It's a tough act to follow, when a play is a re-interpretation of a literary classic, and that, too, one written for the stage. Chitrangada, the musical dance-drama by Rabindranath Tagore, was staged in a new form by Red Polka Productions at Ranga Shankara, on Tuesday, the July 17, 2018. Having long read, watched and appreciated the literary and dramatic works of Tagore, I was eager to see what the new production would be like.
The original dance-drama was written by Tagore in 1891, and is the story of Chitrangada, the only child of the king of Manipur. She is treated as the heiress to the throne, and behaves in every way like a prince: she even dresses in man's clothes. In the treatment of the theme in "Chitraa", allusion is made to her "darkness" of form; her eyes, lips, breasts, and feet. This angle, the physical appearance of external beauty, was the aspect that this production seemed to concentrate on. Chitrangada prays to Manmatha, the God of Love, to make her physically attractive. She is granted this new form for a year, though in the original, the form varies according to the seasons.
However, when Arjuna, who earlier pleaded the vow of celibacy he had taken, in rejecting her, falls for her beauty, Chitrangada finds that she is not satisfied with the fact of his being attracted to her new form, and wishes that she had her old physical form back. This tension in her mind and how it is resolved, forms the rest of the play.
The topic of physical beauty (and its importance vis-a-vis someone's achievements and their personality as a whole), is certainly a topical one in these days of "Fair and Lovely" (not to mention "Fair and Handsome"!) but though the play started with an allusion to Chitrangada's darkness, the play seemed to deal more with the general idea of feminine beauty rather than just that of dark skin. The dark-skin allusion was further diluted as the actor chosen to represent "Kurupa" (one who has an ugly form) was just as fair as the actor playing Shurupa, and (to me!) just as good-looking, which certainly confused me a little.
The dance-drama atmosphere was maintained by the initial choreography where the dancers executed some beautifully choreographed movements. After this, the action moved more into the realm of drama than dance, but the choreographed movements of the couple in love (Chitrangada and Arjuna) kept the audience in touch with the dance aspect throughout.
The costumes for the cast were lavish; the villagers had the touch of Bengal in their clothes, and the "alta" on the hands and feet of the dancers lent a Bengali touch, too. The white-and-gold of Shurupa's costume contrasted well with the dark colours of Kurupa's costume. Arjuna's costume had the ascetic orange colour… a rather strange choice for a role of a lover almost throughout the play, but then, perhaps that was deliberately done.
The set design was sparing, but effective. An arch often depicted a pathway out of the action, as well as some states of being, as when Chitraa as Shurupa is entwined with Arjuna, and we see Kurupa, her alter ego, in the arch; or when Kurupa is talking and we see Shurupa within that same arch (representing an alternative reality). Smoke was used to stunning effect during the play, even though the noise of the smoke machine did interfere at times. A ramp leading up to a raised area also brought in characters to the action of the play.
I must mention the superb lighting design. In highlighting parts of the stage, and leaving parts dark at times, the action was enhanced, and the denouement brought forward. The arrival of Madana and Vasantha (the gods of the seasons), the appearance or disappearance of Kurupa or Shurupa… smoke heralded them. In this, I must mention the good special effects of the play.
It was a bold stroke, too, to depict Madana and Vasanta as rather "camp" and bring in the element of genders other than the two traditional ones; however, this was milked more for some limp-wristed comedy, rather than brought out as a stronger part of the play. Madana and Vasanta, I must add, were so good at essaying their roles that they drew some strong applause from the audience at the end of the play.
I must confess being rather disappointed with the role of Arjuna. The actor playing Arjuna did the best he could with his material; but Arjuna having been introduced as a man of valour, someone whom the redoubtable Chitraa has fallen in love with, it was less than satisfactory to have him brought out as a weak man, who is willing to let go of a sacred vow when faced with physical beauty. The role as brought out, did not show any reference to the brave man who won the heart of the brave maiden. Arjuna appeared rather wooden through the performance, though, of course, his choreographed moves were perfect.
Another confusing point was when the period of a year (of Chitraa's beauty) would come to an end. At one point, Madana and Vasanta bemoan that this is the last night of Chitraa's beauty; but then, Shurupa continued in her role, until the end of the performance, so there was, in our minds, some uncertainty about the period for which Kurupa would be Shurupa.
I must mention the excellent music. At every point, the music, enhanced by the good acoustics of Ranga Shankara, added to the effect of the play. The love sequences were dreamy because of the good music as much as the well-rehearsed and choreographed moves of the couple. The youngsters who played the flute at the outset, forming a kind of introduction to the action of the play, were good too; with a little more practice, they will set the tone for the production very well. The sound design certainly deserves praise in keeping up the tempo of the production.
However, it was apparent that, this being only the 5th show of the production, several parts of the performance need to be streamlined. A gap when the lights went off; a fumble or two in the dialogue, some grammatical errors in the dialogue… elements like this can be eliminated with more rehearsals, and the production can become a seamless whole. The general tightening of the performance might also include a slight lessening of the duration of the play. The direction can be tightened up a little, and I think it definitely will be, as the play is staged more often.
I was impressed by the excellent brochure brought out on the occasion, and was very happy that Anshulika Kapoor took the time to introduce the cast and crew, too. Since I did not have a photograph to use for this review, I have used the photograph that I took, of the cast and crew taking their bows after the performance.
I look forward to watching the play again, when the production has evolved, and would like to see what elements have been retained and enhanced, and what parts have been discarded. It was an evening of good visual and auditory entertainment, though I personally feel that the theme of beauty and its consequences, can be stressed even more, if at the expense of the dance-drama element that Tagore introduced to his work all those decades ago.
Production Team: Santosh Patil, Pranati Sahni, Mahima Bijlani, Yamini Belwal, Ankhi Pal.
The team also acknowledged their gratitude to the stalwarts of Bangalore Little Theatre.
Bangalore Little Theatre's annual children's theatre production, Our Iceberg is Melting, is a musical on climate change, in support of Association for the Mentally Challenged.


A US$ 50 million framework facility is to be established for Rosbank, with a particular focus on developing lending activities with SMEs. In the initial phase funding will be provided under EBRD's Trade Facilitation Programme (USD 20 million) and in the form of a US$ 20 million senior loan for on-lending to SMEs. Future lending may be used to support the expansion of residential mortgage lending in Rosbank or other retail or SME banking products. The primary objective of the project is to assist Rosbank in diversifying its business by expanding its trade finance operations and developing SME lending, which is a relatively new sector for Rosbank.
The project will promote the extension of financial intermediation in Russia by using the broad regional network of Rosbank/OVK to reach Russian corporates and SMEs.
The Facility is also expected to foster competition in the banking sector by giving borrowers greater choice in accessing retail networks with a wide geographical spread that offer a full range of banking services.
The project seeks to set high standards of corporate governance by introducing a number of performance measurements for transparency and business conduct. The aim is to transform Rosbank into a bank meeting the highest international standards of corporate governance and transparency, thus increasing Rosbank's attractiveness to creditors and potential investors.
Rosbank is a large universal bank, owned by Interros. Rosbank is the legal successor of Uneximbank, which suffered in the 1998 financial crisis in Russia and subsequently restructured its debt in 2000. Future plans call for the merger of Rosbank with the OVK banking group, purchased in 2003 by Interros, which would create the bank with the second largest regional bank network after Sberbank.
The total amount of the Facility is US$ 50 million and will be used in accordance with Rosbank's needs to finance trade, SMEs and retail banking activities.
Rosbank will be required to comply with EBRD's Environmental Procedures for Intermediated Financing through Local Banks, including adherence to the Environmental Exclusion and Referral List, compliance with the applicable national environmental, health and safety legislation, and submission of annual environmental reports to EBRD.


text:
Philippines to end martial law in restive south
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will lift martial law on the southern region of Mindanao at the end of this month, citing an improving security climate and a reduced threat of extremism two years after one of Asia's biggest Islamic State-inspired attacks.
Martial law was imposed in May 2017 in response to a surprise attack on the city of Marawi by local and foreign fighters loyal to Islamic State. The rebels held the city for five months, fending off daily air strikes and ground assaults before their leaders were reported killed.
President Rodrigo Duterte heeded the advice of a leading defense official that was unanimously behind ending martial rule, and is confident that order can be maintained without it, his spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Tuesday.
"The people of Mindanao are assured that any incipient major threat in the region would be nipped in the bud," Panelo told a regular briefing.
The move is expected to be welcomed across Mindanao, a region of 22 million people, where threats have been limited to mainly Muslim areas with a history of poverty, marginalization and separatist rebellion.
Though the government has cited success in dismantling the extremist networks, it is now faced with a sinister new threat from suicide bombings, which were previously unheard of in the southern Philippines.
There have been at least five attempted or successful suicide bombings since July last year in the Sulu archipelago, killing more than 40 people.
They include a twin bombing of a Jolo church and a van bomb detonated at a checkpoint on Basilan. Others targeted military outposts.
The country's Muslim minority in January overwhelmingly voted in favor of creating a new autonomous region within the Philippines called Bangsamoro, which will elect its own legislature and government and aims to end years of unrest and grievances.
(Reporting by Martin Petty, editing by Ed Osmond)
Risk assets dragged lower by Chinese virus anxiety
Political row flares as Lebanon struggles to form government
Illegal loggers in Mexico suspected of role in activist's disappearance
BeiGene lung cancer treatment meets main goal in late-stage study

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In a perfect world, keeping up this blog would pay the bills. In that same perfect world, I would travel to my local farmers market and carefully select a beautiful, locally grown, butternut squash. Then I'd share pictures of the smooth skin, bright orange flesh, and the crunchy, nutty, salty, perfectly toasted seeds. That would just be the beginning, luring you in the perfect world of eating in.
Unfortunately, that world, is not my reality. My reality is a day job, scrambling to find time to work out, returning my mother's phone call, cleaning the bathroom, folding the laundry, making dinner, taking pictures and posting them here. So, while I envy all of the food blogs with beautiful photographs of fresh ingredients, I'll focus on my reality. Good food can still be made with ingredients from the run of the mill grocery store. Would it be better if it was FRESH! ORGANIC! LOCALLY GROWN! Probably yes. But, I'm a working woman cooking on a weekday, so I'll admit that my butternut squash came pre-cut from Costco. I can only give what I got and I'm not gonna lie to you. Still better than eating out though–at least in my book.
Tonight's creation was a Butternut Squash Rotini. I've made iterations of this with numerous substitutions. I paired it with roasted mushrooms and brussel sprouts which I'll post later this week. I love the creaminess of this dish, even with skim milk. I always use whole wheat pasta, the nuttiness really compliments the sweetness of the butternut squash. I'm not just saying that because whole wheat pasta is healthier. Really, I think it's better. Skeptical? Try it for yourself and let me know!
Pre-heat oven to 425F. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out the squash and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. (TIP: If you are using a whole fresh butternut squash, I find it easier to cut the squash into large chunks, with the skin on, but seeded, and roast. Once cooled, the skin peels right off and its easier than removing the skin before roasting) Roast the squash for about 20 mins, until soft and edges are just turning golden. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt and cook per the instructions on the box, then set aside. While, the pasta is cooking, add the remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add sausage and onions and saute. Once onions are soft, add peas, is using. Cook about 2-3 minutes until the peas are defrosted and warm, then add roasted squash and remaining spices. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt butter, then add garlic and flour. Cook roux, stirring constantly for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the milk in a steady stream. Place back on medium-low heat and bring to a light simmer, whisking constantly. Cook the milk mixture until the milk thickens to coat a spoon. (This step is tricky, the "right" temperature depends on your stove. If it is too low, this step can take more than 15 minutes. Too hot, and it will scorch. If you've got it right, in about 5-7 minutes the milk should thicken enough to coat a spoon). If you are a fantastic multi-tasker, you can start this while the sausage and onions are cooking, but no pressure, you can take it one step at a time too!
Once the milk is thickened, remove it from the heat. In a large pot or bowl, add the pasta to the squash mixture, pour the milk mixture over it. Mix all of the ingredients together to meld. Salt and pepper to taste.


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Pampelonne holiday rentals will suit beach lovers who want to be within walking distance from one of the most prestigious beaches in the world. Rent a property in the Pampelonne district to be close to Club 55, Nikki Beach and other exclusive St Tropez beach clubs. Why not take the time to relax and enjoy exquisite waterfront meals with family and friends, as well as unbridled evening entertainment just a short walk from your luxury residence. Renting a house in Pampelonne also means you are within a short drive from the myriad attractions of Saint Tropez, Gassin's golf course and its multitude of wonderful restaurants. What's more, you can revel in the rustic charm of the beautiful village of Ramatuelle.
Need more persuasion? Take a look at our beautiful properties near Pampelonne beach and start planning out your trip to the South of France today.


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Filters: Author is J. Colasanti [Clear All Filters]
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C. P. Coelho, Netto, A. P. Costa, Colasanti, J., and Chalfun-Júnior, A., "A proposed model for the flowering signaling pathway of sugarcane under photoperiodic control", vol. 12, pp. 1347-1359, 2013.
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Quick tip: Always implement all VisualStates!
I have come across an interesting oddity while building a UWP app.
XAML VisualStates define the visual look of control in different states. Even though you sometimes don't need to make distinction for all of them, you should still implement them however (even if they are just a simple copy-paste of another style) or you might meet some inexplicable problems.
In my case I have customized the ListViewItem style and forgot to include implementations for the PointerOverSelected and PressedSelected states. Surprisingly everything worked as expected on my devices, as the visual used the Selected state as fallback. However, I have later found out the same did not happen on other devices and the list view items stayed in the PointerOver state until the mouse cursor moved away (which also makes sense).
This difference in behavior is especially interesting, as the problem did not originally occur on the stable builds of Windows 10 Creators Update, but now it seems to occur as well (maybe after some patches?).


Bernice came to me by way of my sister-in-law Jen, who has been my chicken source (and mentor) since day one. Jen lives on the cutest little hobby farm north of Cedar Rapids, where she keeps sheep, mini-donks (yes!) and, of course, chickens.
Every few years, Jen orders a batch of baby chicks from the hatchery, broods them out, and gives me however many I need for my flock. Mabel, Hazel and Petunia (and Penelope, may she rest in peace) were from the batch six years ago, and Marigold and Betty are vintage 2015.
But the girls are getting up there in years. Only one of them is laying right now, the others are molting, and several of them undoubtedly have reached henopause.
So when Jen called me up the other day and asked if I wanted a chicken, I didn't say no. I could use another egg-layer, after all, and I had room for one more in the coop.
And then Jen told me the story, and I had to say yes.
Jen's mother-in-law has a friend whose mother recently died. The mother loved chickens – at least the ceramic kind – and the daughter had the daunting task of disposing of her mother's vast chicken collection, which she did via an estate sale. Once she finally got rid of the chickens and cleared out the house, the daughter returned for a final walk-through before putting the house on the market.
And that's when a little red hen strolled into the yard.
Nobody knew where this little hen came from, but she was friendly and had no problem being picked up. She seemed happy and well-loved. She had to belong to someone.
The daughter canvassed the neighborhood, going from door-to-door in a several block radius from the house. But she couldn't find anyone who kept chickens, much less who had any idea where this chicken belonged.
By now, the daughter was starting to think the hen was her mother reincarnated, coming back to haunt her for selling off the ceramic chicken collection. So she named the hen Bernice, after her mom.
The daughter set up a little pen for Bernice in the garage, and placed an ad on Craigslist. But, sadly, no one claimed Bernice (although the ad did get a few jokey responses along the lines of how chickens are shifty and can't be trusted).
Eventually, the daughter gave up trying to find Bernice's rightful owner. She had to get the chicken out of the makeshift pen in the garage. And Bernice needed to be with her own kind.
That's when Jen and her home for wayward animals came into the picture. You see, homeless animals always seem to make their way to Jen's house, be they cats or dogs or the occasional llama. And now a stray chicken.
And so Bernice arrived to Jen's. Jen assessed her to be young and healthy … and far too tame to fit in with Jen's big barnyard flock. No, Bernice clearly needed to be a part of a backyard flock where she would be spoiled and cuddled and hand-fed meal worms.
And that's how I ended up with Bernice.
And she may or may not be somebody's reincarnated mother.
Bernice appears to be a New Hampshire Red, which is similar to the popular Rhode Island Red breed, but with a lighter reddish-brown color and a higher tail carriage. The American Poultry Association first recognized the breed in 1935.
New Hampshire Reds are known to be friendly, calm birds suitable for backyard flocks, and that certainly has been my experience so far with Bernice. She has adapted well to my other five hens, and they to her, with a minimum of drama.
While New Hampshire Reds are both heat and cold hardy – great for my Iowa climate – I will have to be mindful of Bernice's large single comb, which will be susceptible to frostbite in winter. All of my other chickens have rose combs so frostbite hasn't been much of a concern to me until now.
While I can't be certain of Bernice's age, I suspect she is fairly young. Her toenails are short and she is showing no sign of molting even though we are into October. Hens typically don't molt until their second autumn, so I'm guessing this is Bernice's first autumn. Hopefully that means she will keep laying eggs through much of the winter.
And hopefully that means she'll be with me for many years to come.
I'm counting six chickens now!
This entry was posted in Raising Chickens and tagged backyard chickens, chickens in winter, molting, New Hampshire Red, rescue chickens, suburban chickens by Deborah Neyens. Bookmark the permalink.


Summer is my absolute favourite season. I have amazing memories of my summers as a child and always vowed to continue to fill my summers with memories and stories that I'd tell my own children one day. However, I have found that since leaving school and friendships seriously diminishing and also Sam and I being absolutely awful at thinking of things to do also, my summers have been anything but memory making and it's never fun to look back on. This year due to finally finishing University and going out into the real adult world this September I decided that it really is now or never to create a Summer full of memories.
I thought during this challenge of finding things to do and having days out I would document them here in case any one else has ever felt the same, where you struggle in deciding what to do and want to create memories too in the hopes this either inspires you to do something similar or if you live in or near South East England then you to can visit and do the things I plan on doing or something similar!
With the sun still kindly shining and giving us the summer England deserves so far and it being my friends birthday during the week I thought what a better way to get people together than with food. I absolutely love picnic food! I could demolish a whole box of cocktail sausages, as well as dips and crips and all sorts I absolutely adore it and I knew my friends would to so that was the first decision made! Also as mentioned because the weather has been so beautiful I thought it'd be crazy not to spend it by some water and although we are lucky to have Brighton beach on our door step, I thought going and exploring somewhere new would be such a lovely idea and who kew this was practical on our doorsteps too.
So the pitch for Barcombe Mills was sent to the group and luckily 2 friends had already been an visited so we were set for our Saturday explore and picnic! When we parked up there was a pub car park and then an overflow car park so plenty of space for everyone. We first went and sat in a field by the pub. Although we didn't actually visit and have a drink there the pub looked so sweet. It had a lovely beer garden and was pitched right next to the river and so they have set up row boats that you can hire for £6 for an hour which I think is bloomin' brilliant! However, if you go on a gorgeous day like we did I would be prepared for a very long wait.
Although this first field was lovely, it was also home to cows and we all know that cows like to poop. So after pitching up the picnic and settling down our adorable furry friend also liked the poop and got a little mucky, so after a quick wash for him we decided to go for a walk and find a new place to have our picnic. Luckily for us because my friends had been before they knew the way and we took a beautiful 20 or so minute walk and I'm so glad we did! The walk was stunning, honestly if you just want a new place to walk still visit, you can walk by the stream, through gorgeous fields and pass lots of furry friends a long the way!
We pitched up right next to the river and even though there were a fair few other groups pitched around us there was plenty of room for every one. We swam in the river, honestly it was so refreshing and not at all gross! The boys found a tree opposite us and took it in turn to climb up and jump and we also just chatted, ate, drank and it was amazing. People were coming past on dinghy's, little boats and even paddle boards it really did seem like a little gem to find in the East Sussex countryside.
We were all having such a lovely time that we didn't think to keep track of the time and before we knew it it was 8:00pm and we got the pleasure of walking home through the golden hour which sadly no photos were taken but it was stunning! We walked back through fields of sheep, over little bridges over the river and it was so peaceful and tranquil.
We came home, sunkissed skin, sleepy eyes and snuggled down to watch a couple of episodes of Prison Break before heading to bed with big smiles on our faces it was a gorgeous day and definitely the first of my summer memories!
What ideas or trips are you taking to create summer memories? Ideas are welcome I'd love to do a series of this throughout summer!
This sounds so lovely! Picnic and a little row is just the cutest afternoon!
These are inspiring images - I really want to go wild fishing this summer and to watch an outdoor movie.


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New Jersey train crash
One of two black boxes recovered
Investigation into crash which killed one and injured 114 others expected to take 7-10 days
An NJ Transit worker redirecting commuters after the train crash at the Hoboken terminal on Thursday. The collision toppled support columns and created chaos.PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
http://str.sg/4NuE
HOBOKEN (New Jersey) • Investigators have recovered one of two black box recorders aboard a commuter train that crashed into a station in Hoboken, New Jersey, killing one person and injuring 114.
The event recorder was removed on Thursday night from the locomotive at the rear of the New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) train that slammed into the terminal building during the morning rush hour, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesman Bella Dinh-Zarr said yesterday.
Investigators have been unable to get to the other recorder in the train's front car because of debris.
The recorder holds data that includes the train's speed, throttle position and use of brakes. The NTSB expects the investigation to take seven to 10 days, Ms Dinh-Zarr said.
Train No. 1614, originating from Spring Valley, New York, was at the end of its hour-long journey when it hit the Hoboken terminal building.
The collision toppled support columns and created chaos, with witnesses describing terrifying scenes of damage.
The crash killed a 34-year-old Hoboken woman, the New Jersey medical examiner's office said, correcting earlier reports that said three people had died.
The crash also injured 114 people, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told CNN. Mr Christie said the crash appeared to be accidental.
The train's engineer, or driver, was injured and taken to hospital. He was later released, officials said, without providing details.
Media identified the engineer as Mr Thomas Gallagher, citing unnamed sources, and said he was cooperating with investigators. Mr Gallagher is said to have worked for NJ Transit for 29 years and began operating trains about 18 years ago, the Daily Mail Online reported.
Yesterday, thousands who rely on the Hoboken terminal faced longer-than-usual commutes and heavy crowds as the NJ Transit train service in and out of the terminal, one of the busiest transit hubs in the New York City area, was suspended,
In May 2011, a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey train had crashed at Hoboken station, injuring more than 30 people. An investigation determined excessive speed was the main cause of the accident.
An NTSB official said the agency would look at similarities between that crash and Thursday's.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday said it was obvious the train came into the station too fast, but it was unclear why.
The cause could be human error or technical failure, he said, adding that it was too early to say whether an anti-collision system known as positive train control (PTC) - which NJ Transit has not installed on its trains - could have prevented the crash. PTC is designed to halt a train if the driver misses a stop signal, and advocates cite it for helping to combat human error.
Railroads were required to adopt PTC by last December, before Congress passed a law allowing them to delay installation for three to five years.
REUTERS, WASHINGTON POST
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 01, 2016, with the headline 'One of two black boxes recovered'. Print Edition | Subscribe


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Q: Unable to set month in Java.util.Calendar I have an onClickListener in Android which changes the month of a Java.util.Calendar object depending on +/- button clicked. The code to set the calendar is below. It seems I cannot set the month to "10". What in the world is going on here?
Calendar c2 = Calendar.getInstance();
int newmonth = 9;
Log.d (TAG, "month before: "+ c2.get (Calendar.MONTH));
c2.set (Calendar.MONTH, newmonth);
Log.d (TAG, "month now: " + c2.get(Calendar.MONTH));

month before: 11
month now: 9
Calendar c2 = Calendar.getInstance();
int newmonth = 10;
Log.d (TAG, "month before: "+ c2.get (Calendar.MONTH));
c2.set (Calendar.MONTH, newmonth);
Log.d (TAG, "month now: " + c2.get(Calendar.MONTH));

month before: 11
month now: 11

A: Months start at 0, so 9 is October and 10 is November, and November does not have 31 days.
If you add:
Log.d (TAG, "day of month now: " + c2.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH));

You will see that in your second example the day has moved from 31st to 1st.
To get the desired behaviour, you should use:
c2.add(Calendar.MONTH, -1); // or +1

A: You need something like:
c2.set(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH, 1)

as today's DAY_OF_MONTH (31) happens to be a day that is not in November :-)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Selin hosts lecture on "Air Pollution in a Changing World: Designing Research for Impact"
Home /News/Campus & Community News/Selin hosts lecture on "Air Pollution in a Changing World: Designing Research for Impact"
Ryan Cox
Campus & Community News,News |
Dr. Noelle Eckley Selin, associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's
Selin Group (Institute for Data, Systems and Society and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences), presented the University of Maine Foundation's Annual Libby Lecture in Natural Resource Policy. Her talk was titled, "Air Pollution in a Changing World: Designing Research for Impact," in the McIntire Room of the Buchanan Alumni House from 4 to 5 p.m., with a preceding reception at 3:30 p.m.
Introductory speakers included University of Maine Foundation President and CEO Jeffrey N. Mills, Libby Lecture Planning Committee Chair Bridie McGreavy, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jeffrey Hecker, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Emily A. Haddad, each stressing the interdisciplinary focus behind the Libby Lecture series.
The Selin Group's research "focuses on using atmospheric chemistry and integrated modeling
to inform decision-making strategies on air pollution and climate change." The first lesson Selin shared about doing work designed to impact policy: "Know what you're getting into."
For the purposes of the lecture, Selin focused on her group's research into the dramatic
increase of mercury mobilization in the atmosphere and stored in soil, oceans and lakes, and
the bodies of humans and animals. Research began from an atmospheric, chemical point of
view, "but I don't think you can really understand the problem of pollutants just by doing that. I
need to know how the underlying drivers work; the ways in which society and the economy are
structured to lead to emissions and releases, the impacts those pollutants have on human
health, and the policies and societal responses that are designed to mitigate it," Selin explained. While the mobilization of mercury is a regional issue with a serious effect on local water and fishing conditions, the source of such pollution is on a global scale.
From there, Selin detailed some of the challenges that come from tackling an issue both locally
and globally. "To manage pollutants effectively, we need to understand the whole system," she said. People and organizations on local and global scales are affected by such issues differently, and their needs must be translated into questions that can inform their research and methods. Selin mentioned one question raised during the 2015 New England EPA Tribal Summit in Presque Isle: " 'When will we be able to eat fish from our tribal lands without jeopardizing our health?' That was a practical question for them… for Native American tribes in particular, fishing and eating fish can be both important to nutrition, but also to maintaining culture and heritage."
So, to solve the mercury problem, both international action and cooperation to tackle the
problem at its source, and domestic policies to benefit local communities, are needed.
Global interest in mercury grew in 2002, leading to the Minamata Convention negotiation in
This led the Selin Group to focus on the language in the resulting global treaty, the effects
it will have, "and importantly, what does that mean for communities on the ground?"
While the information gathered based on the Convention proposal was valuable for the EPA
and Supreme Court for cost-benefit analysis, it did not resonate with the Native American tribes
and their local concern, "When can we eat the fish?" so findings had to be framed as a response to that question. Existing policies were not likely to lower the mercury levels enough
to make the fish safe to eat within this generation. The efforts will not see success until 2050. "It runs parallel with the climate problem… we just have to adapt to the damage already done."
As the lecture came to its conclusion, Selin reiterated the need for drawing on multiple
methods to inform policy, community-focused engagement and the need for interdisciplinary
For publication links and more information, visit the Selin Group website at http://mit.edu/selingroup.
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Plans to close one of the last nightclubs in Newquay for good have been revealed.
The Eden Bar Club, on Beach Road, could be turned into a unit including a restaurant and cafe area as well as retail space.
A planning application for alternations and change of use has been submitted to Cornwall Council by Keith Wotton Architectural Services on behalf of the owner, Memet Aldemir.
According to the application, the layout would not change, the access would be improved, the grey cladding would be removed and there would be more windows.
The plans read: "The objective is to provide retail facilities in the previously licenced nightclub and to alter the entrance to provide wheelchair and pushchair access and to introduce windows to the elevation fronting Beach Road.
"The site lies within the centre of Newquay so it is considered this development will have no negative impact on neighbours, travel patterns, historic features or regeneration of the area.
The project is said to also be expected to provide four full-time jobs.
The application is due to be considered by Cornwall Council by Monday, May 20.
In April of last year the Eden Bar had its licence revoked following "serious concerns" raised by the police over the way it was run.
This was as a result of a series of incidents at the club, including one in August of the previous year for which Mr Aldemir, 41, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive, insulting words and behaviour with intent to cause fear and provoke violence.
In October of last year an application was submitted by a York-based man named Michael Wilson, on behalf of Mr Aldemir, to convert the club into five flats and two retail units.
According to the applicant, the objective was to provide good quality flat and retail accommodation within the existing shell, and to provide a penthouse flat at existing roof level to make good use of the available sea views down Beach Road and Gover Lane.
The layout would have formed two retail units and entrance to the flats at lower ground floor level, while four single-bedroom flats would have been accommodated at ground and first-floor level, with the two-bedroom penthouse flat positioned at existing roof level.
The plans were eventually refused.
In its decision notice, Cornwall Council said: "The increased height of the proposed building, such that it protrudes above the adjacent buildings and the inclusion of significant areas of balconies and fenestration, particularly on the Gover Lane elevation, is considered to amount to over-development of the site which is out of scale with the street scene and in an appearance which jars with the predominant character of the surrounding built form, resulting in harm to both the character and appearance of the locality.
Now the club has been put on the market for £450,000.


Quicks Road was opened in November 1997, this is a 50 placement nursery. The accommodation has three individual baby units on the ground floor and open-plan units on the second floor. This nursery received "Good" in their last Ofsted inspection.
In Explorers we encourage our children to be independent learners and their Key Persons prepare them for school. The ratio is 1:8. We introduce daily phonics, and mathematical activities and they learn to read and write letters, words and numbers. They have access to ICT toys to support their learning.


text:
Nature Energy brings large-scale manure-to-energy projects from Denmark to Minnesota
The first two communities where Nature Energy will set up are Benson in central Minnesota and Wilson in the southeast. The company is working on plans for a third location in Roberts, Wisconsin, just across the St. Croix River from Minnesota.
A rendering of the planned waste-to-energy facility in Benson, Minnesota, to be built and operated by Nature Energy, a company based in Denmark.
Courtesy of Nature Energy
BENSON, Minn. — A company from Denmark that harvests energy from manure and food waste is poised to bring its high-tech system to two Minnesota communities.
Nature Energy's business is to take manure from dairy and other livestock farmers, then turn the methane from that manure into natural gas and next give that manure back to farmers for use as fertilizer.
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The natural gas can then be sold to heat homes or for other uses, said Alexis Glick, the CEO for Nature Energy's new North American division, based in Minneapolis.
The first two U.S. communities where Nature Energy will set up are Benson in central Minnesota and Wilson in the southeast. The company is working on plans for a third location in Roberts, Wisconsin, just across the St. Croix River from Minnesota. It also plans a facility in Quebec, Canada.
"Our intent is essentially to build out our know-how and our capacity by taking the Danish model and scaling it in the United States. And we felt that the first place to do that would be in the Midwest, right in Minnesota, where we have such a rich agricultural community, and so that's why we decided this is where we want to begin to grow and replicate the model that was created in Denmark," Glick said in an interview.
Alexis Glick is the CEO of Nature Energy's North American division, which is based in Minneapolis.
Jeff Beach / Agweek
Nature Energy plans to start construction in Benson and Wilson next year. Terri Collins, the mayor Benson, got to see Nature Energy's technology in action when Nature Energy hosted a delegation from Benson in Denmark in 2021.
Collins said she was impressed with how clean the facilities in Denmark were as she watched a tanker truck pull in with a load of manure.
Terri Collins is the mayor of Benson, Minnesota, where Nature Energy is setting up a manure-to-energy facility.
"Garage door comes down, they suck out that cow manure — it's like taking a big hose, sucking it all out of the truck, inserting into their pipes, where it goes for them to start doing all their magic," Collins said. "In the meantime then, they switch the pipe over and (give) back the liquid they've already harvested the gas out of. This was a 15-minute process — so impressive. Door goes up, off the truck goes."
That exchange helps reduce truck traffic.
"There's no smell, there's no spilling," Collins said.
What goes back to the farmer, of course, is not the same manure that was brought in But what they get back should be better, with the levels of nutrients balanced to suit what their farmland needs.
"When you look at our co-digestion process, we have the ability to essentially bring in manure and waste and measure, as they're coming into our digesters, the amount of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) values," Glick said. "Because we have measured the value of the NPK when it comes into the building, we can actually customize the type of NPK value that the soil health product produces when it comes out of the building."
She said that in Denmark, the practice has improved crop yields by as much as 30%.
Nature Energy hopes to be delivering energy, soil health and other products by 2024.
The facility that Nature Energy will use in Benson is a plant that was built to turn turkey manure into energy. But the plant has not operated for several years.
Collins said having already had a manure-to-energy plant operating in the town of about 3,500 people made it a good fit for the community.
"We're open to bio energy," Collins said, who added that the company did a good job of addressing concerns about things such as truck traffic and odor.
"The fact that it didn't smell was huge," Collins said.
Other things that worked in Benson's favor is that it is at the end of a natural gas pipeline that Nature Energy hopes to tap into.
A natural gas pipeline ends near Benson, Minnesota. Nature Energy is hoping to use that pipeline for the natural gas is produces from manure.
The areas where Nature Energy plans to operate also have enough dairy and other livestock farms to meet its needs.
Glick said the plant needs about 15,000 cows in a 20 to 30 mile radius to supply enough manure to keep the plant running 24 hours a day.
Turkey litter and other manure, as well as food waste and other bio-mass also can help feed the plant, but most of the manure will come from cows.
Participating dairy farmers will get a certificate from Nature Energy so they can get credit for reducing their carbon footprint, which can help their profitability.
"They will be the transformational example for the rest of the state, as will Wilson," Glick said.
Bio-digesters that turn manure and other waste into energy have been around for awhile. Some larger dairy operations even have invested in their own digesters.
But Glick says the scale and efficiency of the Nature Energy process is something that sets it apart.
"We've seen leaps and bounds in terms of where that technology has gone," Glick said.
Related Topics: AGRIBUSINESSAGRICULTUREMINNESOTALIVESTOCK
Reach Jeff Beach at jbeach@agweek.com or call 701-451-5651 (work) or 859-420-1177.
Benson and Turner Foods perseveres on meat processing plant, even after death of business partner
Benson and Turner Foods will process cattle and hogs at Waubun, Minnesota, on the White Earth Reservation with the help of a USDA grant.
$30,000 an acre: Eye-popping farmland prices in northwest Iowa have an impact across the Midwest
A recent $30,000 per acre land sale in Sioux County, Iowa, sends signals into the land market in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and even as far away as Indiana.
Green Plains looks at the future of adding value to corn through more than ethanol
Green Plains Inc., of Omaha, Nebraska, is a company that markets corn ethanol coproducts and is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into equipment bolt-ons at their own ethanol plants.


The Victory Florida Kindness Tour rolled into Tallahassee yesterday to visit the Museum of Florida History, specifically the WWII display. What an incredible tour of their very informative museum.
Secretary of State, Ken Detzner welcomed us into his office to talk about the impact our ride is having. He is an avid cyclist and he got a really big kick out of my Kindness Bicycle.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2015 at 7:28 am	and is filed under Kindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


UK-based Egypt holiday provider, Discover Egypt, has announced its Christmas departure for a Nile cruise onboard its newly-refurbished ship, the M/S Tulip.
Providing a range of holidays to Egypt, Jordan and Israel, Discover Egypt offers tours and cruises on the Nile, the beaches of the Red Sea and the bustling cities of Luxor and Cairo. Its latest offer is a Christmas cruise on the Nile, with an option for adding three-nights in Cairo for the New Year's Eve celebrations.
The M/S Tulip has been totally refurbished and features 40 contemporary themed cabins each with a panoramic window and balcony, plus eight upper deck junior suites that offer an outside terrace and two single cabins. The ship has a sun deck, swimming pool, sauna and small fitness suite, plus a deck bar, lounge bar and main restaurant.
The package includes return flights from London Heathrow to Luxor, full board cruise, transfers in resort, plus 10 guided excursions.
The 7-night Christmas Nile package dates from 24 December until 31 December 2018, with direct scheduled flights from Heathrow to Luxor, and costs GBP 1,297 (USD 1,669) per person plus GBP 120 extra for an additional drinks package that includes locally produced mineral water, soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee, red and white wine, beer and spirits.
The tour starts from Luxor and includes many of Egypt's top ancient sights including the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens; Temples of Karnak and Luxor; the High Dam at Aswan and the Unfinished Obelisk. There is also an optional excursion to Abu Simbel costing GBP 85 by coach.
In addition, guests have the option to add on an extra three nights in Cairo, with the total for the 10-nights costing either GBP 1,746 per person staying at the Steigenberger El Tahrir or GBP 1,897 per person staying at the Marriott Mena House. Flights include the direct London to Luxor and return from Cairo to London.
All excursions will be accompanied by an Egyptologist, plus guests can take a trip on board a Felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing boat and add on an evening to see the Sound and Light Show at the Karnak Temple in Luxor (approximately GBP 28 per person).


I have been performing upgrades and total redesigns of the St-70 and Mk III, Dyna Company amplifiers, since 1980s when I introduced my first custom products.
These amplifiers make an excellent base for many redesigns. This St-70 has been totally redesigned and features the Bendix/Mu 3D21 as the power output tube, a three tube front end-driver section, multiple power supplys and mil spec parts. The Model Amplifier Shown, Is Available For $3800.00 New Build - With A Cage.
I also provide redesigns using the 7236 and 6080B dual triodes, and the original EL-34.
Please fill out a request form or call me at 703-536-3910.


Most of the time the first thing people wonder is, "How did you start racing?" For a lot of racers, the same answer is true: their family has been racing since before they were alive. Well, that is true for me as well. I don't know what my life would be like if I hadn't grown up around drag racing, but I am very thankful that I had the chance to grow up around such an amazing sport. When you grow up in racing you meet so many people that will share the same love for the sport as you do. People make the sport even better than it already is.
I am a 20-year-old, third-generation race car driver from Fairport, New York. Racing is my life and I wouldn't want to do anything else with my time. The passion, determination and persistence that I have for racing will help me achieve my dreams of being a professional race car driver. I have been around racing my entire life. I began racing at the age of 8 and have been in a race car ever since. When I turned 16 years old, I jumped into a Super Comp dragster after I went to Frank Hawley for my license. When I turned 19, I decided I wanted to run competitively in PDRA Top Dragster, and we bought a new dragster from Danny Nelson and switched my motor to a blown alcohol motor. Last season we gained "Lola," a new Top Dragster with a 481x to put under a supercharger. She went 3.68 at 201.9 mph at the PDRA World Finals.
My dad wanted to run NHRA Pro Mod for the 2019 season and that's when I decided to take the leap into Top Alcohol Dragster. I will be going to the Phoenix test session to gain my license for TAD and then the "Baby Gators" NHRA Division 1 race at Gainesville will be my first race out in Top Alcohol Dragster. I am planning to run 5 races this season. If the opportunity to run more comes up then I will jump at it.
Aside from racing, I work at the family business, Kornerstone Kitchens and Baths, putting kitchens together in 3D renderings, as well as ordering them. I also go to school full time at Empire State College for my bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Finance. I take all my classes as an independent study, which means I talk to my professors over email or the phone to get my assignments, then I email them back once I complete them. With the flexibility in my independent study it fits perfect with working full time and the racing schedule.
Make sure to look out for the new shirt Caruso Family Racing and Racers Evolved have come together to release just in time for my debut race at Gainesville, March 8-10.


text:
Dr Stephen Lane – Playing Voice Messages to Improve Hygiene and Health
Oct 10, 2018 | Health and Medicine
Hand hygiene is the most cost-effective approach to preventing the transmission of infectious diseases in hospitals. While there has been much effort towards improving hand hygiene by healthcare workers, patients are seldom targeted. To this end, Dr Stephen Lane, working with Stargates Inc. a small business in Arlington, VA, US, and Johns Hopkins Hospital, of Baltimore, MD, US, has spearheaded efforts to improve patient hand hygiene using a novel approach involving voice reminders, called Hand Hygiene for Patients.
Hand Hygiene for Hospital Patients – A Neglected Opportunity
Hospital surfaces are commonly contaminated with infectious organisms that can be cross-transmitted between healthcare workers, the environment and patients. Given that many patients also have compromised immunity due to their disease or treatment, they often acquire infections during their hospital stay.
These infections, which can be fatal, are known as hospital-acquired infections. According to recent data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 722,000 infections are acquired in US hospitals annually, resulting in 75,000 deaths and over $9.8 billion in healthcare costs. The problem is further exacerbated by the rise in drug-resistant bacteria, which pose a serious, growing and global concern to public health. More work is urgently needed to prevent these infections, protect sick patients and ultimately, save lives.
One of the best approaches to prevent hospital-acquired infections and break the chain of bacterial transmission is hand hygiene; i.e., removing bacteria from the hands using soap and water or disinfectant. Currently, most research has been directed towards increasing hand hygiene in healthcare providers, such as doctors or nurses.
However, efforts aimed at promoting hand hygiene by patients are rare. Nevertheless, patients' hands – more than any other part of the body – are likely to contact environmental surfaces, dressings, healthcare workers' hands and other patients in hospital facilities, all of which can be contaminated by bacteria. A 2016 study published by JAMA Internal Medicine showed that nearly one-quarter of patients had at least one multidrug-resistant strain of bacteria on their hands upon discharge from hospital and admission to a post-acute care facility.
Alarmingly, 10% of those patients acquired one or more new multidrug-resistant strains during their stay at the post-acute care facility, suggesting that current measures are inadequate to address patient hand hygiene.
'Hand Hygiene for Patients (HHfP) involves simple sensors in a hospital patient's room, reporting to a central computer. When HHfP detects toilet use by a hospital patient, it waits to see if the patient washes or disinfects his or her hands voluntarily. If they do not, HHfP plays a non-shaming voice message in the patient room, which only the patient can hear, encouraging good hand hygiene. Results to date are that those voice messages increase hand hygiene by men.'
These and other studies indicate that patient hand hygiene is a greatly underappreciated prevention method to decrease hospital-acquired infections. Interestingly, only a minority of studies have directly measured the hand hygiene rate of patients as an outcome. While measuring different health outcomes, such as infection rate, is clearly important, methods to directly measure hand hygiene are also crucial.
To this end, Dr Lane and his team at Stargates Inc. have begun to develop methods to both measure and improve hand hygiene rates in patients. Dr Lane explains that: 'Hospital surfaces are reservoirs of infectious organisms, left there by patients. Those same patients have compromised immune systems, owing to the disease that brought them to the hospital. The result is that, far too often, patients acquire a disease during their hospital visit. These hospital-acquired infections can be fatal. They cost billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives each year in the USA.'
Their unique approach, called Hand Hygiene for Patients (HHfP), specifically targets hospital patients using a novel computer-based system to both measure and increase hand hygiene, thereby ultimately reducing hospital-acquired infections.
Hand Hygiene for Patients
In general, there are four occasions when patient hand hygiene may reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections – after toilet use, before eating and when entering and leaving their room. HHfP targets hand hygiene after toilet use, due to the possibility that faecal matter can contaminate the hands at that time.
Data from the largest observational study of patient hand hygiene by Srigley and colleagues in 2014 found that following toilet use, men washed their hands about 23% of the time, women about 36% and that the combined average was 30%. Given these low hand hygiene rates, there is substantial room for improvement and an opportunity to decrease hospital-acquired infections by encouraging hand hygiene following toilet use.
Dr Lane describes how: 'Hand Hygiene for Patients (HHfP) involves simple sensors in a hospital patient's room, reporting to a central computer. When HHfP detects toilet use by a hospital patient, it waits to see if the patient washes or disinfects his or her hands voluntarily. If they do not, HHfP plays a non-shaming voice message in the patient room, which only the patient can hear, encouraging good hand hygiene. Results to date are that those voice messages increase hand hygiene by men.'
To determine hand hygiene compliance, HHfP uses simple electronic sensors without requiring patients to wear an identifying or tracking device. These sensors report lavatory door position (open or closed), toilet use and hand hygiene. The sensors pose no risk to patients. Their data are electronically transmitted to and recorded by a central computer, where they are integrated to determine hand hygiene after toilet use, using software that Dr Lane has developed over 20 years in the field.
Once toilet use has been detected, HHfP waits to determine whether the patient voluntarily washes his or her hands. If they do, HHfP records that fact and takes no further action. However, if they do not wash, HHfP plays a voice message through a small loudspeaker in the patient's room to remind them to wash their hands. These messages are motivational, inviting the patient to action, rather than admonishing. HHfP then waits to see if the patient washes his or her hands in response to the message and records their wash or its absence.
To avoid monotony and hence patients ignoring the message, HHfP plays multiple different voice messages, thus avoiding patients hearing the same voice message twice during their stay. A sample message is: 'Soap and sanitiser are here to make it easy for you to clean your hands. Will you?' HHfP's message texts can be easily modified, and an almost unlimited number of different messages can be played. To ensure their clarity, the messages are spoken by trained actors.
Testing HHfP in a Patient Ward
To show that HHfP increased patient hand hygiene, Dr Lane and his colleagues completed a National Institutes of Health-sponsored Phase I trial at the Cardiovascular Progressive Care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore, MD, USA. The unit had 32 single patient rooms – each with a soap and a sanitiser dispenser in the room, and a soap dispenser in the lavatory. Since previous studies have shown that there are different rates of hand hygiene between males and females, they were studied separately.
HHfP was installed in 12 patient rooms to collect data from patients enrolled in the study. Patients were either enrolled in the 'Baseline group' (with no voice reminders) or the 'Intervention group' (with HHfP voice reminders), but not in both. The number of toilet uses with and without hand hygiene was recorded for both patient groups to determine the effect of HHfP on patient hand hygiene. Only toilet use with the lavatory door closed was considered, in order to exclude healthcare workers emptying waste into the toilet, for example. Hand hygiene after message delivery was counted the same as voluntary hand hygiene.
One of Dr Lane's informal observations from his previous work is that voice messages are effective toward changing behaviour if the listener both a) knows that the message subject is important and relevant, and b) believes that he or she is not meeting the standard set in the message. HHfP's Phase I results are consistent with those findings.
He found that there was no change in the hand hygiene compliance of females following toilet use. Regardless of whether voice messages were played, their hand hygiene averaged about 55%, suggesting that they knew that hand hygiene is important – they washed a lot – but believed they already washed their hands enough and so they didn't wash any more. Therefore, HHfP had a limited impact on women's hand hygiene in Phase I.
However, men notably increased their hand hygiene after toilet use with the door closed from 47% to 60% when voice messages played. This suggests that men also knew that hand hygiene following toilet use is important but were also aware that they did not wash their hands enough. As a result, men increased their hand hygiene compliance to the common value of about 55%.
Summary and Future Directions
While Dr Lane has experienced some success in increasing hand hygiene by men, the data also show that voice messages alone will achieve only about 55% compliance – thus, there is still considerable scope for improvement in hand hygiene by hospital patients. Combining HHfP with education emphasising the need to wash after every toilet use may further improve hand hygiene in both men and women. Dr Lane, therefore, plans to include patient education to raise their hand hygiene standards in a future Phase II trial.
The crucial question that remains after the Phase I trial is whether hospital-acquired infections are reduced through the implementation of HHfP. Dr Lane states that: 'Our next step is to investigate the effect of HHfP's increased hand hygiene on the hospital-acquired infection rate.'
Therefore, in Phase II, infection rates will be compared between the Baseline and Intervention groups to show that HHfP can significantly lower the number of infections acquired in hospitals. Phase II will include a number of hospital units from several different hospitals and a long-term facility. He explains that, 'we expect to find that the increase in hand hygiene by patients due to HHfP's voice messages leads to a significantly lower hospital-acquired infection rate, with consequent savings in money, and most importantly, in human lives.' He is interested in collaborating with researchers in US hospitals to achieve that end. He also seeks a manufacturer and distributor of hospital products to help him commercialise Hand Hygiene for Patients after Phase II trials have shown its value.
In summary, Dr Lane and his team have successfully used HHfP to target the patient population for hand hygiene – a group that has been previously overlooked as research has predominantly focused on hand hygiene by healthcare workers.
Through harnessing the missed opportunity to focus on this population, Dr Lane and his team hope that HHfP can be a cost-effective and novel technology-based approach to further improve hand hygiene amongst hospital patients and consequently reduce hospital-acquired infections, decrease healthcare costs and ultimately save thousands of patients' lives each year.
Dr Stephen Lane
Member of Technical Staff, Stargates Inc
Dr Stephen Lane completed his PhD in Physics at the University of Maryland (US) in 1970. From 1970 to 1985, he worked with a number of companies on monitoring nuclear power plants for leaky cooling tubes, and processing seismic data to distinguish signals between nuclear explosions and earthquakes. In 1985, he became Vice President, Research and Development, of Amron Corporation (US) and began working in healthcare. He has been the Principal Investigator on a variety of health-related projects, including developing devices to infer potentially dangerous circumstances in the home of an elderly person, without the need for him or her to wear an identifying device or to push a button, and to summon help if needed; to deter an elderly or confused person's dangerous attempt to leave their bed until help can arrive; to deliver voice messages to remind healthcare workers in a hospital to wash their hands after patient contact if they did not do so voluntarily; to encourage their use of alcohol based gel rather than soap and water; to remind them to wash with soap and water for at least 15 seconds if they failed to do so voluntarily; and to praise them when they performed hand hygiene. Currently, he is working with Stargates Inc., taking the lead to promote hand hygiene in hospital patients using hardware and software developed from his previous research. His work on promoting hand hygiene compliance has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Critical Care Medicine and the American Journal of Infection Control.
E: slane@stargates.com
W: http://www.stargates.com
J Cao, L Min, B Lansing, B Foxman and L Mody, Multidrug-resistant organisms on patients' hands: A missed opportunity, JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016, 176, 705–6.
M Pokrywka, M Buraczewski, D Frank, H Dixon, J Ferrelli, K Shutt and M Yassin, Can improving patient hand hygiene impact Clostridium difficile infection events at an academic medical center? American Journal of Infection Control, 2017, 45, 959–63.
JA Srigley, CD Furness and M Gardam, Measurement of patient hand hygiene in multiorgan transplant units using a novel technology: an observational study, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 2014, 35, 1336–41.
E Zimlichman, D Henderson, O Tamir, C Franz, P Song, CK Yamin, C Keohane, CR Denham and DW Bates, Health care-associated infections: A meta-analysis of costs and financial impact on the US health care system, JAMA Internal Medicine, 2013, 173, 2039–46.


Lisa Soronen helps predict some of the opportunities of the coming year.
Prior to joining the State and Local Legal Center, Lisa worked for the National School Boards Association and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and clerked for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She earned her J.D. degree at the University of Wisconsin Law School and is a graduate of Central Michigan University.
The Supreme Court has held that the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act applies to local governments with fewer than twenty employees. This case impacts many of the special districts local governments rely on. This term the Supreme Court will decide whether takings cases may be brought in federal court rather than state court. State court is generally cheaper, faster, and more knowledgeable about property law than federal court. After three tries at resolving this issue, the Court will decide whether probable cause to arrest defeats First Amendment retaliatory arrest claims. This issue affects police. Finally, the Court will decide whether a local government has violated the First Amendment by displaying and maintaining a 93-year-old, 40-foot-tall Latin cross memorializing soldiers who died in World War I. Many veterans' memorials containing religious symbols are located on land owned by local governments.
Since the early 1970s the Supreme Court has had a conservative majority. But until now with the addition of Justice Kavanaugh, who replaced moderate conservative Justice Kennedy, it hasn't had a reliable conservative majority. Generally speaking, conservative justices tend to be good for local governments on public employment issues, Fourth Amendment questions, and qualified immunity. But they tend to be more skeptical of government generally than liberal justices and not as good on land use issues and social issues that some local governments favor. The Court has a steady diet of First Amendment free speech cases. Neither conservative nor liberal justices are great for local governments on this issue.
Visit the State and Local Legal Center website (statelocallc.org) for more. The Center files amicus curiae briefs in support of state and local governments in the U.S. Supreme Court, conducts moot courts for attorneys arguing before the Supreme Court, and provides other assistance to states and local governments in connection with Supreme Court litigation.


SEE FRASER HIGH SCHOOL WEBSITE OR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR DETAILS.
The school office is open each day from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm.
Should you wish to speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team, please phone the receptionist on 847 9044 and she will arrange an appointment for you.
Alternatively, you may email the person you wish to contact directly. To access their email address, go to www.fraser.school.nz, click on 'Contact', select 'Teacher contact' and click on the email address of the person you wish to contact.
All school Board of Trustee meetings are open to the public and you are welcome to attend at any time.


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TOP 19: Ending of Driver Responsibility Program clears way for 1.5M licenses to be restored in Texas
House Bill 2048 will go into effect on Sunday, September 1, 2019.
Author: Payton Weidman
Published: 9:02 PM CDT June 21, 2019
Updated: 8:30 AM CST December 20, 2019
TYLER, Texas — *Editorial Note: This story was originally published on June 21, 2019. An update to this story has been linked at the bottom.
Texas roadways will soon become busier as approximately 1.5 million drivers will begin getting their driver's licenses back.
Governor Greg Abbott recently signed House Bill 2048 ending the loathed Driver Responsibility Program (DRP). The DRP, which was enacted by the 78th Texas Legislature, required Texans who were convicted of certain traffic offenses on or after September 1, 2003, to pay an annual surcharge on top of criminal penalties and court fines in order to maintain their driver's licenses.
"If you had a DWI or if you had, if you were driving without your license, or something like that, you could get that surcharge applied," said Justin Roberts, attorney with Roberts & Roberts Attorneys at Law.
The surcharge (which depended on the type of conviction), plus service fees and the cost of the ticket left many in the hole.
Individuals who were convicted of one of the offenses listed below were forced to pay the assigned annual surcharge for three years from the date of conviction:
First Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) - $1,000
Subsequent DWI - $1,500
DWI with Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.16 or more - $2,000
No Insurance - Up to $250
Driving While License Invalid (DWLI) - $250
No Driver's License - Up to $100
"So you think about it, for some folks, they can't afford that," said Roberts. "And so, they're in a worse and worse condition."
After going to court, those convicted would receive a letter in the mail notifying them of their assigned surcharge payment. The individual would then have 105 days to pay the fee to prevent the suspension of their driving privileges. Those affected were also given the option to pay all three years of surcharges in advance.
"People need to be able to use their license to drive to work," Roberts said. "So, some folks would find themselves having a minor traffic offense and six months later they're out of a job because they couldn't drive."
According to data provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety in May 2019:
634,933 people will automatically have their suspensions lifted when HB 2048 is enacted, because they have no other fees or underlying suspensions;
350,027 people will have their suspensions lifted when HB 2048 is enacted after paying a reinstatement fee; and
398,163 people will be eligible to have their suspensions lifted after they resolve other non-DRP reasons for their license suspensions, such as failure to pay or appear.
Although HB 2048 eliminates the 16-year-old DRP, it also increases the initial fines for certain offenses.
"Now, the legislature thankfully did some smart things when they got rid of this program and increased the penalties for first time DWI offenders," Roberts said.
This means individuals who are charged with their first DWI offense will pay a larger penalty up front.
HB 2048, which was filed by Rep. John Zerwas, M.D. (R- District 28), will go into effect on Sunday, September 1, 2019.
RELATED: What to know before the Driver Responsibility Program ends
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R. Schweikert, P. Hoeher, and Th. Woerz, "Digitaler Hoerfunk ueber Satellit," DLR-Nachrichten, vol. 82, pp. 14-17, May 1996.
P. Hoeher, T. Woerz, A. Schmidbauer, R. Schweikert, J. Frank, R. Grosskopf, R. Schramm, F. C. T. Gale, and R. A. Harris, "Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) via satellite: Results of an Archimedes measurement campaign," in Proc. 5th Int. Conf. on Satellite Systems for Mobile Communications and Navigation (SSMCN) '96, London, UK, May 1996, pp. 55-58.
P. Hoeher, "Soft-output decoding: From MAP to SOVA," in Proc. 1996 IEEE Workshop on Convolutional Codes, Essen, May 1996, ISBN 90-74249-09-4, p. 3.1.
P. Hoeher, R. Schweikert, T. Woerz, A. Schmidbauer, J. Frank, R. Grosskopf, R. Schramm, F. C. T. Gale, and R. A. Harris, "Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) via Archimedes/mediaStar HEO-Satellites," in Proc. 2nd Europ. Workshop on Mobile/Personal Satcoms, Rome, Italy, pp. 150-161, Oct. 1996; F. Vatalaro, F. Ananasso (Eds.), in Proc. of the Second Europ. Workshop on Mobile/Personal Satcoms. London: Springer, 1996.
P. Hoeher, T. Woerz, A. Schmidbauer, A. Jahn, and R. Schweikert, "On satellite emulation by an airborne platform," in Proc. IEEE GLOBECOM '96, London, UK, Nov. 1996, pp. 995-1000.


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Live Animals Are Trapped Inside These Plastic Keychains
Vendors in China have been selling live animal keychains for years: small plastic bubbles containing trapped turtles, fish, salamanders and frogs.
CNN first reported on them in 2011. The little animals are suspended in brightly colored liquid, often along with beads and other decorations, and are barely able to move.
The water supposedly contains oxygen and nutrients that can keep them alive for a few days.
The animals inevitably die once their oxygen wears off, which has led animal activists to condemn the keychains. Sometimes the animals are freed from their prisons and end up as pets to people who aren't prepared to be responsible for them.
Not to mention the incredible cruelty of trapping an animal in a living grave.
This video shows a tiny turtle spinning around and trying to escape — but there's no way out.
Unfortunately it's not the first time animals have featured in unusual fashion trends. In South America, living beetles are covered in gems and worn as brooches. And earlier this year, a watch company unveiled a watch filled with live ants; after receiving widespread public backlash, the company said it was an early April Fool's joke.
You can watch a video of the desperate little keychain animals below.
Top 10 Reasons Why Black Cats Rule
Street Cat Cried For Someone To Help Her... WATCH When Her Plea Is Answered!
Cat Has To Go "Potty" So WATCH What He Does... OMG! This Kitty's BRILLIANT!!
Little Munchkin Kitten has LOTS to Say...So Crank Up the Volume!
Cat Meets 50 Dogs, Makes 50 New Friends
Why Cats Love Shoving Their Butts in Your Face
Oh, DEER! Kitty's Best Friend Follows Him Through Doggy Door
Lioness Just Gave Birth To A Cub...WATCH What Happens When This Man Tries To Pick The Cub Up!


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Awesome Alanna
Born in Adelaide, Australia#9
Aspiring singer and actress who creates YouTube videos to entertain on her channel AwesomeAlanna. She also uploads blogs and has more than 110,000 subscribers.
She launched her popular channel on March 1, 2011, publishing her first video on May 5, 2011, fittingly titled "Alanna's 1st Video."
Her most popular videos involve her showcasing how to do differing accents, including Australian (with slang), English/British, Irish, Scottish, Indian, American and more.
She was born in Adelaide, South Australia and later resided in Brisbane, Queensland. She has two dogs, Zulu and Angel. She got married in late 2015; but would divorce by 2017.
She also creates videos of how to sing like other recording artists, with some of her popular ones being "How To Sing like Shakira" and "How To Sing like Ariana Grande."
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