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January-March 2013
Page Nos. 1-101
Online since Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Ocular therapeutics of the future p. 1
Samuel C Yiu
Corneal ectasias: Study cohorts and epidemiology p. 3
Alexander Bialasiewicz, Deepak P Edward
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SYMPOSIUM - OCULAR THERAPEUTICS OF THE FUTURE
Presentation, diagnosis and management of limbal stem cell deficiency p. 5
Kunjal Sejpal, Pejman Bakhtiari, Sophie X Deng
The human corneal surface epithelium is continuously repopulated by the limbal stem cells (LSCs). Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD) can lead to corneal opacity and vascularization, with consequent visual impairment or blindness. Many acquired and congenital diseases can lead to LCSD by direct injury to the LSCs, destruction of LSC niche, or both. Based on the severity of the disease, LSCD can present with various symptoms and signs. Although LSCD can be detected clinically, laboratory tests are necessary to confirm the diagnosis and monitor the disease progression. This article concisely reviews the clinical presentation, techniques for diagnosis and management of LSCD.
Strategies for local gene therapy of corneal allograft rejection p. 11
Pho Nguyen, Samuel C Yiu
Penetrating keratoplasty is the most common type of tissue transplant in humans. Irreversible immune rejection leads to loss of vision and graft failure. This complex immune response further predisposes future corneal transplants to rejection and failure. A diverse armamentarium of surgical and pharmacologic tools is available to improve graft survival. In this review, we will discuss the various gene therapeutic strategies aimed at potentiating the anterior chamber-associated immune deviation to extend graft survival.
Nanotechnology approaches for ocular drug delivery p. 26
Qingguo Xu, Siva P Kambhampati, Rangaramanujam M Kannan
Blindness is a major health concern worldwide that has a powerful impact on afflicted individuals and their families, and is associated with enormous socio-economical consequences. The Middle East is heavily impacted by blindness, and the problem there is augmented by an increasing incidence of diabetes in the population. An appropriate drug/gene delivery system that can sustain and deliver therapeutics to the target tissues and cells is a key need for ocular therapies. The application of nanotechnology in medicine is undergoing rapid progress, and the recent developments in nanomedicine-based therapeutic approaches may bring significant benefits to address the leading causes of blindness associated with cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and retinal degeneration. In this brief review, we highlight some promising nanomedicine-based therapeutic approaches for drug and gene delivery to the anterior and posterior segments.
Future perspectives for regenerative medicine in ophthalmology p. 38
Jennifer Elisseeff, Marcos G Madrid, Qiaozhi Lu, J Jeremy Chae, Qiongyu Guo
Repair and reconstruction of the cornea has historically relied on synthetic materials or tissue transplantation. However, the future holds promise for treatments using smart biomaterials and stem cells that direct tissue repair and regeneration to ultimately create new ocular structures that are indistinguishable from the original native tissue. The cornea is a remarkable engineering structure. By understanding the physical structure of the tissue and the resulting impact of the structure on biological function, we can design novel materials for a number of ophthalmic clinical applications. Furthermore, by extending this structure-function approach to characterizing corneal disease processes, new therapies can be engineered.
Efficacy and safety of intacs SK in moderate to severe keratoconus p. 46
Ahmed M El-Moatassem Kotb, Mohamed Hantera
Purpose: To examine the safety and efficacy of Intacs SK for moderate to severe keratoconus (KC) using femtosecond technology. Materials and Methods: This prospective, non-comparative study included 37 contact lens intolerant keratoconic eyes (stage II-III) of 24 patients who underwent femtosecond-assisted Intacs SK implantation. Inclusion criteria were mean K readings <56.00 D, corneal thickness >400 μm at the incision site, mesopic pupil <6.50 mm. Evaluation included manifest refraction, slitlamp examination, corneal topography, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). P < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results: Thirty-one (83.8%) eyes were classified as Amsler-Krumeich's stage II and 6 (16.2%) were stage III. Mean central pachymetry was 490.3 ± 37.4 μm. UDVA at 6 months post-operatively was significantly better than pre-operatively (0.90 log MAR ± 0.52 standard deviation [SD] versus 0.32 ± 0.27 logMAR; respectively, P < 0.0001), as was the spherical equivalent (SEq) (-3.64 ± 2.52 D vs. -1.84 ± 2.2 D; P < 0.0001). The mean CDVA and manifest cylinder improved compared with pre-operatively (P = 0.319 and P = 0.078, respectively). Average keratometry decreased significantly from 48.50 ± 3.08 D to 44.40 ± 3.03 D (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Implantation of Intacs SK using femtosecond laser in moderate to severe KC is safe and effective.
Early vitreous hemorrhage after vitrectomy with preoperative intravitreal bevacizumab for proliferative diabetic retinopathy p. 51
Tatsuhiko Sato, Shin-ichi Morita, Hajime Bando, Shigeru Sato, Toshihide Ikeda, Kazuyuki Emi
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of preoperative intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) on surgical procedures, visual prognosis, and postoperative complications, especially postoperative vitreous hemorrhage, in cases with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Materials and Methods: Seventy-one eyes of 54 consecutive patients (23 eyes of 18 women, 48 eyes of 36 men) were investigated in this study. Twenty-five eyes received IVB one to 30 days before the vitrectomy (Bevacizumab Group) and the other 46 eyes had the vitrectomy alone (Control Group). The surgical procedures, best-corrected visual acuities at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months after the vitrectomy, and postoperative complications in the Bevacizumab Group were compared to the Control Group. Results: The patients were significantly younger in the Bevacizumab Group compared to the Control Group (P = 0.008). The incidence of preoperative vitreous hemorrhage, tractional retinal detachment, and iris neovascularization was significantly higher in the Bevacizumab Group than in the Control Group (P = 0.017, 0.041, and 0.018, respectively). The surgical procedures performed and the visual acuity at all time points was not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05, all comparisons). The incidence of early (≤4 weeks) postoperative vitreous hemorrhage was significantly higher in the Bevacizumab Group (27%) than in the Control Group (7%; P = 0.027) although the rate of late (>4 weeks) postoperative vitreous hemorrhage was not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Vitrectomy with preoperative IVB may have no detrimental effect on surgical procedures and achieves the surgical outcomes for repair of PDR equal to vitrectomy alone despite the obvious selection bias of the patients in this study. However, special monitoring is highly recommended for early postoperative vitreous hemorrhage because bevacizumab in the vitreous may be washed out during vitrectomy.
Improving diabetic retinopathy screening in Africa: Patient satisfaction with teleophthalmology versus ophthalmologist-based screening p. 56
Khaliq Kurji, Dan Kiage, Christopher J Rudnisky, Karim F Damji
Purpose: To assess patient preference for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening with teleophthalmology or face-to-face ophthalmologist evaluation in Nairobi, Kenya. Materials and Methods: Fifty seven diabetic patients from a one-stop multidisciplinary diabetic clinic (consisting of a diabetologist, nurse educator, foot specialist, nutritionist, ophthalmologist, and neurologist) in Nairobi, Kenya were included if they had undergone both a teleophthalmology (stereoscopic digital retinal photographs graded by an ophthalmologist remotely) and a traditional clinical screening exam (face to face examination). A structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was developed in both English and Swahili. The questionnaire was administered over the telephone. Ten questions were used to compare patient experience and preferences between teleophthalmology and a traditional clinical examination for DR. A mean score >3.25 on the Likert scale was considered favourable. Results: Successfully telephone contact was possible for 26 (58% male, 42% females) of the 57 patients. The mean ages of the male and female patients were 52.4 and 46.5 years respectively. Patients were satisfied with their teleophthalmology examination (mean 4.15 ± 0.97). Patients preferred the teleophthalmology option for future screenings (mean 3.42 ± 1.52). This preference was driven primarily by convenience, reduced examination time, and being able to visualize their own retina. Conclusion: In this study, diabetic patients preferred a teleophthalmology based screening over a traditional ophthalmologist-based screening. The use of teleophthalmology in Africa warrants further study and has the potential to become the screening model of choice. Cost effectiveness in comparison to an ophthalmologist-based screening also requires evaluation.
Blindness and severe visual impairment in pupils at schools for the blind in Burundi p. 61
Patrick Ruhagaze, Kahaki Kimani Margaret Njuguna, Lévi Kandeke, Paul Courtright
Purpose: To determine the causes of childhood blindness and severe visual impairment in pupils attending schools for the blind in Burundi in order to assist planning for services in the country. Materials and Methods: All pupils attending three schools for the blind in Burundi were examined. A modified WHO/PBL eye examination record form for children with blindness and low vision was used to record the findings. Data was analyzed for those who became blind or severely visually impaired before the age of 16 years. Results: Overall, 117 pupils who became visually impaired before 16 years of age were examined. Of these, 109 (93.2%) were blind or severely visually impaired. The major anatomical cause of blindness or severe visual impairment was cornea pathology/phthisis (23.9%), followed by lens pathology (18.3%), uveal lesions (14.7%) and optic nerve lesions (11.9%). In the majority of pupils with blindness or severe visual impairment, the underlying etiology of visual loss was unknown (74.3%). More than half of the pupils with lens related blindness had not had surgery; among those who had surgery, outcomes were generally poor. Conclusion: The causes identified indicate the importance of continuing preventive public health strategies, as well as the development of specialist pediatric ophthalmic services in the management of childhood blindness in Burundi. The geographic distribution of pupils at the schools for the blind indicates a need for community-based programs to identify and refer children in need of services.
Type I retinopathy of prematurity in infants with birth weight less than 1251 g: Incidence and risk factors for its development in a nursery in Kuwait p. 66
Vivek B Wani, Anil K Uboweja, Muzaffar Gani, Jamal Al-Kandari, Mahmood Kazem, Niran Al-Naqeeb, Cherian Thomas, Murad Al-Serafi, Mumtaz M Shukkur
Purpose: To report the rate of acute retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and Type I ROP among infants with birth weight (BW) <1251 g and identify the risk factors for the development of Type I ROP. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of ROP records of infants with BW <1251 g was performed to identify infants with acute ROP and Type I ROP. Infants with Type I ROP were compared with those without Type I ROP to assess the risk factors for the development of Type I ROP. P < 0.05 was statistically significant. Multivariate analysis was performed and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: Among the 207 infants with BW <1251 g, acute ROP occurred in 154 infants (74.4%) and Type I ROP in 95 eyes of 50 infants (24.4%). The numbers of infants with BW <750 g and BW <1000 g were 19.3% and 58.4%, respectively, and the incidences of Type I ROP were 50% and 36.4%, respectively, among them. Forty-four (46.3%) eyes were treated at stage 2+ ROP in zone I or II. All the eyes treated for Type I ROP showed complete regression. Gestational age at birth (OR 0.657, 95% CI: 0.521-0.827; P < 0.0001) and number of ventilated days (OR 1.017, 95% CI: 1.005-1.029; P = 0.006) were identified as independent risk factors for the development of Type I ROP. Conclusions: The rate of Type I ROP in this study is higher than that in previous studies due to the higher number of infants with BW <1000 g in our cohort and the treatment of more eyes with stage 2+ ROP. However, all the treated eyes had a favorable outcome. Gestational age at birth and number of ventilated days were independent risk factors for the development of Type I ROP.
Prevalence of second-eye cataract surgery and time interval after first-eye surgery in Iran: A clinic-based study p. 72
Marzieh Katibeh, Hamid-Reza Moein, Mehdi Yaseri, Mojtaba Sehat, Armen Eskandari, Hossein Ziaei
Purpose: To determine the prevalence of second-eye senile cataract surgery (SECS) as a proportion of all senile cataract surgeries and the trend in the interval between first and second cataract operations in a main referral and academic eye hospital. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a list of patients who underwent senile cataract surgery over four consecutive years (2006-2009) was retrieved from hospital computer-based records as the sampling frame. With a systematic random method, 15% of records were selected (1,585 out of 10,517 records). Results: First- and second-eye operations were performed in 1,139 (71.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 69.5-74.1) and 446 eyes (28.1%; 95% CI, 25.9-30.35), respectively. The proportion of SECS procedures increased from 24.3% in 2006 to 33.4% in 2009 (P = 0.017). The median (interquartile range) interval between the two operations was 9 (4-24) months, which remained stable during the study period. The SECS rate was 10.4% higher (P = 0.01) and the time interval was 13 months shorter (P = 0.007) in patients who underwent phacoemulsification than extracapsular cataract extraction. Conclusion: The number of cataract operations in this tertiary eye care setting increased 1.5 fold over the study period. The proportion of second-eye operations also rose from 1/4 to 1/3 during the same time.
In vivo confocal microscopy in chloroquine-induced keratopathy p. 77
Iacopo Paladini, Ugo Menchini, Rita Mencucci
In vivo confocal microscopy is becoming a mandatory examination to study corneal abnormalities such as drug deposits in systemic disease. A female diagnosed with fibromyalgia on systemic chloroquine for 9 months presented for an ophthalmic examination. Confocal microscopy was performed using the Confoscan 4 (Nidek Co. Ltd., Gamagori, Japan) and multiple highly reflective deposits in the epithelial basal cells were found, that were consistent with choloquine. Deposits were also present in the wing cell layer. In the anterior stroma these deposits were rare. Atypically shaped and branched nerves were also present in the anterior stroma. Corneal deposits of chloroquine can be evaluated by confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy provides information on corneal metabolism and physiology. Chloroquine keratopathy can affect the anterior stroma in addition to the epithelium.
Microsporidial spores can cross the intact descemet membrane in deep stromal infection p. 80
Somasheila I Murthy, Vishram A Sangit, Varsha M Rathi, Geeta K Vemuganti
We report a rare case of a deep stromal keratitis with a chronic indolent course, diagnosed as microsporidial keratitis from corneal scrapings. The patient's condition worsened despite medical therapy and penetrating keratoplasty was performed. The histopathology of the corneal tissue revealed multiple microsporidial spores in the posterior stroma and the endothelial exudates, whereas there was no clinical or histopathological breach in Descemet's membrane. This is the second report in the literature to report that micropsoridial spores can cross the intact Descemet's membrane.
Transient increased exudation after photodynamic therapy of intraocular tumors p. 83
Arman Mashayekhi, Carol L Shields, Jerry A Shields
To report transient increased exudation after photodynamic therapy (PDT) of three different intraocular tumors (retinal hemangioblastoma, retinal astrocytoma, amelanotic choroidal melanoma). PDT with verteporfin (6 mg/m [2] body surface area) was delivered at a dose of 50 J/cm [2] and intensity of 600 mW/cm [2] over 83 s. All patients experienced decreased vision within a few days following PDT. Optical coherence tomography showed development of subfoveal fluid in all cases and noncystoid intraretinal edema in the eye with juxtapapillary retinal hemangioblastoma. There was complete absorption of retinal/subretinal fluid with improvement of visual acuity to 20/20 in all cases between 3 weeks to 4 months after PDT.
Acute bilateral endophthalmitis following bilateral intravitreal bevacizumab (avastin) injection p. 87
Ali Tabatabaii, Aliasghar Ahmadraji, Alireza Khodabande, Mohammadreza Mansouri
The clinical presentation and management of two patients who presented with acute bilateral endophthalmitis following bilateral intravitreal bevacizumab injection. Both cases were diagnosed clinically and subsequent to a vitreous sample, intravitreal ceftazidime (2.25 mg/0.1ml) and vancomycin (1 mg/0.1ml) were injected. One patient had a significant improvement in signs and symptoms after intravitreal antibiotics. However, there were was no improvement in the other patient and pars plana vitrectomy was performed bilaterally. Vitreous cultures were positive in both cases for Staphylococcus epidermidis.
Delayed onset chloroquine retinopathy presenting 10 years after long-term usage of chloroquine p. 89
Mohmmad Salman Kazi, Kumar Saurabh, Pukhraj Rishi, Ekta Rishi
Chloroquine retinopathy is a known complication of long-term use of chloroquine. This retinopathy can appear even after usage of chloroquine has stopped. The present case report describes the history and clinical features of chloroquine retinopathy developing a decade after discontinuing the drug.
Bilateral total optic atrophy due to transdermal methanol intoxication p. 92
Yalçin Iscan, Çigdem Coskun, Veysi Öner, Fatih Mehmet Türkçü, Mehmet Tas, Mehmet Fuat Alakus
In this case report, we document a 54-year-old woman with total bilateral optic nerve atrophy after local application of methanol containing spirit. Almost all the reported cases of methanol intoxication in the literature are caused by oral ingestion. In this rare case, we present transdermal absorption of methanol that may cause irreversible blindness in addition to intracerebral lesions.
Ocular involvement of brucellosis p. 95
Nooshin Bazzazi, Alireza Yavarikia, Fariba Keramat
A 29-year-old male diagnosed with brucellosis a week earlier was referred to the ophthalmology clinic with visual complaints. On examination, visual acuity was 20/25, he had conjunctival injection on slit lamp examination. There was also bilateral optic disk swelling plus retinal hyperemia (optic disc hyperemia and vascular tortuosity) and intraretinal hemorrhage on funduscopy. The patient was admitted and treated with cotrimoxazole, rifampin, doxycycline and prednisolone for 2 months. Ocular manifestations subsided gradually within 6 months after treatment. Brucellosis can affect the eye and lead to serious ocular complications. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment should be considered in endemic areas.
Surgical technique for excisional bleb revision using a rotational conjunctival flap for a large conjunctival defect p. 98
Kara L Schultz, Thasarat S Vajaranant, Kristin Suhr, Jacob T Wilensky, Elmer Y Tu
Bleb dysesthesia is a common but under recognized late complication of trabeculectomy, sometimes requiring surgical revision if conservative measures fail. We describe in detail a surgical technique for closure of a large conjunctival defect following bleb excision for refractory dysesthesia. Two subconjunctival 5-fluorouracil injections were given to improve bleb function. Eight months post-operatively, the intraocular pressure is well controlled on two agents, and the patient has had resolution of dysesthesia.


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Banged-up Brewers Bullpen Loses Knebel for the Season
The Brewers came within one win of a trip to the World Series last year thanks in part to the performance of a dominant bullpen that helped to offset a shaky, injury-wracked rotation. Thus far this spring, however, that bullpen has borne the brunt of the Brewers' injuries. With Jeremy Jeffress having already started the season on the injury list due to shoulder weakness, the team just suffered an even bigger loss, as Corey Knebel revealed on Friday that he will undergo Tommy John surgery.
The 27-year-old Knebel originally suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in 2014, while pitching for the Rangers' Triple-A Round Rock affiliate. He was just over a year into his professional career at that point, having been chosen as a supplemental first-round pick by the Tigers out of the University of Texas in 2013, then dealt to the Rangers in a July 2014 trade involving Joakim Soria. The injury wasn't severe enough to require TJS, so he rehabbed it and kept pitching, establishing himself in the majors after being traded to the Brewers in the Yovani Gallardo deal in 2015, then taking over closer duties from the struggling Neftali Feliz in 2017. That year, he earned All-Star honors while saving 39 games, making an NL-high 76 appearances, and pitching to a 1.78 ERA, 2.53 FIP, and 2.7 WAR; the last mark ranked fourth in the majors among relievers with at least 50 innings.
The 2018 season was a different story for Knebel. He made just three appearances before missing a month due to a left hamstring strain, and pitched so erratically that he was sent back to Triple-A Colorado Springs with a 5.08 ERA and 4.29 FIP in late August. Fortunately for the Brewers, he was thoroughly dominant upon returning, holding batters to a .096/.175/.135 line while striking out 33 of the 57 he faced in 16.1 scoreless innings through the end of the regular season, then striking out 14 out of 33 hitters over 10 postseason innings while allowing just one run. Overall, his 3.58 ERA was more than double his 2017 mark, though his 3.03 FIP wasn't so far removed; in both seasons, he posted top-five strikeout rates (40.8% in 2017, 39.5% last year) and top 10 K-BB% (27.8% and 29.6%, respectively), with a jump in home run rate (from 0.71 per nine to 1.14) the big difference. Still, between that and a lesser workload (from 76 innings to 55.1), his WAR dropped from 2.7 to 1.0.
Knebel had been diagnosed with additional UCL damage this spring after reporting discomfort following a March 17 Cactus League appearance. Faced with the decision to try rehabbing again, which carried with it the possibility of costing himself not only the 2019 season but a good chunk of 2020, or submitting to surgery now and targeting the beginning of next year for his return, he chose the latter route. According to Jon Roegele's Tommy John Surgery List, he'll be the fifth major league pitcher to undergo the procedure this spring, after the Blue Jays' Mark Leiter Jr., the Mets' Drew Smith, the Diamondbacks' Silvino Bracho, and the Tigers' Michael Fulmer.
With Knebel out, the Brewers will again have to summon a level of resourcefulness. Last year, manager Craig Counsell used both Jeffress and Josh Hader to save games when Knebel went down. With Knebel finishing with 16 saves, Jeffress 15, and Hader 12, the team became just the fifth squad of the past 14 seasons with a trio of pitchers in double digits, along with the 2014 Angels, '15 Mariners, and '16 and '18 Astros.
The save stat only hints at Counsell's departure from bullpen orthodoxy in convincing his players to move beyond the typical setup/closer labels in favor of "go in and get outs." Hader, in his first full season, made the All-Star team while working in a pattern reminiscent of Andrew Miller during the 2016 postseason. Of his 55 appearances, he entered in the eighth inning or earlier 50 times, and got more than three outs a league-high 33 times. Jeffress entered in the eighth inning or earlier in 52 of his 73 appearances, and got four or more outs 18 times. Seven of Hader's saves, five of Jeffress', and even two of Knebel's were of four outs or more, and four other Brewers relievers each notched one multi-inning save for an league-high 18.
Jeffress, who pitched to a 1.29 ERA and 2.78 FIP in 76.2 innings last year, left a March 6 exhibition with shoulder soreness after throwing just 83-84 mph. He began the season on the injury list but could go out on a rehab assignment later this week, and is expected back sometime in mid-April. Fortunately, Hader has resumed his dominant form, retiring the first nine batters he's faced this year, seven via strikeout.
The most obvious solution to replace Knebel would be to sign Craig Kimbrel. But while Milwaukee has checked in on the free agent closer, and while owner Mark Attanasio described the Brewers — who set a franchise-record with a $122.5 million Opening Day payroll — as "all in now" when the team signed free agent infielder Mike Moustakas, it doesn't sound as though spending another $18 million on Kimbrel is in the cards, so solutions will have to come from within.
One option that's already out is Bobby Wahl. A 27-year-old righty who can touch 99 mph, Wahl was acquired from the Mets in the Keon Broxton trade, but tore his right ACL in early March and is done for the year. Taylor Williams, who struck out more than a batter per inning last year as a 26-year-old rookie, has high-leverage stuff including a fastball in the 95-98 range, but his command is limited. Chase Anderson, who was bumped from the rotation after a subpar 2018 (3.93 ERA, 5.22 FIP), could help; contributor Devan Fink recently offered a look at the way shortening his repertoire could reduce his vulnerability to the long ball. Meanwhile, the Brewers' current rotation includes three young pitchers who worked out of the bullpen last fall, namely Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, and Brandon Woodruff. They've joined Jhoulys Chacin and Zach Davies in the rotation, but if and when Jimmy Nelson returns, one pitcher from among that trio could transition back to relief work. Nelson missed all of last season while recovering from September 2017 surgery to repair labrum and rotator cuff tears, and he's been slowed this spring by elbow soreness, so that plan isn't happening immediately.
As the Brewers sort through their options, it's worth remembering just how hard it is to maintain a strong bullpen from year to year, whether the cast of characters remains largely the same or turns over. Via our splits, the year-to-year correlations for team bullpen performance are much lower than for rotations. For the 1998-2018 period:
Year-to-Year Correlations for Team Pitching, 1998-2018
RA9-WAR
Rotation 0.54 0.58 0.66 0.55
Bullpen 0.39 0.50 0.27 0.27
Admittedly, this is something of a crude measure, but it does illustrate a point. Given collections of pitchers who are generally less talented and more fungible than starters, and who are throwing relatively small samples of innings, the year-to-year performances for the group wind up being more volatile. Since the start of the 1998 season, just 93 teams out of 600 (15.5%) have gotten at least 3.9 WAR from their bullpens — a mark that's generally good enough to rank in the upper third of the majors — in back-to-back seasons. With 4.1 WAR from their bullpen in 2016 (Counsell's first full season), then 4.4 in 2017 and 6.6 last year, the Brewers already account for two of those 93 repeaters.
Perhaps they've got another strong season in them, particularly if Jeffress comes back strong and if Hader can again hold up to the kind of multi-inning workload that pushed him to 81.1 frames last year. Certainly, Counsell has shown a deft touch during his tenure, and likewise for general manager David Stearns in finding fresh arms. Still, in a tight NL Central race, any disadvantage could prove the difference between making the playoffs and missing out, and in losing Knebel, the Brewers have just one more to overcome.
Effectively Wild Episode 1356: Keep Your Eye on the Bat
Corbin Burnes, Ty Buttrey, and Steve Cishek on Developing Their Sliders
Philmember
Can Yelich close as well?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Seun Summers in "American Promise"
Think of American Promise as an academic Hoop Dreams.
Meanwhile, the filmmakers teamed with Storyhunter and POV, PBS's documentary showcase, to commission three other short documentaries (which were broadcast on PBS and are available online) about "the achievements and challenges that America's young black males face." One of the films, A High School Behind Bars, by directors Annelise Wunderlich and Richard O'Connell, shows how a charter school in a San Francisco county jail is trying to combat recidivism. The other two focus on fatherhood and a jazz music program designed to help get kids into college.
Here is a five-minute video summarizing the American Promise campaign.
How did the filmmakers end up being spokespeople for a national awareness campaign on implicit racial bias in the classroom – and how might others try to replicate their success?
When Brewster and Stephenson first started filming kindergarteners in 1999, their goal was to document a diversity experiment at one of Manhattan's most exclusive private schools. They wanted to tell a story, and their motivations were primarily artistic. Writing a book, making television appearances, meeting with lawmakers, and building a mobile app were not part of the plan. Although Stephenson had worked with the human rights group Witness, which uses video to raise awareness of human rights abuses, at that time "the idea of documentary being part of a larger campaign was not as evolved," Stephenson recalls.
It took three or four years – and even the withdrawal of some of the film's young subjects, including girls, from the project – before the filmmakers sharpened their focus on the black male achievement gap and the unfolding lives of Idris and Seun.
As footage accumulated over the years, the filmmakers cut scenes together and started to get positive feedback – and money – from the artistic community. Brewster attributes their early momentum to their storytelling skills, which are a critical component of any visual advocacy project, he says.
Documentaries need not be feature length to affect an audience and inspire engagement with a subject. At various times throughout production, the filmmakers screened 25 minutes of edited footage to audiences and found that they could move an audience with excerpts as easily as they eventually would with their feature film. "You have to have a narrative that moves people," Brewster says.
By the time the boys hit middle school, the filmmakers started to reach out to experts studying the achievement gap. "We knew of the achievement gap, but we didn't know the extent to which it permeated black middle-class lives," Stephenson says.
The filmmakers met with professors of education and psychology, among others, shared their footage, and started to learn more about the subject. What Idris and Seun were experiencing, what Brewster and Stephenson had captured on film, validated what the filmmakers were hearing from their experts and reading in academic literature.
Although the filmmakers conducted on-camera interviews with experts, they ultimately decided not to use that material in the film, because it tended to pull the audience out of the immersive, personal stories of Idris and Seun, and weakened the impact of the narrative.
But the filmmakers had learned so much and were developing their own specialized knowledge in the field, that a new project was born: a companion book. The film would move audiences emotionally and raise awareness, anecdotally, of a nationwide phenomenon. A book would add context, research, statistics, and academic insights. A book also could lay out concrete action steps for parents and educators – again, something the filmmakers did not want to include in their film for fear of undermining the impact of the personal stories.
As Brewster and Stephenson began designing a larger outreach campaign, one of the crucial preliminary steps was to define a target audience that they could realistically reach. Brewster dubbed them "the low-hanging fruit." To Brewster and Stephenson, that meant people "who were motivated to hear the message," but not necessarily those who had an existing interest in the achievement gap, per se. "There's a difference between low-hanging fruit and preaching to the converted," Stephenson observes.
In this case, Brewster and Stephenson focused their efforts on parents and teachers of children under the age of 12. "We knew we could have the largest impact with the least amount of resources on that population," Brewster says.
The teacher guides and resources for parents, which had short lists of concrete action items, were the main components of the early campaign.
The next step was to partner with organizations and foundations that were already working on the achievement gap or with the target demographics, such as the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, among many others. Launching an advocacy campaign, on top of 13 years of film production, is expensive, and sharing the costs with organizations that had mutual objectives was essential.
The filmmakers found the process arduous. "Sometimes it took two to three years to cement a partnership," Brewster admits.
The filmmakers also had to learn "to live with 'no' not being 'no,'" Brewster explains. "We received so many 'no's', basically we would have given up if we had accepted that." Instead, the filmmakers viewed a closed and locked door as an opportunity to try another key.
For example, after one potential partner turned the filmmakers down, Brewster went back to his research and data, to refine his pitch and find information that would better resonate with the group and its mission. He finagled another meeting. "They're one of our largest funders," he says.
"When you are in the digital media sphere, you can't be about 'here's our product, please join us,'" she continues. The focus needs to be on the population the advocates are trying to reach and providing them with helpful information supportive of the ultimate mission.
With an effective social media campaign, Brewster and Stephenson were able to reach far more people than ever will see their film. "We estimate a couple million people saw the film via television, festivals and theatrical," Brewster says. "We believe ten times that many, maybe more, know of the project." He attributes that to the film's Twitter account and Facebook page, and other outreach efforts, both directly from the couple's media company and through strategic partners.
In the short term, awareness continues to be a primary focus. On that front, the effort the filmmakers have been putting into their project seems to be working. They have received 1,200 requests for community screenings; appeared on television 30 times in the past six months; and broadcast the film nationally on PBS (both on television and online) following a theatrical run.
In the long-term, the filmmakers hope to change people's behavior and perception. "That happens over a longer period of time," Stephenson explains. The early returns are positive. The filmmakers have survey data from audience members, and the overwhelming majority of viewers, even those who do not yet buy into the concept of "implicit bias," acknowledge that they need to change their behavior to better serve black youth, Brewster reports.
In the coming months and years, the filmmakers plan to reassess their efforts, evaluate how people are using the tools that the filmmakers have provided, and adjust the campaign accordingly. "The next phase is even more exciting," Stephenson says.


It's time to look back at the topics covered in our SaaS Metrics Refresher course and pull out some lessons learned.
This is our tenth and final outing in the SaaS Metrics Refresher bus. At this point we've touched a range of topics pertinent to SaaS businesses — some of them core metrics you'll find on any investor report, some more loosely defined characteristics or tools you can use to understand your customers.
Any good lesson or course ends with a recap — going over what's been learned is critical for retention, so listen up! Let's summarise and walk through some of the biggest learnings on each of the topics covered.
Are you doing some analysis of your MRR? Try asking yourself what type of MRR you're looking at.
My biggest takeaway when it came to expansion was that it should be woven into the design of your pricing — it doesn't need to be a product of luck! Take the time to design a pricing model that leads to healthy expansion over time, ideally as your customers grow and see more success with your product.
"For subscription-based businesses who have negative churn (they expand revenue from retained customers at a greater rate than lost revenue from churn), you need new formulae to calculate LTV that includes both this expansion rate and churn.
Time for a controversial hot take(away): Most people reading this probably shouldn't worry about estimating LTV accurately. In fact, it's probably better if they don't look at LTV at all! I discussed this with David Skok in a recent podcast. David also reiterated the point that early stage SaaS businesses shouldn't focus on LTV, it's just not possible to predict accurately with such a small volume of data.
Cohorts seem really simple on the surface, but can be surprisingly powerful. My biggest takeaway from this was to use cohorts to get a more nuanced view on retention: Instead of looking at your global retention numbers, look at them on a per-cohort basis. Then instead of the absolute, you can understand the trend.
Revenue recognition is a tough nut to crack, and for some, a necessary evil. Whether you like it or not, you need to balance your books. With the introduction of ASC 606, revenue recognition for SaaS changed significantly. But it's actually a lot more straightforward than it used to be! Start with the 6 guiding principles in the lesson.
After researching for a blog post on data literacy, it dawned on me how much we expect of employees when it comes to interpreting and understanding data nowadays, and how little attention we give to encouraging a good baseline of literacy with data. My takeaway here is that if you really want to be a "data driven" business, you need to start including data literacy as a core competency for every role that works with data.
For me, the takeaway here was the gap between an "aspirational" segment and one that fits all of the criteria Tunguz references above — measurable, addressable, stable and consistent. There are many segments that would be incredibly valuable and actionable, but we simply can't measure them in a reliable way.
That's a wrap, folks! Remember you can always go back to any of the lessons above, download the resources and go over the details.
Still haven't run through the course yet? What are you doing?! Drop your email here and we'll walk you through the content week by week.


In our official brochure you will find the entire range of Gedack pipe systems as well as the application possibilities of our products.
In our catalogue you will find basic information about our range of metal and PTFE hoses.
This questionnaire can be used as an aid for a possible request for metal or PTFE hoses.
This questionnaire can be used as an aid for a possible request for expansion joints.


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His Name Was Jordan Edwards
Connie Schultz
May 05 | 2017
Reprinted with permission from Creators.
Another black boy was killed by police, this time in Texas.
His name was Jordan Edwards.
Jordan was 15, a "model student," a "popular football player" and "a kid that did everything right."
He was a freshman at Mesquite High School, in a suburb east of Dallas.
In a recorded message to the school community, principal Kevin Samples described Jordan as "a good student who was very well-liked by his teachers, coaches and his fellow students." Samples added that the "entire district — especially the staff and students of Mesquite High School — are mourning this terrible loss."
Head football coach Jeff Fleener posted on social media: "Nothing can prepare you for a day like today. … I have felt a range of emotions from extreme sadness, sick to my stomach, anger, questioning, and simply asking, 'Why?' My faith tells me that only God can tell me why, but that answer will come in His time. But knowing Jordan, his huge heart, his big smile, and his constant, positivity, God is putting him to work."
I wanted to start with these details about Jordan, because how else can we even try to comprehend his loss? I am writing from the city of Cleveland, where less than three years ago, another black boy, 12-year-old Tamir Rice, was shot and killed by police. If I learned anything from the immediate coverage after his death, it's that we must emphasize early that this boy — this black boy — did not deserve to die.
Jordan Edwards spent his last conscious moments in a car driven by his 16-year-old brother in another Dallas suburb. As has been subsequently reported, the teens in the car — Jordan, his two brothers and two friends — had no weapons, and they were not drunk. None of them has been charged with any crime.
At first, Balch Springs Police Department Chief Jonathan Haber claimed that one of his officers, later identified as Roy Oliver, fired at the teens' car because it was backing down the street in an "aggressive manner" toward officers called to break up a teen party.
Hours later, the police chief walked that story back, saying body camera footage showed the car driving away when the officer raised his rifle and began shooting.
"After reviewing the video," Haber said, "I don't believe that (the shooting) met our core values."
The Dallas County medical examiner has ruled Jordan's death a homicide. Cause of death: rifle wound to the head.
The police officer has been fired. We await further news about what happens next.
Meanwhile, Jordan Edwards' family is not the family it used to be, before Jordan was shot in the head.
"This entire ordeal has been inescapable," family members said in a statement released through their lawyer. They described Jordan as a "loving child, with a humble and sharing spirit," sharing a bond with his siblings that was "indescribable."
His brothers, the family continued, will never be the same.
"Not only have Jordan's brothers lost their best friend; they witnessed firsthand his violent, senseless, murder. Their young lives will forever be altered. No one, let alone young children, should witness such horrific, unexplainable violence."
We too often fail to mention this, let alone dwell on it, when children are killed. Family members — parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins, aunts and uncles — all of them are shattered in their own ways, none of which we want to imagine.
Jordan Edwards' family is asking that we try. It is the very least we can do. Our discomfort is irrelevant.
The Washington Post editorial board asks, "Will this latest, utterly needless death of a young African American male make 'Black Lives Matter' more than a hashtag by spurring needed police reforms?"
However well-intentioned, that is a question asked by those who think this ongoing crisis has been someone else's problem. Black Lives Matter is a movement, a mobilization of countless Americans demanding reform in the wake of too many black citizens' deaths by police.
As the Post reported, about 25 percent of the 330 people shot and killed this year by police were black, and 7 percent of them were unarmed.
If you think Black Lives Matter is only a hashtag, get off Twitter and start talking to the families in our communities — emphasis on "our" — who worry every day that the black sons they kiss goodbye in the morning will be dead by midnight.
We'd rather not think about that, either.
Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State University's school of journalism. She is the author of two books, including "…and His Lovely Wife," which chronicled the successful race of her husband, Sherrod Brown, for the U.S. Senate. To find out more about Connie Schultz (con.schultz@yahoo.com) and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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Resolute Biden Touts Achievements, Promises To Reconnect With Voters
@AFP
January 20 | 2022
Washington (AFP) - Joe Biden sought to reset his presidency in a marathon press conference Wednesday, vowing to reconnect with voters in his second year and touting what he said were his unprecedented successes.
"Can you think of any other president that's done as much in one year?" Biden asked, ticking off the epic struggle against Covid-19 and trillions of dollars in government funding to save the US economy from pandemic fallout.
"I don't think there's been much on any incoming president's plate that's been a bigger menu than the plate I had given to me," the Democrat said. "The fact of the matter is, we got a lot done."
Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of his inauguration on January 20, 2021, Biden held only the second White House press conference of his presidency -- then surprised many by taking questions for almost two full hours.
At various times combative, joking and meandering into thoughtful musings on everything from the workings of Vladimir Putin's mind to Republican opponents, Biden brushed off criticism over his handling of the pandemic and soaring inflation.
Asked about his approval ratings, which have sunk into the low 40 percent area, Biden was curt.
"I don't believe the polls," he said.
Biden did acknowledge missteps in the 12 months since he took over from Donald Trump, saying it had been "a year of challenges."
These included that he "didn't anticipate" the ferocity of Republican obstruction to his agenda in Congress. On Covid testing capabilities, which continue to struggle to meet demand, he said "we should have done it quicker."
Biden likewise said he understood "frustration" over steadily rising prices, which he blamed on Covid-related supply chain issues.
Fighting inflation will be "hard and take a lot of work."
"It's going to be painful for a lot of people," he said, noting that high prices were being felt "at the gas pump, the grocery stores and elsewhere."
Ukraine Warning
On one of the most traumatic episodes of his presidency -- the chaotic and rushed final withdrawal from the 20-year long Afghanistan war -- Biden said flatly: "I make no apologies."
"There was no way to get out of Afghanistan after 29 years easily," he declared.
The press conference, which defied the widely shared image of Biden as shrinking from contact with the media, focused especially heavily on the looming crisis in Ukraine, where the United States is leading Western efforts to find a diplomatic solution to Russia's military posturing on the border.
Biden said he was ready to meet with Putin and bluntly warned the Kremlin leader that an attack on Ukraine would be "a disaster" for Russia.
However, Biden caused confusion when he appeared to suggest that a small-scale attack by the Russians would prompt much less pushback from the West. The White House quickly issued a statement clarifying that what he meant was that any military invasion would prompt a "severe" response, while non-military aggression, like paramilitary attacks, would be met with a "reciprocal" response.
'Getting Out More Often'
With a State of the Union speech to Congress set for March 1, Biden faces a rapidly diminishing period in which he can engineer a strategy to fight off a Republican comeback at midterm congressional elections this November.
Republicans are forecast to crush his party and take control of the legislature. That risks bringing two years of complete obstruction from Congress, likely including threats of impeachment and a slew of aggressive committee probes.
Trump, who continues to perpetuate the lie that he beat Biden in 2020 and seeks to undermine Americans' faith in their election system, is eyeing a possible attempt at another run at the White House in 2024.
Biden confirmed he wants to run for reelection with Kamala Harris as his vice president again. And he said that while Democrats proved unable to use their razor-thin congressional majority to pass two big priorities -- the Build Back Better social spending bill and election law reforms -- they could instead settle for passing "big chunks" of the failed legislation.
Above all, Biden emphasized his desire to leave the confines of the White House after a year featuring a decidedly light travel schedule.
"Number one: I am getting out of this place more often. I am going to go out and talk to the public," he said.
"I find myself in a situation where I don't get a chance to look people in the eye, both because of Covid and the situation in Washington," he said, describing how he wanted to "connect with people, let them take a measure of my sincerity."
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Supreme Court Rejects Trump Plea To Withhold Capitol Attack Records
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected former President Donald Trump's request to block the release of White House records sought by the Democratic-led congressional panel investigating last year's deadly attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
The decision means the documents, held by a federal agency that stores government and historical records, can be disclosed even as litigation over the matter continues in lower courts.
Only one of the court's nine members, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, publicly noted disagreement with the decision.
Trump's request to the justices came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on December 9 ruled that the businessman-turned-politician had no basis to challenge President Joe Biden's decision to allow the records to be handed over to the House Select Committee.
Trump and his allies have waged an ongoing legal battle with the committee seeking to block access to documents and witnesses. Trump has sought to invoke a legal principle known as executive privilege, which protects the confidentially of some internal White House communications, a stance rejected by lower courts.
The brief Supreme Court order noted that the weighty question of whether a former president can assert an executive privilege claim did not need to be answered to resolve the case.
"Because the court of appeals concluded that President Trump's claims would have failed even if he were the incumbent, his status as a former president necessarily made no difference to the court's decision," the unsigned order said.
The House committee has said it needs the records to understand any role Trump may have played in fomenting the violence that unfolded on January' 6, 2021. His supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to prevent Congress from formally certifying Biden's 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.
The committee has asked the National Archives, which holds Trump's White House records, to produce visitor logs, phone records and written communications between his advisers.
Biden, who took office two weeks after the riot, has determined that the records, which belong to the executive branch, should not be subject to executive privilege and that turning them over to Congress was in the best interests of the nation. Trump has argued that he can invoke executive privilege based on the fact he was president at the time even though he is no longer in office.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Novembe 9 rejected Trump's arguments, saying he had not acknowledged the "deference owed" to Biden's determination that the committee could access the records and adding: "Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President."
The select committee is comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans. The Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump, but it has not always been receptive to his requests.
The court last year rejected his request to block disclosure of his tax records as part of a criminal investigation in New York and also turned away attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.
Shortly before the riot, Trump repeated to a crowd of his supporters his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud, telling them to go to the Capitol and "fight like hell" to "stop the steal."
Any delay by the Supreme Court in allowing the disclosure of the records could have imperiled the panel's chances of obtaining them. The committee aims to finish its work before the November congressional elections in which Trump's fellow Republicans are seeking to regain House control. Republicans opposed the panel's creation and could shut down the inquiry if they win a majority in the chamber.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
Trump's 'Executive Privilege' Is Just Another Big Lie - National Memo ›
Supreme Court Rejects Trump Plea To Stop Records Release ›
Supreme Court turns down Trump's plea to shield his records - Los ... ›
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Roy Rogers Thomas, from the graduating class of 1965, passed away on April 29th, 2018, after suffering a stroke while battling diabetes. Roy was a member of the Staths Alumni Association NE Chapter.
Born on August 7th, 1947, in Kingston Jamaica, Roy spent his high school years at STATHS, where outside of academic success, he rose to the rank of Sargent in the Combined Cadet Force, later spending ten years in the Jamaica Defense Force where he ultimately served as a Pilot. Roy also holds the distinction of being among those who made STATHS a family affair. His daughter Joan "Pepe" Gaston is a graduate of the class of '84.
The Memorial Service for Roy will be held on May 19th, at The Living Water Christian Center, 374 Dodd Street, East Orange, New Jersey, USA.
Our condolences to the Thomas Family.
VISIT STATHS FUNDER.org on Facebook.
CONGRATULATIONS to the members of the STATHS 4H Club for taking first place in the Parish of Kingston. Seems like we might have to get you your own office to house all those trophies . Thanks for the "Rock Cakes" too. Do you deliver?
The raffle winner and her prize . On May 5th, the UJAA (Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations) raffle winner, Angela Robinson claimed her prize from Westbury Toyota in New York – a 2018 Toyota Camry. Special congratulations also to Sharon McClure of the Excelsior Alumni Association, who sold the winning $5 ticket.
Take comfort STATHS Nation – we win some and we lose some….we can't win everything.
HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY was May 9th. We want all of our teachers to know that you are appreciated and that although it may seem that your efforts are wasted, just look at the members of the various alumni associations and see what you helped to produce . CONGRATULATIONS !!!
Most animals that hibernate during the winter months have no idea what happened during the time they were asleep – recharging their batteries. On the other hand , I was totally aware of all that was happening , I just was not reacting to it……until now.
Principal Rayon Simpson completed a year at his alma mater, then returned to his previous job at Belmont Academy. I bet you want to hear all the juicy details ? Here is the Jamaican version summed up. Some people neva like 'im, an dem mussi bun bad lamp fi 'im .On the contrary, many of us especially in the alumni associations think that he made a big difference in just the one year period. Simply put, and humor aside, all the pieces of the jig saw puzzle in the game of life, that would have allowed Mr. Simpson to be at St. Andrew Technical for as long as he liked, did not fit at this time.
For example, Mrs. Simpson is also an active educator working in Westmoreland etc. ( I believe). So you can see that the family was separated for most of the school year…. neither safe nor desirable . She needed to have been reassigned also and this did not happen in a timely manner. So, the family fixed the problem. End of story for now.
To Rayon Simpson…..Your effort bears success. You are not only a man of word, but action. For a young leader you are innovative, you are a visionary, you motivate and inspire others. You give hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak, a nation builder with a difference. Your awesomeness has no pause, it just goes on and on.
St. Andrew Technical High School is celebrating its fifty-seventh birthday during the month of April. Some of the pioneering students and staff are no longer with us, but we will not forget them or those early days. Look out for pictures and messages that we shall be publishing over the next few days.
are a present student, here is a word of warning. YOU are going to be surprised how soon you will get there. TIME REALLY FLIES !!!
Sharon Marie Leslie and Carol Lyn Murray . They used to be little high school girls.
Congrats to Staths Alumni NE Chapter on bringing off another great event. It was world-class, first class, as well as being in a class of its own. Sorry I missed it, (once again, if anyone noticed), but I sent a consolation prize in the person of our assistant editor, who texted that she had a "fun-filled night" .That's all I got from her so far – probably still recuperating.


Throughout much of the fall, winter and spring, Galilee is home to Great Basin Outdoors School. A local nonprofit, Great Basin is dedicated to igniting children's passion for learning and fostering cooperation, respect, and responsibility through hands-on discovery in the outdoor classroom. Children learn during four-day field studies building academic and social skills and developing their understanding of the natural world. Fifth and sixth grade classes, high school and college students, and teachers study local ecology with standards-based lessons on site at Galilee and at other nearby natural attractions. Service-learning projects and place-based education help develop a commitment to sustainability and a connection to the earth. To learn more about Great Basin Outdoor School, visit their website.


William Spreat's print shows the original St David's station, built by the Hoopers in Pennyroyal Fields in 1844. The lines to Newton Abbot, Dawlish and Crediton were opened by 1851. Tourists began to arrive in Exeter from about 1850, especially from the Midlands. Day excursions for people of all classes further boosted trade.


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Az  Észak-Korea nemzeti himnusza. Szövegét  (1902–1989) írta, zenéjét  (1917–2002) szerezte.

1946 és 1948 között a történelmi Korea himnuszának szövegét használták, amelyet az Auld Lang Syne című dalra énekeltek. 1948-ban már nem énekelték a szövegét, csak a dallamát játszották le nyilvános eseményeken. 1948-tól a ma is ismert,  ("Reggel, ragyogj fel!") kezdetű dal lett Észak-Korea himnusza.

Szövege

YouTube hivatkozások
Ének nélkül
Énekkel és felirattal, mindkét versszak, a Koreai Néphadsereg kórusának előadásában
A Moranbong Band előadásában

Jegyzetek

Eszakkorea
Himnusz

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Something I've discovered is that Best Selling is weird. I've been looking at a lot of covers and reading a lot of marketing things. Best Selling seems, like a really broad thing and …like even more skewed and weird than the Oscars. I always thought it was just, oh, they sold a lot of things. Well yeah, but if you put your book on sale, and do all the right pushes in all the right places (which can take a lot of work) that getting a Best Selling stamp from some place isn't all that impossible. It is still a big feat, but it isn't all someone bought my book in the airport because that's all there is. It's a lot of strategy. A lot of strategy. Which…can actually be super useful to know about.
That was a lot of words. You got me thinking this morning!
I haven't studied that much about how to get a bestseller. You're right, there is a lot to it, and Amazon running a "sale" on it that gets publicity might be a player in that! I should probably spend more time researching this.
I do subscribe to a Romance book review. They send out book recommendations and review what they're reading. It's the best I've found, and I love that their book reviews can be scathing when the book deserves it.
It's also interesting how much is based on personal taste. How much I can forgive because I love a character.
I did spend sometime looking for blogs of Romance writer's. I should try harder. I really need . . . I don't know. I say a long weekend, but I know I'll burn out looking for blogs, writing, and studying craft and end up on book bender. I need an extra couple hours a day so I can write AND do the business stuff.


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85-year-old Alexandria man identified as helicopter pilot killed in fiery crash in Virginia
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Authorities are identifying the helicopter pilot killed when the aircraft crashed into a Virginia apartment building, sparking a fire and killing a resident inside.
Virginia State Police said in a news release Wednesday that the medical examiner has identified the pilot as 85-year-old Henry Schwarz of Alexandria, Virginia. His Robinson R44 crashed Sunday after it took off from the nearby Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport.
Charley Rogers, a lineman who oversees operations at the airport, said Schwarz was the president of the Virginia Helicopter Association and was headed home from an association meeting.
Some witnesses told National Transportation Safety Board investigators that the engine of the four-seat helicopter sounded "funny" or "unusual" before it crashed.
Police said 91-year-old Jean Lonchak Danylko, who lived in the apartment building, was killed when the helicopter crashed.


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Indigenous Players make 'School to Work' Presentation
Titans.com.au
Thu 7 Feb 2019, 04:40 PM
The Gold Coast Titans' indigenous players have put smiles on the faces of a number of local youths who have been chosen to represent the club at next week's All Stars camp as part of the NRL's School to Work (S2W) program.
The S2W initiative is an education and employment program that utilises the positive profile of rugby league to support and encourage young Indigenous Australians to complete their schooling and successfully transition into further education or employment.
Through the Titans, students are provided with a mentor, an additional education session and the ability to spend time in a workplace that interests them.
It is a program that has been part of the NRL's community and welfare program for a number of years, producing many success stories each year.
As part of the program, four lucky participants have been selected to attend the NRL All Stars Indigenous Youth Leadership Summit in Melbourne next week.
The group will spend time in cultural sessions with many of their NRL idols, before attending the All Stars fixture on Friday night at AAMI Park.
Each student selected to attend the week-long summit was chosen as a result of the outstanding effort they have put into their school work, attendance records and reports from their mentors.
Titans centre Brenko Lee was on hand to congratulate the winners, and says the group has been given a wonderful opportunity.
"It's great," Lee said. "They want to be good role models and it's good for them to spend time with us here at the training facility.
"I remember when I was younger, (former Broncos player) Jharal Yow Yeh came to my school years ago and it was very exciting.
"It'll be a good week (for the kids) at the Youth Summit to learn more about their culture and where they're from.
"They do get a week off school, but they'll definitely be learning a lot."
Another NRL Legend has been confirmed to join the DC Invitational curtain raiser
ROUND 18: Jnr Rep Wrap
Now's the time to say I CAN
Terry Litton, the Driving Force behind the Titans Gold Coast Titans PDRL team
The Gold Coast Titans Under 12 Experience Day


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Mine-detecting rat Magawa wins PDSA Gold Medal
Cambodia's landmine-sniffing hero Magawa is no more
Cambodia's landmine-sniffing 'hero' rat Magawa dies in retirement
PDSA's Gold Medal is inscribed with the words "For animal gallantry or devotion to duty".
Magawa has won a gold medal for detecting mines in Cambodia. Photo: PDSA via BBC
A prestigious gold medal has been awarded to an African giant pouched rat for his work detecting land mines.
In his career, Magawa has sniffed out 39 landmines and 28 unexploded munitions, reports BBC.
The UK veterinary charity PDSA has presented him with its Gold Medal for "life-saving devotion to duty, in the location and clearance of deadly landmines in Cambodia".
There are thought to be up to six million landmines in the southeast Asian country.
PDSA's Gold Medal is inscribed with the words "For animal gallantry or devotion to duty". Of the 30 animal recipients of the award, Magawa is the first rat.
The seven-year-old rodent was trained by the Belgium-registered charity Apopo, which is based in Tanzania and has been raising the animals - known as HeroRATs - to detect landmines and tuberculosis since the 1990s. The animals are certified after a year of training.
Magawa and his colleagues are working with the Cambodian Mine Action Centre to detect unexploded ordnance in the country. Photo: Getty Images via BBC
"To receive this medal is really an honour for us," Apopo chief executive Christophe Cox told the Press Association news agency. "But also it is big for the people in Cambodia, and all the people around the world who are suffering from landmines."
On Friday PDSA will broadcast the award ceremony for Magawa on its website.
According to Apopo, Magawa - born and raised in Tanzania - weights 1.2kg (2.6lb) and is 70cm (28in) long. While that is far larger than many other rat species, Magawa is still small enough and light enough that he does not trigger mines if he walks over them.
The rats are trained to detect a chemical compound within the explosives, meaning they ignore scrap metal and can search for mines more quickly. Once they find an explosive, they scratch the top to alert their human co-workers.
Magawa is capable of searching a field the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes - something Apopo says would take a person with a metal detector between one and four days.
It takes the rats a year of training before they become certified land mine detectors, known as Hero RATs. Photo: Getty Images via BBC
It takes the rats a year of training before they become certified land mine detectors, known as HeroRATs
Magawa and his colleagues are working with the Cambodian Mine Action Centre to detect unexploded ordnance in the country
He works for just half an hour a day in the mornings and is nearing retirement age, but PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin said his work with Apopo was "truly unique and outstanding".
"Magawa's work directly saves and changes the lives of men, women and children who are impacted by these landmines," she told the Press Association. "Every discovery he makes reduces the risk of injury or death for local people."
According to the mine-clearing NGO the HALO Trust, Cambodia has recorded more than 64,000 casualties and some 25,000 amputees due to landmines since 1979. Many were laid during the country's civil war in the 1970s and 1980s.
In January 2020, US President Donald Trump lifted restrictions on US landmine use, reversing a ban brought in by President Barack Obama in 2014.
Magawa rat / PDSA Gold Medal


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Knoppix Business
The World of Business
Statehouses, U.S. capital brace for potentially violent week
A member of the Pennsylvania National Guard stands outside of the State Capitol building ahead of anti-government protests in Harrisburg,...
What to know if you're applying for a second PPP loan
Microcap stock mania to start 2021 is a signal of more gains, and potential danger, ahead
Mike Santoli's market notes: Main action not in the major averages, small caps ripping again
Trump Senate impeachment trial likely during Joe Biden presidency
Cost Of Capital
By charlie May 25, 2020 July 5, 2020
Banking sector has remained the backbone of Indian economy since independence. The fourth component of a business strategy is the set of initiatives you intend to implement within the areas of selling, operations, data expertise, finance and organizational development. The big drawback right here is that we're coping with natural legislation. You can't do fractional reserve banking or fiat money technology with out seeing the issues we see as we speak. As a result of so a lot of our leaders are both ignorant or care just for the facility fractional reserve banking and fiat money provides them, they don't see what's on the horizon. Mises referred to as it a crack-up-boom, which is what you say in Germany throughout the 1920's.
This was great for the wealthy, however in ditching Keynesian economics the shadow of Karl Marx returned. Yes, the employers may now push down the workers' wages, but as a result of the employees did not have enough money to spend, economies all around the world went into recession. But to ensure this did not go down an excessive amount of, the ruling elite had one other trick up their sleeve and that was straightforward credit score. They made by way of things like credit cards, unlimited lending, so staff may spend cash they didn't actually have, and this helped increase the economic system.
On a similar word, there are various proposals that construct on the significance of the federal government and of its anticipated capacity to create transformative modifications. Kisan Rail, Krishi UDAN, photo voltaic grids on fallow and railway lands, Jal Jeevan Mission, Bharat Web, ODF+, five new good cities, hundred new airports, among many others, seek to usher in giant infrastructure-related modifications in the lives of extraordinary Indians. An interesting social change that the government has proposed within the Budget is the deliberation on the age of marriage for girls. Interestingly, this Price range is unique in recent occasions, in its complete omission of the defence sector in the speech. Whilst we, the readers of pink papers, deal with the macro and monetary numbers, it's vital to remember the continuing and everlasting significance of presidency in shaping society and its financial system.
The Twenty-ninth Report of the Law Commission had dealt some classes of crimes one of which is "offences calculated to stop and obstruct the financial improvement of the nation and endanger its economic health." Offences referring to Banking Fraud will fall beneath this class. An important characteristic of such offences is that ordinarily they do not involve a person direct victim. They're punishable because they hurt the whole society. It's clear that money concerned in Financial institution belongs to public. They deposit there complete life' security in Banks and in case of Dacoity or Theft in banks the public can be al lost. Thus it is vital that ample efforts should be taken in this regard.
New Zealand has a very 'plain vanilla' banking system with a large proportion of property being loans to households and businesses. Relatively few of its belongings are held in the type of trading securities. New Zealand's banks largely fund themselves 'on steadiness sheet' fairly than by means of the securitisation channel common in some other nations. The banks have little in the way of funds under management, nor do we enable them to conduct a lot insurance coverage business. Reflecting New Zealand's history of current account deficits, the banking system has a reliance on foreign wholesale markets, notably the short-term funding markets.
Tags capital
Does Existence Of The Federal Reserve Contradict Free Market?
The Importance Of Zakat (Charity) In An Islamic Financial system
Biden to rewind Trump agenda in raft of executive orders
Armin Laschet wins CDU leadership election
Coronavirus latest: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Outdoor Dining REO Rafting Resort Morning to Evening Free Not Rated Not Rated All meals are outdoors, overlooking the river and are included with rafting packages and vacations.
Outdoor Dining Cassis Organic Bistro Morning to Evening $20 Not Rated Not Rated Beautiful Outdoor courtyard hidden in the middle of Downtown Vancouver.
Outdoor Dining Trafalgars Bistro Morning to Evening $25 Not Rated Not Rated With 100% Oceanwise Compliance & a farm-to-table initiative, Chef Beltrano is bringing out the best of BC. Embracing seasonality, sustainability & simplicity, you'll be sure to find a new favourite at Trafalgars Bistro.


Welcome to The Searchers series Circulating Blog Tour & Giveaway!
Welcome to the circulating blog tour and giveaway for The Searchers series of middle grade historical fiction by Bertha Schwartz, hosted by JustRead tours!
It's the 1850s and Daisy, a slave girl from Alabama, is thrilled when her Mama is brought to her plantation to be the new cook. Six Oaks Plantation has been Daisy's home for years, and the future looks bright now that she and her Mama have been reunited. The happiness doesn't last, though, when a dangerous encounter with a notorious slave hunter endangers Daisy's life. She has no choice but to run. Leaving behind everything she has ever known, Daisy strikes out alone on the Underground Railroad.
Daisy's search for freedom leads her deep into the woods. Along the way she is joined by Simon, a four-year-old boy and his pet kitten. Pursued by dogs, uncertainty, and a slave tracker determined to capture them by any means necessary, Daisy starts to wonder if she will ever be safe again. Does Jesus care about runaway slaves lost in the woods?
It's 1880 and Kelly lives alone with her Papa, a lighthouse-keeper in Massachusetts. She longs to know more about her Mama, and Papa has finally promised to tell her the truth on her fourteenth birthday. Before Kelly can learn much though, dangerous men the notorious Blackburn Brothers arrive unannounced and take Papa away. Kelly is left alone and responsible for the lighthouse.
Granny, a former slave and family friend, learns of Kelly's plight and decides to help find the answers to her questions. Mysterious letters, snow storms, and violence threaten Kelly's safe haven as new friends help unearth old secrets in Kelly's lighthouse home. How can she bring her papa back? Who is her true family?
It's 1849, and when Sarah's papa and brother strike out for gold, she is stuck at home to help take care of the family and farm. This task quickly turns dangerous as the Gold Rush rises in frenzy around them. Neighbors abandon their livestock and the family must fend off half-started miners ready to steal everything they have. Sarah decides to turn her circumstances into a business—feeding the miners in exchange for gold and labor.
Sarah's ingenuity and leadership are tested as she faces thieves, mysteries, and violent miners. Trouble closes in on all sides, and Sarah must make tough decisions on her own.
Soon Sarah learns that true treasure is not always gold, and that the greatest adventures can happen without even leaving home.
Bertha Schwartz is a Swiss Amish transplant to the beautiful farmland of Nappanee, Indiana. She loves spending time with family and friends, including fifty-two nieces and nephews. Her hobbies include scrapbooking, sewing, and reading. Raised near the lovely Swiss city of Berne, Indiana, Swiss is her mother-language. Languages and different dialects are a special interest of hers.
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 9, 2019 and lasts through 11:59pm February 4, 2019. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Previous postWelcome to the Garrison's Law series Scavenger Blog Hunt and Giveaway!
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What an interesting series. This series would interest by the middle schoolers and myself as well. I think historical fiction is a good way to teach kids about our history in a way that's interesting. My kids respond better to history that tells a story than just dates a facts. These books will be memorable because they can relate how history effected these girls in a personal way. We live in North Alabama and my kids have had questions about the civil rights movement and why people thought slavery was OK. They understood when I explain why slavery was bad when I tell them to think about how they would feel to be a slave with no rights or how the civil rights movement helped many by thinking about how they would want the same rights if judged by their color. Nice series I love to read.
This series will be a great way for people to learn some history as well as enjoy a good story.
What an interesting series! I love historical fiction.
What an intriguing series! I'm interested in reading them!
Just added this series to my TBR pile. Thanks for introducing me!
This sounds like a new and exciting series.
New author to me the books sound good can't wait to start reading.
I would love to read these books! And I would love for my granddaughters to read them.
Beautiful covers –Historical fiction–Intriguing plots. These books look and sound great!
These books sound great. Would love to read them.
I don't know if My Comment went through or not?


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First ever repository created by me
Adding a comment


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InfoQ Homepage News WS-TX 1.1 standard announcement
WS-TX 1.1 standard announcement
We announced in April that the members OASIS had finished voting to accept WS-TX 1.1 (WS-Coordination, WS-AtomicTransaction and WS-BusinessActivity) as a standard. The official announcement took a little while to come out, but it's now official. As the announcement states:
OASIS, the international standards consortium, today announced that its members have approved Web Services Transaction (WS-Transaction) version 1.1 as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. WS-Transaction describes an extensible framework for providing protocols that coordinate the actions of distributed applications. Such coordination protocols can be used to support a wide variety of applications that require consistent agreement on the outcome of distributed transactions. WS-Transaction is offered on a Royalty-Free basis, as provided under OASIS policies.
Eric Newcomer, CTO if IONA Technologies and co-chair of the committee had this to say
"Web services increasingly tie together large numbers of participants to form distributed applications. The result can be extremely complex. WS-Transaction gives developers the framework they need to build reliable, distributed applications."
On his blog, Eric shows how long it has taken in some respects to get to this stage. We've covered the history in more depth before, but transactions are a very important service in all computing environments, so it is good to see them finally standardised in Web Service. Ian Robinson, from IBM and the other committee co-chair recognized the history behind WS-TX:
"The technical committee recognized that there is no single transaction model appropriate for all use cases, and so WS-Transaction defines an extensible coordination framework that accommodates classic two-phase-commit, as well as more relaxed forms of transactions with isolation behavior appropriate in loosely-coupled systems."
The technical committee is looking at whether there is any further work to be done in the area. If not, it will probably be placed into maintenance mode. There was some mention about looking at whether similar efforts from WS-CAF could be leveraged into WS-TX, but there has been no discussion in the group about this for over a year. Since WS-CAF has just closed down, this now looks unlikely.
This content is in the Architecture topic
Transactions Processing
WS-BusinessActivity
WS-Star
WS-Coordination
WS-AtomicTransactions


Moved By Bikes MBB G3 Valet Rack 8 Bike - April Spring Sale NOW!
Banner poles: vertical posts that drop into holes in the rack so you can put up banners promoting your service or label the rows for easy bike location. Each rack comes with one banner pole which packs inside.


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Career Fair of Gazprom at Gubkin University
On October 11, 2016 Gubkin University hosted the annual career fair of Gazprom subsidiaries and organizations.
Gazprom is the leader among Russian oil and gas companies according to employment of graduates from Gubkin University. Annually, more than 200 university graduates are hired by the company's subsidiaries and organizations.
Every career fair demonstrates impressive results in a number of received resumes. University students and graduates hand on for review more than 1000 resumes to HR representatives of Gazprom subsidiaries and organizations. This year career fair was attended by 29 Gazprom subsidiary companies and organizations as well as representatives of Gazprom headquarters.
At the welcoming ceremony the career fair participants were greeted by Head of Department of Interaction with Educational Institutions of Gazprom Andrey Frolkov, Vice-Rector for Academic Work of Gubkin University Vladimir Koshelev, Vice-Rector for Educational Work of Gubkin UniversityMarina Filatova and Assistant to the Rector of Gubkin University Viktor Shimonenko.
"For many decades Gazprom is our main strategic partner. We know that the career fair is attended not only by final-year students, but also second- and third-year students who wish to do an internship and bring something to the table, tell about themselves and make the company interested in them as future professionals. Therefore, we would like our best university graduates to get a job in Gazprom and promote Gubkin University by their effort," noted Vice-Rector for Academic Work of Gubkin University, Professor Vladimir Koshelev.


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December 13, 2021 / ilapitan
Vulnerability Affecting Multiple Log4j Versions Permits RCE Exploit
https://www.infoq.com/news/2021/12/log4j-zero-day-vulnerability/
Java News Roundup: IntelliJ IDEA, JEP 421, Groovy, Open Liberty, Hibernate ORM, Eclipse Collections
https://www.infoq.com/news/2021/12/java-news-roundup-nov29-2021/
Launching the 2021 State of Rust Survey
https://blog.rust-lang.org/2021/12/08/survey-launch.html
Rust Foundation to Launch Community Grants Program
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211209005763/en/Rust-Foundation-to-Launch-Community-Grants-Program
Updates in IntelliJ Rust for 2021.3
https://blog.jetbrains.com/rust/2021/12/06/updates-in-intellij-rust-for-2021-3/
Rust for Linux Progresses with New Abstractions and Infrastructure
https://www.infoq.com/news/2021/12/rust-for-linux-patch-2/
Tidelift advisory | Log4Shell critical vulnerability: what you need to know and do
https://blog.tidelift.com/tidelift-advisory-log4shell-critical-vulnerability-what-you-need-to-know-and-do
Oracle JDK 17 Migration Guide
https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/17/migrate/getting-started.html
Solving the Hide Utility Class Public Constructor Sonar Warning
https://www.baeldung.com/java-sonar-hide-implicit-constructor
Working with the Simple Web Server
https://inside.java/2021/12/06/working-with-the-simple-web-server/
JMX Ports
https://www.baeldung.com/jmx-ports
Recap of AWS re:Invent 2021
https://www.infoq.com/news/2021/12/recap-reinvent-2021/
How Airbnb Supports Co-Hosting
https://medium.com/airbnb-engineering/how-airbnb-supports-co-hosting-edfb11d88575
Snaring the Bad Folks
https://netflixtechblog.com/snaring-the-bad-folks-66726a1f4c80
Machine learning speeds up vehicle routing
https://news.mit.edu/2021/machine-learning-speeds-vehicle-routing-1210
New University-wide institute to integrate natural, artificial intelligence
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/12/new-harvard-institute-to-study-natural-artificial-intelligence/
What Is Anomaly Detection in Machine Learning?
https://serokell.io/blog/anomaly-detection-in-machine-learning
Harmful content can evolve quickly. Our new AI system adapts to tackle it.
https://ai.facebook.com/blog/harmful-content-can-evolve-quickly-our-new-ai-system-adapts-to-tackle-it/
DeepMind says its new language model can beat others 25 times its size
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/12/08/1041557/deepmind-language-model-beat-others-25-times-size-gpt-3-megatron/
String Concatenation – JEP Café #7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w56RUzBLaRE
Thread Congestion in Java
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqpPRxCmxrM
Spring Tips: Spring Native 0.11!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVo5vmk5Cuw
7-minute demo – accelerate Spring Boot applications to cloud at scale!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrzm4uRSlUA
Building a Web Server in Rust – Part 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjx8vutWaUQ
Incident Analysis: Your Organization's Secret Weapon
https://www.infoq.com/presentations/incident-analysis-move-faster/
AI 101 Series with David Carmona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QplcEWo4q4&list=PLlrxD0HtieHjAGOj3FrgN7wZS9afg7X6R
Newsletter, Article
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Java, JDK, JVM, Machine Learning, Microservices, ML, Software Architecture, Software Engineering
GitHub Rising Stars November 2021 →


So if you're trying to manage a business page on Facebook, you might have found yourself trying to update a profile picture multiple times only to see a mess of pictures that you don't want everybody to see.
Unfortunately, Facebook doesn't exactly make it obvious how to clear out the old stockpile, so here's a quick tutorial on how to do it.
Finally, the drop down menu reveals your desire! DELETE!!!
Rinse, wash, repeat. That's it – you're now able to clear out all the profile pics you don't need.
Yeah, it's hidden, but once you figure it out, it's not so hard. Now go clean up your profile!


That's a 34% bump from last year and tops the prior record of $172 billion set in 2007, just prior to the start of the Great Recession. Apple rewarded shareholders with $22.8 billion in buybacks -- the most of any company in any quarter ever.
Facebook faces scrutiny around the world following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Zuckerberg testified before the US House of Representatives and the Senate in April, but he has refused to testify before the United Kingdom's parliament.
3. Rollback of Dodd-Frank: The House is set to vote next week on a Senate bill that would cut Obama-era regulations for thousands of community banks and regional lenders, including State Street, BB&T and SunTrust.
But existing home sales have only been inching higher. Homeowners are reluctant to sell as home prices and mortgage rates soar. They worry that their next homes will be more expensive than the ones they live in now - even if they can get a lot more money for their current homes. The National Association of Realtors will report Thursday how many homeowners sold their homes last month.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation applies to any organization that holds or uses data on people inside the European Union. Google, Facebook and other tech companies must comply. You've probably already seen emails from tech companies explaining their new privacy policies as businesses scramble to get up to code before the rules go into effect.


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Letter: Senator needs to listen to what voters have said
(Re: Sen. Dan Patrick's guest column, Nov. 21, "Facts, not fantasy, should be guide.")
I understand that Sen. Patrick is simply giving his opinion, and trying to sprinkle in a few facts. He spends at least a third of his opinion piece to explain his push to change the "blocker bill" rule of 21 votes in the Texas Senate to bring a bill to the floor for discussion.
He says that this provision was put in place decades ago when Democrats controlled the state Senate as a way to decide which bills had the most support from their party. I am unfamiliar with the origin of the 21-vote system. Nor do I know how many senators at the time it was put in place were Democrats.
Patrick's opinion comes out loud and clear when he says, "People want us to do the job and are not worried about our tradition of rules that no longer make sense." It is his opinion that this rule no longer makes sense. He also provides his opinion that the people have spoken and want Republicans to lead on "conservative issues."
He then outlines his list of "conservative issues."
• A budget with no new taxes
• Legislation passed concerning illegal immigration
• Photo voter ID
• The sonogram bill
• Lower property taxes
• Lower business taxes
I don't remember any of these things being on the ballot. What I remember is that most people voting this Nov. 2 wanted action on creating jobs and improving the economy. None of the issues listed do anything concerning these two major issues identified by the voters themselves. He simply wants to push through his version of "conservative issues" without allowing a minority voice.
He continually cites that there are 12 Democratic senators in the Texas Senate and is afraid of allowing them to block all conservative legislation. If the 21-vote rule is reduced to 18 votes, in his opinion, the Senate would be able to pass everything he wants them to pass, "is we can hold 18 Republicans together."
For an example of the minority party blocking almost every action, one simply has to look at the current U.S. Senate.
Sen. Patrick is correct that "the people have spoken," but unfortunately it is not clear that he heard what they said.
Jim Otto
Randall County Chair
Texas Democratic Party


To load, program, operate and perform routine and emergency maintenance on production and R&D compound furnaces. This includes: accurate and timely preparation of all raw materials, accurate/legible documentation and strict adherence to all Crystal Growth area housekeeping practices.
To construct, test and profile new furnaces as necessary, using hand tools and automated equipment.
To perform accurate database and Point Man entries.
To provide first level problem solving support for routine Crystal Growth processes and issues.
To provide support and assistance to Crystal Growth engineers and scientists.
Ability to work on multiple routine and complex operations/tasks in parallel and be able to move from task to task with little supervision.
Read/interpret test procedures, detailed schematics, engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, bills of material and engineering change notices.
Good manual dexterity, eye-hand coordination and attention to detail.
Proficiency with hand and power tools.
Proficient with personal computers and associated software packages.
Able to complete moderately complex mathematical calculations.
High School Diploma and additional electronics proficiency.
2-5 years experience in the manufacturing environment.
THM and R&D furnace loading, operation and maintenance schedules and procedures are correctly followed. This will include operation of various types of automated and manual equipment for loading ingot material as well as performing various program modifications and process support activities.
Accurate, timely construction, testing and profiling of production furnaces is completed as necessary.
Proficiently performs simple to moderately complex reloading and reprogramming processes on furnaces.
All Furnaces and support equipment are set up and adjusted for proper operation. Regular maintenance of equipment is performed and documented as required. Work area is regularly cleaned and kept organized. Strict adherence to all Crystal Growth area housekeeping practices are followed.
Responsibility is assumed for quality of all work output. All work output and Crystal Growth documentation are inspected for conformance to quality requirements or inspection criteria prior to completing tasks and moving on to the next work activity. Defects in quality or workmanship are corrected according to the relevant department and Division procedures.
Incoming part inspections are completed as required following all relevant specifications or work instructions. Work with Shipper/Receiver results in smooth transition of incoming or outgoing parts through Shipping.
Production and R&D documentation is accurately and legibly generated for all relevant process steps. Documents are completed in a timely manner with all required entries completed for each operation. Test reports, data, photographs and other outputs are generated, collected and processed as required. Electronic data are saved, filed and/or processed as required.
Database and other computer based entries are entered into production databases, the Point Man tracking system and/or other electronic forms, inventories or records (spreadsheets, tables, etc.) in an accurate & timely manner according to manufacturing procedures or special instructions.
Production schedules and quotas are adhered to while maintaining a high level of product quality.
Engineers and technicians are assisted as required with the execution of special projects and experiments.
Work instructions, forms, travelers and other manufacturing documentation are written and prepared for release. Documents are created in collaboration with other Operators, Supervisor, Engineers and others.
Additional duties are performed as assigned by the area manager. Including but not limited to: Crystal characterization, and Saw Room activities.
Requires supervision on a regular basis.
Must be capable of holding US Security Clearance.