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Posted less than an hour ago
ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Two tornadoes were reported on Thursday in South Dakota and Wisconsin, a waterspout was seen near New Orleans, and the Upper Midwest, especially Minnesota, could see more severe storms on Friday.
This is all happening as most of the rest of the U.S. will be roasting in a heatwave that could produce record highs, especially on the East Coast.
Chicago, Philadelphia and New York are expecting their hottest weather in at least seven years, as Washington, D.C., may see the highest temps in three years.
Denver on Thursday tied a record high at 99 degrees, as 33 states on Friday, from New Mexico to Maine, are under heat alerts for heat index temps ranging from 100 to 115 degrees.
Excessive heat is expected to continue through the weekend.
After the heatwave, temperatures will dip back down next week, with highs struggling to reach the 80s in the Midwest and Northeast.
Comment / ShareThis
Posted today at 6:31am
KeithBinns/iStock(ATHENS, Greece) -- An earthquake hit Athens, Greece, on Friday, causing strong shaking in the capital city.
The earthquake was a 5.1 magnitude, according to an alert from the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center, and hit just after 2 p.m. local time.
The mobile phone network went down and there were some power outages reported around the city. The fire department is responding to calls of people trapped in elevators.
Otherwise, there was no reported serious damage or injuries immediately after the quake.
It officially hit about 14 miles from Athens, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center said, and lasted just a few seconds.
33ft/iStock(OAKLAND, Calif.) -- Oakland is challenging the Department of Justice over a case based on the Raiders' decision to move out of the California city.
In December 2018, after the NFL team announced their plan to move out of Oakland and to Las Vegas, Nevada, at the start of the 2020 football season, the city sued the team, the NFL and the league's other 31 teams for breach of contract through antitrust violations, alleging the move to Vegas is "illegal."
The city of Oakland argued they are due damages upwards of $240 million and for the diminished value of the Oakland Coliseum.
"The Raiders' illegal move lines the pockets of NFL owners and sticks Oakland, its residents, taxpayers and dedicated fans with the bill," city attorney Barbara Parker said in a statement when the suit was filed.
But in a statement of interest revealed this week, the DOJ said the city is not allowed to recover lost tax revenues and that it is an inappropriate use of antitrust laws.
"Oakland's claims for lost tax revenues should not be the basis for the Court to find that the City has standing to pursue antitrust claims against the Raiders or the NFL in this case," the department wrote, according to court documents.
Now, Oakland is challenging that with an opposition memo, after the NFL called for the case to be dismissed.
"Weeks later, months after briefing on Defendants' Motion to Dismiss was completed, and only one week before argument on Defendants' Motion to Dismiss, the DOJ has appeared in this case and filed the Statement focusing on a single premature, non-dispositive issue. Without reasonable or legitimate grounds, the DOJ essentially restates an argument already made in Defendants' Motion to Dismiss. The Court should not expend its time and energy on an untimely brief filed by an uninterested third-party, raising a cumulative, non-dispositive and premature argument," the city said in the memo.
According to the Department of Justice, their support for the defendants isn't out of the ordinary.
"The Antitrust Division routinely files statements of interest in antitrust cases where it believes that the court would benefit from an objective and proper application of the antitrust laws. In the past 18 months, the Division has filed 22 statements of interest or amicus briefs in courts throughout the country related to a variety of antitrust issues," a Justice Department spokesperson told ABC News.
The case has yet to be decided by U.S. District Judge Joseph C. Spero. Last month, the NFL sought to dismiss the case because they say the city has "no more than a shareholder or landlord" interest in the team's movement.
A similar lawsuit was filed against the Los Angeles Rams, by the team's old city, St. Louis, but doesn't allege an antitrust violation. That suit alleges a breach of contract, fraud, illegal enrichment and interference in business by the Rams, the NFL and its teams. The case could reach trial, if the sides do not agree to settle.
The statement of interest in favor of the NFL comes at a time when the administration's relationship with the NFL has been contentious after the president has been critical of players who kneel for the national anthem.
"Wow, NFL first game ratings are way down over an already really bad last year comparison," President Donald Trump tweeted at the start of the 2018 NFL season last September, repeating a claim he previously made about NFL ratings last season. "Viewership declined 13%, the lowest in over a decade. If the players stood proudly for our Flag and Anthem, and it is all shown on broadcast, maybe ratings could come back? Otherwise worse."
At a campaign event in Alabama on Sept. 22, 2017, Trump called on NFL owners to fire players who take a knee, suggesting they say, "get that son of a b---- off the field! He's fired, he's fired!"
Several players continued to raise their fists or take a knee during the NFL's 2018 preseason to protest police brutality against black people and people of color.
In August of 2018, the president blasted NFL players who protested during preseason games, and suggested that they should be "suspended without pay."
The Raiders and the City of Oakland have not returned ABC News' request for comment.
The wait is over: New mid-engine Corvette makes its debut
Chevrolet(NEW YORK) -- After decades of speculation and rumors, Corvette, the 66-year-old American sports car, has joined its European competitors by going mid-engine.
Corvette engineers, designers, top General Motors executives like CEO Mary Barra and dealers from around the country packed the Tustin Hangars in Southern California Thursday evening for the reveal. Chevrolet had teased the new design for months, carefully releasing images of a camouflaged eighth-generation Corvette on social media.
The mid-engine styling did not disappoint the crowd. The new car, however, does not resemble what Corvette fans have grown to love all these years. The decision to dramatically alter the look and platform of the Corvette reflects management's desire to change direction for the storied marque, a move that may not be welcomed by all at first.
"The Corvette is an emotional car," Kirk Bennion, exterior design manager for Corvette, told ABC News leading up to the reveal. "Some people will love it immediately. For others it may take more time. And that's OK."
Bennion called the new 2020 Stingray "the most impactful evolution" for the Corvette.
"We really leveraged our Corvette heritage in the design," he noted.
Bennion and the other designers were told to develop a new architecture that was compelling and aggressive but also retain certain Corvette design cues. The 2020 Stingray still keeps the classic Corvette Coke bottle shape, muscular fenders, tapered upper fastback profile and high water line.
But Corvette devotees will also immediately notice the bold, exotic proportions, large rear hatch window and lean athletic shape.
Carlos Lago of Edmunds said the automotive industry will be closely watching to see if the new Corvette can deliver performance at a relatively affordable price like the previous models.
"The Corvette is unique among high-performance cars in that it's aspirational, but also obtainable to many Americans," he said. "Unlike some German, Italian, and Japanese sports cars, you could realistically envision having a poster of a Corvette on your wall as a kid and in your garage as an adult. What's better, Corvette has consistently delivered performance that matches, if not bests, sports cars and exotics that cost up to three times as much. That's something owners and fans take great pride in."
There were several obstacles Bennion and his team encountered with the new Corvette: how to make its styling stand out from other mid-engine supercars and be aerodynamically efficient.
"There were challenges with engine cooling and low drag ... this new car takes in air at all four corners," he said. "But it was important that the C8 still look like a Corvette."
The 2020 Stingray still packs the power and performance that Corvette has consistently delivered over the decades. The 6.2L small block naturally aspirated V8 LT2 engine produces 495 horsepower and 470 lb.-feet of torque when equipped with the performance exhaust -- the most horsepower and torque for any entry-level Corvette, according to Chevrolet.
The engine is paired with a eight speed dual-clutch transmission; a manual option will not be available at launch. The steering ratio was improved to 15.7:1 from 16.25:1, meaning the new Corvette will have much faster steering inputs. The car also sprints from 0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds, the fastest time of any entry level Corvette. The starting price? Under $60,000.
According to Ed Piatek, Corvette chief engineer, the driving experience of the new model is totally different from the current generation.
"It's super responsive," he told ABC News. "The steering feels more direct. You can feel the road. The paddle shifters are lightning fast -- the car holds the gears. It has great downward vision ... the visibility is better than the C7."
There was one factor that was sacrificed by going mid-engine, according to Piatek.
"We will no longer be class leading in cargo space," he said. But the dual trunks still offer space for two sets of golf clubs.
The signature Corvette growl hasn't changed that much, even with the exposed engine now positioned between the driver and rear axle.
"It still sounds like a Chevy small block engine," Piatek said. "Twelve to 15 people worked on the sound. We've broken away from the center mounted exhausts but it still has that Corvette sound."
Piatek underscored that the mid-engine design would not stop the Corvette from being a daily driver for some owners.
"The racetrack lap time has improved as has the handling and stopping distance," he said. "This car still enables all the touring people love in a Corvette."
Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Cox Automotive, said the mid-engine design was intended for one key audience: younger buyers.
The new Stingray will "disappoint some longstanding Corvette fans," he told ABC News. "The transition will be painful. But Chevrolet is smart for going after a younger audience."
Bennion said he's anxious to show off the new Corvette, a project he's been working on for years.
"People will be drawn to it," he said. "The reaction will be 'I want to be in that car' or 'I want to own that car.'"
Added Piatek, "A mid-engine was always part of the Corvette destiny."
Ilhan Omar gets standing ovation at town hall after Trump attacks
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Congresswoman Ilhan Omar received a warm welcome back home in Minneapolis Thursday, with supporters cheering her on at the airport and at a health care town hall event after a week of racist attacks from President Donald Trump, who told four Democratic congresswomen of color to "go back " to where they came from, and from supporters at a Trump campaign rally, who chanted "send her back" on Wednesday night.
"I know there are a lot of people that are trying to distract us right now, but we are not going to let them," she said at her "Medicare for All" town hall event with Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., after the crowd of 500 constituents and supporters gave her a standing ovation.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we have a great American ... who is shaking up Congress and the United States of America in all the best ways," Jayapal, the author of the House Mediacare for All bill, told the crowd.
More than 100 supporters warmly greeted Omar at the airport. Speaking with a megaphone at baggage claim, Omar teed off on Trump, who attempted to distance himself from his attacks and the cheers at his Wednesday rally.
"Everybody is talking about that he is threatened because we criticize him," she said. "But the reality is that he is threatened because we are inspiring people to dream about a country that recognizes their dignity and humanity."
"We are not deterred, we are not frightened, we are ready," she said. "We are in the ring, we are in the people's house ... we are going to continue fighting until we have the America we all deserve."
Omar returned home a day after Trump reveled in his feud with the four freshman members, telling the crowd in Greenville, North Carolina: "I said I have a suggestion for the hate-filled extremists who are constantly trying to tear our country down. They never have anything good to say. That's why I say, hey, if they don't like it let them leave. Leave, let them leave."
Three of the women were born in the U.S., and Omar, who came to the U.S. as a refugee when she was a child, has been living in the country since she was 12 years old and is a U.S. citizen. In the 2018 midterm elections, all four women won a popular vote to claim their seats in Congress.
Trump focused on Omar, who was born in Somalia, during the rally, eliciting scattered "send her back" chants from the audience of supporters. The president made no attempt to stop the cheers, though falsely claimed on Thursday that he had attempted to do so and disavowed them.
Omar, who was part of the historic wave of women elected to Congress in 2018, overwhelmingly defeated GOP candidate Jennifer Zielinski for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District seat.
She carried the strongly Democratic district, which sits in the lower eastern region of the state and includes the entire city of Minneapolis, by more than 56 percentage points. In 2016, 73% of voters in the district preferred Hillary Clinton to Trump. Former President Barack Obama also heavily won the district in both 2008 and 2012.
Omar, one of only two Muslim women in Congress, represents a district with a 16% foreign-born population, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community, with about 52,333 Minnesotans reporting Somali ancestry in 2017, the second-largest foreign born group in the state. Within the 5th Congressional District, 8% of people report sub-Saharan ancestry, Census data show.
Constituents and supporters at her town hall Thursday night said they were proud of Omar's handling of Trump's attacks.
"I think it's important we show up in support of Ilhan and also in support of health care," Kava Zawaba, a woman from a neighboring congressional district, told ABC News. "I think she's incredibly brave."
Musa Said, a city bus driver and constituent who grew up in Trinidad and Sudan, and came to the United States at a young age, called Trump's attacks "unacceptable" and "racist."
Omar, he said, has handled them "very well" and with "a lot of support."
"She's fighting for people of lower income, people who have been ignored and who the president has appealed to, but has not delivered," he said.
'The Lion King' roars into theaters Friday
Disney(NEW YORK) -- Opening nationwide Friday:
* The Lion King -- Jon Favreau, who directed Disney's hit live-action 2016 adaptation of The Jungle Book, also directed this highly anticipated live-action remake of the 1994 animated Disney classic. Donald Glover plays Simba, a young lion who must step up and take his place as the rightful king of his native land following the murder of his father, Mufasa -- voiced by James Earl Jones, reprising his role from the original -- at the hands of his uncle, Scar, voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Seth Rogen, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter also star. Rated PG. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
Opening in limited release Friday:
* David Crosby: Remember My Name -- Cameron Crowe's documentary on the folk-rock legend who co-founded The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Rated R.
Feds charge pharma execs, pharmacists with conspiring to distribute controlled substances
Posted yesterday at 7:39pm
Darwin Brandis/iStock(NEW YORK) -- Two former pharmaceutical executives and two pharmacists were charged on Thursday by federal prosecutors in Ohio with conspiring to distribute controlled substances.
Anthony Rattini, the former president of pharmaceutical distributor Miami-Luken and James Barclay, the former compliance officer of Miami-Luken were charged alongside pharmacists Devonna Miller-West and Samuel "Randy" Ballengee, according to court documents.
In one instance, prosecutors claim that Miami-Luken distributed 3.7 million hydrocodone pills to a single pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia -- a town with a population of about 400 people from 2008 to 2011.
That averages out to 9,250 hydrocodone pills for every resident of the town.
Neither attorneys for the four defendants or the defendants themselves immediately responded to ABC News requests for comment. Three of the four defendants were arrested on Thursday morning, officials said. An arrest warrant for Barclay remained outstanding as of Thursday evening.
It is alleged in court documents that the pharmaceutical executives filled suspicious orders from the two pharmacists in an effort to enrich themselves while the opioid crisis in the Appalachian region was peaking.
Distributor Miami-Luken made over $173 million in profit from 2008 to 2015, according to federal prosecutors, and was a drug wholesaler for 200 companies in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.
Miami-Luken, continued to fill large, suspicious orders even after being warned, prosecutors charge.
"Today's arrests should be a wake-up call to distributors and pharmacists who are allowing opioid prescription pills to be illegally sold and dispensed from their facilities," Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Administrator John Martin said in a release. "These actions will not be tolerated by the DEA, and they will be brought to justice."
The company closed up shop earlier this year according to local news reports.
In addition to the hydrocodone pills that the former executives allegedly distributed 2.2 million pills over the span of two years to a pharmacy that prosecutors say had been cut off by other wholesalers.
The former executives also allegedly distributed 1.8 million Oxycontin's to a doctor and pharmacy that was believed to be under DEA investigation for over prescribing, those entities are not named.
In one instance, Ballengee, who ran Tug Valley Pharmacy in Williamson, WV, purchased 120,700 hydrocodone pills from Miami-Luken and from 2008-2014 bought 6 million dosage units of hydrocodone.
"It was further part of the conspiracy that Devonna Miller-West and Samuel "Randy" Ballengee purchased excessive amounts of controlled substances from Miami-Luken through their respective pharmacies," prosecutors charged in court filings. "As pharmacists, Devonna Miller-West and Samuel "Randy" Ballengee failed to ensure that controlled substances were distributed properly, for a legitimate medical purpose, ignoring obvious signs of abuse and diversion."
The records go on to contend that Miller-West and Ballengee "distributed controlled substances, namely oxycodone and hydrocodone, Schedule II and III controlled substances, to customers outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose."
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The CREATE FUNCTION statement creates a user-defined function that is stored in the database.
♦ The schema and procedure names shall conform to the format rules for identifiers and schema-qualified names in NexusDB SQL. The procedure is created in the database specified by schema-name. The current database is implicit if a schema name is not specified.
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♦ SQL parameter names shall conform to the rules for identifiers in NexusDB SQL.
♦ The RETURNS clause can either specify the data type of a scalar-valued function result, or TABLE to define a table-valued function that returns a cursor.
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♦ NOT DETERMINISTIC is implicit if neither DETERMINISTIC nor NOT DETERMINISTIC is specified.
♦ If an SQL-data access indication is not specified, then CONTAINS SQL is implicit for SQL routines and NO SQL is implicit for CLR routines. The function cannot be called by another routine with a lower SQL-data access level.
♦ CALLED ON NULL INPUT is implicit if the null-call clause is not specified.
♦ DESCRIPTION is a free text attribute used to a store comment in the function descriptor.
SQL functions shall specify a SQL routine body, and CLR functions shall specify an external body reference.
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The RETURN clause of a table-valued SQL function shall specify a SELECT statement.


text:
calendar May 26, 2016
clock 7 min read
I don't have slide decks for all of the talks (though I've added them where available), if you have one that I'm missing, please link to it in the comments!
Jeffrey Snover - The DevOpsification of Windows Server
After hearing and seeing Snover on so many podcasts, Virtual Academy videos, and conference recordings, it was great to finally see the inventor of PowerShell talk in person. Sporting Vibrams, Snover took the stage to run the audience through the historical 'phases' of Windows Server to frame what he sees as the next stage of evolution, Windows Server 2016. I love listening to Snover talk as he's one of the few people at Microsoft who you'll hear speak in an opinionated fashion. You should do this, you must do that, you shouldn't do that. It's very refreshing, and I've yet to disagree with his positions, his insight and vision is pivotal in Microsoft's recent successes.
In terms of content, if you've been following the blog/podcast/conference scene you'll be familiar with the overview provided in this talk, covering:
TDD with Pester
Just Enough Administration (JEA)
Nano Server
Windows Containers
Server And Desktop = SAD Server
If you weren't familiar with a topic, it probably won't have given you a huge insight into what the topic meant, but the overview served as an excellent scene setter for the subsequent talks which were aimed to do just that.
Iris Classon - To the Cloud!
Iris gave us a summary of her company's 'journey to the cloud' with a previously on-premise product. Moving to a multi-tenant PaaS oriented CD-enabled architecture, the journey was a well explained overview of a typical green-field (as opposed to lift-and-shift) project to bring your product into the cloud. The presentation style was quite exceptional, with all the points being live-drawn by Iris, and was consequently very engaging.
There were lessons to be learned from the story, but it was largely left to the listener to draw them for themselves. My take away was that you can succeed in a large-scope cloud project with limited resources if you make intelligent decisions about what components to make time savings on (e.g. by postponing the loose-coupling of a small-scale component until it's absolutely necessary).
Ed Wilson - Config Management with Azure Automation
Ed took us through the way DSC Pull servers and System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) worked together in Azure to provide a holistic story of configuration management without using Chef or Puppet. Personally my take has always been that if you're not already using SCOM (and are not Enterprise IT focussed) then you should explore the Open Source tools out there first. I'm open to being shown the error of my ways on this topic, but I didn't get the opportunity in this session as I had to leave the auditorium to censor a coughing fit.
Michael Greene - Microsoft Release Pipelines
I'd heard of Michael from a RunAsRadio episode with Steve Murawski recently where Steve spoke about the whitepaper that he and Michael had written about The Release Pipeline Model.
Michael's talk was definitely the highlight of the conference for me. Although aimed at providing an introduction to release pipelines to the audience (commit, build, rave, repeat), Michael's humorous presentation style, combined with some extremely pithy insights into relatable scenarios kept me smiling and engaged throughout.
His comments regarding typical ITIL change processes were very relatable to me. Change Control so often loses sight of what value it adds and ends up focussing solely on building an audit trail for the benefit of certification. He reminded us all (and perhaps enlighted more than a few!) that we can achieve the main goals of CC through common DevOps processes.
Visibility (Infrastructure as Code/ChatOps)
Record of change for troubleshooting (Source control)
Rollback processes (Standardised build and deploy pipelines)
I'd love to see a talk where Michael drills into one or two elements of his pipeline model in more depth as I think he has a huge amount to say on the topic. Oh yeah and don't forget to go and read his and Steve's whitepaper: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/dsc/whitepapers#the-release-pipeline-model You can find the slides for his talk on Michael's Github page. One particular side right towards the end where Michael outlines a "getting started" guide to DevOps tools on Windows (featuring Pester, PSake, PoshSpec, and PSDeploy/Lability) is particularly worth checking out.
Richard Siddaway - DevOps with Nano Servers/Containers
Richard provided a fast-and-furious run through of building a Windows container image in 2016, that really has to be seen to be understood. I will add the video to this blog when it's made available.
Panel - DevOps Culture in a Windows World
Amy Harms, WorldRemit
Hannah Foxwell, Pendrica
Steve Wade, Steven Wade Consulting
James Smith, CEO, DevOpsGuys
One of the things I love about the rise of the Windows DevOps movement is that it's resulted in a lot more talks relating to corporate culture and DevOps, which are much rarer in the wider DevOps space as the cultural challenges tend to be of a less enterprisey nature.
Of the questions and answers in the session, these stood out for me in particular:
… Because we manage projects not products .
This was in answer to a question concerning how to deal with technical debt, and specifically, why do we end up with so much 'legacy' code/infrastructure. Quite apart from the initial comment from one of the panel that in her company legacy is a banned word (as if it's running in production, it's just production), the concept of running projects not products is one that rings very true for me and is one I'd cite as a lesson from the last couple of years. Project teams work fine and can make a lot of sense when they're multi-skilled teams drawn from existing product oriented groups as a temporary team. But ultimately you're only going to get the attention, care, and resultant evolution of your product when you have full stack teams oriented around that product or a few like it
What's your #1 tip for implementing DevOps
Involve everyone
Find a painful (but achievable) problem and concentrate on fixing it with DevOps
Don't try to change culture directly as you'll just get brickwalled
Matteo Emili - Development & QA Dillemas in DevOps
Matteo took us through a series of deployments in Azure using ARM and particularly introduced me to two new ideas:
Feature Flags (i.e. the ability to turn a feature on or off in your product just by toggling a value)
Silent Releases (to break up big changes/feature releases into smaller chunks of more manageable change without necessarily providing new functionality in each release).
I hadn't actually heard of either of these two concepts previously, but looking at them they seem like such simple and obvious solutions to a very thorny problem of delineating large releases. (This hindsight is of course the hallmark of all the very best ideas!)
#Panel - What does the Future Hold? This was the closing session of the day, and ended the conference on a lovely humorous note with the question "What was the funniest thing you learned during an outage?". I unfortunately wasn't taking notes for this session, but if anyone with a better memory than I can fill in the answers to this questions, leave them in the comments!
WinOps as a conference was squarely aimed at people who are new to DevOps, providing introductory material and high-level overviews. While this makes it somewhat less valuable to me I still got a lot out of it in terms of individual tool recommendations, introductions to new and engaging speakers, and of course the hallway track. I think it's also absolutely the right fit for their audience. DevOps is a very new concept in the Windows world, and a lot of the people attending are looking for exactly that introduction. Michael Green's talk in particular is exactly the sort of talk I was craving for but never got when I was trying to get my head around DevOps originally. Speaking to some of the attendees who'd been to the previous (and first) WinOps conference, I got the suspicion that this conference was much more introductory than the first, and my guess would be that that change is a result of the feedback of the attendees.
I wouldn't be surprised if they got the exact opposite feedback from the attendees this time round, and the suggestion of a colleague of mine to have two tracks (one at 100 level and another at 200-400 level) seems like the best way to please everyone and grow the conference to boot.
All told I really enjoyed WinOps, even if I wasn't the target audience!
Photos from WinOps #2
WinOps.org

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Gerstein Science
RA1 - RA1270 Public aspects of medicine
National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.)
Periodical Stacks
Reference 3 Below
RA1 - RA418.50 Medicine and the state
RA960 - RA1000.50 Medical centers. Hospitals. Dispensaries. Clinics (including ambulance service and nursing homes)
RA421 - RA790.85 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive medicine
statistics, medical
statisticsperiodicals
National Health Interview Survey (U.S.)
National Center for Health Services Research
Public Health Conference on Records and Statistics
United States.National Center for Vital and Health Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.).Office of International Statistics
26 records returned
Detailed diagnoses and surgical procedures for patients discharged from short-stay hospitals, United States.
Hyattsville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Health Research, Statistics, and Technology, Public Health Service, National Center for Health Statistics, 1979-
RA981 .A2 D47
Health, United States.
Rockville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Health Resources Administration, National Center for Health Statistics ; Washington, D.C. : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1976-
RA407.3 .H4 1979
RA407.3 .H4
Vital and health statistics. Series 12: Data from the National health survey. Data from the institutional population surveys.
Washington [For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.] 1965-
RA407.3 .A348
Hospitals : a county and metropolitan area data book.
Hospitals (Hyattsville, Md.)
Hyattsville, Md. : National Center for Health Statistics ; Washington, D.C. : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O.
RA981 .A2 H58
Vital and health statistics. Series 11: Data from the National Health Survey.
Washington U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service; [for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.] 1963-
Catalog of electronic data products - National Center for Health Statistics.
Hyattsville, Md. : The Center,
Z6673.6 .U5 N37
Health in the United States.
Rockville, Md., National Center for Health Statistics.
RA11 .B1547
National health statistics reports.
Hyattsville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2008-
RA407.3 .A34222
Health resources statistics.
Washington [U.S. Govt. Print. Off.]
Advance data from Vital & health statistics of the National Center for Health Statistics /
U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Health Resources Administration.
Rockville, Md. : National Center for Health Statistics, [1976]-
Vital & health statistics. Series 5, Comparative international vital and health statistics reports.
Hyattsville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Center for Health Statistics, 1984-
RA11 .B19 V58
Washington U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, Public Health Service; [for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.] 1963-
Vital and health statistics. Series 2: Data evaluation and methods research.
RA409 .U45
Vital and health statistics. Series 14: Data on national health resources.
Washington [For sale by the Supt. of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.] 1968-
RA407.3 .A3492
Statistics notes for health planners /
NCHS.
[Rockville, Md. : National Center for Health Statistics, 1976?-
RA445 .S72
Nursing homes : a county and metropolitan area data book.
Hyattsville, Md. : U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Health Resources Administration, National Center for Health Statistics : U.S.G.P.O.
RA997 .A1 N87
International health data reference guide /
Hyattsville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Center for Health Statistics, [1984?-
1. Connect to resource
RA407 .A2 I68
Vital and health statistics. Series 16, Compilations of Advance data from vital and health statistics.
Hyattsville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics, 1989-
Current listing and topical index to the Vital and health statistics series.
Hyattsville, Md.
Vital and health statistics. Series 13: Data from the national Health Survey
Rockville, Md. [etc.] 1966-


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COMMENT | Kathimerini English Edition Ethnarhou Makariou Avenue & 2, Falireos Street
Popular fury around the world
COMMENT 05.12.2019
TAGS: Protest, Society
The world isn't fair. But that's not new; what's new is the speed and intensity with which popular fury at this unfairness is boiling over into sustained political protests. In the last few months, protests have gripped rich and poor countries alike, strong democracies and strong repressive regimes, too.
At the heart of this anger is the widespread perception that policymakers are acting in the interests of elites rather than the people. Protests feature regularly in developing countries, and for good reason; their populations suffer acutely when governments fail to provide basic services, and the lack of developed political institutions means that non-traditional actors – protesters very much among them – tend to move the political needle.
In recent weeks, Egypt has seen its biggest protests since the Arab Spring, prompted by allegations of corruption by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the military, and further exacerbated by economic reforms that have resulted in lower subsidies and higher taxes for the country's poorest. In Lebanon, a "WhatsApp tax" on online communications prompted protests that became quickly engulfed by broader economic and political concerns, ultimately forcing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign.
Iraq's President Adel Abdul-Mahdi hasn't fared much better than the Lebanese PM, and his country has been gripped by protests by people exhausted by high unemployment and lackluster public services. In Ecuador, the decision of President Lenin Moreno to scrap long-standing fuel subsides powered weeks-long protests on a range of social issues that ultimately led him to reverse his decision, a victory for the country's protesters but a loss for the country's fiscal discipline.
Historically, protests have tended to be less effective in wealthier countries – both because politics are more entrenched and likely to have been already captured by special interests and because wealthier populations have the luxury of waiting for the next election cycle to register their political dissatisfaction at the polls.
Increasingly though, voting booths are no longer capable of acting as political release valves.
In Chile, Sebastian Pinera's 3 percent hike in metro tickets kicked off protests in one of Latin America's wealthiest and most stable countries, as people came out to protest low pensions and the high costs of basic services like utilities and medicine (some even lit fires in the streets), only to be enraged further by the decision to deploy the military in a country with a history of military dictatorship. The Gilets Jaunes in France brought Paris to a near standstill a year ago, and while the movement has largely petered out, upcoming pension reform and the anniversary effect risk reigniting it. In Spain, the recent decision by the country's Supreme Court to hand down long jail sentences to Catalonia leaders who spearheaded the 2017 independence referendum and secessionist push touched off massive protests.
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, the Hong Kong protests continue to roll on, flummoxing one of the world's most significant economic power centers. Yet of all these protests, it's those in Hong Kong that seem to pose the least threat to their respective government (albeit indirectly) in Beijing, which has the luxury of simply waiting out the protesters.
Which raises the critical question: In our day of widespread grievance and political frustration, is democracy still the best form of government going forward? Democracy has thrived in recent decades as more and more people began contributing to their country's economic productivity (one of globalization's most important by-products), making it easier for them to get a larger say in politics. But now globalization is retreating and technology has begun displacing labor and will continue to do so for years to come.
It's a question worth tracking, though it's too early to say that democracy's best days are behind it; globalization has been far too successful to write it off completely. But when you combine all these structural problems with a global economy that's slowing down, it makes it even harder for governments to address the legitimate concerns of their people going forward. If there is one thing that unites the world in 2019, it's anger at governments – that should worry both governments and the people that are raging against them.
Ian Bremmer is the president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and author of "Us vs Them: The Failure of Globalism." His Twitter handle is @ianbremmer and he is on Facebook as Ian Bremmer.
The ramifications of the Ukraine scandal on US politics
The tipping points from Pax Americana to the current geopolitical recession


Pursuant to an offer of settlement in which Jefferies Bache, LLC ("Jefferies Bache") neither admitted nor denied the rule violations upon which the penalty is based, on May 28, 2014, a Panel of the CME Business Conduct Committee found that during the time periods of July 25, 2012, through August 8, 2012, and April 1, 2013, through April 30, 2013, Jefferies Bache submitted incorrect CTI codes for numerous trades executed on the Exchange.
The Panel concluded that Jefferies Bache violated CME Rule 536.D.
In accordance with the settlement offer, the Panel ordered Jefferies Bache to pay a fine of $6,600.


Today I realised that January 2019 is almost over and I haven't written a single thing!!
Wow right ? This is something I enjoy and use as a sort of "dear diary", and yet I forgot about it completely and it doesn't end there; I haven't read one page of the books I love, I haven't seen the friends I adore in ages and the list goes on and on.
Why you may ask ? Well I had a baby. The problem with this statement is that although this is true, it is not the only thing that keeps me from doing what I love and what brings me joy. Its the guilt that follows from not being "productive" while my baby is finally sleeping (I know I am not alone on this).
I seem to feel like I have to so everything myself , which is not true , my husband helps and everything does not have to be done in one day – hence the exhaustion.
The washing can wait a day (well sometimes anyway) the dishes can wait till tonight, sometimes you just have to take a minute during the day to do something that brings YOU joy. Selfish right ? NO ! The happier you are , the happier your kids will be , it overflows into so many areas of our lives and we don't even realize it. Being more relaxed and happier tends to also be good for your marriage or relationship; you are less irritable and even feel a little bit more rested and positive.
I for one don't believe in new years resolutions, I believe that you can make changes and better yourself any day of the year , and the best time is NOW ! Make time for yourself, do more of what you enjoy, even if you literally have to schedule it to make it happen. If there is a will there is a way.
Heres to more writing and reading in 2019 !


The US Food and Drugs Administration has issued letters to manufacturers of cannabis-infused products promoted as having health benefits, warning them that their claims are untested and must be modified.
Warning letters have been sent to five companies regarding 18 products, which claim to have healthcare benefits that would require them to be registered as drugs under the Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1906. Furthermore, the FDA discovered that many of the products did not actually contain any active cannabis-based ingredients.
The letters require each company to remove claims on its website, packaging and marketing material that the products can improve health or prevent disease and illness.
The companies have been given 15 days to comply or could face enforcement consequences, according to FDA rules.
One of the firms to have received a warning, Canna Companion, which produces cannabis-based capsules that were said to reduce cancer symptoms in dogs and cats, has now removed therapeutic claims and testimonials from its website.


killed for no real reason at all by police officers. Police Officers of white European decent seem to be getting caught more, and more with their gun in hands killing innocent black men women and children. Is the Klu Klux Klan hiding in law enforcement ? And if so is it that we just don't know it, or have we forgotten about it?
During the early Jim Crow era, many police officers were part of the Klu Klux Klan, and committed many acts of terror underneath the white sheet. African Americans were hung, burned, and castrated by many White men in uniform who were also Klan members. Today, its 2016 and black folks are being persecuted by white men working in law enforcement. Does the Klu Klux Klan still exist in law enforcement ? Why are black people being murdered for no reason ?
Many people have forgotten, that some of these white cops, had children and grandchildren they taught some of those same values to durning the Jim Crow and Civil Rights era. Does the Klan exist in the police force ? You better believe it ! Which is one reason you see the mass slaughtering of African Americans all across the country. Terrance Crutcher was just murdered by Tulsa Police department. It seems that he was killed for simply being a black man. Racist cops are among us incase you forgot. Terrance, as seen on video, had his hands in the air, and made sure the police officers knew it before walking back to his broken down van to place his hands on the van. Shortly after, you seen Terrance lying dead on the ground.
Are we dealing with a corrupt police force with low key Klu Klux Klan members ?


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The floral selection offered at Berkeley Bowl is purchased fresh several times a week from the San Francisco Wholesale Flower Terminal. Like the buyers for our produce department, our own expert floral buyers travel over the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and personally inspect and hand-select only the best quality and value product in the wee hours of the morning just for you. The daily selection often exceeds over 45 different varieties of flowers and plants from around the world.
Most all of our flowers are purchased directly from local growers and wholesalers from the Watsonville, Salinas, Half Moon Bay and Petaluma areas to ensure the freshest floral items available. Berkeley Bowl strives to offer value in everything we sell; we provide you with flowers that are colorful, unique, dramatic, and sometimes even weird & bizarre!


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'American Idol' notes: Phillip Phillips, Adam Lambert, Scotty McCreery
Adam Lambert, American Idol, Fox, Phillip Phillips	 November 28, 2012
There is some good stuff coming up for a number of "American Idol" contestants per our Wednesday edition of show notes; but before we come to all of that, we have to share the latest results from Phillip Phillips' album sales for "The World from the Side of the Moon."
According to date compiled by HITS Daily Double at this very moment, the disc from the reigning champ is slated to debut at #3 on the Billboard 200 behind Rihanna's "Unapologetic" and the monster disc known as Taylor Swift's "Red." The total tally at the moment is 172,000 copies sold, which is a very solid number for a reigning champ with just one hit song at the moment. It may be down from Scotty McCreery's "Clear As Day," but it also is more albums than Lee DeWyze and Kris Allen sold on their first weeks combined.
Phillip should also get a good placement for "Home" on the Billboard Hot 100 Thursday, as the album has helped propel the song to #1 on the iTunes sales chart for much of the week.
An Adam Lambert stream – There's a pretty cool opportunity coming up to watch a performance from Adam Lambert in Hong Kong, and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your own living room. On Friday, November 30, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, Mnet America, a brand known for bringing all things cool and Asian to American audiences, is going to be bringing an exclusive stream of the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards (or MAMA) straight from the prominent business city. Adam, B.o.B, and PSY are just three of the popular artists set to perform on the show.
You can watch the stream of the show through the MCube port here. The hosts for this English-language coverage of the event are Danny Lim, Hannah Jun, and Eunice Kiss.
Congratulations – Finally, hats off to the season 10 champ, as his new album "Christmas with Scotty McCreery" has been certified gold with over 500,000 copies sold. The good news for him is that sales will likely continue to be strong moving forward thanks to holiday shopping and a demand for Christmas music.
If you want to watch a fun new interview featuring "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest, you can do so over at the link here.
Photo: Fox
November 28, 2012	@ 10:19 pm
The Adam Lambert live stream – is that at 3 PM or 3 AM EST on Nov. 30? I saw another article that said it was at 3 AM EST.
Margaret Treskolasky
Congratulations Scotty on your Christmas album going gold.It's a beautiful ,you did a great job.I just love it….


Dustin was born and raised in NYC. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics (Corporate Strategy/Finance), and served as an Army Field Artillery Officer at the 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA. He is now working as a Consultant at Deloitte and involved with a variety of non-profits.


GFS offers a safe, single gendered and non judgemental environment where girls and young women can explore their personal development. Our youth work enables girls and young women to grow in friendship and confidence in a safe space - promoting mutual support, good citizenship, independence and the development of new skills. More information about GFS can be found at www.girlsfriendlysociety.org.uk.
GFS meets on a Tuesday at the Church Hall in Belgrave Road. For 6-11 year olds (year 1-6) at 6.00pm to 7.30pm. We operate throughout the Liverpool school term and do not meet in school holidays.
These follow the church calender, and as we are a faith based organisation, we encourage the girls and their families to attend. We meet in the Church at 9.45.
are a £1.50 a week. This covers costs of refreshments, recreation activities, use of halls and insurance.


Changing leaves on the tree in the horse paddock.
Happy kick-off to the holiday season! I love, love, love this time of year. We've been working like mad weekend warriors in Arkansas and have lots of exciting new developments to share (like why we now have a horse paddock) but for now just a few links to get me back in the writing saddle.
If you are doing some traveling this holiday season here are a few things that have made a HUGE difference in our routine.
Yeti is a cooler company, we've had their hard cooler for a few years and decided to add their cooler bag to our stash this summer, couldn't be happier!
The only thing that makes Yeti better are Ball mason jars. No more soggy anything! They are easy to clean, easy to reach in and grab, they look great and are unbelievably versatile.
This next one may not be for everyone but it's worth mentioning. Mason Pearson hair brush, travel size. Prepare yourself, it's $100.00 for a hairbrush but this brush has saved me from packing shampoo and conditioner for our 3 day jaunts. The brush glides through my kid's hair removing debris and dirt from the day and distributes some of the oil (and sweat) away from their scalp. I brush before they jump in a shower or bath, they do a good water rinse and that's it……unless.
If they (or myself) are left with massive tangles, Honest Company's leave-in spray conditioner has been a life saver. This may be one of the most forgiving products ever, my kids can spray half the bottle on their head and their hair still looks great.(Note: if you are over 12 years old a few squirts will suffice).
Castor Oil – hexane free – I've only had a couple weeks experimentation with this magic serum but I'm using it to tame my ever frizzy hair, my newly wild eye brows, soften my lips and ease my dry cheeks, rub in my nail beds, remove eyeliner, I'm not rushing to try ingesting this oil but just these applications have made it a must in my travel bag.
For the ride itself I'm a huge fan of audio books, now that my kids are 8-10 years old the book selection is huge. Harry Potter of course is amazing, but we've also enjoyed Rick Riordan's books, currently listening to and loving Wonder and this one was also a family pleaser. When I try to get in some schooling on the road The Story of the World keeps us all engaged as well.
Hope every one has some time for relaxing this weekend, I'd like to copy my daughter and do some this.
P.S. You might remember an old post about my hopes for Arkansas, here's a picture from a recent weekend. This is the latest property we've acquired, we aren't Pinterest or Insta-worthy yet as you can see from the junk pile but we love it, warts and all! Plus you can see the ingenious chiminea hack my husband conjured from said junk pile!
What to do when the top of your chiminea breaks off and a face full of smoke is not on the evening agenda? Grab some corrugated metal and bailing wire – Stand back Macgyver, we've got this.


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Proposed Amendments to the Companies Act, 2013
By Umakanth Varottil
It has been just a year since certain
provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 (the 2013 Act) were brought into force, and
the Government has already yielded to pressure from industry to address some
concerns within the legislation. The Union Cabinet has approved the
introduction of the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014 in Parliament. At the time
of this writing, only a press release
of the Government highlighting the amendments is available, and not the actual
text thereof.
The amendments proposed can be
categorised broadly into two types. The first relates to ironing out drafting
deficiencies and inadvertent errors in the 2013 Act. I do not propose to deal
with those in this post. The second, and more important, amendments are
intended essentially "for the ease of doing business". Some of the changes
suggested on this count are substantive and could have a wider impact. It is on
these changes that I propose to focus in this post.
In order to "meet corporate
demand", the Government proposes to prohibit the public inspection of board
resolutions filed with the Registrar of Companies. This is understandable as
board resolutions may contain commercially sensitive information, which need
not be disseminated widely. Another amendment relates to the relaxation of
restrictions in section 185 of the 2013 Act, which will now exempt loans to
wholly owned subsidiaries and guarantees/securities on loans taken by banks
from subsidiaries. Section 185 came under heavy criticism due to its
excessively onerous nature, as it did away with exemptions previously available
under the Companies Act, 1956. The amendments propose to substantially revert
to the previous position.
One of the significant areas
affected by the amendments is related party transactions (RPTs). Three
principal changes are suggested. First, the audit committee will be empowered
to give omnibus approvals for RPTs on an annual basis. Presumably this is to
avoid consideration of RPTs on a case-by-case basis. Second, the current
requirement of obtaining a special resolution (75% majority) of disinterested
shareholders for material RPTs is to be altered to that of an ordinary
resolution (simple majority). Third, RPTs between holding companies and wholly
owned subsidiaries are to be exempt from the requirement of disinterested shareholder
approval. While these changes may seem miniscule at the outset, they could have
a significant effect of diluting the regulation of RPTs, particularly the
relaxation of the approval requirements relating to disinterested shareholders.
As we have previously discussed on this Blog, the regulation of RPTs forms the bulwark
of corporate governance efforts in India where shareholding tends to be
concentrated added with the significant presence of corporate group structures.
The focus of the 2013 Act has been to address the agency problems between the
controlling shareholders (promoters) and minority shareholders. Any dilution to
these basic principles would compromise the protection to be conferred upon minority
shareholders. To that extent, some of the relaxations on RPT regulation must be
viewed with circumspection.
Also, while one cannot quarrel with
the need for the Companies Act and the SEBI norms on corporate governance (currently
represented by clause 49 of the listing agreement) to operate in tandem, the
need for harmonization ought not to drive the standards down. For instance, SEBI
amended clause 49 of the listing agreement with effect from October 1, 2014 to
bring it in line with the 2013. Now, the justification for altering the audit
committee approval mechanism for RPTs in the 2013 Act is to "[a]lign with SEBI
plicy and increase the ease of doing business". It is unclear whether SEBI
norms are to be aligned with the legislation or vice versa. The iterative
exercise of streamlining the legislative provisions (i.e. 2013 Act) and the
SEBI norms (i.e. clause 49) should not unwittingly result in a drop in the
standards of governance.
Finally, something must be said
about the justification for the "ease of doing business". No one can argue with
the assertion that regulation should not stifle innovation and entrepreneurialism.
All factors must be carefully balanced in the legislation and rulemaking
process. They must provide the requisite comfort to investor as well as other
stakeholders that are affected by business activity. However, some of these
efforts also appear to be operating in the shadow of doing business rankings
(principally those put out by the World Bank group) and the need to demonstrate
better environment in India for foreign investors. While these indicators are
representative of the relative ease of doing business among various countries,
they must be considered only as a means and not the end.
Companies Act Company Law Corporate Governance
Umakanth Varottil
Umakanth Varottil is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. He specializes in corporate law and governance, mergers and acquisitions and cross-border investments. Prior to his foray into academia, Umakanth was a partner at a pre-eminent law firm in India.
Position of Accredited Investors in India within SEBI's Framework
Anti-trust and E-commerce: Impact of the 2018 FDI Policy Review
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vswami on Jurisdiction of Adjudicating Authorities over the Rejection of a Resolution Plan


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Blog, Stewardship
Written by Brandon Diamond, Gunnison area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Public Lands in Crested Butte and Gunnison
My relationship with Gunnison and Crested Butte began in earnest during the 1980's. As a Colorado kid hunting, fishing and exploring Colorado's wild places were a prominent part of my family's culture. Our annual trips to Gunnison County were anticipated and esteemed like all other major holidays! Fast forward to the mid 1990's when I was fortunate enough to attend what is now Western Colorado University. Despite the constant distraction of unexplored public lands, cutthroat streams and hunting seasons, I received my degree and continued working towards a career in wildlife management. Much has changed across Colorado since then, but these formative years associated with the Gunnison Basin helped instill a wildlife conservation ethos within me that has spanned my lifetime.
What Does Colorado Parks and Wildlife Do?
CPW is the primary wildlife management agency in Colorado. Our mission is "to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state, to provide a quality state parks system, and to provide enjoyable and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado's natural resources." For those that aren't aware, CPW is a Division of Colorado State Government and from a wildlife management standpoint is funded primarily through the sales of hunting and fishing licenses. This funding mechanism is an important distinction from other state agencies and a source of great pride for Colorado's hunting and angling communities. This "user-pay, public-benefits" model accommodates the wise use of sustainable wildlife resources for license buyers. It also provides inherent benefit to the general, non-license buying public by ensuring wildlife populations and open spaces are maintained and may be enjoyed by all. Not to be taken for granted, the remarkable wildlife resources we all enjoy today did not happen by accident. They are a testament to decades of advocacy and investment by conservation-minded Americans and Coloradans, to whom we collectively owe a great debt.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Gunnison
As the Area Wildlife Manager for CPW in Gunnison, I am part of a team that has the unique opportunity and responsibility to manage and advocate for wildlife and wildlife habitats across our communities on both public and private lands. Part of our role as a public trust is to serve as a voice for the voiceless. Over the course of my career, I've come to recognize how increasingly small our landscapes are becoming and how fragile our wildlife resources sometimes are. For folks that have recently moved to Gunnison County that may sound strange. I imagine Gunnison or Crested Butte may still seem like the Wild West to many. From a long-time Game Warden and Wildlife Biologist's perspective, please trust me when I say that our wildlife and their habitats are quite finite. It will take a proverbial village to succeed if we want to maintain these resources in perpetuity.
Wildlife in Crested Butte and Gunnison
Wildlife is arguably one of the primary draws to Gunnison County for both residents and visitors and is fundamental to quality of life across our communities. The rich and diverse wildlife resources found across our County are cause for celebration. They provide intrinsic ecological and aesthetic value, as well as significant economic contributions. Gunnison County is home to a variety of wildlife species and management issues. It is certainly an awe inspiring and humbling setting to be a professional manager. Currently, CPW is engaged in a variety of notable local wildlife projects. Following the historic winter of 2007-08, a mule deer survival and monitoring study was initiated that entails radio collaring and monitoring 90 does and 60 fawns annually. Native fish reclamation projects are always on our radar. Cutthroat trout once again inhabit a reach of historic habitat in the Powderhorn Valley thanks to strong collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management and partnerships with local stockgrowers. We remain engaged in management of our locally famous, and Federally Threatened, Gunnison Sage-Grouse with an emphasis on habitat conservation and restoration and population monitoring. Most recently, CPW has initiated a mountain lion density estimation project. This will entail marking and monitoring 20-25 mountain lions across the Gunnison Basin in order to gain local population estimates. CPW's endeavors across the County are wide-ranging and span the gamut of fur, feather and fin. Now in 2022, management of wildlife has become increasingly complex in conjunction with an increasingly complex Colorado. Priorities for CPW are continuously evolving.
Conservation in Gunnison and Crested Butte
A wise man once said, "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." This quote is spot-on for modern-day wildlife management. Wildlife management and conservation is both a short and long-game and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, along with our many partners continue to seek out ways to educate and inspire wildlife stewards. In the spirit of stewardship and collaboration, I would respectfully submit the following question: can we strike a legitimate balance between human development, competing land uses and wildlife conservation? Theodore Roosevelt, a well-known historic ambassador for wildlife, provided sage advice, "The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will." Roosevelt reminds us that our communities, both locally and abroad, will collectively dictate the wildlife legacy we leave for future generations.
The Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee
While we may have many challenges ahead, the good news is that partnerships like Gunnison County's Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation (STOR) Committee provide a timely platform for engagement with these types of questions and for broader collaboration and conservation planning in our fast-paced, rapidly changing world. Colorado Parks and Wildlife appreciates our seat at the table and the relationships we've developed with our many and diverse partners. We commend Gunnison County for their consideration, foresight and demonstrated track record of supporting sound wildlife management and conservation. As a professional wildlife manager and deep-rooted community member of Gunnison County, I can't imagine a world without wildlife and wild places and the privileges they afford us.
If you're interested in state and local wildlife issues check out the CPW website.
Do Colorado Right
The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) is encouraging visitors to Do Colorado Right by being responsible travelers. Plan ahead, practice Leave No Trace in the outdoors, be safe in the backcountry and exercise kindness and care to make the most of your time in Colorado.


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Cheetah Conservation Fund Sends Puppies to Tanzania to Save Predators
RCP's Ayoub Msago (left), CCF's Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Laurie Marker
(center left), along with Livestock Guarding Dog Programme Manager Ana Bradley
(center right) and Small Stock Manager, Tyapo Toivo (right), show off the four puppies
that will become the start of Tanzania's first known organized programme utilizing
livestock guarding dogs.
November 8, 2013 (OTJIWARONGO, Namibia) – CCF, the world's leading organisation dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild, announced today that it is sending four puppies from its celebrated Livestock Guarding Dog programme to the Ruaha Carnivore Project in Tanzania. With the arrival of these puppies, CCF will share this highly effective predator-friendly control technique with livestock herders in Tanzania.
The four puppies, two male and two female, are Kangal dogs, a breed famous in their native Turkey for guarding small livestock herds against wolves and bears for thousands of years . The pups were born on the 18th of August 2013 to CCF's, Aleya, sired by Firat, both purebred Kangals, and have been spayed and neutered. CCF's Livestock Guarding Dog programme has been placing dogs with Namibian farmers since 1994. Since then, CCF has placed over 450 dogs. The livestock guarding dogs bond with their herds, and are highly effective at deterring predators. Their loud and ferocious bark deters predators, and farmers using a CCF dog see their predation rates from all predators reduced by 80 to 100 percent. Because the farmers feel more secure in their livelihoods, they are less likely to do harm to cheetahs and other predators.
The dogs are being sent to the Ruaha Carnivore Project (RCP) in Tanzania, which is run by Dr. Amy Dickman. RCP is part of Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), with whom CCF Founder and Executive Director Dr. Marker conducted her doctoral research. Dr. Dickman spent six years in Namibia working with Dr. Marker in the Livestock Guarding Dog programme, and has published several research papers with her documenting the effectiveness of the dogs. The RCP works to develop conservation strategies for large carnivores in the important Ruaha Landscape. The new puppies will be placed with farmers from the Maasai and Barabaig tribes.
The placement with RCP in Tanzania marks the fourth country in which CCF has placed puppies so that other organisations may start their own livestock guarding dog programmes. CCF's Dr. Marker sees this as an important part of her work. "We've been developing programmes in Namibia to save predators for nearly 25 years working from here to help other cheetahs in other of its range countries. Our research shows that solutions like the dogs are very effective. Every time we help start a new programme in another country, we're thrilled, because we know we're making real progress in the race to save the cheetah, and all predators."
Mr. Ayoub Msago, RCP's Community Liaison Office, is now traveling back to Tanzania with the dogs, after spending two weeks at CCF in Namibia to learn about the Livestock Guarding Dog programme. He traveled over 1300km around Namibia with CCF's staff, visiting working dogs on Namibian farms, learning how the dogs are trained, and how CCF's Livestock Guarding Dog programme is managed. Once he returns to Tanzania with the dogs, goats from neighboring farms will be brought to a specially prepared kraal in the RCP research area and will be introduced to their new owners next week under Dr. Dickman's supervision. This will be the first known attempt to bring in specialized guarding dogs to help Tanzanian pastoralists protect their livestock. The communities these dogs will serve in are extremely poor, with the majority living on less than $1 per day. Carnivore attacks cause major problems for these pastoralists and lead to high levels of carnivore killing.
"We are very excited about getting these dogs," says Dr. Dickman. "The protection the Livestock Guarding Dogs provide reduces the cost of living alongside predators, which means a decrease in human-wildlife conflict. With these dogs, we will learn much more about how well this conflict mitigation tool can be applied to East Africa, which will help us develop effective plans for the future."
Dr. Marker said this morning , "We are very excited to see the dogs board the plane today and will be watching this programme develop in Tanzania. Together we can make a big difference to assist livestock farmers and save predators. The dogs have protected livestock for thousands of years, we just need to help teach farmers how the dogs work and help them to be more successful. We can live together."


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Join the fight to save lives as an official supporter of the Save Lives California campaign
Area(s) of Interest: Advocacy Public Health
The California Medical Association (CMA) is encouraging physicians to add their names to the growing list of Save Lives California supporters. It's easy – all you have to do is click this link and enter your email address and zip code. By doing so, you can be among the first to say "I'm in" to fight for a $2 tobacco tax increase in California.
The Save Lives California coalition is backing a life-saving tobacco tax initiative for the November statewide ballot. The initiative – supported by a broad alliance of physicians, health care advocates, educators and others – would raise California's tobacco tax, which is currently among the lowest in the country, to $2.87 a pack.
The majority of the money from the initiative's user fee on cigarettes and other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes containing nicotine, would be used for health programs and research into cures for cancer and other illnesses caused by smoking and tobacco products.
"Sadly, we see tobacco's deadly and costly toll every day in our hospitals and clinics. Cancer and other tobacco-related diseases kill more people than car accidents, murder, suicide, alcohol, illegal drugs and AIDS combined," said Steven Larson, M.D., MPH, CMA president. "The heart of this initiative is simple: Taxing tobacco saves lives by getting people to quit or never start smoking. The only people who will pay are those who smoke. If you don't smoke, you don't pay."
The measure, The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016, aims to prevent a new generation of kids from taking up a deadly, addictive habit. Nearly 17,000 California kids get hooked on smoking every year; half of them will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses.
The measure will also help curb the alarming rise in the use of e-cigarettes. Teen use of e-cigarettes grew 10-fold in the past four years, and teens who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes within one year.
"It is unconscionable that the tobacco industry is targeting children for a lifetime of addiction with candy-flavored electronic cigarettes containing nicotine, with popular children's themes such as Hello Kitty, Minions, Barbie and Hot Wheels," said Elizabeth Martin, a cancer survivor and volunteer legislative ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). "We cannot, and will not, be fooled. Nicotine is dangerous and addictive, no matter how it is delivered."
California taxpayers pay $3.5 billion annually to treat cancer and other tobacco-related diseases. A user fee on cigarettes is a matter of fairness – it shifts the fiscal burden to smokers for these medical programs, smoking prevention and research.
The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 is backed by Save Lives California, a coalition of health advocates and others that includes the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, ACS CAN, CMA, SEIU California, California Hospital Association, Blue Shield of California, California Dental Association and philanthropist Tom Steyer.
For more information on the initiative, visit www.savelivesca.com.


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COMMON BOND NEW MEXICO
HIV Emergency Project
Social Security News
The Brash Beginnings of the New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus
An Albuquerque native, Alan Stringer was educated at UNM. For 25 years he taught English and creative writing at Manzano High School. During that time, he was also an organist for several local churches and a synagogue. He was a spokesperson for the gay community on TV, in classrooms and churches and was also an educator for social workers and Albuquerque Public Schools teachers and counselors. Alan and his partner Jon Hull were honored as Grand Marshals of the 1988 Albuquerque Pride Parade. They were married August 27, 2015 after a 38-year engagement. Alan died April 8, 2019 from Parkinson's disease.
Alan Stringer had a vision for Albuquerque – and he wanted to be sure it came true. At the first public meeting for Common Bond on September 27, 1981, the organizing questionnaire distributed there included "Chorus" as one of the suggested activities. The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus had been founded in 1978 and Alan was already contemplating forming a chorus here while he was participating in the formation of Common Bond.
He and his partner Jon Hull had been among the members of the moribund "Gay Co-op" that met during the summer of 1981 to form a new and more open community organization. The name Common Bond came from the title of a Gay Pride concert series featuring music by gay composers which Stringer had organized in 1981. The concerts also featured many gay musicians he happened to know.
Using the interests questionnaire to get contact information, Alan acted swiftly to call a meeting. Brian Lanter was one of the men who showed up at Stringer's house one Saturday in the fall of 1981 for what turned out to be the organizational meeting for a gay men's chorus in Albuquerque. Brian remembers: "There were only around a half dozen of us at that meeting, but Alan knew of several more people who were interested. The group included Bill Boyer, a flautist and music grad student at UNM who became the first director of the chorus; Alan Zoloth, also a music student at UNM and also a flautist; and Russell Gray, one of the founders of Common Bond, who was there as an enthusiastic chorus supporter, not in his capacity as a Common Bond board member."
Among the items of discussion was naming the group. Not enough people at this initial meeting were far enough out of the closet for it to have "gay" in the title. It was Jon Hull, also in attendance but only for support and not as a singer, who suggested the name Brash Ensemble, which everyone immediately liked and was adopted by consensus.
That fall, weekly rehearsals began at the home of Bill Boyer and his partner. The first public performance was at the December meeting of Common Bond. In 1983, the Brash Ensemble performed in the first "Caught in the Act" variety show which was held at a short-lived dance club called Numbers After Hours near Carlisle and Menaul. The chorus subsequently performed in most of the CITA shows in the 80s and 90s. The Brash Ensemble was also a highlight of the 1983 Gay Pride Concert "Classics and More" which demonstrated that Albuquerque had many accomplished gay composers and musicians. In the early years Brash Ensemble rehearsals were held on Sunday evenings mostly at the First Congregational Church at Lomas and Girard NE.
In October 1984, John Roberts, a professional musician who had founded a gay men's chorus in Montgomery, Alabama, became the Brash Ensemble's music director. Also that year, Stringer travelled to Denver for the National Conference for Directors and Managers of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Performing arts Groups (GALA). He attended workshops on fundraising, conducting techniques, music exchange and board management. At that time, GALA had 50 member choruses, some of whose budgets exceeded $100,000 a year. Stringer commented, "The gay choruses movement is now beginning to have a political impact on music publishing and other musical institutions."
The Ensemble's next music director arrived in May 1986. An accomplished singer, Robert Morris majored in voice in college and subsequently taught and conducted voice. He had also performed in Town Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The Brash Ensemble's performances in 1987 included the party for the Desert States Lesbian and Gay Conference (April); Church of Religious Science and Caught in the Act variety show (both in June). Common Bond picnic in Bataan Memorial Park (July) and First Unitarian Church (August).
In the spring of 1987, the Ensemble's sixth year, Stephen Montoya became music director. There had already been renewed discussion about changing the group's name to include "gay" in the title. By that time many of the choruses around the country had Gay as part of their name. Montoya thought it important for the group to be visible as gay men and the name Brash Ensemble did not communicate that. Discussions were somewhat contentious and there were threats of some people leaving the group if the name was changed. Then there was the issue of being called Albuquerque Gay Men's Chorus vs. New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus. Since there was a significant Santa Fe contingent at that time, New Mexico won out as being more inclusive of all of the group's members. When fall rehearsals started, the name was officially changed to the New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus.
Concurrent with the name change, chorus member Tony Bucci came up with the name "Turquoise Trail Performing Arts" for the organization when they applied for nonprofit status. At that time Alan Stringer was quoted in Common Bond Ink newsletter: "Gay men's choruses are becoming extremely popular across the country. They represent the gay community to the community at large and play to large mixed audiences. We can do that here too."
And indeed the New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus has done just that. In subsequent years, it has grown to become one of the most popular performing arts organizations in the state. Its December holiday concerts have particularly broad crossover appeal attested to by their large ticket sales. It's a long-standing cultural treasure for our community, birthed at Common Bond.
The Brash Ensemble in Fall 1987 (photo courtesy of Tony Bucci)
Front Row: Kent de Jong, Tom Babcock, Robert Geiwitz, Bob Beavers, Roger LaJoie; Middle Row: Dan Comstock, Tony Bucci, Mark Burdine, Stephen Montoya (director), Henri Rocha, Brian Lanter, Joe Brown; Back Row: Darby Fegan, Alan Stringer, Russell Gray, Larry Ross
This history is a LIVING DOCUMENT based on many volunteer hours of research and conversations with community members who have been part of Common Bond over the years. If you have any corrections or suggested additions, please let us know at commonbondnm.org/contact.
Thanks to passionate collector Bennett Hammer and LGBT archivist Barbara Korbal, an extensive collection of the Common Bond Ink newsletter and the subsequent Out! newsmagazine are available at the Center for Southwest Research in the UNM Zimmerman Library. Both publications were produced by Roy Reini and we are deeply indebted to all those involved in those publications for providing us with a chronological framework and many essential details in preparing this first dedicated history of Common Bond.
Information on this website was obtained from first and second-hand accounts and may not constitute the most up-to-date or factual information. Any reference or links to other third-party sources are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by third parties belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by Common Bond New Mexico Foundation.


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text:
Pacific Century Motors is a Chinese company formed to buy and hold Nexteer Automotive.

Originally, Pacific Century was a subsidiary of E-town, the Beijing municipal government's investment company, and Tempo Group, a Chinese car component manufacturer. Nexteer Automotive was acquired by Pacific Century Motors on November 30, 2010. Pacific Century also announce that they would be making additional acquisition in the next year or so. In March 2011, AVIC Automobile Industry Holding Co., a Chinese state-owned parts manufacturer, purchased a 51 percent interest in Pacific Century Motors.

References

Auto parts suppliers of China

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Here's an interesting fact about me: I am thirty years old and have only been to three weddings since graduating college. Which I feel is a fairly low number for my age? Sure, there were a couple that I missed, but in general, my friends aren't the marrying kind (nor are Erlend and I apparently, since we've been together for eight years and don't really have any plans to get married anytime soon). Or maybe I just don't have that many friends, lol. OH WELL.
Although 2018 might be the year that the tide is changing; I've got a couple of weddings that I'm attending this year that I'm pretty excited about, especially since I am serving as a cake consultant/maker for some of them. One of my friends is doing a very low key wedding and has asked me to make an equally low key cake for the occasion. "I'll even take one of your leftover blog or book test cakes," she said, waving me off when I asked what kind of wedding cake she wanted. "Whatever you make, I'm sure I'll be happy with."
Usually I'd be suspicious of the bride's very nonchalant vibe, but I sincerely believe that my friend actually has no dog in the wedding industrial complex fight since she's getting married barefoot on a campground with a taco truck and BYOB. But still. It seems like it merits a special cake, right?
So I've been practicing different wedding cake decorating techniques and texting her all the while furtively monitoring her opinion with each one. So far it's a no on the naked cake look, but a very enthusiastic two-thumbs up on the carrara marble look.
Carrara marble glaze is easy to do on cookies, but honestly, was a trickier challenge on this cake. I ended up pouring the glaze on the top of the cake (similar to the technique seen on this Instagram video); unfortunately, while the glaze worked well for the top of the cake, it was a bit too thin to really hold its pattern as it dripped down the side of the cake. But I'm sharing it anyway because the cake itself is pretty delicious. The cake is a leftover recipe from when I was testing a bunch of white cake recipes from Weeknight Baking and is adapted from the white velvet cake recipe by old-school baking queen, Rose Levy Berenbaum. Each cake layer sandwiches a healthy proportion of dulce de leche and is completely covered in Swiss meringue buttercream and the carrara marble glaze. Enjoy!
Dulce de leche is available in most Latin American supermarkets or online (I'm partial to the Stonewall Kitchen or La Lechera variety; in a pinch, you can make it yourself at home with a slow cooker or an instant pot! I've got instructions for how to do so in this recipe for dulce de leche brownies.
In a pinch, you can probably get away with not glazing the cake with the carrara marble glaze. Unless you're really going for the look, the glaze doesn't actually add that much flavor. I think the reason why my glaze isn't quite pronounced is that you actually need a LOT of the glaze in order to make it visible. I've double the original recipe quantity for your use — hopefully that'll do the trick! It's also a lot easier to glaze the cake if the cake has been chilled for at least an hour or so in the fridge; the glaze doesn't tend to adhere as well to the cake if the frosting is at room temp. I recommend even sticking it in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before glazing.
In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 3 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Beat on low speed until combined. With the mixer on its lowest setting, add 3/4 cup butter, one cube at a time, continuing to mix until the mixture has the texture of cornmeal. Add 1/2 cup of the whole milk all at once, and raise the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes or until the batter is light and fluffy. While the batter is mixing, whisk together 4 large egg whites, 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, and remaining 1/2 cup of whole milk in a large liquid measuring cup or a medium bowl with a spout. Reduce the mixer speed back down to its lowest setting and add the egg white/vanilla/milk mixture in 2 to 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well after each addition and beating only until combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean with few crumbs and the top of the cake bounces back when gently poked. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. To assemble cake, spread about 1/2 cup dulce de leche on top of the bottom layer and middle layer before covering completely with Swiss meringue buttercream.
Reduce the mixer speed back to its slowest setting and add 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Use buttercream right away; even though the buttercream will look like it's too soft, it's actually a dream to pipe with. Unless it's a super hot day (above 85-90 (F)), there's no need to refrigerate it for it to stiffen — doing so will just make it harder to work with.
When the cake has been frosted and chilled (see baker's notes), it's time to glaze it. In a double boiler (or, a homemade one with a heatproof bowl set on top of a saucepan with an inch or two of water — the bowl shouldn't touch the water!) over medium heat, combine 4 cups confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 6 tablespoons water, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and continue stirring occasionally until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. The icing should be fluid but not so warm that it will melt the frosting; the ideal final temperature of the mixture should be below 100 (F). Remove from heat and transfer the bowl to a wire rack to cool slightly.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack on a sheet pan — this will help catch any glaze drippings and prevent any messes on your counter. Return to your slightly cooled glaze and gently stir 1 to 2 drops of gray food coloring into the mixture. When I mean stir, I mean "half-heartedly stir" — the mixture should still be predominantly white at this point, but streaked with gray food coloring. This works best if the glaze has cooled — if the glaze is too hot, the food coloring will melt and incorporate throughout the mixture. You want it to be streaky!
Working quickly, pour the glaze on top of the center of the cake. Let any excess drip off and dry for 3 to 4 hours before transferring to a cake stand and serving.