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It's hard not to appreciate a developer like Housemarque. In an industry where lots of studios lack consistency, Housemarque has it in droves. It outputs high quality, critically acclaimed and commercially successful products with regularity, such as PlayStation's Super Stardust series, the multi-platform side-scroller Outland, and PS4's best game, Resogun. The oft-overlooked Dead Nation also deserves to be in the conversation, and thankfully, its re-release on PlayStation 4 puts it back on the radar.
Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition is pretty much identical to the Dead Nation that came to PlayStation 3 back in 2010. It's the same addictive, difficult twin-stick shooter, but with some bundled-in DLC and extra perks to keep you busy. Then again, even if Apocalypse Edition was nothing more than a mere retread of the original game, it'd still be a blast playing it all over again.
Thrust into a zombie-filled post-apocalyptic world, your task in Dead Nation is simple: survive another day. Survival requires you to work your way through an urban sprawl littered with the undead. With powerful weapons at your disposal -- think assault rifles, flamethrowers, and grenades -- you can get creative with how you kill your foes. Shoot them in the head with a powered-up rifle shot. Blast a nearby car to make its alarm go off, drawing their attention, allowing you to pick them off unawares. Throw a flare and watch them gather around it, then unleash a shot from your blade cannon, slicing them all in half. The possibilities are many.
Dead Nation does a wonderful job of playing with your emotions, flooding your screen with myriad enemies only to return glimmers of hope with access to plenty of firepower. Its beautiful lighting and use of shadows tend to make things even scarier by regularly obscuring your view while cleverly hiding nearby enemies. You may clear a street and backtrack to explore, only to walk past a decrepit 18-wheeler, where you find yourself assailed by a new wave of enemies. All may be quiet following a 5 minute-long firefight, but then you find out that it was just the first of four waves of enemies in that area. Dead Nation isn't only about shredding the undead; it's about surviving the seemingly impossible. This very setup makes getting through each subsequent stage, whether on your own or with a friend, ever more satisfying.
Making matters more dire, not all of the zombies you have to deal with are slow and dumb. Some of them run. Others take tons of damage to fell. And then there are the massive foes that can kill you in only one or two hits, enemies that can jump on top of you from across the screen, hulking zombies that can slice you in half with their sharpened arms, smaller, pesky zombies that can scream to call endless amounts of backup, and others that can shoot green liquid that stays on the ground, giving you nasty chemical burns. There's real diversity when it comes to Dead Nation's roster of enemies, and the further you get into the campaign, the more unexpected and dangerous the combination of zombies become. You'll often find that killing these stronger enemies is paramount, even if you're taking damage from the cannon fodder around you.
Evening things out a bit is Dead Nation's emphasis on upgrading and customization. Your standard assault rifle -- with unlimited ammunition -- will always be your fallback weapon, but eventually, you'll be able to add flamethrowers, rocket launchers, mines, and more to your arsenal. Better yet, each and every part of your arsenal can be upgraded using gold found during missions. Since not everything can be upgraded fully, you have to think carefully about how you spend your hard-earned loot. You'll also have to carefully consider how you equip the many pieces of armor you find, since speed, strength, and defense often come at the sake of one another.
All of this boils down not only to one good playthrough of Dead Nation, but many. You can chase Trophies and high scores, of course -- Dead Nation is a master of the metagame, with intricate worldwide leaderboards and granular stat-keeping that pool player stats by country -- but it's also fun to up the difficulty level, focus on upgrading different kinds of weapons, all the while using various pieces of armor. You can even play with your friends locally or online, though I did have some hiccups while playing online, including a virtually unplayable mission alongside the one and only Greg Miller. Then again, when I played with someone else on a different day, everything ran just fine.
If Dead Nation's exceptional five-to-seven hour campaign isn't satisfying your itch to slay hordes of zombies, then perhaps its bundled-in DLC will. I especially like Endless mode and its emphasis on providing greater and greater challenges. It's a great way to stay busy in between matches with your friends.


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chicken noodle italian wedding soup
What happens when Chicken noodle soup goes on a trip to Italy? You get Chicken Noodle Italian Wedding Soup. It is made with healthy home-made lean chicken meatballs, onions, carrots and celery simmered with greens and noodles. Then it is topped off with the best olive oil you can find and a pile of freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.
Last week I asked you on Facebook and twitter what recipes you would like to see here this month. I loved hearing all of your responses, made some notes, and I (loosely) made some plans. I decided that I would have to include a healthy winter soup recipe for sure, since soup is trending like crazy, and a few of you said you wanted to see a new healthy soup recipe. Myself included. So according to that plan, I wanted to make this mash-up of chicken noodle soup and Italian Wedding soup this week. [What can I say, I am obsessed with mash-up recipes.] Then ironically I got a cold. Well isn't that appropriate? So, unfortuantly for me, I have to say this soup is cold-tested and approved.
My husband, who also got this cold, ugh, took it for lunch and he says it is also lunchbox approved. Packing a lunch is a great way to save calories and to get more nutrient dense food and vegetables into your daily diet. My husband made the switch to packing his own lunch after I received a copy of this book co-authored by my friend Kristina, and he has already lost 6 pounds!
Lets talk about the ingredients for a moment. The reason I want to do that is that there is a huge distinction in soup made from clean ingredients, and those that rely on gratuitous fat and highly processed ingredients for flavor.
The base of the soup starts out like most, with sauteed mire poix. [Note, I got the onions and carrots for this from our CSA, but I got the celery at the supermarket. Celery is one of the dirty dozen, so if you're wondering if you should spring for organic celery, at nearly double the price, the answer, unfortunately, is yes.] I added a bit of white wine for acidity and because alcohol helps food taste better. [Seriously it does. That was another tip I learned from Sarah Moulton.] If you happen to have home-made chicken stock on hand I would highly recommend it for this recipe, just be sure to taste the soup as it simmers and adjust the salt accordingly.
For the greens use what you have on hand. Kale and collards will take longer than spinach, escarole or bok choy, but all would be great in this. Just adjust your cooking time a bit.
Now for the meatballs. I was able to find ground Organic Smart Chicken at the store which doesn't gross me out like "conventional" ground chicken. I have to say, I am sort of annoyed how hard it is to find good ground chicken around here. Here in Vermont, there are local organic chickens on every corner, yet nobody seems to be grinding the meat. If you run into this problem in your area, you can substitute organic ground turkey, which seems to be a lot easier to find, just look for ground breast since it is leaner than the thigh meat. The fennel seeds and Parmesan add a really nice savory Italian flavor to the chicken meat. Oh, and I used these breadcrumbs. They have a pretty clean ingredient list, unlike most. If you are gluten free, these would work well and just sub in your favorite gf pasta.
I have to say that really my absolute favorite part about this soup is that I used some really special olive oil on top of it. My sister and brother-in-law just got back from Sicily and they brought me a tin of olive oil from the 2013 harvest. So it is really green and grassy, and brings me back instantly to the time I spent in Italy. [I want to go back more than ever now.] So if you happen to be the kind of gal (or guy) who keeps more than one kind of olive oil on hand (one for cooking and one for drizzling) this is a recipe where you should pull out the drizzling one for finishing it off. It really does make a difference. [Says the girl who has an entire cabinet devoted to only oil and vinegars.]
I also wanted to point out that I know some of you are watching your calories these days, so I will be including nutritional stats with my recipes all month.
Do you keep two different kinds of olive oil on hand? Are you a label reader? Do you pack a home-made lunch? What recipes are you hoping to see more of in the next few weeks? Please leave a comment. I love hearing from you.
Happy Cooking!
chicken noodle italian wedding soup
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 1/2 cups 1x
- Cuisine: American
Chicken noodle soup inspired by Italian Wedding soup with healthy home-made lean chicken meatballs, greens and whole-grain pasta.
For the Meatballs
- ½ pound ground chicken
- 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, preferably trans-fat free
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon dry Italian Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups finely shredded greens, such as kale, bok choy, spinach or escarole
- 1 cup small pasta, preferably whole-grain
- freshly chopped Italian Parsley
- grated Parmesan
- high quality fruity olive oil for drizzling
Make meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.
- Knead chicken, breadcrumbs, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, yolk, fennel seeds, pepper, garlic powder and pinch salt in a medium bowl with clean hands until all of the ingredients are mixed together. Form into small meatballs, about 1 tablespoon each (21 meatballs.) Set on the prepared rack. Bake until cooked through, 11 to 14 minutes.
Make Soup (While meatballs bake:)
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic, carrots, celery, onion, Italian seasoning and salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, slightly browned and the bottom of the pot is starting to brown slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine, and cook, scraping up any browned bits as the wine reduces to almost dry, 1 to 3 minutes. Add broth, cover and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Add shredded greens and continue cooking until the pasta and greens are tender, 3 to 6 minutes longer.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the meatballs.
- Ladle into soup bowls and top with parsley, Parmesan and a drizzle of Parmesan if desired.
Fiber: 1 g. Protein: 10 grams. Sodium: 647. Sat Fat: 1 g.
If you are concerned about your sodium intake, you can curb it by using home made stock, using low-sodium broth, and/or omitting the added salt.
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 141
- Fat: 4
DISCLOSURE I received a copy of The Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies for free. This post contains affiliate link/s, which means if you click on the link and purchase that product, I may receive a small commission which helps support me in bringing you bangin' recipes and content like this. I only link to stuff I love, and all opinions here are my own.

subset: commoncrawl


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42 inch Espresso Vanity, Side Cabinet & Vessel Sink (FVN62-3012ES-VSL) - Torino
Our Torino line of vanities is amazingly brand-new and always fantastic. Classic straight lines by having a couple of brand-new details make this favored bathroom vanity a must-have for your master bath. Torino can be found in Espresso, Glossy White & Light Oak and just choose a ceramic vessel sink or a basin sink for your bathroom style. Torino comes in a number of different lengths, however, each Torino vanity cabinet has two drawers & two doors for maximum storage space. Each of the 2 doors has a frosted glass panel insert. Every vanity set features a single hole faucet for each sink and all the necessary plumbing for installation. There are a number of different designs of faucets to pick, giving you more options to show yourself. Matching side cabinets may be included or are always optional. Each side cabinet has 3 drawers for added storage. Step it up a with a beautiful Torino Bathroom Vanity.
FVN62-3012ES-VSL Fresca Torino 42" Espresso Modern Bathroom Vanity w/ Side Cabinet & Vessel Sink
- Vanity measures: 42"W x 18.1"D x 35.5"H
- Measurement of Mirror: 25.6"W x 31.5"H
- Materials: Plywood w/ Veneer
- Ceramic Sink
- Single Stem Vessel Faucet Mount
- (Faucet Shown In Picture May No Longer Be Available So Please Check Compatible Faucet List)
- P-trap, Faucet, Pop-Up Drain and Installation Hardware Included
Vanity Installation Note: It may be necessary to purchase an adapter from your local hardware company in order to connect the water lines in your home to the vanity supply lines.
|Short Description
|Fresca's Torino vanities are all of the most stunning style and finest quality! With a matching Side Cabinet and Vessel Sink, this 42"Bathroom Vanity is perfect for a modern bathroom, especially with its rich Espresso Finish.
|Select A Finish
|Sink Style
|Countertop Style
|PDF Link
|Fresca Bath


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Ancient Traditions and Modern Combatives:
Aiki - "Two sides of the same coin"
Seminar with Dan Harden & Roy Goldberg - June 30 - July 3
In Motion Center and California Sangenkai are honored to have world renowned martial arts instructors Dan Harden with Roy Goldberg, the highest ranked Daito Ryu practitioner outside of Japan, to teach how they have applied the internal body training from Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu to modern combative martial techniques such as strikes, throws, joint-locks, etc.
Participants will explore:
- The foundational bodywork and breath training in Daito-ryu
- The solo work to kata
- The traditional pathway of waza and how the body work supports technique
- Advanced applications for use in more stressful environments
Friday, June 30th, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
For returning students ONLY
At In Motion Center, 1091 Calcot Place, Ste. 412, Oakland, CA 94604
Saturday, July 1st, 12:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 2nd, 10 am - 6 pm
At Alameda Aikikai - 2025 Clement Avenue, Alameda, California
Monday, July 3rd, 9 am - 5 pm
Optional day of training with traditional weapons, ONLY for students who have previously trained weapons with Dan
At Alameda Aikikai - 2025 Clement Avenue, Alameda, California.
The cost for the entire seminar is $200. If you join us for the weapons seminar on Monday, please add an additional $100 to your registration payment.
Please send payment to Dan via PayPal, at: email@example.com
Include "Cal Sangenkai" and the seminar dates in the message subject line.
Single-day sessions are allowed provided you first communicate with Dan. They are $100/day. Dan would prefer new people attend the Saturday session to get the most benefit. If you have not previously attended a seminar with Dan, please contact Dan first for permission by email at: firstname.lastname@example.com


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midas FEA is state of the art software which defines a new paradigm for advanced nonlinear and detail analysis for civil and structural engineering applications. It is specialized for refined method analysis, which is required by design codes for complex geometry. midas FEA's unique capabilities make it possible to efficiently model complex structures with plate and solid elements instead of using 1D elements to simplify your model. Thus you will be able to perform local analysis for elements and obtain in-depth and highly accurate calculations that are essential for projects that require refined method analyses.
The framework of midas FEA is designed to provide an optimum working environment as a Windows-based program. It permits an easy access to all the functions related to the entire process of input, output and analysis, and also minimizes the mouse movement
midas FEA allows its users to create highly complex geometric data for an accurate FE analysis model with any dimensions or shapes, by providing advanced geometric functions.
A geometry model is fundamentally formed by the interlocking relationship of various geometric entities
midas FEA provides Auto-mesh, Map-mesh & Protrude-mesh methods to easily and conveniently generate optimum meshes for complex models of any particular configuration
As a total solution specialized for the detail and nonlinear analysis of structures, midas FEA supports various analysis functions as follows:
Linear Static / Construction Stage / Material, Geometry , Interface Nonlinear / Dynamic / Heat Transfer / Heat of Hydration / Contact / Fatigue Analysis
It offers numerous outstanding graphical result displays including the thrilling animation maker. The general post operations are controlled through Post-Work Tree, Property Window, and Toolbar
This webinar elaborates on the advanced functionalities of midas FEA compared to..Watch the webinar
Need some extra information on midas FEA?
We are ready to help you out.


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Why is an American company best known for high quality outdoor shoes planting trees in Haiti? Why has Timberland gone into partnership with a Smallholder Farmers Alliance to plant trees and promote self-sufficiency among Haitian farmers? I was fortunate to connect up with Margaret Morey-Reuner, Timberland's senior manager of values marketing, to find out why.
So why is Timberland planting trees in Haiti?
Margaret explained that because Timberland's products are aimed at enjoying the outdoors, it makes sense for the company to proactively care for the environment. Her explanation shows how corporate responsibility can be directly linked to a company's business model and operations.
So why plant trees specifically in Haiti? Margaret noted that the company has been making shoes in the Dominican Republic, Haiti's neighbour on the island of Hispaniola, for more than 30 years. She explained that "As a footwear manufacturer on the island, we have a responsibility to not only mitigate any environmental impacts we make, but to give back more than we take. This project has also led us to think about the long term impact we could have in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and in other emerging regions around the globe where we do business."
Is there a business case for planting trees?
The business case for planting trees links biodiversity responsibility on the supply side of the company to consumer preferences on its demand side. Margaret sees this as a direct link: "Besides the offsetting of our environmental impact in the region, we recognize that all things being equal, consumers will choose a company that shares their values over one that does not. This proves that we don't have to choose between making a profit and saving the planet. We can do both."
What do Timberland's employees and customers think of this initiative?
Haiti is clearly a special case for Timberland as the company's employees played an active role in supporting earthquake response efforts there. Margaret explained that this has created a community of employees who have developed an emotional investment in the long term prospects of the company's work in Haiti. More broadly, however, the company's employees are also engaged in other tree planting initiatives around the world.
Timberland customers, on the other hand, are exposed to the tree planting projects through the company's websites and social media. Margaret explained as well that they occasionally run "Plant One on Us" campaigns at their retail stores where Timberland agrees to plant a tree when a customer purchases one of their Earthkeepers products. For Timberland, a key part of the business case is to ensure that their brand is associated with biodiversity-positive action.
Does Timberland plant trees in other countries as well?
Indeed, Haiti is not the only place where Timberland is planting trees. Margaret highlighted their 14 years of support for a reforestation project in China's Horqin Desert. And over the last two years they have planted trees in Argentina, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Venezuela and the U.S. A new project is now underway in Belgium. As Margaret explained, this is clearly the result of the engagement of the broader Timberland community: "The trees associated with these projects have been planted by Timberland employees, consumers, retail partners and our local NGO and non-profit partners."
So why is an American outdoor shoe company planting trees? Timberland, it seems, fully understands that a company can do better by doing good.
For more information, visit: http://community.timberland.com/tree-planting.


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Chick-fil-A Aids Drivers Stranded by Winter Weather
As the snow fell and the number of stranded motorists mounted near Highway 280 near Birmingham, Alabama, the owner and workers of a Chick-fil-A restaurant opened their doors to feed and shelter those put out by the storm at no charge and with no strings attached.
On January 28, store owner Mark Meadows decided to close his
Chick-fil-A store for the day because employees were having trouble
getting to work and business was bound to be slow as people avoided
unnecessary travel. However, the weather had other ideas for Meadows and
his employees.
After leaving, several of his employees returned to the store saying
that the roads were nearly impassable and many other motorists were
already stranded on the side of the road, some for seven and eight hours
"Our store is about a mile and a half from the interstate and it took me two hours to get there," manager Audrey Pitt told Fox News' Todd Starnes. "It was a parking lot as far as I could see."
Read The Rest Of Breitbart Story


text: Traditional Cylinders UNION offers a variety of traditional cylinders to meet the demands of every application. Cylinders are available in four different variations. If the length you require is not listed please refer to the UNION Cylinder Pricing Guidance document on the UNION website. Download Introduction - Traditional (.pdf, 2.2 MB) 1X1 - Rim Cylinder 1X1OF - Rim Cylinder (Old Style) 2X1 / 2X8 - Oval Profile Single Cylinder 2X6 - Oval Profile Double Cylinder 2X11 - Mortice Screw-in Cylinder 2X18 - Euro Profile Double Cylinder 2X20 - Euro Profile Single Cylinder 2X51 - Oval Profile Key & Turn Cylinder - Hotel Function 2X70/2X81/2X82/2X13/2X16/2X29/2X69/2X83/2X88 - Oval Profile - Turn Options 2X19 / 2X48 / 2X44 / 2X28 / 2X71 - Euro Profile Key & Turn


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Summer Camp FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about the DNA Center's Summer Camps
My child will be entering 7th grade, can they attend a residential camp?
Unfortunately, no. The residential camps are intended for students who have completed grades 7 prior to summer 2018. Please contact us directly if you think an exception may be warranted. Also please consider a Junior Workshop that is intended for younger students.
My child would like to attend a residential camp, but would like to commute to and from campus. Would it be possible to attend without staying in the dorms?
Unfortunately, no. If a child registers, he or she will need to stay in the dorms on campus. They will not be permitted to leave and return to campus during the camp, even with a parent/guardian. We apologize for any inconvenience, but in order to insure all students' safety we do not allow students to "check-out" during the camp. In the event of a personal emergency, you may move-out early, but will not be permitted to return. Consider our "day camp" as the scientific content is very similar to our residential camp, without staying on campus.
What time zone is Notre Dame part of in the summer?
Notre Dame is part of Eastern Standard Time and observes Daylight Savings Time. The time at Notre Dame is the same as New York City, Atlanta, or Indianapolis (and one hour ahead of Chicago).
Are there any discounts available for either the residential or day camps?
While there are no official discounts, we do offer scholarships throughout the year at various school functions (including science fairs!) Additionally, for those with demonstrated financial need (qualify for free/reduced lunch), there are a very limited number of partial scholarships. If you believe you qualify or want additional information, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
Are the dorms coed?
No. Male and female campers will be housed in separate dorms.
Are the dorms air-conditioned?
No, unfortunately they are not! All campers are encouraged to bring a fan. Luckily, there will be lots of activities throughout the day and evening so there will not be much time spent in the dorms.
Do I need to bring my own sheets, pillow, towels, etc?
Yes! No linens will be provided.
Will my room have its own bathroom?
No. Each room will have a sink, but bathrooms will be shared with other rooms on the floor.
Are there any dress code requirements for lab work?
Yes. While in the lab you must have closed toe, closed heel shoes. This basically eliminates any sandals. You are welcome to bring sandals to wear to non-lab activities, but in the lab you will need to wear lab-approved shoes. This is a university policy, therefore no exceptions will be made.
Beginning in 2016, the university enacted a policy that requires ankle length pants or skirts in the lab. Unfortunately, because we are located on campus, we will be forced to follow this policy. During the day, you will spend chunks of time in the lab and so you are encouraged pack ankle length pants, capris, or skirts. One alternative is to pack a single pair of sweatpants, track pants, or even pajama pants that would be able to slip on over your shorts during the time you are in the lab. You would be able to leave the pants in the lab. Please feel free to contact us for further clarification.
What will happen if my completed forms or check is not received within the required two week window?
Your registration will still be honored provided you do return the required forms and check, but if it is not received within two weeks, your registration will be placed at the end of the line. This opens up the possibility that your desired camp may be full by the time your forms/check arrives. If that happens, we will gladly transfer your registration to another available camp or return the check. We strongly encourage you to complete the forms and mail the check as quickly after submitting the online form as possible to avoid this situation from occurring.
My child attended a DNA Center Summer Camp in the summer of 2015, 2016, 2017, or 2018. Is there a continuation camp they can attend this year?
Unfortunately, we will not have an alumni or continuation camp offered in 2019. Our goal will be to offer a continuation camp in the future, but we are not there yet. The high school genetics workshop would be a new offering for those that attended the residential camp in the past. If you have further questions, please contact Kim Poovey at 574-631-1506.
Additional questions? Don't hesitate to contact us either via telephone 574-631-1506 or email.


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Title: The LCPANES Terminal
Developer: psy-wombats
Homepage: http://rpgmaker.net/games/2277/
Genre: Interactive Novel
Program: Flash/Custom
Developer: psy-wombats
Homepage: http://rpgmaker.net/games/2277/
Genre: Interactive Novel
Program: Flash/Custom
The LCPANES Terminal is nothing more than a story, a story that you happen to be able to influence through a handful of important choices. Seeing as my background isn't one of great literary knowledge, and certainly not one of great literary ability, it's hard for me to write anything approaching a "proper" review for something that's essentially a book. As I already explained in a lengthy comment on this game's homepage, I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to be able to properly express what I think are The LCPANES Terminal's strong points, but since it deserves to be reviewed I'm going to give it a try anyway.
Throughout the course of this visual novel, I came to the conclusion that the most important aspect, the aspect that made me enjoy the course of the story most, wasn't the storyline itself. It's true that the story is incredibly well-written and it's definitely entertaining in its own right, but I still didn't think that it was the key factor in my enjoyment. What I thought was the key feature was the way the game makes you think carefully about each choice you have to make. Unless you were to breeze through this game mechanically, which would be the wrong thing to do since you'd miss out on a lot of the enjoyment, you'll spend a lot of your time playing this game in deep thought thanks to the complexity of the relationships between the different characters and the situation they find themselves in. The to-and-fro politics that your character is essentially dumped in the middle of are not as simple as they first appear to be, meaning that there is a lot for you to chew over, and it is in forcing the player to think about such issues that this game really shines.
Even after finishing the game, there were still a tonne of questions swirling around in my head about the choices I had made. Which ones could I have perhaps made better? How would they have affected the relationships that my character fostered throughout the course of the game? Could I really have done it any better? That I spent so much time theory-crafting after I had already finished the game is testament to the amount of thought I had to put in whilst still playing it. Hell, even if I had just mashed a bunch of random choices throughout the course of the game, I'd have probably still spent a little time afterwards trying to piece together the effect that they had. This is the real quality that this game has: it makes you think.
As for the story itself, the premise is pretty simple. A group of strangers are trapped in a series of different rooms for reasons they don't understand and they have to try and escape using a series of coded books left for them by their capture. Unfortunately for these people, they are all trapped in different rooms (and I got the impression on several occasions that these rooms are not on the same site, but this is something you can think about yourself as you play through the game) and can only communicate with each other through a series of computers. However, these computers only allow communication in a single direction, meaning that the captives need to trust each other to pass on messages in order to survive. This leads to a complex set of politics for your character to come to terms with as they try to escape, as your character is dumped into this situation after the other captives have already been trapped for a long period of time. Getting used to the "norms" they set up is a large part of the storyline.
Fortunately, the feelings of each of the captives towards each other are really well explained and it gives the player an instant feel for what each person thinks of the others. However, the clever part of this is that, because the system only allows you to talk to one of the other captives (at least at first), you only ever really get second or third-hand impressions fed to you. This gives you a lopsided and biased impression of each captive, meaning that each choice you make is being made with knowledge that you have to balance against the inherent bias that it contains. It is this element of the writing, I thought, that made the choices so interesting to consider. Were everything presented to you in a matter-of-fact manner then the game wouldn't be half as interesting, it is the bias in the language of the other captives that makes the choices so hard to make.
Interestingly, though, I actually think that The LCPANES Terminal would work as a story even if you didn't have the player making choices. Why? Because given the talent shown within the writing, I believe that psy_wombats (the developer) could have easily replaced the choices the player has to make with their own written account of the internal struggle that the main character has to go through. What I mean by this is that, if you were to verbalise my thought process whilst playing this game and replace the choices with it, you would turn this from a very good "playable" novel into a very good "traditional" novel. Does that make sense? I'm not sure. In any case, what I'm trying to say is that the writing is amazing, and I'm not really sure what more I can say in that respect. That the language is vivid and really paints a picture in your head? That the characters really leap off the page? Such clichés are things I want to avoid, even if they are true. Ah well, I never claimed to be a literary critic. I think I've explained what made the story work from my point of view, you'll just have to trust me when I say that the writing itself matches the complexity of the storyline it is trying to portray.
The LCPANES Terminal has a rare quality compared to other games; it really makes you think. If you appreciate your brain being put through the grinder every now and again then I suggest giving it a go. 10/10.


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visitors and friends of MOZAIC!
One more year has passed with its ups and downs,
successes and also unmatched aims for all of us. But there is a big
road ahead, waiting! The national and international efforts for the
protection of the traditional cultural landscapes of Europe,
biodiversity and small-scale agriculture must keep on going and
speed up the pace towards a better and more sustainable strategy,
we would say! We hope for the best for next year and that many
people will become more aware and more involved in these fields of
activity. Together we are strong!
In this
occasion, we want to give you an overview of some of the MOZAIC
Association's activities in 2013:
2nd year of the Mozaic Project
II "Further development of the agri-environment schemes
for endangered hay meadows in Transylvania", funded by the DBU. In
this project, many members of the MOZAIC Association are involved.
Some of the main activities have been:
- The limits of
one semi-abandoned hay meadow have been marked with poles by local
farmers. This prevented grazing during the summer and the farmers
were happy about better hay. The picture shows the sheep flock
respecting the limits of the meadow.
- Excursion of
a Romanian delegation of farmers, locals and the manager of the LAG
"Somes-Transilvan" to the Eifel region in Germany (more information).
- 3rd year of the pilot
agri-environment programme for selected hay meadows in Dabaca and
Borsa communes: about 6.5 ha were mown and received our financial
reward. Almost the whole surface was mown with the small hand-mowin
machine aquired in the Mozaic project.
- Start of a monitoring programme
of the vegetation and selected butterfly species in traditional hay
meadows, as well as continuing the monitoring of the mown meadow
surface in the Natura 2000 site.
- Study of the vegetation of
regularly used hay meadows in another Natura 2000 site in order to
compare the meadow structure with our area.
Participation of Roxana at the
Youth Future Conference in Bonn. Here is what she writes
about it:
"In the beginning of September, I had the chance to take part in an
extraordinary conference, organized by the association Youth Future Project in Bonn. The event brought
together students and professionals with interest in the field of
sustainability and environmental protection and consisted in one
week of workshops, team-work, discussions and presentations. I
think one of the most exciting activities during the conference,
was the Pro-Action Café. After going through concepts and theories
about sustainable living and economic, social and environmental
implications, we had the chance to come in front with proposals for
specific projects that would engulf all this knowledge and make use
of it. The idea was to maintain a long-term collaboration among us,
to strengthen some links and foster innovative ideas and
involvement. Also, those who proposed projects had the opportunity
to further take part in a coaching launched so that members of
Youth Future Project and receive further support and guidance if
It was a great experience and I am thankful to have met really
wonderful people. It was also a nice chance to talk about Mozaic
Association and our projects. I felt it was a really nice energy
around and some good starting points were set. From now on, it's
all about us!"
Participation of Roxana and
Vasile at a workshop of Project Management Basics and
Networking in Munich, Germany.
See here
and our facebook site for more information.
Co-organisation of two
meetings of the "Ethnic Landscape Group", one in Cluj
(July) and one in the Csik mountains (November). Here is some
information about the second one:
The last Ethlas
meeting for this year took place in the beautiful region of
Miercurea-Ciuc, between 27 and 30 of November. We had very fruitful
discussions, and we enjoyed among us the presence of
interdisciplinary experts. Of course, we couldn't have had the
meeting without the precious help and involvement of our friends
from the Pogany Havas
Association, whom we would like to thank for their support and
The main points on the agenda were,
apart from individual presentations of research interests and
background, to decide upon a call for proposals and to define
common goals for the team so that next year, the Ethlas network
would have a better support and the project itself will start.
Besides this, we could experience the beginning of the winter in
one of the coldest regions of Romania by doing a field trip in the
area. Thanx to everybody involved and follow us for further
wish you a new year full of diversity, wisdom and new
and some wonderful winter


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Does the new GCSB Bill give them the power to spy on New Zealanders?
There's been a lot of confusion in the media recently about how much the GCSB will be able to spy on New Zealanders when the GCSB Bill passes.
When even Peter Dunne gets it badly wrong in the "Ask Me Anything" article he did in the National Business Review (see q4 from Rick Shera), claiming that they could only spy on NZers on behalf of the Police/SIS/NZDF, we thought we should clear some things up by looking at the legislation.
Note: All references to the legislation are to the version reported back by the Intelligence and Security Committee combined with the changes in Mr Dunne's SOP (PDF).
Spying on behalf
Firstly, everyone agrees that section 8C of the Bill will allow the GCSB to spy on New Zealanders on behalf of the SIS, Police or NZ Defence Force. This is the "giving assistance" part and it appears to be limited to only doing things that the original agency would have the legal authority to do.
Recent changes include more clarity about the GCSB's assistance being subject to the originating agency's oversight (e.g. the Independent Police Complaints Authority for work performed for the Police) and requiring any new agencies to be added by legislation rather than by an Order in Council.
GCSB spying on New Zealanders
The GCSB also has the power do its own spying on New Zealanders as part of its new cybersecurity purpose (defined in section 8A). "to do everything that is necessary or desirable to protect the security and integrity of the communications and information infrastructures".
The main interception powers are granted by section 15A and this makes it very clear that both interception warrants and access authorisations can be granted for the GCSB to spy on New Zealanders under purpose 8A (cybersecurity).
Interception warrants vs access authorisations
It's worth explaining the difference between interception warrants and access authorisations. An interception warrant (15A(1)(a)) is granted to spy on:
- one or more specific people or a class of person
- communications made in one or more specific places or classes of place
- communications sent from or to overseas
An access authorisation (15A(1)(b)) allows the GCSB to access a particular or class of "information infrastructure" which is further defined as "electromagnetic emissions, communications systems and networks, information technology systems and networks, and any communications carried on, contained in, or relating to those emissions, systems, or networks".
Therefore an interception warranted is targeted at a person or place (although the targeting can be very, very broad), whereas an access authorisation allows general access to all the information on a particular computer system, network or phone system, or a specified type of all of those systems.
The only difference between those granted for spying on foreigners and those for spying on New Zealanders, is that the ones targeting New Zealanders have to be signed off by the Commissioner of Security Warrants as well as the Prime Minister. The Commissioner is appointed by the Prime Minister.
Doesn't section 14 stop the GCSB spying on New Zealanders?
The new section 14 only stops the GCSB from spying on New Zealanders for purpose 8B (intelligence gathering and analysis). It does not apply to any surveillance done in relation to cybersecurity (purpose 8A) or done on behalf of other agencies (purpose 8C).
The new section 15C does stop the GCSB deliberately intercepting privileged communications (e.g. to your lawyer). However, see note below about incidentally gained intelligence.
Warrantless spying?
Section 16 of the GCSB Act also allows certain forms of spying without a warrant or access authorisation. However, the bill adds section 16(1A) which says that this cannot be done for the purpose of intercepting the communications of New Zealanders. (See the notes below about metadata and incidentally gained intelligence.)
Putting it all together
So what does all this mean?
Most importantly it clearly shows that the GCSB can spy on New Zealanders for its own purposes without doing it on behalf of another agency.
We see that this has been deliberately set up to allow mass surveillance either now or in the future. For example, the GCSB could apply for an access authorisation for access to "New Zealand's mobile networks" and, after being signed off by the Prime Minister and the Commissioner for Security Warrants, they could then use that access authorisation to collect all phone calls, texts and data sent over the mobile networks.
This collected information could then be analysed and the resulting intelligence given to the Minister and any person, whether in New Zealand or overseas, authorised by the Minister (section 8A(c)).
In theory this activity would have to be done as part of their purpose to "protect the security and integrity of the communications and information infrastructures" but we see that this could be interpreted rather widely.
Other issues
There are also a number of other issues around spying on New Zealanders that we haven't directly addressed in this article:
Metadata - There are a number of places in the bill that put limits on intercepting "private communications", but in the past the GCSB has interpreted that as only including the actual call, not the related data (e.g. when, who, how long, etc). Does this mean that the GCSB still thinks it can collect this metadata without a warrant or access authorisation? The bill is silent on this issue.
Incidentally gained intelligence - when the GCSB does collect information it shouldn't, it can still use that information if it would help prevent or detect serious crime, save lives, or be useful for the security or defence of New Zealand. This is a fairly large loophole in many of the limitations in the Bill.
Access authorisation for the GCSB - section 14 prohibits the GCSB from intercepting NZers private communications for purpose 8B intelligence gathering but they can do so for purpose 8A cybersecurity. Could the GCSB then obtain an access authorisation for access to its own database of already intercepted cybersecurity data for intelligence gathering purposes?
Sharing data overseas - how much of this data can be shared overseas? There appear to be no limits other than that the Minister must approve who it is shared with.
Collecting data from overseas - can the GCSB get data from overseas agencies (e.g. the NSA) that it couldn't legally intercept itself? Can it share data for the purpose of cybersecurity and then be given it back to be used for general intelligence?
What about data that New Zealanders store overseas? - are there different rules for information that New Zealanders store overseas with companies such as Google and Facebook?
Feedback and updates
Think we've got this wrong? Feel free to leave a comment with your interpretation. We'll make any necessary corrections or additions as required.
This govt is as criminal as the torturing, mass murdering artificial psychopathic entity known as Uncle Sam to whom it is abjectly subservient.
In my opinion the individual public servants and politicians composing this govt are criminals and i reject any and all claims by this artificial psychopathic entity known as 'the Crown' of sovereignty over my being and this land.
It's probably fair to say most New Zealanders would be extremely unhappy to have their communications intercepted. I don't think it would matter much whether it was the SIS or the GCSB doing the intercepting as most NZers probably couldn't explain the difference between the two (it was the case when I became aware of those agencies in 2000/2001).
The SIS has always been able to intercept the domestic communications of New Zealanders and that doesn't appear to have changed.
So, how much does this change "the NZ government" ability to spy on NZ'ers compared to 10 years ago?
Who can they (the government) spy on with this bill that they could not have done before?
The key questions are A. what computer systems the GCSB will be using (XKeyscore? Prism?), and B. how many people could have their communications intercepted under a single warrant or access authorisation, and C. what an individual will have to do 'wrong' to be brought under surveillance.
Under a 3 hop analysis, it seems that the communications of a very large number of people indeed could be intercepted. Most Kiwis are likely to assume that under a warrant or an access authorisation, only the communications of that individual will be intercepted and analysed.
Also, if an individual only has to be seen to damage the economic or international interests of NZ (as construed by those who authorise the warrant), that could potentially capture a very wide range of people.
Can you clarify these three points?
Anne you make a good point – which I would take further. The assertion that the interests of "The Government", "New Zealand" and "New Zealand Citizens" are all one and the same is naive to say the least.
If I was a member of a political organisation which sought to limit or prevent activities engaged in by the New Zealand Government, which would then impinge economically on the operations of large New Zealand business entities – then despite my formal political freedom to state publicly and act upon cerain political principals – I would fall, most definitely, within the "class" of enemy of New Zealand "well being" – from the point of view of those who draft such legislation – the powerful lobbyists who run parliament for the benefit of NZ Inc.
How will foreign organisations be defined for Sect 8B. For example if you are a member of Greenpeace and a NZ citizen, does the fact than Greenpeace – which is an international and therefore potentially could be construed to be a foreign organisation – who may undertake activity locally or internationally which is determined to need surveillance, trump your status as a NZ citizen by the law?
Thanks for your informative summary, Thomas.
My initial reading of the SIS Act and the GCSB Bill led me to the same conclusion as James.
You've suggested that the GCSB will be able to get warrants/authorisations that are much broader in scope.
But the SIS Act allows warrants to relate to 'places' rather than people. The definition of place includes 'any land'. So (in theory, please correct me if I'm wrong) the SIS *could* apply for a warrant relating to any land, eg – Auckland, or the North Island, or even NZ as a whole.
I assume the reason that SIS doesn't apply for such broad warrants (aside from the logistics of covering that many communications) is because the SIS Act requires the Commissioner to consider whether the value of information being sought justifies such a warrant, and whether the information could be obtained by any other means, eg – a more targeted warrant.
Those same constraints are in the GCSB bill. Wouldn't they make a warrant/authorisation relating to 'New Zealand's Mobile Networks' just as unlikely to be granted?
Regarding interception warrants you say that section 15A(1)(a) relates to
"one or more specific people or a class of person"
when in fact it says
"1 or more persons or classes of persons"
Persons and people are not equivalent terms. The difference is that persons do not have the legal status pf people, and a corporation (as a legal entity) can also be a person.
The only way to get people engaged- people that matter that is- Auckland property owning snapper loving people. Is to tell them stories about people like them. People like them who have traded up houses over the past 5-8 years , people who text each other and email. People who file tax returns that fail to mention the capital gains on the last couple of houses.
Trouble is coming for these people. Tax Avoidance is a crime, conspiracy to avoid tax and to to create schemes to avoid tax sounds like a big crime.
Trolling all data over the past 5-8 years of such people looking for key words such as flipping, capital gain, 'lets find ourselves another house to flip'- or pretty much any combination of those words may well show intent, then charges are laid, assets seized, the couple are in jail as they are a flight risk- all those trips to Fiji and the Gold Coast will need explaining. And they are now of no fixed abode and they don't have jobs so prison is probably best, trouble is that the kids are now in care.
This story only needs a willing government that needs to get tax revenue and people who have own a few properties. Anything they have ever said can and will be used against them by the full power of the state.
Now my story is not well written but it is stories that we need simple tales that explain why everyone has something to hide. Fear is the key.
Good article. How does all this fit in with the Bill of Rights Act and any reasonable epectation of privacy do you think? And does it make any difference using an offshore internet probider?
Rightly Paranoid
we have formal rights which can be claimed – we are citizens of a democracy according to any uncritical mind. In practice, our rights are of interest to the government only when they must negotiate their way through the activity of ignoring them. The rights the government exists to protect are those of business and the unfettered process of generating profit. The privacy of average Jo is a small matter which can typically be ignored. It is best ignored with subtle diplomacy, rather than the smug arrogance of John Key and his ilk.
In terms of off-shore service providers. These are covered in the TICS provisions – the government appears to have given itself the power to instruct network providers to cease allowing access to service providers which can't, don't, fail, or refuse to comply with the broader provisions of the TICS legislation. However, instructing TELECOM to prevent access by NZers to Gmail, for example, would unleash an holy row – one easily avoided simply because the servers of Google fall under the remit of the US and NSA – which NZ is party to indirectly through intelligence-sharing agreements. Outside this type of coverage, I'm sure good old political leverage will do the trick.
Hey Thomas, it occurs to me that concerns could be allayed if the public had access to discover who the GCSB actually does spy on. If legit, the number would be few enough each year to report easily. We have hardly any terrorists, so if the spooks perform properly, such a reporting system would reassure folks.
It wouldn't stop illegal snooping, of course, but it would provide some basis for trust. If the public reporting was required by law, spooks who broke the law would be vulnerable to exposure by ethical colleagues. Has anyone suggested such accountability be written into the law?
The fundamental point here is that the official New Zealand political machine exists not for the New Zealand people, but for New Zealand business. To not understand this is naive to say the least. A government OF the people has no reason to spy on it's citizens AT ALL – simply because, at any point in time, its sole purpose is directly aligned with the fundamental interests of its population. However, a government of business which relies on passing itself off as a government of the people must constantly negotiate its way through actions which contravene its "stated" priorities, and instead represent covert priorities.
In this case, the desire to have more control arises in a nervous world in which governments are increasingly alienated from the people they "govern" by decades spent eroding civil liberties and living standards. The NEED to increase control comes directly through the desire to participate in strategic agreements with other similarly motivated "governments". Who is the enemy? We are. We continue to grant power over us to governments who are fundamentally unworthy – both personally and collectively – simply through our inaction, silence, compliance and docility.
The "Gay Marriage" legislation created more noise and rejoicing than this legislation has caused angst and hand wringing.
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Brunching might seem like more of a Springtime activity, but I've been doing a lot of it lately. This is absolutely not a complaint because I LOVE brunch. So when I had the chance to eat my favorite meal at one of my favorite new restaurants from the last year, I obviously jumped at it. Since debuting in late December of 2015, Spartina has been quietly churning out excellent, seasonal Italian food by Chef Stephen Kalt in a sophisticated but minimal Melrose space. When we went for dinner back in March, I absolutely loved the baked eggplant, pork meatballs, and burrata/uni ravioli, proving that Chef Kalt knows how to make tasty, satisfying dishes that are unique and creative. Luckily, brunch stood up to my already high expectations, offering rich, Italian takes on classic brunch dishes, as well as some more classic Italian lunch fare like pizza and paninis. Like dinner, the extensive dishes are meant for sharing, which we highly recommend as you'll get an opportunity to have bites of everything.
Of course, we started our meal with mimosas and bellinis: both classic and delicious brunch drinks. We then ordered the scrambled egg and sea urchin panini, an interesting and upscale brunch take on a little sandwich. The scrambled eggs and uni combination was, as you can imagine, delicious; the choice of white bread was definitely unexpected, but was actually quite light and fluffy. It was a surprisingly light and easy bite (with a punch of umami) to kick off the meal.
Definitely one of the highlights of the meal, the bolognese waffle is the perfect example of Kalt's elegant fusion of classic Italian flavors with American brunch dishes. The cornmeal waffles were a bit sweet and substantial enough to provide a hearty base for the meaty bolognese. With fried eggs on top, the whole thing was a gooey, bready, meaty experience from brunch heaven. I would come back anytime just for a bite of the bolognese waffle-- it was really that good.
For something surprisingly lighter, we opted for the Roasted Pears Pizza Bianca, which was just delicious. A classic white pizza, the taleggio and fontina cheeses paired really nicely with the sweet pears, while the thin crust was just crispy enough. The whole dish was immensely satisfying-- sweet, salty, cheesy-- yet executed delicately and versatile enough for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.
Taking a break from carbs, we decided to go for the charred sweet potatoes, and I'm so glad we did. The sweet potatoes were very simply done, but really tasty nonetheless, demonstrating how, sometimes, less can be more. Tender but still boasting some bite, they were doused in a sweet brown butter and topped with crunchy pistachios, making them a satisfying meal on their own.
To finish off, we of course had to get something sweet! The iced lemon cake was surprisingly gluten free, but really moist and delicious on the inside with perfectly sweet icing on top. An addicting but fairly light dessert. We also got the raspberry filled bombolini, which was like a mini donut with a fruity filling. Another really tasty bite as well.
Overall, the brunch was one of the best that I've been to lately, offering the same kind of satisfying food grounded in classic Italian cuisine and local, seasonal flavors I experienced when I first came for dinner. I love that the brunch offerings differ from the standard menus being served all over the city, as Chef Kalt seemed to tailor brunch to fit his menu, and not the other way around. I can't wait to come back and try more; next time, I might even bring an army of hungry friends to check out the rest of the appetizing choices.


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I just watched the inspiring documentary States of Grace about a woman who is physically disabled after a head on collision on the Golden Gate Bridge. She wonders, like I wonder: Who is this new person… who am I now? Who do I want to be?
I feel a bit weighed down by these questions of late. And by the seeping in anxieties about time (the passing of; the use of); about choices; about what I am doing and what I want to be doing with my life. It feels like I'm beyond the first phase of this cancer thing, and that suddenly, everything feels harder. Or is it just my mind that is making things feel harder? I don't have that blessed-out-gratitude-love-happy-in-the-moment feeling anymore. I have instead the more everyday life-is-complicated-and-emotional-and-the-mind-is-complicated-and-chaotic feeling.
I think I know what is at the heart of my emotional/spiritual/mental discomfort: I want this time to be significant, worthwhile, life-changing. I want my life to change. Not because I don't have a happy life, I have an incredibly happy life. But what good is cancer if I don't use it as an opportunity for deepening, opening, transforming?


text:
"If she puts into practice everything she said - and does it quickly, it's fantastic," said Ms Seidel, who runs Flemming Pehrsson, a company which provides number plate technology for the car industry.
She thinks some individual policies in the programme of the new grand coalition government between Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will not help her company.
Changes to employment law, for example, will in her view make it harder to take people on for short-term projects.
"But it's not the individual elements that are important, it's the package. If she can implement it as a package it will be good, and an improvement on the patchwork approach we've seen in the past. It's like in a business, you have to be able to get to grips with it all at once."
Others were not convinced.
"Completely banal," was the verdict of Professor Albert Steinherr, of the German Institute for Economic Research.
"It's like a letter to Santa, but Santa doesn't exist. We're waiting for concrete action. It's easy to say we want to be in the top three in Europe, but I'd like to know how."
Reform agenda
However, he approved of Mrs Merkel's evocation of the pioneering spirit of the post-World War II era, which produced the German economic miracle. He believes more optimism could help get German consumers spending again.
"Germans need more self-confidence, so in that sense it worked well as a communication, but it was a collection of teeny tiny steps that don't add up to anything," he said.
"The direction's right but it lacks guts."
Lutz Erbring, of Berlin's Free University, agreed that the speech was short on detail, but felt it was important in setting the tone for the new government.
"She emphasised the reform theme, but didn't lay out a reform agenda. A lot of the main reforms were postponed - pensions, health, tax are all down the road. But it's symbolic that she said 'We are going after a reform agenda'."
The German press has taken a generally warm stance to the speech.
"Angela Merkel is no great performer, and there were no rhetorical fireworks, but the Chancellor found a deft and almost disarming manner," writes the Financial Times Deutschland.
"If you really want to start something new, you have to free yourself from old routines, habits and prejudices. Merkel managed that - rhetorically at least. Whether she can make concrete policies out of that has yet to be proven."
The left-leaning Sueddeutsche Zeitung, however, was lukewarm, describing the speech as "timid but successful". As far as policy is concerned, it believes, the former chancellor could have given the same speech.
"But Schroeder's performance would have been different: more rhetorically elegant, peppered with soundbites, more gripping in the delivery and more statesmanlike in the approach."
The mass circulation Bild Zeitung draws a more positive comparison. Unlike Mr Schroeder, the paper says, Mrs Merkel set out a clear goal to take Germany back to the top.
"Like an experienced mountain guide, the chancellor preferred to describe the beautiful view at the summit rather than the hard climb to get to the top," writes commentator Michael Backhaus.
"[But] Angela Merkel knows, that her words will have to be followed up with action. If she doesn't take Germany to the top, she'll be the one to fall."


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Rohingya Crisis: Can Bangladesh Meet the Challenges?
– Dr. Akhter Hussain –
The humanitarian crisis caused by the Myanmar authority's ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas has reached to extreme proportion. The Rohingya are turned into a stateless predominantly Muslim minority by the refusal of Myanmar to accept them as citizens living in parts of a hostile and overwhelmingly Buddhist country.
The number of refugees is ever increasing.
A newspaper published on 29 September has reported that the number of refugees has crossed half a million since the beginning of the crisis from August 24. Since then, there have been reports of Myanmar military helicopters firing on civilians, the executions of women and children, and the burning of entire villages. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) called the situation a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing." Since the 1970s Rohingya refugees have been coming to Bangladesh. Most of them are located in Teknaf and Cox's Bazar region, a coastal area primarily dependent on tourism. Their number is also close to 500,000. It means Bangladesh is now hosting about a million Rohingya refugees. Experience suggests that the Myanmar government, on one pretext or other, has been very reluctant to take back their nationals, the Rohingyas. Whatever the number was allowed to return to Myanmar has always been much little than the actual number of refugees. It appears that the solution to the problem and the return of the refugees to their will be uncertain in the near future and their stay in Bangladesh will continue for a longer period of time.
This situation poses a number of challenges for Bangladesh for the short as well as longer terms. Providing basic necessities of life like food, shelter, healthcare would be the utmost priorities in the beginning and also for the rest of the period so long the Rohingyas stay in this country. Their prolonged stay will call for providing them with other services for continuing their lives in this country. One estimate suggests that US$ 200 million is needed to support the current refugees for a period of six month. This estimate was made when their number was 3, 70,000. However, in the meantime, a UN agency has requested for an international fund for about US $250 million for a period of six months. However, with fresh influx of Rohingyas there is all likelihood of overrunning of the estimated costs for supporting them in the short run. It has been the experience of different countries that hosted refugees during many humanitarian crises that international supports especially financial reduces over time if the refugee crises persist. In this kind of situations the ultimate financial burden of humanitarian assistance to the distressed people falls on the host country.
Bangladesh also experienced similar situation with the earlier Roningya refugees that were not taken back or repatriated by the Myanmar government. Here it needs to be mentioned that another half a million Rohingya refugees are already there who came to Bangladesh at different points of time in the last decade or so and were not repatriated by the Myanmar government. Different forms of assistances to Rohingya refugees are already putting pressures on Bangladesh government's exchequer. The present influxes of another half a million refugee will further worsen the situation in financing various assistances.
Security concern, both internal and external, is another challenge that Bangladesh is already facing and it will intensify further in the future with the new influx of the Rohingya refugees. It has been reported in various news media that many local and international terror organisations are trying to make inroads among the Rohingya refugees. If these organisations become successful in swaying the refugees to subscribe their extremist viewpoints and pouring terror funds then there will be serious terrorist threats to Bangladesh. They may join hands with the already existing terrorist outfits in the country. The other dimension of it is the possibility of committing terrorist acts in the international arena as many of them have already been relocated in different countries of the world. The terror networks could also bring them to their folds.
We all know that the Rohingya refugees are mostly been sheltered in the Teknaf-Cox's Bazar areas of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a small county in terms of area. As such, the refugee earmarked areas are adjacent or very close to the settlements of the local citizens. In the past, many untoward incidences occurred between them causing law and order situations in certain localities of the earlier mentioned areas where most of them are sheltered. In the future, with increasing number of the refugees and sheltered close to the native citizens' settlements there is the likelihood of increasing happening of such incidences and aggravating the local social and cultural harmony among the local citizens and the Rohingya refugees.
The other pertinent issue is the danger of widespread environmental degradation due to the settlement of the refugees in areas close to hills and forest lands. Clearing of forest land, overexploitation of natural resources to support the livelihoods of the refugees will have serious consequences on the local environment. Bangladesh is globally recognised as an environmentally vulnerable country and the mentioned activities will further degrade the environment and make the country more environmentally vulnerable.
The above concerns related with the influx of the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar need serious consideration by Bangladesh and the international community. These are only some of the most genuine challenges for Bangladesh caused due to Rohingya refugee crisis. Bangladesh cannot alone face these challenges. The International community needs to come forward to solve this problem permanently by putting pressure on the Myanmar government to take back its citizens by creating a safe and secured environment in its own country. Otherwise, it will be an uphill task for Bangladesh to shelter the Rohingya refugees for an uncertain period of time given its limited resources. These pressures might also derail Bangladesh's development initiatives aimed for the betterment of its own citizens.
The writer is Professor and Chairman,
Department of Public Administration,
University of Dhaka and Member, National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh. The different sources of information are
acknowledged with gratitude.
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Microbiology Lab midterm 2
undefined, object
copy deck
The following has what gram reaction and what morphology? give a possible species.
Gram +
Rod shaped
Bacillus Cereus
what are the gram reaction and morphology of the bacteria? Name a potential species.
Gram -ve
Rod shaped
E. Coli
what gram reaction and cell morphology. Name a potential species
+ ve
StaphyloCOCCUS aureus
- why is nutrient broth undefined media?
- Because we do not know its exact chemical formula
- How to use spectrophotometer?
First set to 0 with left knob
Then put in blank set to 0 with right knob
Put in the actual substance to test and read absorbance from right to left.
- TFTC vs. TNTC
Plate count must be between 30 and 300.
Less than 30 TFTC
More than 30 TNTC
Plate dilution-
say 36 counted on a 10-5 plate dilution. How many bacteria?
no need to add an extra fold. Plate dilution is the multiplication factor.
- Why is plate more accurate than spectrophotmetry?
- In spec some of the dead colonies are counted as well as any debris.
- What was the point of the Sabouraud plate?
- it was used to demonstrate person-to-person contact spread of microorganisms.
- Baker's yeast
- Sacchaomyces cerevisiae
- Crystal violet, nigrosin and methelene blue are examples of...
- Simple stains
- What is the purpose of a wet mount?
- To check for motility in microorganisms.
- What cellular structure is differentially stained using the Gram technique?
The cell wall
(peptidoglycan (+ve) vs. none (-ve))
- What is the bacterial cellular structures that confers motilitiry
- Flagellum
- How can we disinguish between Micrococcus luteus and bacillus cereus?
Both are gram positive and have a cocci morphology BUT
Micrococcus luteus are often found in tetrads or pairs.
- Why doesnt nigrosin stain the cell?
- Because nigrosin is a negative dye it does not stain the cell it stains the background and organisms appear White.
- When studying wet mounts, which organism moved very quickly?
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- When studying wet mounts,What organism moved slowly?
- Bacillus Cereus
- What is brownian motion?
- vibrating motion caused by bacteria being struck by H20 molecules.
- When studying wet mounts, what organism did we observe and identify as engaging in brownian motion?
- Staphylococcus Auerus
In the gram stain what was the:
Primary stain
differential stain
Crystal violet
Gram's iodine
- The acid fast stain served what purpose?
- used to differentiate the genus Mycobacterium which can cause TB and leprosy. CLUMPED RED RODS!
- Why is the gram stain the most important staining procedure in microbiology?
- Because it differentiates MANY bacteria. Basically cuts in half.
- What is expected in a capsule stain?
- The background is dark (crystal violet) and the capsule appears in white with the black bacteria enclosed in the white capsule
- What is expected in an endospore stain?
- round endospores are green because they opened due to heat and the bacterial rods (pink- safranin)should surround the endospores.
for what? how?
selective media for gram -ve
Does not allow gram +ve cell growth b/c hinders cell walls
for what? how?
differential media.
shows to what degree bacteria can hemolyse blood.
for what? how?
Manitol Salt agar plate
Differential and selective.
High salinity only allows Staphylococcus genus to grow. while the manitol sugar is broken at different rates to differentiate between species.
for what? how?
MacConkey agar
Maconkey is differential and selective.
It has crystal violet (selective) no gram positive)) and lactose w/ indicators (differential)
for what? how?
EMB- Eosin/Methylene blue is both differential and selctive
Selective- not perfect does not allow gram +ve again
differential- obvious (E.coli metallic green)
Which organism should not grow on a Crystal violet agar plate, why?
Staph Aureus or E. coli
- Staph aureus should not grow because crystal violet is a selective media for gram -ve bacteria. (e-coli should grow)
- What are the classes of hemolysis in the blood agar plate and what does that mean? Identify potential organisms.
Beta- complete breakdown
Alpha- partial breakdown
Gamma- no breakdown
Beta- S. pyogenes
Alpha-S. mitis
Gamma- E. faecalis
- If given a MSA plate broken in 5 pieces and 2 show no growth. and of the three with growth 1 has made the plate yellow. what can you conclude?
The two that did not grow are not Stapylococcus.
The two that grew but no yellow are staphylococcus but not maniotol fermenters.
and the one that grew and changed to yellow is both and probably Staph Aureus.
- If given an EMB plate broken in 5 and 2 did not grow, 1 grew but no change in color, 1 grew and changed ot pink, and a last grew and became green. what can you conclude?
- The 2 that did not grow are probably gram +ve. the one that grew but no change in color is either gram positive or negative but CANNOT FERMENT LACTOSE. the one that converted to pink is a mediocre fermenter and the metallic green is an excellent fermenter of lactose (E. coli)
- If given a MacConkey plate where 2 did not grow and 2 others are pinkish red instead of colorless.
MAC is selective:
Gram negative organisms will grow, Gram positive organisms will not. This is due to the addition of bile salts and crystal violet.
MAC is differential:
Lactose fermenters will appear pink, non-lactose fermenters will appear colorless. This is due to the addition of the indicator, neutral red.
- In MSA plate change from red to yellow indicates
- the organism can ferment mannitol and the acid produced as byproduct lowers pH to YELLOW. (Phenol red)
- MacConkey plate: organisms changing from colorless to pink.
- Lactose fermenters will appear pink, non-lactose fermenters will appear colorless. This is due to the addition of the indicator, neutral red.
- Which plate would you use if you were checking whether your patient's upset stomach was salmonellosis or traveler's diarrhea?
Use manitol salt agar plate. if the organism does not grow it is most likely Salmonelosis. if it does and turns yellow (Staph aureus= travelers diarrhea).
To be sure also innoculate Crystal violet and gram -ve salmonella typhimurium should grow and Staph not.
- Bacteria that thrive in cold climates
(P. Fragi)
- Bacteria that thrive in very hot climates
(B. stearothermophilus)
- Bacteria that thrive in room temperature
(E. coli, S. Marcescens)
- pH conditions: E coli
Grows in alkaline pH
(your intestines)
- pH conditions: A. faecalis
- grows in alkaline pH
- pH conditions: L.Lactis
- grew in acidic conditions (pH 3-4)
- Why use buffers in the testing of pH conditions?
- Because the organisms themselves will begin to change the pH by fermentation and/or wastes.
- Why are buffers NOT necessary in nutrient broths?
because they contain natural buffers in the form of zwitterions from amino acids which can donate or accept protons
(brownsted-lowry definition of acid/base).
- Obligate aerobes
- Require Oxygen
- Obligate anaerobes
- Cannot have oxygen
- Facultative Anaerobes
- Dont need Oxygen but make use of it and grow more abundantly b/c oxygen is their final electron acceptor. (E.coli)
- Aerotollerant Anaerobes
- those that can live in the presence of Oxygen or not with no difference.
- Microaerophiles
- Species that grow if provided only with a little bit of oxygen.
- When using the GasPak system, to determine oxygen requirement, the strip contains methylene blue is obviously blue until...
- no oxygen is present in which case the strip will turn colorless.
- Growth curve:
Lag phase- cells adapt to new surroundings no major growth
Log phase- where growth outnumbers death
Stationary phase- where they are equal (carrying capacity)
Death phase- where more organisms are dying than reproducing.
- extracellular enzymes
- Produced within the cell but work outside the cell often to breakdown large substrates into smaller transportable units (amylase, lipase, caseinase, gelatinase)
- Intracellular enzymes
- are produced inside the cell and function there. (Catelase)
- Catabolic reactions
- breaking down substrates= generates energy or subunits to be used by the cell.
- Anabolic reactions
- Synthesizing reactions usually to build cellular constituents at the expense of ATP energy.
- Amylase
- Along with maltase breaks down starch.
- Lipase
- general term for enzymes which hydrolize lipids to glycerol and fatty acids; extracellular
- Caseinase
- The enzyme that breaks the protein CASEIN in milk into its constituent amino acids.
- Gelatinase
- reduced gelatin to its amino acids. (Psuedomonas Aeroginosa)
- Phenol red carbohydrate broths (red to yellow)
- Organism fermented the carbohydrate.
- Phenol red carbohydrate broths (red outside yellow inside)
- organism OXIDATIVELY break down the peptones in the broth~ PROTEOLYSIS (pH goes up)
- IMVIC test is useful for
the genus Enterobacteriaceae
specifically to distinguish between e. coli and e. aerogenes.
- Indole test
- If indole is produced from tryptophan (by the enzyme tryptophonase) a floating red ring will form.
- Methyl red test
- When glucose is oxidized it may produce a final acid product (RED) or another final product will not be acidic (Yellow).
- Voges-Proskeaur Test
- If the final of further glucose oxidation is ACETYLMETHYLCARBINOL (AMC) it will produce an orangey-red broth after 30 minutes of vortexing.
- Citrate test
- The ability to use citrate as the sole carbon source is detected by a change from green to deep blue. (bromethyl blue)
- SIM agar deep test
- In this test if the gas released is hydrogen sulfide it reacts with the iron in the medium to turn black.
- Carbohydrate phenol red test (gas in durham tube)
- This means that the carbohydrate was fermented and CO2 was most likely produced and released as a by-product.
- SIM test stands for...
the three tests it can do:
Sulfide- turn black
Indole- unreliable
motility- unreliable
- Urease test
Many organisms convert urea to ammonia and water using urease.
In this case the medium will become hot pink from an orangey-yellow color. (phenol red indicator will show when alkaline ammonia is produced).
- 2 major causes of UTI's. how to test for it.
Proteus Vulgaris and Proteus Mirabilis
Urease test
- Major cause of Stomach ulcer and how to test for it
- Helicobacter pylori; urease test.
- Nitrate reduction test
Possible products are: (red is always terminal)
Nitrogen- Air in Durham tube if nitrate is reduced to N2.
Nitrite- if after addition of 2 reagents turns red.
Nitrate- if Zinc is added and broth turns red, nitrate was never reduced
Ammonia- no color change nitrate was never reduced.
- Production of Catelase test
Catelase- breaks H202 into water and oxygen. The reason most anaerobes cant live in oxygen.
Add H202 to the slant if it fizzes the organism has catelase to break it down.
- TSI agar test used to identify members of
- Enterobacteriaceae
- TSI- triple sugar iron medium contains:
three sugars:
glucose, lactose, and sucrose.
ph indicator: phenol red
iron- to detect production of H2S
TSI possible results:
red slant, red butt=
red slant yellow butt=
yellow slant yellow butt=
red/red= nothing fermented no H2S produced.
red/yellow= only glucose fermented
yellow/yellow= glucose and either both or one of the two sucrose/lactose was fermented
black= H2S was produced and fermentation of sugars is obscured.
- Litmus milk test serves two purposes:
1.) redox indicator- showing whether the medium was reduced or oxidized by changing color.
2.) pH indicator- showing if the medium is acidic or basic following the activities.
- Litmus milk as a pH indicator
lactose fermentation yields acid:
Pink- lactose fermented
Pink on top only and curd- excessive fermentation
Deep blue- breakdown of milk proteins (casein)
Brown and purple/blue at top-proteolysis of milk protein
The following organism has what gram reaction and what morphology and yet it is known not to be Staphylococcus Aureus, why?
- Both are gram positive and coccus shape, BUT M. luteus clump in duplets or quads.
What kind of stain is this? what medical importance does this serve?
- Capsule, capsules enter the body without detection (NO PHAGOCYTOSIS)
What kind of stain is this?
- Endospore


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Kia has unveiled an EV as its vision of how vehicles designed for ride- and car-sharing models will look like in the relatively near future. Based on the carmaker's...
Paul Myles
Volvo has showcased its autonomous bus working for the first time in a depot loaded with passengers as a proof of concept.
The live...
Location: Dubai, UAE
Organiser: Annick Nuyen
Organiser Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Location: Radisson Blu Aqua, Chicago
Organiser: Sanjay Singh
Organiser Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Attendees: 500+
These are the 5 leaders in the self-driving-car race. buff.ly/2XibT7M #AutoTech #SelfDrivingCars… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
15th November 2019
We are thrilled to welcome @wejoHQ onboard as one of our Silver sponsors for the Consumer Telematics Show 2020.
Jo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
15th November 2019
Find out what we can expect from the connected car under 5G buff.ly/2NOkagv #AutoTech #ConnectedCar https://t.co/Q1UoT8fkoH
15th November 2019
HAAH Automotive and Oracle NetSuite announces first all-cloud ecosystem for an automaker. buff.ly/2qff7gb… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
15th November 2019
Take a look at the different ways robots are helping automotive manufacturers improve their automation processes.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
15th November 2019


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Manduka eQua Mat Towel Magic
- In stock
- In stock
The Manduka eQua microfiber towel outperforms ordinary cotton or polyester towels. Slip-resistant when moist, this super-soft microfiber towel provides extra grip for sweaty hands and feet. Use it on the mat, as a germ-free gym towel, a meditation shawl, or as a highly absorbent travel towel. The versatile eQua will keep you company through any and every endeavour.
- Standard: 72'' x 26.5''
- Designed for light to medium perspiration
- Ultra lightweight with exceptional durability
- Tightly woven fibers produces a soft, suede-like feel
- Split microfiber technology for optimized moisture absorption, evaporation, and wet-grip
To Use: To enhance the slip-resistant qualities of the fabric, spray with water to dampen before each additional use.
To Wash: Manduka recommends washing eQuaή Towels with like colors before first use. Machine wash on cold with like colors. Hang to dry (recommended) or tumble dry on low setting.


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#1. Studies have shown that doula support can help women have shorter labours and use less pain medication. Women who use doulas also tend to be more satisfied with how their labours turned out according to the Cochrane study. In another study, Doula support was linked with greater cervical dilation before women received their epidurals, (which tends to reduce the chance of a c-section) as well as higher APGAR scores for the babies at 1 and 5 minutes.
#2. A doula is there for you and only you. Well, and your family too. The doctors and nurses are there to take care of you but they also have their other tasks at the hospital to tend to and they are bound by hospital policy. A doula is there to help you have the best birth possible.
#3. What happens in Labour and Delivery, stays in Labour and Delivery. If you yell and scream and swear, even at me, I won't take it personally or judge you for it. Can you say the same for your mother or your best friend who wants to be in the delivery room with you?
#4. Continuity of care. A doula will be there with you through it all till the end. The nurses change shifts every 12 hours and often your doctor will only be there for the "last hurrah" but a doula is there from beginning to baby.
#5. You can ask a doula ANYTHING, nothing is TMI with a doula. You wouldn't believe some of the questions that I have gotten from clients. Or the pictures…But seriously, you can call or text your doula about anything. Chances are you are not the first person to ask.
The bottom line is that doulas make a difference!


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The conference came to a close on Wednesday with the annual Launch!, where 10 new digital health companies got the chance to demo their products on stage and the audience gets to text in their vote to determine a winner. This year's winner was MedWand, for their telemedicine device that enables healthcare providers to perform a physical exam via a PC or mobile device. In their demo, the doctor checked up on a patient in Nevada via video. The patient used MedWand so the doctor could examine her ear, nose, and throat and a resolved rash the patient had previously. Other Tech Startups as the finalists in Launch! Included:
- Bloom Technologies introduced their first product Belli, a personal pregnancy coach comprised of a reusable sensor and a disposable patch that women can wear in their third trimester. The sensor snaps into the patch and can be worn discretely under clothes to monitor activity, calories, stress, sleep, fetal movements, and contractions, which can all be viewed on the mobile app and sent to anyone else on the caregiving team.
- uncleCare is all about increasing patient engagement with their homecare guide and remote monitor, Heartizi. Currently specialized in Anticoagulation Therapy and looking to expand to other disorders, Heartizi is centered on a to-do list that displays the dose of Coumadin the patient needs to take that day as well as a reminder to measure and record blood pressure and self-test PT/INR. This tackles the confusion of variable doses throughout the week for Coumadin patients. Patient engagement and response to therapy can be viewed through PT/INR trendline visible both on the app and on the care managers monitor, and the patient can report information currently collected to the clinic via telephone as well as ask non-emergency questions.
- Vivor acts as a financial advisor for cancer patients to seek the financial resources they need and matches a patient based on their patient profile to funds they qualify for. Their PAPNavigator searches through hundreds of potential funds, then pulls out any that the patient can qualify for and prepopulates the application forms. Currently, cancer patients are 2.5 times more likely to go into bankruptcy than the average patient and Vivor hopes to make a dent in that number.
- PeerWell's motto is "community + science = better health". PeerWell's Mental Clarity program brings people with similar mindsets and goals together and assigns them weekly tasks based on clinically proven cognitive behavioral therapy protocols for the individual and their team to complete together, all that while chatting and supporting one another.
- Flow Health a tech startups is a network that aims to give the patient control of their health data by building a patient centered record that follows the patient everywhere and connects to providers and payers as well. Patients get to choose who has access and can revoke access if necessary. Flow Health is doing away with the usual clipboard sign in with their Patient Check-In app for the iPad, which will notify providers and send necessary updates.
- Nurx is a fast and easy way to get prescription birth control pills. Their mobile app sets up a simple health profile for the user and then asks 8 simple questions drawn straight from the CDC to help prescribe the pill. The user can choose a brand they prefer or ask the Nurx doctor to write a prescription for what they think is best. Built in the app is a HIPAA compliant messaging system with the doctor who can, if necessary, reach out to patients via a phone or video call as well. Nurx claims that the whole process, from start to delivery, can be done in 90 minutes or less. Their service is free with insurance or can be used with cash.
- Gliimpse a health tech start up is an online service that aggregates the user's entire health history from different health facilities and organizes it to create a clean, comprehensive, and simple to understand health profile. The user tells Gliimpse which health systems and vendors to pull their records from, can add documents and images to their Gliimpse, and input any of their own data to their profile. Gliimpse also creates graphs to help the patient visualize trends in various metrics overtime, such as HDL levels. Similar to Flow Health, the patient can see who is sharing their health with him, who the patient is sharing his record with, and revoke access to anyone if he so chooses.
- Docola a health tech start up believes that "knowledge is medicine". In an effort to better patient education and increase patient engagement, they have collected thousands of pieces of information on their portal, through which a provider can pick any relevant pieces and combine them into courses. The provider can then prescribe the course to their patient and track patient understanding by creating quizzes based on the course. Patients can also share their personal experiences with specific illnesses, which can also be pulled from and prescribed to similar patients.
- Sensentia demoed a fully automated inquiry system that enables members and payers to verify benefits for healthcare in real time, empowering patients and caregivers to make better health care decisions. The user submits a question via the mobile app or web and, using natural language processing, Sensentia returns all options of where to receive care and then sorts the benefits for each service.
Check my other articles on the Health 2.0 coverage here, and here.


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Military News
Brother of fallen JBLM soldier shares 'dirt therapy' with fellow vets
When Matthew Aamot learned the younger brother who followed him into the Army had been killed in Afghanistan, he wanted to "scream and cry and freeze time right there."
He and his brother had been close, sharing the same passions growing up, from raising chickens to enlisting in the military.
The death of Spc. Aaron Aamot "was the hardest thing that ever hit me," Matthew Aamot said.
Aaron Aamot was a member of Joint Base Lewis-McChord's 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. He died in November 2009, one of the last of the 22 soldiers from the battalion who were killed during a brutal combat tour.
Since that day, Matthew Aamot has been working to turn his grief into something that may help other veterans recover from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He returned to his roots, getting out on the farm and joining a Whatcom County organization called Growing Veterans. It aims to provide former troops some "dirt therapy" by learning how to grow their own food.
Out in the field, volunteers often find they're able to reconnect with what many of them enjoyed most about their time in the military: working with other people toward a shared goal.
"When you're in the military, you have a camaraderie, a brotherhood around you," said Aamot, 38. "And then it's like a brick wall hits you when you're on your own."
Founded by former Marine Chris Brown three years ago, Growing Veterans is based at a 3-acre farm in Lynden. Its volunteers also work at a separate, larger site in the Skagit Valley.
It's been getting national recognition as a leader in a veterans farming movement that has sprouted over the past few years to put former troops to work in agriculture, an industry that is bracing for turnover from an aging workforce.
Growing Veterans also sells food at farmers markets, including one that takes fresh produce to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Seattle every Thursday.
Aamot is there most weeks as the program's market manager.
"It's a great time talking to veterans there. Every week I meet somebody new, somebody different," he said.
Almost 20 years ago, Aamot served as an Army tank driver in Kuwait and Bosnia. Little brother Aaron Aamot enlisted, too, after he graduated from Ferndale High School in 2006.
Matthew Aamot knew the risks Aaron faced when he deployed to war for the first time with JBLM's 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. The family met on Father's Day just before Aaron left, taking time for a portrait that included all eight siblings.
Aamot's fears heightened as he followed news of heavy casualties in his brother's battalion. The 1-17 lost nine soldiers that August in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, conveying to Aamot that his brother was in the thick of hard fighting.
The bad news hit even closer to home that fall while Aaron Aamot traveled back to Afghanistan after his mid-tour home leave. A massive bomb on Oct. 27 killed seven soldiers and an interpreter who served with Aamot in the battalion's Charlie Company. He knew all of them well.
"I don't think any of us grasped how bad it was" until then, Matthew Aamot said.
Aaron Aamot went out on a patrol shortly after he returned to his company. On Nov. 5, a buried bomb hit the Stryker vehicle he was riding in, flipping it and igniting a fire that burned for a day.
The bomb killed him and Spc. Gary Gooch while wounding two more soldiers. A reporter from National Public Radio was riding along on the mission and aired a story days later describing the care soldiers took with their killed friends after the explosion.
Aaron Aamot was 22 years old.
The blast left a permanent mark on his family. Two more brothers, Dale and Ethan, would follow Matthew and Aaron into the Army, deploying to Afghanistan in 2011. They came home safely after a year in combat.
Matthew Aamot built a network with other veterans from his brother's battalion. He stays in touch with them and encourages them in their different approaches to rebuilding their lives at home after war.
He traveled to Olympia in March, where he joined Mark Oravksy, another veteran from the Stryker brigade, at a conference that promoted farming as a therapy and a career for troops.
"It helps without even thinking about it," Aamot said.
On a recent day at the Lynden farm, he walked through rows of zucchini and kale, looking for ripe vegetables ready for market. He gave advice to this summer's volunteers, pointing out weeds that needed to be pulled and vegetables that had to be picked.
The former soldiers and Marines on the farm that day looked relaxed, working together to care for their farm.
"Out of that tragedy has some come some really good things," Aamot said. "This is a place to combat veteran isolation with solid peer support."
Adam Ashton: 253-597-8646


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On this week's long-awaited episode, the FAwLcast gang welcomes a very special guest, ManchilD Brewing's own Adam Brinker to discuss Phantasm 5, The Wu-Tang Clan, and most importantly, talk trash on the Too Fat Dudez.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
Episode 193: LAMF
On this week's episode, fawlcast discusses their Thanksgiving holidays, playing pogs, and discuss how bad their sworn enemies are.
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Labels: drunken trivia, idiots review amazon, joke of the week, pogs, tfd, thanksgiving, what the florida
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In our minds we are continually chattering with ourselves, and the purpose of meditation is to stop it. To begin with, maybe we try to concentrate on a single subject-the flame of a candle, the row of peas we are weeding, our own breath. When other subjects float up to distract us, we escape them by simply taking note of them and then letting them float away without thinking about them. We keep returning to the in-and-out of our breathing until there is no room left in us for anything else. To the candle flame until we ourselves start to flicker and burn. To the weeds until we become only a pair of grubby hands pulling them. In time we discover that we are no longer chattering.
If we persist, every once and so often we may find ourselves entering the suburbs of a state where we are conscious but no longerconscious of anything in particular, where we have let go of almost everything.
The end of meditation is to become empty enough to be filled with the kind of stillness the Psalmist has in mind when he says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (46:10).
~originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words