There are two major problems in the fisheries exploiting demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean. These are the high levels of overfishing and the ineffective regulatory framework. The excessive use of fishing capacity (i.e. high amount of vessels and fishing effort) has been identified as the leading cause of overfishing. At the same time, the current regulatory framework is ineffective because of its limited scope of application, the slow and poor implementation and the lack of stakeholder ownership. These two problems have resulted, directly or indirectly, in the alarming state of demersal stocks (i.e. over 80 % of the assessed stocks are overfished and the biomass of some of them is very low, indicating that there is a high probability of collapse), socio-economic implications for the fishermen and the fishing sector, and impacts on the marine environment.
The problems described above primarily affect fishermen fishing for demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean, meaning EU fleets from Italy, France and Spain. According to the data reported under the EU fisheries data collection framework (DCF), around 13 000 vessels would be potentially affected by this initiative.
The general objectives are as follows: to achieve the objectives of the CFP (Article 2) in the western Mediterranean demersal fisheries, namely with regards to ensuring that fishing activities are environmentally sustainable in the long-term and are managed in a way that allow economic, social and employment benefits; and to improve the regulatory management framework of these fisheries.
The specific objectives are as follows: (i) to achieve and maintain fishing mortality at the maximum sustainable yield for all demersal stocks by 2020; (ii) to increase the selectivity of bottom trawls, particularly to exclude juvenile individuals; (iii) to ensure a sustainable fishing sector; and (iv) to provide an effective management framework, which is simpler, more stable and provides stakeholders with greater ownership.
Demersal fish stocks and fishing vessels are trans-boundary, so action at Member State level alone is unlikely to be effective in achieving the objectives. To be effective, measures should be coordinated and apply to the whole area of distribution of the stock and to all fleets concerned; hence the need for an action at European level.
Three policy options were considered: Option 1 'No policy change' – The first option is the status quo, or no policy change (i.e. the existing regulatory framework would continue to apply). It is used as a benchmark against which the alternative options will be compared; Option 2 'Amending the current management framework' – Under this option the current management tools, namely the national management plans, would be reviewed to include the CFP objectives. The main aspects to be considered in the review would be: amendments to the current scope (in terms of fish stocks, fisheries and area covered); new conservation objectives such as MSY; quantifiable targets and timeframes; and new safeguards; and Option 3 'Adopting a multi-annual plan at EU level' – This option would aim at ensuring that EU fishing fleets targeting demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean are regulated by a single and integrated regulatory framework at the EU level.
The preferred option is Option 3: a multi-annual plan at EU level, as it performs best on all the environmental and socio-economic objectives. It is also more coherent with the reformed CFP, streamlined (one main regulatory framework), more stable (it considers the long-term perspective) and more transparent (as the three Member States concerned would jointly adapt current fishing mortalities to sustainable levels through a Council Regulation) than options 1 and 2.
All of the consulted stakeholders agreed that the current management framework (Option 1 or baseline) would not be sufficient to meet the objectives of the CFP. The consultation also found that most stakeholders do not agree with the alternative of amending the current management framework (Option 2) because the problems previously described would still persist. On the other hand, the large majority of stakeholders (i.e. MEDAC, public administrations, NGOs and scientific community) regard an EU multi-annual plan (Option 3) as the best possible long-term solution. In their view, this approach is justified by the multi-species nature of the fisheries, the various Member States involved and the interactions between the different gears and types of fisheries.
What are the benefits of the preferred option (if any, otherwise main ones)?
From an environmental viewpoint, the modelling suggests that approximately 70 % of the assessed stocks would recover to SSB levels above the BPA precautionary reference point by 2025. However, the probability of achieving fishing mortality targets for all stocks would remain low, at around 36 %. The simulations suggest that, under the multi-annual plan, neither indicator would be fully met. Nevertheless, this option produces substantially better results than the baseline and also than Option 2 in relation to change FMSY. From a socio-economic viewpoint, only 1 fleet segment would be at financial risk by 2025 (eight fleet segments less than the baseline). The affected fleet segment (i.e. Spanish netters between 12 and 18 metres in overall length) has 52 vessels.
The multi-annual plan would also be streamlined (one main regulatory framework), more stable (it considers the long-term perspective) and more transparent (as the three Member States concerned would jointly adapt current fishing mortalities to sustainable levels through a Council Regulation) than the amended framework.
What are the costs of the preferred option (if any, otherwise main ones)?
The multi-annual plan would imply greater transitional employment- and profitability-related costs, as a consequence of the substantial reductions needed to attain fishing mortality targets. This option would put 8 fleet segments at financial risk by 2022 (three fleet segments more than the baseline). They are the French, Spanish and Italian bottom trawlers between 18 and 40 metres in overall length and some Spanish passive gears (e.g. longliners between 6 and 12 metres). The 8 fleet segments have 1 415 vessels, 6 193 FTE fishermen and 3 100 jobs in ancillary activities at risk. However, under the multi-annual plan, socio-economic performance is expected to improve across all fleets by 2025, with 25 of 26 fleets in profit.
All of the impacts described above are expected to be especially relevant to SMEs, as the large majority of fishing firms involved in exploiting demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean Sea are micro-enterprises (on average, 89 % of the French, Italian and Spanish enterprises in the fishing sector have only 1 vessel). There is therefore no basis to exclude them from the scope of the initiative, as otherwise the initiative would be aimless. The multi-annual plan would therefore most likely apply to all enterprises including SMEs, to a varying degree depending on how Member States will decide to allocate the necessary reductions on the different fleet segments.
As for the Member States, putting in place the multi-annual plan and the new effort management regime may lead to some additional administrative costs, but this could be catered for through EMFF support (Article 36 of the EMFF). After a transitional period, it is expected that the administrative costs (equivalent to maintaining the established regulatory framework) would fall and be more in line with the benefits of achieving the goals set.
The plan, and its impacts, would be assessed by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) five years after its entry into force. The Commission would then report to the European Parliament and Council on the results.


New Delhi, July 15, 2017: An Indian subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group in Australia- Flight Shop, has recently declared the findings of Monsoon 2017, the "Green Season" of India stating the present unique monsoon destinations of the country.
These include Tinsukia in Assam, Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, Kausani in Uttrakhand, Mandu in Madhya Pradesh, and Athirapally falls in Kerala. Apart from these, Mawlynnong in Meghalaya, Digha in West Bengal and Panshet in Maharashtra are also grabbing the attention of the Indian travelers with their vivid beauty and unique appeal.
Reportedly, the findings of Monsoon 2017 has also testified a 30% rise in Domestic-Travel during the 'green season' as travelers cherish the fading heat of the summer holiday-period and also can dodge a large number of tourists, visiting the popular tourist-spots.
It is all about taking advantage of the amazing tariff-rates, coupons, and discounts; which further promote the cause of traveling to these destinations in this season.
Adventurous activities and amazing experiences coupled with fascinating deals have triggered the interest in the urban travelers, solo travelers, the backpackers, and the adventure buffs to break free and explore, ANI has reported.
Reportedly, in addition to the most unconventional tourist-spots observed during the monsoon, Ladakh, Kerela, Coorg, and Goa continue to remain the appealing destinations for the tourists and the exquisiteness that they offer.
It has been observed that Solo Travel has seen a 10-15% rise, with travelers from key metros cities heading to the mountains for monsoon getaways to the unique destinations.


text:
Monte Peso Grande  o Castell'Ermo (1.092 m) is a mountain of the Ligurian Prealps, the eastern section of the Ligurian Alps.

Features

The mountain stands on the water divide between Arroscia (South) and Pennavaira valleys. Westwards a saddle named Colla d'Onzo divides it from the minor elevations of Prati di Bacelega and Monte Cucco, while eastwards the ridge goes on with the E summit of Castellermo (1.062 m), goes down to the Colla di Curenna (900 m about), rises up to the Monte Nero (981 m) and ends in the lowland of Albenga. The North face of Castellermo features rock spires and sandstone cliffs. Its southern slopes also show rocky areas, but they are not so steep and are covered in thick bushes and woodland, mainly of broad-leaf trees. On the South face of the mountain also stands, in a  panoramic position and at an elevation of about 1000 metres, the tiny Catholic sanctuary of San Calocero, built during the Middle ages. The prominence of the mountain is 345 metres. A sub-summit East of the top of the mountain bears a cross which can be seen from the lowland. Administratively the Peso Grande belongs to the comune of Vendone; the chief town of the municipality stands in the Arroscia valley but its territory overflows the water divide and also encompasses a portion of the Pennavaira valley.

SOIUSA classification
According to the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way:
 main part = Western Alps; major sector =  South Western Alps, section = Ligurian Alps, subsection = Prealpi Liguri
 supergroup = Catena Settepani-Carmo-Armetta, group = Gruppo Galero-Armetta, subgroup = Dorsale della Rocca delle Penne, code = I/A-1.I-A.3.c

Geology

A tectonic unit, mainly made of sandstone and dolomite, takes its name from monte Castell'Ermo. Chronologically this unit is attributed to the upper Triassic and Jurassic, while in palaeogeography it's considered as the innermost part of the Briançonnais zone, an area of the Penninic nappes of the Alps. Close to the mountain have been found  characteristic radiolarites dating back to the Jurassic.
In 1904 the geologist Gaetano Rovereto, in his work Geomorfologia delle Valli Liguri, mentioned the Castellermo for its craggy peaks, with horrid and distinctive shapes (cime dirupate, orride e con forme caratteristiche).

History

The Castell'Ermo, due to its prominent location and its strong visual impact, during prehistory was considered a kind of sacred mountain. In particular on the slopes nowadays included in the municipality of Vendone, in a place referred as "Tre Pe", there was a dolmen presumably built by the Ligures, which unfortunately was destroyed by some youngsters of the village in the early post war years.
The sacredness of the place was also recognized during the Middle ages, when was built the Sanctuary of San Calocero, which nowadays remains the destination of a pilgrimage, taking place every five years and involving many worshipers coming from the nearby villages. The same name Castellermo, a short form of Castello dell'Eremo (in English Castle of the hermitage), is connected to an ancient tradition stating that saint Calocerus lived there as an hermit.
During the years of the Resistance the area was used as a refuge by the partigiani. In the Casone dei Crovi, an old building close tho the summit of mount Peso Grande, at the end of 1943 some partisans led by commander Felice Cascione composed the famous song Fischia il vento, which was executed in public for the first time in the nearby village of Curenna.

Access to the summit

Hiking
The Castellermo can be reached from San Calocero sanctuary, which can be accessed either from the East with a footpath which runs starts from Arnasco  and runs close to the Arroscia/Pennavaira ridge, or from West, also following the water divide. San Calocero can also be accessed by some villages in the comune of Vendone like Borgo di Curenna. These itineraries aren't difficult and doesn't require alpinistic skills. The round-shaped Eastern sub-summit of the Castellermo can be accessed offtrack starting from the saddle on the Arroscia/Pennavaira ridge which divides it from the main summit.  The hike can be nice even in winter, due to the mild climate of the area, but is not advisable during the summer, when the heat can be excessive.

Rock climbing
Although the rock is not considered of a good quality, on the North face of the mountain have been described several climbing routes. The climbers' frequentation was forbidden in the late XX century due to the annoyance that it caused to the nesting birds of the area.Some of these routes have been experimentally re-opened because the experts assessed they had a minor impact on the wildife.

Environment protection
The mountain and its surrounding area are included in the SCI (Site of Community Importance) named Castell'Ermo - Peso Grande (code:  IT1324818).

References

Bibliography

Maps

One-thousanders of Italy
Mountains of Liguria
Mountains of the Ligurian Alps
Province of Savona

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Integration is a massive topic with hundreds, if not thousands of solutions, questions and answers. How do we pick our way through this minefield and come up with a solution that fits or enterprise?
It is vital that before we start to make decisions that could cost our business millions of pounds it is well worth taking the time to understand the basics of integration so that we fully understand the impact of the decisions we are about to make.


out the air or make a structured estimate of likely costs?
Overheads fixed and variable, Labour and Material usage, Absorption rates,……. If this means nothing to you but your business produces goods for an end user or has a number of different strings to it you may benefit from activity based costings analysis. This can help you calculate your most profitable lines or where the greatest wastage is. Knowing this can help ensure you get value for money and so do your customers.
Finding the best value for money materials; considering all assets required, including hired equipment and labour time; ensuring you can meet all deadlines and customer requirements legally; not overlapping jobs and annoying everyone. These are just a few of the things contractual costings can help you get right, thus ensuring you get the job and leave happy satisfied customers behind whilst still keeping your business solvent.
If you have any questions about our Costings services get in touch now simply call 07896 204 857. Our aim is to be fully approachable and straightforward at all times. Financial matters are already difficult enough so our services don't have to be too!


You can enjoy every meal in our restaurant-quality dining room, where you'll have table service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Relax and let us handle those pesky chores of cooking and washing dishes. You can even host your own dinner for your family and friends in our private dining room. Schedule a personal visit today to see what Brightview Shelton will offer Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care residents.


A total of 16 teams make the playoffs; 8 from each conference with division leaders seeded 1 thru 4.
Pick one team from each seeding category (1s, 2s, 3s, 4s) and one At-Large pick. Picks can be from any division and either conference, but must be unique. Your At-Large pick cannot duplicate one of your seed picks.
Select one team as the Stanley Cup Champion (correct choice worth 55 pts).
Select one team as the Stanley Cup Runner-Up (correct choice worth 15 pts).
When we get to the Stanley Cup Finals, we will pick tiebreakers.


If someone calls you backward, you might take offense—unless it's your electric meter they're talking about. Right now, the Northern Dutchess area is full of people who are experiencing just that phenomenon as part of the Solarize Northern Dutchess program. And you could be one of them, if you act before June 30.
That's the cut-off for signing up for free home site assessments through this non-profit community education program which is run by local volunteers. The Solarize Northern Dutchess effort is coordinated by Solarize Hudson Valley, which is part of Catskill Mountainkeeper and Sustainable Hudson Valley's RenewableNY program. The three-year effort is funded in the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). By leveraging group discounts through pre-selected installers and community outreach, residents receive a 10-20% automatic discount on their solar systems.
Dutchess County residents who sign up before June 30 will then have until July 31 to sign contracts with the installer of their choice. The two participating installers are Hudson Solar and Direct Energy Solar.
"Northern Dutchess communities have come together over Solarize – we have well over 200 leads for residential projects! We continue to focus on letting homeowners know about their options. We also want to help businesses, non-profits and farms understand they can be part of the program as well," said Solarize Northern Dutchess campaign organizer Laurie Husted.
Of the more than 200 Northern Dutchess residents who have attended Solarize events this spring, dozens have signed contracts on discounted solar panels through the program. George Kustas of Poughkeepsie said it was an easy decision to participate. "Buying a solar powered system for your home right now is a no-brainer. Besides saving money in the long term, I feel good about using renewable energy," he said.
Rhinebeck resident Raina Whan is participating in the Solarize program and appreciates the opportunity to learn more about the solar options for her home from a trusted source. "With so much yet to learn about solar, it is reassuring and helpful to have the Solarize community organization there for questions, vetting of solar installers, and oversight -- very reassuring and takes the worry out of it," she said.
Another Rhinebeck resident signed up through the Solarize program early and is already experiencing savings. "Hard to beat the meter running backward that translates into guilt free summer air conditioning. We really enjoyed the installation process and the people from the Solarize program, from volunteers to installers, who made our experience so positive. In three weeks we've saved $100 with a fairly small system," said Mark Lytle.
Dutchess County residents can visit www.solarizeND.org to learn more and enroll in the program to find out of solar is right for their home, commercial or non-profit building.


If you've lost your G-shock manual or simply want to be able to read the manual on your computer rather than reading a very small booklet then Casio can help. Every Casio watch manual can be downloaded from the Casio Watch Manual Archives. Simply find the module number which is normally a three or four digit number printed on the caseback in a square box (see diagram), input into the search box and you're away.
CANNOT FIND MODULE NO FOR PRODUCT CODE G-300L-1AVES can you help so i can set the hands to the right time, thanks.
Look on the back of the watch. Module number will be in a little rectangular box.


A bipartisan report released Thursday on how to restore opportunity for the neglected working class stresses tax, education, and macro-economic policies that have promoting work as their central goal.
The study, Work, Skills, Community: Restoring Opportunity for the Working Class, comes from an 18-month collaboration convened by Opportunity America and cosponsored by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and Brookings Institution.
The report defines "working class" as the nearly 40 million Americans with a high school diploma but less than a college degree who are in the 20th to 50th income percentiles – roughly an annual income of $30,000 to $70,000 for a couple with one child.
To help illustrate the depth of the problem, Jacoby offered statistics highlighting some disturbing working-class trends.
In 1980, 74 percent of the working class were married; today it's 52 percent.
In the 1970s, 71 percent had ties to a neighborhood organization (a place of religious worship, a social club); today it's 15 percent.
Jacoby and William Galston, a member of the study group and chair of the Governance Studies Program at Brookings, said the group tried to avoid politically fractious and overtly ideological "bumper sticker solutions" such as universal basic income or aggressively protectionist trade policies.
Adding more federal funding for career-focused education programs by eliminating tax breaks for 529 educational savings accounts and loan forgiveness for graduate students.
Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to cover childless workers and experimenting with a new wage subsidy. This could be paid for by: expanding the number of families that pay estate taxes; limiting tax exemptions available to more affluent households; or raising minimum taxes for corporations that rely on tax havens.
Strengthening work requirements for means-tested government programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, while also ensuring programs have the training and support needed for job seekers.
Making the child and dependent care tax credit more available to working class families.
Creating a new federal program to monitor and limit opioid prescriptions.
Reforming unemployment and disability insurance to promote work.
Subsidizing eight weeks of paid parental leave and encouraging employers to offer up to 40 weeks of unpaid time off.
Mobilizing communities to make the most of the job-creating investment expected to be catalyzed by the Opportunity Zone provision of the 2017 tax bill.
Re-engaging in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact process.
Working group members acknowledged the difficulty of finding consensus on some issues, and a number of divisive topics – race, immigration, the Affordable Care Act – were deliberately omitted by the panel for either being too intractable or beyond the scope of the project.
But panelists from the left and right taking part in a discussion of the report lauded the group for finding areas where they could recommend action to be taken.


text:
Q: CellProvider Closure never gets executed for UICollectionViewDiffableDataSource class PropertyCollViewController: UIViewController {

    @IBOutlet weak var collectionView: UICollectionView!

    var sections = Person.getSectionData()

    typealias PropertyDataSource = UICollectionViewDiffableDataSource<Person.Section, Property>
    typealias PropertySnapshot = NSDiffableDataSourceSnapshot<Person.Section, Property>
    private var dataSource: PropertyDataSource!

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        self.title = "Collections"
        collectionView.collectionViewLayout = configureLayout()
        configureDataSource()
    }

  func configureLayout() -> UICollectionViewCompositionalLayout {
           let size = NSCollectionLayoutSize(
               widthDimension: .fractionalWidth(1.0),
               heightDimension: .absolute(44)
           )
           let item = NSCollectionLayoutItem(layoutSize: size)
           let groupSize = NSCollectionLayoutSize(widthDimension: .fractionalWidth(0.5), heightDimension: .absolute(44))

           let group = NSCollectionLayoutGroup.horizontal(layoutSize: groupSize, subitems: [item])
           let section = NSCollectionLayoutSection(group: group)
           section.contentInsets = NSDirectionalEdgeInsets(top: 10, leading: 10, bottom: 10, trailing: 10)
           section.interGroupSpacing = 0
           return UICollectionViewCompositionalLayout(section: section)
       }

    func configureDataSource()  {
         dataSource = UICollectionViewDiffableDataSource<Person.Section, Property>(collectionView: collectionView, cellProvider: { (collectionView, indexpath, property) -> UICollectionViewCell? in
            print("Cool")
            let cell = collectionView.dequeueReusableCell(withReuseIdentifier: "PropertyViewCell", for: indexpath) as? PropertyViewCell
            cell?.titleLabel.text = property.asset.name
            cell?.backgroundColor = .red
            return cell
        })

        dataSource.supplementaryViewProvider = { (collectionView, kind, indexpath) in
            guard kind == UICollectionView.elementKindSectionHeader else {
                return nil
            }
            guard let view = collectionView.dequeueReusableSupplementaryView(ofKind: kind, withReuseIdentifier: "HeaderView", for: indexpath) as? HeaderView else {
                fatalError()
            }
            let section = self.dataSource.snapshot().sectionIdentifiers[indexpath.section]
            view.sectionTitle.text = section.id.rawValue
            view.backgroundColor = .red
            return view
        }
        var snapShot = PropertySnapshot()
        snapShot.appendSections(sections)
        dataSource.apply(snapShot, animatingDifferences: true)
    }

}

A: It's because you're not appending your items anywhere, and so your snapshot is empty. When you append a section, you're only appending the section as an identifier. You are not appending the section and all its items.
See the documentation here.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors: The Andray Blatche Cameo
Image courtesy of Keith Allison/Flickr.
He only played 18:02 in Game 3, took three shots and had three personal fouls in that time span, but there was such a profound presence when Andray Blatche was on the court. He's a load to deal with at his listed 6'11" and 260 pounds, with average to above average rebounding rates and soft hands. Combine that with his capable mid-range shooting and you have the makings of a solid offensive contributor.
The Toronto Raptors simply couldn't offer much resistance in guarding Blatche, evident by the eight free-throw attempts and his +11 (plus/minus ratio) on the night. His Points per Possession according to Synergy Sports was 1.71, by far the highest number on the team. His possessions came from a variety of plays: pick-and-rolls, cuts to the rim, some post-ups and even him simply setting screens for Marcus Thornton from the second quarter. It was a fun cameo and Jason Kidd should get credit for the way he's jiggered his rotations to keep Kevin Garnett at a 16-20 minute time limit while getting 31.3 minutes per game from Paul Pierce.
A few things to note from Game 3:
Psycho T:
Tyler Hansbrough has only played 16 minutes in the three games in this series, but this just isn't the series for Psycho T to play in. He's always been nothing more than a player with one gift: his offensive rebounding rate, which admittedly is a good gift to have as a niche player. His old teams in Indiana were always really good at offensive rebounding whenever he was on the court. In fact, the Pacers last year had a 33.4% Offensive Rebounding rate with Tyler in the lineup, a mark that would easily be the best in the NBA. This year with Hansbrough on the court the Raptors have a 29.4% Offensive Rebounding Rate which would be the second best in the NBA, an increase from the 27.2% they sported overall on the year which ranked 11th in the NBA.
He's very good in terms of impacting offensive rebounding, but it's just really hard to run an efficient offense with him on the court because he can't do anything else at a high level. The Raps were 6.6 better on offense with Tyler on the court (100.9 to 107.5) and the shooting metrics were significantly better without Hansbrough. Plus with Toronto already sporting a 31.8% offensive rebounding in the three playoff games against Brooklyn, there's just no need for him to play much and risk having such a stagnated offense, unless Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, and Patrick Patterson are in severe foul troubling.
Joe Johnson; Rinse, Lather and Repeat:
I've mentioned in the first two games how Joe Johnson has eaten alive the wing players for Toronto with the exception of Landry Fields, and the same continued with 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting. It's gotten to the point where it's becoming DEFCON 1 for Toronto. I mean, they're even running Johnson as a big man in horn actions to get Fields away from him:
It just combines so much of the great attributes of the five players on the court (Kevin Garnett's passing, Deron Williams' growing gravity in this series in the pick-and-roll, Paul Pierce's spacing, Andrei Kirilenko's cutting, and Joe Johnson's abilities against smaller wings). Just great play calling by Jason Kidd.
Terrence Ross' Disappearing act:
He's only 3-of-16 from the field, 2-of-11 from the three-point line, and averaging only 21 minutes per game in the playoffs, a far cry from the 26.7 he was averaging during the regular season. Some of this can be attributed to the 4.6 personal fouls he's averaging per 36 minutes in the series, but this hasn't been the best matchup for him. He's been stuck at times guarding the likes of Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce, which is a massive disadvantage on his end. In Game 3 Toronto moved him more towards guarding Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston, which in theory would be more advantageous for Ross' defensive skill set but similar results occurred.
It's not a surprise that with all this happening for Terrence Ross, Greivis Vasquez has been playing more minutes in either three-guard lineups with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, or playing with Lowry and Landry Fields on the perimeter. The shooting itself could simply just be a three-game aberration that is indirectly heightening the shortcomings of Ross's defensive exploits, but even then, the Raps need much more from him.
DeRozan's usage:
DeMar DeRozan is averaging a USG% of 33.5% which is where Kobe has primarily averaged during his prime years, which is interesting considering he's got a TS% of just over 51.2%. On the surface, those are very bad returns for a wing player to have that many possessions, but it's very encouraging that despite this he's averaged 11.6 free-throw attempts to compound the bad shooting on his end, which was very much one of Kobe's best attributes. The Raps actually did very well in isolation attempts against Brooklyn, going 7-of-15 on that end with 1.38 PPP via Synergy. DeRozan himself shot 6-of-12 in isolation situations, drawing two shooting fouls. It just seems like a waste of DeRozan's improving abilities as a pick-and-roll ball handler if isolations are where the Raps will have to depend on him for production, though that may have to ultimately be where DeRozan makes his hay.
So Game 3 is in the books with Game 4 coming Sunday. A series hangs in the balance, who will write its next chapter?
Related Items:andray blatche, andrei kirilenko, bmf, bmfdm, demar derozan, deron williams, joe johnson, jonas valanciunas, kevin garnett, kyle lowry, marcus thornton, nba, nba playoffs, paul pierce, shaun livingston, Terrence Ross, tyler hansbrough
'Uncut Gems' Portrays Life in Chaos Mode
BSOM Ep1: NY/LA Takeover and Offseason Surprises
Orlando Magic: 2019 NBA Free Agency for the Rest of Us
Russell Westbrook's brother tweets plea for Scott Brooks to be fired
The Miami Heat cruise to victory in Game 3

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Nov. 12, 2013, Toronto - This morning, in Elliot Lake, Ont., lawyers for the parties involved the rescue portion of the inquiry into the collapse of the Algo Centre mall in June 2012 give their final summations.
Nov. 12, 2013, Toronto – This morning, in Elliot Lake, Ont., lawyers for
the parties involved the rescue portion of the inquiry into the
collapse of the Algo Centre mall in June 2012 give their final
summations.
Written submissions were due Friday and are posted online here (pour a large coffee – there's lots of reading below and in the submissions).
That said, I was a bit surprised when I opened the files over the weekend to find that the submission by the Hicks Morley lawyers for the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) includes just four recommendations:
1. That the fire chief be the incident commander for the duration of a rescue/recovery operation;
2. That the OPP's UCRT team have a senior officer in the command tent;
3. That the province consider funding the shortfall in HUSAR support created by the cancellation of the federal Joint Emergency Preparedness Program – and possibly divert UCRT funds to HUSAR;
4. That the role of the Ministry of Labour during an emergency response be clarified.
Surprisingly, to me anyway, there are no recommendations dealing with consistency in incident command (although the IAFF submission calls for mandatory IMS in all Ontario municipalities), interoperable communication, or communication in general given the lack thereof during the incident – almost everyone who testified during phase II of the inquiry, including Elliot Lake Fire Chief Paul Officer, noted that communication was, by times, a problem.
Communication is, however, addressed by the province in its submission; the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services says it will try to bolster the level of support it provides to municipalities during incidents and will identify communications leads and protocols for critical incidents.
Interestingly, interoperable communication was noted by Commissioner Paul Belanger during the inquiry as a significant issue, but is not mentioned in the commissioner's terms of reference for the submissions which explains, I guess, why it is not addressed in any of the parties' recommendations. (My understanding is that this issue may still be addressed in the commission's recommendations.)
While I didn't sit through all of phase II, I was in Elliot Lake for much of the testimony relevant to the OAFC's mandate – that of Fire Chief Paul Officer, firefighters John Thomas and Darren Connors, HUSAR's Bill Neadles, several OPP officers and OPP Chief Supt. Robert Bruce. And I watched much more testimony online.
While I understand that the OAFC's interest specifically involved the role of the fire chief and the fire department and not the broader issue of emergency management in Ontario, I find it interesting that some of the topics that consumed such enormous chunks of inquiry time, are specifically related to fire, and significantly affected the response (which was commanded by the fire chief), aren't addressed.
Further, given the hours spent during the inquiry on explanations of incident command in general, unified command, PIMS, NIMS, the OPP's own incident command system, Fire Chief Paul Officer's role as the IC and the focus on the need for all agencies to understand and embrace the same incident-command practices, I wondered why there was no mention of this by the OAFC.
Some e-mail exchanges and conversations over the last couple of days, have provided some clarity. As I've said in previous posts, incident command in Ontario is a mish mash of the province's own system (which is under revision) and others such as Blue Card, and it's not mandatory. According to OAFC president Matt Pegg, making Ontario's provincial incident command system mandatory would necessitate considerable changes to the Section 21 Occupational Health and Safety guidance notes, which, apparently, is a significant task.
"Does the OAFC support the provincial IMS?," Pegg said Monday. "Yes, we're partners in that but . . . by and large provincial IMS needs to be an EOC tool and not infiltrate or negatively affect the fire-ground command system – it's all around recognition of the fact that we we've built much of the firefighter health and safety program via Section 21, and you can't change part of it without changing the whole thing."
The province, in its submission, acknowledges that in Elliot Lake, "the roles and responsibilities of various responding agencies were not fully understood by those persons managing the emergency," and that the provincial IMS was not being applied consistently. It says it will review the system with the groups that participated in its development – including the OAFC – in an effort to develop a better culture of compliance.
Further, the province says, it is:
evaluating the continued use and adoption of IMS across all aspects of emergency response;
clarifying definitions of emergency-management related terms;
encouraging the establishment of an incident-command structure at the initial stages of an emergency response, and, in particular, when provincial resources are deployed;
enhancing the province's ability to support the municipal response to building collapse;
revising the MOU regarding HUSAR response to clarify areas such as incident command;
and engaging with the MOL to clarify roles of inspectors and engineers.
Back to the OAFC's recommendations. We heard repeatedly during the inquiry that Chief Officer was indeed the incident commander for the overall operation; at times, members of other agencies – the OPP in particular – were confused about this because HUSAR's Bill Neadles was the IC for the rescue component and members of the OPP's UCRT team reported to Sgt. Jamie Gillespie, and some of them weren't aware of the overall command structure. I'm not sure where it says that the fire chief, in a recovery, wouldn't be the incident commander (nowhere, I confirmed yesterday), so it seems the OAFC's recommendation is specifically in response to the OPP assuming command in Elliot Lake after the rescue was deemed a recovery. (Chief Officer testified that he handed over command to the OPP once the rescue operation became a recovery.)
Indeed, Pegg explained yesterday that as with a fatal fire at which the fire chief is the IC and remains so for the duration of the incident – including while police and the coroner are completing their duties – there is no need in any rescue/recovery to transition command to another agency. I'm still not quite clear on this (and there is no further detail in the submission) – certainly at fatal fire scenes the investigation continues well after the fire chief/IC leaves the scene, and someone else assumes control of the scene. (Pegg notes that in many instances, mult-jurisdictional investigations are carried out but not until all related rescue and recovery operations are completed under the IMS that is operating on scene.)
The OAFC does point out in its submission that under provincial legislation, fire is responsible for rescue whereas the Police Services Act makes no mention of such, so perhaps the recommendation is simply meant as a clarification for the OPP. (It's interesting to note too that the OPP's submission is wrapped into the province's submission rather than in a separate document with separate recommendations.)
As for recommendation 2 – that the OPP's UCRT have a senior officer in the command tent – OPP officers who testified said the lack of OPP presence in the command tent was due to insufficient staffing (the senior officer was away and did not deploy to Elliot Lake) and are on record several times saying protocols will be changed to ensure that a superior officer deploys with the team at all times. I'm sure there's a political reason for this recommendation, given the OPP's attention to the issue during the inquiry.
"We're very pleased that OPP has acknowledged that that needs to be done differently," Pegg said in an interview. "That acknowledgement doesn't necessarily mean that it gets done and doesn't determine that the necessary procedural amendments will happen. Having the already-agreed to changes documented in the recommendations will help to ensure that these improvements get implemented."
Recommendation 3, the HUSAR funding, is addressed by the OAFC, the IAFF and the City of Toronto. All three ask that funding be provided: the OAFC by the province; the IAFF by Ottawa and, if that fails, then by the province; and the City of Toronto would "welcome any recommendations the commission may make with respect to funding for TF-3," which, to me, seems a rather feeble statement given the magnitude of the issue.
"Toronto would strongly support a recommendation that the federal government reinstate the JEPP funding and/or that the province consider implementing a similar program," the City of Toronto submission says,
Not that I'm an expert on HUSAR or JEPP, but my understanding is that the JEPP program will not be resurrected, that representatives from Calgary and Vancouver – which both have HUSAR teams – are leading the talks with Ottawa to find an alternative for funding.
Indeed, Vancouver Chief John McKearney explained in an e-mail yesterday that representatives from the four HUSAR teams have asked that Public Safety Canada maintain the program through $1.6 million in annual funding ($400,000 per team.) The cost to maintain each team is $1.2 million, which means provincial and local governments would need to provide $800,000.
Only the OAFC suggests that the province divert UCRT funding to HUSAR, which seems extreme given that the two teams' roles are different and, as I understand it from listening to the testimony, there's much a need for UCRT as there is for HUSAR; other submissions encourage the two teams to train together. To me, it's bad form to publicly suggest that money be taken away from one agency and given to another, particularly when the two teams are supposed to work together.
Pegg, who is a deputy chief in Toronto, disagrees.
"The real undercurrent to this," he says, "is that the OAFC has very significant concerns with existing funding model that includes money being allocated to UCRT at the expense of HUSAR.
"We have a HUSAR team in Ontario that is underfunded, yet considerable funds being funneled toward UCRT.
"There may be a perception that they have very different roles but when you look at the urban search and rescue competencies and skill sets of UCRT, which is being described as a medium-level team, there's nothing from a USAR perspective that UCRT can do that the heavy team can't, but the reverse is not true.
"So, living in a provincial system like we are right now where funding and resources are very tight, if you don't have enough money to go round cart blanche, does it not make sense that you would allocate all of your funding to developing and maintaining one team that is ready and able to be deployed when required so that you don't end up with two partially and inadequately funded teams?"
It will be interesting to see what the OPP representative at the Dec. 5 and 6 inquiry roundtable has to say about that.
Finally, the recommendation that the role of the Ministry of Labour be clarified. There was, by all accounts, in Elliot Lake, confusion about whether the MOL could issue a stop work order during a rescue. I listened to and read hours of testimony on this issue and I was still in the dark at the end of the inquiry given the conflicting versions of events.
So it's perfectly logical that the OAFC and others are asking for clarity. I still don't understand, however, whose job it is to ensure that fire chiefs and other responders understand the powers of MOL inspectors at incidents and what authority they have over rescues and/or recovery operations.
Which is why I spent a good chunk of Sunday reading the submission by the province to the inquiry commissioner.
Here's some of what I learned:
1. Contrary to some of the testimony, the Occupational Health & Safety Act does not differentiate between a regular workplace and a rescue or recovery.
2. Contrary to some of the testimony, first responders are NOT, under any circumstances, exempt from the act.
3. First responders can disturb a scene (evidence) to save a life, maintain an essential public utility or transportation system, or prevent unnecessary damage to other property.
4. If an inspector finds a contravention of OH&SA, a stop work order may be issued – either permanent or temporary.
5. MOL inspectors must always exercise their enforcement authority appropriately to the circumstances. According to the province's notes, this may require that inspectors exercise their discretion under the OH&SA differently in a rescue situation than in an investigation but the OH&SA must be complied with to the extent necessary to protect first responders from dangers.
It becomes clear from reading the province's submission that incomplete meeting minutes, semantics, rumours, assumptions, and stress clearly led to a situation in which confusion reigned.
Further, the province says, "There is no evidence that it was ever the intention of the MOL to issue an order preventing all access to the collapse zone. In any event, no such order was ever issued. The rescue had already been called off by Staff Insp. Neadles before MOL did issue an order, and when it was finally issued, the order explicitly excluded rescue and recovery workers, which allowed the rescue and recovery operation to continue."
Better communication – which, again, is not among the recommendations (but may yet be a recommendation of the commissioner) – may have prevented some of the confusion and frustration.
Summaries of the submissions from all parties – the OAFC, the City of Toronto and its HUSAR team, the IAFF, the City of Elliot Lake and others – were to be heard this morning. Commissioner Paul Belanger hosts the roundtable in Ottawa in a few weeks, with groups of experts to consider the recommendations. Pegg will represent the OAFC; names of the other participants have not been made public yet.
Comment: November 2013


Plot : Badhu Nuhen Mu Bandhu Oriya Movie shooting is in progress in different locations of Orissa. Fight master Sailendra Parija is directing the movie as a director for the first time. Manmath Mishra is the music director of the film. The film has a different storyline where the wife helps her husband to find his old love.


"... keep going. We are in this together."
Sophia Burns looks at gender roles on paper vs. in practice, and the division of labor underlying both.
An article that explores the culture of fear as a tool for establishing the Power of a capitalist, neocolonial, and genocidal governmental system.
You are unborn dreaming remembering the past.
You are the endless taking root in the now.
An Interview with Heathen Chinese by Accipiter Nisus.


text:
Devon will ensure a 'Leicester lockdown' scenario never happens
Devon has plans to provide a fast response to any future outbreaks of the virus across the county and help prevent it spreading – although cases are among the lowest in the country.
"Devon's Director of Public Health, Virginia Pearson, will lead a small committee made up of key personnel who can marshal all the resources needed to provide a swift response to managing an outbreak of the virus."
So at last we have a Devon controlled and manged infection response team who start managing from a low infection base. Heartening to see that death rates per head of population in Devon corresponds to those experienced in Germany. Lets hope that the test and trace system is up to the task – Owl
Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com
'If we end up like Leicester, then that will be an absolute failure'.
The East Midlands city this week became the first place to be put into a 'local lockdown' as a result of increasing numbers of coronavirus cases.
In total, there have been 3,673 positives cases in the city – with nearly 1,000 of them being in the last two weeks.
The number of infections in Leicester has seen the Government reserve some of the lockdown easing measures with non-essential retail having to close, schools going back to only taking children of key workers, and the 'Super Saturday' reopening of pubs on hold.
In complete contrast, Devon feels like a different world. Despite having nearly three times the population on Leicester, the county has seen less than a third of Leicester's cases – just 1,185 as of Thursday.
Devon has so far escaped the worst of the crisis, with deaths among the lowest in the country, care home deaths significantly lower than would be expected given infections, and the number of cases having plummeted to levels where they the virus is barely there. Only North East Lincolnshire of upper tier authority has seen fewer cases per population than Devon.
And new measures to contain and reduce cases of coronavirus in Devon and safeguard the health of local people have now been revealed, which detail plans to provide a fast response to any future outbreaks of the virus across the county and help prevent it spreading.
The Local Outbreak Management Plan involves close partnership working between local organisations like health, councils, police, schools and care homes alongside businesses and key industries such as tourism, as well as working the Government and with the new NHS Test and Trace Service to ensure Devon has the necessary capacity and capability to provide a fully co-ordinated approach to contain and manage local outbreaks of COVID-19.
"If it can work anywhere, it is here," said Dr Phil Norrey, Devon County Council's chief executive. "At the current rate, it (covid-19) is almost not there in the local population. It is there, but at a very low level. The numbers cases may be three times the actual level but they are people who are asymptomatic and have no symptoms. We monitor it daily and get the information through, and if we get more than two in a day, we're thinking 'oh that's a lot.
"Leicester last week had roughly 500 cases and they have same as in two and a half weeks as we have in the whole pandemic, and we have two times the population as them."
If you go onto the Government website, the statistics show that Devon has had 1,185 confirmed cases across both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2. Of them, 831 are Pillar 1 details of tests carried out by NHS, with a further 354 in Pillar 2, carried out by commercial testing
On Tuesday, when speaking to the media, Dr Norrey said that in the previous five days, there had been no confirmed cases in either pillars in the county, although since then, three cases have been confirmed in East Devon.
"From the start, people in Devon took the message they received very seriously and took responsibility for them and their families. We know examples when people didn't do that, but generally, there has been a responsible approach, and if that continues, we have every chance to keep levels as low as we can.
"It is a very nasty disease and we have 200,000 people over the age of 65 and the risk of getting ill doubles with every seven years of age, so we have the vulnerability if it is out and about. But where you see no cases in areas week after week, while it may still be there and very infectious and can spread quickly, from those levels, it will still take a while to build up in the local community even if the R Rate was very high, but we would aim to catch any outbreak early.
"Prevention is a key theme for us and all the public sector partners are working to prevent so as far as we can to stop an outbreak. If there is an outbreak then we aim to catch it early, and communicate and engage with the public. The key is to understand where the virus is being transmitted and then we are in a better position to understand that and we have the best possible data.
"People will be able take decisions for their own lives based on the best information that we have locally. If it is on the increase in an area then they can perhaps reduce the social contact or contexts where it is slightly riskier, but we are in a good position with a very low incidence of the disease. We are the lowest in the south west and have had zero cases in five days."
Out of all of the 316 English district areas, Torridge remains the place with the lowest infections per 100,000 – with the South Hams now 3rd, North Devon 4th, West Devon 5th, East Devon 8th, Teignbridge 10th, Exeter 15th, Torbay 21st, Plymouth 40th, and Mid Devon 43 rd .
Across Devon, in the latest weekly Public Health Surveillance report, only Lambeth had reported a lower proportion of cases to its population than Devon, with five other areas, including Torbay, reporting no cases.
And despite fears that an invasion of tourists, or people flocking to the beach would cause a 'second wave', so far, there has been no impact at all in Devon, with the number of cases in single figures through the month of June in all parts of the county – with Torridge's last case being report all the way back on May 19.
Dr Norrey added: "If you look back to where lockdown began to ease in May, more schools going back, non-essential retail opening, and some of the issues with large numbers coming to resorts or gathering on beaches, as yet, we have seen absolutely no impact on the incidence of the disease and it has steadily decreased. This is not to say we won't see an increase, but that the incidence remains at a low and a manageable level to enable the economy to open up as far as it can safely."
Asked what he thinks may happen once more lockdown measures are released on Saturday, Dr Norrey said it was very difficult to tell and there were a range of scenarios, but he thought the most likely was a small but manageable increase in the number of cases.
He added: "There will be more people having contact with more people in situations where the virus is more likely to transmit, but there has been a lot of work been done by businesses to minimise transmissions in those setting and people are being advised to think about the general level of social contact. The last thing businesses want is to reopen and be at the centre of an outbreak and then have to close again, so businesses want to get back in a secure way, and they are taking it really seriously.
"Much of our tourism industry is outdoors and the evidence from recent weeks of people coming together in outdoor groups is that it hasn't led to any kind of perceptible increase in transmission. There could be small but manageable increase and if there is setting causing us a concern we can stop them quickly and manage the risk, but if people in their normal lives are not having lots of contact then the spread out from a setting would be minimised, and gives us time a catch and stop an outbreak."
Devon County Council is one of 11 Beacon councils selected to help and advise other public authorities, and Devon's Director of Public Health, Virginia Pearson, will lead a small committee made up of key personnel who can marshal all the resources needed to provide a swift response to managing an outbreak of the virus.
Dr Pearson said: "This comprehensive plan details how we will work with the new NHS Test and Trace Service and ensures we have the necessary capacity and capability to provide a fully co-ordinated approach to contain and manage local outbreaks of COVID-19.
"It provides a blueprint for action, but it will need regular updating as new national guidance is produced or legislation changes. Containing local outbreaks successfully will need to be a co-ordinated effort with specialists from Public Health England, the NHS, social care, district councils, education, the police, the private sector, employers and the community and voluntary sectors.
"But we have a long history of working with PHE on all sorts of outbreaks of communicable diseases as they happen all the time. Covid-19 is a special sort but we use the same principles of partnership working and early action if we see anything going wrong.
"As lockdown releases and as people want to get back to normal, we need to be vigilant and keep an eye on what is happening, but if people follow social distancing advice, wash their hands, keep going hygiene, wear face coverings where appropriate, it will protect people. We are the people in control of this and can stop covid spreading so have to take responsibility as individuals. It becomes less easy when people are travelling across the country as they increase the geographic footprint and return to normal life, but if we follow public health advice, it will minimise the risk of picking up the virus and spreading it to others."
Speaking about Devon, Dr Pearson said that the county does have the local data which gives them the ability to keep an eye on what is happening locally, and she added: "There will be a risk until we get immunisation and until then have to be vigilant, but we are following up any cases that we do find and making sure people are protected. We need to keep an eye on local data, which we can do, and we can see what is happening locally and we want to share that with the population so we can tell you what is happening and increase the confidence of the public."
She admitted that she was surprised by the response of the Government to the situation in Leicester and that if the powers were localised, they wouldn't have applied the same response, but that Devon would be doing all it can to ensure they never got to a position where a wide ranging lockdown would be needed.
"It is difficult to know what happened in Leicester but we would see any community lockdown in Devon as an absolute failure given our numbers are so low and there is a whole range of things we can do before you end up on a situation where out of control and would have to do that," she said.
Part of the issue in Leicester appeared to have arisen from local officials not having had the Pillar 2 data, but Dr Pearson confirmed that Devon are getting that information at a postcode level and have been for a while, although the data from the NHS track and trace system is not yet at postcode level.
Weekly rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population
But she said that track and trace is able get hold of about 80 per cent of contacts from the few recent positives in Devon, making the county one of the best performing nationally, and she added: "The intelligence we are getting is that it is working."
Cllr John Hart, Devon County Council leader, added that because of the way the vast majority of Devon people have behaved with 'great sense and responsibility throughout the pandemic', it has meant the county has had the lowest number of outbreaks by some way throughout the crisis.
He added: "We obviously want to keep it that way and reduce it still further. We can now build on this effort and extend the work we have done together as Team Devon to protect our residents and support the most vulnerable.
"We will now be at the forefront of responding and managing the outbreak at a local level. And if there's a hotspot in a town or village we'll be able to get onto it swiftly before it spreads too far.
"We've ensured that our plan includes a strong focus on prevention and early intervention to ensure key settings such as care homes and schools and high- risk locations and communities identify and prioritise preventative measures."
Cllr Hart said that while there are no grounds for complacency, he will let people know if there is an issue, but 'at the moment, we have no cases'. In the previous five days, there had been no new cases, while the previous week saw just five cases.
He added: "We prepared for all eventualities, but the eventualities have ironically not raised their heads."
Based on the initial models, Devon was forecast to see up to 6,000 deaths from coronavirus, and the county spent £2m on two temporary morgues in case they were needed, but as of this week, there have been 169 deaths in all settings within Devon. The latest ONS weekly figures for the week b between June 13 and June 19, but were registered up to June 27.saw zero deaths in the county.
Cllr Hart added: "And we didn't put all the problems in care homes either. We have 8,500 people in them, and the death rate in care homes is less than would be expected. Devon – along with Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk – is one of only five local authorities where the number of deaths in care homes is significantly less than would have been expected related to the general population.
"We have people lined up to firefight if there was a case, but at the moment we have just one care home with an issue out of 333. We have sorted a doctor for each home who will be responsible, and PPE has ceased to be an issue. Every death is a tragedy but the numbers are very small."
On what will happen this weekend once lockdown measures are released, Cllr Hart added: "We don't know, but the spikes in activity so far have not caused a problem. In the South West, we have been having second home owners coming since Easter – not in droves – but they have been coming, and it has not had any impact on the fact and figures.
"There have been spikes of activities on beaches since before the Spring bank holiday and there has been no increase in cases of covid-19, and since then, all of the figures have been reducing, not increasing."
On a local lockdown, Cllr Hart said that they hope that Devon would never get anywhere close to that stage given they have all the information to know what is going on.
He added: "When two or more cases and not in the same household, we will do checks to make sure the people of Devon are safe even though looking to open up the tourist industry. It is worth nearly £2b a year and employs over 85,000 people, so it is crucial that we get back working.
"We will be working for the benefit of the people of Devon and telling them what is happening rather than what rumour can create, if there is something. I hope we never get to lockdown and can stamp out coronavirus and any outbreaks quickly, but we are still looking for a faster response to testing so people know where they are, but we will stamp anything out before we get anywhere near there.
"A local lockdown is around a nine out of ten on a scale and there are lots of other activity before we get to that kind of position and I hope we never get to that kind of position."
Among the actions that could be taken if there was a spike anywhere, Dr Norrey said, included at short notice deploying testing facilities if they feel the need to around asymptomatic testing of individuals.
He added: "With the numbers we have and they were not isolated cases, we would focus on a setting, be it a care home, a workplace, a school, a factory, and we would work first at that level before it got to the wider community, and we have already done that quietly behind the scenes in a couple of cases
"There has not been a lockdown but we have been working with the settings and ensuring appropriate measures. We identified some that have been an issue but have not had to exercise any powers. Before you get anywhere near closing a setting then lots of work you can do and the last thing we want to do is unnecessarily shut down any setting."
He added: "Overall, our rate is something like 26 deaths per 100,000 when national average is 86 per 100,000, and the death rate is broadly comparable with the figure in Germany."
And he added that at the levels of infection in Devon at the moment, the much heralded and misunderstood R Rate was meaningless, saying: "It doesn't mean as much to me as the number of cases we are seeing locally. It seeped into the public consciousness but have become less and less relevant as cases drop off."
And cases continue to drop off. The latest Public Health England surveillance report, bases on data between June 22 and June 28, showed another fall in the levels of coronavirus in Devon. The previous week had seen the weekly rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population under Pillar 1 and 2 positive tests at 1 for Devon. That figure has dropped to 0.4 – effectively three cases in the last seven days.
Only Lambeth, and the City of London, Rutland, Portsmouth, Bath and North East Somerset, and Torbay – the latter five where no positive cases where recorded – have a lower positivity rate than Devon.
Cllr Hart added: "We have no grounds for complacency but we will let people know if there is an issue, but at the moment, there isn't one. If there is something going on then we will tell you."
← COVID Symptom Study data is now able to detect potential new COVID hotspots
Democracy campaigners crowdfund to buy Tory MP →


But of course, we are all Jacobites up here in the High Doganate. (See here.) We do not allow this to distract us, however, from our loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen. While it is true, quite frankly, that she is not a Stuart, Elizabeth II is a very fine Queen: the bestest you could imagine. And, a considerable improvement on the previous Elizabeth (daughter of the monster, Henry VIII, and of his tart, Anne Boleyn), who was death on Catholics.
I have this "theory" (in the post-modern sense), that while contradictory loyalties are impermissible in religion, they are perfectly normal in civil ("secular") life, and might even be encouraged, for they make a practical alternative to violence. I know several United Statist Americans, for instance, who are monarchist to the bone, yet pledge unhesitating allegiance to the Flag of their Republic.
It is the anniversary of Peter Geach, who died age ninety-seven last year. He is one of my great heroes and, oddly enough, he was married to another one: Elizabeth Anscombe. As ever, these days, gentle reader may look them up in the Wicked Paedia, should the names not of themselves ring out in glory for him. They were, in different but highly complementary ways, two of England's finest minds, whose interests converged in philosophical logic. It is thanks to Anscombe that we can begin to plumb the depth of Wittgenstein's analytical reasoning, and perhaps also to her that he died a Catholic; but her own works go well beyond this. It is thanks to Geach (though acting not alone) that we have "Analytical Thomism" on our plates for future digestion. Geach and Anscombe alike applied the best of XXth-century analytical reasoning to develop the insights of the high Scholastics, and bring them (as it were) up to date. And while I may have no right to an opinion, on matters passing often over my head, I am nevertheless persuaded that something extremely fruitful was achieved.
Another is of one of their youngest, told that if her teddy bear wasn't in the parlour it must be in her bedroom. "That doesn't follow!" the little girl parried; for logic had spread through the household.
I think of them, too, in their parish church, on a Sunday when the priest was uttering sentimental bosh from the pulpit. Peter Geach stood up to declare, "That is heresy!" — and the whole tribe of them marched out.
It is bad manners to interrupt homilies, but there are worse things than bad manners, and heresy is certainly among them. It would be a real service if "progressive" priests today were frequently confronted with their crimes, and if necessary driven out of the priesthood. Indeed, I attribute our current priest shortage to the failure to drive bad priests out. They have a terribly demoralizing effect on the faithful, and contribute to the perception that being a Catholic priest is a low calling. Conversely, charity requires that parishioners be confronted, who claim to be Catholic when they have not embraced every sentence of the Creed. They thus become, until properly catechized, a serious impediment to the genuine growth of the Church. We are, after all (as Geach himself often observed) supposed to be directing the sheep towards Heaven and away from Hell, not the other way.
Vox clamantis in deserto, as it was proclaimed in the Mass this morning. Parate viam Domini: rectas facite semitas ejus!
On another "theory" I have, that recommending one book may make more sense than recommending ten, I want to call attention to Peter Geach's Virtues. (Look here.) I think this the most useful, and immediately accessible, of all his works, and perhaps the most exhilarating. The summary table of contents alone should alarm and excite every sloppy thinker, who has tired of his own wetness. Geach turns his formidable intellectual powers upon those Seven — the four Cardinal Virtues, inherited from the Greeks, and the three Theological Virtues, added by Saint Paul — to show what they are, and what they are not. As a young Anglican, freshly converted to Christianity, I recall the effect this book had on me: of waking up whenas I had been sleeping.
Geach does not provide the last word on the subject, nor pretend to provide it. He is content instead to show that the Virtues make internal sense, how they cast light on each other, and the deadly seriousness with which they must be taken. That is more than enough for 170 pages, every sentence of which is not only perfectly hung, but to a good mind, thrilling.


text:
Q: Remove link text on div collapse? This below code is used for hide and unhide a div but how can we remove the link text "Search" on click and display a minu - sign instead?

     SEARCH

A: you could change html inside the a tag using jquery

    SEARCH

A: If I understood correctly it appears you want to toggle the search results using a icon. I used a similar approach using a <button> element (instead of the anchor element).
The + and - inside the button element is switched using jQuery's text() along with a conditional ternary operator:

$('.btn-search').click(function() {
  $(this).text() === '+' ?  $(this).text('-') : $(this).text('+');
  $('.showMe').slideToggle('slow');
});
.showMe {
  border: 2px solid crimson;
  padding: 10px;
  margin-top: 10px;
}

<button class="btn-search">+</button>

Search results go here...

A: Here is one more way to show/hide an element, but using CSS approach which is exactly faster than javascript. You can set content value whatever you wish from UNICODE

$('.expandContent').click(function(){
        $('.showMe').slideToggle('slow');
        $(this).toggleClass('collapsed');
    });
.showMe {
   display:none;
}
.expandContent {
  cursor: pointer;
}
.expandContent:before {
    content: '\1f50d SEARCH';
}
.expandContent.collapsed:before {
    content: '\2192';
}

showMe


The butterfly knife (also known as a balisong or a Batanga knife) has handles that rotate around the tang of the knife and conceal the blade when it's closed.
A balisong or butterfly knife is uniquely designed so that when the knife is closed, the handles of the knife completely cover the blade. To open, you unlock the blade and use a wrist flipping motion to "unsheath" the blade.
Originally from the Phillipines, butterfly knives were brought back by American soldiers during WWII and have been popular ever since. A butterfly knife that feels heavy and sturdy is just what you're looking for. Our butterfly knives are constructed with the highest standards.
Stainless steel balisong knife with a straight back blade is tapered and angled upward for a superior cut. The handle is finished with a nice and smooth comfortable surface. The handle is well balanced with tactical cutouts and a light weight design for solid flipping.
Safety - The handle features a latch for to lock the knife when not in use.
Available in three color options: Black, Plasma, and Silver. Chose your favorite and order today.


Uh oh ! You forgot to double-space!
Sorry KT, sure did. Have to tape a note to my monitor or keyboard. Fixed it here and will be careful to avoid it in the future. It would be a lot easier if the site's text processor recognized tabs, but that doesn't excuse me.
"Don't say it was "delightful"; make us say "delightful" when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers "Please will you do the job for me.""


BOSTON - Thursday, June 14, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced a new investment of $500,000 for workplace sensitivity training to be included in the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) budget. This new funding will support expanded training on racial and gender bias, sexual harassment and employee awareness through initiatives such as workshops for employees and managers, hiring facilitators to lead discussions on these important issues, and updating policies and training manuals.
"It's incredibly important that we are providing managers with the tools necessary to lead a safe and welcoming workplace for all people, regardless of their gender, race or sexual orientation," said Mayor Walsh. "It is my priority to ensure that every manager at the City of Boston knows their responsibilities when it comes to harassment in the workplace and every employee knows their rights. We will not tolerate any behavior that goes against these values and this additional training will only help to ensure an inclusive workplace for all."
Training will begin with the public safety departments at the City of Boston, which include Emergency Management Services, the Boston Fire Department and the Boston Police Department.
"This commitment by Mayor Walsh will allow for the City of Boston to ensure it has the most up-to-date employment policies and providing the most effective training to its managers and employees," said Chief Financial Officer Emme Handy, whose responsibilities include oversight of the budget, as well as Human Resources and Labor Relations. "I look forward to working closely with public safety and all departments as we begin this important work."
"As we continue our focus on building a diverse workforce at the City of Boston, I am confident that anti-bias training with be an informative and helpful resource," said Danielson Tavares, Chief Diversity Officer. "I have worked in partnership with departments across the city, especially the diversity officers at Boston Police and Boston Fire, over the past few years to ensure we are attracting and supporting a diverse pool of candidates and I welcome Mayor Walsh's unwavering support in furthering our diversity goals."
In January, Mayor Walsh required cabinet and department heads at the City of Boston to attend sexual harassment training. Previously, a mandatory training for cabinet and department heads on sexual harassment, ethics and other employee policies was held in October 2015. In addition, all City of Boston employees sign an acknowledgment of harassment policies upon hire.
Consistent with Boston's annual budget process, the Mayor will resubmit the FY19 Operating Budget to the City Council on June 18, 2018.


The high rate of antenatal care attendance in sub-Saharan Africa, should facilitate provision of information on signs of potential pregnancy complications. The aim of this study was to assess quality of antenatal care with respect to providers' counselling of pregnancy danger signs in Rufiji district, Tanzania.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 18 primary health facilities. Thirty two providers were observed providing antenatal care to 438 pregnant women. Information on counselling on pregnancy danger signs was collected by an observer. Exit interviews were conducted to 435 women.
One hundred and eighty five (42%) clients were not informed of any pregnancy danger signs. The most common pregnancy danger sign informed on was vaginal bleeding 50% followed by severe headache/blurred vision 45%. Nurse auxiliaries were three times more likely to inform a client of a danger sign than registered/enrolled nurses (OR = 3.7; 95% CI: 2.1-6.5) and Maternal Child Health Aides (OR = 2.3: 95% CI: 1.3-4.3) and public health nurses (OR = 2.5; CI: 1.4-4.2) were two times more likely to provide information on danger signs than registered/enrolled nurses. The clients recalled less than half of the pregnancy danger signs they had been informed during the interaction.
Two out of five clients were not counselled on pregnancy danger signs. The higher trained cadre, registered/enrolled nurses were not informing majority of clients pregnancy danger signs compared to the lower cadres. Supportive supervision should be made to enhance counselling of pregnancy danger signs. Nurse auxiliaries should be encouraged and given chance for further training and upgrading to improve their performance and increase human resource for health.
It was estimated in 2005 that of more than 500 000 maternal deaths worldwide, more than half occurred in sub-Saharan Africa . The same source estimates lifetime risk of maternal death to be 1 in 16 in sub-Saharan Africa, as compared to 1 in 2800 in developed regions. A majority of these maternal deaths are considered preventable, as are newborn deaths, if there is timely access to appropriate interventions when obstetric complications occur. Of note, three-quarters of the 4 million global neonatal deaths occur in the first week of life , and the stillbirth rate is 32 stillbirths per 1000 deliveries, of which 24 - 37% occur during the intrapartum period . Confronting these estimates is the supposition that health education and information conveyed to mothers about potential risks, as well as the counselling of danger signs, might lead to improved early decision making and care-seeking where access to health facilities is concerned.
The most recent estimates coming from Tanzania show that 94% of pregnant women make at least one antenatal care visit, while only 62% make four or more visits . Women are supposed to be educated and counselled regarding pregnancy-related danger signs during these visits, and that a delivery plan will be created so that readiness for emergency can be better assured. Counselling on pregnancy danger signs is to be conducted according to focused antenatal care (FANC) guidelines, which include signs such as vaginal bleeding, severe headache or blurred vision, severe abdominal pain, swollen hands and face, fever, baby stopped or reduced movement, and excessive tiredness/breathlessness . However, studies conducted in Tanzania report low awareness of these danger signs among women with delivery experience [6, 7]. Moreover, only 47% of women attending antenatal visits recall having been informed of such complications . The Tanzanian situation is not unlike that found in other sub-Saharan countries. Nikiema and co-workers  utilized data from the Demographic and Health Survey and found that in 15 of 19 sub-Saharan countries, less than half of all women recalled having received information during their antenatal care about the potential danger signs of pregnancy complications.
We focus here on the quality of antenatal care in Rufiji rural district, Tanzania, with respect to provider counselling of pregnancy danger signs.
Rufiji district has been described in detail elsewhere [6, 9], however, it suffices to describe here that study area is located about 200 km south of the capital, Dar es Salaam, and has a population estimated at 240 000 people . There are two hospitals in the district. One facility is a government district hospital while the other is owned by a religious organization. Both hospitals provide antenatal care, as well as comprehensive emergency obstetric care for the entire region. Referrals are made for high risk pregnancy or complications from 52 dispensaries and 4 rural health centres (RHCs) found within the district, which also provide antenatal care, as stipulated by the national guidelines on the Reproductive and Child Health Card Number 4 (RCHC-4) .
The dispensaries and RHCs are staffed by prescribers and nurses. Prescribers are comprised mainly of Assistant Clinical Officers and Clinical Officers, who are consulted when there is need for treatment or if referral is indicated. Nurses represent the main providers of antenatal and delivery care in all facilities within the district, and these comprise registered as well as enrolled nurses, who have been trained at various levels of the health system for at least four years in nursing and midwifery care. The earlier "public health nurse" cadre has been recently phased out, but these providers were trained for three years to provide maternal and child care services as a public health service. Maternal and Child Health Aides (MCHAs) have two years training as auxiliary midwives, and provide antenatal and postnatal care, family planning services, counselling and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, but also attend normal deliveries commonly occurring at the dispensaries and health centres. Auxiliary nurses have one-year training in nursing and/or on-the-job training. These are regarded as not trained to provide skilled care, but due to a shortage of trained staff, they are providing maternal care in some of the dispensaries.
The number of women attending antenatal care depends on the catchment population of the health facility. Antenatal care is provided in the district during weekdays from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, and in most of maternal health facilities, public education is available as a lecture presentation given by providers before opening hours of the antenatal clinic (topic choice is decided by the provider). Further, all RHCs and some dispensaries provide outreach services once a week. These services include vaccination for pregnant mothers and children, growth monitoring for under-fives, and health education.
A cross-sectional study was performed between March and July 2008 of women attending antenatal care as well as all providers in select health facilities. The study population was stratified by type of health institution the women visited for antenatal care. A stratified random sample of health institutions was used to minimize potential variance resulting from strata having only a few subjects. The sampling fraction among the four RHCs was 100%, and 29% for the 14 dispensaries involved in a follow-up study of referred women [Pembe et al, unpublished results]. Our random sample therefore fulfils the recommendation for incorporating at least 25% of the health facilities within the district, thereby making an adequate representation of a district health service situation [12, 13]. We assumed that 50% of the women could have been counselled on pregnancy danger signs, with an estimated precision of 5% and the 95% confidence interval and a refusal rate of 10%. A sample of 427 women was thus calculated. All clients attending antenatal care on the day of the data collection were included. Each health facility was visited twice for data collection in order to achieve the calculated sample.
Data collection involved observation of the client-provider interaction session, as well as exit interviews with the clients following the session. Two experienced registered nurses acted as research assistants, and were trained in conducting the observations and exit interviews. They received further training on the identification of high risk pregnancies, according to the RCHC-4, and potential pregnancy danger signs, birth preparedness and complication readiness according to the FANC manual.
The first author and the two research assistants visited each health facility over a period of two days per facility. On the first day, introductions were made to the providers, and an explanation was made of the study aims. The team was also able during this initial visit to become familiar with the surroundings and to collect facility information. An emphasis was made that the researchers were not representing the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and that the findings would by no means be used against the staff members. The second day was used to collect data. Clients were informed of the objective of the study while in the consultation room, and permission was obtained at that time for the research assistant to be present in the room to observe the client-provider interaction. All clients who were approached agreed to the request and participated.
While in the consultation room activities included history-taking, examination, health education and counselling, as well as documentation of the findings. A pre-tested, structured observation checklist was used to record consultation interaction between the clients and providers. The checklist of collected variables included counselling for pregnancy danger signs, identification of high risk pregnancies, provision of advice for referral and the place of delivery. Interaction time, the time the client spent with the provider, was recorded using a stopwatch.
After the observation, clients were given a card with an identification number to forward to the research assistant outside the consultation room. The exit interviews were conducted at a convenient place within the health facility premises, and away from providers and other women attending the antenatal clinic. A pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used, which contained questions on basic demographic information, the number of visits to the health care facility, duration of the pregnancy, gravidity and parity. Demographic information given was validated against the RCHC-4 card. Clients were further asked whether they were informed during the visit to go to the health facility if any danger signs related to the pregnancy were noticed.
Data were computerised using Epi Info and analysed using SPSS version 14. Median test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare median durations of interaction between the four categories of providers and between registered/enrolled nurses and other cadres, respectively. The differences were deemed significant when p < 0.05. Bivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with clients who had been counselled on pregnancy danger signs. Independent variables significant in the bivariate analysis were then entered into a multivariate logistic regression analysis. The associations were estimated by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).
Approval for the study was granted by the Senate Research and Publication Committee of Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from Rufiji District authorities, and the charge authorities for each of the health facilities. Written informed consent was obtained from all clients and providers who participated in the study. In cases where the research assistants identified an obstetric danger sign or a reason for referral that was missed by the provider, such information was communicated back to the provider as well as the client immediately following the exit interview and before the client left the health facility.
Of the total dispensaries, there were six that had only nurse auxiliaries to provide maternal care services, while two dispensaries were operated only by MCHAs. In the remaining of the facilities the services were provided by the public health nurses and/or registered/enrolled nurses with assistance from the nurse auxiliaries and MCHAs. Antenatal care was given by 32 providers to a total of 438 clients. However, three clients dropped out of the study after the observation session, leaving 435 for exit interviews. Observations result from 11 auxiliary nurse cadres who conducted 118 client interactions, 5 MCHAs who conducted 87 interactions, 9 public health nurses who had 128 interactions, and 7 registered/enrolled nurses who had 102 interactions.
Median age of the clients was 27 years (Range: 14-46 years), and 84% were married/cohabiting, 37% had no formal education, 49% had completed primary education, and 77% were socially marginalized as peasants. One-fifth of the clients were primigravidae, 34% were booking for antenatal care (first visit), and 49% were in their last trimester of the pregnancy.
The median number of observed interactions per provider was 14 (Range: 2-61), and median client-provider interaction time was 10 minutes (Range: 2-54 minutes). Clients on their first visit for antenatal care had a mean interaction time with provider of 17 minutes while those revisit had 10 minutes (p < 0.001). As shown in Figure 1, the registered/enrolled nurses had less interaction time with clients compared to other cadres (p < 0.001). The communication between the client and provider was primarily unidirectional, with the provider giving the information and the clients listening. Only half of the clients were provided a chance to ask questions. In 76 of the 435 (18%) interactions, clients were not informed of the progress of their pregnancies.
Box plot diagram of client-provider interaction time by cadre of providers.
Two out of five (42%) clients were not informed of any pregnancy danger sign. Only 8.7% clients were informed of all seven danger signs. The median number of pregnancy danger signs informed was 2 (Range: 0-7). Figure 2 shows the distribution of clients informed of danger signs per cadre. Of note, 60% of clients attended by registered/enrolled nurses were not informed of any danger signs, as compared to nurse auxiliaries 30%, MCHA 41% and public health nurse 40%.
Table 1 presents the danger signs most commonly informed by the providers, which were vaginal bleeding 50% and severe headache/blurred vision 45%, while the least informed danger sign was excessive tiredness or breathlessness. On exit interview, women were able to recall less than half of the informed pregnancy danger signs. Higher recall was observed for vaginal bleeding and severe headache or blurred vision.
Clients informed by providers and recalled on exit interviews pregnancy danger signs (n = 435).
The independent variables; age of the mother, marital status, educational level, gravidity and having been told of a need for referral by the provider were not associated with being counselled on pregnancy danger signs in the bivariate logistic regression analysis. The remaining independent variables of occupation, number of antenatal care visits, gestational age at the time of antenatal visit, as well as type of provider cadre, were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Nurse auxiliaries were more than three times likely to inform a client of a pregnancy danger sign than registered/enrolled nurses (OR = 3.7; 95% CI: 2.1-6.5), while MCHAs and public health nurses were two times more likely to inform a client pregnancy danger sign than registered/enrolled nurses (OR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.3-4.3) and (OR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.4-4.2), respectively (Table 2).
Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of the likelihood to be informed of at least one danger sign.
Despite efforts made by the Tanzanian government to improve quality of antenatal care, this study demonstrated deficiencies in the counselling of pregnancy danger signs in this rural district. A significant proportion of the clients were not informed of pregnancy danger signs, and the interaction time between clients and providers was of too short duration. The highest cadre (registered/enrolled nurses) was least likely to inform about pregnancy danger signs than the lower cadres (nurse auxiliaries MCHAs, public nurses), and had the least interaction time with clients.
Informing antenatal clients on pregnancy danger signs, and developing an emergency contingency plan, to women living in rural areas is important for decreasing geographical and financial barriers [8, 14]. Client awareness of potential pregnancy danger signs is expected to decrease the amount of time between when a complication occurs, to the time when the complication is identified and the decision is made to seek emergency obstetric care. Providers in our study generally performed poorly in informing the clients on pregnancy danger signs. Similar results are documented for other parts of Tanzania and sub-Saharan countries [4, 8, 15, 16]. Further, poor counselling of the pregnancy danger signs is considered to be one of the reasons for poor awareness of danger signs among women who have attended antenatal care [6, 7, 17, 18]. This means there is a need to ensure that providers inform all antenatal care clients about the pregnancy danger signs. Strengthening supportive supervision from the District Health Management Team in order to improve counselling during antenatal care is therefore crucial.
Despite the nurse auxiliaries being regarded as the unskilled cadre, they performed better in informing clients about pregnancy danger signs than the highest-skilled cadre of registered/enrolled nurses. Provider performance is considered to be directly proportional to skills obtained after training and motivation, which includes being appreciated by the supervisors, as well as having a stable income and the opportunity for increased training, while is considered to be inversely proportional to barriers such as low salaries and poor working conditions [19, 20]. Our results suggest that the poor performance shown by the registered/enrolled nurse cadre could be due to poor motivation and poor knowledge of the importance of counselling on danger signs. Such findings would support a qualitative study conducted in Northern Tanzania, which described several barriers to the provision of care and included poor supervision from the district level, delayed promotions, as well as lack of feedback on the cases referred to the higher level .
The auxiliary nurse cadre was the primary source of providers for 6 of the 14 dispensaries. This cadre has limited training in providing maternal care, but due to severe human resource for health shortage in the country, they are staffing a significant proportion of dispensaries and higher health facilities [21, 22]. Studies have shown that using well-trained and skilled providers leads to better counselling and provision of maternal care . Despite the poor performance of the highest skilled cadre we still believe that to improve counselling on pregnancy danger signs, as well as the quality of antenatal care in general, there is a clear need to increase trained personnel at all health facilities in the district. Nurse auxiliaries should be given priority for further training to higher cadres in order to increase this human resource base.
The interaction time between clients and providers was of short duration. The mean duration of client-provider interaction in the first visit was 17 minutes, while in the revisit was 10 minutes. It is unlikely that any meaningful information with respect to danger signs and other health issues could have been provided. Short time of interaction between clients and providers has been reported in other countries [14, 18, 23]. It is estimated that FANC takes no less than 46 minutes for the first visit, and 35 minutes for revisits. Counselling alone takes 15 minutes in both first visit and subsequent visit . Although it can be argued about whether the recommended time is realistic within the context of these maternal health dispensaries - which are staffed by a Clinical Officer and a nurse auxiliary or an MCHA - providing adequate services to include preventive and curative care requires an effort to be made so as to ensure that providers allow enough time for the transfer of important information to all clients attending antenatal care.
Fewer than half of the pregnancy danger signs informed to the clients were recalled during the exit interview. This can partly be explained by the short duration of the client-provider interaction time, but also by the type of communication that we observed where the provider only doled out information and did not encourage clients to ask questions. Similar findings of one-directional communication have been reported in Nepal  and Zimbabwe . Provision of information during health education could also take into consideration sociocultural aspects and could target the creation of awareness and behavioural change . Such a communication strategy could be reinforced during the interaction in order to address client concerns and to enable the women to make informed decisions.
A limitation in this study was the presence of an observer during the client-provider interaction, which might have improved provider performance, as well as reduced client openness, in response to the fact that they are being observed. However, it has been demonstrated that the effect of the presence of an observer is short-lived, falling steadily to the usual situation before observation started . Given the poor performance by the providers, the presence of the observer did not seem to affect their routine provision of antenatal care.
In this study, we conclude that there is suboptimal quality of counselling during antenatal care on pregnancy danger signs. In order to equip pregnant women within the community to make timely decisions for seeking care when a complication arises, the situation needs to be improved. Supportive supervision to all cadres of antenatal care providers should be made to enhance counselling of pregnancy danger signs. Nurse auxiliaries should be encouraged and given chance for further training and upgrading to improve their performance and increase human resource for health available in rural areas, where multiple types of care cadres are likely to be more limited.
Anders Carlstedt, David P Urassa, Gunilla Lindmark, Lennarth Nyström and Elisabeth Darj contributed equally to this work.
We are very grateful to the antenatal clients and providers in the selected health facilities in Rufiji district, who kindly agreed to participate in the study. Grateful thanks to Pauline Binder of IMCH, Uppsala University, for language editing. This study was funded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida/SAREC) through MUHAS reproductive health research programme.
ABP, AC, DPU, GL, LN and ED devised the study design and contributed to data interpretation. ABP and DP contributed to data collection. ABP performed statistical analysis and drafted the first manuscript. LN helped with statistical analysis. All authors read, commented on and approved the final manuscript.