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Home Pharmaceutical Insights + How social media can help predict disease outbreaks
How social media can help predict disease outbreaks
by Reece Armstrong
European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer sits down with Derek Wang, CEO of data analytics company Stratifyd, to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic and how technology can be better used to predict and potentially curtail disease outbreaks.
A data analytics company, Stratifyd uses augmented intelligence to help businesses gain a better insight into things such as customer data, in the hopes that this helps them uncover hidden avenues which can lead to increased revenue streams. The company aggregates all data sources into one platform that then uses augmented intelligence (basically the assistive use of artificial intelligence into enhancing human understanding) to uncover insights which can help businesses spend less time focusing on data and focus their efforts elsewhere.
In Wang's words, the platform has been designed to help "individuals and teams discover, interpret, and tell their data story." Data are processed by a range of tools which includes a Natural Language Understanding engine and a Structured Data Learning engine to uncover any hidden signals within those data points. Following this, the Stratifyd platform applies an artificial intelligence (AI) model which automatically analyses the data stream.
For the pharma industry, this means companies can use the system to monitor customer interactions, gain a better understanding into how people are taking their medicines, potentially helping improve adherence and also discover insights into clinical trials. Stratifyd has worked with a number of pharmaceutical companies and Wang's experience is that they're really focused on improving patient engagement.
"They're open to leveraging technology to improve their patient experience, meaning the patient's usage of the drug and the impact for them," Wang explains.
But how can a platform designed to help companies improve their data analytics and help generate more revenue be used to help the world prepare for pandemics such as Covid-19? Wang believes that by applying the Stratifyd platform to social media it can help gather data on symptom related posts which can point healthcare professionals and governments towards the populations which might be seeing the occurrence of an epidemic.
"So we're able to – leveraging our algorithms –start extracting terms like painful movement, shortness of breath, all those automatic key terms start surfacing up from twitter, facebook, news media and then being able to map those into geographic areas," Wang says.
Once that data is mapped, Stratifyd would be able to start predicting how those symptoms and patterns grow and what the geographical separations are for those people reporting symptoms. For Wang, it validates how effective augmented intelligence and machine learning can be in helping leverage automatically predictive models for viruses and diseases.
Wang does iterate however that relying solely on social media data will result in bias in any predictive model, indicating that the use of Stratifyd is to explore untapped avenues, rather than provide a singular, sole solution for viral monitoring.
So the use of Stratifyd in a pandemic situation is focused on preventative measures that can help curtail the emergence of a virus or disease. But while Wang doesn't think there'll ever be a way to fully prevent situations like Covid-19, there are certainly lessons to be learned.
"Nature is fearsome. I highly doubt there will ever be a way to completely prevent outbreaks such as Covid-19 — but I do believe there should be ways to curtail the extent to which such viruses 'spread'," Wang says.
"Our interconnected world has facilitated the speed and force of such diseases spreading globally. I think there are lessons to be learned in why and how we are still fighting this as yet uncontained global pandemic — one of the most widespread in recent human history."
European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer first spoke to Wang just when Covid-19 was becoming known to the wider public and countries had started to implement the very first lockdowns. At that point Wang was paying attention to the situation in Italy, where cases had become high in number in mere days.
At that point in time, Wang was seeing the need for a wider predictive signalling discovering technology that could help provide more consistent modelling around the world. It makes sense when we've seen countries respond to Covid-19 in vastly different ways, with obvious successes and failures.
One form of concern comes from the way that data and information related to Covid-19 has been shared without any factual basis.
It's a point of contention for Wang who we followed up with in June via email.
"In addition to information shared by news media, there has been a significant influx of information floating around social media in addition to news media," he said.
"But identifying factual data vs. myth about Covid-19 has been and remains very challenging. Consistency is also a challenge, depending on the channel broadcasting the information. Given the disparity of sources and varying levels of information provided across health organisations and government bodies, there isn't a single, consistently reliable source of data."
With information on any topic only a click of a button away, separating fact and fiction is always going to be difficult, especially for those not affiliated in complicated areas such as medicine or healthcare. It's a problematic area, no more so than the privacy concerns that come with any kind of monitoring technology.
When asked about the privacy implications for Stratifyd, Wang argues that it is policymakers rather than those working on the technology, that need to assess how and when certain applications are used.
"This is more of a policy and political challenge than a technological challenge. The technology is there but it is up to policy makers to decide the speed and manner in which it is deployed."
Wang does add that in the case of Covid-19, it's "evident that countries with closer tracking mechanisms recovered more quickly than countries with less robust tracking."
Recovery is a word that we'll see more regularly as countries start to come back to some sense of normality. For the patients and families affected by Covid-19 recovery may unfortunately still be some way off.
Though people will argue over the merits and deficiencies of countries' responses to Covid-19, Wang offers a more placating tone.
"First off, there is no perfect playbook in responding to such a pandemic. It has been an incredibly challenging time and the majority of governments have been working as hard as they can to respond and address the myriad issues resulting from the pandemic. I commend their efforts to date, which takes courage and decisiveness. The ability to plan for such deadly and rapidly spreading viruses in the future will require a consistent, centralised, and factual global network early on. This will ensure everyone around the world is working from the same data and can plan more effectively and respond in a consistent and measured way."
artificial intelligence Stratifyd Disease modelling Covid-19 social media Pandemics
Reece Armstrong
Reece Armstrong is Editor of European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer.
Read more by Reece Armstrong


I knew you loved me at my first sight !!!! what your soft touch told me since we first met .......You fetched your happiness in my smile and taught me , how to embrace to oneself even at moments which overwhelm life. You are always there for me to share ,the one shoulder I would rely on.
I memorize and cherish the moments that we share filled with joy, fun, annoyance and regrets which helped to realize how our life is a brew of emotions .
" Wishing you a day as beautiful you are "


Team Sanya crew sealing the starboard rudder bearing after sustaining damage during leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajai, Brazil.
A patched-up Team Sanya are weighing up whether to sail to the Chatham Islands, or Wellington, to repair their leaking round-the-world boat.
After saving their boat from sinking, a devastated Team Sanya have been left with no option but to pull out of the Southern Ocean leg of the Volvo Ocean Race and return to New Zealand with a broken starboard rudder and a holed hull.
The latest statement from the Chinese team, packed with Kiwi sailors, says: "Right now, the plan is to get north as soon as possible to get out of a building breeze. Then its four days to the Chatham Islands and around five days to Wellington. The plan is still up in the air, but as Mike [skipper Mike Sanderson] stated, our main priority is crew safety."
Sanya, the oldest boat in the fleet, was leading the charge south to Cape Horn when the accident happened around 9pm last night. Around three tonnes of water flooded into the aft compartment, forcing the crew into "preservation mode" to save the boat from sinking.
"It's unbelievable, I'm just lost for words," Kiwi skipper Mike Sanderson says. It is the third time in this race that Team Sanya has suffered shattering damage.
"The rudder snapped in between the boat and the deck which is just the worst thing that can happen because then it just leverages itself off the boat and leaves a pretty messy trail.
The crew toiled through the night to fix the hole, and then fitted emergency steering before turning the boat around and heading back to New Zealand.
Sanya had been powering along at speeds of around 25 knots at the head of the fleet when Sanderson, at the navigation station, heard a loud bang while.
"I wasn't sure what it was but I knew it was bad," says Sanderson, winning skipper of the 2005-06 race. "It could have been one of two things. It could have been a wave coming up and slapping the side of the rudder; or, it could have been we hit something in the water again.
"It is the second time we've heard water coming into this boat at that sort of pace, so it's pretty scary," he said. In Leg 1, the team tore a hole in their bow which threatened to sink the boat.
"It will be what it will be," Sanderson says. "But we've just got to really focus on getting the guys back there safely and getting our boat back there so we can live to fight another day."
Meanwhile, Camper and Groupama have resumed a slugging match at the front of the fleet waiting to jump on to a Southern Ocean low carrying winds in excess of 40 knots.
"The low has very strong, very violent, very cold winds from the deep south, so strong that they are likely to reach gale force," Volvo meteorologist Gonzalo Infante says. "The boats will be going very fast, and depending on the sea state, we could see the 24-hour record smashed over the coming days."


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HomeDid Jon Ossoff's Jewish Faith Prevent Him From Winning Outright?
Did Jon Ossoff's Jewish Faith Prevent Him From Winning Outright?
John A. TuresApril 19, 2017Getty Images
Democrat Jon Ossoff, who placed first in the special election for Georgia's sixth congressional district with 48% of the vote but who needed 50% to avoid a runoff, overcame a great deal of adversity.
The 30-year-old political neophyte beat back charges that he didn't live in the reddish district, which previously elected the likes of Tom Price and Newt Gingrich. The NRA falsely accused Ossoff of growing up in dreaded Washington DC in a commercial. Meanwhile, Republican attack ads showing him as a college student cavorting in a Han Solo costume only seemed to improve his star power.
But some competitors in the race sought to burden Ossoff with one more handicap: his religion.
And in the Atlanta area, one's belief system can spell trouble for someone, as it did more than 100 years ago.
After all, it was in Atlanta where the infamous Leo Frank case occurred. It's a story that former Democratic Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, who works with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) told my students at a talk about one year ago.
Will Electing This Little-Known Jewish Democrat Stop Trump?
Samuel G. FreedmanMarch 28, 2017
Frank, a Jewish executive at the National Pencil Factory, was accused of murdering 13-year-old Mary Phagan back in 1913. He was convicted on evidence so flimsy that the outgoing Georgia Governor overturned the death sentence, commuting it to life in prison. A mob chased Governor John Slaton from office, and then turned their wrath on Frank, dragging him from prison and lynching him. Then ringleaders helped restart the Klan. Evidence shows Jews in Atlanta faced a great level of insecurity after this incident.
Though Georgia is hardly a hotbed of anti-Semitism, as it was in the days of Leo Frank, five years ago someone painted a swastika on a public utility unit right near my house, not far from the district Ossoff hopes to represent. I painted it over, and it has never reappeared.
And at Augusta collegiate campuses, and others across the country, leaflets touting "protection of European heritage" or "European Christian heritage" have recently been distributed. The languages merits scrutiny. When I moved to Georgia in 2001, the term "Judeo-Christian heritage" was far more common.
Will Kremer, reporting for georgiapol.com, observed that one of the Republican candidates in the race, Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan, wrote on his campaign's Facebook page, "As you know, Jon Ossoff (an Orthodox Jew) has already accepted millions from special interest groups and will be under the control of Jared Kushner (Trump's Son-in-Law) and in turn under the control of Donald Trump."
Other Facebook posts also highlighted the "connection" between Kushner and Ossoff.
Bhuiyan, a Muslim Republican who ultimately won a scant .022 percent of the vote in the special election, also took shots at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at a candidate forum, calling it a "Jewish-owned newspaper."
Ossoff, who marketed himself as a moderate, also found it necessary to criticize the "deeply offensive" words from his political mentor, Rep. Hank Johnson, who labeled Jewish settlers in Israel as "termites," according to the Atlanta Jewish Times. But that didn't keep the Democrat from being accused of having ties to Al-Jazeera, "a mouthpiece for terrorists," in a commercial funded by a super PAC affiliated with House speaker Paul Ryan (Ossoff's documentary film production company counted the cable channel as a client).
By and large, the election was conducted professionally, with little mention of Ossoff's religion — until he opened his large lead. Did that help or hurt him? On one hand, the former congressional aide received more than twice as many votes as the four more politically experienced Republicans who finished after him; Ossoff came within a whisker of winning outright in a district that hasn't elected a Democrat to Congress since 1979.
On the other hand, who knows if Ossoff just barely missed the 50% mark because of the injection of his Jewish faith into the contest.
John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Ga. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is JohnTures2.
Jon Ossoff
John A. Tures

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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"Лек за живот" () е психологически филм на ужасите от 2016 г. на режисьора Гор Вербински по сценарий на Джъстин Хейт, с участието на Дейн Дехан, Джейсън Айзъкс и Мия Гот. Този филм отбелязва последната филмова поява на Лиза Байнс преди смъртта ѝ през юни 2021 г.

Източници

Външни препратки

Филми от 2017 година
Филми на Гор Вербински
Филми на "Риджънси Ентърпрайсис"
Филми на Туентиът Сенчъри Фокс

Източници

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I finally got around to watching the eponymous 2010 documentary on the original street style photographer Bill Cunningham of the New York Times. Truth be told, I binge-watched all of the more recent, more meritable fashion documentaries available on Netflix ("The Eye Has To Travel," "Advanced Style," "Ultrasuede: In Search of Halson"), but the one on Bill (I call him Bill now because I know him) was the one I most enjoyed, and was perhaps the most germane to a vintage menswear blog. "Bill Cunningham New York" documents how eighty-some-year old Cunningham tirelessly continues to bicycle around The City That Never Sleeps photographing the everyday style of New Yorkers on the street by day and the style of New York society people by night. When he sleeps himself the film does not say; he seems to live for work. Indeed what was most inspiring to me–and what makes the film transcend a fashion documentary–is Bill's complete devotion to his art and the personal philosophies surrounding his work, especially how he manages to stay separate from the privileged world of many of his subjects, and eschews financial gain for artistic integrity. "If you don't take any money, they can't tell you what to do," he observes, plainly and cheerfully as ever. Bill is a documentarian himself. He documents what fashion is without dividing it into good or bad, and celebrates what's beautiful beyond what's widely celebrated.
Coming so late, this post isn't much for breaking news or weighty criticism, but just a recommendation that the Bill Cunningham doc is well worth seeing if like me, you still hadn't. And that it's plenty relevant for vintage enthusiasts and current fashionistas alike! Sure, Bill's NYT column features mostly women (as all of fashion does), but he certainly covers plenty of men's street style too, and he is himself a man in the fashion world (with a certain style of his own, I should say). Like vintage, street style is more concerned with what's on ordinary people and how its worn than grand prescriptions from the fashion runways. With four or five decades of street style photographs and counting, Cunningham's work is quite a vintage resource and becoming more of one every day.


Jeb Bush is coming to Illinois to raise money for a potential presidential campaign.
(Bloomberg) — Jeb Bush's allies are setting a fundraising goal of $100 million in the first three months of this year—including a whopping $25 million haul in Florida—in an effort to winnow the potential Republican presidential primary field with an audacious display of financial strength.
The targets were confirmed by multiple Republican sources involved in finance meetings with Bush's team. They requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. One said the point is to persuade some establishment candidates to stay on the sidelines in the 2016 race.
The attempt to intimidate the wide-open field with a shock- and-awe fundraising machine echoes the strategy Bush's brother, former President George W. Bush, used to win the White House in 2000. In 1999, then-Texas Governor Bush raised $37 million in the first half of the year and $29 million in the third quarter, breaking records and pressuring other contenders, such as Elizabeth Dole, Dan Quayle, John Kasich, and Lamar Alexander, to end their campaigns swiftly or decide not to start one.
Even coming close to the $100 million goal would send a similar message to Jeb Bush's potential rivals, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, and would have the added benefit of locking up some of the party's most formidable fundraisers and donors.
Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said the former Florida governor's internal documents show different targets. "These alleged goals are not accurate," Campbell said, declining to elaborate on the differences. "Governor Bush has not had a political organization until now. He is just in the initial days of reaching out to people and making plans to support conservative causes and conservative candidates in the coming months."
The sources said the goals are being featured in presentations the nascent Bush operation to donors in Florida, Texas, and New York.
Bush will kick off the Florida effort next week with a fundraiser at the Orlando-area home of C. David Brown, a corporate and government transactions attorney who was Bush's choice for state transportation commissioner in 2000. The event is expected to raise at least $1 million, as are other events scheduled or being planned for Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Palm Beach, Republican sources said.
The gathering in Orlando highlights Bush's early advantages as he weighs whether to run for president. The brother of one former president and son of another, he has a nationwide fundraising network that his family assembled over decades.
Brown, the Orlando event host, was a top fundraiser for George W. Bush's two presidential campaigns. Jeb Bush, who was Florida's governor from 1999 to 2007, remains popular in his home state, which is traditionally one of the largest sources of cash for presidential candidates. In the 2012 election, White House contenders—mostly Republicans—collected $50 million in Florida, making it the fourth most generous state, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political giving.
Bush launched a pair of fundraising committees earlier this week, including one that can collect unlimited donations, and has been meeting with donors for several weeks. Heather Larrison, the National Republican Senatorial Committee finance director for last year's election and head of former Louisiana Governor Haley Barbour's leadership PAC, is overseeing the national fundraising operations. Ann Herberger, Bush's former Florida finance director and a consultant for Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, will be deeply involved.
This week, Bush visited with financial backers from KKR and Bridgewater Associates, a pair of New York-based investment firms, and held a fundraiser Wednesday in Greenwich, Conn. He's also met with contributors in Miami, Chicago and Dallas, and will return to Texas later this month for what one donor characterized as an organizational meeting. On Friday, Bush is expected to travel to Boston for more meetings before returning to Miami.
Jack Oliver, former President George W. Bush's 2004 finance director, told Bloomberg Politics last month that Republican primary candidates will need to have raised $100 million by the end of 2015; Bush's allies aim to hit that target in a single quarter. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who is considering running for president, told the Washington Times that he hopes to raise at least $25 million by the first week of February.
Christie is a proven fundraiser, raising a record $106 million in his two years as head of the Republican Governors Association, but he has complications as a sitting governor. The Securities and Exchange Commission rules prohibit some of Wall Street's biggest donors from giving money to governors.
Bush, out of office for eight years, has no such problem.


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Q: Content Security Policy 'frame ancestors' directive not working in  element As part of clickjacking we are trying to add CSP headers as meta tags to our angular projects. Below is the html
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Security-Policy" content="frame-ancestors 'self'">
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>QA Eval Webapp</title>
  <base href="/">

  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="favicon.ico">
</head>
<body>
  <app-root></app-root>
</body>
</html>

However, when we try to load the page as an iframe, it loads. We have tested in google chrome.
To fix this, we have build the angular project, moved the files under dist to a web application, added a filter to add CSP headers to the response for every request. Below is the code
package com.web.beginner;

import java.io.IOException;

import javax.servlet.Filter;
import javax.servlet.FilterChain;
import javax.servlet.FilterConfig;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.ServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.ServletResponse;
import javax.servlet.annotation.WebFilter;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

@WebFilter(urlPatterns="/*", filterName = "cspfilter")
public class CSPFilter implements Filter {

    @Override
    public void destroy() {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub

    }

    @Override
    public void doFilter(ServletRequest request, ServletResponse response, FilterChain chain) throws IOException, ServletException {
        HttpServletResponse httpResponse = (HttpServletResponse) response;
        httpResponse.setHeader("Content-Security-Policy", "frame-ancestors 'self'");
        chain.doFilter(request, response);
    }

    @Override
    public void init(FilterConfig arg0) throws ServletException {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub

    }

}

This works.
Why is CSP header not working when added in the meta tag? I even checked https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Content-Security-Policy and they mention adding CSP in the meta tag.
I know that X-FRAME-OPTIONS do not support html meta tags. Is it the same with Content-Security-Policy as well? Or is chrome ignoring CSP in meta tag?

A: The specs require browsers to ignore frame-ancestors if specified in a meta-element policy.
So to apply a frame-ancestors policy, you must use the Content-Security-Policy header.

Spec citations
See https://w3c.github.io/webappsec-csp/#meta-element in the CSP spec, and specifically this:

Note: The Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only header is not supported inside a meta element. Neither are the report-uri, frame-ancestors, and sandbox directives.

https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/semantics.html#attr-meta-http-equiv-content-security-policy, step 4 of the Content security policy state (http-equiv="content-security-policy") algorithm ("This pragma enforces a Content Security Policy on a Document") in the HTML spec, requires this:

Remove all occurrences of the report-uri, frame-ancestors, and sandbox directives

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Chris Dore Director
I support numerous countries around the world, developing their emissions inventories, providing training and capacity building
Chris Dore, Director
Chris has been working in the air quality and climate change fields for 25 years, and is recognised as one of Europe's leading experts in estimating emissions to air. He advises the UN, the European Commission and numerous national governments around the world.
As the Chair of the UN/ECE's Taskforce on Emission inventories and Projections, Chris is responsible for steering the development of emissions inventory methodologies contained in the EMEP/EEA Emissions Inventory Guidebook – the central reference manual for air quality pollutant emissions inventories. He has also authored formal guidance for greenhouse gas emissions estimates. He is a UNFCCC qualified expert reviewer of greenhouse gas emissions inventories, and is a lead reviewer of both air quality pollutant emissions and adjustments. His expertise is supported by a broad scientific knowledge, in particular atmospheric and environmental physics and chemistry.
Chris has provided support to numerous countries around the world, developing their emissions inventories, creating policy support tools, and providing training and capacity building. He has worked with European Union Member States, and in Eastern Europe, the Caucuses, Central Asia, South East Asia, India, China and the Caribbean.
In the UK, as a member of the Air Quality Expert Group for 6 years Chris provided scientific support to the Government. He has also supported the review of the local authority air quality action planning process, assessing the quality of the UK emissions inventory and delivering improvements as part of the UK emissions inventory programme. On secondment to the Air Quality Science and Evidence team in Defra for a year, he provided policy support on issues associated with compliance with the EU Directives, and in particular on issues associated with transport and agriculture.
Prior to founding Aether, Chris was the Programme Director of the UK emissions inventory, leading a team of 20 technical staff, with overall responsibility for the UK's air quality and climate change emission inventories. For his PhD he undertook the measurement of CO2 emissions/uptake from different vegetation types.
Away from work Chris enjoys sport, and in particular: softball, swimming, cycling and running. He also tries to make time for painting, unicycling and playing the drums.
Science based air quality and climate change policy development
Emissions inventory compilation (air quality and greenhouse gases), inventory review, improvement, methodological compliance, management and QA/QC procedures
International training and capacity building
National representation in the international arena, and on expert panels.
Project and programme management
Contact me: +44 1865 261 466
Emission Inventory Support for Environment Agency of Iceland
Category: National governments, Emission inventories, Policies and measures
Aether is supporting the Environment Agency of Iceland in the compilation of its greenhouse gas and air quality emissions inventories. We are helping to ensure that Iceland's inventory is robust and of high quality.
North East Scotland sustainable energy action plan
Category: Cities and local authorities, Emission Inventories, Policies and measures
Aether led the development of the North East Scotland Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) for Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Angus and Moray.
Jamaica GHG inventory review
Category: National governments, Emission inventories
Aether has been working with the Jamaican Government to compile and improve their national greenhouse gas emissions inventory for their Third National Communication and Biennial Update Report.


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The Power of a Photo: Saving Tasmania's Franklin River
July 4, 2013 by Andrew Bain	in Kayaking, Rafting, Tasmania and tagged Australia, environment, Franklin River, Green movement, kayaking, Peter Dombrovskis, photography, rafting, Tasmania
Thirty years ago, big business tried to change Tasmania's natural landscape, promising to dam the wild Franklin River and hand back electricity in its place. Instead, the Franklin River changed the Australian political landscape, helping overturn a government and giving the nascent Green movement legitimacy and support.
There were many driving forces behind the campaign to save the Franklin – the thousands who blockaded the river, future Greens leader Bob Brown – and one of them was a photograph. Peter Dombrovskis' beautiful Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend was the centrepiece of full-page newspaper advertisements opposing the dam. It was an image too striking, too representative of the beauty and wilderness at stake, to ignore. Without it, you wonder if the Franklin would ever have been saved.
Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend (Peter Dombrovskis)
In the photo, the river is like satin, wrapping around Rock Island, the air heavy with mist that you sense is about to lift. It remains one of the most famous landscape images ever snapped in Australia. The Franklin was never dammed. The river is, of course, the better for it, but so too are all who've travelled on it, including me. Years on, the river still flows in my mind and calls me back.
On the Franklin, what you don't see is just as powerful as what you do see. Inside its catchment there are no settlements and no cultivated land. Once you're on the river, not a scrap of humanity exists, except for the raft or kayak that's floating you downstream. And yet Hobart, Tasmania's capital city, is never more than 150 kilometres away.
Midway through the journey, the river drops over a small waterfall and into Rock Island Bend. It's fleeting – a motion picture now rather than a photo – as the unsentimental water quickly sucks you past. The day I rafted through, Rock Island Bend looked nothing like the photo. The sun blazed and the river level was low – so low that after our raft skidded through Newland Cascades and into the rock shelf that would be camp that night, I was able to scramble back along the exposed bank to Rock Island Bend.
Visually, Rock Island Bend is no more arresting than many other parts of this beautiful river, yet there's an undeniable presence, something transfixing, about this one particular spot. I sat for an hour or so, wondering whether Dombrovskis had sensed this, or had Dombrovskis in fact created it? Is Rock Island Bend naturally compelling, even beyond the pure aesthetics, or is it the power of a photo, a case of nature imitating art?
Adventure before Avarice rafted with World Expeditions.
* If you're enjoying this blog, head across also to Adventure before Avarice's Facebook page for a world of adventure news and happenings.
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4 thoughts on "The Power of a Photo: Saving Tasmania's Franklin River"
paddlindirtbag says:
Inspiring story. Many rivers are in peril of being dammed in Canada too. Great writing.
Tadjio says:
Thanks for this story. I didn't know it or "one of the most famous landscape images ever snapped in Australia".
MikeW says:
Cool piece Andrew. May the river run through and the people's conservation efforts come true.
Andrew Bain says:
Thanks Mike. The people won. The river does indeed run free, and long may it do so.


Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is a disease involving pro-inflammatory mediators. Two complex and multifactorial pathogenetic ways lead to edematous or necrotizing pancreatitis. The course of the disease is thought to be the consequence of an acute inflammatory response. AIM: The authors examined the impact of Escherichia coli LPS on the acute cerulein pancreatitis in rats. Methods: The study was performed on rats using the ceruleine pancreatitis model. The activation status of polymorphonuclear cells, blood IL-6 concentration, oxidative stress parameters, pancreatic enzymes concentration and microscopic alterations were determined at 5th and 9th h observations. Results: In acute pancreatitis and acute pancreatitis with LPS groups, the peripheral polymorphonuclear cells activity was lower than in control one. Authors noticed the same neutrophil activation in acute pancreatitis after lipopolysaccharide administration although the peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells count was significantly higher at the 9th h observation. LPS neither changed the oxidative stress within pancreatic gland, nor amylase or serum lipase activity. LPS given to acute pancreatitis animals resulted in significant increase of serum IL-6 concentration at 5th observation turning normal after 9th h. Conclusions: Collected data supports thesis of early polymorphonuclear cells involvement in acute pancreatitis and oxidative stress evidence in pancreatic parenchyma. However, results did not reveal that administration of LPS amplified inflammatory response during the course of acute pancreatitis.
Department of General Endocrine&Transplant Surgery, Medical University of Gdansk, 7 Debinki Street, 80-952 Gdansk, Poland.


Federico V., Gaillard J-M., Lemaitre J-F., Allaine A., Cohas A. (2018) Evolutionary pathways to cooperative breeding in Mammals- The role of ecology. Sfécologie2018, Rennes, France.
Ferrandiz-Rovira M., Cohas A. (2018) Incorporating adaptive responses to climate change to explore future scenarios of wildlife distributions: insights from different populations of Alpine marmots. Functional Ecology Conference, Nancy, France. pdf.
Garcia R., Rey B., Pardonnet S., Cohas A. (2017). Social environment shapes the stress response of Alpine marmot pups (Marmota marmota). 13th student meeting: Ecology and Behaviour, Chizé, France.
Marchand T., Evan A., Fuchs B., Rey B., Singh N., Arnemo J.M., Arnold W., Canale C., Pardonnet S., Cohas A. (2017) Drivers of hibernation in marmots and bears. 6th International Bio-Logging Science Symposium, Constanz, Germany.
Ferrandiz-Rovira, M., Cohas A, Allainé D. and Callait-Cardinal M-P. (2015) Specific alleles of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class ii and age influence prevalence or abundance of intestinal parasites in alpine marmots (Marmota marmota). World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP), Liverpool, UK.
Berger V., Lemaître J.-F., Gaillard J.-M., Cohas A. (2014) How do animals optimize the size–number trade-off when aging? Insights from reproductive senescence patterns in marmots. British Ecological Society, Lille, France.
Tafani, M., Allainé, D., Cohas, A. (2013) Effet des changements climatiques sur une population de marmottes Alpines (Marmota marmota). 36ème colloque de mammalogie,Toulouse, France.
Ferrandiz-Rovira, M., Lemaître, J-F. , Lardy, S., Claramunt-Lopez, B., Cohas, A. (2012) Evolutionary trade-off between weapon length and sperm size in large herbivores. 8th Ecology and Behaviour congress of the SERL, Chizé, France.
Lardy, S., Cohas, A., Desouhant, E., Tafani, M., and Allainé, D. (2012) Paternity and dominance loss in male breeder: The cost of helpers in a cooperatively breeding mammal, the Alpine marmot. 8th Ecology and Behaviour congress of the SERL, Chizé, France.
Tafani, M., Allainé, D., Cohas, A. (2010) Growth pattern and senescence in body mass of a medium sized herbivore (Marmota marmota). Ecologie 2010 Conference, Montpellier, France.


I'm teaching in Uganda next week, as part of our inaugural class of G42Africa. It will be the first time I teach in Africa, so I am trying to get advice from folks on everything from style, to topics, to cultural differences. Although I will be teaching on the main topics of Servanthood, Excellence, Building teams, & Leadership, my primary goal is the same as it is here at the G42 Leadership Academy: to show students that the skills and passions they have are what their city and their world is crying out for, to solve the tragedies of death, disease, abandonment, and hunger.
You have what the world needs.
There are tremendous needs out there.
You have virtually infinite potential.
You were given certain gifts, talents, and passions that are unique to you and you alone. Your ideas, your hands, your voice… they are gifts that are looking for an outlet, looking for a platform.
The sooner you realize this better.
Don't wait for someone else who you think is smarter, better looking, a better communicator… you've got it. Don't wait for someone from out-of-town to come in and bring money or a fantastic idea… they're not coming. Don't think that the solution to something that wrecks your heart will come from anyone else but you.
Someone is waiting for you to step up.
So do it. Step up. Push your chair back from your desk, or get up off the couch, or take the next stop off the train. Get started.
That idea you have? Invest some time and money into it.
The challenge that is on your doorstep or town square? Volunteer, join a club, or just do something about it.
So, what are YOU going to do about it? Tell me below what is on your heart that you just need to get started.
FREEEEEDOM! A New Generation of Christian.
Get post Dave. It's awesome that you are taking action to make a difference! Best of luck on your trip.


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Series 1 Episode 1
Jay has grown children, grandchildren and a gorgeous young wife, who has a preteen son of her own. All together they must bridge generational, cultural and social gaps.
Sign in to playSeries 1 Episode 1
The very first series of the mockumentary following lives of the modern family...
Pilot: Jay's family must bridge generational, cultural and social gaps
First shown: Mon 24 Oct 2022 | 22 mins
Raymond Barone seemingly has it all - a wonderful wife, a beautiful family, a great job, a nice house on Long Island. Not only that, but everybody loves him! Don't they...?
Everybody Loves Raymond
American sitcom set in the '90s following 11-year-old hip-hop loving Eddie Huang who has just moved with his family from Chinatown in Washington DC to suburban Orlando
US comedy recalling the wonder years of geeky Adam Goldberg - and his eccentric 80s suburban family - as he starts his film-making career by documenting his life with his parents' video camera
Astronomically popular US sitcom. Nerdy flatmates Leonard and Sheldon know a lot about physics, but little about women. But when Penny moves in across the hall, that could all be about to change...
US sitcom starring John Lithgow and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Four aliens arrive on Earth and assume human identities, posing as an average family in order to observe life on the planet.
A comedy series written by and starring Rufus Jones deftly gets to the essence of home and family through Syrian asylum-seeker Sami


The term "due diligence" refers to the reasonable steps that a prudent person or group would take to ensure that a future action would produce the desired results and not cause injury or harm. When procuring an enterprise software system, for example, careful evaluation (due diligence) of vendors is essential to avoid project disasters, cost overruns, and a host of other head- and heart aches.
This article focuses on how you can use DecisionDirector's collaboration facilities to provide structure, ease, and transparency to support software vendor due diligence after the proposals have been received.
Some of these steps, such as Legal, Pricing, and Security reviews, are handled by specialized individuals (or teams), with findings and recommendations presented in a document. Organizations usually have people, policies, and procedures in place to manage these reviews, so we won't cover them here.
Other steps, such as Proposal Reviews, Product Demonstrations, Reference Checks, Site Visits, and Executive Reviews, are conducted by groups of stakeholders (the evaluators), each representing their particular departments or disciplines. Often, these steps are supported by structured rating or scoring sheets which result in the calculation of points to be awarded to the competing vendors. These "collaborative" due diligence steps are well supported by DecisionDirector and are marked with an asterisk ("*") above and explained in more detail below.
Response Analysis† refers to the calculated scoring and analysis of those portions of the RFP, such as detailed functional requirements, that are supported by uniform, structured responses.
All collaborative due diligence activities will have a set of criteria that are used to guide the evaluation. Good evaluation makes it easier for the evaluators to do a great job, and for the project team and organization to make (and, if necessary, defend) the best decision possible.
Proposal Review The most common criteria to use in a Proposal Review is the RFP's table of contents. This approach allows the evaluators to clearly delineate the evaluation based upon how the RFP was organized. (This approach also encourages the thoughtful creation and organization of the RFP).
Product Demonstration Typically, a set of real-life scenarios with bulleted "must-see" items that the vendor is asked to specifically demonstrate. Since demonstration time is usually rather limited, a balance must be struck between the time needed to adequately cover the must-see items and the time desired by the vendor to show other strengths and benefits of their solutions. Time must also be granted to the vendors so that they can adequately prepare for the demonstration(s).
Reference Checks Reference checks refer to brief interactions with current or past clients of the vendor. Reference checks are best when guided by a pre-defined set of questions, typically related to product, implementation, and support, along with background on the reference and general wrap-up comments.
Site Visits Site visits refer to visits by one or more stakeholders to (or, if virtual, with) one or more vendor client sites and, often, vendor headquarters. Client site visits typically involve an agenda that calls for meetings with various functional and technical counterparts who can discuss and demonstrate their experiences, operations, issues, and plans involving the vendor and its products and services. Site visits represent a significant investment of time, money, and effort on everyone's part to plan and conduct.
Executive (or Summary) Review The Executive Review typically consists of a small set of high-level criteria that, after all the other due diligence activities have been done, measure the confidence of the executive or project team in the vendor. Of all the other reviews, this is the most subjective, but if done well, it will reflect highly-informed reviews by those involved.
We have sample criteria for many of these activities. If you'd like to see some, let us know.
Since there can be many due diligence activities and many people involved in those activities, it is often best to use a single standard model for recording the evaluators' ratings. This avoids confusion, reduces the likelihood of errors, and increases the confidence of project stakeholders in the due diligence process overall.
Due diligence activities are handled just like any other collaborative activity in DecisionDirector. The text below is taken from the instructions for a sample evaluation rating, as is the image that follows.
"You can use the tree on the left to open any evaluation document and navigate to the sections that pertain to your area of interest or assignment. Each section contains one or more criteria, and each criterion has its own evaluation rating form.
For each criterion, select the Rating that you feel is appropriate for the vendor you are evaluating, and please provide a brief (or longer if necessary) statement in the Rating Comment field explaining your rating.
If you desire additional information from the vendor for the criterion, check the Inquire Further box and explain what you need in the Inquiry Request field.
You will be prompted to Save your work. You do not have to complete all of your ratings in one sitting, You can come back at anytime to continue or alter your ratings."
Interested in Adding Collaborative Due Diligence to Your Project?


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A list of Kliff Kingsbury's haters and skeptics
Arizona Cardinals Stories
By Arizona Sports | January 17, 2019 at 10:35 am
UPDATED: January 17, 2019 at 5:35 pm
The Arizona Cardinals introduce their new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, middle, flanked by owner Michael Bidwell, left, and general manager Steve Keim, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
We don't know if this will work, either.
When the Arizona Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury to be their head coach, it went against the grain, even in an NFL head-coach hiring cycle that bucked traditional trends of bringing on retreads and promoting long-tenured coordinators to lead pro football organizations.
Kingsbury went 35-40 as a college head coach at Texas Tech. He quarterbacked in the NFL but hasn't coached in it. Arizona's front office led by GM Steve Keim and president Michael Bidwill have led the charge in helping their new coach fill out his staff.
Forget the track Kingsbury took to reach the NFL: he was fired from Texas Tech this offseason, took the offensive coordinator job at a high-profile USC program, then lasted just a few weeks before the Cardinals and Jets expressed interest in him to become their head coach.
Here is Stephen A. Smith yelling about the Kliff Kingsbury hire
Who's on Kliff Kingsbury's Arizona Cardinals coaching staff?
Mike Leach dishes on Kliff Kingsbury, the Air Raid in the NFL and aliens
NFL head coaching job tracker: Cards hire Kingsbury as next head coach
McVay and friends: Rams coach endorses Cardinals' hire of Kingsbury
Kingsbury's hire is still unique based on his resume.
But a year after Arizona went the traditional route and watched as long-time NFL assistant Steve Wilks failed to improve the Cardinals in 2018, the team did something different. And not everyone is drinking the Kool-Aid.
For the record, here is a short-list of national pundits, analysts and writers who have graced TV screens and our airwaves with tepid-at-best takes of the Cardinals' hire of Kingsbury.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith
"This dude Kingsbury that just got hired by the Arizona Cardinals! I mean my goodness! … Is there something that I have missed here? Is there something that I have failed to comprehend? Is this guy some golden boy that I missed?
"The man didn't even have a .500 record at Texas Tech. He got an offensive coordinator's job at USC and before he had a chance to take a leak, this brotha's got a head coaching job in the National Football League? How much time … did he actually spend at USC? What, a week? He didn't even have an opportunity to go to Roscoes for chicken and waffles. I mean, what the hell is going on?
"And this guys is some candidate that you're clamoring for? OK, OK, he's photogenic. The ladies will love Mr. Kingsbury — Mr. Kliff Kingsbury, I mean, let's stop the presses right now. The ladies are going to be all over the place drooling over Kliff Kingsbury. He's photogenic. In some people's eyes, he looks like a model. In my personal opinion, he looks like he belongs on 'The Bachelor.' Here's the problem: He looks like he belongs on the 'The Bachelor' more than he belongs on the sidelines as a head coach for a National Football League team."
This DUDE Kliff Kingsbury looks like a better candidate to be on the BACHELOR than a head coach of a football team, DAMNIT! pic.twitter.com/WYOG3DRRM8
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 9, 2019
NFL insider Mark Schlereth
"What are his degrees of separation from Sean McVay? … I fist-bumped Sean McVay and I haven't washed that hand since. So I am now currently in line to be a head coach. I got McVay on me. It's still stuck on me. I think the whole thing is asinine, I think it's ridiculous because a dude is young and he sends out emojis on his texts that he can communicate with people."
FOX Sports' Charles Davis
"I like Kliff Kingsbury a lot. I've known Kliff, I covered him in college his first year at Texas Tech … Is the offense Kliff's bringing transferable and sustainable in the NFL? That's a question. Is he going to adapt? I highly suspect he will. But I guess my biggest thing is, you look out, and you say, 'We need this type of criteria for people to be head coaches in the league,' and I don't know if Kliff hits that criteria and yet he has one of these jobs.
"Before anyone can even start in and start and sending me stuff and say, 'Oh he's going to turn it into (a) race (issue),' it's not about that. This is not race. This is, 'Where is the work experience? Where is the background in the NFL game, where is all that?' None of this matters if Kliff comes in and gets the job done. We've never been a hundred percent right about every person who's gotten a job … Kliff could very well prove Steve Keim, Michael Bidwill exactly right.
"But is it fair to question it going in? Yeah, it's fair to question it because this is darn near unprecedented. What we're talking about … when have we had a guy who got fired in college, didn't take another college job, was going to be a coordinator, and then got an NFL head-coaching job in the same cycle?"
ESPN's Trey Wingo
"Well, two things: One, I need to throw out the idea that maybe there's one Sean McVay … Specifically with Kliff, look, I hope it works out. I really do. I hope he is great with Josh Rosen — I always thought Rosen and (the Jets' Sam) Darnold were the best two quarterbacks in the draft last year … I hope (Rosen) and Kliff hit it off and Josh has a monster career.
"But I have to ask, when he was fired in November after six seasons at Texas Tech where he was five games under .500, was anyone saying at that time, 'Well that guy should get an NFL job tomorrow?' It's like the Kliff Kingsbury experience went from 0 to 60 in like 0.2 seconds, I'm trying to figure out what exactly happened there.
"My question is, what about him at Texas Tech made him the next greatest head-coaching prospect in the NFL? That's all I'm asking."
NFL Network's Steve Wyche
"Before I get to my thoughts, among, like NFL assistant coaches and personnel people and whatever, the thinking emoji — you know the emoji's got his face in his hand right now like 'hm' — this has drawn the biggest question marks because people are kind of wondering 'Why now?' People know the offensive acumen, they know it's an offensive league … but are you hiring an offensive coordinator and giving him a head-coaching title? Or are you hiring someone who can control the environment?
"We know a lot of being a head coach in the NFL is crisis management … is he that guy? Because if he is, he could be a home run. But if not, this is going to be one of these, 'What were the Cardinals thinking?'
"I think this is a real big wait-and-see. My personal opinion, I've heard nothing but positive things about him in terms of an offensive play designer and an offensive schemer. But I heard the same things about Steve Spurrier and Bobby Petrino when they came to the NFL as well."
NFL insider John Clayton
"Interesting hire. We'll see how it goes. I think that's going to be the one — the most unique of the eight hires that'll end up happening. You say that he didn't have the great record in college. It's going to be a transition with the way the offense is. You know he's bright, he's got the college touch right now. But again, this is a big venture, trying to get him into the NFL to see how well he can do.
"I think the key's going to be is what he does as far as hiring on the assistant coaches … You know when you take a college coach with virtually no NFL experience out of there, there's not a lot of great resumes for success. So this is a pretty interesting gamble."
FOX Sports' Shannon Sharpe
"How in the hell do you get fired from Texas Tech as the head coach and become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals? … He's won 36 games — 35 games I think in six years. What his resume tells me about him is that he's a damn good play-caller, he's a great offensive mind. But he's a terrible head coach.
"It tells me he understands the position. But when you're head coach, you don't coach a position. You coach a team.
"I don't understand this hire."
Cardinals Interviews and Podcasts


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CNET editors pick the products & services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission.
AirPods 2 vs. Sony's true wireless headphones: Which are the better earbuds?
Sony's earbuds have great sound quality and noise cancellation, but they're $60 more expensive than the AirPods. Are they worth the splurge?
Lexy Savvides, Vanessa Hand Orellana
December 25, 2019 5:00 AM PST
Angela Lang/CNET
Apple's AirPods have been a knockout success since they first launched in 2016 (and as of this fall, audiophiles can also choose to upgrade to the noise-canceling AirPods Pro). But now the original AirPods face a lot more competition from other Bluetooth earbuds, like Sony's WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds. At $198, Sony's wireless headphones are significantly more expensive than the $139 AirPods, which come with the wireless charging case. But they offer a lot more features than the AirPods, including active noise cancellation and better sound quality. But that's just on paper: To declare a clear winner, we had to test them out ourselves.
We wore both buds for about two weeks to test everything from sound quality to comfort outside of lab conditions.
Read more: Best noise-canceling true wireless earbuds of 2020
AirPods vs Sony earbuds
Sony Earbuds
H1 chip QN1e chip
Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.0
Battery (earbuds alone)
5 hours 6 hours
Battery (including case)
24 hours 24 hours
Fast charge
15 minutes = 3 hrs 10 minutes = 1.5 hrs
Adjustable ear tips
Voice Assistant support
Tap controls Tap controls
$139 at Amazon $198 at Amazon
Light and compact vs. a tighter seal
The differences between these buds start from the moment you take them out of the box. They have completely different designs for both the buds and their respective case. The AirPods rest in your ear while the Sony buds wedge snugly inside your ear canal. They come with seven different tip options to choose from (including the ones on the buds) so you're likely to find a good fit if you're willing to test a few out. Sony recommends trying different sizes on different sides because your ear canals may not be exactly symmetrical.
We both felt that the AirPods were a lot lighter and more comfortable for all-day wear, but this really depends on the shape of your ear. The AirPods may end up feeling too loose for some people. The Sony buds definitely feel clunkier when you're walking around, but they provided a more secure fit (and the added benefit of blocking out more noise) thanks to those swappable in-ear tips. We didn't have any issues on an outdoor run wearing either pair, although we did notice the Sony buds were significantly heavier.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
Bear in mind that neither of these wireless earbuds are officially water resistant, so they may not be ideal if you are using them during a sweaty workout. But the AirPods did survive their share of water exposure during our unofficial testing. We sprayed them, dunked them and put them through a full wash cycle and they still came out of it in working order.
As for color options, the AirPods are only available in glossy white. With the Sony buds you have a choice between a black matte finish with copper accents or a taupe finish with gold accents, both with matching cases. Apple's charging case looks like a dental floss container, but it's compact and easy to slip into a pocket without creating too much bulk. The Sony case is twice as big and not as easy to slide in, but the metallic lid and matte finish makes it look and feel more high-end.
The AirPod case charges via Lightning port while Sony's has a USB-C port. Apple also offers a wireless charging case, which comes bundled with the AirPods and is backwards compatible with the first-gen AirPods.
Lexy: I've never had a problem with the fit of the AirPods, but I appreciate the extra layer of passive noise cancellation that the Sony offers because they sit further in my ear. I preferred the AirPods for running, but for everything else, I'd choose the Sony.
Vanessa: I love the color options of the Sony buds, but I've never been a huge fan of the in-ear tips and the AirPods feel more comfortable in my ears. I also prefer the smaller, lighter form factor of the AirPod case and the buds themselves, especially if I'm on the go.
Winner: Tie (Sony buds win for Lexy, AirPods for Vanessa)
Sony wins on sound quality, but call quality isn't as clear
The AirPods have always been OK when it comes to sound quality -- not best in class, but not the worst either. Once you've listened to the Sony buds though, it's hard to go back. Sound quality on the Sony buds is incredibly clear, with well-defined mids and bass. There's also an equalizer (found in the Sony Headphones Connect app on iOS and Android) that you can use to adjust the sound profile. The app can also automatically determine where you are and adjust the sound profile accordingly. With the AirPods, what you hear out of the box is what you get.
The other big advantage that Sony has over Apple here is active noise cancellation. We found it was almost as good as a pair of over-ear noise-canceling headphones and made commuting on public transit much more tolerable.
If you don't want to be completely immersed in your music, the Sony buds will also let you adjust the amount of external noise they let in and select to emphasize voices. You can adjust this manually on the Sony app or rely on the app to do it automatically based on what it thinks best suits your situation, whether you're walking, running, commuting or in the office.
In terms of call quality, the results aren't as clear. The Sony buds will obviously sound better to the person wearing them, but the person on the receiving end will have a better time hearing you on the AirPods. Because the microphones rest at the end of the buds (closer to your mouth), we found that they're better at isolating your voice. The Sony buds pick up more ambient noise.
Lexy: The sound from the Sony earbuds blew the AirPods out of the water for me. I didn't feel like I had to tweak any settings in the equalizer, although I love that I had the option.
Vanessa: When it comes to sound quality there's really no competition, the Sony earbuds win hands down.
Winner: Sony wireless earbuds.
Tap controls, voice assistants and more
Both the buds have customizable tap controls that allow you to control your music without reaching for your phone. The Sony buds can be adjusted from the Sony app on iOS or Android devices, while the AirPods can only be customized from the settings menu of an iOS device. Android users won't be able to change the tap controls on the AirPods.
You can play, pause, skip forward or back, but sadly neither one of them includes volume control. To adjust the volume you'll have to pull out your phone or summon your digital assistant. A simple "Hey Siri" will do for the AirPods, while the Sony buds require you to tap and hold the touchpad to launch Google's Assistant.
Both also let you take one bud out of your ear and the music will pause.
The touch panel on the Sony buds was a little sensitive at times, so it's easy to accidentally brush against it when adjusting the buds or tucking hair behind your ear. So much so that you may find yourself accidentally hanging up on a call (or two) like we did.
Sony offers NFC on the case so you can simply tap-to-pair with an Android phone. Apple's AirPods connect automatically when you open the case next to an iOS device. You can also pair the AirPods with an Android and the Sony buds with iOS manually through their respective Bluetooth settings.
The AirPods use Apple's latest H1 chip while Sony uses the QN1e chip, a noise canceling processor for its buds. Both have Bluetooth 5 support. Overall, we didn't experience any significant dropouts on either but found the AirPods were a little better in maintaining a solid connection to iOS. Sometimes the Sony buds didn't quite get it right when paired with an iOS device and wouldn't register on the Headphones Connect app even though they were playing music.
Lexy: I don't generally use the voice assistant so that feature doesn't matter to me, but I do love the NFC pairing on the Sony earbuds when using Android. And it's great to be able to customize the tap controls regardless of whether I'm using them on iOS or Android.
Vanessa: I like using the hands-free Siri feature on the AirPods to adjust the volume, but prefer the deeper level of customization the Sony buds gives you on both Android and iOS devices.
Winner: Tie. Both offer a solid Bluetooth connection and customizable controls. If you want hands-free voice commands the AirPods may be the better bet, but Android users will appreciate being able to adjust the controls on the Sony buds.
Now playing: Watch this: AirPods 2 or Sony WF-1000XM3: Wireless earbud battle
Battery life is a close call
While the Sony earbuds offer you the most juice out of the earbuds themselves (six hours of listening time compared to five hours on the AirPods), both offer you the same amount of total charge when you factor in the cases. Each can hold up to 24 hours of total charge.
It's also worth noting that the six hours that Sony quotes is with active noise canceling turned on. With it off, you'll get almost eight hours from the earbuds before you'll need to charge them.
They both also offer you a quick-charge feature, so if you're short on time you can still get a decent amount of listening time. Charge the AirPods for 15 minutes and you'll get three hours of listening time. Charge the Sony earbuds for 10 minutes and you'll get 1.5 hours.
The best Bluetooth earbuds are...
Lexy: For me, the Sony WF-1000XM3 are the clear winners. The sound quality is fantastic, I love that I don't have to charge them as often as the AirPods and the noise cancellation is almost as good as a pair of more expensive over-ear headphones.
Vanessa: There's no doubt the Sony buds take the crown when it comes to sound quality, but I'm more interested in convenience so the AirPods are better suited for me. I use my buds mostly for calls, commuting and the occasional run, so I prefer the open design of the AirPods. They're also smaller, lighter and more comfortable to wear (at least for my ears) and the case is more compact.
See AirPods at Amazon
See Sony WF-1000XM3 at Amazon
Originally published earlier this year.
Mobile Headphones iOS 12 Amazon Google Sony Apple
Discuss: AirPods 2 vs. Sony's true wireless headphones: Which are the better earbuds?


text:
Risvide (Salix arbuscula) är en växtart i släktet salix.

Den är en buskliknande växt som blir upp till 2 meter hög. Grenarna är först håriga men övergår sedan till att vara hårlösa och rödbruna. De ellipsformade bladen är vanligtvis inte längre än 1-2 cm. Ovansidan är ljusgrön, kal och glänsande medan undersidan är grågrön och mittnerven rödfärgad. Bladkanterna är naggade och bladskaftet är kort. Blommorna är gulvita och blommar på våren och försommaren. Hängefjällen har en gulaktig färg. Risvide förväxlas lätt med blekvide (Salix hastata).

Utbredning
Risvide växer i de nordliga delarna av Europa, som i de skandinaviska länderna och i Skottland. Även i Sibirien återfinns risvide.
Risvide trivs i mark som är rik på kalk och näringsämnen. Marken bör även vara fuktig och mullrik, därför växer ofta risvide i fjälltrakten helst över 600 meters höjd så att växten även får mycket sol.
I Sverige är risvide ganska sällsynt, speciellt söder om Uppland. Plantering i kruka är mer förekommande.

Latinskt namn
Namnet arbuscula introducerades av Carl von Linné som upptäckte växten år 1737 i Lappland. Namnet betyder litet träd och används trots att växten är en buske.

Referenser

Videväxter


1960's Mail Order Vintage Sewing Pattern Marian Martin 9109. The slightly A-line skirt has patch pockets with flaps and waistband. The skirt wraps in back, buttons at waistband.
Condition: Very Good, cut. You will also receive the original Marian Martin mailing envelope postmarked 1964.


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STONE WITH SOUL
A form of limestone, travertine exhibits beautiful veining and a vibrant texture with a unique patina – in which new details can be discovered with every use.
Tones and textures
In GUBI's shades of Neutral White, Warm Taupe or Burnt Red, travertine creates a focal point of differing intensity, bringing personality, naturalness, and tactility to interior spaces. These are groupings of natural colorways and so variations occur between pieces, making each one unique. They can work together in clusters to portray a diverse and yet coherent color spectrum or as individual pieces in their own right.
Formed over millennia by the heat and pressure of hot springs and limestone caves, the stone develops tiny channels and holes as gas and water escapes from the surface, resulting in distinctive patterns and textures. Because of this, travertine can express many different tones and variations, even within the same colors.
Bringing travertine to life
The intrinsic value of travertine as a natural stone is rooted in our planet, our history, and our origin – a heritage which becomes solid and sculptural in GUBI's Epic and TS Collections by GamFratesi.
In both form and name, the two collections reflect travertine's enduring appeal across the ages. Epic is inspired by Greek and Roman architecture – as exemplified by Classical travertine constructions such as the Colosseum – and references the columns of Ancient Greece in its circles and hexagons. The TS Collection, by contrast, looks to the modern day.
From Song to symphony
The use of italian travertine in both collections is the result of a shared journey of discovery gubi and gamfratesi took into this unique stone.
GamFratesi's design takes its creative drive from a fusion of tradition and renewal and in an experimental approach to their chosen materials and techniques.
By positioning travertine at the heart of their expression, GamFratesi has created a celebration of these unusual stones and natural finishes. The raw tactility and all three travertine colors are brought to life across the Epic Collection's three coffee table sizes, while the Epic Dining Table is available in a choice of Neutral White or Burnt Red and the Epic Elliptical Table in Neutral White. The TS Collection includes a travertine side table, two coffee tables and a two-rack console in Neutral White or Warm Taupe.


JANE AUSTEN was born in Steventon rectory on December 16, 1775. Her family later moved to Bath, then to Southampton and finally to Chawton in Hampshire. She began writing "Pride and Prejudice" when she was twenty-two years old. It was originally called "First Impressions" and was initially rejected by the publishers and only published in 1813 after much revision. She published four of her novels in her lifetime, "Sense and Sensibility" (1811), "Pride and Prejudice "(1813), "Mansfield Park" (1814) and "Emma" (1816). Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817. "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion" were both published posthumously in 1818.


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A: There is a link on the glassware checklist to the form for suggesting new voice commands.


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Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in waterpipe cafés in Barcelona, Spain: An assessment of airborne nicotine and PM2.5.
Environ Res. 2020 05; 184:109347.ER
Waterpipe tobacco smoking has grown in popularity worldwide, with the prevalence of use increasing in Spain from 6.2% to 10.8% in the last decade, despite the smoking ban enacted in 2010 for all hospitality premises.
To assess exposure to second-hand smoke from waterpipes based on the concentrations of airborne nicotine and particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) in a sample of waterpipe cafés in the city of Barcelona (Spain).
This cross-sectional study included a sample of 20 waterpipe cafés. Airborne nicotine and PM2.5 were sampled for 30 min in each venue using a nicotine sampling device connected by a tube to a pump and a TSI SidePak Personal Aerosol Monitor. Five outdoor control locations were also measured. We computed medians, interquartile ranges (IQRs), and maximum values and compared them according to venues' and sampling characteristics using the Kruskall-Wallis and U-Mann Whitney tests. Nicotine and PM2.5 were correlated by calculating the Spearman-rank correlation coefficient.
The median concentration of nicotine and PM2.5 were 1.15 and 230.50 μg/m3 in waterpipe cafés and 0.03 and 10.00 μg/m3 in control locations (p<0.05 in both cases). The Spearman correlation coefficient between both markers was 0.61 (95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.84). No differences were found in nicotine or PM2.5 concentration according to the venues' and sampling characteristics studied, with the exception of area. After stratifying for area, venues >100 m2, located in a tourist area, with >15 lit waterpipes, >8 waterpipes/100 m2, and a ratio of 2 users per waterpipe or less had significantly higher nicotine concentration.
Despite the current smoking ban, which includes hospitality venues, we found nicotine and PM2.5 levels in Barcelona waterpipe cafés that exceeded the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization. This exposure poses serious risks to the health of both workers and customers and constitutes a non-compliance of the legislation.
Publisher Full Text
Authors+Show Affiliations
Feliu A
Tobacco Control Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tobacco Control, Institut Català d'Oncologia-ICO, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; Tobacco Control Research Group, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge-IDIBELL, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Campus de Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, l'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Madrid, Spain.
Fu M
Russo M
School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Campus de Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, l'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Martinez C
Tobacco Control Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tobacco Control, Institut Català d'Oncologia-ICO, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; Tobacco Control Research Group, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge-IDIBELL, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Campus de Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, l'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Madrid, Spain; Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, USA.
Sureda X
Tobacco Control Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tobacco Control, Institut Català d'Oncologia-ICO, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; Tobacco Control Research Group, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge-IDIBELL, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Madrid, Spain; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, USA; Public Health and Epidemiology Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
López MJ
Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain.
Cortés N
Public Health and Epidemiology Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Fernández E
Tobacco Control Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tobacco Control, Institut Català d'Oncologia-ICO, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; Tobacco Control Research Group, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge-IDIBELL, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Campus de Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, l'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: efernandez@iconcologia.net.
Air Pollution, IndoorCitiesCross-Sectional StudiesHumansNicotineParticulate MatterRestaurantsSpainTobacco Smoke PollutionWater Pipe Smoking
Pub Type(s)
Feliu, Ariadna, et al. "Exposure to Second-hand Tobacco Smoke in Waterpipe Cafés in Barcelona, Spain: an Assessment of Airborne Nicotine and PM2.5." Environmental Research, vol. 184, 2020, p. 109347.
Feliu A, Fu M, Russo M, et al. Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in waterpipe cafés in Barcelona, Spain: An assessment of airborne nicotine and PM2.5. Environ Res. 2020;184:109347.
Feliu, A., Fu, M., Russo, M., Martinez, C., Sureda, X., López, M. J., Cortés, N., & Fernández, E. (2020). Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in waterpipe cafés in Barcelona, Spain: An assessment of airborne nicotine and PM2.5. Environmental Research, 184, 109347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109347
Feliu A, et al. Exposure to Second-hand Tobacco Smoke in Waterpipe Cafés in Barcelona, Spain: an Assessment of Airborne Nicotine and PM2.5. Environ Res. 2020;184:109347. PubMed PMID: 32179267.
TY - JOUR T1 - Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in waterpipe cafés in Barcelona, Spain: An assessment of airborne nicotine and PM2.5. AU - Feliu,Ariadna, AU - Fu,Marcela, AU - Russo,Marta, AU - Martinez,Cristina, AU - Sureda,Xisca, AU - López,Maria José, AU - Cortés,Núria, AU - Fernández,Esteve, Y1 - 2020/03/08/ PY - 2019/11/21/received PY - 2020/01/30/revised PY - 2020/03/02/accepted PY - 2020/3/18/pubmed PY - 2020/11/21/medline PY - 2020/3/18/entrez KW - Health hazard KW - Legislation compliance KW - Second-hand smoke KW - Tobacco control policies KW - Waterpipe SP - 109347 EP - 109347 JF - Environmental research JO - Environ Res VL - 184 N2 - BACKGROUND: Waterpipe tobacco smoking has grown in popularity worldwide, with the prevalence of use increasing in Spain from 6.2% to 10.8% in the last decade, despite the smoking ban enacted in 2010 for all hospitality premises. OBJECTIVE: To assess exposure to second-hand smoke from waterpipes based on the concentrations of airborne nicotine and particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) in a sample of waterpipe cafés in the city of Barcelona (Spain). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included a sample of 20 waterpipe cafés. Airborne nicotine and PM2.5 were sampled for 30 min in each venue using a nicotine sampling device connected by a tube to a pump and a TSI SidePak Personal Aerosol Monitor. Five outdoor control locations were also measured. We computed medians, interquartile ranges (IQRs), and maximum values and compared them according to venues' and sampling characteristics using the Kruskall-Wallis and U-Mann Whitney tests. Nicotine and PM2.5 were correlated by calculating the Spearman-rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The median concentration of nicotine and PM2.5 were 1.15 and 230.50 μg/m3 in waterpipe cafés and 0.03 and 10.00 μg/m3 in control locations (p<0.05 in both cases). The Spearman correlation coefficient between both markers was 0.61 (95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.84). No differences were found in nicotine or PM2.5 concentration according to the venues' and sampling characteristics studied, with the exception of area. After stratifying for area, venues >100 m2, located in a tourist area, with >15 lit waterpipes, >8 waterpipes/100 m2, and a ratio of 2 users per waterpipe or less had significantly higher nicotine concentration. DISCUSSION: Despite the current smoking ban, which includes hospitality venues, we found nicotine and PM2.5 levels in Barcelona waterpipe cafés that exceeded the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization. This exposure poses serious risks to the health of both workers and customers and constitutes a non-compliance of the legislation. SN - 1096-0953 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/32179267/Exposure_to_second_hand_tobacco_smoke_in_waterpipe_cafés_in_Barcelona_Spain:_An_assessment_of_airborne_nicotine_and_PM2_5_ L2 - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0013-9351(20)30240-1 DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -
Grapherence [↓2]
Air Pollution, Indoor
Tobacco Smoke Pollution
Water Pipe Smoking
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