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JUJA PREPARATORY & SENIOR SCHOOLS
Senior Schools
KCSE CAMPUS
IGCSE CAMPUS
Jupres TC
Juja Preparatory School (JPS) was founded in 1997 with the aim of providing education in an atmosphere of a home away from home. The School was built on an expansive 40 acres of land and is situated along the Thika Super Highway. The founders envisioned very high academic and developmental standards with the aim of producing well-adjusted members of a global community who are prepared to actively assume their roles and positively impact their communities. Intake began in all eight classes and in December 1997, the first class sat for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations. Our inception class and their parents requested the management to incorporate a secondary school for the next phase of their children's education—thus Juja Senior School (JSS) was started in 1998. Both the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) curriculum and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Curriculum were implemented that year, diversifying the curriculum offered to our students. In order to provide comprehensive educational services, a kindergarten school was also started in 1998, catering to pupils between the ages of 2 to 6 years old. At Juja Preparatory and Senior Schools (JPSS) we have striven to provide our students with a holistic education. We encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities to increase their exposure, develop and stimulate their minds in order to be constantly informed on emerging trends. In this light:
Aviation was started at the inception of Juja Senior School (JSS) to stimulate the student's interest in this global and expansive field at an early age. We are proud to have contributed to the careers of pilots flying with prominent world airlines.
We continue to invest in our sports academy to provide our children with an active physical outlet and encourage a competitive spirit.
Similarly, we sensitize our students on the importance of environmental conservation through tree planting and awareness. We offer various other clubs and activities to suit the different interests and needs of our students.
All three schools have continued to grow, contributing to the academic, social and spiritual development of children in this country. Since 1997, we have continued to evolve to provide our students with skills that prepare them to face emerging trends and adapt to an ever changing world.
Juja Preparatory School was started with intake in all classes December: first KCPE examinations were sat
Juja Senior School was started January: KCSE Curriculum implemented May: IGCSE Curriculum implemented
Juja Kindergarten School was started
Approved Cambridge Examination Center
Approved EdExcel Examination Center
Juja Preparatory School gets a new campus
Juja Kindergarten School Expansion
Partnership with Football Federation of Kenya
Jupres Teacher's College was started
Our Schools at a Glance
School Started
Nationalities Graduated
SCHOOL FACEBOOK
SCHOOL TWITTER
Tweets by @juja_prep
Copyright 2019 © Juja Preparatory & Senior Schools
Call +254 724 256 050 / +254 735 826 204


Flashings help to create a weathertight seal around your window, preventing leaks, and keeping you and your home warm and dry for as long as possible. They are essential for the durability of your roof windows, so making sure they stay in tip-top condition is a must.
The built-in guttering of flashings creates a drainage system for your skylight window, letting rainwater run away in the most safe and efficient way possible. If water doesn't drain away properly then it may seep into the gaps between your roof window and the building surface, which can have potentially catastrophic consequences - including wood rot and structural damage, or even insect infestation.
If you live in an area that sees a lot of heavy rainfall or storms, or is in a coastal area, then flashings are even more important. It's because of this that keeping on top of your window flashing maintenance is always a good idea.
Once a year, remove any leaves, twigs and other debris that has built up; this will ensure rainwater can run freely away from your installation.
Do not let heavy snow lie on your flashing for long periods of time, as this will have a detrimental affect too.
If you do need to replace your flashings, VELUX has a range of replacement window flashings. Thankfully, replacing them is a quick and straightforward process that can usually be completed within a day. Another plus side is replacing flashings can be done from the inside, so you don't have to fork out for expensive scaffolding.
Think it's time to update your flashings? Here at Sterlingbuild, we're confident you'll find just what you need in our range. Take a look at our range of flashings to keep your windows, and home, at its best.


This stuff really bugs me. Hearing about how women treat each other. Why can't we get along? I feel I get along well with women but I have felt sometimes the meanness from other women. It feels awful and I never understand it. There is room for all of us and if we banded together even more at the workplace imagine what could happen.


Inspired by the octopus and other cephalopods, a group led by assistant professor Rob Shepherd from mechanical and aerospace engineering has devised a method for precisely transforming stretchable 2-D surfaces into 3-D shapes.
Cephalopods – marine invertebrates such as the octopus, squid and cuttlefish – are unique for a number of reasons, not least of which is their ability to quickly change their color and shape.
A group led by Rob Shepherd, assistant professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is using the cephalopod as inspiration for a method to morph flat surfaces into three-dimensional ones on demand.
Shepherd has teamed up with Itai Cohen, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, and former postdoctoral researcher James Pikul, to devise a method for precisely transforming stretchable 2-D objects into 3-D shapes. Their method involves the use of rigid mesh, laser cut in a way that, when attached to a stretchable material, would constrain the material to form targeted shapes when inflated.
The group's paper, "Stretchable Surfaces with Programmable Texture Morphing for Synthetic Camouflaging Skins," published Oct. 13 in Science. Pikul, who did his research at Cornell under Shepherd and Cohen, is an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Shepherd is using his fascination with the octopus – he recently put a 300-gallon aquarium in his lab, and plans to put an octopus in it to study its color- and texture-morphing abilities – to inform his research into precision shape-changing of objects. It has implications for another of his research areas – robotics.
"There are many complicated ways to create a texture change in a robot, but we wanted a very simple way to do it," he said.
The challenge: precisely inflating something like a balloon into the exact shape you want.
A cephalopod is able to change its shape to blend into its surroundings through activation of its papillae – protuberances that extend from the body by contraction of the erector muscles within. The group's work mimics that by combining two materials – a fiber mesh embedded in a silicone elastomer – to act as synthetic tissue groupings.
The fabrication process starts with silicone poured into a 3-D printed mold of a desired shape and thickness. Nonwoven, inextensible mesh, patterned with a laser cutter, is placed onto the uncured silicone. The pattern is set using a simple algorithm that ultimately determines the final 3-D shape.
The silicone-mesh is cured at room temperature, then a final coating of silicone is poured on top. The combination of extensible silicone with inextensible mesh forces the silicone to inflate in the direction and shape desired.
The group found that its CCOARSE approximations were remarkably accurate, the inflated shapes coming within 10 percent of algorithm-based projections.
This work was funded by a grant from the Army Research Office, which is interested in the technology for camouflage purposes. That is one focus of the research, Shepherd said, adding that there are others.
Cohen sees an application in robotics, in which an arm is inflated to perform a particular task.
Future work will focus on the ability to change color as well as texture, and to create more precise shapes with higher-resolution laser patterning.
Also contributing were graduate students Shuo Li and Lillia Bai, from the Shepherd lab. Roger T. Hanlon, senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, provided guidance on replication of octopus skin.


A novel fluorescent dye mixture is used in drop-cast PMMA (Acrylic) to store encoded data. Two types of dyes are used, one is photochromatic (sensitive to light) and one is thermochromatic (sensitive to heat). Each dye individually makes it possible to encode binary data, and combining them together allows for the encoding of quaternary data.
Chemistry professors Michael Kenney and Emily Pentzer developed this teaching aid to allows an instructor to face a recording device as they write, solving a major problem with online, televised, or streamed courses. Previously the instructors were forced to turn their back on the camera in order to write on the board. With the Light Board, the instructor can now write with perfect ease on a transparent, edge-lit acrylic window with fluorescent markers while facing the camera. A video filter mirrors the image so the writing reads normally and not backwards.
Suzanne Head is a fine artist who incorporates laser cut plywood for her drawing surfaces. Beginning with a series of sketches, she then scans the line work into the computer and traces the outlines to be laser cut out of plywood. Finally she draws on the cut surfaces and assembles the pieces to create her final composition.
"Occupy Everything" is a demi-couture collection created for Kent State University's Annual Fashion Show, FS2: Crescendo. In collaboration with Kurt Nelson, a senior architecture student at Kent State, Kara Kroeger designed a 3D printed capsule accessory collection of bracelets, a belt, and shoe covers. The belt is visible in the photograph on the third model from the right. The other pieces are not shown in this image.
This anatomical study uses the Hammond Todd collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to look at how different cut angles for distal tibial osteotomies affect ankle alignment. Plastic replicas of tibia specimens with rotational deformities are created for the study using a combination of 3D scanning and 3D printing.
In an effort to streamline the process of checking students in at large events, Case Western's Student Affairs IT office designed and built several hand-held proximity card readers compatible with Case ID's. This design costs less, has a greater capacity, and is significantly faster than the previously used magnetic stripe card readers. These card readers are now used for campus events such as the Career Fair and Thwing Study Over.
This patent-pending innovation in wind turbine technology involves two counter-rotating turbines connected through a novel drive train system. In this drive train, an "off the shelf" alternator is used to generate electricity, with one turbine used in the traditional manner to spin the alternator rotor while the second and counter-rotating turbine is used to spin the alternator stator by spinning the housing of the alternator. Testing data boasts a dramatic 30-35% increase in power output compared to traditional turbine arrangements, and decreases start-up wind speed to as low as 1 meter/second.
Advancements in implants are allowing individuals with paraplegia from spinal cord injuries to pedal recumbent trikes over ground with their otherwise paralyzed legs. This entry to the "Cybathlon" 2016 competition in Zurich, Switzerland utilizes an instrumented recumbent trike that senses crank angle and controls a surgically implanted neural stimulator to activate the appropriate muscles to propel the cycle forward.
This adjustable-height stand-up desk, prototyped in think[box], is being used in homes, offices, and schools around the world. Stand-up desks have been shown in educational settings to improve focus and to cultivate a dynamic learning environment with improved teacher-student engagement. The company co-founders include Mathias Ellegiers, an alumnus of the CWRU MEM (Master of Engineering and Management) program.
The government of Cambodia returned a sculptural fragment after 3D scans showed it fit a sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art. This collaboration between the Cleveland Museum of Art and think[box] involved a multi-day 3D scan of the museum's Krishna sculpture, followed by painstaking work aligning a scan of the fragment with the scan of the sculpture to see if the section in Cambodia belonged to the museum's monumental sixth-century stone carving of Krishna.


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The HAA would like to wish all its members and those who support the historic aircraft movement a Happy Christmas and look forward to a new flying season. 2021 saw the return of many...
Conrod Trophy presented to Shuttleworth Collection Events Team
Shuttleworth Collection Events Team Historic Aircraft Association Conrod Trophy Winner 2020 After the virtual elimination of the 2020 air display season as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic, light at the end of...
Read more 29th July 2021 at 11:42 am Richard Piper
Recording of virtual Hangar 57 visit
Please click here to watch the recording of the virtual tour of Hangar 57 based at Eshott airfield.
HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh RIP
The HAA is greatly saddened to hear of the passing of Prince Philip. Prince Philip was an accomplished aviator, having trained on the Chipmunk and Harvard he went on to fly a wide range...
Read more 9th April 2021 at 5:01 pm Richard Piper
Chipmunk 75th Anniversary
75th Anniversary of the de Havilland Chipmunk In addition to the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Spitfire that we marked early in March this year, 2021 marks the 75th anniversary of the...
Dr Robert Pleming RIP
It was with great sadness the HAA heard of the sudden death of Dr Robert Pleming on 2nd February. Robert was not only a respected HAA member but a visionary leading the Vulcan...
Read more 3rd February 2021 at 12:16 pm Richard Piper
HAA calls for "National Treasures" Watchlist
GROWING CONCERN HISTORIC AIRCRAFT ARE DEPARTING THE UK FOR GOOD HISTORIC AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION (HAA) CALLS FOR THE CREATION OF A WATCHLIST TO PROTECT OUR FLYING 'NATIONAL TREASURES' Press release January 2021 BRITAIN is...
Read more 1st February 2021 at 1:53 pm Richard Piper
Airco DH9 – Pioneer of Air Control – the aircraft that saved the RAF
A feature on one of the aircraft in the HAA's National Treasures register. The Royal Air Force was formed in on April 1st 1918 and was the world's first independent air force. It was created...
Read more 14th January 2021 at 11:14 am Richard Piper
Christmas message to members
The HAA offers all its members the Seasons Greetings, as we look forward to 2021. HAA President Sir Gerald Howarth expressed the following message to all in the the historic aircraft movement "On behalf of...
HAA support for Desford aeroplane to be kept flying
The HAA are supporting the campaign to keep the Desford aircraft flying rather than as a static exhibit in a museum. After many years of effort to restore this unique aircraft and which has...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Polsinelli Shughart expands its client capabilities with the addition of Kevin C. Lane who will help build the Wealth Planning and Administration Practice in Chicago. Lane, who is a certified public accountant and attorney, joined the firm as a shareholder. He represents high net-worth individuals on wealth planning, and his clients include businesses, corporate executives and professional athletes.
Lane's experience includes designing and implementing wills, trusts, lifetime gift programs, premarital agreements and asset protection strategies. In addition to his trust work, Lane has handled family limited partnerships, corporate recapitalizations, private annuities, installment sales and other planning transactions.
Lane has also advised clients in connection with litigation involving trust and tax matters and handles matters for charitable trusts, foundations and nonprofit organizations. He is a proactive planner, working closely with clients and their banking relationship managers, family office personnel and financial planners. He also consults with executors, administrators, guardians, and trustees in probate trust administration.
Lane earned his law degree from DePaul University College of Law and a B.A in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to working as a lawyer, he was a tax consultant and auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co. Lane is a contributing author to "21st Century Estate Planning: Practical Applications," an estate planning treatise used at major law schools nationwide.
With more than 600 attorneys, Polsinelli Shughart (www.polsinelli.com) is a national law firm that is a recognized leader in the areas of business law, financial services, real estate and business litigation. Serving corporate, institutional and individual clients, Polsinelli is redefining the business of law by sharing ideas, goals and outcomes with its clients. The firm builds enduring relationships by creating value through our legal services - with passion, ingenuity and a sense of urgency. The firm has offices located in Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Edwardsville; Jefferson City; Kansas City; Los Angeles; New York; Overland Park; Phoenix; Springfield; St. Joseph; St. Louis; Topeka; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, DE. In California, as Polsinelli Shughart LLP.


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Former EastEnders star Katie Jarvis summons to court for assault through beatings and racially aggravated harassment
February 6, 2021 by Neha Singh
Former East Enders star Katie Jarvis is set to appear in court on charges of assault and racially aggravated harassment after a street fight in South End, Sex State in July.
29-year-old Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater in BBC Soap, was arrested last summer for being seen in a video rowing a group of women outside a bar.
After leaving Soap, the former actress, who worked as a security guard at the B&M Romford branch, is expected to appear in Southend Police Court on April 15 to be charged with the case.
Jarvis is accused of assault through intimidating or offensive words or actions, racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alertness, or suffering that could cause beatings, general assault, harassment, alertness or suffering.
Katie Jarvis was summoned to court for assault charges for beatings and racially or religiously aggravated harassment.
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Essex police said in a statement: "A woman is expected to appear in court in April in connection with an incident at the Marine Parade in the South End last year.
"We received a disturbance report on Friday, July 31st. 29-year-old Katie Jarvis, who lives on South Street in Rainham, has been arrested.
"She will now appear in Southend Police Court on April 15th and accused of assault by using threatening or abusive words or actions, racially or religiously aggravated harassment that could cause beatings, general assault, harassment, alertness, or suffering. Prosecuted. Alertness or pain."
Former EastEnders star Jarvis is believed to have drank with friends at the Papillon Bar before the line broke.
Katie Jarvis played Hayley Slater in EastEnders.
(Image: BBC)
Jarvis was arrested in July for a street fight in Southend, Essex.
(Image: Twitter / Katie Jarvis)
Essex police reported a turmoil on Friday, July 31, that a march poured over a chair between Jarvis and five other women.
According to Sun Online, a Witness later claimed that a member of the group involved in the police was called "f ** king black c ***".
Another witness is said to have heard the scream "F **k Black Lives Matter".
A third witness told The Sun Online at the time: "It was incredible. At one point she started yelling'I'm a famous actress' and her friends were saying'She's Hailey Slater from East Enders.'
Former East Enders actress Katie will face multiple charges including beatings, general assault, racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress.
Essex Police made a statement at the time: "A 29-year-old woman was arrested on Friday, July 31 at 10:05 pm shortly after reporting the turmoil at the Marine Parade in the South End.
"She has been arrested for assault and racially deteriorating public order.
"She was released on bail until Friday, August 21st."
In addition to his role in EastEnders, Jarvis starred in the 2009 drama film Fish Tank, where he played Mia Williams.
After Katie Jarvis left the BBC drama East Enders, she appeared in the film Take Me.
(Image: MYM / YouTube)
Later that year, the actress won the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her role.
She continued to star in several films, including Ginger, Devil's Place, and Let's Talk About George.
She also played the role of a stressed mom in the short film Take Me, which was released on YouTube in 2019.
Jarvis also appeared on TV, starring in the Channel 5 police series Suspects.
The late friend Caroline Flack, whose sadness to Matt Richardson of Dancing on Ice, will never see him skate.
Love Island star Marcel Summerville shares his first snap of only his lovely main son.


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Fotbal Club Dinamo București (Dinamo Bukurešť) je klub rumunské první ligy, sídlící ve městě Bukurešť. Byl založen roku 1948, hřištěm klubu je stadion s názvem Stadionul Dinamo s kapacitou 15 300 diváků.

Barvami klubu jsou červená a bílá.

Historie
Klub byl založen v roce 1948 a patřil pod ministerstvo vnitra.

V roce 1973 Dinamo vyhrálo v PMEZ nad Crusaders Belfast 11:0, což je historický rekord této soutěže.

V ročníku 1983/84 se Dinamo jako první rumunský tým dostalo do semifinále PMEZ. Ve 2. kole vyřadilo obhájce trofeje Hamburger SV. Ve čtvrtfinále přešlo přes Dinamo Minsk, ale v semifinále prohrálo oba zápasy s Liverpoolem.

Úspěchy

Domácí
 18× mistr (1955, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07)
 13× vítěz rumunského poháru (1958/59, 1963/64, 1967/68, 1981/82, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1989/90, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2011/12)
 2× vítěz rumunského superpoháru (2005, 2012)
 1× vítěz Ligového poháru (1916/17)

Mezinárodní
 1× semifinále PMEZ (1983/84)
 1× semifinále PVP (1989/90)

Významní hráči
 Dudu Georgescu (1973–1983)
 Ionel Dănciulescu (1995–1997, 2002–2009, 2010–2013)

Reference

Externí odkazy

Rumunské fotbalové kluby
Sport v Bukurešti
Dinamo București

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Truck Accidents Negligence is a Leading Cause of Injury in the U.S. Work with Our Firm to Seek Proper Compensation.
Truck Accident Negligence
Our Greenville Truck Accident Attorneys Will Fight for Justice on Your Behalf
Christian & Davis LLC provides tenacious representation to clients who have been injured in commercial truck wrecks. Whatever your situation, we will work hard to gather evidence and build your case. Proving negligence in a truck accident can be tricky, but our Greenville truck accident lawyers have more than a century of combined legal experience. We will analyze your options, investigate the crash, and help you pursue justice from those responsible. Call our office today at (864) 408-8890 to receive a free consultation.
Understanding Truck Driver Negligence
Truck drivers owe a duty of care to others on the road. This means they must drive in a reasonably safe manner and obey all state and federal traffic laws. Failure to do so could lead to a serious accident. Truck drivers must also comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, which include mandatory rest breaks and vehicle inspections before and after each trip.
Truck drivers may be held liable for:
Driving while intoxicated with alcohol or drugs
Failing to take mandatory rest breaks
Speeding or failing to use turn signals
Driving while using a cell phone
Failing to properly secure cargo
Improperly secured cargo could fly off and hit other vehicles on the road. In fact, it is estimated that improperly secured cargo contributes to more than 200,000 truck accidents each year in the United States. Truck drivers and third-party cargo loading companies must act with care and ensure all cargo is properly secured. Overloaded or unbalanced cargo could also lead to an accident. Truck drivers must drive in a safe manner, comply with all federal trucking regulations, and ensure cargo is correctly loaded and secured before each trip.
How to Prove Negligence in a Commercial Truck Accident
A detailed investigation is required to gather evidence and prove negligence for a commercial truck crash. Our Greenville truck accident attorneys have extensive experience, and will work diligently to build your case.
Evidence may include:
Trucking records
Photos or videos of the accident
Maintenance reports
Other documentation
Filing a claim in a timely manner is important, as the statute of limitations in South Carolina is 3 years. We will help you file the necessary documents and aggressively uphold your right to compensation. Truck drivers, trucking companies, maintenance crews, and others may be held liable for negligence. Depending on the case, you may be entitled to a settlement for lost wages, loss of earning potential, pain and suffering, medical bills, and other damages.
Call Christian & Davis LLC Today at (864) 408-8890 to Get Started.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a commercial truck wreck, you have the right to pursue financial relief in a personal injury lawsuit. At Christian & Davis LLC, we understand that you are going through a very stressful time. With our Greenville truck accident lawyers, you can receive attentive legal guidance every step of the way.
Ready to hold negligent parties accountable for a commercial truck accident? Contact ustoday to speak with a member of our team.
Contact Our Firm Today
Truck Accident Injuries
Truck Rollovers
Tractor Trailer Accidents
$4,000,000 Judgment Wrongful Death Case
$2,400,000 Settlement Head-on Collision
$1,000,000 Settlement Car Accident
$1,000,000 Settlement DUI Accident
$500,000 Settlement Trucking Accident
More Case Results
Millions Won for Injured Clients
Taking legal action means much more that winning money. It means achieving justice and demanding safer standards in the community.
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Since 1975, we have helped injury victims in their fight against well-funded insurance and the wrongdoers they protect.
Why Experience Matters


text:
Archives of Clinical and Medical Case Reports
Engy T Said1, John J Finneran IV2, Rodney A Gabriel3, Jacklynn F Sztain4, Scott T Ball5, Krishna R Cidambi6, Baharin Abdullah7, Brian M Ilfeld8*
1-8University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
2, 3,8The Outcomes Research consortium, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
*Corresponding Author: Brian M Ilfeld, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.
Received: 31 October 2022; Accepted: 18 November 2022; Published: 30 November 2022
Citation: Engy T Said, John J Finneran IV, Rodney A Gabriel, Jacklynn F Sztain, Scott T Ball, Krishna R Cidambi, Baharin Abdullah, Brian M Ilfeld. Noninvasive, Wearable, Pulsed Shortwave (Radiofrequency) Therapy for Analgesia following Knee and Hip Arthroplasty: A Case Series. Archives of Clinical and Medical Case Reports 6 (2022): 758-762.
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Background: Minimizing pain and opioid requirements following major orthopedic surgery can be challenging. Nonthermal, pulsed, shortwave (radiofrequency) therapy is a noninvasive treatment described previously as a possible analgesic modality following minor surgical procedures. The devices may be applied in a few minutes or less, are simply taped in place over the area of pain, are less expensive than a large bottle of acetaminophen, function for 30 days without any required intervention, may be applied to any part of the body, and produce no side effects-patients cannot detect any sensations from the devices-or substantial risks. Here we present a case series to explore the use of pulsed shortwave therapy for major joint arthroplasty.
Case Report: Following unilateral total knee (n=2) and hip (n=5) arthroplasty, patients had 1-2 noninvasive, wearable, disposable, pulsed shortwave devices (Model 088, BioElectronics, Frederick, Maryland) affixed over the surgical incision (functioning continuously for 30 days). Average daily pain at rest and with movement was a median of 0-4 as measured using a 0-10 numeric rating scale for the entire follow-up period. Maximum pain each day was a median of 5 and 6 for the first two days, respectively, and over the subsequent weeks fell to 0 by Day 35. Three patients avoided opioid use entirely, while the remaining individuals required 0-7.5 mg of oxycodone daily. No device-related localized irritation, side effects, or complications were identified.
Conclusions: Pulsed shortwave devices may be an effective analgesic, possibly obviating opioid requirements in some cases following knee and hip arthroplasty.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Arthroplasty, Replacement Hip; Postoperative Analgesia, Acute; Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment
Arthroplasty articles, Replacement articles, Knee articles; Arthroplasty articles, Replacement Hip articles; Postoperative Analgesia articles, Acute articles; Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment articles
Minimizing pain and opioid requirements following major orthopedic surgery can be challenging. While continuous peripheral nerve blocks are an option, they induce proprioception, sensory, and motor deficits which can interfere with physical therapy, and are associated with an increased risk of falling [1]. Considering the millions of knee and hip replacements performed annually worldwide, an analgesic that decreases pain and opioid requirements for multiple weeks without the side effects could have a significant positive impact on health outcomes.
One possible alternative is the use of nonthermal, pulsed, shortwave (radiofrequency) therapy. Originally described in the mid-1950s as pulsed electromagnetic fields, nonthermal shortwave therapy has been described to treat both acute and chronic pain, hasten bone regeneration and wound healing, and decrease edema and inflammation [2,3]. The explanation for treatment effects is only partially understood [4]. As we described in our previous work, "The most generally accepted biochemical-based theory involves the promotion of calcium binding to calmodulin which activates endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthase isoforms, producing nitric oxide which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, among other consequences such as decreasing edema while increasing blood and lymph flow" [5]. A biophysical-based theory for the mechanism of action involves stochastic resonance: the radiofrequency stimulation modulation of Aa and Aβ nerve fibers results in a barrage of nonpainful stimuli that essentially raise the perioperative pain threshold [4]. If accurate, this approach to modulate the activity of the sensory nervous system to modulate the effect of the central nervous system by increasing "afferent noise" may mitigate the onset of central sensitization and development of persistent post-surgical pain [6].
Pulsed shortwave fields have been used to treat pain following orthopedic surgery with various degrees of success, primarily for minor procedures involving soft tissue [3]. Three studies with negative findings used 15-45 minute treatments 1-3 times/day for 3 days [3]. In contrast, 3 of the 4 studies with positive results increased the cumulative treatment duration by prolonging sessions to over 1 hour each, providing 7-14 sessions/day, and/or continuing treatment 7-14 days [3]. This suggests the possibility that increased treatment duration may improve outcomes. Short treatments were the norm for decades because the original pulsed electromagnetic field machines available were large, heavy, and required an external power supply [7]. But in the last few decades, small, light, battery-powered, disposable, wearable, nonthermal devices "have been developed and are now cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration, with indications including the treatment of musculoskeletal and postoperative pain as well as edema" [5]. These wearable devices now allow for continuous treatment for a full month.
It remains unexamined whether pulsed shortwave therapy will provide analgesia following knee and hip arthroplasty both during hospitalization and following discharge. Consequently, we now report seven patients who used pulsed shortwave therapy for 30 days after knee and hip arthroplasty.
2. Case Report
We consented 7 patients undergoing unilateral, primary, total knee (n=2) and hip (n=5) arthroplasty for the use of nonthermal, pulsed shortwave (radiofrequency) therapy after their surgical procedures. All provided written, informed consent for unidentifiable inclusion in this publication. The University of California San Diego Institutional Review Board (San Diego, California, USA) waives review requirements for case reports and short series. The 4 female and 3 male patients had a mean (SD) age of 64 (20) years, height of 171 (7) cm, weight of 79 (16) kg, and body mass index of 26.8 (4.5). Patients having knee arthroplasty received preoperative ipsilateral single-injection adductor canal blocks with ropivacaine 0.5% and epinephrine (20 mL). All patients received a bupivacaine spinal anesthetic intraoperatively and a mixture of bupivacaine 0.25% (50 mL), ketorolac (30 mg), and epinephrine (250 mg) infiltrated into the surgical area prior to closure. Within the recovery room, patients had affixed over their surgical incision 1-2 noninvasive, wearable, pulsed shortwave devices (Model 088, BioElectronics Corporation, Frederick, Maryland) with included kinesiology tape, paper tape, and/or circumferential bandages (Figure 1).
Figure 1: A wearable, pulsed shortwave (radiofrequency) electromagnetic field device with a pulse generator and flexible 12 cm-diameter antenna. The units are secured with included cotton-based kinesiology tape (black bandages in image) and either a circumferential bandage (knee, middle) or paper tape (hip, right). The single control is an on/off button on the back of the pulse generator, and the green light emitting diode indicates the unit is functioning.
Postoperatively, patients received acetaminophen 975 mg qid, celecoxib 200 mg bid, and, if needed, the synthetic oral opioid oxycodone (5 mg tablets). Upon discharge home, patients continued these medications and were provided with the contact phone numbers of the administering physician and acute pain service. Patients were instructed to wear their device(s) continuously through postoperative day 30 when they could discard the disposable, single-use units. In case of dislodgement or if repositioning was desired, the devices could be reaffixed with either additional included kinesiology tape, another type of tape, or any bandage/clothing that would hold the device in place. The electromagnetic pulses pass through bandages and clothing, so adhering the device to the skin was not required. Showering with the device(s) in place was acceptable, but not submerging the rings in water. Patients were asked to check daily that the light emitting diode on the front of the device was green, indicating a functioning unit, but no other device care or adjustment was required. Patients were contacted by telephone at intervals standard for our acute pain service on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 28 and 35. Average daily pain at rest and with movement was a median of 0-4 as measured using a 0-10 numeric rating scale for the entire follow-up period (Figure 2, below). Maximum pain each day was a median of 5 and 6 for the first two days, respectively, and over the subsequent weeks fell to 0 by Day 35 (Figure 2). Three patients used no opioids at all, and four required 0-7.5 mg of oxycodone daily (Figure 2). The disposable devices were discarded at home 30 after surgery.
Figure 2: Pain and opioid consumption during ambulatory pulsed shortwave (radiofrequency) electromagnetic field therapy following primary, unilateral knee and hip arthroplasty. Each circle represents one patient, and the median for each time point is denoted with a horizontal line.
No patient contacted a healthcare provider with a question or concern during the follow-up period; and no complications or side effects related to the pulsed shortwave fields devices were identified during the telephone follow-up. Because this was an uncontrolled proof-of-concept series, no primary outcome measure was designated, and no statistics were applied to the data.
These cases demonstrate that following knee and hip arthroplasty, the use of pulsed shortwave therapy devices is feasible in both the in- and out-patient settings and may improve analgesia while decreasing—perhaps sometimes obviating—opioid consumption. Bearing in mind the danger of opioid misuse, dependence, and diversion, decreasing postoperative opioid requirements is not an insignificant proposition since the greater the number of prescribed opioid pills, the higher the likelihood of continuing their use [8]; and 6% of opioid-naïve patients within the United States continue to use opioids a year after surgery [9]. Additionally, pulsed shortwave therapy induces no muscle weakness or sensory/proprioception deficits and therefore should not increase the risk of falls, unlike continuous peripheral nerve blocks. Finally, nonthermal pulsed shortwave therapy may bring benefits beyond analgesia following major joint arthroplasty by decreasing inflammation and edema, as well as hastening wound healing and bone regeneration [2,3].
To validate and quantify the benefits (and risks) following knee and hip arthroplasty requires a randomized, placebo-controlled study; however, the characteristics of pulsed shortwave therapy suggest significant potential to treat postoperative pain: the devices produce no perceptible sensations, have no side effects, are noninvasive, weigh less than 10 g, function through surgical bandages and clothing, require no intervention by provider or patient once initiated, have a 30-day duration, are relatively inexpensive compared with most medical devices, and have no potential for misuse, dependence, or diversion. The safety of nonthermal, pulsed, electromagnetic fields has been investigated and confirmed by multiple government agencies and independent societies [10-12]. For example, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards for Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure concluded that, "there are no adverse health effects that are not thermally related" [10]. Within the past 25 years, over 3-million treatments with pulsed electromagnetic field devices have been delivered without reports significant side effects or adverse events [13]. Contraindications are few, but important to note, including placement within 6" of an existing implanted pulse generator (e.g., cardiac pacer), pregnancy, use in an area of preexisting malignancy, and use in children less than 17 years of age [12].
A favorable risk-benefit ratio is possible for pulsed radiofrequency therapy with even a small analgesic and/or opioid-sparing effect due to its low cost, ease of application/use, and lack of complications. Acetaminophen may be an appropriate comparator: although its analgesic benefits are modest compared with alternatives, it "is a core component of multimodal analgesia in all exemplar hip and knee ERAS pathways [enhanced recovery after surgery]" due to its relatively benign risk profile, lack of side effects, and ease of administration [14]. Compared with acetaminophen, the device used in the present report requires less cumulative time for administration (one-minute application for 30 days of analgesia vs. taking oral medication every 6 hours); has an equivalent lack of side effects; and possesses a superior safety profile (no known significant complications vs. the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States) [15]. Nevertheless, clinical adoption is limited by a lack of systematic evidence, historically a limited understanding of the mechanism of action, and "a wide variety of unsubstantiated claims that are used for marketing purposes" [13].
These cases demonstrate that following knee and hip arthroplasty, the use of pulsed shortwave therapy devices is feasible in both the in- and out-patient settings and may improve analgesia while decreasing—perhaps sometimes obviating—opioid consumption. Considering their ease of placement, few contraindications, low provider/patient burden, lack of systemic side effects and serious adverse events as well as any misuse/dependence/diversion potential, further study with a randomized, controlled trial appears warranted to document and quantify potential analgesic and opioid-sparing benefits of these wearable, noninvasive devices and use in children less than 17 years of age [9].
In conclusion, this case series suggests that pulsed shortwave therapy may decrease opioid requirements and effectively treat postoperative pain after total hip and knee arthroplasty. Further investigation with a randomized, controlled trial appears justified due to the relatively few contraindications, lack of side effects, low risk profile, and low patient burden of these noninvasive devices.
The authors would like to thank Sree Koneru, PhD (BioElectronics Corporation, Frederick, MD; and Meraqui Medical, Fremont, CA) and Kenneth J. McLeod, PhD (Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering and the Clinical Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY), for reviewing much of the information in this manuscript for technical accuracy.
Funding for this project provided by the University California San Diego Department of Anesthesiology (San Diego, California). The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the funding entity.
The University of California San Diego has received funding and/or product from the following companies for other research studies of Drs. Finneran, Said, Gabriel, Sztain, Abdullah and Ilfeld: Epimed International (Farmers Branch, Texas, USA), SPR Therapeutics (Cleveland, Ohio, USA), Infutronix (Natick, Massachusetts, USA), and Avanos Medical (Irvine, California, USA). None of the authors has a personal financial interest in this research.
Ilfeld BM, Duke KB, Donohue MC. The association between lower extremity continuous peripheral nerve blocks and patient falls after knee and hip arthroplasty. Anesth Analg 111 (2010): 1552-1554.
Guo L, Kubat NJ, Nelson TR, et al. Meta-analysis of clinical efficacy of pulsed radio frequency energy treatment. Ann Surg 255 (2012): 457-467.
Kumaran B, Watson T. Radiofrequency-based treatment in therapy-related clinical practice—a narrative review. Part I: acute conditions. Physical Therapy Reviews 20 (2015): 241-254.
Sam J, Catapano M, Sahni S, et al. Pulsed Radiofrequency in Interventional Pain Management: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Action - An Update and Review. Pain Physician 24 (2021): 525-532.
Ilfeld BM, Said ET, Abdullah B, et al. Treating intractable postamputation pain with noninvasive, wearable, nonthermal, pulsed shortwave (radiofrequency) therapy: A 12-patient case series. Pain Ther (2022).
Lin FY, Huang KF, Chen JC, et al. The Clinical Application of Pulsed Radiofrequency Induces Inflammatory Pain via MAPKs Activation: A Novel Hint for Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 22 (2021).
Fenn JE. Effect of pulsed electromagnetic energy (Diapulse) on experimental hematomas. Can Med Assoc J 100 (1969): 251-254.
Shah A, Hayes CJ, Martin BC. Characteristics of Initial Prescription Episodes and Likelihood of Long-Term Opioid Use - United States, 2006-2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 66 (2017): 265-269.
Brummett CM, Waljee JF, Goesling J, et al. New Persistent Opioid Use After Minor and Major Surgical Procedures in US Adults. JAMA Surg 152 (2017): e170504.
Committee on M, Radiation. COMAR technical information statement: expert reviews on potential health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and comments on the bioinitiative report. Health Phys 97 (2009): 348-356.
Ahlbom A, Green A, Kheifets L, et al. Epidemiology of health effects of radiofrequency exposure. Environ Health Perspect 112 (2004): 1741-1754.
Guo L, Kubat NJ, Isenberg RA. Pulsed radio frequency energy (PRFE) use in human medical applications. Electromagn Biol Med 30 (2011): 21-45.
Gaynor JS, Hagberg S, Gurfein BT. Veterinary applications of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. Res Vet Sci 119 (2018): 1-8.
Wainwright TW, Gill M, McDonald DA, et al. Consensus statement for perioperative care in total hip replacement and total knee replacement surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS((R))) Society recommendations. Acta Orthop 91 (2020): 3-19.
Lee WM. Acute liver failure. Semin Respir Crit Care Med 33 (2012): 36-45.
NLM ID
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Archive for the 'Vic Sadot' Category
9/11 Pentagon: Conflicting Evidence
Posted: May 7, 2016 in -, Vic Sadot
Tags: 9/11, 9/11 studies, Barbara Honnegger, paper, pentagon, Timothy Eastman, Wyndham
Anyone who's seriously delved into what happened to the Pentagon, that "act of war" which Dick Cheney made sure to label on the evening of 9/11, knows that it's nothing but a throbbing headache.
Here you'll see why if you're interested. I find it sufficient to establish a COVER UP, and there are several associated with the Pentagon strike. Let's not forget the CIA was hiding the alleged hijackers who supposedly crashed into America's military headquarters. The Pentagon also had an hour and 16 minutes to defend itself according to the official story! And yet the Air Force apparently couldn't defend its own headquarters. Sound like a justification for "Rebuilding America's Defenses?"
Vic Sadot sent this in:
The above video presentation is in dispute and is opposed by some, supported by others…
Dr. Timothy Eastman – Review of "The Pentagon Event: The Honegger Hypothesis Refuted" by Victoria Ashley et al. [main author Wyndham]
Though I was pleased to see that the authors conclude (p. 66) that "these events… are best approached with a commitment to… examining all the evidence, eschewing all personal bias and other personal considerations and by testing each hypothesis for its consequences", this paper does not live up to its stated goal.
It assumes the validity and integrity of official evidence while omitting compelling evidence against the official story compiled by Ms. Honegger, and my reading revealed at least 25 direct or implied personal attacks on Ms. Honegger (e.g., p. 43: "Her contention here is scientifically naive…"; p. 63: "Honegger's scenario is divorced from reality"), all of which should be expressed in a neutral way in a scholarly paper. While the authors make more than 20 claims as to how "scientific" this present work is and how Ms. Honegger's work is "unscientific", they apply clearly inconsistent logic in an attempt to refute a central pillar of her thesis, claiming that only clocks stopped earlier than the official story time are the result of minute hands having been moved due to dropping, but not also clocks stopped closer to the official story time. I find Ms. Honegger's clock analysis more believable, in terms of overall coherence and consistency, than to assume that only the "9:37 clocks" should be believed and that all other timepieces — including April Gallop's 9:30-stopped watch and the digital-clock time of 9:34:10 for the initiation of the black smoke cloud embedded in the Doubletree Hotel video — should be dismissed. Indeed, if there is as much failure associated with minute hands as the authors claim, why should we accept any clock readings? Questioning of clocks should apply to all of them, not just to those not giving close to the official time.
Post 9/11 Cultural Decadence and Deceit
Posted: January 11, 2015 in Vic Sadot
Tags: CIA, hacking, Sony, The Interview, torture, Zero Dark Thirty
Sick movie! Sick culture!
by Vic Sadot
"No Evidence that North Korea Hacked Sony", says Mickey Huff on Project Censored Radio Show on KPFA PACIFICA. Micky Huff and Nolan Higdon 1-09-15 interview with Professor Robin Anderson about her expose of the horribly violent and hateful "propaganda movie" titled "The Interview". Note: You can move the audio bar in the archives forward to the 30 minute mark to hear about the con-job by Seth Rogan, US media, and CIA as deliberate and planned propaganda. First half of the show is an interview with Sarah Van Gelder of Yes Magazine on "10 Ways Human Rights and Democracy Won". Second half hour features Professor Robin Anderson and focuses on her recent expose article "Sony, The Interview, and Hollywood Illusions of Creative Expression" about the hype, spin, cries of "censorship" and collaboration with the CIA to make the reprehensible faux comedy propaganda film. US people taken again on lie ride to hate and demonize North Korea. http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/110182
"Sony, The Interview, and Hollywood Illusions of Creative Expression" – Article by Professor Robin Anderson at The Vision Machine on December 26, 2014. http://thevisionmachine.com/2014/12/sony-the-interview-and-hollywood-illusions-of-creative-expression
Excerpts: "US officials claimed that North Korea, angered by Seth Rogan's film depicting the assassination of Kim Jung-un, was responsible for the cyber attacks against Sony, and amid threats of theater violence, enthusiasm for the film's release evaporated as potential costs added up. When Sony announced it would cancel the Christmas Day release of The Interview, President Obama chastised Sony saying the company had "made a mistake," and an earthquake of righteous indignation shook Hollywood… Seth Rogen's "free speech" rights were never at risk. He's starred in 67 films. His film got made and was bound to be released eventually. But…Women filmmakers (a measly 6% of directors), Latino filmmakers (a minuscule 2% of directors), Black filmmakers (a tiny 6% of directors) actually face real, constant, systemic threats to their ability to speak. Embedded in those numbers are countless filmmakers who don't get a shot. The Interview got it's shot by blowing the head off No.1 US evil enemy Kim Jong Un, but it wasn't Rogan's creativity that came up with that plot twist. It came from the CIA. Don't forget that is was Sony that also brought us Zero Dark Thirty, a film collaboration with the CIA. The torture report shared the news cycle with the Sony hacking story, and it should come as no surprise that CIA Director John Brennan, gave the same specious defense for torture woven into the plot of ZD30; that torture led to information "useful" to the hunt for Osama Bin Laden… The coverage of the cyber attacks against Sony should have prompted an examination of Hollywood's collaboration with the national security state. Instead, a celebration of freedom of expression denied that the real story of censorship in Hollywood comes from the US Armed Forces."
Vic Sadot is a singer-songwriter based in Berkeley, CA who is known for his "9/11 Truth & Justice Songs"
Mad Cowboy Disease (music video)
Posted: November 19, 2013 in Vic Sadot
Tags: drones, music, Political, short film, video, war crimes
Full Spectrum Dominance – The Song
Posted: June 13, 2013 in Vic Sadot
Tags: activism, Full Spectrum Dominance, music, protest, song
Vic Sadot sent this in.
Abbotabad True or False?
Posted: April 10, 2013 in Vic Sadot
Tags: 9/11, 9/11 attacks, Abbotabad, al qaeda, Bin Laden, cover up, execution, Iraq, Jessica Lynch, Lies, Obama, Osama bin Laden, Pakistan, Pat Tillman, propaganda, terror, WMD
Questions about the Death and Dumping at Sea of Osama bin Laden Remain
by Vic Sadot, the TruthTroubadour
Osama bin Laden: Dead or Alive?
If he is dead, when did he die? Was he really the "mastermind of 9/11," or not? How can we know the truth?
One thing we know is that Osama bin Laden was a CIA asset used to recruit Muslim fundamentalists to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. What else do we know for sure? Why would Obama claim to have ordered a kill on Osama, and then dispose of his body at sea? Does that sound like the American way of justice?
Dr. David Ray Griffin published "Osama bin Laden Dead or Alive" in 2009. It's a good read today! Evidence of fraud is abundant. The questions he raises need to be answered.
The Corporate media spin machine has cranked out an avalanche of "reports" on the "daring" execution of a supposedly-alive Osama bin Laden hiding in a "million dollar mansion" in Pakistan. The story of the amazing commando raid may end up being another high-tech production from the same folks who brought us the lies about Pat Tillman, Jessica Lynch & WMD in Iraq. In the case of Pat Tillman, the "official glory story" was that he got killed in a shoot out with the Taliban. Later, as the Tillman family bravely pressed on and on for the truth, the story was amended to be "friendly fire". Then the military coroner report revealed that the evidence showed that Pat Tillman was shot "by 3 bullets to the forehead at 10 yards range". Ignored AP story.
In the case of Jessica Lynch, she refused to go along with the "official glory story". She testified to Congress that she was wounded by an explosion, not in a firefight. Iraqi hospital authorities informed the US military that she was alive and well and under their care. But the Pentagon sent a commando unit in there to "rescue the heroic soldier". Was the truth less important than having a recruitment poster boy and girl to use to lie to young people about corporate resource & domination wars?
In the aftermath of 9/11, we were all in "shock & awe" as the media reported "explosions" at the WTC (World Trade Center) and the Pentagon. This was rapidly revised to the "official story" that the jet fuel from the planes that hit the two tallest towers of the WTC complex "melted the steel" and caused their collapse. It's against the laws of physics! Both Dan Rather and Peter Jennings mused aloud as it was happening that the only way that steel frame buildings could be brought down by fire would be to "get at the inner structures" as in a "demolition". What's worse, the WTC buildings did not just collapse. They disintegrated to dust in 10 seconds! Building 7, which was not hit by a plane, did so in 7 seconds at around 5:30 that evening. In fact, Dan Rather reported on CBS that Osama bin Laden was in a Pakistani military hospital on Sept 10, 2001 getting dialysis treatments for kidney failure. Read about that here.
CBS Report
In spite of the lack of any evidence to prove that bin Laden was the man whose body was killed in Pakistan and dumped into the ocean, we are simply being intellectually bullied by authority to accept their story as true. We have a media so consolidated and conscripted into service to the secret security state that they just repeat what they are told to us so that they can keep their jobs. No wonder people call them "presstitutes" doing fake journalism for money.
Now we have a new Hollywood movie called "Zero Dark Thirty" that was done in secret complicity with the CIA and the Orwellian-named fascist sounding Homeland Security apparatus to deliver a movie that falsely claims that torture works and was necessary. The 9/11 Commission had no access to CIA prisoners but they accepted and used confessions wrought through torture as if they were reliable evidence gained from good detective work.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) not only authorized 622 billion dollars for the Pentagon, the bill passed the U.S. House on Dec. 14, 2011, the U.S. Senate on Dec. 15, 2011, and was signed into United States law on December 31, 2011 by President Barack Obama while most Americans were celebrating the New Year and he signed similar repressive legislation on New Year's Eve 2012 as well. These NDAA bills include a clause that legalizes the dissemination of propaganda to US citizens. With executive claims to the power to indefinitely detain and disappear anyone it deems a "suspect" without judicial due process as the Constitution clearly requires, we have treasonous criminal and immoral conduct declared acceptable.
Those who question the 9/11 story and the rewarding of those who failed to defend us on that day, what hit the Pentagon or how that could even happen after the New York attacks, why and how three World Trade Center buildings could disintegrate to toxic dusk and rubble in 10 seconds, the WMD lies about Iraq, the lack of accountability for torture and murder in secret prisons, the prosecution and punishment of whistle-blowers instead of the criminals they expose, the incredibly lethal firepower unleashed on Libya without Congressional authorization, and the need for evidence and transparency about major events and policies to have an informed electorate and a functioning democracy, the challenge is frightening and intimidating. But as any American who has taken an oath "to honor and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies both foreign and domestic" will tell you, it does not have to continue to go down this way. The US does not have to descend into a fascist police state or global corporate empire. We have a right to question and we will continue to do so.
Movies like "Zero Dark Thirty" turn our political culture into a stinking cesspool. The reader is referred to this excellent critique in Global Research on 2-25-13 by London-based writer Patrick Henningsen,"Hollywood History: CIA Sponsored "Zero Dark Thirty", Oscar for "Best Propaganda Picture". Henningsen asks, "Was bin Laden really killed by Seal Team 6 that day? Examine the evidence, if you can find any." In mock sympathy, Henningsen says,
"I felt sorry for the director, the cast and all the production crew who put in their hard work and sweat, and probably believed that bin Laden was indeed in the Abbotabad compound in May 2011, and that they were reenacting a rare and proud piece of American history. In order to believe this, they would also would have to have believed that somehow, that same bin Laden also masterminded a multi-pronged assault that managed to bypass the whole of the US Defense apparatus – all from his legendary cave in Tora Bora. …Unfortunately, the mythology does not measure up to reality, with multiple admissions in public by heads of state, by Pervez Musharraf, and Benazir Bhutto, as well as by Madeline Albright and others, and even mainstream media reports going all the way back to 2001, stating that Osama bin Laden was dying, or had in fact died in late 2001. Knowing all this, when I heard the news of Obama and the Navy Seal Team 6 raid on bin Laden, I knew immediately that not only was this almost certainly a fiction, but that there would be no photographs and videos released, because a dead man cannot come back to life after 10 years for a photo session. As predicted, a few days later the White House confirmed my suspicions, announcing that indeed, 'no photos or video will be released'… On top of that, we were also told that they dumped bin Laden's body at sea 48 hours after allegedly killing him. Fancy that? But even that pillar of the official story fell apart later when it was revealed that no US sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson ever saw the alleged burial at sea, and that no images exist in any government records of bin Laden aboard the decorated US sea vessel."
With all of this heavy information, I would recommend a good laugh at it all as well. This Joy Camp Channel video spoof at YouTube is just what the doctor ordered!
"Best Propaganda Film (OSCAR 2013 SPOILER!LEAKED CLIP!!)" http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Clza1XVA0SI


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Grant Import & Export, Inc.


A Mackie Research Capital Corp. report outlined this Canadian energy firm's recently completed financing and its in-process acquisition.
In an Oct. 15 research note, analyst Bill Newman reported that Prairie Provident Resources Inc. (PPR:TSX) is currently "crazy cheap," after raising gross proceeds of CA$5.5 million in a bought-deal financing and agreeing to acquire an oil and gas company.
Newman explained that the financing consisted of 3.8 million flow-through shares and 9.6 million subscription receipts. The receipts will be converted into Prairie Provident units of one share plus half of a warrant when the company's acquisition of Marquee Energy Ltd. closes in November 2018. Also, Prairie Provident will get a credit line increase to US$65 million with about US$21 million undrawn, "providing additional financial flexibility," he noted.
As for the company's acquisition of Marquee, it is a "crazy cheap" deal that "boosts cash flow and opportunity base," Newman pointed out. Prairie Provident will pay about $55 million in stock and assumed debt for Marquee's roughly 2,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day (2,700 boe/d) of low-decline, high-netback production, along with 209,688 acres of land in central Alberta and a development-ready Banff oil play, providing "a large inventory of development locations to fuel lower risk production growth for many years," the analyst added.
The additional production would boost Prairie's total to about 7,700 boe/d, and would increase its Proven reserves an estimated 97% and 2P reserves by about 110%, to 28.3 million barrels of oil equivalent (28.3 MMboe) and 43.2 MMboe, respectively.
Essentially, Newman pointed out, in the transaction Prairie will pay "only" CA$20,500 per flowing barrel. It will pay about CA$3.95/boe for 13.9 MMboe of Proven reserves and pay "only" CA$2.44/boe for 22.6 MMboe of 2P reserves.
"With a larger cash flow and opportunity base, Prairie Provident has more flexibility to allocate capital to projects with the highest potential return," wrote Newman.
The estimated value of the company's pro forma 2P reserves, including those gained from Marquee, is CA$3.25 per share. Yet, the company is "crazy cheap" today, trading at CA$0.35 a share, highlighted Newman. Mackie's target price on it is CA$2 per share, reflecting a 471% projected return. It is a recommended Buy.


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You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Daily Hansard - Debate
Albert Owen: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for reeling off the names of all the supermarkets that have moved to Cornwall. We experienced the same situation in north-west Wales during the 1980s, when there were very few supermarkets in the area. That has now changed. Because people are feeling a little wealthier and able to spend more, they are attracting more retailers, including
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Waitrose in my constituency. I welcome that, and Waitrose welcomes the idea of an ombudsman. It is not true that all supermarkets oppose the idea. Many are in favour of it, and see it as the way forward.
Mr. Chope: Some supermarkets may see it as the way forward, but it is possible that they have not looked at the Bill very carefully. I think the Bill constitutes a grave distraction from the real issues affecting consumers and, indeed, suppliers.
One of the biggest problems for a supplier based in Cornwall is the cost of taking his goods to market. That is largely due to the cost of transport and the high taxes charged on diesel, which discriminate against suppliers from the more remote parts of the country. What will the Bill do about it? Nothing whatsoever.
What about the common agricultural policy, which is probably the greatest burden that consumers of grocery products in this country have to bear? I am glad to see that the hon. Member for Stroud agrees with me about that. The common agricultural policy probably adds about £1,000 a year to the average family's grocery bill. That is the big issue we should be trying to address, but the Bill avoids it. What about the costs of regulation imposed by Government on supermarkets, other retailers and suppliers? What about the VAT that is imposed on an increasingly wide range of supermarket products, including, I understand, Pringles? What about all the extra regulations that are constantly being introduced, and which discriminate against the small supplier?
The House should be addressing those major issues, rather than going along with the superficially attractive idea of creating an ombudsman whom the Bill would allow to impose unlimited fines and costs on grocery suppliers and supermarkets, and to reach determinations based on anonymous complaints against which there could be no appeal other than on a point of law. The Bill pushes arbitrariness far beyond what is reasonable. Those who are campaigning against it are well advised, and I am glad that they have support from Members of Parliament. There may not be many Members in the Chamber today, but I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) and I are not alone in our concern about the Bill.
Mr. Drew: Will the hon. Gentleman tell us-for the benefit of Hansard, if for no other purpose-who is opposing the Bill?
Philip Davies: I am.
Mr. Chope: In anticipation of the intervention from the hon. Member for Stroud, I have it made clear that I oppose the Bill. My hon. Friend the Member for Shipley opposes it as well. I cannot speak for others, but it is a pretty good rule of thumb when we are legislating in this place that if there is a consensus between the Front Benches, it will be very bad for the country. That may not be apparent initially, but it usually becomes apparent later. The ghastly Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, for instance, was passed on the basis of consensus. So, in the end, was the ghastly high hedges legislation, which some of us opposed. It was passed with no debate whatsoever, as part of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, and I
receive a lot of complaints from people who say that it raised expectations but has not delivered the goods. There are many other examples.
Albert Owen: The hon. Gentleman has identified two Members who oppose the Bill. Would he care to list those outside the House who oppose it, apart from Sir Terry Leahy, whom he mentioned earlier? It is a fact that the National Farmers Union, the Women's Institute and various other bodies that are represented in all our constituencies have thought about the issue. They are consumers, and they have concluded that the current system is unfair. Does the hon. Gentleman simply ignore what they say and what the Competition Commission says?
Mr. Chope: I shall not respond to the hon. Gentleman's challenge and list everyone who opposes the Bill, but my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley referred to one distinguished individual who has already spoken out against it. I hold no brief for the British Retail Consortium, but it seems to represent a lot of retailers: in other words, a lot of shopkeepers up and down the country. If the British Retail Consortium is against the Bill, as I understand it to be, I am sure that its members are against it. If they are not, they will soon be resigning from the consortium in accordance with the principles of the marketplace.
I can say with some confidence that if consumers realised that the Bill would push up the prices they pay in the supermarkets, they would be opposing it in large numbers. They would be lobbying and petitioning against it. I am sure that if they realised that, under the Bill they would have no right to bring cases to the ombudsman or to make representations about the consequences of the restrictions on competition that the Bill would impose, they would be eager to speak out on the subject.
We are sent to this place by our electors to exercise our judgment on the issues before us. Despite the comments of the Bill's promoter and others who say they support it, the evidence I have seen when one looks beneath the surface is that the Bill will just lead to a lot more bureaucracy and expense and will interfere in one of our most successful industries-our retail industry. That highly competitive industry delivers much lower grocery prices to consumers in the United Kingdom than are found in almost any other part of Europe. Those prices would be even lower if we could address the ghastliness of the common agricultural policy. I shall not go further down that route, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but may I just say that it is important that those of us who think this Bill wrong should have the courage of our convictions and oppose it on Second Reading? [Interruption.]
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Alan Haselhurst): Order. It may come as a surprise to hon. Members that the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope) was as concise as he was, but attention and vigilance is wise at all times. I call Nia Griffith.
Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab): Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker-you take the very words out of my mouth.
I begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) on coming so high in the ballot and on choosing this extremely important issue
out of the many different topics available. Introducing this Bill is crucial, and we have waited a long time for it. We have seen the report from the Competition Commission and we have been told that this Bill is a helpful way forward, yet there has not been an opportunity to get it enacted-it is high time that we did.
We can often get lost in nostalgia, thinking back to the time when every village had a little row of shops, but we must remember that that was the time before the motor car-or the time when many people, mostly women, had no access to motor cars-so every bit of shopping had to be carried home. Shopping was therefore done on a daily basis. Of course we have moved on from that and all of us like to enjoy the full range of consumer outlets available to us. We love going into the specialised shop where somebody who has a real love of their product and their trade can spend hours telling us all about it, but we also love going into a big supermarket and getting everything done very quickly.
We are very lucky in Llanelli because we still have an indoor market, which has many of the traditional stalls where people can do a good morning's shopping and come home with all sorts of valuable products, many of which are locally produced. Obviously, we all want to ensure that there is fairness, be it in respect of the local corner shop, which we value because we can easily pop in at any time-day or night-the supermarket, the indoor market in Llanelli or the specialist producer. Even the British Retail Consortium refers to the code of practice. If it is so keen on the code, it is difficult to see why it opposes the idea of a "referee", as my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn has termed the ombudsman. It is right that we should have proper rules and regulations and a proper code.
Philip Davies: The hon. Lady goes on about that, but the code that she mentions is overseen by the Office of Fair Trading, so why do we need an ombudsman?
Nia Griffith: The Competition Commission has taken evidence and made a recommendation, so it has clearly gone into this issue far more thoroughly than perhaps the hon. Gentleman or I can possibly do in the short space of time available to us. It is clear that huge distortion has resulted from the fact that there are one or two large players in this market, and we therefore need to strengthen the tools that we have to deal with them. That is why we want a grocery market ombudsman.
Dairy farmers in my constituency face considerable difficulty. Again, we can recall what happened in the past. I remember accompanying my grandmother when she went to cook and clean on a local farm, and at that stage milking was still done by hand, with the milk put in churns. We have moved on-of course we have, because everybody needs to upgrade. High standards need to be met on hygiene and efficiency, and huge investment by farmers is required to meet them. All that needs to be financed and we know how difficult it is for some of the young people in our constituencies to remain in farming. We know how difficult it is to raise the capital to make those necessary investments and to bring everything up to the required standards.
Mark Williams: I very much agree with what the hon. Lady is saying. Does she agree that morale has sunk to an all-time low in the dairy sector and that one of the
most attractive qualities of the Bill is the extent to which it will send a powerful message about the ability of primary producers to innovate and to invest, because it will take away some of their concerns and the risks to which they have been subjected by the behaviour of some retailers?
Nia Griffith: I agree with the hon. Gentleman. It is crucial that we should stop portraying farmers as simply whingeing; what they want is a fair deal. They want their concerns to be taken seriously and they want a fair price. The price of milk has not kept pace with inflation at all-the price has been ridiculous-and those farmers need our protection so that they obtain a fair price. They are not asking for special treatment; they are asking for fair treatment. I recall the time, some 30 years ago, when the whole fair trade movement was very new. A street theatre would show a banana being chopped into pieces to illustrate how much the producer got, how much the middle people got and how much the consumer actually paid. We have come an extremely long way since then-we have come so far that people can buy an enormous range of Fairtrade products, and supermarkets are becoming proud of the fact that they are stocking them. They boast that they do.
We need to value our home producers in the same way. This week, as part of Fairtrade fortnight, we are celebrating the progress that we have made on fair trade in respect of products that come from developing countries, but we must ensure that we do the same for our local producers. We need to ensure that they are also valued for what they produce. I have never quite understood the logic of selling lettuces at two for the price of one. People end up being tempted to buy two lettuces for the price of one, only for them to go home and find that they have already got a few lettuces in the bottom of the fridge. It is extremely difficult to get through a large quantity of lettuce in a short time, no matter how good the quality, and the product does not keep for ever and ever.
Philip Davies: The hon. Lady seems to be giving the impression that supermarkets impose things such as "buy one get one free" offers on suppliers, who do not want to pursue them. In the real world, it is suppliers who always insist that supermarkets make these offers because the suppliers see that as a way of marketing their products. "Buy one get one free" offers are the result not of supermarkets imposing them on suppliers, but of suppliers coming to supermarkets because they want to do them.
Nia Griffith: We will have to beg to disagree on some of these points. The supermarkets have enormous power and there is enormous potential for distortion of the market. One decision made by one very large player can have a huge knock-on effect on everybody else in the market. We are considering fairness here; we are not considering special treatment. We are not being soppy, romantic and overly nostalgic and we are not assuming that nothing should ever change. We accept that there has to be change and that the modern world requires enormous changes to be made by our farmers and producers. We therefore require a fair and level playing field, whereby everything that is thought to be in any way unfair or anomalous can be examined by an independent ombudsman, who can then take up the
issues and examine whether there is a way of making things fairer and whether anybody is being badly done by. It is important to make it clear that we are not against the supermarket and we are not against the consumer.
We all understand that modern life is such that people benefit enormously from having a range of shops to which they can go. We know that people sometimes want to do everything under one roof in a hurry and they want the enormous variety that can be put on display by the supermarkets. We also know that at other times people want the shop that is just down the road from them because it is convenient and easy to reach. What is important is that any one player or any one institution is not so large and dominating that other people do not receive any form of fair play.
As I say, we are not looking back and we are not trying to recreate some sort of ideal from the past, which of course was never quite such a golden era as we always seem to imagine. We are living in the modern world and are trying to get a fair deal so that the consumer can know that when they go to buy products, the people who have produced them receive a reasonable price. The consumer demands that nowadays. The consumer demands Fairtrade products, demands to know whether companies that import clothing from third world countries are using child labour and wants to know whether the staff in the local supermarket are allowed to join a trade union. Consumers are very ethical and discerning.
Mark Williams: The hon. Lady will agree, I am sure, with the point that has been made repeatedly this morning-the annual report that the ombudsman will be required to provide to give a bill of health on the performance of the supermarkets in these matters will give the consumer exactly the kind of information that is needed. Far from this being a supermarket-bashing debate, it is about empowering consumers to make decisions on the behaviour of the supermarkets. That should surely be welcomed.
Nia Griffith: Indeed. The interest in ethical investment and in wanting to spend one's money in businesses that one feels are ethical is growing daily. People want to make ethical investments, whether by investing in certain companies or shopping in certain places. Consumers are asking questions. They are asking whether people are treated fairly-whether staff are treated properly in the local supermarket or whether the producer gets a fair price. If the ombudsman can give a bill of health to a supermarket, it will be proud of that fact. It will probably want to badge it in some way and to talk it up in their local community. It is important that we get full consensus behind the idea, as it is through the support of the law-abiding majority that we make laws in this country, and that applies in this case. The supermarkets that are doing the right thing, that care about the price that they pay their producers and that look after their staff and consumers are not worried by the idea of a referee.
The idea that a referee could be damaging in any way seems completely absurd. Clearly, the idea is that those who play fair are dealt with fairly. The only difficulty would arise if there was exploitation or if totally
unreasonable pressure was applied. As the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr. Williams) said, it is not just a matter of price. It might also be a matter of terms and conditions. We know that, with the difficulties of the economic downturn over the past year and a half, ready income is important to the small supplier. We know that being paid promptly can make a huge difference between being in business or going out of business. It is not simply a matter of price-terms and conditions come into it, too, and so might such things as exclusivity clauses and ways in which the producer can be hemmed in or forced into a position in a manner that, frankly, we would term bullying in many other spheres of life. The producer cannot wriggle out or choose who they supply. We are busy talking about choice from the point of view of the consumer, but the producer also needs freedom to act so that they can get what they feel is the best price for their product and are not hemmed into a particular way of production and supply for a particular chain.
To sum up, we need to live in the modern world-we should not be nostalgic for times gone past-in which we, as consumers, are ethical and demand good standards, and choice. We want to have the specialist, the corner shop, the market and the supermarket, but we also recognise that the difficulties facing the farming industry at the moment mean that we could lose the ability to produce our own products such as milk. I hear people saying that we could be importing our milk from abroad before long. If someone goes out of business, they cannot simply press a button and start all over again. We all know how long it takes to restock and to build up a herd and a viable dairy farm. It is worrying to hear that some of our dairy farmers think, yet again, that they might have to pull out of the industry. They would be added to the many hundreds who have already done so. We are talking about food security and about a basic product, such as milk, having to be brought in from abroad.
It might come as a surprise to my hon. Friends to hear that we now produce more of our own food than we did back in the 1950s, when we had a large empire and were dependent on imports. However, it is important that we should look to the future and consider how we nurture and protect producers in all sectors. We know that people have to be responsive. Corus, in my constituency, which produces tins for many well-known brands, has to be extremely responsive and it has kept going through the economic downturn because of its immense flexibility. It is prepared to switch in a fortnight the style and quantity of tin that it provides for certain big producers because of changes in consumer patterns. If consumers suddenly want more baked beans, more tinned fruit or whatever, the Corus packaging plant in my constituency can change the type of tin that is required very quickly. We need such flexibility from the producer, but we do not want a situation in which producers cannot survive. That is the importance of this Bill. Without a grocery ombudsman, we might well see the end of many of our dairy farms. That is one of the main reasons why I support the Bill promoted by my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn.
John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare) (Con): I start by congratulating the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) on having come so high in the ballot-although
I am never sure why we congratulate each other on what is essentially a matter of chance-and on laying out this Bill in an extremely logical and careful way. He put the case very strongly and is also benefitting from widespread consensus across most of the House-certainly in the three major parties. He explained that and some of the factors that have led to the building of that consensus over many years. I congratulate him on that, too. He handled many interventions with a great deal of courtesy and logic and therefore managed to deal with an awful lot of the points that were likely to come up later in the course of his remarks.
The hon. Gentleman covered two issues that are worthy of extra detail. The first was the question of large suppliers versus small ones and the second was that of whether the proposed ombudsman should be in or out of the Office of Fair Trading. I propose to come back to them in a moment if I can.
I am not sure whether it is necessary for me to make this point, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but I shall make it anyway on the precautionary principle. My wife used to work for a couple of large supermarkets-
Albert Owen: So did mine.
John Penrose: The hon. Gentleman says that his wife did, too. I am not sure whether it is necessary to declare such non-interests, if I can put it that way, but I shall apply the precautionary principle just so that it is on the record.
The hon. Member for Ynys Môn was followed by the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George). As someone with the name of Penrose-a solid Cornish name-I sympathise with the fact that he cannot be too close to Cornwall on St. Piran's day, which is very important in that part of the world. He is a leading light in the Grocery Market Action Group and I suspect that today is therefore an important day for him and everybody else in that organisation. It represents something of a victory on which they obviously deserve to be congratulated.
It is worth pausing to mark the important distinction that the hon. Member for St. Ives made between fair dealing and price setting. It is vital that everyone acknowledges that the Bill is proposing a mechanism to force and drive home fair dealing, and that it is not about price setting. If the Bill were to trip over the line between fair dealing and price setting, I think that none of us would support it. My party would certainly have great difficulty in doing so.
Albert Owen indicated assent.
Andrew George indicated assent.
John Penrose: That is an important principle to establish. To be fair, when I gently asked the hon. Member for St. Ives to distinguish between the ombudsman system that would be set up by the Bill and his party's proposals for a food market regulator, he was kind enough to draw a distinction and to say that this Bill would involve an entirely smaller operation.


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