin commercialization in mid-July. (CE mark is the European regulatory approval.) Outside the United States, the Endurant System expands the applicability of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) to more patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), which are present in an estimated 1.2 million people and responsible for 15,000 deaths annually in the United States.
Building on more than a decade of industry-leading experience, the new device seeks to address those AAA patients whose aortas are highly angulated or whose aneurysms have short necks. Patients with these complex anatomies would previously have had no choice but watchful waiting or open surgical repair, in which the abdomen is opened and major organs temporarily moved in order to access the aorta. The Endurant Stent Graft System is an investigational device in the United States, where it is limited to investigational use only.
The first implants of the Endurant Stent Graft System in the U.S. clinical trial took place during the last two weeks, with excellent periprocedural results. The initial implants at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio were performed by Drs. Matthew Eagleton, Timur Sarac and Vikram Kashyap; those at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, were completed by a team led by Dr. C. J. Buckley.
Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June under an investigational device exemption (IDE), the U.S. clinical trial of the Endurant Stent Graft System is designed to evaluate the device's safety and effectiveness in the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. As the pivotal trial for the Endurant Stent Graft, it will be used to seek FDA approval of the device. The study will enroll 150 patients at up to 30 U.S. sites in the next 12–18 months. All patients who meet the single-arm study's inclusion criteria will receive an Endurant Stent Graft; their outcomes will be compared to those who received the Talent™ Abdominal Stent Graft as part of the pivotal study that led to that device's FDA approval.


Tobacco firm Gallaher is to repackage its cigarette brands Camel Lights and Camel Ultra Lights as Camel Smooth and Camel Refined, to circumvent the European ban on misleading taste descriptions such as "light" and "mild".
At the same time, its two variants of Silk Cut will be called Blue and Silver, rather than Extra Mild and Ultra. Low-tar options for brands, such as Sterling, Sovereign, Mayfair, Dorchester and Superkings, will be known as Smooth. The altered packets will filter into retailers by June as old stock runs out.
Industry sources have said that Philip Morris is likely to rebrand Marlboro Lights as Marlboro Gold. Philip Morris was ordered to pay $10.1 bn (&6.5bn) by a US court last week for misleading customers into believing that its low-tar and light cigarettes were safer than regular versions. Similar lawsuits are expected in Europe.
Tobacco manufacturers failed to overturn a European Union ruling against descriptive terms that suggest certain cigarettes are less harmful than others. Manufacturers have also been instructed to increase the size of their health warnings by more than 30 per cent. The changes must be in place by September 30, 2003.


Campaigners from War on Want, Friends of the Earth and the World Development Movement staged a demonstration today (Friday, 25 January) against European Union policies which they warn threaten millions of livelihoods in developing countries. The London protest at the European Commission office came on the eve of trade ministers' special lunch on Saturday at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort Davos.
It also took place on the eve of international rallies to mark a day of action by anti-globalisation activists in the World Social Forum movement on Saturday.
The London demonstration opposed EU economic partnership agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries which they say will destroy many jobs by forcing developing nations to open their markets to unfair competition.
Protesters also targeted EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson?s free-market vision for a Global Europe, which they claim puts at risk the livelihoods of millions of workers and farmers in the developing world.
The demonstrators, with placards demanding "Stop Europe?s Unfair Trade Deals", handed in a protest letter to Reijo Kemppinen, head of the EC representation in London, at his office at 8 Storey's Gate, London SW1P 3AT.
Click here to see more photographs and a video from the demonstration.