The trailhead has moved slightly since this was posted in 2001. Only the first quarter mile of the hike has changed. All the good stuff remains the same. Download the official route for best results.
Woods Canyon is located southeast of Sedona. The canyon is protected by the Munds Mountain Wilderness (sorry mountain bikers). The canyon begins to etch the surface up near mile marker 316 on I-17 at (you guessed it) the Woods Canyon bridge. From I-17 it slowly snakes out to the west. Then in about 2 miles it opens up and rips it's way down to SR179 below the Village of Oak Creek. This page is dedicated to an out and back hike from SR179 to just past what I call "Red Rock Beach".
From the trailhead you head out on a now closed jeep route. Thankfully, the recently closed route is already becoming less noticeable due to the wet winter of 2000. Tall grasses lining the trail attract a never ending grasshopper invasion. Since it's only for a short distance it didn't bother me. It's also unlikely this occurs most of the year.
The trail crosses a relatively flat meadow working it's way towards Woods Canyon. Across the way you'll see the Beaverhead. I'm not sure why it's called that. That's just how it's labeled on the topographical map. Knowing Wet Beaver Creek is near by I'm sure it's related. My best theory so far is the terrain of the area resembles a beaver when viewed on a topographical map. Perhaps someone will fill me in on the whole story someday.
The trail stays to the left of the creek. Views of the creek aren't great. There's no need to be disappointed. The trail is remarkably well placed in the foliage of the canyons namesake. By the way, the creek is seasonal. I've read and been told by friends this trail is much better when the creek is flowing. I did enjoy the sound of the flow. Though it didn't seem to be the highlight of this experience. I hiked on figuring some spectacular view must be further on. The opposing canyon wall offers some great views. The steep slope is amazingly wooded. Rock slides patched along the wall reassure you it's very steep.
At two miles is the junction with the Hot Loop Trail. The Hot Loop jets up onto Horse Mesa. Horse Mesa makes up the canyon wall on your left. Continuing on past the junction there are some views of the creek below. The trail skirts the left wall of the canyon above the creek. Along the way you see Rattlesnake Canyon forking off to the right. About a mile and quarter from the Hot Loop junction the trail finally goes down to the creek. The hike was nice up to this point. I soon found out why everybody recommends hiking this trail when the creek is flowing.
Welcome to Red Rock Beach! Sedona red rock sandstone lines the left bank of the creek. Smooth water-flow-paths etched into the slab are cool to observe. The pool gathered in the area wasn't deep enough for swimming on this day. Like similar oasis, the water level drops by the time it's hot enough to enjoy. The most spectacular sight was the fluorescent algae algae seen against the red rock.
3.4mi here is the end of this description. Further on to the end of the trail at 5.25mi is not exciting for most casual hikers. Rattlesnake Canyon on the right is a three mile excursion. There's no trail connecting. A big waterfall 2.5 miles in might be to your liking.
Coconino FS Reports The trail begins at the signed trailhead beyond the gate. It is level and unshaded as it follows a jeep road into the wide canyon mouth for 1-1/4 miles. The road ends and the trail continues, climbing gradually. There are views of the vegetation-covered slopes of mesas on either side. At 2 miles, the trail crosses a small, dry streambed with red rock pools, climbs out, passes through a cattle gate, and comes to a signed fork.
The Hot Loop trail enters Wilderness area and continues its easy climb, passing some redrock formations on the left. It enters the occasional shade of pine and sycamore as it approaches and then follows Dry Beaver Creek. At 3-1/2 miles, the trail emerges on a picturesque expanse of redrock at the edge of the usually dry creekbed which is studded with huge, gray boulders. Continue on for another 3/4 mile for some nice redrock views as the trail climbs on a moderate grade out of the creekbed. This is a good place to turn around although a path continues further into the canyon. Return by the same route. This hike can be hot in summer.
Red Rock Pass - may or may not be required. Go to Red Rock Pass then check "When is a Red Rock Pass Required?". If you have questions contact the Coconino forest service.
From I-17 turn left onto AZ-179 and follow 5.8 miles west. The trailhead shares parking with the Red Rock Ranger District station.
From the Junction of US 89A and 179 in Sedona, head south on 179 and drive about 8.4 miles to a gated, unpaved road on the left (east) at milepost 304.7. Park outside the gate.
For historical purposes these were the old directions before the trailhead was moved... From Phoenix head north on I-17 to EXIT 298 (the Sedona exit) Go east towards Sedona for about 5.5 miles to mile marker 304.8 (if you pass 305 you just missed it) There's a popular wide apron on the right where tourist take photos of the red rock. You won't be parking here, look for the road with the gate. There's a steel sign on the left etched 'Woods Canyon 93'. This isn't the trailhead, drive through the gate (be sure to close it too) It's a short tenth of a mile to the trailhead. Any car should be fine on this road.


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Andrew Lewin 28/12/2022 at 10:30 28/12/2022 at 22:33
Moving on in our annual review of how all ten F1 teams fared in 2022 we look at the Haas F1 Team and at drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher.
A year of marked improvement
©Haas
The team picture
Constructors standing: P8, 37 points
The good news is that compared to last year, Haas have had a much better time of things. They were dead last at the end of 2021 with zero points, which doesn't get much worse and will have cost them significantly in terms of their share of prize money. But that was after making an intentional decision to limit development of their existing car, and to field two total rookies, so it's not like they wouldn't have seen it coming.
That strategy could only be justified if the money they saved produced a much better car in 2022, and at least one if not both drivers ready to break through in their sophomore season. There was qualified success on the former front - Haas had a car in the top ten in the first two races of the season - but after having to jettison their Russian sponsors Uralkali they seemed to quickly run out of money to maintain development across the season.
As for the rookie drivers, Nikita Mazepin departed before the start of the season with the team having to revert to former driver Kevin Magnussen at very short notice before the curtain raiser in Bahrain. Now they've also dropped Mick Schumacher; so much for all that future talent development.
The driver line-up
Kevin Magnussen: P13, 25 points
Mick Schumacher: P16, 12 points
When Kevin Magnussen left the team at the end of 2020 it was as part of a clean sweep to set Haas up for the future. But now Magnussen is back, and as expected his F1 experience put him firmly on top in terms of this year's driver line-up, with two points finishes in the opening two races of the season. He went on to score points in seven races in total and of course claimed his maiden pole in Brazil thanks to nailing the timing of his Q3 run in fast-changing conditions.
Mick Schumacher only finished in the points on two occasions, with his best finish of sixth place coming in Austria. Before that there had been been some very costly accidents that had team principal Guenther Steiner fretting about the team's dwindling budget. But in fact it was Magnussen who had more DNFs over the season (five to Schumacher's two), and the young German actually finished ahead of the Dane in 12 races to Magnussen's nine.
That's a lot closer between the pair than you might think, given the way that Schumacher was dumped from the team line-up at the end of the season. Hopefully he'll find inspiration in his new home at Mercedes as their 2023 reserve driver.
How 2023 is looking for Haas F1
Steiner has a wealth of motor racing experience behind him, but it's hard to see what his medium- to long-term plan is for Haas. Using last year to try to develop two rookie drivers during a development freeze made a certain amount of sense, but this year he's seemed to do a volte face on the whole idea and go old school in terms of his 2023 driver line-up.
True, Mazepin's departure was not voluntary but rather a response to the Russian action in Ukraine; but Schumacher's exit was much stranger given that he had shown signs of improvement. Was it really just down to the cost of those accidents in Saudi Arabia, Monaco and Suzuka?
Money certainly seems to be a major headache for them. Team owner Gene Haas has deep pockets but not bottomless ones. He's not thrilled paying out vast sums for so little visible success. Maybe now the team has a new title sponsor for 2023 in Moneygram, things can start to improve, but in all likelihood it's probably too late to make a big impact on their prospects for 2023. And a solid pair of hands though he undoubtedly is, Nick Hulkenberg doesn't seem like the man to turn things around either.
2022 F1 season Haas F1 Kevin Magnussen Mick Schumacher
F1i Team Report Card for 2022: AlphaTauri
Aston Martin 'won't just replicate' what rivals are doing – Fallows

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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meet the new girl Apr. 19, 2013
Model Athena Wilson's Androgyny Isn't a Gimmick
By Hilary Moss
Photo: Vogue UK/Courtesy of Ford Models
Of all the possible reasons to pursue modeling, Athena Wilson supplied the Cut with the most original explanation yet: She wanted some spending money in order to purchase a "nice bike." One L.A. runway and $100 later, the Californian caught a Ford scout's eye, signed with the agency, and was on her way to New York Fashion Week for the spring 2013 shows. This past season, she turned up on 35 different runways, including Mulberry, Giorgio Armani, Theyskens' Theory, Mary Katrantzou, Ann Demeulemeester, Roland Mouret, and Mugler. The 19-year-old also walked the Dior Couture presentation in Shanghai and is featured in Louis Vuitton's spring campaign and this month's British Vogue. On a recent visit to our offices, Wilson discussed dressing up for career day in fourth grade, how to make a vegan quiche, and what it means to be the industry's new androgynous face.
Tell me about your childhood.
I was born in Long Beach, California, but I grew up in Orange County, and I did every sport. My dad is a diving coach — and he also produces independent movies and music — so he was my coach, and it was pretty much that, tennis, and volleyball. I was always outside. My mom is a mediator and works in the courts doing a lot of family mediation. She has her master's in peacemaking and conflict resolution, and she's such an inspiration. She went back to school after twenty years because she wanted to and she's the hardest-working person, but she also has natural talent.
Do you have any siblings?
I have a brother — he's a musician and goes to Berklee College of Music. He's two years older, but everyone thinks we're twins. He's actually done some modeling. I know he did a show once. He's so supportive of me and it's really sweet. I'd think, being a boy, you wouldn't really care that much about fashion, but he sends me pictures when he sees me in a magazine and brags about me to his friends.
Were fashion or modeling on your radar when you were younger?
Well, I went to an art school for seventh through twelfth grade, so I've had a visual take on life. But as far as modeling goes, I was never serious about it. Though, I do remember in fourth grade, when we had career day and you dress up as what you want to be when you grow up, I came in with a beret and a wig, and I had drawn on a beauty mark, and I told everyone, "When I grow up, I want to be a supermodel." It was bad. My mom has pictures somewhere.
So, how were you discovered?
[laughs] I wish I had a cool story. I needed a summer job to make money because I wanted to buy a nice bike. So I went on Craigslist, and I was like, No, I don't want to do manual labor. No, I don't want to do this. No, I don't want to do that. And then I saw modeling — it was for a runway show during L.A. Fashion Week — and I thought, All right, $100? Are you kidding me? That's amazing! And that's where I met a scout from Ford.
Your first New York show was Creatures of the Wind at spring 2013 and you opened.
Yeah! I really like the brand, but also the people behind it. Opening for them was an honor, because I respect them so much as artists, and they understood that and respect me as a model, so there was a mutual excitement about what we were doing. It actually wasn't nerve-wracking, but as I walked, I was trying hard not to smile. I was so, Hilary Duff, "This is what dreams are made of, hey now, hey now." [laughs] It had been my goal for a while and suddenly it hit me.
Another designer who's taken a liking to you is Mary Katrantzou.
I think that we have a great connection because we're both Greek — that was the first thing we talked about when I met her two seasons ago. When you're working with people that are fun, and kind, and you like them, it makes such a huge difference, even if you're not around them that much and it's only one fashion show. And getting to know Mary is really nice. I like that she's a young designer who's doing well. And at the spring 2013 show, I had these blunt bangs … this sort of Joan of Arc helmet haircut … and the hair for this past season's show had the same blunt bangs. Mary told me, "We were just so inspired." I was really flattered! And it's funny, because my hair grew out and I had to wear a wig.
And tell me about Ann Demeulemeester.
Her stuff is so cool. At the casting, she had me try on three different outfits, and I thought, These are clothes that I would actually want to wear. Because, I'm not going to lie: Sometimes the clothes you have to wear as a model are not the clothes you would wear in real life, and that's just expected. But it's much more fun when you feel like what you're wearing is already a reflection of yourself. You don't have to play a part; you can just have fun. Ann was meticulous. There were feathers in my hat, and she was angling them and making the slightest adjustments, and then whispering, "Yes." She really cares — she puts so much effort and thought into it.
How do you feel about being labeled an androgynous model?
I mean, everyone likes a boy-girl. I had my hair short before I started modeling, and a lot of girls cut their hair once they start modeling, because they think it makes them edgy or something, and there's nothing wrong with that, because everyone changes his or her appearance in some way. I stopped wearing, tacky, ironic T-shirts and started taking showers. [laughs] I'm kidding. But I've always had short hair and I've fluctuated between extreme tomboy, and extreme girly girl all of my life. I would say that everyone is multifaceted. I'm edgy and pretty. And it's so much more challenging when people are like, Let's put you in a princess dress with some glitter eyeshadow and see what you do. But as far as being recognized as androgynous, I'm fine with it, as long as others realize that it's not a gimmick.
If you weren't a model, what would you be doing?
Let's think … a traditional college education isn't something that appeals to me right now, when modeling is a short-lived thing. You can learn anytime. Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors and he said you don't need any sort of school, as long as you have a library membership. And, it's true — you can learn whatever you need to from books. Eventually, I want to look into sustainable farming, then at the same time I want to go to India to help clean up the Ganges river because it's a social issue, religious issue, and health issue all in one.
I like cooking a lot. I've been vegan for five years and I make a really good quiche from pureed nuts and beans, and broccoli. And I go to museums, when I have the time. I have a friend who works in the vaults at the Met and she took me to see all of the books that they have stored down there — over 70,000 of them. I pulled one that was about tiara-making, how to make tiaras for the royal family.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Name one.
When I get home from traveling, I take my suitcase, I dump it out and I throw everything inside of it all over my room. It's my ritual, but I don't know why. It's just very relaxing.
Model Profile: Athena Wilson
Explore other rising stars (plus all the big names) in our extensive Model Manual, featuring runway pics, glamorous editorials, model bios, career timelines, and more.
In a British Vogue editorial, April 2013. Photographed by Alasdair McLellan.
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Imaxtree
Walking the fall 2013 Vera Wang show in New York.
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Opening the fall 2013 House of Holland show in London.
Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Walking the fall 2013 Mulberry show in London.
Walking the fall 2013 Mugler show in Paris.
model tracker
meet the new girl
athena wilson


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Joining this organization will help Blume Global develop complementary solutions for SAP to best meet their business goals and exact the greatest return on their SAP investment. We also plan to help these members actively shape SAP's product and service offerings through ASUG's Influence programs. And we're looking forward to getting to know members at ASUG events, chapter meetings and special-interest group sessions.
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Stay tuned for more exciting partnership news as we continue to expand our platform and network.


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Home Opinions New Type Approval Regulation for Automotive Industry Introduced in Turkey
Last Sunday on April 19th, 2020, the Regulation on Approval and Market Surveillance of Motor Vehicles and their Trailers (the "MARTOY" as its Turkish abbreviation or the "new Regulation") was published in the Official Gazette and thus was adapted to the European Union's (EU) revised new Directive no: 2018/858/EC.
This regulation essentially regulates the administrative provisions and technical requirements for the type-approval procedure and placing on the market of all passenger (Category M) and commercial vehicles (Category N) and their trailers (Category O), and their systems, components and separate technical units. In short, it determines how the automotive industry will be shaped and how it will work. The new version of the regulation will come into force on 1 September 2020 in parallel with the European Union, and the current regulation provisions will continue to be applied until that date.
Former MARTOY, with the full name of Regulation on Type Approval of Motor Vehicles and Trailers (2007/46/EC), was also the replica of the Directive No 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
With more than 1,000 component suppliers supporting the production of OEMs, Turkey is home to many global suppliers. Almost three quarters of the production in Turkey is destined for foreign markets, making Turkey the biggest vehicle exporter to European markets.
In order to meet the global as well as European technical requirements, Turkey follows a strict technical legislation in the manufacturing and automotive industries. The secondary legislation is much like identical to Acquis Communautaire, which is automatically adopted into local regulations, whereas the primary legislation follows the similar approach and mindset. The EU acquis is embedded in Turkey's national regulations as possible, as in MARTOY, while in especially deep technical areas the regulations of the EU and the United Nations (UN) are automatically applicable as national legislation.
As the backbone of the automotive industry is destined to the European market, it is inevitable that the New Regulation should also follow the EU legislation. Therefore it is natural that the changes in the EU's bible for automotive production is identically reflected in Turkish technical regulation.
At the beginning of 2016, even when the diesel scandal had not yet erupted, the European Commission had started work on amending the 2007/46 regulation. The diesel scandal has made this need much sharper and urgent. All these discussions continued for two years and finally came to a conclusion with the directive no 2018/858/EC published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 14/06/2018. The Directive No.: 2018/858/EC will enter into force in the European Union on 01/09/2020, roughly four months from today. Member countries – and as a result, automotive manufacturers (both the main industry and the supplier base) will be able to conclude applications for components, systems and type approvals under the new regulation from 5 July 2020 onwards.
Let's jump after this long introduction, to the particulars of the EU Directive No. 2018/585/EC, or from the perspective of our national legislation, the MARTOY:
The new regulation lays down rules on technical requirements and procedures across the EU to ensure that new types of motor vehicles and trailers comply with EU-approved safety and environmental protection requirements. Turkey, being outside of the EU on one hand and being within the Customs Union ("CU") on the other hand comes into play at this point. Any type approval for a complete vehicle or a system or component that bears the stamp of an EU member is valid in Turkey. Yet, a manufacturer may acquire a Turkish national type approval for Turkish or non-EU markets.
Although the regulation does not contain significant changes in technical requirements applicable to vehicles, systems, and components, it includes major revisions to applicable processes and procedures and introduces a number of additional controls to ensure the robustness of the type approval process. In addition to specifying individual EU Regulations and UN ECE regulations that vehicles, systems, and components must comply with, it regulates issues such as type approval documents (information documents, type approval certificates, Certificate of Conformity, etc.) and production compliance requirements. The regulation covers the passenger (M category) and commercial vehicles (N category) and the trailers to be used in these vehicles.
The most significant change to the current MARTOY and naturally to the Directive No.: 2007/46/EC refers to the issuance of the type approvals, in order to establish sound measures to avoid repeating of such scandal as a lesson learnt. Under the current regulation, type approvals were given mainly through prototypes provided at the stages of production and before. The new regulation introduces a stronger market surveillance mechanism that the former system may not have served well as observed in the diesel scandal.
In this respect, worth to mention that following the European experience and practice, the Turkish side has taken a number of steps and adapted the new Law No.: 7223 on Product Safety and Technical Regulations (a short review of the new law here), replacing Law No.: 4703 on Technical Legislation and introduced the Market Surveillance Regulation of the Ministry of Trade (a short review of the law regulation here). The new set of regulations also form up a whole together with the Council of Ministers' Regulation on Market Surveillance and Inspection of the Products, no: 2001/3529 and the Ministry of Industry's Regulation on Market Surveillance and Inspection of Automotive Products. I once drafted a paper on recall of automotive products, taking advantage of this occasion, let me open it to public access.
In this way, through the framework of effective market surveillance, regular inspection of vehicles already introduced to the market and sharing of these control results with the public are integrated into the legislation.
It is obvious that testing and inspection of a vehicle or its components or systems is the heart of the whole process. This crucial function is performed by the technical services. This system, which already exists in the current MARTOY and Directive No. 2018/858/EC, is further strengthened by the new regulation. In the diesel scandal, it was observed that technical services were able to produce misleading results. With the new regulation, a strict set of performance criterion and independent auditing system are introduced for granting to and maintaining for the technical services the authority to test and inspect vehicles, components and systems. This authority given in the Directive No.: 2018/858/EC to the European Commission and the member countries will be carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Technology in Turkey according to our national legislation.
The regulation also necessitates that manufacturers will allow access to external controls in the vehicle's software protocol, including the prohibition of defeat devices, which was one of the most important actors of the diesel scandal.
The most prominent points in the new MARTOY, that is the transposition of Directive No.: 2018/858/EU are as follows:
Approval Authority: As in the past, in accordance with Directive No. 2018/858/EC, each Member State is required to appoint an Approval Authority responsible for type approvals and an agency responsible for market surveillance. Where an Institution is responsible for both activities, roles and responsibilities need to be strictly separated and the two activities should be managed autonomously as part of separate structures. Each member state is also obliged to review and evaluate the functioning of the Type Approval Authority and the Market Surveillance Agency at least once every four years and to transmit the results of this assessment to the Commission. This duty and authority with MARTOY belongs to the Ministry of Industry and Technology as in the current MARTOY.
Assessment of Type Approval Bodies: The European Commission will evaluate the procedures applied by each Type Approval Agency to issue type approvals, ensure the suitability of production, and identify and monitor technical services, and publish the results of these assessments every five years. Turkey also agree with this assessment of the principle of reciprocity with the new MARTOY.
Identification, monitoring and review of Technical Services: 2018/858/EC and the new MARTOY introduce detailed regulations to ensure the competence, impartiality and independence of Technical Services. The Technical Service applications will be evaluated by the respective Type Approval Authority together with two other Type Approval Authorities and an evaluation team composed of the European Commission. The assignment of the Technical Service will be valid for five years. After this period, the evaluation application needs to be repeated. In addition, during the appointment period, the Type Approval Authority will continuously monitor the performance of the Technical Service and evaluate the Technical Service every 30 months at the latest.
Information Sharing and Execution Forum: Regulation No. 2018/858/EC created an Implementation Information Exchange Forum within the European Union, which will be attended by representatives of Member States' Type Approval Authorities and Market Surveillance Institutions. The forum includes best practices, enforcement issues, interpretation issues, etc. It is responsible for exchanging information and coordinating sanction activities such as compliance verification testing. With the lessons learned from the diesel scandal, the Forum aims to provide a more homogeneous interpretation of the legislation, transparency in cases of non-compliance, and better and coordinated market surveillance activities. Turkey also adopted this forum into its national legislation.
Market surveillance: New requirements on market surveillance have been introduced to ensure that the vehicles and components introduced in the market comply with type approval requirements, are safe and are not harmful to the environment. Each Market Surveillance Agency is required to conduct at least one conformity verification test and at least five conformity verification tests per year for every 40,000 new motor vehicles registered in the country of preceding year. For Market Surveillance Agencies performing more than five compliance verification tests per year, at least 20% of the tests must be emission tests. Turkey also joins in such cooperation with the precedent that it has sufficient infrastructure and integration with the European Commission and the member states.
Responsibilities of manufacturers, representatives, importers and distributors: The new MARTOY more specifically defines the specific responsibilities of manufacturers, manufacturers' representatives, importers and distributors for both type approval and market surveillance.
Frequency of Compliance with Production Controls: The new Regulation obliges manufacturers to carry out compliance checks and tests at least once every three years.
Validity of all vehicle type approval documents: New MARTOY requires that the type approvals information package be re-validated for compliance with the applicable legislation if the type approval information package has not been updated for seven years for category M1 (passenger cars) and N1 (light commercial vehicles, which are also based on market dynamics used as passenger cars in Turkey) and for ten years for other category vehicles.
Safety measures and recall: The new regulation provides more detailed provisions on safety measures such as restriction of the placing the vehicle into the market or recalls and coordination of those activities. The provisions also allow the European Commission to implement safety measures and initiate EU-wide recalls. The new MARTOY allows the integration of Turkish Ministry of Industry into EU systems, including RAPEX and ICSMS.
Access to Repair and Maintenance Information: Existing regulations for accessing internal diagnostic (OBD) system information and other repair and maintenance information for independent operators defined essentially under 715/2007/EC and 595/2009/EC are re-identified under the 2018/858/EC and the new MARTOY. The manufacturers will provide independent operators with unlimited, standardized and fair access to OBD information, diagnostics and other equipment, software tools, including full references and current downloads of applicable software and vehicle repair and maintenance information, and this information will be available for machine reading and will be presented in an easily accessible format.
Penalties: 2018/858/EC introduces a proportionate and dissuasive penalty arrangement, and fines up to 30,000 € for each vehicle, component or system that carries nonconformity, while the new MARTOY leaves such measures under already existing legislation of Law No: 4703 and the market surveillance regulations.
The new MARTOY will take effect on September 1, 2020, on the same date as 2018/858/EC, but the type, component and system approvals issued under the current MARTOY will continue to be valid.
You can find the comparative text of the old MARTOY and the new MARTOY here (only in Turkish), and the comparative text of the 2018/858/EC and the new MARTOY here (English text of 2018/858/EC and Turkish text of MARTOY).
There is much more to talk about the new MARTOY and the EU / 2018/858 in particular, and automotive legislation in general, but it would not end with writing, so I'm cutting it here.
Yeni MARTOY – Motorlu Araçlar ve Römorkları Tip Onayı Yönetmeliği (AB/2018/858)Nakdi Ücret Desteği'nin Uygulama Detayları Belirlendi


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package com.techshino.eyekeydemo.activity;

import android.animation.AnimatorSet;
import android.animation.ObjectAnimator;
import android.app.ProgressDialog;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.graphics.Bitmap;
import android.graphics.Color;
import android.media.SoundPool;
import android.os.Handler;
import android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.animation.OvershootInterpolator;
import android.widget.FrameLayout;
import android.widget.ImageView;
import android.widget.LinearLayout;
import android.widget.TextView;

import com.techshino.eyekeydemo.R;
import com.techshino.eyekeydemo.utils.CustomUtil;
import com.techshino.eyekeydemo.utils.Logs;
import com.techshino.eyekeydemo.utils.MeasureUtil;
import com.techshino.eyekeydemo.utils.StringUtils;
import com.techshino.eyekeydemo.utils.ToastUtils;
import com.techshino.eyekeydemo.view.CameraSurfaceView;
import com.techshino.eyekeysdk.api.CheckAPI;
import com.techshino.eyekeysdk.conn.Constant;
import com.techshino.eyekeysdk.entity.Face;
import com.techshino.eyekeysdk.entity.FaceAttrs;
import com.techshino.eyekeysdk.entity.MatchVerify;

import java.util.List;

import butterknife.BindView;
import butterknife.OnClick;
import retrofit2.Call;
import retrofit2.Callback;
import retrofit2.Response;

/**
 * Created by wangzhi on 2016/1/12.
 * 验证
 */
public class VerifyActivity extends BaseAppcompatActivity implements CameraSurfaceView.FaceCallback {

  public static final String ARG_CAMERA_ID = VerifyActivity.class.getSimpleName() + ".camera_id";
  public static final String ARG_NAME = VerifyActivity.class.getSimpleName() + ".name";
  private static final String TAG = VerifyActivity.class.getSimpleName();
  @BindView(R.id.cameraSurface)
  CameraSurfaceView mSurfaceView;
  @BindView(R.id.img1)
  ImageView mImg1;
  @BindView(R.id.img2)
  ImageView mImg2;
  @BindView(R.id.img3)
  ImageView mImg3;
  @BindView(R.id.toolbar)
  Toolbar mToolbar;
  @BindView(R.id.takeBtn)
  ImageView mTakeBtn;
  @BindView(R.id.verifyLayout)
  LinearLayout mVerifyLayout;
  @BindView(R.id.verifyImg)
  ImageView mVerifyImg;
  @BindView(R.id.verifyText)
  TextView mVerifyText;
  @BindView(R.id.bgFrame)
  ImageView mBgFrame;
  ProgressDialog mProgressDialog;
  private String mName;
  private boolean isRefresh = true;
  private SoundPool mSoundPool;

  @Override
  public void initData() {
    Intent intent = getIntent();
    int cameraId = intent.getIntExtra(ARG_CAMERA_ID, 1);
    mName = intent.getStringExtra(ARG_NAME);

    mProgressDialog = new ProgressDialog(this);
    mProgressDialog.setCancelable(false);

    mSurfaceView.setCameraId(cameraId);
    setSupportActionBar(mToolbar);
    getSupportActionBar().setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled(true);
    getSupportActionBar().setTitle("");
    mToolbar.setBackgroundColor(Color.TRANSPARENT);
    mToolbar.setNavigationOnClickListener(v -> VerifyActivity.this.finish());

    // 设置拍照回掉接口
    mSurfaceView.setFaceCallback(this);
    setLayoutParams();
  }

  private void setLayoutParams() {
    int screenWidth = MeasureUtil.getScreenSize(this)[0];
    int mSurfaceViewHeight = screenWidth / 3 * 4;
    FrameLayout.LayoutParams lp = (FrameLayout.LayoutParams) mSurfaceView.getLayoutParams();
    lp.height = mSurfaceViewHeight;
    mSurfaceView.setLayoutParams(lp);

    mImg1.post(() -> {
      LinearLayout.LayoutParams lp1 = (LinearLayout.LayoutParams) mImg1.getLayoutParams();
      lp1.height = mImg1.getMeasuredWidth();
      Log.i(TAG, "img1 width:" + mImg1.getWidth());
      mImg1.setLayoutParams(lp1);

      LinearLayout.LayoutParams lp2 = (LinearLayout.LayoutParams) mImg2.getLayoutParams();
      lp2.height = mImg2.getMeasuredWidth();
      mImg2.setLayoutParams(lp2);

      LinearLayout.LayoutParams lp3 = (LinearLayout.LayoutParams) mImg3.getLayoutParams();
      lp3.height = mImg3.getMeasuredWidth();
      mImg3.setLayoutParams(lp3);
    });

    FrameLayout.LayoutParams bgLp = (FrameLayout.LayoutParams) mBgFrame.getLayoutParams();
    bgLp.height = mSurfaceViewHeight / 5 * 3;
    bgLp.width = screenWidth / 5 * 3;
    mBgFrame.setLayoutParams(bgLp);
    mTakeBtn.setAdjustViewBounds(true);
    mVerifyImg.setAdjustViewBounds(true);
  }

  @Override
  public int getLayoutId() {
    return R.layout.activity_verify;
  }

  /**
   * 拍照
   */
  @OnClick(R.id.takeBtn)
  void takeBtnClick() {
    mSurfaceView.startCapture();
  }

  @Override
  protected void onResume() {
    super.onResume();
    mSurfaceView.onResume();
    mTakeBtn.setScaleX(0f);
    mTakeBtn.setScaleY(0f);

    mTakeBtn.postDelayed(this::startTakeAnim, 600);

  }

  private void startTakeAnim() {
    ObjectAnimator takeAnim1 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mTakeBtn, "scaleY", 0f, 1f);
    ObjectAnimator takeAnim2 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mTakeBtn, "scaleX", 0f, 1f);
    AnimatorSet animSet = new AnimatorSet();
    animSet.setDuration(getResources().getInteger(android.R.integer.config_shortAnimTime));
    animSet.setInterpolator(new OvershootInterpolator());
    //两个动画同时执行
    animSet.playTogether(takeAnim1, takeAnim2);
    animSet.start();
  }

  @Override
  protected void onPause() {
    super.onPause();
    mSurfaceView.onPause();
  }

  @Override
  public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
    // Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
    getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.menu_main, menu);
    return true;
  }

  @Override
  public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
    // Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
    // automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
    // as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
    int id = item.getItemId();

    //noinspection SimplifiableIfStatement
    if (id == R.id.action_refresh) {
      actionRefresh();
      return true;
    }

    return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
  }

  private void actionRefresh() {
    if (isRefresh)
      return;
    isRefresh = true;
    mSurfaceView.getCameraManager().startPreview();
    ObjectAnimator takeAnim1 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mTakeBtn, "translationY", 300f, 0f);
    ObjectAnimator takeAnim2 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mTakeBtn, "alpha", 0f, 1f);

    ObjectAnimator animator1 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mVerifyLayout, "translationY", 0f, -300f);
    ObjectAnimator animator2 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mVerifyLayout, "alpha", 1f, 0f);

    AnimatorSet animSet = new AnimatorSet();
    animSet.setDuration(getResources().getInteger(android.R.integer.config_shortAnimTime));
    animSet.setInterpolator(new OvershootInterpolator());
    //两个动画同时执行
    animSet.playTogether(animator1, animator2, takeAnim1, takeAnim2);
    animSet.start();
    mImg1.setImageBitmap(null);
  }

  @Override
  public void onResullt(Bitmap[] bitmaps) {
    mImg1.setImageBitmap(bitmaps[0]);
    mImg2.setImageBitmap(bitmaps[1]);
    mImg3.setImageBitmap(bitmaps[2]);

    checkImageData(bitmaps);
  }

  private void checkImageData(Bitmap[] bitmaps) {
    if (bitmaps == null) {
      ToastUtils.show(this, "检测失败");
      return;
    }

    String dataImage = CustomUtil.bitmapToBase64(bitmaps[1]);
    mProgressDialog.setMessage("验证中...");
    mProgressDialog.show();
    Call<FaceAttrs> call = CheckAPI.checkingImageByBase64(dataImage, null, null);
    call.enqueue(new Callback<FaceAttrs>() {
      @Override
      public void onResponse(Call<FaceAttrs> call, Response<FaceAttrs> response) {
        FaceAttrs faceAttrs = response.body();
        Log.i(TAG, "response:" + faceAttrs == null ? null : faceAttrs.toString());
        handlerCheck(faceAttrs);
      }

      @Override
      public void onFailure(Call<FaceAttrs> call, Throwable t) {
        Log.e(TAG, "onFailure:" + (t == null ? null : t.getMessage()));
        mProgressDialog.dismiss();
        ToastUtils.show(VerifyActivity.this, R.string.toast_network_error);
        exit();
      }
    });
  }

  private void handlerCheck(FaceAttrs data) {
    Logs.i(TAG, data.toString());
    if (data == null) {
      ToastUtils.show(this, "认证失败");
      return;
    }
    List<Face> faces = data.getFace();
    if (!StringUtils.isEquals(Constant.RES_CODE_0000, data.getRes_code()) || faces == null) {
      mProgressDialog.dismiss();
      ToastUtils.show(this, "人脸检测失败");
      verifyError();
      return;
    }
    if (!faces.isEmpty() && !StringUtils.isBlank(faces.get(0).getFace_id())) {
      matchVerify(faces.get(0).getFace_id());
    } else {
      mProgressDialog.dismiss();
      ToastUtils.show(this, "认证失败");
      verifyError();
    }
  }

  /**
   * 比对
   */
  private void matchVerify(String faceId) {
    Call<MatchVerify> call = CheckAPI.matchVerify(faceId, mName);
    call.enqueue(new Callback<MatchVerify>() {

      void onFinish() {
        mProgressDialog.dismiss();
      }

      @Override
      public void onResponse(Call<MatchVerify> call, Response<MatchVerify> response) {
        onFinish();
        handleVerify(response.body());
      }

      @Override
      public void onFailure(Call<MatchVerify> call, Throwable t) {
        onFinish();
        ToastUtils.show(VerifyActivity.this, "认证失败,请检查网络连接");
      }
    });
  }

  private void handleVerify(MatchVerify data) {
    Logs.i(TAG, "matchVerify=" + data);
    if (data == null) {
      ToastUtils.show(this, "认证失败");
      verifyError();
      return;
    }
    mVerifyLayout.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
    if (StringUtils.isEquals(data.getRes_code(), Constant.RES_CODE_0000) && data.isResult()) {
      ToastUtils.show(this, "认证成功");
      verifySuc(data.getSimilarity());
    } else if (StringUtils.isEquals(data.getRes_code(), Constant.RES_CODE_0000) && !data.isResult()) {
      ToastUtils.show(this, "认证失败,不是同一个人");
      verifyFail(data.getSimilarity());
    } else if (StringUtils.isEquals(data.getRes_code(), Constant.RES_CODE_1025)) {
      ToastUtils.show(this, "用户不存在");
      verifyError();
    } else {
      ToastUtils.show(this, "认证失败");
      verifyError();
    }
  }

  private void verifyError() {
    mVerifyLayout.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
    mVerifyImg.setImageResource(R.drawable.verify_fail);
    mVerifyText.setText("");
    startVerifyAnim();
  }

  private void verifyFail(double similarity) {
    mVerifyText.setText(similarity + "");
    mVerifyImg.setImageResource(R.drawable.verify_fail);

    startVerifyAnim();
  }

  private void verifySuc(double similarity) {
    mVerifyText.setText(similarity + "");
    mVerifyImg.setImageResource(R.drawable.verify_suc);

    startVerifyAnim();
  }

  private void startVerifyAnim() {
    isRefresh = false;
    ObjectAnimator takeAnim1 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mTakeBtn, "translationY", 0f, 300f);
    ObjectAnimator takeAnim2 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mTakeBtn, "alpha", 1f, 0f);

    ObjectAnimator animator1 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mVerifyLayout, "translationY", -300f, 0f);
    ObjectAnimator animator2 = ObjectAnimator.ofFloat(mVerifyLayout, "alpha", 0f, 1f);

    AnimatorSet animSet = new AnimatorSet();
    animSet.setDuration(300);
    animSet.setInterpolator(new OvershootInterpolator());
    //两个动画同时执行
    animSet.playTogether(animator1, animator2, takeAnim1, takeAnim2);
    animSet.start();
  }

  private void exit() {
    new Handler().postDelayed(this::finish, 1000);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Is there any difference with JOIN? Print the first names, surnames and salaries of employees who receive less than the minimum salary in their specialty + 1000.
Between
SELECT first_name, last_name, salary
FROM employees e
JOIN jobs j ON (e.job_id = j.job_id)
WHERE salary < min_salary + 1000;

And
SELECT first_name, last_name, salary
FROM employees e
JOIN jobs j ON (e.job_id = j.job_id AND salary < min_salary + 1000);

I get the same output, but is there any difference in logic other than syntax?

A: I don't see any difference in the JOIN from your query. One thing when you use AND this will be used for that Join only, if you join other tables in future that has an impact however WHERE is a clause which will be common for the number of Joins you do for the same query or stored procedure.
This may behave same for your work but need not be same for all the scenarios.

A: There is no logical difference between the two queries you showed us, because the join is an inner join.  However, if it were a left join, there would be a difference.  Consider:
SELECT e.first_name, e.last_name, j.salary
FROM employees e
LEFT JOIN jobs j ON e.job_id = j.job_id
WHERE j.salary < min_salary + 1000;

This query would actually drop any employee records which don't have any jobs matching the salary requirement.  However, if we were to move the logic in the WHERE clause to the ON condition, then all employees would be retained:
SELECT e.first_name, e.last_name, j.salary
FROM employees e
LEFT JOIN jobs j
    ON e.job_id = j.job_id AND
       j.salary < min_salary + 1000;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Quincy Detenamo (* 8. März 1979 in Buada) ist ein nauruischer Gewichtheber. Sein Onkel Vinson Detenamo ist früherer Parlamentarier und Präsident des Nauruischen Nationalen Olympischen Komitees; sein Vetter Itte Detenamo war Teilnehmer der Spiele in Athen.

Er nahm an den Commonwealth Games 1998 und 2002 sowie an den Olympischen Spielen in Atlanta 1996 teil, wo er einer der ersten drei Athleten war, welche Nauru bei den Olympischen Spielen vertraten. 1999 stellte er bei den South Pacific Games einen neuen Rekord in der 77-Kilo-Klasse auf. Für die Olympischen Spiele in Athen hatte er keine Pläne, anzutreten.

Im August 2004 hatten zwei von Detenamos Tanten einem Justizgericht von Melbourne eine Erklärung abgegeben, dass ihr Neffe in den Mordfall einer australischen Teilzeit-Prostituierten involviert wäre; Detenamo war am 4. August 2004 beim Melbourne Airport von der Polizei verhaftet worden, als er zum Training nach Fidschi fliegen wollte. Er war zur Tatzeit in Melbourne, um die australische Gewichtheberin Caroline Pileggi bei Dopingvorwürfen gegen sie zu unterstützen. Das Urteil in dem Prozess hätte bis zum 16. August gefällt werden sollen, was jedoch aus unbekannten Gründen vertagt wurde. Am 7. März 2005 wurde der Prozess fortgesetzt; gemäß dem Obduktionsbericht wurden DNA-Spuren von Detenamo auf dem Leichnam gefunden. Am 5. Oktober 2005 begann der Prozess vor dem Obersten Gericht in Melbourne, am 14. Oktober wurde er zwar der Beschuldigung des Mords freigesprochen, jedoch wegen Totschlags verurteilt. Bis zur Urteilsverkündung verblieb Detenamo in Untersuchungshaft. Am 14. Dezember wurde er schließlich vom Melbourner Gericht zu neun Jahren Haftstrafe verurteilt; er kann bei guter Führung nach sieben Jahren entlassen werden.

Weblinks

Teilnehmer der Olympischen Sommerspiele 1996
Gewichtheber (Nauru)
Olympiateilnehmer (Nauru)
Nauruer
Geboren 1979
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
J.A.C. is the fourth studio album by the Austrian band Tosca, which was released in 2005 on Studio !K7.

The album is named after Joshua, Arthur, and Conrad, the sons of Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber, respectively.

Track listing
 "Rondo Acapricio" – 6:12
 "Heidi Bruehl" – 4:44
 "Superrob" – 4:18
 "John Lee Huber" – 4:17
 "Pyjama" – 3:52
 "The Big Sleep" – 6:06
 "Damentag" – 4:42
 "Naschkatze" – 4:18
 "Zuri" – 5:30
 "Sala" – 8:18
 "Forte" – 3:55
 "No More Olives" - 5:47

Additional personnel

"Superrob" – vocals: Earl Zinger; backing vocals: Valerie Etienne
"John Lee Huber" - vocals: Chris Eckman; backing vocals: Diana Lueger
"The Big Sleep" – vocals: Stephan Graf Hadik Wildner
"Damentag" – vocals: Stephan Graf Hadik Wildner
"Naschkatze" – vocals: Farda P.

References

External links
 https://web.archive.org/web/20140120162227/http://www.toscamusic.com/discography/106-08_j-a-c

2005 albums
Tosca (band) albums
Studio !K7 albums


You will be bowled over by the beautiful location of Boyd! A two level streetside deck before you even make it inside beckons you to take in the surrounding views including views of the Atlantic Ocean! Warm wood tones and traditional furnishings invite you in to this well-maintained home with recent updates including tile floors, fresh paint throughout, and updated bedding! Bedrooms painted in beachy hues, a welcoming great room with space for everyone, family-friendly games and puzzles conveniently provided for indoor fun, books supplied for times of quiet escape, and an outside yard area and canal just out the back door make for a wonderful vacation at quiet south Topsail Beach. Bring your canoe, paddle board, jet ski, kayaks, or very small flat bottom boat and dock it out your back door at Boyd's boat dock. Soak up the sun's rays and gaze at the ocean from the top deck. Be lured into relaxation on the canal side covered porch with rocking chairs and a hammock perched underneath while taking in views of the canal and sound. Literally 100 feet to the public beach access!
Bed sizes: King (new for 2018), Queen + Single, 2 Singles, 2 Sets of Bunks.
2 cable (digital service) TVs, VCR, DVD players, stereo, books, games, movies, and puzzles.
Covered porch, decks with furniture, gate, rocking chairs, hammock.
Canalfront dock suitable for canoes, paddle boards, jet skis, kayaks, or very small flat bottom boat.
Beautiful ocean view from covered porch or open deck.
4 dogs allowed! $150/week plus tax pet rent per dog.
Partial week getaways are permitted; 3 night minimum stay required. Must be booked within 10 days of arrival within a Sunday -Sunday time frame.
Easy beach access via public beach access across from the beginning of McLeod Ave.
Storage room under house not available.


text:
Steve Rapira (born 17 December 1988) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A second-row forward, he previously played in the National Rugby League for the North Queensland Cowboys and New Zealand Warriors, and English club Salford Red Devils of Super League, and is the younger brother of New Zealand international, Sam Rapira.

Background
Rapira played for Hukanui in the Waikato Rugby League competition and the Waicoa Bay Stallions in the Bartercard Cup. Rapira played for the New Zealand Under-16's in 2004 and made the Junior Kiwis in 2005. He became a New Zealand Warriors junior and playing in their inaugural Toyota Cup team. He played for the Junior Warriors 10 times in 2008 and scored two tries.

Professional playing career

National Rugby League
In 2009 Rapira joined North Queensland Cowboys, playing for the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup. He made his first grade début on 11 April 2010 against the Gold Coast Titans. He was named the club's rookie of the year in 2009.

In 2010 Rapira signed a two-year contract to re-join the New Zealand Warriors for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, with an option on a third year.

He made his Warriors début in Round 13 on 4 June 2011. For the 2012 season Rapira has been "re-modelled" as a prop.

Super League
Rapira signed to play in the Super League for English club the Salford Red Devils in 2014.

Queensland Cup
In 2015, Rapira returned to the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup.

References

External links
Steve Rapira North Queensland Cowboys

1988 births
Living people
Auckland rugby league team players
Junior Kiwis players
Mackay Cutters players
New Zealand Māori rugby league players
New Zealand rugby league players
New Zealand Warriors players
North Queensland Cowboys players
Rugby league players from Hamilton, New Zealand
Rugby league props
Rugby league second-rows
Salford Red Devils players
Waicoa Bay Stallions players
Waikato rugby league team players


text:
Huestis is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

David B. Huestis
Josh Huestis (born 1991), American basketball player
Marc Huestis (born 1954), American filmmaker
Marilyn Huestis (born 1948), American toxicologist
Stavert Huestis (born 1938), Canadian politician
Ella Huestis (born 2007), American author


As a Know What's Inside member, we follow best practices for kids' apps. Learn more at www.knowwhatsinside.com.
Teachers With Apps is dedicated to the idea that quality mobile educational apps are the tools of the future but they need to be used responsibly.


After numerous years of unsuccessfully searching for two distinct Sokolow choreographies which were specifically created for television by Group W, the foundation is proud to announce that we have located and obtained them.
And the Disciples Departed, a searing statement on social injustice, was choreographed for broadcast in 1967 for WBZ-TV, Boston, MA. This film, featuring members of the Anna Sokolow Dance Company, music by Teo Macero and text and narration by Barry Ulanov, won a prestigious Broadcast Media Award.
Constructive Rebellion is a site specific work created at Frank Lloyd Wright's "Falling Water" estate. This juxtaposition of dance and architectural beauty was broadcast in 1968 for Channel 2, Pittsburgh, PA.
Both films were directed by Thomas Knott and have proudly taken their place in the foundation's extensive archive collection.
Sokolow Now! was guest artist with Dancefusion, a modern dance company based in Philadelphia, during their season on March 7,8, 2008 at the Annenberg Center, University of PA. The program consisted of historic reconstructions, and Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter, Sokolow's solo choreographed in 1941, held a place of honor. The audiences raved about the depth and quality of these early modern dance classics.
A joint concert with Sokolow Now! and Contrapose Dance Company, a Boston-based contemporary ballet company, was presented on May 2-4, 2008 at the Green Street Studios in Cambridge, MA. Repertory included As I Remember, a trio of solos choreographed by Sokolow in the 1930's and 1940's. and four excerpts from Sokolow's masterwork, Rooms. All three nights were sold out, and the audiences were captivated by the brilliance of Sokolow's work.
On March 14, 2009, Sokolow Now! performed Preludes at Brown University, Providence, RI. The performance was a celebration of five local modern dance companies under the sponsorship of the American Dance Legacy Institute. Preludes was beautifully performed by Kirsten McKinney and Courtney Peix and was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.
The 10th annual National Dance Education Organization conference was held on June 25-28, 2008 at Towson University, Towson, Maryland. Suellen Haag conducted a workshop called "Living the Legend and the Legacy" based on Sokolow's masterwork Dreams. The students thoroughly enjoyed the workshop.
"Suellen presented the work with such passion and sincere commitment. Her love of the work is contagious.....She makes me remember why I fell in love with Anna's work from my very first experience."
The University of Wyoming began reconstruction on Ride the Culture Loop during the summer month of August, 2008. This was the first time the University reconstructed a Sokolow work, thanks to Margaret Wilson, faculty member of the dance department. The eager students found rehearsals stimulating and rewarding.
On September 27, 2008, Lorry May held a master class on Sokolow technique and repertory at the Green Street Studios, Cambridge, MA. The class was very well attended by the local dance community, and the students thrived within the technique of classical modern dance. The participants ranged from professional dancers to students from performing arts high schools.
Elena Rusnak, Director of the Dance Department at Naugatuck Valley Community College, invited the Sokolow Dance Foundation back for the seventh consecutive year. On October 27, and November 3, 2008, workshops were held and students learned the Daydream and Panic sections from Sokolow's masterpiece Rooms. The students presented the Rooms excerpts with commitment and enthusiasm in a studio showing as part of their dance history course.
Leslie Woodies, dance faculty at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, sponsored Lorry May to hold a workshop with her theater students on November 6, 2008. This two-hour workshop was comprised of technique, improvisation, and monologue development. The students learned new physical awareness tools which will help them meet their future goals.
Lorry May returned to the University of Wyoming November 12-18, 2008 to coach Ride the Culture Loop into performance. Performances were held at the University of Wyoming Fine Arts Main Stage on November 18-22, 2008. The students did a brilliant job and the audiences were deeply impressed.
Bridgewater State College Dance Department, under the direction of Nancy Moses, received an American Masterpieces:Dance grant from the NEA to reconstruct Dreams and Everything Must Go on the students. This three month residency began January 21, 2009 and will conclude on April 2,3,4, 2009 with performances by Sokolow Now! and the Bridgewater students. The residency was in two components. The first component was the college's performing ensemble of nine dancers. These students learned Session for Six, a quick, whimsical dance re-staged for nine dancers, and two sections of Dreams. The second component was Everything Must Go, the first reconstruction of this social political dance since its premiere in 1982. This reconstruction was open to any student in the dance department and the cast was finally settled at 20 dancers. The students are looking forward to working with Sokolow Now! in the up-coming April performances.
Elizabeth Dibble, a student from SUNY Purchase, NY, traveled to Attleboro. MA to learn Preludes for her graduating concert. She learned this lively tour-de-force solo set to the romantic melody of Rachmaninoff's Opus 23, #2 . Elizabeth beautifully interpreted the work with passion and clarity.
Suellen Haag (Managing Director of SDF) and Kirsten McKinney (Marketing Director of SDF ) traveled to Paris to participate in the "Dance is a Weapon" conference held April 3-7, 2008 at the Centre National de la Danse. "Dance is a Weapon" was a photographic exhibit honoring the New Dance Group of NYC. Ms. Haag and Ms. McKinney were actively involved in the exhibit which documented the life and work of Anna Sokolow. Highlight of the conference was the performance of Magritte, Magritte, performed by the Hermesdance Company of Bern, Switzerland. Sokolow choreographed Magritte, Magritte in 1970, and Lorry May (Artistic Director of SDF) reconstructed the dance on the company in 2007.
Daniel Phoenix Singh, Artistic Director of Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company, commissioned his second acquisition, September Sonnet and As I Remember, from the foundation. Reconstruction took place April 28th through May 9th and performances were held at Dance Place in Washington, DC on May 10, 11, 2008. The dances were beautifully performed, exhibiting the scope and power of Sokolow's choreography.
"September Sonnet favors simplicity: a stretch of the arms, a gentle epaulment of the shoulders that lays bare the tenderest area of the heart, a reaching lunge, a caring touch. It's clear why Singh has been so taken with the Sokolow oeuvre: it's crystalline, shape-oriented, laden with emotional cadences but not in any way melodramatic or treacly."
Joseph Cicala engaged the foundation to reconstruct September Sonnet for performance in Philadelphia, PA on May 10, 2009. Rehearsals were held in Philadelphia during December 8-12, 2008. Mr. Cicala and his partner, Janet Pilla, have danced in previous Sokolow reconstructions during their association with Dancefusion , a Philadelphia based modern dance company under the direction of Gwendolyn Bye. The performance will be held at the Annenberg Center at the University of PA on May 9, 2009.


text:
Rediff.com » News » End of the road for Pak army chief?
End of the road for Pak army chief?
By RANA BANERJI
'A six month extension, if not extended further, would make General Bajwa a lame duck chief, altering the balance of his equations with the senior peer group of lieutenant generals,' says Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
IMAGE: General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Line of Comtrol in February 2019.
Surprises never cease in Pakistan.
After three days of frenetic deliberation in the supreme court, Chief Justice Asif Khosa allowed army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to continue in his post for six months, instead of three years.
Describing his short order as an 'exercise in judicial restraint', Chief Justice Khosa also extracted an undertaking from the attorney general and General Bajwa's lawyer, former law minister Farogh Naseem, to amend article 243 of the 1973 constitution which deals with the army chief's appointment, 'where after the new legislation shall determine his tenure and other terms and conditions of service.'
General Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure as army chief, which was otherwise to have ended on November 29, 2019, was extended for three years on August 19, 2019 through a terse order from the prime minister's office, justifying it on grounds of the 'regional security environment', a thinly veiled reference to the situation in Kashmir and the ongoing Afghan peace talks between the US and the Taliban.
Normally a Presidential notification signed by President Arif Alvi should have confirmed this step.
On November 25, Chief Justice Khosa set the cat among pigeons by suspending the extension, not allowing withdrawal of a petition filed by an individual named Riaz Rahi, challenging it.
During the discussions in court, CJ Khosa questioned the modalities of the PM passing an order on the extension on August 21, after only 11 out of 15 cabinet members approved it.
This forced the cabinet to amend Rule 255 of the army regulations, and provide for 'extension in tenure', besides 'suspension/limitation of retirement'.
A new summary was produced in court after approval by the PM and president, but it did not satisfy the CJ, who exclaimed that 'the whole process had been turned upside down'.
CJ Khosa and his colleagues on the three member bench made several rather disparaging remarks on the proclivities of generals to give themselves 'year after year' of extensions in the past.
The proceedings shook up the complacent -- even incompetent -- Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf government. Imran Khan's immediate response after the judgment was to issue an aggressive tweet, alleging disappointment of internal mafias and external forces seeking to cause instability and friction between institutions.
It needlessly upped the ante when perhaps a more sober outreach was needed toward the Opposition, if their help is needed to work on amendments in the constitution which may require a two-thirds majority.
Attorney General Anwar Masood Khan claimed the change could be made through a simple majority. At a joint press conference on November 28, Faroog Nasim said the army chief's extended term would not necessarily end after six months.
There is a legal point of view, however, that spelling out tenure of an army chief specifically under article 243 could curtail civilian supremacy in this matter, which was the intention of the constitution makers. It remains to be seen how discussions among politicians in the national assembly pan out in this regard.
Apart from causing a few flutters among ambitious generals hoping to replace General Bajwa at the last minute, the judges's observations caused considerable humiliation to the military as an institution.
A six month extension, if not extended further, would make General Bajwa a lame duck chief, altering the balance of his equations with the senior peer group of lieutenant generals.
Apart from General Nadeem Raza, who is poised to take over as chairman, joint chiefs of staff committee for a three year term, the senior cohort of generals would now include Lieutenant General Humayun Aziz, V Corps commander, Karachi, Lieutenant General Naeem Ashraf, II Corps commander, Multan and four others who will retire only in December 2020.
Overall, the judgment is a big setback to the Imran Khan government and conveys a message of ensuing political instability and possible clash of institutions in the country.
With considerable egg in the face of both the PTI government as well as an army chief seemingly wanting to hang on in power, only time will tell whether the army and its 'selected' protégé, Imran Khan will continue to 'remain on the same page' or how other aspiring political wannabees would want to step in as the proverbial 'king's party' in a continuing façade of an imperfect and struggling democracy.
RANA BANERJI
Related News: Qamar Javed Bajwa, CJ Khosa, Asif Khosa, Imran Khan, II Corps
Resentment over Pak army chief's extension
The man who could succeed Pak army chief


Dubai: An Arab expat was honoured by police on Sunday for rescuing a child from falling out of a seventh floor apartment in Ajman.
Ajman Police honoured Mohammad Anes Al Araabi, a Syrian national, who rushed to the save the life of a three-year-old boy who was climbing outside the window in the opposite building.
The Samaritan quickly identified the apartment's location and banged on the door, which was opened by an alarmed housemaid. The parents were not at home at the time.
Without saying a word, Al Araabi darted towards the window and swooped up the young boy before contacting Al Nuaimiyah Police Station and reporting the incident.
Maj Gen Shaikh Sultan Al Nuaimi, commander-in-chief of Ajman Police, said the child's parents were not present at the time of the incident, and had left their young boy and his siblings under the housemaid's care.
The children were driven to a social support centre until the parents were contacted and notified about the incident.


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No one would suggest operating ad Campaigns exclusively by email these days, especially with virtually everybody carrying out a intelligent phone together at just about all times. The ActiveTrail SMS advertising platform brings your messaging to SMS, targeting your contacts with fast, instantaneous notes.
With ActiveTrail you can create Online surveys to your clients to give you feedback, assisting you to develop better campaigns. It's also good at incorporating different applications into your messaging, including PayPal, WordPress and Salesforce.
The ActiveTrail interface is Easy-to-use and ought to be somewhat familiar to anyone who has used a easy site builder. It enables you to easily export your contacts or enter them manually, and walks you through every procedure. When you hit "make an email" you receive 5 choices — regular email (either using a template or your own HTML code), A/B split email (make two versions and see which works best), on event email (an email to be sent to the person automatically on certain dates — such as a birthday), triggered email (one that is sent when a person unsubscribes or subscribes), along with RSS email (an email that will be sent automatically based on an RSS feed).
The shipping alternatives are easy to Arrange according to contact lists that you can upgrade at will. This allows you to make multiple versions of a targeted effort for numerous lists of individuals with various traits and interests, which you can monitor through ActiveTrail's analytics program.
ActiveTrail currently offers 30 Templates for newsletters and 25 for landing pages. While that is a rather sizable collection, there isn't much variety, especially not compared to site builder sites that offer hundreds, even thousands of potential templates.
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· Twitter — Add an ActiveTrail registration type into your blog, which automatically adds users to the ActiveTrail recipient listing, finally increasing the size and efficacy of your email marketing efforts.
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text:
Q: SOLR Query for literal values ignoring case I am attempting to index file shares as a way of identifying secrets.  Problem is that most secrets (e.g. P@ssw0rd!) contain special characters that aren't easily escaped. I need a way to search for an exact literal string while ignoring special character meanings.  I'm using SOLR  6.3 and I believe it uses a managed-schema which relies on a REST API to configuration.  I've seen this resolved somewhat with the older schema method, but not this one.

A: If you only want an exact match against the complete value of a field, use a string field as that will only give you exact matches without any further processing.
To change a field's type or add a new field with a given type through the Schema API (the managed schema), use the add field method with string as the field type.
If you're not using a client library, you'll still need to [escape any character with special meaning](https://lucene.apache.org/core/2_9_4/queryparsersyntax.html#Escaping Special Characters) in Solr (the library will do this for you if you're using SolrJ for example) - this won't give a false positive, but will make certain strings not be able to match the field (if the secret has a space for example).


All of our Heartburn Centers locations offer surgical GERD treatment options which include; the LINX Procedure, Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication, and many other sensible options to help with the treatment of chronic heartburn and GERD.
Effective, minimally invasive surgical procedures are available.
The Heartburn Treatment Center offers the new LINX Reflux Management System.
Surgery is an option for the long-term management of GERD.
The Heartburn Treatment Center offers the best surgical GERD treatment options that are available. The most common reason these GERD treatments are chosen is failure of available medications to relieve acid reflux symptoms to a patient's satisfaction. Other reasons may be the inconvenience and cost of taking daily medications, the desirability to actually stop the reflux (which medications cannot do) or drug side effects.
The "gold standard" to which all antireflux surgical procedures are compared is the laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Its effectiveness has been proven. The "Nissen" is performed under general anesthesia using a slender scope passed through several very small incisions. The Nissen works by restoring the function of the damaged valve (LES) that is the actual cause of acid reflux. This is done by wrapping part of the stomach very loosely around the lower esophagus at the location of the LES. The procedure takes approximately 1-2 hours. The hospital stay is usually overnight and most are back to regular "every day" activities within 1-2 weeks.
The reflux is stopped in 80-85% of patients eliminating the need for medications. That same percentage of patients are satisfied with the procedure after 8-10 years and would have it again. There are some side effects with this procedure, which are discussed in detail with patients by the Heartburn Treatment Center staff.
A new surgical GERD treatment available is called the LINX Reflux Management System. The Heartburn Treatment Center was selected as one of the initial centers nationally to offer this surgical GERD treatment.
This implantable device is a small bracelet composed of titanium magnets connected by a wire. It is placed around the esophagus at its junction with the stomach. It does not compress the esophagus in any way, but "augments" the defective lower esophageal sphincter. The magnets separate, expanding the bracelet allowing food to pass and then come together again, augmenting the sphincter and its function in preventing reflux. The device is placed using minimally invasive surgical technique, under general anesthesia and the procedure takes approximately 30 minutes. At present, the hospital stay is overnight after which the patient returns home the same day; without diet or activity limitations.
In the most recent study, 100 patients who had the procedure were followed for 5 years. 85% were off of all PPI medications and there were no significant side effects. The reflux was stopped in 70% of patients. 91% would undergo the procedure again and 94% would recommend it to a friend.
The LINX revolutionary surgical GERD treatment procedure is available through the Heartburn Treatment Center as one of the select, exclusive centers chosen to offer it.
There are 2 surgical GERD treatment procedures available that are performed through the mouth without incisions. That is their benefit. They are called TIF (sometimes referred to as Esophyx) and Stretta. TIF attempts to recreate the damaged valve (LES) from inside of the stomach. It seems to reduce medicine requirements in most patients as well as improve symptoms. However, there is no predictable impact on stopping the reflux. Stretta, uses a special type of energy to create "burns" on the inside of the LES. It also reduces medicine requirements and improves symptoms in most patients and has no predictable ability in stopping the reflux.
The staff at the Heartburn Treatment center can inform you about the pros and cons of each procedure as you evaluate the surgical alternatives.
Surgery is an alternative to medicines in the management of GERD. The Heartburn Treatment Center will assist in the understanding of each option and work with you such that a very informed decision can be made.
Today, make that decision to contact Dr. Nilesh Patel to learn more about surgical GERD treatment options. Register for your initial FREE Seminar at one of Heartburn treatment Centers, or contact us via email.


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Hospital Admin
Policy & Reg
How Amazon, JPM, Berkshire could disrupt healthcare (or not)
News of three corporate giants forming an independent healthcare company "proves every business is a healthcare business," David Vivero, CEO of the digital health startup Amino, told Healthcare Dive.
Visitor7 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
By Shannon Muchmore, Daphne Howland & Jeff Byers
In a grand pronouncement Tuesday, Amazon, J.P. Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway said they will take on the behemoth issue of rising healthcare costs.
The well-known titans leading the companies gave precious few details, but their combined market share and technological knowhow are formidable enough that disruption could be on the horizon.
The alliance has "tremendous potential," according to Maulik Bhagat, managing director in the healthcare practice of global consultancy AArete, which specializes in data-informed performance improvement.
"At 1.1 million employees and growing, they are already a decent sized 'health plan' in themselves and could essentially operate as its own payer entity or possibly an 'Accountable Care Organization' for their employees," Bhagat said in an email.
"At a minimum it gives the companies more power to hold existing payer vendors more accountable for health and cost outcomes for their employees. It gives them a chance to deliver better healthcare and reduced costs and change the market dynamics in the commercial healthcare space."
All three firms also have tens of millions of customers, who could conceivably become among those eventually privy to their new dynamics.
"Expand this to the number of captive and loyal customers these firms collectively touch and you suddenly have the possibility of this becoming a huge disrupting development," according to Bhagat.
Luring three of the best known corporate chiefs outside healthcare illustrates the scale of the challenge, according to Lyndean Brick, CEO of The Advis Group.
While J.P. Morgan's Jamie Dimon, Berkshire's Warren Buffett and Amazon's Jeff Bezos have similar problems to the broader employer community, "they can afford to go looking" for solutions.
"Merger mania in the healthcare space is indicative of industry wide uncertainty. The various stakeholders will try anything to better the system. Whether it's CVS and Aetna, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan Chase, Ascension and Providence St. Joseph, they will use their scale, business savvy and technology, to drive costs out of the system — something CMS has struggled to do on its own."
The news "proves every business is a healthcare business," David Vivero, CEO of the digital health startup Amino, told Healthcare Dive. Vivero said the three companies' unique incentives and influence highlight how pervasive healthcare challenges are to employers.
The healthcare industry isn't holding its breath
While the announcement made waves throughout the business world and hit healthcare stocks, some industry insiders greeted the news with a collective shrug. Amazon does have a history of disruption, and with its new partners plenty of resources, but healthy skepticism is warranted for a few reasons.
There are no details yet
The 400-word press release gave virtually no information about the new standalone company beyond a vague goal of improving employees' health while keeping down costs and achieving this through technology. That leaves a lot of gaps to be filled, to say the least.
We've heard this before
Rising employer healthcare costs is hardly a new problem. A slew of companies, some high profile, have declared their intention to get more involved, but with little to show for it. It's possible Amazon, JPM and Berkshire have some new ideas or will finally find a way to make a difference, but without the aforementioned details, it is certainly not an easy assumption.
"We need to go 'all in' with a Marshall Plan-type program. Piecemeal tweaking around the edges may just create more distortions and inequities," said Nancy Fabozzi, transformational health principal analyst with Frost & Sullivan.
The problem Amazon, et al are attempting to solve is mammoth.
Healthcare spending per person is growing at a faster rate than previous years despite use of services staying flat or declining, a recent analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute confirms.
So the challenge is in the cost of care itself more than patient, or any one employee's, behavior.
Rising healthcare costs has been a challenge for politicians and employers for decades. The massive Affordable Care Act made efforts to tame costs system-wide, with uneven success.
Policies and general concepts for reining in costs are out there, but even where there is agreement, what works on paper does not necessarily work in practice. Whatever can be accomplished will need buy-in from providers, payers and patients, all of whom have different priorities.
Looking at retail options
The new company is also likely to look at capitalizing on a growing trend in healthcare — moving to more retail locations. That, of course, is Amazon's sweet spot.
Some of the finalists for Amazon's HQ2 have notable healthcare ties. Nashville is the site of headquarters for HCA, Community Health Systems (in nearby Franklin) and Ardent Health Services. Dallas is home to Tenet Healthcare, a system with more than 70 hospitals, and major insurer Anthem is headquartered in Indianapolis.
Some of the cities feature top medical research universities, like Harvard in Boston and Johns Hopkins outside Washington D.C. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is a large integrated system that has put a focus on tech tools and working with the community as it builds up its workforce.
Walgreens, Rite Aid and, most prominently, CVS Health, have expanded their pharmacy distribution operations and their consumer-facing medical services in recent years. After forgoing tobacco sales in 2014 to showcase its healthcare ambitions, CVS rebranded itself from CVS Caremark Corp. to CVS Health. And it capped off the effort with its purchase last month of health insurer Aetna for $69 billion.
While their merger must still be approved by regulators, Aetna and CVS say they aim to deliver a "personalized healthcare experience" by connecting Aetna's network of providers with consumer access through CVS Health. Technology is a linchpin for them, too. With a broader use of data and analytics, they say, they will create better patient outcomes at lower cost.
The Amazon-Berkshire Hathaway-Chase joint declaration may have thrown water on that. Indeed, the new venture could create "further competitive pressure on CVS, Walgreens and Pharmacy Benefit Managers," considering that they haven't faced such a challenge, according to Moody's Vice President Mickey Chadha. But at least CVS, while it suffered on Wall Street after Amazon's announcement, is in a position to stay in the game.
"Considering the regulatory burden around every aspect of healthcare, any new entrant in the space is at a huge disadvantage," he said in an email. "In light of today's announcement, the potential merger of CVS and Aetna is even more compelling, as a more coordinated approach to medical care is necessary to lower the overall healthcare costs for consumers."
We've been here before.
It wasn't so long ago that Walmart tried to leverage its scale to deliver healthcare to Americans.
"Walmart pioneered this with their $4 generic drugs," Spencer Millerberg, CEO at marketplace analytics firm One Click Retail, said in an email. "But they stopped short by not completely addressing issues the government and private businesses couldn't solve. Where Walmart left off, Amazon is picking up."
To be fair, Walmart's effort has been stymied by realities, something that Amazon has yet to confront. In practice, its healthcare delivery was cumbersome and unprofitable, according to John Sarich, vice president of strategy at VUE Software, a firm that specializes in innovating and automating business processes for the insurance industry. Those are two things that are against the retail giant's core nature. "Walmart took a run at being a Medicare Advantage vendor as well as selling Part D (pharmacy)," Sarich said. "What started out as a way to make money ended up with tying people up in explaining plans and benefits with very little revenue coming into Walmart. It was never a moneymaker for Walmart."
It's not clear where exactly the new company will go with its intentions, but there are many options for streamlining, said Julius Hobson, healthcare lobbyist with Polsinelli.
"With a lesser incentive for profits, the new company can cut out middle entities, such as pharmacy benefit managers," he said. "Hospitals could contract directly with the new company. Initially, the company could buy drugs at a greater volume and demand lower prices. Later, it could manufacture generic drugs as a means for reducing costs."
How Amazon's cloud could be a linchpin
One of the few details spelled out in the release is an initial focus will be on technology tools to provide employees with quality and cost data. Amazon's cloud could play a big role in that.
The industry has been grappling with how to integrate health data among disparate actors. Amazon is poised to assist in that department. Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company's cloud business, is a leader with 62% of the market share and the unit enjoyed a 42% net sales growth in Q3 to $4.5 billion.
AWS combined with Alexa's brain in the cloud could be the glue to piece together data points. The company has already been exploring tools for healthcare for AWS customers.
"Certainly healthcare is one of many sectors as part of Amazon Web Services that are important customers that we are focusing on and building tools for," Dave Fildes, Amazon's director of investor relations, said on a Q3 earnings call.
While still speculative, Amazon could leverage its existing technology offerings to engage employees with healthcare purchasing decisions, which could fuel competition in the payer and provider markets with downward pressure on prices.
An Alexa interface could allow plan enrollees to ask questions such as, "Is my doctor visit in network?" or "Does my HSA cover LASIK?" Engaging with voice-enabled assistants could cut costs from reducing call volume to healthcare organizations, Brad Ptasienski, a director in West Monroe's healthcare practice, told Healthcare Dive.
It's not a too far out idea. Amazon had been hiring for a HIPAA Compliance Lead for its Alexa product.
However, that futuristic vision "seems far out," Vivero said, reminding that consumers only recently were able to buy movie tickets or order an Uber via Alexa.
"I'm not holding my breath for big changes," John Moore, managing partner at Chilmark Research, told Healthcare Dive. Instead, he expects incremental change are more likely over the next three to five years.
A question of who and what medium to move health data around is also yet to be determined. Amazon and EHR company Cerner were reported to be close to a deal in November.
The deal reportedly involves Cerner's population health management tool HealtheIntent but no announcements have been made to date.
One thing is certain among the uncertainty, the industry is watching.
The announcement "puts the industry on alert," Vaughn Kauffman, US Health Services and New Entrants advisory leader at PwC, told Healthcare Dive.
"Hospitals, clinicians, and health plans will want to closely monitor the new company, especially if it shows any signs to eventually expand efforts beyond the founders' employee base," Rob Lazerow, Managing Director, Research at Advisory Board, told Healthcare Dive in an email. "The sophistication of these companies, their significant financial resources and their ability to disrupt established markets is clear."
Employers have positive outlook
"My first reaction is that anytime companies with this type of profile are interested in fixing a problem like healthcare costs, it's good," Shandon Fowler, healthcare and HR tech consultant with Four8 Insights, said. "It will force others to pay attention."
Frank Easley, SVP with Aon's health and benefits division, echoed that sentiment. "We've always encouraged companies take an active role" in managing their healthcare, he said.
The ever rising costs of healthcare remains a dominating narrative in the employee benefits space with no real solution. The real question for observers, then, is: What's next?
This isn't the first time major U.S. employers have tested the increasingly fraught waters of more direct healthcare management. The Health Transformation Alliance boasted partnerships from Coca-Cola, Verizon and American Express.
But Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan have name recognition, most notably Amazon for its reputation as a disruptor, Fowler said. To most observers, it's no surprise that big-name employers are now loudly demanding a space at the healthcare negotiation table.
"For the past couple of decades, employers haven't really used their leverage or they used it in a minimal capacity. It's been up to provider networks and insurers to have that battle," Fowler said.
For employers, Amazon's foray into healthcare — whatever it ends up looking like — may be one of the louder shots in their continued effort to corral an unruly healthcare system. Brian Marcotte, CEO of the National Business Group on Health, hopes all three companies can put their business experience to use.
"New entrants with fresh approaches like these may be just the prescription our ailing health care system needs," Marcotte said. "This industry is ripe for disruption and the collective resources of these three companies, emerging technologies and Amazon's customer obsession and supply chain savvy gives me optimism that they will pursue a consumer-focused model that will transcend the fragmented, provider-centric delivery system that we have today."
Benefits sustainability is a perpetual threat hanging over employers' heads; if costs keep climbing, employers may have to completely reconsider how such benefits are offered, even though they are a key retention tool.
"If employers sit on the sidelines and let it be decided by insurers and providers, they may end up with a system that doesn't fit their needs so well," Easley said.
HR Dive's Kathryn Moody and Ryan Golden contributed reporting to this post.
Healthcare Dive Amazon, JPM, Berkshire form new company to tackle health costs
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