Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association reported today that all of Addameer's lawyers continue to be barred from visiting prisoners on hunger strike, with the excuse that the prison is in a "state of emergency." Addameer lawyers have been repeatedly blocked from visits with prisoners on hunger strike, in the current strike and former strikes. Addameer also reported that 3 additional hunger strike leaders have been moved into isolation in Bir Saba prison as part of the ongoing policy of isolation and retaliation against hunger strikers.
Addameer also reported that prisoners are being fined 250-300 NIS (New Israeli Shekels) daily for their participation in the hunger strike. Despite these repressive measures, 150 prisoners in Ofer and 50 prisoners in Mejiddo joined the over 2000 Palestinian prisoners on ongoing strike on April 29. 30 of the prisoners in Ofer were then transferred to unknown locations. Sudki al-Maqd, the longest-held Syrian prisoner from the Golan Heights, who has served 25 years in occupation jails, joined the strike along with 15 Palestinian prisoners from occupied Palestine '48, including Hafez Kundus and Mahmoud Jabarin, who are held in Gilboa prison, also joined the strike.
Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Palestinian prisoner and hunger striker Ahmed Haj Ali was transferred from Mejiddo to Shata on Sunday, April 29. Haj Ali is being held under administrative detention, and has been denied several lawyer visits in recent days while engaging in hunger strike. His son issued a statement through the Change and Reform legislative bloc, noting that his father is elderly and his health fragile, and saluting all of the striking prisoners.
Addameer also reported that a number of hunger strikers from Mejiddo were transferred to Shata prison, while strikers from Shata were transferred to Gilboa prison, and Ahrar Centre also reported that the prisoners in Section 5 of Mejiddo prison were transferred to the rest of the sections, seemingly to transfer prisoners from Gilboa to Mejiddo. Fuad al-Khfash of Ahrar Centre said that all of these mechanisms are designed to repress, confuse and fatigue the prisoners as they are physically weakened through hunger strike.


I have been told that my Torchmate 2 table moves to slowly for decent cutting on thin material. I have worked following the Torchmate instructions on setting up the axis speeds and accelerations. What speeds and accelerations are the rest of you Torchmate users getting? I can get about 160ipm axis speed and 15ips^2 acceleration before I loose steps.
Hey John sorry I didn't see this post earlier, with the upgrades you helped me with I can run 150 to 160 pretty reliably.
Hypertherm PM85 w/ machine & hand torch.


A wedding is such an event! Full of love and excitement. Being a wedding photographer is one of the most fun and enjoyable things I have done. I truly love being a part of all these stories as a photographer in Los Cabos. Some might think that doing this so often takes something out of it, but I really can´t get tired of talking about how each and every single wedding gets to me. Sharing this exciting day along with brides, grooms and relatives full of emotions and happiness. Each wedding has its story.
So welcome to my blog. Here I share all about the love stories from Cabo San Lucas´ most beautiful destination weddings and events. Read about the couples, how they met, their wedding day and also get a little insight about how it is from the perspective of a wedding photographer!


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Incident-free NYE, say City Police; One dead in road accident
As many as 16,000 police personnel were on duty in Chennai city limits to ensure that there were no major incidents as a new year dawned.
Dt Next Bureau
1 Jan, 2023, 4:35 pm
CHENNAI: City Police force came together to ensure an incident-free new year's celebration in Chennai City.
While their moves were considered overzealous in certain quarters, the City Police's move to restrict revelry hours in the night clubs and pubs and shutting off access to beaches and strict enforcement on roads ensured that there were no major incidents involving revelers in Chennai city on New Year's Day.
Except for the death of a 47-year-old man on Arcot road near Valasaravakkam, who lost control of his two-wheeler and rammed into an electric post leading to his death, there were no major road accidents in Chennai city police limits.
The deceased, Prabhu was a resident of Vigneshwara Nagar near Porur. He was returning home after work when the accident happened, police said.
"Our personnel checked more than 13,000 vehicles from 8 pm on Saturday. 360 vehicles were seized as the drivers indulged in drunk driving. Apart from this, we also seized 572 vehicles, whose drivers indulged in over speeding, rash driving, helmet less riding, triples ride and other offences, " a senior police officer said.
Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal said that planning for policing duties on New year's eve began a week in advance. "We prepared our women and men psychologically to be result oriented and professional yet polite and firm. Vehicle check-points location, mobile surveillance teams, rotation of manpower to avoid fatigue, use of drones in isolated areas, good publicity of measures being taken all helped. All credit goes to our policemen and women who manned the streets, " the commissioner said.
City Police was also widely appreciated by the public in social media for their efforts. "I travelled at 12. 30 a.m. Never seen such a peaceful New year's celebrations in Chennai in the past 20 years. Congratulations to citizens & the police alike, " Congress leader Americai V Narayanan tweeted.
வாழ்த்துக்கள் @ChennaiTraffic. I travelled at 12. 30 a.m. Never seen such a peaceful New year's celebrations in Chennai in the past 20 years. Congratulations to citizens & the police alike. @CMOTamilnadu @mkstalin https://t.co/ISGaBqr9nU
— Americai V Narayanan 'அமெரிக்கை' வி நாராயணன் (@americai) January 1, 2023
Chennai City
Chennai police commissioner
Chennai city police
City Police force
Chennai city police limits

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Welcome to the XII International Symposium on Nuclei in the Cosmos site! The conference was held on the 5-10 August 2012 at the Cairns Convention Centre in Cairns, Australia.
To secure IUPAP sponsorship, the organisers provided assurance that Nuclei in the Cosmos XII was conducted in accordance with IUPAP principles as stated in the IUPAP resolution passed by the General Assembly in 2008. In particular, no bona fide scientist will be excluded from participation on the grounds of national origin, nationality, or political considerations unrelated to science.


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Home : RESEARCH ARTICLES : Mausoleums of Co. Limerick
County Limerick, as readers will know from 'Iverus Trail' in the magazine section of this website, boasts an exceptional number of Carnegie Library buildings, in themselves an architectural distinction. From Westropp, we know that the county also has more tower houses, 'castles' as they are familiarly called in Ireland, than any other on the island. The county can claim one other architectural distinction: that of being, as Maurice Craig put it, 'uncommonly well endowed' - with mausoleums.
We need not recoil at the morbidity of this. Mausolea, in the Latin plural, are, again as Maurice Craig has it, 'a class of building sometimes worthy of closer study'; they are also, he points out, relative to population and perhaps even absolutely, more numerous in Ireland than in England. This may say something about land tenure and its contested history in Ireland. Indeed, Craig wryly adds that 'Not infrequently one has the impression that a family finds in death a greater splendour in habitation than it ever enjoyed in life.'
It is the ornate detail of funerary architecture, evident often of a dutiful love and respect for the deceased, even if the subtext is that of social statement, that is the focus of the following gallery of images. The gallery follows Maurice Craig's listing, in location sequence. That community-driven restoration projects have happily restored some of the structures, is testimony to the significance attributed to these stone housings of lineage.
See Maurice Craig: 'Mausoleums in Ireland' in Studies; An Irish Quarterly Review, vol.64, no. 256 (Winter, 1975), pp.410-423
To enlarge and scroll, click on any image; to reduce captions space, click on any caption icon


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Q: PyCharm, Jupyter Kernel and Python console I am giving a try to PyCharm professional for Python editing.  I created a project using the "scientificProject" template, which meets my needs (Or does it?).
I am using Conda to create the virtual environments.
Giving some background on why I want to do the following; for Clojure development I am able to evaluate chunks of code in Emacs into my repl, then play around with that code inside the repl as I please, edit my sources... evaluate again into my repl... which is amazing.
So far creating Jupyter notebooks works like a charm and I can work with them without much fuss (Installing the packages and so on).  However I would like to "plug" the Python console offered by Pycharm to the notebook kernel, so I can play around with the notebook's code.  Is this possible?  Which setup do you recommend?
So far I have been working with Jupyter's web application and Emacs for editing files.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Beautiful 2 story house in August Hills Addition. Great home with an open concept and many updates. Large kitchen with maple cabinets, buit in china hutch, gas fireplaces in the family room and the newly constructed 4 season room addition. Large Master Suite with jetted tub and walk in shower with double sinks. Upper bathrooms have heated floors making cold mornings a pleasure. Lower level family room has walk out basement with a large entertaining area. Heated 3 car garage also has stair access to the lower level. Don't miss the 2nd garage with power! Plenty of room to stretch out with fantastic views from this oversized lot. Entertaining made easy with composite decking and stampeed concrete patio. Don't delay and schedule your private showing today!


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Constant restaurant eating could make it harder to lose weight. Not only do restaurants offer massive portion sizes, but they only have approximate nutrition information—if they list these numbers at all, SFGate reports. Restaurant meals usually have more calories, saturated fat, and sodium, then homemade ones. The restaurant variety is also typically lower in calcium, fiber, and other weight-friendly nutrients. These are the 13 things experts won't tell you about weight loss.
Watching that extra junk around your trunk turn your body into a full-blown Buddha belly puts you at an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and early death. Luckily, losing the weight doesn't have to take forever; with these 22 belly fat-fighting tips, you can shave two inches off your waistline in as little as two weeks. Think your age will stand in the way of your weight loss? The 20 Ways to Lose Your Belly When You're Older will help folks of any age get on track to their best body ever.
A healthy GI tract is teeming with beneficial bacteria, and scientists are uncovering just how important those microbes are for keeping your weight under control. They've discovered that the strains of bacteria in the guts of thin people differ from those in obese folks, and there's evidence that certain types of probiotics may help aid weight loss by assisting with the regulation of appetite, fat storage, and other related metabolic functions. You can get probiotics from live culture yogurt and certain supplements. While popping a pill or eating yogurt won't magically shrink your waist, warns Ginger Hultin, RD, gut health is important. Read more about the weight loss benefits of probiotics.
The key to losing weight is eating fewer calories than you expend. That creates an energy deficit, so your body taps into other sources of fuel — namely, your fat stores — to make up the difference. You'll be able to lose weight safely by creating an energy deficit of up to 1,000 calories a day, which will allow you to lose up to two pounds per week.
What should you eat after working out? Exercise is beneficial for overall health. To get the most effective exercise, it is necessary to have good nutrition. There is a range of things to eat right after a workout that will help in specific fitness goals. It is also essential to eat to recover energy levels. Learn more about what to eat after a workout. Read now
This popular plan recently underwent a rebranding to create a more balanced program, changing its four-phase approach with the help of a science advisory board. The Atkins Diet is still low-carb, but you won't be chowing down on steak and eggs all the time to promote weight loss. Lean protein is still key, but there's more of a spotlight on fiber, fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats.
Your New Year's resolution diet should be based on a well-balanced eating plan that fits your lifestyle, rather than a weird fad replete with food restrictions. That's according to U.S. News & World Report's best diet rankings for 2018. The two diets that tied for the top spot -- the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH Diet -- fit that bill because they feature real food and reasonable, flexible guidelines, experts said.
Deutsch: Bauchfett in zwei Wochen abnehmen, Italiano: Eliminare il Grasso sulla Pancia in 2 Settimane, Français: perdre du ventre en 2 semaines, Español: deshacerse de la grasa abdominal en 2 semanas, 中文: 在两周内减掉腹部脂肪, Русский: избавиться от жира на животе за две недели, Nederlands: In twee weken van je buikvet afkomen, Português: Perder Gordura Abdominal em 2 Semanas, Bahasa Indonesia: Menghilangkan Lemak Perut dalam 2 Minggu, Čeština: Jak zhubnout tuk na břiše za dva týdny, 日本語: 2週間でお腹周りの脂肪を落とす, العربية: التخلّص من دهون البطن في أسبوعين, हिन्दी: दो हफ्तों मे पेट की चर्बी कम करें, ไทย: ลดไขมันหน้าท้องใน 2 สัปดาห์, 한국어: 2주 만에 복부 지방 제거하기, Tiếng Việt: Giảm Mỡ bụng trong 2 Tuần, Türkçe: 2 Hafta İçinde Göbek Yağı Nasıl Eritilir
And as people get older they tend to become less active, which means you burn fewer calories all day long. Plus, you naturally lose muscle mass due to hormonal changes, which further drops your daily calorie-burn rate. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so a body with less lean tissue has a lower metabolism and is prone to weight gain.
Support, either in-person or online, is another key to successful dieting. The best diets offer support from both trained counselors and fellow dieters. In addition, studies show that those who keep track of their food and activity are ultimately more successful at losing weight. This personal accountability can help you shed pounds whether you follow a commercial diet program or choose a self-directed diet.
There are a variety of definitions of what moderate-intensity exercise is, but it typically falls between about 70 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, which would be a level 4 to 6 on a 10-point perceived exertion scale. That means you are breathing harder than normal but can carry on a conversation without much difficulty and you feel pretty comfortable with what you're doing. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) often recommends this level of intensity in its exercise guidelines. The lower end of this range usually incorporates the fat burning zone.
Grazing is a surprisingly good idea because it helps you avoid metabolic slowdown. "Your body will be tricked into thinking it's constantly eating, so it will never slow your metabolism down," explains Bauer. Aim for five small meals (200 to 500 calories) a day rather than three large ones. Also try not to go more than four hours without eating — if you eat breakfast at 7am, for example, have a snack at 10am, lunch at noon, another snack at 3pm and dinner at 7pm.
These may seem like exercises for guys, but not all squats are done with a barbell loaded with lots of weight. (Although women shouldn't fear heavier weights; they don't make you bulky.) Variations of these exercises are timeless and extremely effective. Grab a pair of dumbbells and try Bulgarian split squats (Click here to see a how-to video.). Your legs and butt will thank you.
The equation is simple: Protein builds muscle. More muscle = more fat burning. And fish is one of the healthiest sources of lean protein—especially wild salmon, says dietitian Lauren Minchen. It's a rich source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, which fuel fat burning, block fat storage and aid weight loss, she explains. But that's not all: "Getting enough protein and healthy fat also helps to reduce cravings and has been shown to help keep weight off for longer," adds Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Alissa Rumsey. Just make sure you're buying the right kind of fish by reading this special report: 8 Mistakes You're Making When Buying Salmon!
Known as the carb-hating diet, the South Beach diet is a weight-loss food plan centered around low-carbohydrate meals. It's important to note that the South Beach Diet doesn't forbid carbohydrates, unlike many fad diets out there, instead, this healthy weight-loss system understands the intrinsic benefits of healthy carbs and builds them into your meal plans to maximize those strengths for optimal health and weight loss.
Trim Portions. If you did nothing else but reduce your portions by 10%-20%, you would lose weight. Most of the portions served both in restaurants and at home are bigger than you need. Pull out the measuring cups to get a handle on your usual portion sizes, and work on paring them down. Get instant portion control by using small bowls, plates, and cups, says Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating. You won't feel deprived because the food will look plentiful on dainty dishware.
Even better, once you start lifting challenging weights, you'll see major changes happen in your body, more than you do with cardio which burns calories but doesn't help you build muscle. Don't forget that you're building strong bones and preserving your muscle mass, which means you can control the weight gain that comes with age and lack of exercise.
Carbs aren't evil -- but sugar might be. "The concept of carbohydrates has really gotten such a bad reputation, and we need to understand that there are complex carbohydrates and ancient grains that can really help us not only lose weight, but increase satiety so we stay full longer and want to eat less. It actually decreases the cholesterol and stabilizes the blood sugar, and all of these things are a really important part of a weight loss program," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, an American Heart Association volunteer medical expert. These "good" carbs include whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans; the refined carbs (including refined grains and starches like white bread, white rice, pasta and mashed potatoes) should be consumed in limited amounts. "They are high in simple sugars, and that's what adds weight," said Dr. Steinbaum.
"Diets rich in trans fats not only promote belly fat but also mobilize fat stored in other areas of the body to the stomach," explains McDaniel. "Sources of trans fats include vegetable shortenings, processed baked goods such as cookies and crackers and fried foods. Avoid foods that contain the ingredient "partially hydrogenated oil" in the ingredient list at all costs," she cautions.
Stroll around the block for 15 minutes and you'll torch nearly three times as many calories as you would by sitting for the same amount of time, says a new study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. Plus, walking after a big holiday meal will help aid digestion. In the mood for a longer stroll? These three 40-minute walking workouts from celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak will help you burn even more calories.
WeightWatchers is one of the best known weight loss programs around. The reason it's successful is that it's often viewed as one of the easier programs to follow, helping you to change the way you think about and behave around food. Nothing is off limits, so you can still enjoy your favorite meals and snacks, even a drink of alcohol now and then, meaning...
People with chronically high levels of the stress hormone cortisol tend to carry excess visceral fat. Foods that are high on the glycemic index (GI), which uses a ranking system of 0 to 100, cause more rapid spikes in your blood sugar, in turn triggering the release of cortisol when glucose levels crash. The constant up and down of your blood sugar levels can also lead to insulin resistance — the first step on the road to type 2 diabetes. To help keep cortisol levels stable, choose low-GI foods (with a rating of 55 or less) like beans, lentils, and chickpeas, instead of high-GI options like white rice and potatoes. To find the GI rating of your foods, use the University of Sydney's database at glycemicindex.com.


Michael C Hall returns as the Miami serial killer Dexter Morgan but season six gets off to a very unpromising start.
Dexter has become its own lucrative industry and it's easy to see why it rolls on and on. There are DVDs, video games, apps and a whole array of merchandise including action figures and syringe-shaped pens. There are even Dexter bin bags to celebrate the way that Miami's finest serial killer disposes of his bodies.
The early Dexters were clever, sly and engrossing but, sad to say, the show seems to be suffering a slow and painful death judging by episode one of the sixth season (Those Kinds Of Things) which had its British premiere over the weekend on satellite channel FX. Maybe things will improve but my optimism is wearing heavy boots after such a dismal start.
Religion is at the core of Season Six and Dexter's chief enemies are a pair of nasties who become known as the 'Doomsday Killers' because their murders are based on the Book Of Revelations and involve a lot of snakes. The chief killer is played by Edward James Olmos, who was very good as Associate Justice Roberto Mendoza in The West Wing but was hamming it up dreadfully as Professor Geller. The Prof and his sidekick Travis (played by Colin Hanks) were rather Scooby-Dooish in their villainy.
Michael C Hall was his usual cool and assured self as Dexter Morgan, the blood scientist with the Miami Metro Police Department who hunts down and chops up serial killers in his spare time. Dexter is the creation of Jeff Lindsay (the pen name of American playwright and crime novelist Jeffry P. Freundlich) but Lindsay's book was not apparently the basis for a weak script that involved a high school reunion during which Dexter got a sexual treat and bumped off an evil old classmate all in one evening. The early Dexter killings were well plotted, consistent within the logic of the character and suspenseful. The deaths here were just interludes between the adverts.
In addition, detective Angel Batista has become an annoying dullard and, rather worryingly, the most engaging character is now the seedy blood scientist Vince Masuka, played well by C.S Lee.
The central death of the episode was of a fruit vendor, who was then disemboweled. He washes up on the beach and his stomach has been crudely sewn up. When Dexter and Vince cut open his stomach, seven snakes crawl out. In one of his trademark inside-his-head monologues, Dexter says: "Whatever the message, whoever sent it went to a lot of time and trouble. This is no amateur." A disemboweled corpse stuffed with snakes is not the work of an amateur . . . really?
With each season, the quality of a show that once won an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe for Hall has been sliding. Seasons 7 and 8 have already been commissioned. Any more like this, though, and perhaps it will be best to take the scripts away in their own designer Dexter bin bags.
Dexter: Once Upon A Time (Episode 2, Season 6) is on FX on Friday 6 April at 10pm.


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Home / Brexit / How will UK FinTech fare in the future?
How will UK FinTech fare in the future?
I just chaired a nice session at the Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS) focused upon the future of UK FinTech. For some reason, the question they asked us to focus upon was:
What is holding the UK back in the global investment landscape?
I didn't really understand why we would debate that topic, as the UK isn't held back. According to Innovate Finance themselves, the first quarter of 2019 was a bumper quarter:
2019 is on track to be another bumper year in UK FinTech investment. Q1/2019 has already overtaken the previous quarter of investment (angel, VC, CVC and PE growth), increasing 41% to over $1 billion of capital invested into FinTech startups in the UK.
Equally, they also point out that 39% of all European FinTech investment comes to London. The nearest rivals are Berlin and Paris who each get just half that amount (Berlin 21% and Paris 18%).
London now has seven FinTech unicorns and is set soon to outstrip Silicon Valley (nine unicorns) as the FinTech centre of the universe.
Therefore, nothing seems to be holding the UK back … but then I read further into the description, and maybe this puts it in context:
Despite being in the top three countries for FinTech investment, the UK doesn't seem to be able to challenge the US or China. Why is that, does size matter? Our panellists will discuss the different types of money flowing into the sector and give their thoughts on how the UK can up its game.
Hmmm. Anyways, I was joined by four great panellists:
Eileen Burbidge, Partner, Passion Capital
Giles Andrews OBE, Co-Founder & Director, Zopa
Alliott Cole, CEO, Octopus Ventures
Luis Valdich, Managing Director of Venture Investing, Citi Ventures
And moderated the discussion around FinTech UK and the future.
Instead of asking what was holding the UK back, I reframed the dialogue around this question:
In five to ten years, will UK FinTech be booming or struggling?
And also asked the audience to vote on that theme. The audience view was 72% voted for a continued boom and 28% thinking we would struggle.
The panellists then set to task to correct that view for, as it turned out, they were all immensely optimistic about the UK's future. All four panellists voted boom and set out their reasons why.
First and foremost is yes, there is a headwind called Brexit coming, but the main impact that will have is on the talent pool. If we lose freedom of movement of peoples then talent may be limited, especially as many FinTech start-ups have been founded in the UK because it is open to all of Europe.
The panellists felt this may be a false issue however, as cities vie with cities for talent, rather than countries. London has its own attraction, and already has a wide and deep talent pool. Why would you want to be somewhere else? The only firms that may need to consider an EU base is if they need passporting but, even then, it may still head office in the UK, primarily because that's where the money is.
A point was made that most American and Asian firms investing in FinTech come to London. It's certainly true that Venture Capital, Corporate Venture Capital (the banks), Private Equity and more base themselves here, and that isn't changing.
Another point is that the UK now has a maturity in the FinTech markets where firms are not just investing but demonstrating proven exits. That's a key point, as markets that are still early in the game do not have this experience, yet, and the UK leads on the maturity index.
There was quite a lot of debate about the size and style of investing, and the way the ecosystem works here between investment and growth. It was pointed out that, even with Brexit, funding continues to grow and that anyone who thinks it's difficult to get funding here should take a look again.
It's not difficult.
We talked a bit about the China and American models, and agreed that China's FinTech growth is mainly through domestic focus and investment. It's not global (yet). Americans see the UK as still good for this, because of our global capital markets and maturity, and that it's a model that's better than theirs in many ways because of the Bank, FCA and PRA's commitment to innovation, supporting a FinTech economy.
That's nice.
There were some negatives, mainly around what may happen for FinTech founders post-Brexit if the UK creates a negative market structure for investment and support. However, I quickly forgot the negatives and took home a whole load of positives.
I guess the audience did too as we repeated the question about the UK outlook for FinTech in five to ten years, and now 88% of the audience thought it would continue to boom and just 12% being negative.
Maybe it's the venue, organiser and panellists, or maybe it's just me, but I tend to agree with them.
If you're interested in more on the UK FinTech future, this report from Robert Walters recruiters is worth checking out:
Generating £20 billion in annual revenue and attracting more venture capital investment than any other country in Europe, the UK fintech sector is widely considered the 'jewel in the crown' for the country. In 2018, job creation within the fintech space grew by 61% in London and 18% in the regions – making it the fastest growing sector in the country.
Previous Things worth reading: 30th April 2019
Next Things worth reading: May 1st 2019
I just spent time with a bank talking about Doing Digital. The host had read …
Bloomberg@business·
A member of the dynasty behind Spain's Banco Santander jailed for trying to smuggle a Picasso
https://t.co/EvRpQtocgM
Andrew Pound@andrewpound·
RT @iris_xyz: Big Banks Versus Big Tech … It's All About the Money https://t.co/nKzJTvVf5b @FSClub #tech #finance #banks #consumer
The Finanser's Week: 13th January 2020 – 19th January 2020 - https://t.co/XxlGoL2mCc


Our spring term started with an opening service for the whole school at Truro Methodist Church. It wasn't quite a New Year's resolution, but I left enough time to walk down with pupils rather than drive down at the last minute. There is something rather nice about a journey on foot with the whole school to welcome in the new term. The sunny morning added to the occasion. The Rev spoke about Epiphany, sharing with us times in his life when he had experienced "Ah, hah" moments; moments in life when you suddenly figure something out or stumble upon a truth, just as the wise men had done when offering their gifts to the Christ child.
Our staff training day on Monday continued with some important areas of focus; independent learning and teenage wellbeing. Dr Emily Jane, former pupil and experienced educational psychologist, was back with us challenging our teachers to think about their practice in different ways. One lesson that I took away (having admitted to asking a rather stupid question) is that the classroom environment needs to be a place where pupils feel that it's okay to make mistakes. In fact, perhaps a place where the making of mistakes is celebrated. It's all about safe and secure learning environments.
The students who went on the recent geology field trip to Tenerife and cultural visit to Madrid have, by all accounts, enjoyed terrific experiences. What with the forthcoming Business Studies trip to Paris and Psychology trip to London, I'm rather wishing I was in the Sixth Form again!
I'm building up a head of steam to join parents, teachers and friends in the Truro School Choral Society for this term's Cathedral concert. I believe we will be singing Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle. This is not a work with which I am familiar but if you too are interested, the first rehearsal is on 22 January. Do come along.
I look forward to meeting 3rd Year parents tomorrow evening to talk about GCSE choices, and 5th Year parents next week who will be with us to discuss GCSE mock results and next steps.
Finally I would like to wish all Truro School families a very happy new year and extend a warm welcome to those who have joined our community this term for the first time.


We meet together every Sunday at 4pm.
At Central we want to keep life uncluttered so we try and keep things simple. We're not perfect or polished nor do we have great programs, but we do want to grow in our love of God, be a committed, passionate faith community and reach the people of Wollongong who are looking for God and want to express their faith in a simple, meaningful way. Central is a safe space to explore, question and practice spirituality, to learn how to belong in messy, beautiful community, and get active alongside others in bringing God's kingdom to earth.


Keeping a clean home can be challenging, but it doesn't have to take up all of your time. You can still maintain a clean and tidy house even with less time involved, by creating some good habits early on and learning to stick with it.
Also, try to follow these seven practical tips on how to make your house spotless. By developing these habits early on, your home will be tidier and saving yourself from a lot of work.
Many people think that making up their bed is a complete waste of time, but it does make a significant difference to tidy up a room only in a matter of minutes. Moreover, it's a great way to start the day right. You'll also appreciate climbing to a well-made bed after the end of a long and tiring day at work. You can make things a lot easier by simplifying your bedding as much as you can.
As an alternative, you can cut off your top sheet and use and washable and duvet cover instead. But if you love your top sheets and don't want to part with it, you can limit the number of pillows in your bed or use a duvet or comforter, so you don't have to tuck the sheets.
Here's how you can adopt the two-minute rule when cleaning. If something is going to take two minutes or less, then do it right away rather than putting it off later.
For instance, if you've got a bill from the mail and you can pay it off online, then why not do it now? That way, you can recycle the paper of the bill right away, and you don't have to think about it again since it's already paid. It also keeps the bills from piling up in the kitchen, and dining table.
The clean-as-you-go rule is an excellent way to keep things clean and tidy all the time, with minimal effort. For instance, when you're doing a cooking session in the kitchen, nothing is worse than facing a pile of dirty dishes. You can prepare the ingredients for cooking ahead of time, rinse the chopping boards, knives, and utensils that you use along the way. Instead of letting them stack on the sink, you can then put them directly to the dishwasher.
This approach can also do wonders in your living room by incorporating smart storage solutions. Since it receives a high amount of traffic on a daily basis, it's also prone to clutter.
When you have a letter rack for the mail, a dish for remote controls, racks for a magazine subscription, and hooks for hats, jackets, and bags, everything is in its designated place. Therefore, it can significantly minimize the clutter in your home.
Unless you're living alone, cleaning up all that mess and clutter will always be a group effort. See to it that everyone has weekly chores such as emptying the trash, sweeping, vacuuming, doing the laundry, etc.
If you have kids, then it's a great way to help them turn into more responsible adults later on. While you might think that it's easier to do the job by yourself, assigning them with age-appropriate jobs will benefit the entire household in the long run.
You can start by letting your kids pick up after themselves ‒ cleaning their room, putting the dishes on the dishwasher, etc. While it might be challenging for the first few weeks, it will become a habit to your kids as well, and they can finish their tasks with minimal reminders.
It's incredible how this can impact the overall tidiness of your home, just by getting these little things done.
If you focus on tidying up high traffic areas in your home on a daily basis, then it can do wonders in preventing dirt and dust throughout the rest of your home. See to it that you have shoe racks at the entrance of your home, and constantly remind everyone to take off their shoes when entering the house. Doing so will keep all the shoe dirt isolated in a single spot.
You can also utilize small rugs at the entrance of doors to help trap a lot of incoming dirt. If you have pets that constantly come in and out, have an old cloth by the door to quickly wipe down their paws once they come in.
Also, as much as you can, try to sweep of vacuum these areas on a daily basis. It doesn't have to be much ‒ approximately 5 minutes a day should do it.
Taking time to declutter and organize your home drastically cuts the amount of time you need to tidy it up. Ideally, have a spot for everything, so that it's both accessible and easy to put away. It's also more convenient for you to tidy up. Taking items off from the counter and other surfaces make dusting and the whole cleaning process a lot easier.
Everyone might not have a budget to hire a regular professional cleaning service, but the ones who do tend to keep up the daily maintenance of their homes.
Striving for more cleaner spaces deep cleaning your home on a regular basis can be exhausting and time-consuming. People who live hectic lifestyles, such as those who work long hours, or have plenty of family obligations on their hands feel that hiring for help to a cleaning company like Maid Sailors who also offers a Green Cleaning NYC service can be a better alternative. It saves them a lot of time in the process and also gives them peace of mind.
If you're one of those people who continuously struggle on a daily basis to maintain a clean and orderly home, then applying these simple yet practical tips will help you keep a sparklingly clean house in the long run.
Jacky Xu is the Chief Operating Officer for MaidSailors.com, the # 1 cleaning service NYC. Maid Sailors take pride in providing unparalleled cleaning services at affordable prices. Maid Sailors help transform your house into a home.


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Mark Zuckerberg defends Peter Thiel and 'ideological diversity' again
By Levi Sumagaysay	/ March 14, 2017 at 10:56 AM
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has again defended having Peter Thiel on the company's board, saying calls to kick the social network's first big investor off the board are "crazy."
Speaking at North Carolina A&T State University on Monday, Zuckerberg said, "I think the folks who are saying we shouldn't have someone on our board because they're a Republican, I think that's crazy."
The talk was broadcast live on Facebook.
Thiel's ties to President Trump have been controversial because the president's views and policies — including on immigration, race and gender — are controversial. Zuckerberg has defended Thiel before, and on Monday he brought Thiel up without being asked specifically about him. (The question, from a college student there, was: "What do you personally due to ensure that your company maintains a free and safe environment for the expression of all thoughts and feelings?")
Ellen Pao, a noted critic of Thiel and Trump, on Tuesday called attention to a tweetstorm from Silicon Valley web developer Marco Rogers, who called "bulls—" on Zuckerberg's defense of Thiel in the name of "ideological diversity."
You cannot choose Peter Thiel and also choose diversity. You cannot choose Peter Thiel and also seek to create an inclusive environment.
— Marco Rogers (@polotek) March 14, 2017
Peter Thiel's ideology is actively harmful to democracy. By his own words. You can find interview footage.
And even if you feel you need to make excuses for Thiel, why decide to appropriate the language of diversity to do it? Ugh.
What's Rogers' problem with Thiel? Well, Thiel, a longtime libertarian, once wrote that women's suffrage was bad for democracy. He also co-wrote a book with another tech executive, David Sacks (formerly of Yammer and Zenefits), in which they characterized date rape as "belated regret." Last year, amid renewed interest in the book because of Thiel's support for Trump, they apologized for their comments in the book. In "The Diversity Myth," Thiel and Sacks slammed multiculturalism, diversity, gender studies and political correctness.
If that sounds familiar, they are the same themes that are decried by Trump and his supporters.
Back to "crazy," which is also how Zuckerberg referred to the idea first floated around last year after the presidential election that fake news might have influenced the outcome. But not too long afterward, Facebook began to take action to try to minimize fake news on its platform.
Photo: Apple CEO Tim Cook, right, and PayPal founder Peter Thiel, center, listen as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with technology industry leaders at Trump Tower in New York on Dec. 14, 2016. (Evan Vucci/AP)
Tags: facebook, mark zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Politics


text:
package eduni.simdiag;

/** Sets scale */
public class GraphSetScale extends GraphEventObject {
  double xmin,xmax,ymin,ymax;
  public GraphSetScale(Object src, double xmin,double xmax, double ymin, double ymax) {
    super(src);
    this.xmin = xmin;
    this.xmax = xmax;
    this.ymin = ymin;
    this.ymax = ymax;
  }
  public void doit(GraphDiagram  d) {  d.setScale(xmin,xmax,ymin,ymax); }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We were late by an hour and a half, maybe more. Already running overtime due to the confusions of recording too many opinions in the rain, in a bog, in the middle of a stone circle, in the lea of the Sellafield Nuclear Site on the Cumbrian coast, neatly skirted by a golfcourse and a military style border. A double fence topped with fresh shiny barbed wire, a patrol road inbetween the fences, no-one drives by. The landscape instrumentalised for human meaning. Vying for historical weight: the golf course is neatly short-lived, the stone circle is roughly intermediate at a couple of centuries, but it is the nuclear heritage which will outlive our lifetimes by hundreds of thousands of years. In the drizzle we argue about the terms of reference for art and radiation, and don't record any of it. Instead we try and make clear and considered reflections on what we see, what is at stake. We all have sodden boots and feet, and we're late. As we climb the hill back to the local farm, a quick glance back offers a view of Sellafield, a nuclear factory stretching six kilometres across the landscape chimneys poking up behind the trees. It reminds me of the view of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant from the edge of the red exclusion zone.
Finding a site without a postcode takes time. But time is exactly what we seem to have, thousands of years of slow mutating time. Time, whose meaning will change along with the decay rates of the isotopes seeping through the site. The rendezvous is another farm. But this isn't really a farm at all, it's the site of the old Sellafield visitor centre, closed since 2011 after the Fukushima meltdown, or was it 2001 after the attack on the Twin Towers in New York. Both events sent shivers down the spine of every nuclear worker, manager and de-commissioner, when the unthinkable, the impossible, actually happened.
We're met by the communications team, and everyone is nice and polite. A quick double check of paperwork, ID, sign forms, dosimeters on, and we're in a bus on our way in. Then time stops. It's like being on a rollercoaster, you don't really know if you were there for ten minutes or an hour. Whilst you're there it goes so slowly, but then you jump off the ride and instantly feel that you've missed it.
Apart from the midcentury Windscale stack, and Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (WAGR) golfball everything looks the same. Miles of corrugated iron industrial sheds covering a multitude of alchemical sins. Here mere humans are desperately trying to decontaminate the most toxic radioactive materials in the world including a rather unnecessary stockpile of 112 tonnes of plutonium and 'legacy waste' containers of miscellaneous radioactive sludge. As if the site wasn't contaminated enough, it seems that the whole world has shipped their nuclear waste to Sellafield for reprocessing and vitrification . All waiting for mythical geologic repositories. In addition images of crumbling storage ponds full of fuel rods circulate online, but here they are hidden from view. But we can visit the WAGRA intermediate level waste storage shed and see the self-sealing boxes, in fact we can walk up to the sign that reads "2.86 milliSieverts at base". And I have to double check, that it's milliSieverts, 1000 times more radioactive than a microSievert. And then I realise why everyone else is standing on the otherside of the building. We are politely asked not to photograph the sign. As Dave says, only our dosimeters can tell that story.
There seems to be a pride in nuclear heritage, lovingly cleaning up the old mess. But I'm not sure the ever-present isotopes allow for the indulgences of nostalgia. I ask questions, but only some of them can be answered.
After visiting several test labs for geological storage of radioactive waste around the world, I wanted to come to Sellafield, to see where it all begins. And I wanted our BBC producer and presenter to come here to to. Throughout the day I've been reminded that the Sellafield visit isn't really part of the programme, as it's not in the script. But this is exactly the problem with the debate about geo-storage, it doesn't deal with the materiality of the production of waste itself.
The site comprises of six square kilometres of compact radiological hazards, some neat and tidy, others rusting and leaky; some intermediate and fairly stable, others hot and volatile. Materials we can't get near, that only robots can touch. But this is not luxury communism, an automated future to allow for more leisure and learning time. Here the robotics enable a distance between high level ionising radiation and the delicate cells of the human body.
I'm trying to hang on to these thoughts as we drive through the site at dusk, as the communications team smile and talk about effective decommissioning. Everyone is helpful, but I'm caught up in my instinctive resistance to public relations speak, and wishing we could talk to the engineers, scientists, and hydro-geologists who have a material understanding of the site.
Of course artists are interested in politics, and deep time and site markers, but they are also interested in materials, and how things work. Without any material understanding of nuclear industrial processes art-projects are in danger of being recuperated by public relations, either as a process of simplifying complexity for acceptance, or scare mongering for rejection. So the question here isn't whether art is neutral, but how seriously it can engage with the cultural and technical infrastructures of the nuclear industry and the characteristics of radiation.


text:
Air India cancels flights to the United States, as do several international airlines, over 5G mobile communication roll-out fears
Three Indian Navy sailors perish in fire aboard INS Ranvir at the naval dockyard in Mumbai
Four Maoists, including two women cadre, killed in encounters in Telangana-Chhattisgarh border
Narayan Debnath, legendary Bengali comic book writer and illustrator and creator of iconic comic strips, passes away at the age of 96
Telangana Commerce Minister K.T. Rama Rao invites Tesla to set up shop in State
In democratic Iraq, fears of a civil war
Rwanda's citizens report being forcibly vaccinated against COVID
Germany tries Syrian doctor for torture
Is the world doing enough to help Afghans?
Hong Kong to conduct COVID cull of small pets
Vidarbha shows the way to check suicides
Print edition : March 17, 2017 T+ T-
A GRASS-ROOTS mental health programme in rural Vidarbha called VISHRAM (the Vidarbha Stress and Health ProgRAM) has enabled a dramatic reduction in the treatment gap for depression in that region, according to a study by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). The study was published in Lancet Psychiatry.
VISHRAM was designed to address the mental health risk factors for suicide (i.e., depression and alcohol use disorders) in a predominantly rural population of 1,00,555 people in 30 villages in the Amravati district of Vidarbha region, the epicentre of farmer suicides. According to a 2015 study VISHRAM conducted, 5.2 per cent of the people interviewed had thought of taking their life in the previous 12 months. Of these, nearly half (45.3 per cent) also had depression. The PHFI study is an evaluation of the VISHRAM programme, which was implemented over 18 months by two non-governmental organisation (Prakriti, with technical support from Sangath). Surveys were done at the start and the end of the programme. The evaluation at the end found that (a) the prevalence of depression fell from 14.6 per cent to 11.3 per cent; (b) the proportion of people with depression who sought care rose from 4.3 per cent to 27.2 per cent; (c) treatment access was equitably increased across caste, gender and social class; (d) the prevalence of suicidal thoughts in the previous 12 months fell from 5.2 per cent to 2.5 per cent; and (e) a range of mental health literacy indicators showed significant improvement.
As a part of VISHRAM, existing front-line workers such as accredited social health activists (ASHAs) worked at the community level to raise mental health literacy and provide psychological first aid and lay counsellors provided psychological treatment in the community and at primary health centres. Psychiatrists from the government's District Mental Health Programme and the private sector provided medication for serious mental disorders at the primary health centres and the rural hospital. VISHRAM underlines the importance of care for depression and the concomitant reduction in suicidal behaviour.
Global burden
According to the PHFI, one-third of the global burden of mental illness falls on India and China, more than all high-income countries combined. Yet, in both countries less than 1 per cent of the national health care budget is allocated to mental health care. The recent National Mental Health Survey in India shows that about 90 per cent of people with depression had not received any care in the previous 12 months; VISHRAM shows how this treatment gap can be reduced.
VISHRAM is led by the psychiatrist Prof. Vikram Patel. "VISHRAM offers a model for the scaling up of community mental health care in India through a partnership between communities and front-line workers, lay counsellors and mental health practitioners from the private and government sectors. In particular, it offers a template for reducing suicides in Vidarbha," he said. "It is now critically important to translate this knowledge into real-world practice by scaling up VISHRAM intervention through the National Mental Health Programme across the country," observed Rahul Shidhaye, associate professor at the PHFI and the lead author of the PHFI study.
R. Ramachandran
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Confusion about price for 1MDB's Bandar Malaysia sale
by Arno Maierbrugger - Jan 5, 2016
Artist's impression of the Bandar Malaysia project south of Kuala Lumpur's city center
In another not very flattering blunder, Malaysia's state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) obviously miscommunicated the effective sales price for the majority of its property development Bandar Malaysia at the southern outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
1MDB on New Year's Eve had announced the sale of 60 per cent of Bandar Malaysia's land parcels to a joint venture of China Railway Engineering Corporation and Iskandar Waterfront Holdings at 7.41 billion ringgit, or $1.71 billion. 1MDB also said that the buyer will pay a down payment of 10 per cent, or 741 million ringgit, and that the transaction is expected to be completed by end of June 2016.
The purchase price was based on a valuation of 100 per cent of Bandar Malaysia by the Chinese group at 12.35 billion ringgit, thus 60 per cent were worth 7.41 billion ringgit, 1MDB stated.
However, in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on January 3, the Chinese said that the purchase price was only 5.28 billion ringgit ($1.22 billion), some $500 million short of what 1MDB announced.
Asked by opposition lawmakers for clarification, 1MDB president Arul Kanda said that the lower price would reflect "adjustments" that had to be made between January and June 2016, depending on whether or not certain project liabilities were passed, which included relocation costs for existing facilities and a Bandar Malaysia sukuk.
"The agreement executed between the parties on December 31, 2015 provides for a robust and objective mechanism to determine, amongst others, the final project equity value, which will be different from the agreed land sale value," Arul said in a statement.
The Chinese group's announcement was based on "certain assumptions which were subject to further negotiations," he added.
For Tony Pua, member of the Democratic Action Party, Malaysia's largest opposition party, this explanation makes "no sense." He pointed out that 1MDB was talking about the value of the land, while China Railway was talking about the actual purchase price.
"However, even such an explanation does not make sense as 1MDB clearly specified that a 10 per cent deposit of 741 million ringgit will be paid upon the signing of the agreement," Pua said, wondering whether 1MDB "gave an inflated figure to make Prime Minister Najib Razak look good. Perhaps 1MDB did not expect China Railway to make an announcement to the Hong Kong Exchange or that there will be parties who would actually read the announcement."
Pua called upon 1MDB to fully disclose the sales and purchase agreement signed between the parties.
"This will ensure that there's no ambiguity on the understanding of the agreement as it involves Malaysian taxpayers' money," he added.
[caption id="attachment_27469" align="alignleft" width="300"] Artist's impression of the Bandar Malaysia project south of Kuala Lumpur's city center[/caption] In another not very flattering blunder, Malaysia's state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) obviously miscommunicated the effective sales price for the majority of its property development Bandar Malaysia at the southern outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. 1MDB on New Year's Eve had announced the sale of 60 per cent of Bandar Malaysia's land parcels to a joint venture of China Railway Engineering Corporation and Iskandar Waterfront Holdings at 7.41 billion ringgit, or $1.71 billion. 1MDB also said that the buyer will pay a...
1Malaysia Development Berhad
Arul Kanda
Bandar Malaysia
China Railway Engineering Corporation
Democratic Action Party
Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn Bhd
Tony Pua
Thailand's tourism numbers at all-time high
Medical tourism growing in Malaysia, targeting market high in 2016
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text:
COVID-19 vaccine delivery - overcoming the supply chain c...
COVID-19 vaccine delivery - overcoming the supply chain challenges
What are the supply chain challenges for delivering a vaccine? Delivering a new vaccine for COVID-19 worldwide will be one of the greatest challenges faced by modern pharma. The difficulties are intensified by pre-existing shortcomings in the supply chain.
Author Company: Origin
Author Name: Rich Quelch
Editor: PharmiWeb Editor Last Updated: 14-Aug-2020
COVID-19 has impacted every country around the world since its arrival in late 2019, either directly or indirectly due to its effect on the global economy.
However, things are looking up. By the end of 2021, the WHO plans to deliver over 2 billion doses of a Coronavirus vaccine.
The scientific research community is making strong ground. As of 22nd July, there are 24 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation, some of which have already entered the final phase of clinical trials.
But this is an ambitious timeline and presents huge challenges for pharmaceutical supply chains that need to be ready. Underinvestment and mounting pressure from confounding stress factors have left the pharma supply chain in a substandard condition.
Faced with the task of delivering a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine to billions of people in the next 18 months, the time to address these shortfalls has come. This could be the tipping point we've been waiting for to kick start the next generation pharma supply chain.
What are the supply chain challenges for delivering a vaccine?
Delivering a new vaccine for COVID-19 worldwide will be one of the greatest challenges faced by modern pharma. The difficulties are intensified by pre-existing shortcomings in the supply chain.
Despite linking the laboratory to the marketplace, the supply chain hasn't received the same focus and investment given to the discovery, development and marketing of pharma products. And it's starting to show.
Upscaling manufacturing capacity has been a priority for many years as part of pandemic preparedness. Additional emergency funding packages have also been made available to further bolster pharma manufacturing capacity, in anticipation of an approved vaccine.
However, without knowing which will be approved (or approved first) it's an educated guess at best. The manufacturing facilities needed will be dependent on the kind of vaccine developed and while there are clear frontrunners, we can't be certain who will be first across the line.
Some governments have already started to "pre-order" quantities of different vaccines in phase 3 clinical trials. A further step could be pre-agreeing prices to give greater certainty to manufacturers.
The cold chain
Vaccines usually need to be kept between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius from manufacture to administration; cold chain logistics are therefore key.
A cold chain undergoes end-to-end temperature control through transit and thanks to a new class of pharmaceuticals – biologics - the cold chain has become more widespread and smarter. But there's still a long way to go.
Cold chain logistics are particularly difficult in warmer climates and more remote places. Recently we've seen exciting innovation in this area, with some start-ups delivering temperature-controlled drugs via drones, allowing them to reach remote communities within just a few hours. We'll likely see further innovation in this area as the COVID-19 vaccine travels to all corners of the world.
A hybrid strategy
Historically, pharma companies have relied on a network of hundreds of international suppliers to manufacture, package and deliver different products. This means multiple teams to be managing multiple international supplier sites which can be overly complex, largely inefficient and very expensive.
A pragmatic solution would be bringing it "under one roof", merging the best of manufacturing, design and innovation, supply chain networking and infrastructure. Doing so would speed up the process of manufacturing and shipping doses and reduce the margin for error.
Pre-filled syringes would be the preferred option for primary packaging, allowing clinicians to directly administer the vaccine to patients and to protect its contents from contamination and misuse.
However, primary and secondary packaging structures must be extensively tested together to check there are no adverse effects on efficacy, durability or shelf life.
It's an unfortunate fact that medicine is now the world's largest fraud market, worth over $200 billion per year. Due to the widespread demand for a COVID-19 vaccine, it's likely criminals will attempt to capitalise. We've already seen efforts to sell fake testing kits and PPE.
A crucial part of delivering a safe and effective vaccine will be ensuring falsified and counterfeit versions are not in distribution. The use of intelligent packaging and supply chain tracking software can help here.
Smart tracking systems, built into primary and secondary packaging, can manage and record activities across the supply chain in real-time, giving valuable information about shipments. The geographical location of a product and the route it took can all be captured and stored, revealing any unauthorised movements or interventions.
Vaccines are not compulsory; their success lies with individuals. Persuasive online conspiracy theories are fuelling the so-called "anti-vaxx" movement which could result in limited take-up when a COVID-19 vaccine is available.
It's currently estimated in Britain, up to a third of people are either unsure about or would refuse a vaccine, rising to up to half of people in America.
Health education and outreach to close the knowledge gap will be an important step, targeted at both grassroots and top-line audiences. Public health officials and clinicians must listen and understand the specific concerns individuals and groups have and respond in a targeted way to change their opinions and dispel misinformation.
A challenging path ahead
The pressure on supply chain networks to deliver a safe and effective vaccine is immense and will continue to grow. And at the same time, the pharmaceutical must maintain and strengthen supply chains for existing treatments and services.
The benefits of a modern pharma supply chain that's fit for today's challenges and tomorrow's will long outlive the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering more effective and safer medicines the entire world can access and afford.


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Flanagan speaks out against Cuomo campaign finance reform, & election commission
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan leaves the Executive Mansion following a closed-door budget meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Democrats gave away law-making powers to create $100 million campaign welfare system & potentially nix choice through fusion voting
Senate Republican Leader John J. Flanagan and Long Island Republicans spoke out against the unconstitutional Campaign Finance Reform and Election Commission as the panel gathered to take testimony on Long Island today. Members of the Senate Republican Conference submitted a letter to the Commission, stating that the creation of the Commission was "unlawful," and "creates a dangerous precedent for unaccountable legislating."
"Democrats, who control every aspect of state government, unconstitutionally forfeited their law-making duties to a group of unelected appointees who sit on the Campaign Finance Reform and Election Commission. I refuse to testify before this traveling Commission of Scapegoats, who are unaccountable to the public," said Flanagan said.
On October 3, Flanagan filed a cross-claim in a legal challenge to the constitutionality of this Commission.
"But the public should be aware that Democrats plan to allow others to write a $100 million welfare plan for their campaigns to bankroll expenses like nasty campaign commercials, annoying robocalls, and mailers. Democrats also intend through this Commission to unconstitutionally take away voter choice by eliminating fusion voting. While I fight against this in court, I urge the 65% of the public who oppose this to speak loudly before one-party rule misuses their tax dollars," he added.
Senator Ken LaValle, the Republican representing parts of Suffolk County, agrees. He joined Flanagan in making the statement.
"We took important steps this year to increase voter participation and make it easier to register and enroll. As Elected Officials, it is our job to make the tough decisions to ensure that fair, accurate, and accessible voting takes place. Throughout my career, I have always believed it's important for Legislators to take the difficult votes and be accountable to those who elected them. This pattern of creating commissions removes the voters' ability to hold their representatives accountable," said Senator Ken LaValle.
Democrats failed to bring any legislation to the floor during the past legislative session for public review or debate, but language that slipped into the budget created the Campaign Finance Reform and Election Commission, and charged it with developing a public campaign finance system at a cost of $100 million.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the Commission also had the authority to decide the fate of fusion voting, a system in place for over 100 years in this state that gives third parties more choice.
It's unclear if Flanagan will be campaigning across the state to promote a package of alternative election law reforms.
Flanagan: Democrat electioneering must be struck down by the Court
BY SENATOR JOHN FLANAGAN Democrats controlling this state violated the very responsibilities given to them by the people by putting their duties in the hands of nine unelected, and therefore unaccountable, Public Campaign Finance and Elections commissioners. This unconstitutional abdication
GOP activists want Gallivan to seek Senate leadership post
New York State's Republican Party is facing an existential crisis, having lost control of the State Senate chamber last year, the party's last bastion of power in Albany. If the party is unable to retake the chamber next year, then
Giambra calls on GOP leaders to vote on Child Victims Act this month
BY TONY FARINA Joel Giambra, independent candidate for Governor, is calling on Republican leaders – including gubernatorial contenders Marc Molinaro and John DeFrancisco – to back the Child Victims Act. Giambra wants Majority Leader John Flanagan to bring the bill


The disillusioned dragon Ukyou Tatsuya is back from the states to find Dragon Heat tournaments falling into the hands of a new gang. Having lost everything in the last game, he seeks to gain it all back in his new adventure. So he threw away his career in the states, unite the fellows in Kamuro-cho to claim Dragon Heat back.
Make use of the environment when you beat your opponents into a pulp. Back them into a wall to pummel them senseless. Then wash up to visit the glamorous play spots around town to meet with the ladies and gather information.


text:
Sergej Sergejevič Alexandrovskij,  (1889, Girjusy, Náhorní Karabach – 17. srpna 1945, podle jiných zdrojů 4. srpna 1945), byl sovětský diplomat.

Život
 od roku 1906 člen SDDSR
 1923 až 1924 – pracovník ústředního aparátu Lidového komisariátu zahraničních věcí Svazu sovětských socialistických republik (SSSR)
 1924 až 1925 – vedoucí Oddělení zemí Střední Evropy v témže úřadu
 9. července 1925 až 3. června 1927 – zplnomocněný představitel SSSR v Litvě
 6. července 1927 až 16. května 1929 – zplnomocněný představitel SSSR ve Finsku
 1929 až 1931 – zplnomocněný zástupce Lidového komisariátu zahraničních věcí u SNK Ukrajinské SSR
 1931 až 1933 – diplomatický rada v Německu
 4. června 1933 až 9. června 1934 – diplomatický zástupce SSSR v Československu
 9. června 1934 až 16. března 1939 – zplnomocněný vyslanec SSSR v Československu
 1939 až 1941 – advokát v Moskvě

V době Mnichovské krize působil jako vyslanec SSSR v Československu. Vyjadřoval podporu Sovětského svazu Československu, které se bránilo nátlaku nacistického Německa na odstoupení pohraničních území. Když se ho ale československý prezident Edvard Beneš opakovaně ptal, zdali by Sovětský svaz přišel v případném vojenském konfliktu Československu na pomoc, pokaždé dostal od Alexadrovského pouze vyhýbavou odpověď. Český publicista Karel Pacner se domnívá, že sovětští diplomaté naoko prosazovali vytvoření celoevropského systému kolektivní bezpečnosti proti Německu, ale sovětský vůdce Stalin si ovšem ve skutečnosti přál válku mezi Německem a západem, při které by se obě strany vojensky vyčerpaly. Poté by Sovětský svaz mohl obsadit celou Evropu.

Ve Velké vlastenecké válce bojoval při obraně Moskvy. Upadl do zajetí, ze kterého uprchl, do října 1943 pracoval jako pomocník redaktora novin Plamen partyzánské brigády nesoucí jméno N. A. Ščorse. Byl uvězněn 19. října 1943, obviněn ze špionáže ve prospěch nacistického Německa a popraven. Československý prezident Edvard Beneš se domníval, že důvodem obvinění a popravy byla Alexandrovského liknavost v době Mnichovské krize.

Manželka velvyslance, pěvkyně vídeňské opery Klára Spivakovská byla po popravě manžela coby žena nepřítele lidu odeslána do Jenisejska.

V červenci roku 1956 byl rehabilitován.

Literatura
 «Дипломатический словарь» под ред. А. А. Громыко, А. Г. Ковалева, П. П. Севостьянова, С. Л. Тихвинского в 3-х томах, М., «Наука», 1985—1986. — Т. 1, с. 23.

Odkazy
  životopis na Slovníku historie KSSS 1898 - 1991
  životopis na proza.ru

Reference

Sovětští diplomaté
Oběti druhé světové války
Narození v roce 1889
Úmrtí v roce 1945
Úmrtí 17. srpna
Muži
Velvyslanci Sovětského svazu v Československu
Narození v Gorisu

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