text:
<?php

namespace Symfony\Component\Messenger\Bridge\Doctrine\Transport;

use Doctrine\DBAL\Schema\Table;

/**
 * Uses PostgreSQL LISTEN/NOTIFY to push messages to workers.
 *
 * @internal
 *
 * @author Kévin Dunglas <dunglas@gmail.com>
 */
final class PostgreSqlConnection extends Connection
{
    /**
     * * use_notify: Set to false to disable the use of LISTEN/NOTIFY. Default: true
     * * check_delayed_interval: The interval to check for delayed messages, in milliseconds. Set to 0 to disable checks. Default: 60000 (1 minute)
     * * get_notify_timeout: The length of time to wait for a response when calling PDO::pgsqlGetNotify, in milliseconds. Default: 0.
     */
    protected const DEFAULT_OPTIONS = parent::DEFAULT_OPTIONS + [
        'use_notify' => true,
        'check_delayed_interval' => 60000,
        'get_notify_timeout' => 0,
    ];

    private $listening = false;

    public function __sleep(): array
    {
        throw new \BadMethodCallException('Cannot serialize '.__CLASS__);
    }

    public function __wakeup()
    {
        throw new \BadMethodCallException('Cannot unserialize '.__CLASS__);
    }

    public function __destruct()
    {
        $this->unlisten();
    }

    public function reset()
    {
        parent::reset();
        $this->unlisten();
    }

    public function get(): ?array
    {
        if (null === $this->queueEmptiedAt) {
            return parent::get();
        }

        if (!$this->listening) {
            // This is secure because the table name must be a valid identifier:
            // https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax-lexical.html#SQL-SYNTAX-IDENTIFIERS
            $this->executeStatement(sprintf('LISTEN "%s"', $this->configuration['table_name']));
            $this->listening = true;
        }

        $notification = $this->driverConnection->getWrappedConnection()->pgsqlGetNotify(\PDO::FETCH_ASSOC, $this->configuration['get_notify_timeout']);
        if (
            // no notifications, or for another table or queue
            (false === $notification || $notification['message'] !== $this->configuration['table_name'] || $notification['payload'] !== $this->configuration['queue_name']) &&
            // delayed messages
            (microtime(true) * 1000 - $this->queueEmptiedAt < $this->configuration['check_delayed_interval'])
        ) {
            usleep(1000);

            return null;
        }

        return parent::get();
    }

    public function setup(): void
    {
        parent::setup();

        $this->executeStatement(implode("\n", $this->getTriggerSql()));
    }

    /**
     * @return string[]
     */
    public function getExtraSetupSqlForTable(Table $createdTable): array
    {
        if (!$createdTable->hasOption(self::TABLE_OPTION_NAME)) {
            return [];
        }

        if ($createdTable->getOption(self::TABLE_OPTION_NAME) !== $this->configuration['table_name']) {
            return [];
        }

        return $this->getTriggerSql();
    }

    private function getTriggerSql(): array
    {
        return [
            // create trigger function
            sprintf(<<<'SQL'
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION notify_%1$s() RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
    BEGIN
        PERFORM pg_notify('%1$s', NEW.queue_name::text);
        RETURN NEW;
    END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
SQL
            , $this->configuration['table_name']),
            // register trigger
            sprintf('DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS notify_trigger ON %s;', $this->configuration['table_name']),
            sprintf('CREATE TRIGGER notify_trigger AFTER INSERT OR UPDATE ON %1$s FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE PROCEDURE notify_%1$s();', $this->configuration['table_name']),
        ];
    }

    private function unlisten()
    {
        if (!$this->listening) {
            return;
        }

        $this->executeStatement(sprintf('UNLISTEN "%s"', $this->configuration['table_name']));
        $this->listening = false;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The School Counselor and Corporal Punishment
Adopted 1995, Revised 2000, 2006, 2012, 2019)
School counselors oppose the use of corporal punishment and advocate for trauma-sensitive discipline policies and procedures.
Even though corporal punishment has been on a steady decline since the 1970s and has notable negative effects, it is still legal and used in several of the United States (Gershoff & Font, 2016). School counselors recognize the use of corporal punishment is likely to teach children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve differences. Research shows physical punishment to be ineffective in teaching new behaviors, and it is detrimental in teaching problem-solving skills. Corporal punishment is not considered a trauma-sensitive approach to discipline in schools (Afifi et al., 2017) and can have negative effects for students including:
Increased antisocial behavior such as lying, stealing, cheating, bullying, assaulting a sibling or peers and lack of remorse for wrongdoing
Increased risk of child abuse
Erosion of trust between an adult and child
Adverse effects on cognitive development
Increased likelihood of suffering from depression and other negative social and mental health outcomes.
School counselors have a responsibility to protect students and to promote healthy student development using multitiered systems of support that incorporate evidence-based practices and strategies in administering discipline and teaching new behaviors promoting positive social/emotional development (Cowan, Vaillancourt, Rossen & Pollitt, 2013). Recognizing culture influences on views of corporal punishment, the school counselor serves as a resource to school personnel and families for the use of effective intervention and alternative discipline strategies. School counselors encourage public awareness of the consequences of corporal punishment, provide strategies on alternatives to corporal punishment and encourage legislation prohibiting the continued use of corporal punishment.
School counselors collaborate with families and school staff to build positive relationships between students and adults with effective alternatives to corporal punishment including but not limited to:
using behavioral contracts
setting realistic expectations
enforcing rules consistently
creating appropriate and logical consequences for inappropriate behavior
conferencing with students and/or families with school personnel for planning and reinforcing acceptable behavior
emphasizing students' positive behaviors
teaching pro-social, mediation and resolution skills as methods of problem solving
providing information on parenting programs
promoting emotional regulation
teaching and implementing mindfulness practices
Research shows corporal punishment increases students' anti-social behavior, adversely affects cognitive development and erodes the trust between children and adults. It is ineffective in teaching new and positive behaviors and is detrimental in teaching appropriate problem-solving methods. School counselors adamantly oppose the use of corporal punishment and advocate for its elimination.
Afifi, T.O., Ford, D., Gershoff, E.T., Merrick, M., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Ports, K.A., MacMillan, H.L., Holden, G.W., Taylor, C.A., Lee, S.J., & Bennett, R.P. (2017). Spanking and adult mental health impairment: The case for the designation of spanking as an adverse childhood experience, Child Abuse & Neglect, 71, 24-31, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.01.01
Cowan, K. C., Vaillancourt, K., Rossen, E., & Pollitt, K. (2013). A framework for safe and successful schools [Brief]. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Gershoff, E. T., & Font, S. A. (2016). Corporal punishment in U.S. public schools: Prevalence, disparities in use, and status in state and federal policy. Social policy report, 30, 1.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We are Dynamic Objx Labs Inc, a software development company based in Manila, Philippines. We specialize in building apps for the web and mobile.
We have built and delivered web and mobile apps that feature geolocation-based promotions, e-commerce integration, social media integration, push notifications, in-app purchasing etc.
We've also worked on various web and mobile systems for the Enterprise as well such as in Inventory Sales and Order Management, Property Management, Tenant Management, Content Management for Mobile Apps, Asset Tracking, Mobile Product Catalog, an Arduino-based connected devices system etc.
Web Application Development - We use Angular JS and React JS for the frontend and use technology platforms such as Java (Spring, Play Framework), Python, Node.js and Golang for backend applications such as REST APIs, payment gateway middleware, asynchronous data processors, media ingestion services etc.
Mobile Application Development - For native IOS and Android apps, we use Objective-C, Swift, Java and Kotlin. For quick prototypes and MVPs, we use React-Native for hybrid mobile app development.
We love developer tools such as Vagrant, Github and Docker. Whether the appropriate methodology is Scrum, Kanban or Waterfall (or a hybrid approach), we believe in collaboration, communication and using the right tools for the job.
Based in Manila, Philippines, DYNAMIC OBJX LABS INC is a software development company specializing in Web and Mobile Applications utilizing cutting-edge technologies to create software solutions based on best practices and software that provide the best user experience.
We subscribe to agile methodologies and practices such as Scrum, Extreme Programming, Continuous Integration as well as Kanban and Lean Software Development ideologies.
We've worked with startups and companies around the world. Manila, Singapore, Tokyo, San Francisco, Paris, Australia to name a few.
Dynamic Objx was a co-winner in the 2013 Asian Development Bank and Microsoft "Apps for Asia" competition with the social enterprise platform called "Blood Donors Network". Dynamic Objx was featured as one of the "Top Filipino Tech Companies to Watch" in the Entrepreneur Philippines magazine (June 2012).
We offer software development services for web and mobile apps (native and hybrid): fixed-bid projects, developer outsourcing, team augmentation.
We provide consultancy for utilizing the cloud for app integrations and deployment environments with top providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Heroku etc.
We also provide internet-of-things (IOT) consultancy and have worked with past clients from ideation to deployment using the Arduino platform as the core technology for connected devices solutions and marketing activations.


Published annually by the State Comptroller, this report provides a detailed look at the state's finances and provides insight into Connecticut's overall fiscal health. Included in the yearly report are fund balances as well as information on items impacting Connecticut's fiscal situation, including the state's cash deposits and investments, current liabilities, long-term debt, state retirement systems, and capital assets.
Lembo, K. (2019). Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, FY 2018. Hartford, CT: State of Connecticut, Office of the State Comptroller. Retrieved from https://www.osc.ct.gov/reports/CAFR-2018.pdf.


text:
Frontier $54.99 Varies DSL 79%
Mediacom $19.99 100 - 1,000 Mbps Cable 69%
Clarksville Mutual Telephone Company - - DSL 9.530%
Telephone Operating Company of Vermont $39.95 - DSL 2.730%
King Street Wireless - - Wireless 83%
Joink $69.00 200 - 1,000 Mbps Wireless 80%
All Above Satellite $89.00 50 - 100 Mbps Wireless 4.700%
Rise Broadband $29.95 25 - 250 Mbps Wireless 1.720%
10000 Mbps
Provider: Telephone Operating Company of Vermont
3 providers - 1.33%
Fiber - 0.000%
At 94%, broadband coverage in the 62441 ZIP code is comparable to the rest of Illinois - 95%, and comparable to broadband coverage across the U.S. - 95%.
The vast majority of those living in the 62441 ZIP will have access to DSL, which covers 91% of households. Cable internet is also an option for many, offering service to 58% of the area. No fiber-optic providers are currently available in Marshall, but satellite or fixed-wireless providers may offer broadband options in your area.
There are 10 internet providers serving the 62441 area, and 65.18% of households will have internet options from more than one provider. Among 10 internet providers in 62441, prices start at $19.99 and available download speeds reach up to 10,000 Mbps.
Average internet speeds in Marshall
Frontier 19 Mbps 3 Mbps DSL
Joink 12 Mbps 5 Mbps Wireless
Mediacom 82 Mbps 14 Mbps Cable
*Data sourced from M-LAB speed tests taken by real users in Marshall.
Marshall – 115 Mbps
IL – 142 Mbps
Marshall – 25 Mbps
IL – 33 Mbps
The largest internet providers serving the 62441 ZIP code are Frontier, Mediacom, and HughesNet bringing DSL, cable, and satellite options to the area.
DSL internet from Frontier is available to most in the 62441 ZIP code, covering 79% of households. Many will also have the option of cable from Mediacom, which covers 69% of the area. Marshall's third most-available internet provider, HughesNet, offers satellite to around 100% of residents in the 62441 ZIP code.
Frontier DSL internet
DSL from Frontier offers broadband to most households in the 62441 ZIP code, covering 79% of the area.
DSL internet from Frontier uses telephone lines to deliver service, which often leads to lower prices and higher availability, though download speeds are likely to be slower than cable or fiber-optic internet.
Internet prices for Frontier start at $54.99/mo.*, which is about the same as the average starting price for internet in Marshall, $54.73.
Mediacom cable internet
Cable from Mediacom offers broadband to most households in the 62441 ZIP code, covering 69% of the area.
Mediacom's cable network is likely to offer faster speeds than DSL or satellite service, but 62441 residents in densely populated areas may experience slowed speeds during peak usage times.
Internet prices for Mediacom start at $19.99/mo.*, which is significantly lower than the average starting price for internet in Marshall, $54.73.
Mediacom customers who choose the lowest-priced plan can expect speeds up to 100 Mbps, which comes to an estimated $0.20 per Mbps, about the same as the average cost per Mbps for the lowest priced plans in Marshall, $0.79.
For those who value internet speed as much as cost, Mediacom offers download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps and upload speeds up to 50 Mbps in 62441 ZIP code. These download speeds are available to 69% of the area, and are much faster than the average max speeds from all Marshall's providers, 177 Mbps.
Internet prices for HughesNet start at $64.99/mo.*, which is significantly higher than the average starting price for internet in Marshall, $54.73.
HughesNet customers who choose the lowest-priced plan can expect speeds up to 25 Mbps, which comes to an estimated $2.60 per Mbps, higher than the average cost per Mbps for the lowest priced plans in Marshall, $0.79.
For those who value internet speed as much as cost, HughesNet offers download speeds up to 25 Mbps and upload speeds up to 3 Mbps in 62441 ZIP code. These download speeds are available to 100% of the area, and are much slower than the average max speeds from all Marshall's providers, 177 Mbps.
Telephone Operating Company of Vermont is the fastest internet provider in the 62441 ZIP code with download speeds up to 10,000 Mbps. These speeds are available to 2.730% of households in 62441. The next fastest internet provider in the 62441 ZIP code is Mediacom, offering download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps to 69% of the area.
Mediacom offers the cheapest internet in the 62441 ZIP with service starting at $19.99/mo. This is significantly less than the average starting price for internet in Marshall, $54.73.
Do I need a phone line for broadband?
The only broadband internet type that requires a phone line is DSL and dial-up, which use phone lines to deliver service. Other internet types, such as cable, fiber-optic and satellite, require no phone line for broadband service.
What are my internet options?
Available providers vary by address, but your location is likely serviceable for cable and DSL internet. Fiber internet may also be an internet option, but this technology is typically found in larger cities. Those living in rural areas not serviceable for cable, DSL or fiber internet may find satellite or fixed wireless internet to be their only options.
Home page Illinois Marshall 62441


Cool and everlasting, blue sapphires not only offer supreme durability and mesmerizing beauty, but a symbolic meaning for truthfulness and wisdom. Your blue sapphire center stone is wrapped in a halo of white diamonds from the head to shank. Solid 14-karat white gold creates the canvas for this alluring bridal set with micro-prong settings for the diamonds, and a four-prong setting for the center. Every precious stone on this pair of rings is naturally grown from the earth. The leveled (as opposed to curving) wedding band allows you to wear the band on it's own or along with the engagement ring to suit your occasion. At Kobelli, every piece is made using the highest ethical standards and environmental responsibility every step of the way.
• Exclusively Sold by Kobelli -- *We ship within 1-2 business days from CA, USA with expedited delivery on all domestic orders. Your item will arrive in discrete outer packaging with adult signature required.
*Exceptions Apply if Fulfilled by Amazon (See Estimated Delivery in Your Orders if FBA).
Any Questions Left Below Will be Answered Promptly by Kobelli Customer Service!


text:
Hernâni Ferreira da Silva (1931-2001), futebolista de Portugal (Portugal e FC Porto)
 Hernani (Espanha)
 Henani
 Henâni Neves (capitão da selecção portuguesa de futebol de praia 2001)
 Hernâni Donato escritor

Ou ainda:
Ernani

Desambiguação
Desambiguações de topônimos

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


System Integration—studies and recommends system architectures to meet the needs of the industry. It prescribes ways of assembling heterogeneous building blocks into coherent systems.
Outside System Connectivity—refers to physical and wireless technologies that connect different parts of systems.
Heterogeneous Integration—refers to the integration of separately manufactured technologies that in the aggregate provide enhanced functionality.
Heterogeneous Components —describes devices that do not necessarily scale according to "Moore's Law," and provide additional functionalities, such as power generation and management, or sensing and actuating.
Beyond CMOS—describes devices, focused on new physical states, which provide functional scaling substantially beyond CMOS, such as spin-based devices, ferromagnetic logic, and atomic switch.
More Moore—refers to the continued shrinking of horizontal and vertical physical feature sizes to reduce cost and improve performance.
Factory Integration consists of tools and processes necessary to produce items at affordable cost in high volume.
You don't have to listen very hard to hear the noise about who is going to be first with 14nm/16nm production. From there the crowd shouts about who will be the first to 10nm and then 7nm and if you don't like that you can debate who will be the first to produce 3D NAND. To me, this is really unfortunate because if one were to take the time to go through the confessionals of the past few weeks it would become clear that the bleeding edge, while certainly glamorous, is not the only segment of the chip industry that is enjoying growth.


text:
Q: Windows DNS Server taking too long respond when pinging domain I'm running into an issue where if I ping a domain it takes close to 10 seconds to respond and all DNS queries that are not coming from a windows box fail.
Example:

*

*ping abc.local - will take 10 seconds to respond on a windows machine but would fail on Mac or  Linux.

*ping - host.abc.local will respond right away on any OS.

The issue that this is causing that all none windows machine (Mac or Linux) do not get a response when trying to resolve abc.local.
Any suggestions on what I should be looking at?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Foothill Ranch, located in south Orange County, was originally a census-designated place (CDP). It was officially annexed to the city of Lake Forest in 2000 with a population of 10,899. As one of the newest master-planned communities in the Orange County, Foothill Ranch provides a great balance between of residential areas, business centers, and open spaces. This area is home to the headquarters of a number of prominent companies, including Oakley, Inc., Tri Alpha Energy, and Kaiser Aluminum.
We work with small to medium-sized business owners in Foothill Ranch that want to reach more audiences and increase their sales. As a one-stop digital marketing agency, we are dedicated to helping you identify and build long-term relationships with your audiences, and also to develop marketing strategies that will appeal to your niche audiences.
Let Us Help with Your Digital Marketing in Foothill Ranch!


text:
Home INTERVIEWS Interview with Blind Channel: "The guitarists are the ones who make the...
Interview with Blind Channel: "The guitarists are the ones who make the stories." (Musicalypse Archive)
The violent pop revolution has begun and leading the charge are Finland's own BLIND CHANNEL! These energetic young guys from Oulu aren't just sweeping the nation and wiping the floor with the competition in the local music contests, but they've conquered the Baltics as well. After their recent tour opening for Simple Plan, we got a chance to speak with them at South Park -festivaali in Tampere to discuss their victories, their music, and the future. Even though they've only had a few short years behind them, these guys had plenty of great stories to share!
To start with, congratulations on your very solid start in the music business. You guys have already won the 2014 Wacken Metal Battle and YleX's "Stage haltuun" [Taking the Stage] – how does it all feel?
Niko: It feels really great, winning those competitions. I think it helped our career really much.
What was it like being at Wacken? Had either of you ever been there before?
Niko: No, I think none of us had been.
Joel: It was a dream come true for 10-year-old boys, being on the big stage with tons of people. It was crazy all the time.
Niko: Yeah, both Wacken and the Sziget Festival in Hungary, we thought it was a taste of something that we're aiming for.
You've also done a couple of shows with MACHINAE SUPREMACY and SIMPLE PLAN – what were those experiences like?
Niko: Those were really great – most recently SIMPLE PLAN, but also ENTER SHIKARI in Helsinki. It's been really great. It's also a huge opportunity to perform to a wider audience.
Joel: A few more fans.
I can see you guys going hand-in-hand with SIMPLE PLAN, because your styles fit together nicely, but what was it like at a MACHINAE SUPREMACY show, considering they've got their own SID-metal genre? Was the crowd into it or were they a bit confused?
Niko: It's definitely a different scene, and I think with SIMPLE PLAN, ENTER SHIKARI, and MACHINAE SUPREMACY… the audience wasn't that into us [at MACHINAE SUPREMACY's show] compared to ENTER SHIKARI's audience or SIMPLE PLAN's audience. It was a bit different but I think it was cool too.
You've been playing quite a few shows lately – have there been any crazy mishaps, Spinal Tap moments, or band pranks?
Niko: There have been too many [laughter]. Actually, at every show we have played there has been something happening, like "oh shit!" It's kind of dirty. I don't know how much I can tell you. Let's just say that when something's happening, it usually has something to do with Joel or Joonas. The guitarists are the ones who make the stories.
Do you remember when and where your first gig as BLIND CHANNEL was, and what it was like?
Joel: October 2013. We were playing a headlining show in our hometown with all of our friends in the audience.
Niko: It was called 45 Special. It's actually a great story. It wasn't supposed to be a headlining show. We were supposed to be supporting an Estonian band called DEFRAGE, but the same day in the evening, they called us that their bass player had been drunk driving into the wall of a police station [laughter] and he was in jail. They were like, "I don't think we can perform tonight." We were like, "Okay, we'll be headliners." Then we got this other Oulu band called FACELIFT to support us and we were the headliners, so it was kind of lucky! We were like, "First gig ever and we'll be the supporting act!" and all of a sudden we're headliner. It just got crazy!
Do you think your live performance has changed much since then, and if so, how?
Niko: I think we are more confident. We do this crazy jumping and running around, and when we did that in the beginning we were out of control, but now I think we're in control of those actions.
You're doing it on purpose.
Niko: Yeah! We're doing it on purpose. Because, when we went on stage, it was like we'd go there and then when we'd come back from the stage, we're like, "What have we done?" We'd have to think back to what happened [laughs].
Go look on YouTube.
Niko: Yeah! Just like that. Now I think we're confident and we can live in the moment and see what we're doing on stage. I think it's a bit more professional than in the beginning. But when we watched SIMPLE PLAN perform, we saw that we can get much more professional in the future [laughter]. Like in 20 years, but I think we're getting there.
In another interview, I think Joel said that you guys prefer to build your success on your own, so competitions like "Uuden musiikin kilpailu" wouldn't work for bands like you. However, since then you've done a few different competitions and contests and you've done really, really well in them – do you have any further comments on the original statement?
Joel: I can say that I was wrong. Actually, the main reason for our success right now is those competitions, so I was stupid.
Niko: It was in the beginning, but I remember we all thought that competitions are not our thing, but in the Wacken Metal Battle competition, it was all metal bands. One of our friends said, "You should go," and we said, "We're a violent pop band." "I'm a rapper. Everyone's going to laugh at us!" but then it was like… social pressure? [laughs] We were like, "We have to do this!" It turns out that's why we won the competition. Then in the other Taking the Stage (Stage haltuun) competition, we really didn't even know that we were participating. Our guitarist, Joonas, secretly put us in the competition [laughter]. Then came the audience voting and we were like, "Oh fuck, we're in the voting and we cannot lose!"
Joel: Yeah, we cannot lose!
Niko: Since we're in a competition, we cannot lose this, so we had to go all the way and it turned out quite well. We have never really been like, "Let's go to competitions and we'll become a big band!" That's not the way we think.
Joel: Yeah.
So this is your first time playing at South Park -festivaali – how do you like the festival?
Niko: I think it's a really cool festival. Kind of like the weather [laughs]. The weather is like, the sun is shining and it's raining…
Joel: I think this is a metal or rock festival, so we are kind of weird a band here because we're playing pop stuff.
Niko: And I'm rapping! But I actually like it when I'm in the middle of a rock festival and I start rapping. There are a few – like two people – who are like, "Cool!" and the other ones are like, "What the fuuuck?" [laughter], but I think that's kind of nice.
How did you [Joel] and Tuomas [Thomas Grove, Ember Falls] get the idea to guest star in each other's hit singles on stage?
Joel: We were drunk after the On the Rocks show in Helsinki and I got the idea and then I actually forgot it, and then I got a Facebook message from Tuomas and he was like, "Hey, do you remember this?" and I was like, "… I don't remember, but let's do it!" Two days after that we made it, so it was really cool.
Niko: Yeah, it was kind of a quick decision, but we talked about… what was it?
Joel: The mini-tour in Finland.
Niko: It was us, EMBER FALLS, and BLACK CROWS BREAK THE SILENCE, and we were on tour and there were got into the featuring thing.
Have you been watching any of the other bands here, and if so, who has impressed you the most?
Joel: I'm waiting for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. I've been a fan since I was a teenager. It's really cool to see the band playing live.
Niko: I have to comment that, when I said that I'm going to an interview, I was told that I have to say, "ARION is the best band in the fucking world!"
I saw Lassi Vääränen [ARION] earlier – did he tell you to say that?
Niko: Yeah, they're our label mates and they're great guys! But SHIRAZ LANE played after us on the same stage. I really like SHIRAZ LANE. They are such great guys, they're good friends of ours. It might just be the moment, but I really like the singer, Hannes [Kett]. I think he's such a talented singer. And I really like SHIRAZ LANE. I think they're an amazing band and have a bright future ahead of them.
Let's talk music now! How did the band form and how do you all know each other?
Niko: It's weird for this to come from me, but I was the last person to join the band. We've all been in the same school.
Joel: High school in Oulu.
Niko: A music high school in Oulu, where we are from. But we didn't know each other when we were there. Olli is in the same class or same age group as Joel and Joonas, and they had a history of rivalry, competing with each other and were in different musical projects all the time, competing with each other, but what I understand is that they got over that rivalry and they put up a band together, and then Joel and Joonas started this band and Olli and Tommi, our bass player and our drummer, came from [Joel's] past bands. You've known them from other music…
Joel: Yeah, I know them, and then you came in from the party.
Niko: I was the last to join the posse. Our drummer, Tommi, and our guitarist, Joonas, crashed a high school party I was attending. They literally crashed there. They were like, "WHAT'S UP EVERYONE!" and we were like, "Holy shit, somebody get those guys out!" We were drunk and partying and then they put an ENTER SHIKARI song on the radio and I was like, "Holy shit, this is good, I love ENTER SHIKARI too!" and they were like, "We're putting up a band!"
Joel: So here we are!
Niko: They said, "You should come to our practice," and I was like, "Well, one practice. I'll come there and check this thing out." That's how it started!
So how did you come up with the name, BLIND CHANNEL?
Joel: We had many ideas, and it was the best idea. We had a rule that the band name had to sound like the band's music, so I think BLIND CHANNEL sounds like our music.
Niko: Yeah, we wanted something organic and something mechanic – "blind" and "channel," and we had many names. It was me who came up with the BLIND CHANNEL idea-
Niko: -but the crazy thing is that we had a long list of names and I don't think we had even decided. We thought, "BLIND CHANNEL sounds kind of cool," and 2 minutes after that we had a Facebook page called BLIND CHANNEL [laughs]. It was a spontaneous decision. I think it's cool and it kind of describes our music. There are also some deeper controversial meanings, like nowadays everyone's spending so much time staring at blind channels, so it's kind of self-ironic, giving something real to stare at, the blind channel. Something like that.
How did your musical style become "violent pop" and how did you come up with that term?
Joel: Niko was the one who came up with that term.
Niko: What was it? We had to describe our music in an interview outside of Finland. The first abroad interviews we had. They were like, "Describe your music," and it just came out, "Violent pop," and then Joel did the hashtag thing. The first song we released was called "Save Me" and then we released the song called "More than You." When it was released, Joel put on a hashtag.
Joel: #violentpoprevolution
Niko: I think many people were into the violent pop thing, and the violent pop revolution make me like, "Holy shit, this could be a thing!" It's not just a random interview line like, "Our music is like violent pop," but it's a thing. We've been living up to that.
I like that you essentially made up your own genre. It helps you stand out from the masses.
Niko: It's self-powering also. It's like, [we're] going to decide what violent pop sounds like. We can do really heavy songs and really poppy songs and it's violent pop!
Do you have any themes that you're interested lyrically, or messages you'd like to share with the world?
Niko: From the beginning, it's been human struggle. We don't write a lot of really happy songs [laughter]. Then I think, it'd also be great to be political and controversial about real things. I think that's great about what SHIRAZ LANE is doing. Something like that, but I guess we have to figure out our own way to do that. Right now they're very personal. I mostly write the lyrics, but I would never release lyrics that weren't approved by the others. But, human struggle.
Joel: Emotions.
Niko: Dark emotions that everyone goes through. That's kind of a theme we've had so far.
What's been your biggest challenge as a band so far at this point? Or have you really had any?
Joel: I can't say anything, because everything has gone like a movie. We've had some small struggles but everything has gone step-after-step and now…
Niko: Yeah, there haven't been any really big challenges. I think, like every band, we've had good times and bad times and things go up and down-
Joel: What are the bad times? Tell me!
Niko: Not really bad times, but there are times when a lot of things are happening and there are times when you just have to wait and work hard. But they're not really "bad" times. I think a real challenge was the competition for YleX radio station! BLIND CHANNEL's new single, "Darker than Black," or SHIRAZ LANE's "Wake Up" – which one is going to the radio playlist. That was a challenge! It was super exciting!
Joel: That was really crazy. We needed all our friends to vote for us.
Niko: Fortunately we had a lot of friends to do that.
Joel: We won!
Niko: It was just a day or two, but it was a challenge!
Joel: We didn't sleep.
Niko: It was super exciting.
You've got an upcoming debut album in the works, and from what I've heard all of the songs are finished. Do you actually have a release date or an estimated release date at this point?
Niko: We don't have a date, but we can say next fall, before the end of the year.
You've had Jonas Olssen on board as producer – what was it like working with him?
Joel: He's a crazy musical genius.
Niko: He's a super professional, very talented guy, and I think we learned a lot from him and we really hope to work with him in the future. He's an amazing guy. He's funny and when you're working on an album in the studio, you do long days, like 12 hours, but with him it feels like 2 hours, so I think he's really good at his job.
And you've also had Jens Bogren, who has worked with some seriously legendary bands (OPETH, KATATONIA, AMORPHIS) – how did you get in touch with him and get him mixing your album?
Joel: It was Joonas who booked him.
Niko: We never actually met Jens. We just sent emails to Joonas and Joonas sent them to Jens. But we were super excited when we heard Jens Bogren was on board!
How would you describe the album to someone who's never heard you guys? What would you say about it?
Niko: It's fucking amazing! [laughter]
Joel: Very revolutionary.
Niko: Yeah, I think that's what we're trying to be. Revolutionary. And there are multiple different genres mixed together, like violent pop. There are easy songs, but also hard and heavy songs. I think there's a theme that goes through the album, so you can hear BLIND CHANNEL in every song. I think we did fine with the album.
To close up, here are a couple of random questions: First off, what's the last band you've listened to?
Niko: TWENTY-ONE PILOTS!
Joel: This is very bad – SIMPLE PLAN. I started to listen to them after the tour because I can't get over it. I'm dreaming about the shows all the time.
What's the last album you bought?
Joel: I don't remember.
Niko: We're living in Spotify times!
What would be the ultimate festival line-up for you? Who would you like to see in a festival?
Niko: I already answered this today! My two favorite bands, TWENTY ONE PILOTS and ENTER SHIKARI, who we supported. They are my all-time favorite bands. And Justin Bieber of course!
Joel: METALLICA, BRING ME THE HORIZON, and BLINK 182 [laughs]. Something like that.
Niko: I can't believe neither of us said LINKIN PARK.
Joel: Nah, we saw it already.
Niko: We saw LINKIN PARK around a year ago.
Have you guys had any really unusual fan encounters?
Niko: We have really great fans who are traveling with us. At this point, there is a posse that travels with us. Every gig we play, we see them in the front row. That's just amazing. That's a sign that you did something right.
Joel: We got this poster with pictures from our shows.
Niko: They had made us a poster. Like a fan thing. It was really great.
Last question then – apart from the release of your album, what are you guys most excited about in the next year or so?
Joel: I would like to be on tour in Europe, supporting bigger bands and playing festivals outside Finland. That's my dream, to get outside of this little country.
Niko: This experience touring with SIMPLE PLAN was too amazing, but something like that. I think when the album comes out next fall, it's going to be a game-changer for us.
Joel: We hope!
Niko: Yeah. I think we're really going to do that. We've always been aiming for abroad, outside Finland, but I think now we're doing it even more when the album comes out, so I can't wait to tour. Not only in Europe, but in Asia. Holy shit, let's go to the States! Wherever!
Joel: Outside Finland.
I think you guys will do really well in Japan.
Niko: Oh, Japan would be…
Joel: I'd love that.
That's all of my questions. Do you have any last comments to anyone who might be reading this?
Niko: Rock on! The album's coming out next fall!
Joel: Rock on and see you on tour!
Thanks guys, and best of luck with everything that's coming up!
Interview by Bear Wiseman
blind channel
interview with blind channel
nc enroe
niko moilanen
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TPx Communications Announces Combination with Pensare Acquisition Corp. to Become Publicly Traded Company
Combination Strengthens TPx Leadership Position in the Large and Fast-Growing Unified Communications and Cloud-Focused Managed IT Services Markets
Joint Investor Call to be held on February 1, 2019 at 11:00 AM EST.
LOS ANGELES, CA and ATLANTA, GA – February 1, 2019 – U.S TelePacific Holdings Corp. dba TPx Communications ("TPx"), a leading provider of Unified Communications and cloud-focused Managed IT Services, and Pensare Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: WRLS), a special purpose acquisition company, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement (the "Agreement") pursuant to which TPx will become a Nasdaq-listed public company. The transaction implies a combined company's enterprise value of approximately $1.1 billion and an approximately 8.0x multiple of expected 2019 adjusted EBITDA. Upon closing of the transaction, Pensare intends to change its name to "TPx Corp." and expects to continue trading on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol "TPXC." It is anticipated that TPx's management team, led by CEO Dick Jalkut and CFO Tim Medina, will continue to lead the combined company and Pensare CEO, Darrell J. Mays, will serve as Vice Chairman of the combined company's board of directors. In addition, TPx's current controlling stockholders, including its largest stockholder, Investcorp, will remain as equity holders in the combined entity.
TPx Investment Highlights
Founded in 1998, TPx is a provider of Unified Communications and cloud-focused Managed IT Services, including Cloud Connectivity, Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN), and Managed Security, with approximately 30,000 customers nationwide in over 53,000 locations.
TPx is a leader in the global Unified Communications-as-a-Service ("UCaaS") industry and the U.S. Cloud Services industry, which are projected to grow at a 19% CAGR (from $5 billion in 2017 to $16 billion in 2024) and at a 41% CAGR (from $31 billion in 2015 to $174 billion in 2020), respectively.
TPx has achieved 16 years of consecutive organic growth, with significant growth in its Managed Services segment.
High visibility business model with 93%+ monthly recurring revenue as a percent of total 2018 revenue.
Proven acquisition competencies having integrated nine companies since 2004, with additional opportunities available in a highly fragmented market.
Large, captive market of 20,000+ existing access and transport customers with proven ability to convert existing customers to higher margin Managed Services products.
Projected revenues of $701 to 711 million and adjusted EBITDA of $135 to 140 million in calendar year 2019.
Managed Services revenue forecasted to grow 15%+ in 2019 driven by 35%+ growth in UCaaS revenue. Managed Services forecast to represent 65%+ of projected 2019 revenue.
Successful transition to asset-light model reduces projected capital expenditures to less than 8% of 2019 revenue estimate.
"Today's transaction announcement marks a key milestone in TPx's exciting history, as we embark on becoming a publicly-traded company," stated Mr. Jalkut. "We are excited to partner with Pensare to seek to accelerate our current growth and leverage their collective domain expertise and experience in the TMT industry. In addition, with access to new sources of capital and liquidity, we believe that TPx will be able to accelerate our historical growth and provide even greater value to our shareholders, employees and customers."
"Following Pensare's comprehensive search process, we feel confident that the combination with TPx is positioned to create substantial value for stockholders over the long run. The TPx executive team has grown revenues each of the past 16 years, and has achieved a best-in-class Average Revenue Per User in managed services," commented Mr. Mays. "This transaction provides TPx with an opportunity to strengthen its leadership position and capture more share of the fast-growing Unified Communications and cloud focused managed IT markets. We are thrilled to help facilitate TPx's listing on Nasdaq and excited to partner with Dick and the entire TPx team."
"TPx is a remarkable success story that is still unfolding, thanks to strong management, prominent market positioning, and a recurring revenue model underpinning the business," said David Tayeh, Head of North American Private Equity at Investcorp. "We're thrilled to find like-minded industry experts in Pensare to help the TPx team continue its trajectory of growth and innovation in the rapidly evolving Unified Communications market."
In addition to Messrs. Mays, Jalkut, and Tayeh, Pensare Chairman Larry Mock and former President of Vonage Business, Clark Peterson, are expected to join the combined company's board of directors. The combined company will also appoint additional directors, a majority of whom will be independent.
Summary of Transaction
Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, at the closing of the proposed transaction, Pensare will pay $248 million in cash and $95 million in Pensare equity to the equity holders of TPx, subject to certain adjustments contained in the Agreement. Concurrently with the consummation of the transaction, it is anticipated that certain institutional and other investors will purchase equity securities of the combined entity in a proposed private placement.
The net cash proceeds remaining from Pensare's trust account and the proposed private placement are expected to be used to reduce TPx's current net debt, fund its growth plan, and allow TPx to pursue opportunistic acquisitions.
The Pensare and TPx boards of directors have approved the proposed transaction. The parties expect to complete the proposed transaction upon receipt of Pensare stockholder approval, proceeds from the proposed private placement, and other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
The description of the transaction contained herein is only a summary and is qualified in its entirety by the reference to the Agreement and other definitive agreements relating to the transaction. See "Additional Information and Where to Find It," below.
EarlyBirdCapital is serving as financial and capital markets advisor to Pensare. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. is Pensare's lead placement agent for the private placement. Greenberg Traurig, LLP is acting as legal counsel to Pensare. Evercore is serving as lead financial advisor to TPx. Q Advisors is also serving as a financial and strategic advisor to TPx, with Credit Suisse acting as its capital markets advisor. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is acting as legal advisor to TPx.
Pensare intends to file a proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to be used at its special meeting of stockholders to approve the proposed transaction with TPx. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ, WHEN AVAILABLE, THE PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT, DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT PENSARE WILL FILE WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETIES BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to stockholders as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed transaction. Stockholders will be able to obtain copies of the proxy statement and other documents filed by Pensare through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Stockholders will also be able to obtain a copy of the proxy statement, without charge, by directing a request to: Pensare Acquisition Corp., 1720 Peachtree Street, Suite 629, Atlanta, Georgia 30309 or by emailing info@pensaregrp.com.
Pensare, TPx, and their respective directors and executive officers, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Pensare's stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names and interests in the proposed transaction of Pensare's directors and officers in Pensare's filings with the SEC. Information regarding these and other persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies to Pensare's shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction, including their interests in the proposed transaction, will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents that Pensare has filed or will file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction.
This communication shall neither constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
Conference Call Scheduled
Pensare and TPx will host a joint conference call to discuss the proposed business combination with the investment community on February 1, 2019 at 11:00 AM EST. Investors may listen to the conference call by dialing (877) 407-9716 toll-free in the U.S. or (201) 493-6779 internationally and entering conference code 13687248. The conference call webcast and presentation slides with more detailed information regarding the proposed transaction will be available at www.pensaregrp.com. To access the replay, the domestic toll-free access number is (844) 512-2921 and participants should provide the conference number of 13687248.
About TPx
Founded in 1998, TPx is a leading provider of Unified Communications, Managed IT services, and Managed Connectivity services with approximately 30,000 customers and 53,000 customer locations across the U.S. TPx has best-in-class customer service embedded in its corporate DNA, offering guaranteed performance to all customers wherever there's a broadband connection. TPx customers serve every business sector and include many government and not-for-profit enterprises. Throughout its history, the company has steadily executed strategically and delivered more than 16 years of uninterrupted growth over a period that has included two recessions. For more information, visit www.tpx.com or follow @TPxComm on Twitter.
About Pensare Acquisition Corp.
Pensare Acquisition Corp. is a special purpose acquisition company that went public on Nasdaq in July 2017 and was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, acquisition or similar business combination in the telecommunications, media, and technology (TMT) industries. Pensare is led by Chairman Larry Mock, Chief Executive Officer Darrell J. Mays, President Robert Willis, and Chief Strategy Officer David Panton. Pensare's securities are quoted on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbols WRLS, WRLSW, WRLSR and WRLSU. For more information, visit www.pensaregrp.com.
About Investcorp
Investcorp is a leading global manager of alternative investments. Led by a new vision, Investcorp has embarked on an ambitious, albeit prudent, growth strategy. The Firm continues to focus on generating value through a disciplined investment approach in four lines of business: private equity, real estate, absolute return investments and credit management.
As at June 30, 2018, the Investcorp Group had US$22.6 billion in total AUM, including assets managed by third party managers and assets subject to a non-discretionary advisory mandate where Investcorp receives fees calculated on the basis of AUM.
Since its inception in 1982, Investcorp has made over 175 Private Equity deals in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and North Africa region and Asia, across a range of sectors including retail and consumer products, technology, business services and industrials, and more than 600 commercial and residential real estate investments in the U.S. and Europe, for in excess of US $57 billion in transaction value.
Investcorp employs approximately 390 people across its offices in Bahrain, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, and Singapore. For further information, including our most recent periodic financial statements, which details our assets under management, please refer to:
www.investcorp.com
www.twitter.com/Investcorp @investcorp
www.linkedin.com/company/Investcorp
This press release includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside Pensare's or TPx's management's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include: the inability to complete the transactions contemplated by the proposed business combination, including the proposed private placement; the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, the amount of cash available following any redemptions by Pensare stockholders; the ability to meet NASDAQ's listing standards following the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the proposed business combination; costs related to the proposed business combination; TPx's ability to execute on its plans to develop and market new products and the timing of these development programs; TPx's estimates of the size of the markets for its solutions; the rate and degree of market acceptance of TPx's solutions; the success of other competing technologies that may become available; TPxs ability to identify and integrate acquisitions; the performance and security of TPx's services; actual and/or potential litigation involving Pensare or TPx (including, without limitation, certain class action lawsuits that have been filed against TPx asserting claims of failure to pay overtime wages, failure to provide all meal and rest periods, failure to provide accurate wage statements, failure to pay wages upon termination and claims under the California Unfair Competition Law); and general economic and market conditions impacting demand for TPx's services. Other factors include the possibility that the proposed transaction does not close, including due to the failure to receive required stockholder or regulatory approvals, or the failure of other closing conditions. Neither Pensare nor TPx undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Non-GAAP Financial Measure and Related Information
This press release includes adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margins, which are financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). These non-GAAP financial measures do not have a standardized meaning, and the definition of adjusted EBITDA used by TPx may be different from other, similarly named non-GAAP measures used by TPx's peers operating in TPx's industry. A description of TPx's definition of adjusted EBITDA, as well as a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to the closest GAAP financial measure, will be included in the investor presentation to be filed by Pensare with the SEC on or about the date hereof as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K. TPx management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to TPx's financial condition and results of operations. In addition, certain of the financial information of TPx contained herein is unaudited and/or does not conform to SEC Regulation S-X and as a result such information may be presented differently in future filings by Pensare with the SEC.
ICR for TPx and Pensare
jack.murphy@icrinc.com
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There's a new Android app, too, to complement the existing iPhone app.
OS X Mountain Lion may come with its own voice dictation capabilities, but Nuance is doing its part to stay ahead of the game with the release of Dragon Dictate 3 for Mac. The company announced the latest version of its Mac software on Wednesday, still priced at $199 for a physical box. It comes with plenty of new features in addition to tweaks to improve accuracy and speed. Not only can Dictate 3 now control your computer and accept long voice-based dictations without an Internet connection, it can also transcribe audio files for you, too.
According to Nuance, Dictate 3 "inherits the accuracy boost" that came with the core technologies applied to Dragon 12 for Windows. The company says Mac users can expect to see a 15 percent accuracy boost over Dictate 2.5 right out of the box—a number that could go up once you train the software to your user profile. The company has also added Smart Format Rules, which allows users to customize their use of abbreviations, numbers, and other formatting so that the dictated text comes out the way you want it to in the future. New in Dragon 3 is the ability to correct errors using speech as well, and the company says it's offering a wider range of alternative word choices when it comes to making corrections that the software will remember for future use cases.
The most significant new feature is the software's newfound ability to transcribe recorded audio files into text form. Nuance did (and still does) offer a separate product called MacSpeech Scribe that comes with similar features, but according to Nuance's Chief Marketing Officer Peter Mahoney, the two products address different types of user needs. "Scribe has a different use case—it allows you to create different profiles for audio so it can transcribe the voices of different people," Mahoney told Ars. "[Dragon Dictate] is a subset of Scribe, designed for your voice based on your user profile. It allows you to create a special version of the profile that understands recorded audio, and it'll transcribe your audio from there."
So, while Dictate 3 may not be the best tool to transcribe a recorded interview with another person, it seems appropriate for more personal tasks, like putting your own recorded voice notes into an easily readable format. Considering the price of the software is remaining the same despite the addition of several new features, it's hard to complain about limitations on multi-person transcriptions.
There are some other new features as well, such as support for 16kHz wide-band Bluetooth instead of the previous 8kHz audio. Mahoney pointed out that a "meaningful percentage of users" use a Bluetooth headset with Dragon already—he knows this because many of them buy their Bluetooth headsets through Nuance itself—and the upgraded Bluetooth will allow the software to make use of a higher quality audio signal. For those who are new to the software, Dragon Dictate 3 now comes with interactive tutorials to help get people started on the right foot, complete with actual lessons (not just a help menu item).
The advantages that Dragon offers over Mountain Lion's built-in dictation software aren't trivial, either. Mountain Lion's version depends on an Internet connection to do its voice-to-text processing on Apple's servers, while Dragon runs locally on your Mac with or without an Internet connection. Dragon also allows you to control your Mac using your voice—you can open and switch between applications easily without touching a mouse or trackpad—while Mountain Lion only allows you to enter content into designated text-entry areas.
Along with the Dictate 3 announcement, Nuance introduced its Android app to complement the company's already existing iOS offerings. Nuance says you can use the apps to act as a microphone for Dictate 3 on your Mac, or simply use them to record notes to be transcribed by the software later.


RUST: Episode One, now free on iBooks!
As the second season of RUST ticks ever closer to release (the first two episodes are with test readers, and the rest soon to follow), I've finally pushed the first season of RUST on the iBooks and Barnes & Noble Nook stores. Which is awesome for people who don't use a Kindle e-reader, but what's even more awesome is that it means I can give more stuff away.
You see, while Amazon doesn't allow you to publish a book for free, iBooks does. So if you have an iPad or iPhone and need some dark horror to keep you up at night, you can now grab the first episode of Rust 100% free.
But what if you DO have a Kindle, and you want some of that tasty free horror? I've got you covered. The first episode of RUST can be downloaded 100% free from this very website. Save it to your e-reader of choice and enjoy.
Thank you for being so patient while I get Season Two perfect for you, and remember – if you enjoy RUST for free, the best thing you can do for me as an author is to tell people about it. Tweet, leave a Facebook post, or send your friends the download link. It's as good as a purchase to me.


Freighter ships gave people an early, if uncomfortable and slow way to see the world. Although the ships were designed to transport cargo, people were able to reserve spaces and travel with them, particularly on 'banana' boats, or tramp steamers that had no fixed schedule or published ports of call. Air travel eventually killed off the tourism value of the freighter but during the early years of the 20th Century they gave a select group of people the chance to see and golf in exotic, foreign lands.
A decline in the shipping industry due to air travel's sudden emergence in the 1950s forced companies to diversify. From this the modern cruise industry was born and the journey became as important as the destination. Swimming pools, driving ranges, restaurants, casinos, and shops became standard entertainment and as of 2006 there were 340 active cruise ship companies operating worldwide. Some of these take in Thailand and. my Thailand golf vacation company often arranges golf in Phuket or golf around Pattaya for cruise ship passengers.
Today's tourists are faced with a baffling array of golf travel options.. Thailand is now a firm favorite for many golfers, whether traveling on a packet arrangement, or under their own steam. In 2007 there were an estimated two million international golf tourist arrivals and this number is expected to keep on growing at the rate of 6% per year. Golf tourism is a key plank of the Thai government's strategy. Tourism has shaped the face of the last 200 years and, with rising wages and increasingly flexible holidays, people are likely to want to travel more and more and discover new places to enjoy their golf. It's a small (golfing) world!


The Dream Chronicles game series is set in a beautifully illustrated fantasy world with a floral/woodsy theme to many items, from architecture to furniture. The early games in the series follow the adventures of Faye as she tries to rescue her daughter Lyra. Beginning with the fourth game, The Book of Air, Lyra becomes the protagonist in a new series of adventures that charts a new direction for the franchise, although the essential style of puzzles (primarily hidden object games) and gameplay remain consistent. This fantasy art game page for Dream Chronicles: Book of Air Collector's Edition features concept artwork that is revealed by playing the bonus game and un-jumbling words or putting together jigsaw puzzles.


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546 F. 2d 1130 - United States v. D Clark
546 F2d 1130 United States v. D Clark
Lonnie D. CLARK, Defendant-Appellant.
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellant,
Lonnie D. CLARK, Defendant-Appellee.
Fifth Circuit.
Feb. 9, 1977.
Thomas G. Sharpe, Jr., Brownsville, Tex., for Lonnie D. Clark.
Michael P. Carnes, U. S. Atty., Dallas, Tex., Bob D. Slough, Asst. U. S. Atty., Lubbock, Tex., for United States.
Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Before AINSWORTH and CLARK, Circuit Judges, and HUGHES,* District Judge.
HUGHES, District Judge:
On April 16, 1975, a 40 count indictment was issued, with each count charging that Defendant Lonnie D. Clark had violated 15 U.S.C. § 714m(a)1 and 18 U.S.C. § 22 by making or causing to be made false statements for the purpose of obtaining payments under the 1973 Upland Cotton Allotment program, established pursuant to the Agricultural Act of 1970.3 A jury returned a verdict of guilty on 37 counts4 and not guilty on 3 counts.5 Defendant's Motion in Arrest of Judgment, based on the lack of specificity in the indictment, was granted in part by the trial court, which thereupon entered a Judgment of Acquittal on Counts 2-27 and 29-38. A Judgment of Conviction was entered on Count 40, and Clark was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment and assessed a $10,000 fine. In No. 76-1145 Clark has appealed his conviction on Count 40, and in No. 76-1176 the United States has appealed the Judgment of Acquittal entered on the other 36 counts. The two causes have been consolidated on appeal.
Clark argues that Count 40 was not sufficiently specific and that he relied in good faith upon assurances from the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) that his actions were legal, such reliance constituting a defense to Count 40. The United States argues that the requisite degree of specificity was present in each of the 36 counts on which the trial court entered a Judgment of Acquittal, as well as in Count 40. Also, the United States disputes the good faith reliance defense. Finding ourselves in agreement with the United States on all points, we affirm in No. 76-1145 and reverse in No. 76-1176.
Under the 1973 Upland Cotton Allotment program, the federal government, through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), paid cotton producers an amount equal to the cotton yield per acre of their farmland (based on the land's farming history) times a certain sum per pound times the number of acres of cotton allotment given the land. The 1970 Act's § 101(1) limited the annual payments to no more than $55,000 per "person." Regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture included the following definition of "person":
"Subject to the provisions of (7 C.F.R. Part 795), the term 'person' shall mean an individual, joint stock company, corporation, association, trust, estate, or other legal entity. In order to be considered a separate person for the purpose of the payment limitation, in addition to the other conditions of (Part 795), the individual or other legal entity must:
(a) Have a separate and distinct interest in the land or the crop involved,
(b) Exercise separate responsibility for such interest, and
(c) Be responsible for the cost of farming related to such interest from a fund or account separate from that of any other individual or entity." 7 C.F.R. § 795.3.6
A person could "divide, sell, transfer, rent, or lease his property" if the parties to the transaction were bound legally by it. However, "(a)ny change in farming operations that would otherwise serve to increase the number of persons for application of the payment limitation (had to) be bona fide and substantive." 7 C.F.R. § 795.13(a).
To establish a context for evaluation of the indictment, we now consider Clark's actions against this statutory backdrop. Through the purchase and consolidation of three tracts of land, combined with a transfer of the cotton allotment to the consolidated farm (Serial No. F-429), Clark acquired a large, high cotton yield farming operation which, without the $55,000 limitation, would have brought in over a million dollars in cotton payments. Presumably thinking the $55,000 limitation too onerous, Clark next undertook a scheme designed to increase the lucrativeness of his farming investment.
From F-429, Clark carved out and leased several tracts of 530 acres each which, under the cotton allotment formula, were entitled to about $55,000 each in payments. Next, at the behest of Clark or someone acting on Clark's behalf, the lessees signed three ASCS forms7 and a form giving Clark their power of attorney.
Pursuant to the lessees' assignments of payments, the CCC deposited the lessees' payments in bank accounts. Using his power of attorney, Clark then transferred these funds into the account for the Clark Trust, such transfers being made as purported lease payments and reimbursements for farming expenses. Clark hired the people to clear, plow, and plant the land, and none of the lessees participated in the farming operations on the leaseholds.8 Eventually, the lessees personally received a small portion, perhaps $3,000, of the CCC payment.
After all this, Clark (or the Clark Trust) had accumulated funds far in excess of the $55,000 per person limitation, with the flow of the funds being from the CCC, briefly through the lessees' assigned accounts, to the Clark Trust. The indictment ensued, alleging that false statements had been made to obtain the CCC payments, and, on appeal, the principal issue is whether the indictment alleged the false statements with the necessary specificity.9
In Hamling v. United States, 418 U.S. 87, 117-18, 94 S.Ct. 2887, 2907, 41 L.Ed.2d 590 (1974), the Supreme Court said: "(A)n indictment is sufficient if it, first, contains the elements of the offense charged and fairly informs a defendant of the charge against which he must defend, and, second, enables him to plead an acquittal or conviction in bar of future prosecutions for the same offense . . . ' (T)he language of the statute may be used in the general description of an offence, but it must be accompanied with such a statement of the facts and circumstances as will inform the accused of the specific offence . . . with which he is charged.' " (Citations omitted). See also Russell v. United States, 369 U.S. 749, 82 S.Ct. 1038, 8 L.Ed.2d 240 (1962). More recently, an admonishment has come from this Circuit: "The validity of an indictment is determined from reading the indictment as a whole . . . and . . . must be determined by practical, not technical, considerations." United States v. Markham, 537 F.2d 187, 192 (5th Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 45 U.S.L.W. 3457 (Jan. 11, 1977) (citations omitted).
The indictment, a representative count of which is set out in the margin,10 clearly contained the elements of the charged offense. It alleged that: (1) there was a statement; (2) it was false; (3) Clark made it or caused it to be made with knowledge that it was false; and (4) Clark made it or caused it to be made for the purpose of influencing CCC action or for the purpose of obtaining a thing of value under an act applicable to the CCC. These allegations embraced the elements of the offense. See Jacobs v. United States, 359 F.2d 960 (8th Cir. 1966).
The controversy is over whether the indictment sufficiently pointed out what the false statement was which was being alleged. The trial court felt it did not in Counts 2-27 and 29-38. Apparently, the trial court thought that the indictment alleged that a false statement had been made within the four corners of the ASCS forms, a reading encouraged by the indictment's wording which said that a written statement was made on an ASCS form. If the indictment is read this way, the trial court's Judgment of Acquittal was understandable since nowhere does the indictment indicate which statement was false.
However, the United States argues that the indictment's allegations were misconstrued, an argument we adopt. Paraphrasing the representative Count 5, note 10 supra, Clark made a written statement on the Assignment of Payment form, assigning payments said to be due Leslie Aiken as a producer, which payments Aiken was not entitled to receive in the first place. The very submission of the form constituted a written representation by Clark that Aiken had something to assign. This representation, not some word or words on the form, was the "statement" with which the indictment was concerned. Furthermore, its falsity was alleged specifically when the indictment said that Aiken was not entitled to the payments being assigned. In other words, Aiken had nothing to assign, yet indicated he did. (The other counts concerning the two other forms Forms ASCS-516 and ASCS-580 are subject to similar analyses). The indictment's mention of the lessees' non-entitlement to cotton payments put Clark on notice that the crux of the government's case would be the invalidity of the lease arrangements. For practiced counsel such as Clark's to have read the indictment without such insight is too unlikely to seriously consider. The notice clearly afforded Clark and his counsel a fair opportunity to prepare his case to try to show the validity in fact or law of the arrangements by which F-429 was split up. Therefore, Clark had notice of the specific offense he was said to have committed. Additionally, the indictment's specificity was such that Clark was protected from possible double jeopardy problems since no future prosecutions could be brought against Clark based on the forms' submission. See Hamling, supra.
That the indictment could have been more specific is certain. For instance, the indictment could have included allegations as to why the named producer or operator was not entitled to the payments. The indictment could have read that a written statement was made by the submission of an ASCS form instead of on an ASCS form. Yet, practicality sets limits on the details that can and should be in indictments, and courts are not required to read indictments as rigidly as civil pleadings were read in the heyday of the common law forms of action. See Markham, supra.
Van Liew v. United States, 321 F.2d 664 (5th Cir. 1963), on which Clark places primary reliance in his arguments concerning the requisite degree of specificity in the indictment, involved a much vaguer, more amorphous indictment than is at issue in this case. Van Liew was a case about "economic" misbranding and "economic" adulteration of an orange juice-like commodity. The indictment contained some specific allegations but, in certain instances, these allegations failed to speak to key elements of the claimed offenses. Furthermore, certain counts of the indictment left themselves open to alternative interpretations which would have resulted in separate criminal violations. That is, jeopardy problems were present. Also, due to the possible alternative interpretations, the defense would have been left in unfair confusion regarding what acts had constituted the claimed offense. Preparation of a defense would have been overly burdensome, since all possible variations would have had to be addressed. As we have shown, this case's indictment contained all the elements of the offense and specifically pinpointed the alleged false statement.
Count 40, which the trial court found specific enough, concerned a statement made on Form ASCS-580 (Report of Acreage and Certification of Compliance) that Clark Trust would not receive more than $55,000 under the cotton program. The alleged falsity was that Clark Trust received more than that amount. Thus, in Count 40, the false statement was alleged to have been made in the form. It was even more specific than the other counts which we have found specific enough. A fortiori, it too was sufficiently specific.
Defendant Clark's second argument on appeal is that his prosecution should have been precluded because all his actions were taken in good faith reliance on the approval of those actions by the Gaines County ASCS Committee.
The government may not "actively mislead" someone by authoritatively assuring him that an action is proper and, then, prosecute him for that action. Raley v. Ohio, 360 U.S. 423, 79 S.Ct. 1257, 3 L.Ed.2d 1344 (1959). "Ordinarily, citizens may not be punished for actions undertaken in good faith reliance upon authoritative assurance that punishment will not attach." United States v. Laub, 385 U.S. 475, 487, 87 S.Ct. 574, 581, 17 L.Ed.2d 526 (1967).
Raley and Laub, however, did not involve prosecutions for fraudulent conduct. This case does. The essence of fraud is that the defrauded party (the CCC here) is misled by the party engaging in the fraud. The prosecution, as revealed in the indictment, was based on cotton payments being made to persons who were purported to be eligible to receive them but who were, in fact, not eligible. Abundant testimony by staff members of the Gaines County ASCS office shows that the normal course of business, followed in this instance, was to rely on the truth of the various forms submitted.11 The government was the party being actively misled by Clark, not vice-versa.
United States v. Mann, 517 F.2d 259 (5th Cir. 1975), cert. denied 423 U.S. 1087, 96 S.Ct. 878, 47 L.Ed.2d 97 (1976), cited by defendant, provides him no solace. In Mann, no active misleading by the government was found. Mann did suggest that widespread business practices, arguably illegal under federal statutes, coupled with an absence of prior prosecutions might require dismissal of an indictment under the Raley-Laub rationale. No evidence indicates that schemes similar to Clark's were commonplace under the 1973 cotton program. Additionally, the $55,000 limitation was relatively new and therefore an absence of prior prosecutions in the sense used in Mann is not present.
Finally, in regard to the defense of good faith reliance, note should be taken of the trial court's charge to the jury. The jury was instructed that a finding that defendant had, in good faith, relied upon assurances from the ASCS that the persons named in Counts 1 through 39 of the indictment were entitled to cotton payments would require a not guilty verdict. Such a verdict would have been necessary because the government would have failed to prove one of the elements of the offense knowledge of the falsity of the statements. In this way, the issue of good faith reliance was a jury question and we have no quarrel with the jury's resolution of this issue against Clark.12
Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is AFFIRMED in No. 76-1145 and REVERSED in No. 76-1176.
Senior District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, sitting by designation
In pertinent part, § 714m(a) reads:
"Whoever makes any statement knowing it to be false, . . . for the purpose of influencing in any way the action of the (Commodity Credit) Corporation, or for the purpose of obtaining for himself or another, money, property, or anything of value (under 15 U.S.C. §§ 714-714o or under any other Act applicable to the Corporation) shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment by not more than five years, or both."
"(a) Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal
(b) Whoever willfully causes an act to be done which if directly performed by him or another would be an offense against the United States, is punishable as a principal."
Pub.L. No. 91-524, §§ 601-610; 84 Stat. 1358 (November 30, 1970)
Counts 2-27, 29-38, and 40
Counts 1, 28, and 39
All C.F.R. citations are to the 1973 version
The three forms were Form ASCS-36 (Assignment of Payment), Form ASCS-516 (Intention to Participate and Payment Application), and Form ASCS-580 (Report of Acreage and Certification of Compliance)
There were variations on this theme. Some tracts were sold, not leased. Some lessees neither gave their power of attorney to Clark nor signed the assignment of payment form. Whatever variation was played, the result for Clark was the same the bulk of the CCC payment would settle in the Clark Trust
Scrutiny of federal indictments is necessitated by the Fifth Amendment ("No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury . . . "), the Sixth Amendment ("In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right . . . to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation . . . "), and Rule 7(c)(1) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure ("The indictment . . . shall be a plain, concise and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. . . . "). The Fifth Amendment's due process clause is also implicated
Count 5: "1. On or about (June 12, 1973), at Seminole, Texas, in the Lubbock Division of the Northern District of Texas, LONNIE D. CLARK, defendant, did wilfully make and cause to be made a false statement, knowing it to be false, for the purpose of influencing the action of the Commodity Credit Corporation, an agency and instrumentality of the United States, and for the purpose of obtaining for himself and others, money, property and other things of value under Sections 714-714o, Title 15, United States Code and the Agricultural Act of 1970, Public Law Number 91-524, in that, for the purpose of obtaining 1973 Upland Cotton Crop payments from the Commodity Credit Corporation, LONNIE D. CLARK made and caused to be made a written statement on United States Department of Agriculture Assignment of Payment Form ASCS-36, assigning to the Seminole State Bank, Seminole, Texas, payments in the (name of Leslie Aiken) as a producer on Farm Serial Number F-429, Gaines County, Texas, for the 1973 Upland Cotton Program Year, whereas, in truth and fact, as LONNIE D. CLARK then well knew, the said (Leslie Aiken) was not then a person entitled to receive any such payments, the said statement being material to the lawfulness of the payment of said money to said Bank by the Commodity Credit Corporation, in violation of Title 15, United States Code, Section 714m(a) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2."
With the exception of Count 40, discussed in the text infra, the other counts vary only in the names of the operator or producer and in the type of ASCS form mentioned.
Some testimony and evidence even hints at the possibility of collusion between Clark and certain officials in the furtherance of his scheme. We express no views on those matters, but mention them to indicate that Clark may have relied upon certain ASCS officials not as federal agents assuring him of the legality of his actions, but as agents acting, wittingly or unwittingly, ultra vires to aid him in his illegal course
Likewise, we accept the jury's resolution of another issue raised by Clark who argues that, though the indictment alleged one trust (the Clark Trust), the evidence supported a finding that there were four trusts. The trial court instructed the jury that, to be separate, the trusts must have been administered separately and not as one entity. The guilty verdict was an implicit finding, amply supported by the evidence, that the Clark "trusts" were indeed one trust


text:
PostHook
Decoratormongoose

Module
import { PostHook } from "@tsed/mongoose"

Source	/mongoose/decorators/postHook.ts

### Overview

function PostHook(method: string, fn?: MongoosePostHookCB<any> | MongoosePostErrorHookCB<any>): Function;

### Description

We can simply attach a `@PostHook` decorator to your model class and
define the hook function like you normally would in Mongoose.

```typescript
import {IgnoreProperty, Required} from "@tsed/common";
import {PostHook, Model} from "@tsed/mongoose";

@Model()
@PostHook("save", (car: CarModel) => {
   if (car.topSpeedInKmH > 300) {
       console.log(car.model, 'is fast!');
   }
})
export class CarModel {
   @IgnoreProperty()
   _id: string;

   @Required()
   model: string;

   @Required()
   isFast: boolean;

   // or Prehook on static method
   @PostHook("save")
   static postSave(car: CarModel) {
      if (car.topSpeedInKmH > 300) {
          console.log(car.model, 'is fast!');
      }
   }
}
```

This will execute the post-save hook each time a `CarModel` document is saved.


Using the North West of England as a focus, this project is taking a two pronged approach to support the development of effective models for understanding regional food sustainability. Firstly, we are reviewing existing sources of data about the food system and identifying the key gaps and the barriers to collecting better data. Secondly, we are reviewing existing tools and methods that measure aspects of food sustainability and assessing their utility for understanding regional food systems such as the North West of England.
To identify and collate existing information about the food system in the North West and propose effective methods for better understanding food sustainability in the region.
To collate and critically analyse existing methodologies for measuring food sustainability and their utility for understanding regional food systems such as the North West of England.
To identify, map and produce an overview of existing food production and consumption data for the North West region, in order to estimate (where possible) the impact of the food system on environmental, social and economic sustainability in the region.
To identify the food system data needs of regional stakeholders (policy makers, businesses, community activists) and the barriers to obtaining and using this information.
To propose, and trial where posssible, appropriate tools for understanding food sustainability in the region.


New! Entered: 2016-06-30 Great call-back to Brightwood's fall! Getting a better understanding of Farscout and Copper's father-daughter relationship was great - they sure are a lot alike! Love how you worked in both Farscout's wanderlust and his absolute loyalty to and love for his family.
New! Entered: 2015-03-09 I think Copper is very good for her Papa. :) I like the relationship they have, and how Copper can squeeze in, past the need for space, and pull Farscout back.
New! Entered: 2015-02-24 What I really liked about this was the dynamic inherent in the tagline: Farscout is such an independent character, and for all that he is devoted to Brightwood, she knows when to respect his independence, and not to hover. But a child doesn't know that or appreciate it, and I like that Copper isn't a respecter of his boundaries. It is great to see that for all his independence, he's also willing to be pulled into being a dad.
New! Entered: 2015-02-22 Wow, you caught the father/daughter dynamic perfectly! Copper is Daddy's Little Girl and the Princess! Farscout waited hundreds of years for his family. Scouting can wait.
New! Entered: 2015-02-21 This is adorable. I love the atmosphere, Angie. The calm, quietness, even through you sense the wanderlust in Farscout. I love how you captured his inner musing. How he misses the "road" and at the same time wouldn't want to be anywhere else but at home. It feels very real to me.
Wandering seems to just be a part of him.
I also like how you depicted little Copper here and point out how similar she is to her father. The dynamic between father and daughter here is just... heartwarming. I enjoyed reading this moment between them. Copper really is cute but also a bit eerie here XD So smart for such a young child... well and she has her father warped around her little finger.


Racial attitudes of men and women reared in urban versus rural communities in Kansas.
Racine's use of mythological and Biblical characters in his drama.
Radio and internet : regulation issues past and present.
Ralph Waldo Emerson and The dial: a study in literary criticism.
Ramon Perez de Ayala y la generacion del noventa y ocho.
Ransonville: a coal mining company.
The rate of thermal acclimation in the garden slug LIMAX FLAVUS L.
Raw materials : American national narrative and the therapy of nature.
Reactions of sesquixanthene and related compounds.


The Oreo Hack That Will Change Your Summer!
You are just three ingredients and about thirty seconds away from dessert. These are perfect for those days when just the thought of turning on the oven makes you sweat. Just twist open an Oreo cookie, add a scoop of ice cream, and dunk it in some sprinkles.
These adorable sandwiches make a simple treat for parties. Kids (and those of us who still act like kids) will enjoy choosing their favorite ice cream flavors and toppings. Click through the gallery to see a few Oreo ideas and let us know what combinations you come up with in the comment section!


This builder fella was done quickly in fine-line pens and Polychromo coloured pencils in an A4 sketchbook.
I actually worked on building sites during two summer holidays as a student, in London and Co. Kildare, in the 1980s. So this is based on experience. I can't profess to having climbed to the lofty heights of 'builder' but as a labourer, I did climb to the lofty heights of a 5 story Georgian house under renovation in Picadilly and almost fell down its empty lift-shaft to the basement after walking from blazing sunlight into the dark building and not seeing the shaft in front of me. The thing that saved me as my eyes struggled to re-adjust to the darkness was bashing my forehead into a steel girder. It stopped me in my tracks, and then my eyes adjusted to the light. Only then did I see the hole 2 feet away!
Oh, the funny stories that I could tell!


text:
Malnutrition is Common in Individuals with Small Bowel Obstruction
Small Bowel Obstruction Can be Fatal when Left Untreated
Small bowel obstruction (SBO) calls for surgical emergency most common in the elderly population and its mortality (10%) and morbidity rates are also high. SBOs are generally the result of scar tissue, hernia or cancer. It is more common in developing countries accounting for 1-8 death per 1,00,000 population per year. SBO is the cause for 50% emergency laparotomies every year in the UK and over 3,00,000 admissions in the USA. In the US, most admissions for SBO are due to the effect of prior surgeries. Surgery for SBO primarily depends on the cause of the obstruction-some are treated without operation and others are operated for intestinal ischemia. While SBO in developed countries is due to intra-abdominal adhesions (in 75%b cases) followed by hernia, Crohn's disease, malignancy and volvulus SBO in low- and middle-income countries is due to hernia (30-40%), adhesions (about 30%) and tuberculosis (10%) apart from Crohn's disease, volvulus and parasitic infections. Bowel obstruction might be partial or complete where partial bowel obstruction allows some liquid and gas to pass through the point of obstruction but complete obstruction restricts any passage of bowel content.
Almost 10-12% patients above the age of 65 reporting abdominal pain at the emergency department are confirmed with small bowel obstruction and, emergency surgeries in elderly population is associated with high mortality and morbidity compared to elective operations. Those patients treated in a non-operate manner mostly have zero intake via mouth for days together while patients after surgery suffer from varying degrees of postoperative ileus. Such restrictions (going without food intake via mouth) can have debilitating effects on the patient who is already a high-risk candidate for malnutrition risk. Malnutrition is bad and even more profound in those with acute intestinal failure due to SBO. It would be helpful in assessing the prevalence rates of malnutrition and management options.
Nutritional Balance in Patients with SBO
The study included all UK hospitals undertaking emergency general surgery and adults over 18 suspected for SBO excluding those who were diagnosed with non-mechanical SBO, left colonic obstruction causing SBO or those managed with palliative intent for admission were not included in the analysis. Various details were noted such as period spent without consuming anything via mouth prior to admission in the hospital, body mass index, interval between last enteral intake and re-introduction of eating via mouth and nutritional supportive interventions were recorded. Nutritional Risk Index (NRI) was noted down using ideal body weight, current weight and admission albumin and patients were put into three different groups depending on NRI values-low risk (NRI >97.5), moderate risk (NRI 83.5-97.5) and severe risk (NRI<83.5).
On execution of all conditions for inclusion in the study, a total of 2604 patients from 131 hospitals were included in the study. Here again patients were excluded based on few criteria (such as end-of-life care and not meeting study criteria) finally leaving the study with 2069 patients for analysis. Almost 30% patients were taken to surgery within 24 hours of admission, 22% were operated after being tried on non-operative procedures and 47.9% were treated in a non-operative fashion. All the patients had three things in common-all of them had a mean average age of 67, a small number of them were females and postoperative adhesions were the common cause of SBO. Results showed that 81.6% patients were assessed for malnutrition either by gauging with a screening tool or clinical judgement. 84.6% were assessed for malnutrition in comparison to 78.6% in the non-operative group. Among those whose NRI scores identified them as having moderate risk 36.4% got the help of a dietitian and the average time of review was 6.4 days. Those whose NRI scores showed severe risk had 55.9% of them reviewed by a dietitian and the average time for review was 4.5 days. Those in the low risk group had only 1 review every week with the dietitian.
The nutritional interventions taken also depended on the NRI value. Among those in the low risk group only 30.3% patients received a nutritional intervention, 40.7% of them in moderate risk group got nutritional interventions and 62.7% in the severe risk group received the same. Higher and moderate NRI values indicated higher risk of malnutrition. Also, these were the ones who had severe or moderate risk of malnutrition at 4.2 and 2.4 times higher unadjusted risk of in-hospital mortality versus those in the low risk group. Severe and moderate risk patients were likelier to develop deliriums, infections and also had higher chances of re-operations. On a comparison, those patients in severe risk group who underwent a surgery were at a lower risk of hazard compared to those who were treated in a non-operative manner. The minimum time taken to initiate food intake orally was at least 1 week where operative treatment procedures usually took more time for oral feeding compared to non-operative ones.
Almost one third of patients with acute SBO are at risk of malnutrition and this risk is associated with poorer outcomes. There are also chances that the patient is judged to be well-nourished while being admitted to the hospital but might later go on to develop malnutrition. The same happened in this study where 28% patients in the low-risk group were judged to have malnutrition and 12% ended up receiving parenteral nutrition. It is recommended to go for oral nutritional supplements when the patient is at risk of malnutrition and parenteral nutrition when there is no oral intake for more than 5 days. The risk here is that malnutrition might be detected at early stages of SBO but it is not readily correctable through conventional enteral interventions due to compromise of intestinal function. Gastrointestinal failure prevents nutritional improvement and absorption which prevents adequate calorie intake. This shows that SBO is highly prevalent in the SBO patients, even diagnosis rates are higher but preventive methods and nutritive programs are not much in place to treat it.
Malnutrition, nutritional interventions and clinical outcomes of patients with acute small bowel obstruction: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/7/e029235
AVOID FRAUD. EAT SMART
Member - Academy Of Nutrition & Dietetics. USA
+91 7846 800 800
Dietitian & Nutritionist Dr. Nafeesa Imteyaz.


text:
2016 Perfomances
Africa's Hope
Mashirika Africa's Hope is a story of survival and hope, It is the Rwandan genocide against the tusti through the eye of a child,a constant work in progress that has evolved tremendously since its first staging 2004 with a cast of over 1,000 people ,the piece speaks to the beast that lives inside of everyone and
See You Yesterday
An assemblage of kinetically realized stories and memories—played out in stunning acrobatics, tumbling, balance, and juggling—See You Yesterday physically embodies the emotional and intellectual risks required to address a previously unspeakable past. Nineteen young Cambodian circus performers, second-generation survivors of the Khmer Rouge, explode a legacy of silence using their world-class circus skills to imagine the
Afro Man Spice
Afro Man Spice is a play about three African women who each tell their relationship experiences with men. Coming from different backgrounds and social classes, Marina, an independent woman is pushed into a psychotic break after her failed marriage. Her neighbor Kendra, a lonely woman despises and calls her a mad woman of no class. The
Ma Petite Colline
Ma Petite Colline is a journey of sound and rhythm in Africa and more specifically in Rwanda, the country of a thousand hills. It explores the complex causes of conflict but also a praise of life, respect and cultural diversity through the friendship between two children from different backgrounds. This piece presents games, Rwandan traditional dances,


PMcK Ltd has a unique approach that builds long-term relationships with our customers, based on our values of open and honest communication, collaborative working, professional delivery, complete client satisfaction and a total commitment to quality.
PMcK works with our clients as partners and we constantly seek to understand and achieve their key project deliverables. We listen, we innovate and we adopt our approach to deliver for our clients.
From Minor Works to Major Projects PMcK excel at interpreting our client's project requirements up-front and putting the required resources, expertise and commitment behind achieving desired project outcomes.
Focusing on Industrial Electrical Engineering and Commercial Contracting we closely with our supply chain partners on every project to ensure the delivery of a fully-integrated electrical installation on site.