text:
Stuart Ramsey
published: 31 Mar 2017 in Movers and Shakers
A BIG heart and a warm smile will always welcome you at Turangga Farm and at the stud's famous Inglis Easter Sales marquee, where a signature steak and glass of good red awaits, along with your no-nonsense yet effervescent host, Stuart Ramsey.
Based in the Segenhoe Valley near Scone, Turangga Farm, which means 'horse' in Indonesian, has long been home to top quality bloodstock.
Stallions who stood there in earlier years include Taj Rossi and Twig Moss (FR). Since the property was purchased by Ramsey Pastoral in 2003, we've seen a plethora of black type winners come off Turangga, led by Hong Kong Champion Able Friend, Sky Cuddle, Headway and Karuta Queen. Here, we learn more about the man behind Turangga's success, Stuart Ramsey, his life-changing events, racetrack triumphs and plans for the future.
Q: Stuart, most people in the industry know you're a self-made pastoral mogul and respected horse breeder who loves a good steak, medium rare of course, a red and a chat. What's your back-story?
A: "Being a kid in Casino I grew up with horses and cattle, so the interest has always been there. My father was a local butcher and I did a lot of work with him after school, on Saturday's and school holidays in between going to pony club or riding track work as a teenager. "After leaving Casino High in Year 10 and going to college, my career began at Elders as an auctioneer. After that I started my own stock agency, bought a property at Condobolin, and got married in 1978, but we eventually sold that property and moved back to Casino. In 1985 I then went into buying, selling and processing cattle from abattoirs, which grew quickly from Casino, to Wagga, Forbes, Gunnedah and eventually Grafton.
By 1987-88 we were exporting huge amounts of packaged meat, equating to 7000 cattle per week, domestically and internationally to Japan. All the while though I had a keen interest in breeding, trading and racing thoroughbreds on the side. Looking back on it all, I don't know how I worked those long hours and got through it in one piece."
Q: When did things start taking off with the thoroughbreds?
A: "I raced my first horse in 1976, one I leased with a mate Geoff Boal. His name was Lewmac and he won the Wonboyn and Coleambally Cups in NSW. In 1978 I bought a few cheap horses with my friend Lenny Peck, from the Inglis tried horses sale, and we got a lot of success out of it and it just grew slowly from there.
"We used to run our broodmares at Casino and at Coolmore in the Hunter Valley. When Colin Hayes had a dispersal sale in 1991-92 I bought two Bluebird mares, one was Song of Freedom. I put her to Umatilla and this mating produced Wichita. She ended up running third to Sunline in the 1998 Furious Stakes, so it was around this time when we really got going with them."
Q: You got even more serious in 2003 and purchased 283ha (700 acres) in the heart of the Hunter's Segenhoe Valley, known as Turangga Farm. What was the objective, and how did you build it to be the success that it is today?
A: "I wanted to build a boutique thoroughbred farm with my family, and the opportunity came up to buy Turannga. Considering the history of the place for producing good horses and the general set up, we jumped on it because we'd been looking for a while for the right sort of property. The plan was to run it as personal boutique stud, rather than one with client horses on it, so my son John and I really had a crack from there onwards.
"Today we've got between 75-80 broodmares (by the time we sell a few mares) and wean about 50-60 yearlings per year which we then prepare for the major sales at Inglis and Magic Millions. Any yearlings we don't sell or purchase a share in, we'll race in our green, yellow and white colours.
Q: Speaking of racing in the green, yellow and white colours, you've been lucky enough to own some handy ones over the years including Gr.1 mares Ancient Song (2003 Salinger Stakes), Sky Cuddle (2004 Emirates Stakes) and Cinque Cento (2007 Doomben Cup).
A: "Yep, they were terrific mares and we were lucky enough to have Peter Moody train them, which helped put him on the map too. The thrill of racing and then breeding from them later on is second to none."
Q: Breeding a Gr.1 winner is a dream for any breeder, and Mr Murphy was your first in 2001, how satisfying was that?
A: "It's what every breeder strives for. We bred him, he was by Danehill out of Marscay's Dream by Marscay. He was sold to Gooree Farm for $300,000 and trained by Lee Freedman. The horse won three Gr.1 events. There may have been a small fish bowl filled with red wine consumed after his Australian Guineas win. It was good times with him!"
Q: What have been some of your other key successes?
A: "Breeding Able Friend has been a big highlight. He's won five Gr.1s and was named 2015 Hong Kong Horse of the Year. He probably would have won more had he not be sidelined with injuries. We bred Sky Cuddle and raced her. She was the most pleasing for me as she won the Emirates Stakes-Gr.1, a Gr.2, a Gr.3 and placed fourth in a Cox Plate to Makybe Diva. Karuta Queen was a good mare too, winning the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. There have been plenty
of others, but we'll leave it there."
Q: You've set a couple of impressive sale records in recent years, which is not a bad effort for a boutique farm!
A: "Thank you. We sold Kangarilla Joy (Lonhro-Midnight Joy by Zeditave) as a yearling in 2014 for $840,000, which was a new record for a filly by her sire and the other was the $1.6m Sepoy colt out of Ancient Song (Canny Lad), who set a southern hemisphere record for a first season sire yearling last year. We were very lucky, but the staff also put in the long hours to get them in good order and parade so it's a great achievement for everyone involved.
Q: You've managed to take a step back from the day to day running of Turangga Farm now. How do you find the right balance working with family?
A: "I've seen so many kids ruined by up from overbearing fathers and grandfathers. You've just got to give them a chance in life and let them do it their way sometimes, so I've made an effort to step back and let John take the reins. Everyone knows John and I have had our rows, but he's doing a good job and I'm giving him the space to do it.
"I'm still involved in the business of course, I plan our mare matings with John, deal with clients and attend all the sales. I'm yet to find someone who likes a red wine and a good steak better than me, so I make sure our guests are well fed and watered at our Easter sales marquee. My father was a people's person and I like people, so I try to make everyone happy and feel welcomed. It's a part of the job I love."
Q: Unfortunately the Ramsey family suffered a tragic loss in 2007 when your 18 year-old daughter Sherilee unexpectedly lost her life through natural causes. How did you deal with such a life-changing event and how did it change your perspective on life?
A: "First of all you've got to keep the family together. You see, so many families lose a child and then break up. It's one of the reasons why I sold the abattoir and meat-trading business, because I wanted to be around my wife, kids and grandkids more. You get a different outlook on life, and it changes you immensely. Life's no longer all about work and making money. I've since tried to slow down, live each day as it is and travel a bit.
"Looking back, about 2500 people turned up to Sherilee's funeral. It was unbelievable and I get emotional thinking about it. Sherilee's school, St Hilda's, was very supportive and the support from the racing fraternity, well it was like having a second family who rallied around you. Plenty of racing people knew Sherilee because she'd been in Sydney with us helping out in the marquee over the years. People came from miles and miles, overseas and everything. We were very appreciative. I miss her every day."
Q: Two weeks after Sherilee's passing, Cinque Cento saluted in the Doomben Cup-Gr.1 for you, and you also bred Champagne Stakes-Gr.2 winner Keiki and Doomben Roses-Gr.3 heroine Lasoron on the same card. What a day to remember.
A: "It was a pretty special day . . . very special. You just don't get days like that too often. Winning any Gr.1 race is good, but this was a bit more special after what had happened. Words can't describe it.
Q: You've got a great love for the Australian landscape and cattle haven't you?
A: "I sure do, I bought 400,000 acres (161,874ha) in Windorah West Queensland a couple of years ago where you'll see cattle, wild pigs, donkeys, and dingos roaming. I bought it because I've got nine grandkids growing up, with one on the way, and I want to show them the sort of life I had growing up. Plus it also gets me out of John's hair and allows him to run the farm."
Q: What career advice would you give to those starting out in the thoroughbred industry?
A: "Whether you want to be a trainer, vet, breeder, or whatever it is, find out who the best is in that field and learn whatever you can from them. Also, get out of bed early, put in the hours at work and use your common sense, these things will take you a long way."
Q: Are there any Turangga-bred or owned horses we should follow this season?
A: "The Virginian has turned out to be a good horse, although he's best suited for the autumn. He won his maiden and ran third in the Stradbroke to Under the Louvre and Black Heart Bart at just his fourth start.
"We're looking forward to getting to the bottom of War Hero too and John is training him. Glenall, a three year-old colt by Redoute's Choice from the Spinning World mare Our Quivira, trained by Les Bridge, is exciting. He's only had one start for one win, but he won by almost four lengths at Canterbury and Les and John think he's the most promising horse we've had. He's also the grandson of Wichita, that good mare I mentioned earlier."
Q: What does the future hold for Turangga Farm?
A: "We've spent a lot of time over the years building up a quality broodmare band and matching them to the right type of sires so we take pride in producing top quality yearlings for sale each year at Magic Millions and Inglis. We've stood a couple of stallions, Zizou the most successful, but decided to focus on broodmares and yearlings because it's too hard to compete in the stallion business with the bigger farms. We do hold shares in a few stallions if we can, and at the moment we've got shares in All Too Hard, Vancouver, and Nicconi, so we naturally support these guys with some of our mares.
"John's also got a trainers' licence, so we'll also see a few horses race under his guidance. But it's really all about the mares and yearlings for us and we'll continue to sell for as long as we can." n
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Oscar Pistorius hopes to have place at London Olympics
- From the section Athletics
Oscar Pistorius hopes to have done enough to qualify for the London Olympics after again running the 400m 'A' qualification time.
In November, South Africa's Olympic Committee (Sascoc) said their athletes must run the qualifying time three months before the Games.
Double-amputee Pistorius, 25, ran a time of 45.20 seconds, just inside the qualification standard of 45.30.
"This is a huge moment for me and I am trying to take it all in," he said.
Pistorius, who runs in carbon fibre blades, beat the qualifying time in July, earning a place at the 2011 World Championships to become the first amputee to compete.
Sascoc chief executive Tubby Reddy said if he ran it again within three months of the Games, which start on 27 July, he would qualify.
Pistorius achieved the required time at the Provincial Championships for Gauteng North in a selection event for the South African National Championships.
He added: "I am absolutely thrilled to have run the Olympic qualification time.
"I am looking forward to hopefully being confirmed by Sascoc as a member of the South African Olympic team and I will do everything I can to train and prepare to the best of my ability.
"I would be proud to compete for my country at the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
West Ham United 1-0 Swansea City: Cheikhou Kouyate wonder strike eases Hammers' relegation fears
By Richard Morgan
Last Updated: 08/04/17 11:20pm
Cheikhou Kouyate's first-half strike sealed a nail-biting 1-0 win for West Ham United over Swansea City at the London Stadium to ease the Hammers' relegation fears.
The Senegal international scored a brilliant long-range effort just before half-time to bring to an end a dreadful recent run of five straight Premier League defeats.
As a result, the Hammers have moved up to 14th in the table, eight points from the drop zone, while Swansea - who were toothless in attack all afternoon - remain two points from safety after a fifth away defeat in a row.
West Ham had Michail Antonio available after the forward was forced off against Arsenal due to illness.
However, Andy Carroll was only fit enough for a place on the bench after also having to be substituted early in their midweek loss at the Emirates, with Robert Snodgrass replacing the striker in the Hammers' only change.
The home side, though, were still without the likes of first-team regulars Aaron Cresswell, Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna and Pedro Obiang due to injury.
Meanwhile, Swansea had top scorer Fernando Llorente back on the substitutes' bench after recovering from a recent ankle problem, and right-back Kyle Naughton was passed fit to play after injuring his hamstring in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
And the visitors - who were unchanged from midweek - were also boosted by the news that No 1 Lukasz Fabianski, who took a heavy knock in that defeat, could start in goal.
Not surprisingly, with so much at stake in the game, both sides made a cagey start to proceedings in the sunshine with neither 'keeper tested in the opening quarter of an hour.
Gradually, though, the Hammers grew in confidence and came close to opening the scoring after 20 minutes.
However, after Antonio had done well to work some space in the box and swing a cross to the far post, Fabianski was alert on his goal-line to keep out Snodgrass' close-range header.
The Poland international then had to be equally agile to keep out Andre Ayew's well-struck shot on the half-hour mark as West Ham started to increase the pressure on their opponents.
And that pressure did finally tell in the last minute of the half as West Ham broke the deadlock thanks to Kouyate's first Premier League goal of the season, and what a strike it was too.
The midfielder played a neat one-two with Snodgrass, before collecting his return pass, striding forward and thumping an unstoppable 25-yard effort past a helpless Fabianski.
Swansea manager Paul Clement reacted to that setback by bringing on both Luciano Narsingh and Llorente at the break to beef up the visitors' attacking options, but to little effect.
If there was any team, though, who looked like scoring in the second half, then it was West Ham, who shook off the loss of key forward Antonio to a hamstring injury five minutes before the break to test Fabianski on several occasions.
However, the Swans' keeper was at his agile best to twice deny Ayew late on as West Ham recorded just a second home win in the league in their last seven games.
Player ratings
West Ham: Randolph (6), Byram (6), Fonte (8), Collins (7), Masuaku (6), Kouyate (7), Noble (7), Antonio (7), Lanzini (9), Snodgrass (6), Ayew (7)
Subs used: Feghouli (7), Calleri (7), Fernandes (6)
Swansea: Fabianski (8), Naughton (6), Mawson (6), Fernandez (7), Olsson (6), Fer (7), Cork (6), Carroll (6), Sigurdsson (7), Ayew (6), Routledge (7)
Subs used: Montero (7), Narsingh (7), Llorente (6)
Man of the Match: Manuel Lanzini
The battle for The Masters is hotter than ever before. Watch every drive, chip and putt from Augusta in the battle for the coveted Green Jacket on NOW TV. Watch live from just £6.99.


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CREC/Velocis Sign Intech as Anchor Tenant to One Clearlake Centre; Relocate Corporate HQ from CityPlace Tower
CREC – Florida's leading, independent, full-service commercial real estate firm – today announced that it has signed Intech Investment Management LLC, a global investment management firm with approximately $50 billion under management, as the anchor tenant to One Clearlake Centre in West Palm Beach's downtown core
Following its long-term tenancy at CityPlace Tower, Intech is relocating its corporate headquarters to the 221,079-square-foot One Clearlake Centre, which is jointly owned by CREC in partnership with private equity real estate manager Velocis. The deal includes Intech taking One Clearlake's top two floors, totaling approximately 25,000 square feet, with building exterior signage. The firm is scheduled to occupy its new space September 1, 2019.
"Intech truly scrutinized all of their viable options and conducted an intense broad property sweep before they made the decision to select One Clearlake Centre as their new corporate headquarters," said Carol Greenberg Brooks, president and co-founder of CREC, which also oversees leasing and management of the property. "Central factors that guided the company to relocate were cost efficiency, a best-in-class office opportunity, and proximity to a variety of easily-accessed transportation options for their employees."
CREC and Velocis, which acquired the asset in July 2017, recently embarked on a multi-million-dollar, extensive capital improvement plan to dramatically transform the property that is anticipated to be completed by February 2019.
"It is encouraging to see that the investments we're making at One Clearlake Centre are already resulting in major leasing activity," said Mike Lewis, principal, Velocis. "As we continue to implement our repositioning strategy, we anticipate that leasing momentum will remain strong as tenants continue to flock to Downtown West Palm Beach."
"After many years at CityPlace Tower, we made the decision to move to One Clearlake Centre based on the variety of unique property offerings, including ease of access for clients and employees to a variety of transportation outlets, and the high-level service given to tenants, which mirrors our brand," said Justin Wright, chief operating officer and general counsel with Intech.
At the time of purchase, the 19-story office tower, located at 250 South Australian Avenue, was at 47 percent occupancy. Today, with the addition of Intech, the building is at 68 percent as demand for upgraded office space and high-level tenant services continues to climb. Significant improvements to the building include new lobby areas, corridors and bathrooms, a creative tenant lounge, conference center and gym, as well as the integration of CREC's exclusive wellness program, "Deeper Breath."
As one of the tallest buildings in the market, One Clearlake Centre affords tenants an ideal location in the West Palm Beach downtown area, with panoramic views of Clear Lake, the city skyline and Atlantic Ocean. The property offers easy access to and from Interstate 95, providing efficient ingress/egress, and is minutes from Clematis Street, CityPlace, and the area's hottest restaurants, shopping and entertainment district. Additionally, transportation options are paramount, with TriRail and the newly-constructed Brightline station in close proximity. Built in 1986, One Clearlake Centre includes a 5-story, 662-space parking garage. The property is LEED Silver certified and EnergyStar rated.
About CREC
CREC is the leading, independent, full-service commercial real estate company in Florida with offices in Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville. Since its founding in 1989, CREC has provided fully-integrated real estate services, including brokerage, leasing, management, tenant representation, receiverships, workouts, as well as debt and equity financing. The company continues to uphold its mission of being "Your Florida Partner" through its commitment to providing clients with unrivaled service and a streamlined approach. Through the years, CREC has built a portfolio of more than 13 million square feet across 100-plus properties throughout Florida. For more information, visit www.crec.com.
About Velocis
Velocis consists of two entities: Velocis Funds and Velocis Advisors. Velocis Funds are private equity real estate funds, active in the acquisition, operation/management, and disposition of commercial real estate in the United States. Additionally, Velocis Advisors provides asset management and advisory services to both investors and real estate clients. Additional information about Velocis can be found at velocis.com.


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Now scarcely a day passes without someone citing Ms. Jacobs' monumental work, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities." But she wrote a lot more than one book in her time. Some geniuses do their best work piece by piece. Others just look around and report what they see, and that is far more than enough. She made a whole passel of distinguished adversaries in her time, the way this state's highway department can still be counted on to oppose any ideas but its own. To quote the urban historian
Where did she come from?
Dilatory but difficult, she was independent in the best way possible -- wandering about on her own. She was an amateur -- that is, one who loved what she was doing without any pretense of making a step-by-step academic career of it.
Then came the war in
Knowing the ever polite Canadians, all concerned doubtless behaved respectfully. Lord only knows what would have happened down here south of the
It's all a wonderful cautionary tale, one to be long treasured by devoted fans of both countries, each so different in their own respective and respectful ways. With much to teach citizens/subjects of both domains. Nothing, it seems, is so impressive as good manners, and nothing so impressive as bad ones.
What about you? Seen anything interesting of late -- either to you or anyone else? If not, why not? Could it be because you, unlike
Comment by clicking here.
Paul Greenberg is the Pulitzer-winning editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.


text:
- Research
- Open Access
- Open Peer Review
The trend and features of physician workforce supply in China: after national medical licensing system reform
- Chengxiang Tang1, 2 and
- Daisheng Tang3Email author
© The Author(s). 2018
- Received: 24 April 2017
- Accepted: 13 March 2018
- Published: 3 April 2018
The annual number of newly licensed physicians is an important indicator of medical workforce supply, which can accurately reflect an inflow into the health care market over a period. In order to both regulate medical professions and improve the quality of health care services, China established its medical licensing system from the point of the implementation of 'Law on Practising Doctors' in 1999. The objective of this study is to depict the trend and structure of newly licensed physicians thereafter.
This study analyses a unique census data set that provides the headcount of newly licensed physicians from 2005 to 2015 in China. We also review a short history of medical licensing system reform in China since the 1990s.
The annual number of first-time licensed physicians in China increased from 159 489 in 2005 to 221 639 in 2015. Up to 2015, over half of newly licensed physicians had not received a medical education equivalent to a bachelor degree or higher. Around 51% of China's newly licensed physicians were female in 2005, while the same ratio for females in 2015 was 56%.
This article first provides an exploratory analysis of physician inflow into health care market in China using physician licensing data. The medical licensing system in China allows entering physicians with a broad range of educational levels. Moreover, the feminisation of the physician supply in China has become increasingly apparent and its impacts on health care provision still require more rigorous examination.
- Physician supply
- Licensing
- Medical examination
- China
The health care industry is a labour-intensive sector, and thus, human resources for health planning is a critical process in developing strategies to meet health care demands [1]. Among the various types of human resources for health, the physician workforce is an essential part [2]. Therefore, monitoring changes of the trend and characteristics of the physician supply deserves more attention by both policymakers and researchers, because the current size of supply flow is critical in setting policies to address a shortage or oversupply of physicians. Specifically, this is rather important in China to examine these changes in physicians because the country has a huge ageing population that implies increasing health care demands need to be met [3].
A potentially less difficult way to the above monitoring of supply approach is to investigate the annual number of newly licensed physicians, which is formulated by the medical occupational regulation [4]. Through the lens, we can precisely observe the inflow of first-time licensed physicians into the health workforce over a certain time period. Many countries have developed a similar way to monitor the supply, attrition and retention of the physician workforce [5–7]. However, there has been no such study charting of the physician workforce supply in terms of newly licensed physicians over time since the launch of the medical licensing system in China in 2001.
This study aims to address this gap in the literature. To explore the trend and features of physicians, we first reviewed a short history of medical licensing system reform in China since the 1990s. Our study further analyses a unique census data set that provides the headcount of newly licensed physicians from 2005 to 2015 in China. Specifically, this study aims to provide an aggregate description of the trend and current situation in the field of the physician workforce supply in China. This paper offers a useful snapshot of the recent supply of the physician workforce flow, suggesting trends over time that may benefit many different stakeholders in China.
History and origin of the licensing system
Like many other countries, occupational regulation in China generally consists of two approaches that include certification and licensing [8]. To put it simply, the certification system allows any person to practise the relevant job and uncertified individuals carry no legal consequences for practising. The licensing system, however, is a type of more restrictive occupational regulation, in which performing a job without a license is illegal and will be punished. In China, both certification and licensing for the health workforce are regulated by the governments. Moreover, an individual entering into a licensing occupation often requires basic educational or training prerequisites, qualifications in licensing examinations, or even a couple of years of internship and residency in professional facilities.
The modern occupational regulation in China was initiated in the 1950s, and at that time, the certification of occupations prevailed. There was no functioning labour market under the planned economy in China before the 1980s, in which rationed entry of medical students generally made the licensing system irrelevant for the physician workforce. The licensing system in occupational regulation was first introduced in China by the labour department of central government in the 1990s [9–11]. Unlike China, the licensing regulation system, including licensing examinations, has been implemented in the UK and other major European countries for over a century. Even compared with some east-Asian countries and regions, China has a much shorter history in medical licensing—Japan and Korea started such occupational regulation licensing system in the 1940s; Taiwan and Hong Kong adopted similar regulations thereafter [12, 13].
The common justification in economic theory for occupational regulation, especially the licensing of medical professions, is to guarantee a minimum quality of standards [14, 15]. Due to information asymmetry prevailing in medical practice, it is difficult for consumers to assess the basic level of health care quality, whereas it is an alternative—and easier—option to regulate standards of human resources input in health care production. Theoretically and practically, a medical licensing system aims to ensure that doctors have required knowledge and skills to practise medicine for patients safely and effectively [16].
China's medical licensing reform
There were only a few occupations, such as accounting, architecture and medicine that implemented licensing regulations in the middle of the 1990s. Because of its importance for the population's health and its prestige in society, the occupation of physicians was one of the first to introduce licensing regulations. The Doctors Qualification Examination in China was first introduced in 1996 to evaluate and certify the applicant's professional knowledge. The 9th National People's Congress approved the 'Law on Practising Doctors' in 1998 and brought it into force on May 1, 1999. However, the complete medical examination that tests the skills of clinical practice was not implemented 2 years later in 2001.
This reform around 2000 legitimately established the medical licensing system for China and addressed the call for improving the quality of a trained workforce after a school-based medical education in the 1990s [17]. At present, a doctor in China who wants to get a full license to practise medicine should meet a minimum number of requirements, including graduation from an accredited medical school, residency experience or the successful completion of a period of practice under supervision of licensed doctors, and a National Medical Examination qualification certificate [18]. However, residency or internship training programmes that attempt to cover all medical graduates in China is still under development [19].
Due to the adoption of a national medical licensing system, it should be easier to illustrate the trend and features of the physician supply. The number of people who obtained licensing certificates consistently predicts the supply of the physician workforce [6], regardless of whether doctors are defined as those who are qualified in a licensing examination and are registered at a county or higher-level health authority as either licensed doctors or licensed assistant doctors.
Previously, the enrolment of medical students could not precisely predict the physician supply when a licensing system was absent. In a well-known study published by The Lancet, Anand and his colleagues estimated that nearly one third (206 000 out of 674 000) of college and university graduates in medical-related fields during 2000–2005 were not practising as doctors [3]. Therefore, the annual number of newly licensed physicians is an important indicator of medical workforce supply, which can accurately reflect an inflow into the health care market over a certain period of time.
Data sources
In view of the scope and objectives of this study, it was important to collect information from a reliable source. Instead of collecting information from reports and yearbooks published by the government [20], the National Medical Examination Centre of China maintains a comprehensive, central repository of data from every province involved with the applicants. The database contains gender, age, educational and specialty category information, as well as examination qualification information about every candidate who sits exam. The repository is unique in that it is the only national database consisting of the most up-to-date information from every province that has granted new physicians a medical license to practice in the authority's region. In order to obtain an accurate count of new physicians, our study gathers the census data set that provides the number of newly licensed physicians from 2005 to 2015.
Descriptive analyses
The main outcome measure was the number of newly licensed doctors in broad occupational groups, including clinical physicians (both licensed physician and licensed assistant physician), dentists (both licensed physician and licensed assistant physician) and public health physicians (both licensed physician and licensed assistant physician) overall.1 The newly licensed doctors are those who have passed both the written examination and the clinical skills test. In China, an individual becomes a licensed physician generally after the successful completion of the National Medical Examination and following registration at the practising site. In our study, however, we do not differentiate the number of physicians who obtained new licenses and the number of physicians who registered locally to practise after becoming licensed. One more point needs to be noted: that is, that the data did not include the category of physicians who practise Traditional Chinese Medicine. As discussed in the introduction, the number of newly licensed physicians is a consistent and most important indicator to illustrate the supply flow of the physician workforce, as it is believed that an individual needs to invest a large amount of time and effort to pass the National Medical Examination and thus to obtain a physician's license [6, 7].
This study used simple headcounts of newly licensed physicians to calculate and chart the trends from 2005 to 2015. In the original data set, there are eight categories of educational level. We deleted three categories, namely traditional medicine or traditionally specialised expertise, no record of formal medical schooling, and that of data not available (less than 0.01% in total). Then we merged the remaining five categories into three in the final calculation, which were bachelor or above, vocational diploma level and second vocational diploma (SVD). The level of bachelor or above refers to at least 4 years' training at formal medical universities. We aggregated bachelor, master degree and PhD levels because the latter two only account for around 3% for each year. The vocational diploma level indicates 3 years of medical education at junior colleges. One more important difference between bachelor level and vocational diploma level is the average quality of entering students, in which the average scores for admission into the former school courses are substantially higher than those of the latter courses, based on national college entrance examination (CEE).
One point which needs to be noted is that the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) and the WHO have defined and required that both General/Specialist Medical Practitioners require completion of a university-level degree (or a Bachelor) in basic medical education [21, 22]. However, this definition contradicts with the facts in China. Based on 'The Law for Licensing Medical Practitioner' (1999), the officials allow medical graduates from non-university, non-degree-oriented program to become assistant doctors, then assistant doctors have the chance to obtain the full doctor licensure after they accumulate certain years of work experience and pass an examination. It is expected that this explanation could be helpful to avoid any confusion.
The data also excluded three cases that reported no information on the gender in 2014. The percentages of new physicians by age, medical educational level and gender were also calculated. All statistics were descriptive. Stata 14 and Microsoft Excel 2010 were used for all analyses.
Newly licensed physicians—age structure
Percentage change of age composition in new physicians from 2005 to 2015 (%)
Age < 20
20<=Age < 30
30<=Age < 40
40<=Age < 50
Newly licensed physician—educational background
Figure 2 shows that in 2005, one third of new physicians graduated from SVD medical schools, more than one third graduated from vocational diploma level medical schools, and nearly one third obtained a medical education equivalent to a bachelor degree or higher. Until 2015, the majority of new physicians (47%) had an entry-level or bachelor degree of medicine, whereas over half of newly licensed physicians had not received a medical education equivalent to a bachelor degree or the higher.
Newly licensed physician—gender composition
Newly licensed physician—deployment in the facilities
Newly licensed physician deployment in the facilities (%)
Facility type
Community health centres
Township hospitals
Emergency departments
Blood banks
Maternal and children health care facilities
Specialised health institutes
Health inspection institutes
Medial education facilities
Health promotion facilities
Other health facilities
NGO for health
Not available
In order to both regulate medical occupations and improve the quality of health care services, China established its medical licensing system with the implementation of the 'Law on Practising Doctors' in 2001. The present study aims to depict the trend and structure of newly licensed physicians thereafter. Our results show that the annual number of first-time licensed physicians in China increased from the year 2005 to 2015. In addition, over half of newly licensed physicians have not received a medical education equivalent to a bachelor degree until in 2015. Around 51% of China's newly licensed physicians were female in 2005, while this ratio increased to 56% in 2015.
Medical educational issue of newly licensed physicians
The results provide a number of new insights. The first topic that needs to be discussed is the heterogeneity of the medical education of entering physicians. Among those new physicians in 2015, half of them have not received a medical education equivalent to a bachelor degree. Nearly one out of five new physicians has completed only secondary level of education (SVD part). Over one out of three new physicians has received vocational diploma education at junior colleges. As mentioned above, both the quality of entering students to vocational diploma programs and the quality of the programs themselves are not a quarter as good as the quality of medical education equivalent to a bachelor degree.
Both theoretical and empirical studies have demonstrated that quality of physicians can significantly influence the quality of care. Theoretically, the milestone paper in health economics proposed that four variables in the market for physicians determine the health care provisions, which are price, the quality of entering medical students, the quality of medical education, and quantity [23]. A recent paper systematically reviewed relevant studies and also suggested that heterogeneous physicians impose several 'hidden costs' to the health sector in China, including transaction costs, trust, information costs, cost of defensive medicines, and additional time costs allocated to travel and long waiting time [24]. Empirically, a study using unannounced standardised patients found that poor-quality care in China's rural clinics can be attributed to the educational attainment and medical qualification of clinicians [25].
This is uncommon phenomena in most high-income countries, as physicians are a homogeneous group in that they receive almost the same level of education training no matter where they practise. It is for certain that more professional health workers are needed in a developing country, like China, but it has become clear that efforts to scale up health professionals' education should not only increase the quantity of doctors, but also ensure their quality in terms of medical education. A delicate balance between the quality of care (medical elitism) and access (equity of providers) exists, and China placed more weight on the latter [19]. A similar case is that the US Flexner Report in 1910 promoted the closure of medical schools at secondary level across all states [26]. As a result, our paper suggests that the reform of medical education is a priority for China to keep improving the performance of its health care system.
Feminisation of the physician workforce supply
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that provides evidence on the feminisation of the physician workforce supply in China. If the trend of 12% difference between male and female new physicians keeps or even continues to increase, the inflow will definitely influence gender composition of the stock of physicians. This considerable phenomena of feminisation trend in the physician workforce has been explored in a number of studies in many developed and some developing countries, and it has been found that female physicians work fewer hours and with a lower workload than their male counterparts, especially in the primary care workforce [27–29]. A recent systematic review summarised the impact of the feminisation of the primary care physician workforce on service supply and showed a small negative impact of feminisation on the availability of primary health care services in developed countries [30]. Another empirical paper also investigated feminisation of the medical workforce in three African capital cities and found a trend of feminisation and anticipated more rigorous studies in low- and middle-income settings [31].
This paper can provide only a direct observation on the change of physicians; it is difficult to give any solid conclusion about its impact on health care provision in China utilising our data for at least two reasons: First, the degree of productive substitution that occurs between genders and the rate of feminisation still remain to be examined; second, the feminisation of various medical specialties should have more implications for a physician workforce productivity study. Thus, more studies on both the stock and dynamics of physicians' gender composition are warranted in China.
Next steps of reform
The National Medical Examination is an important progressive step in the implementation of the medical licensing system. At present, there are two major reforms of the examination that are under development. First, a pilot of a two-stage National Medical Examination that recruited 33 universities has been conducted. Previously, an applicant needed 1 year of work experience before he or she could take the one-stage exam. For medical students graduated from those 33 universities, there are separate stages of the exam before and after the 1-year residency programme [32]. Second, it has been reported that applicants should be granted two chances in the written examinations, given the low pass rate in the annual medical examination (around 20%) [33]. Nonetheless, it seems this policy may still be under discussion. In summary, reforms on improving both the quality and quantity of newly licensed physicians are in progress.
This is the first study to examine the supply trend and supply structure of newly licensed physicians after occupational regulation reform in China. Although this study is based on a national census data set that has hardly any bias, it was limited by only a few variables of newly licensed physicians. Due to a lack of data, it would be a great advantage if further topics could be explored in the near future, such as geographical distribution, specialty mix and mobility of newly licensed physicians. Moreover, the full-time equivalent of working hours is still a standard method of measuring productivity of health care and thus to describe the supply of health manpower and accurately project the physician workforce supply in China.
This article provides an exploratory analysis of physician inflow into the health care market in China using the most recent physician licensing data. The establishment of a medical licensing system is undoubtedly an appropriate approach to control for the quantity of people allowed to enter the physician workforce with a minimum standard of education quality. Our investigation may inform policymakers of human resources for health in at least two aspects: first, policymakers need to pay more attention to the heterogeneity of the medical education of entering physicians; second, the feminisation of the physician supply in China has become increasingly apparent and its impacts on health care provision still require more rigorous examination. This study contributes a useful observation of changes in the physician workforce in China while being helpful in improving future policies on medical occupational regulation in terms of both quantity and educational structure.
Licensing doctors includes four categories: clinical physicians, dentists, public health physicians and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors. This study did not include TCM physicians as they were categorized under CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine). Please refer to http://www.gov.cn/banshi/2005-08/02/content_19310.htm
The authors would like to thank National Medical Examination Center for the kind cooperation with the data sharing. We also thank Professor Dong Xu for his kind comments.
This research was supported by Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71704143).
Availability of data and materials
The data is not available for this project.
Authors' contributions
DT conceived the idea of this project, CT designed the experiment; CT applied for the data set; CT and DT further analysed the data and wrote the paper. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
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text: Mungwarere: prosecuting crimes against humanity in CanadaHuman Rights . . . Here & There October 8, 2012|Written By Sonya Nigam It is one thing to write an academic critique of the Genocide Convention, or to debate the merits of different forms of transitional justice; it is another thing altogether to be present in a courtroom, trying to comprehend that a small, unthreatening-looking man sitting calmly only a few feet away is the same person accused of participating in a mass slaughter of human beings. Through our summer Public Interest Law/Human Rights Fellowship, law student Janine Lespérance had the unique opportunity to monitor and provide regular web updates on the trial of Jacques Mungwarere for the Canadian Centre for International Justice. This trial is only the second to be conducted under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act.Mungwarere, arrested in Windsor, Ont., is charged with genocide and crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He is accused of being one of the murderers in the April 16 massacre at the Mugonero church and hospital complex — an incident in which some estimate 3,000 people were killed — and of partaking in the subsequent, systematic hunting down of any Tutsis who had until then eluded death. The trial began in late spring. Between May and July, one American expert on Rwanda, three RCMP investigators, and eight Rwandan witnesses testified for the Crown. The trial was then adjourned and will resume Oct. 9, when the defence will call its first witness.Here is Lespérance's clear and thoughtful account of international criminal law in action in a Canadian courtroom:As an observer, I was free to form my own opinions on the strengths of the evidence, take note of different interrogation techniques, and closely study the reactions of witnesses to different questions. For me, the trial highlighted some of the many challenges inevitably confronted in the domestic prosecution of crimes that occurred in a different country.Even before getting to trial, the RCMP faces certain constraints in its ability to investigate crimes committed abroad. The lead investigator in this case testified that he needed to secure the approval of foreign officials to operate on their territory, and that aides supplied by the Rwandan government were used to help locate potential witnesses in an unfamiliar land. There is no doubt that cultural and linguistic barriers affect investigations, and are a factor in trials as well.Mungwarere's trial was mainly conducted in French, although the American expert and one RCMP investigator testified in English, and one of the defence lawyers sometimes raised objections in English. The Rwandan witnesses, all but one of whom testified by video link from a hotel room in Kigali, testified in Kinyarwanda, translated into French for the court by the two interpreters in Ottawa. In the case of disagreement, the Crown had its own interpreter who could be called upon. There were also translators in Rwanda, who occasionally interjected, and the accused himself would sometimes voice concern if he thought an expression had been incorrectly translated.The importance of precise translation in the trial of someone accused of what is often referred to as the "crime of crimes" cannot be overstated. One aspect of the defence strategy was to challenge the witnesses' credibility by suggesting inconsistencies between past statements and testimony in court. Defence efforts were complicated by the fact past translations of these statements were not always accurate.There was, however, plenty of material for the defence to refer to during its cross-examination. The Crown's Rwandan witnesses had previously testified about the genocide in various other contexts, such as in U.S. immigration hearings, Dutch criminal proceedings, at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the Rwanadan community-based gacaca court system. The defence pointed out when witnesses had failed to mention Mungwarere's name in prior testimony. In response, several asserted that there was no way they could have named every génocidaire they knew, because they saw so much murder.Indeed, all the Rwandan witnesses had survived truly horrific experiences, which they recounted for the court. Some seemed incredulous when challenged on the details of their account, or even reacted as though their character was under attack. The indignation of one of the witnesses, an 81-year-old woman, was obvious throughout her cross-examination. At one point she affirmed, "I'm not crazy!" with great exasperation. Another witness, after being asked about the quality of a makeshift bandage for a gunshot wound, retorted, "You think we were on a picnic?"In addition, some of the witnesses were confused about the roles of different people in the courtroom, and about why they were interrogated about individuals or matters that to them appeared to have little to do with their allegations against Mungwarere. It is remarkable that criminal trials can now be conducted with the participation of witnesses testifying from overseas. However, using video technology does have limitations. In this trial, it exacerbated misunderstandings about the legal process and its actors (witnesses abroad cannot see everything going on in the courtroom on the video screen), caused delay when the technology failed, and made it more difficult for witnesses to estimate distances using spatial references in the courtroom. The defence also objected to the way in which witnesses were asked whether they recognized Mungwarere. The camera would be focused in on him, rather than the typical request to identify the accused among the people present. One memorable moment from the trial was when one of the witnesses exclaimed, "That's him! He looks like his dad!" upon being shown Mungwarere on the screen. There was mutual recognition: he waved to her and she laughed, which was a bit puzzling. She had just recounted her narrow escape from a church under attack, and seeing Mungwarere, armed with a rifle, among the attackers.Dealing with the fact that one's neighbours committed grotesquely violent acts is a challenge that, thankfully, most Canadians have never had to confront; but it is important to realize that an estimated 1 million Canadians suffered through terrible violence in their countries of origin before coming to Canada.Trials like that of Mungwarere help to assure them that Canada is doing its part to promote accountability, deterrence, and ultimately, respect for human dignity. It contributes to the sense that, for them, Canada is a refuge.The Mungwarere trial is historic, and prompts reflection about how to overcome the difficulties inherent in the exercise of universal jurisdiction, and the best way that Canada can contribute to the construction of a global rule of law. It remains to be seen what kind of effect the verdict, and the lessons learned in the process leading up to it, will have on the future of Canada's crimes against humanity and war crimes program. As the defence presents its case this fall, I will continue to closely follow the trial of Jacques Mungwarere.To learn more about the Mungwarere trial please visit the CCIJ web site.


text:
Recent releases:
- Support the Girls
- Yesterday
- Child's Play
- Captor, The
- Flood, The
- Men in Black: International
- Sometimes Always Never
- X-Men: Dark Phoenix
- Late Night
- Godzilla King of the Monsters (IMAX in some cinemas)
- Ma
- Secret Life of Pets 2, The
- Rocketman
- Aladdin (IMAX in some cinemas)
- Breakthrough
- John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
- Amazing Grace
- Hustle, The
- Where Hands Touch
- Curse of La Llorona, The
Ides of March, The
Stars: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Jennifer Ehle, Max Minghella, Ewan Bourne
Director: George Clooney
Producer, director and co-writer Clooney, who modestly bills himself second to costar Gosling, nevertheless deserves high praise for this riveting behind-the-scenes fable whose relentless cynicism confirms so many peoples view of the dubious probity of American politics (or, indeed, politics anywhere) especially now that Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for battle over the re-election or otherwise of Barack Obama.
The Ides of March began life as the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon who co-wrote the potent screenplay with Clooney and Grant Heslov, with Clooney ideally casting himself as a liberal Democratic governor, one of the two candidates for his partys nomination as presidential candidate.
Clooney is good here. His smile is sincere, he succeeds in sounding sincere in the face of the media. And yet, despite all this sincerity, there lurks the core of opportunism that lies behind the façade of every politician who seeks office. This performance is the compelling core of the movie, anchoring the plotting and posing organised by his publicity manager, perfectly played by Gosling, who more than earns his top billing as he learns about the wheeling and dealing that is part and parcel of politicking in the United States - and learns to try and deal with having to compromise his ethics to do the job properly. Hoffman scores too, as Clooneys seasoned campaign manager for whom the scales have long fallen from his eyes.
Strong supporting performances come from Giamatti as Goslings unethical opposite number working for Clooneys rival, Tomei as a journalist who would doubtless think nothing of telephone hacking if the results were worth it, and Ehle, warmth itself as Clooney's wife. The romance between intern Wood and Gosling, however, is schematic at best and hardly tests her dramatic abilities.
That said, Clooney sensibly stays close to his subjects and the drama to excellent effect. There are none of the flashy flourishes that too many directors pointlessly employ in order to prove their status as auteurs. He illuminates the political dramas inherent cynicism with considerable force in a film that never loses its grip, boasts a gallery of fine performances and, especially, never resorts to melodrama make its points.
Alan Frank
USA 2011. UK Distributor: Entertainment-One UK. Colour by deluxe.
101 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.
Review date: 23 Oct 2011


text:
A St. Clair County man, along with dozens of others, is suing the makers of a diabetes drug alleging it causes heart problems.
Melvin Reagan filed a class-action claim May 4 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against GlaxoSmithKline, SmithKline Beecham Corporation, McKesson Corporation and five unnamed defendants.
According to the complaint filed on behalf of 43 patients, GSK began marketing the Type-2 diabetes medication Avandia in 1999 after receiving approval from the federal Food and Drug Administration. The drug has reportedly been prescribed to nearly six million people in the United States since then.
Reagan and the other patients claim GSK knew the consumption of Avandia increased the risk of heart problems, including heart attacks and congestive heart failure, but did not warn its patients. They allege the company's own tests, performed in 2005, showed this to be true yet GSK did not put a warning label on Avandia until 2007.
The class accuses GSK and McKesson of negligence, fraud, breach of warranty and misrepresentation. It asks for a judgment of more than $650,000 in damages for medical expenses, loss of income and court costs.
Reagan and the class are represented by attorneys Robert G. Jones of Belleville and David R. Jones of Edwardsville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court Case No. 11-L-228.
A St. Clair County man, along with dozens of others, is suing the makers of a diabetes drug alleging it causes heart problems.


text:
Visiting Chalice Well
The Chalice Well can be found on the main A361 road towards Shepton Mallet,
at the foot of Glastonbury Tor. There is parking for Disabled Badge holders and public parking is generally available at the nearby Rural Life Museum in Bere Lane. There is, between May and September, a shuttle bus between the town center, (outside the Abbey), Chalice Well and the Tor, so you can park your car in one of the town center car parks if you wish. Chalice Well is 10 minutes walk from the town.
Opening Hours
Open 365 days a year
April 1st to October 31st 10:00 am to 5:30 pm
November 1st - March 31st 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Admission Prices
Adult £4.10
Senior Citizens £3.65
Children (5-17) £2.05
Guide Books £5.00
Bottles (for the water) £1.00 - £1.50
We request no smoking, no alcohol, no mobile phones, no dogs please (except guide dogs.)


text:
This is the Disney animated tale of the romance between a young American Indian woman named Pocahontas and Capt. John Smith, who journeyed to the New World with other settlers to begin fresh lives. Her powerful father, Chief Powhatan, disapproves of their relationship and wants her to marry a native warrior. Meanwhile, Smith's fellow Englishmen hope to rob the Native Americans of their gold. Can Pocahontas' love for Smith save the day? Written by Jwelch5742
Frank Detomello is a slovenly zoo keeper, and simple father to the only young and bright girl named Shane, who catches a cold right after he swallowed a germ-ridden egg! The inside of his body is known as the "City of Frank". An unlikely hero of a policeman white blood cell, by the name of Osmosis Jones, works as a member of Immunity cell. But with that germ-ridden egg comes a mortal danger: Osmosis discovers Frank has really contracted a villainous and black-hearted deadly virus known as Thrax who arrives and is plotting to ultimately overheat Frank's body, killing him from the inside out! Thrax is motivated by trying to become the nastiest new virus, attempting to kill each new victim faster than the previous. His grandiose plan for Frank is death in 48 hours, breaking previous medical records! Meanwhile the pill that Frank took, Drix arrives in the body and covers Frank's throat with ice to cover the irritation. Osmosis Jones becomes his newest partner. Now it's all up to only ... Written by Anthony Pereyra [email protected]
When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours -- in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down. Written by Columbia Pictures
Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still trying to get back to the Big Apple and their beloved Central Park zoo, but first they need to find the penguins. When they travel to Monte Carlo, they attract the attention of Animal Control after gate crashing a party and are joined by the penguins, King Julian and Co., and the monkeys. How do a lion, zebra, hippo, giraffe, four penguins, two monkeys, three lemurs travel through Europe without attracting attention and get back to New York? They join a traveling circus. Their attempts to get back to New York are consistently hampered by the Captain of Animal Control who wants to make Alex part of her collection. Once they make it back to New York Marty, Alex, Gloria and Melman realize that they want to be part of the traveling circus. Written by Anonymous
Mitsuha is the daughter of the mayor of a small mountain town. She's a straightforward high school girl who lives with her sister and her grandmother and has no qualms about letting it be known that she's uninterested in Shinto rituals or helping her father's electoral campaign. Instead she dreams of leaving the boring town and trying her luck in Tokyo. Taki is a high school boy in Tokyo who works part-time in an Italian restaurant and aspires to become an architect or an artist. Every night he has a strange dream where he becomes...a high school girl in a small mountain town. Written by Happy_Evil_Dude
Lewis an orphan wants to see what his mother looked like. So he invents a machine that looks through your brain so you can see your memories. But this weird kid says he's from the future and warns him about a guy in a bowler hat. The bowler hat guy messes with his invention and it fails. He decides that he's a failure and no one wants him. But the kid that warned him about the guy is here on a mission to find the bowler hat guy that wants to destroy Lewis. To prove he's from the future he takes Lewis to the future. But the time machine breaks and he's stuck in the future until he fixes it. In the meantime he spends quality time with the family. But the bowler hat guy is about to alter time and it's up to Lewis to save the future. Written by Anonymous
Timon and Pumbaa start to watch the original Lion King movie, but Timon keeps insisting to fast forward to when they come in, because they weren't seen in the beginning of the story or anywhere until halfway through. Pumbaa suggests telling the audience their story, which begins before Simba's journey begins. Through this, we meet Timon's mother and Uncle Max, discover why he left his meerkat colony, where he learned Hakuna Matata, how he meets Pumbaa, and the perils they encountered while searching for their dream home. Written by Kari Gilmore
Presidential Candidate Lex Luthor teams up with the joker to destroy Batman and Superman while becoming president. Will the duo of Batman and Superman win or will they be taken down and destroyed with the rest of the justice league. Based On The Thrilling Video Game Lego Batman 2 DC super heroes. Written by nickgabis
In a tree farm, three musically inclined chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore, find their tree cut down and sent to Los Angeles. Once there, they meet the frustrated songwriter David Seville, and despite a poor house wrecking first impression, they impress him with their singing talent. Seeing the opportunity for success, both human and chipmunks make a pact for them to sing his songs. While that ambition proves a frustrating struggle with the difficult trio, the dream does come true after all. However, that success presents its own trials as their unscrupulous record executive, Ian Hawke, plans to break up this family to exploit the boys. Can Dave and the Chipmunks discover what they really value amid the superficial glamor around them? Written by Kenneth Chisholm ([email protected])
It's the last day of school, and Max wants to catch the eye of Roxanne, one of the more attractive girls in school. But how can you be cool when your dad's Goofy? Stage an impromptu concert at the final assembly, that's how! Or at least it sounded good until Principal Mazer found out. Goofy finds out about his son's antics (sort of), and decides a fishing trip, like his dad took him on, is the solution. Of course, he doesn't know that Max finally lands a date with Roxanne for a party thrown by the class valedictorian. Through the movie, Goofy tries to bring Max out of his shell, while Max resents being taken away, and lying to Roxanne about the trip (he tells her he and his dad will be appearing on TV at the PowerLine concert in LA). Will Max sink or swim? Will Goofy goof up his son's first shot at romance? Will Bigfoot step back? And what about those nuns? Written by Joe Sewell [email protected]
Perry's worst fear comes true when Phineas and Ferb find out that he is in fact Secret Agent P, but that soon pales in comparison during a trip to the 2nd dimension where Perry finds out that Dr. Doofenshmirtz is truly evil and successful. Written by smcarter1966
Robin Hood, a merry man who steals from the rich to give to the poor, has a new capable sidekick, Jerry. The evil king deduces, in his own words "brilliantly", that the best way to deal with this new threat is a cat, so he hires Tom.
The events of Battle of Gods take place some years after the battle with Majin Buu, which determined the fate of the entire universe. Bills, the God of Destruction, is tasked with maintaining some sort of balance in the universe. After awakening from a long slumber, Bills is visited by Whis and learns that the galactic overlord Frieza has been defeated by a Super Saiyan from the North Quadrant of the universe named Goku, who is also a former student of the North Kai. Ecstatic over the new challenge, Goku ignores King Kai's advice and battles Bills, but he is easily overwhelmed and defeated. Bills leaves, but his eerie remark of "Is there nobody on Earth more worthy to destroy?" lingers on. Now it is up to the heroes to stop the God of Destruction before all is lost. Written by ForLand Hucy
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, who has the mutant ability to read minds, searches for new mutants to train them how to use their powers for good and to prevent the mutants from harming themselves and others at his School for Gifted Youngsters. His opposition, Magneto Master of Magnetism, is doing the same thing, but for evil purposes. He has made Mystique who is a shape-shifter, a principle of his high school to gather evil mutants to prepare them for war against non-mutants. The most interesting plot of the story is that all the heroes and villains attend the same high school. The classic battle of good vs. evil has begun again. Written by Emmett Dweh [email protected]
Legends of Chamberlain Heights follow the lives of three high school freshman Jamal, Milk, and Grover. These three are benchwarmers on the school basketball team, but legends in their own minds. Written by Dylan
Four friends and their daily lives of playing extreme sports, surfing, and getting into some crazy situations.
The adventures of a 4th grader named Clarence along with his two best friends, Sumo and Jeff.
The series stars the Freemakers, a family of scavengers who build and sell starships from the scoured debris of space battles strewn throughout the galaxy. When their youngest discovers a natural connection with the Force through an ancient artifact . The Kyber Saber, his world is turned upside down, and he and his family are thrown into an epic struggle against the Empire to restore peace and freedom to the galaxy. Throughout their adventures, the Freemakers explore new worlds, meet new and familiar characters, and learn the true value of what it means to be a family. Written by arie570
Shaun is a sheep who doesn't follow the flock - in fact, he leads them into all sorts of scrapes and scraps, turning peace in the valley into mayhem in the meadow. Shaun and his pals run rings around their poor sheepdog Bitzer, as he tries to stop the Farmer finding out what's going on behind his back. Every day brings a new adventure for Shaun. Written by Inman
The show revolves around life on a cul-de-sac, focusing on three friends who have nearly identical names: Ed, Edd, and Eddy. Ed is the strongest of the three and the least intelligent, Edd is the smartest and the most socially accepted among others in the cul-de-sac, and Eddy is the de-facto leader of the group and is the meanest of the group. Throughout the show, the trio create numerous scams in order to make money to earn jawbreakers. They also have to deal with numerous misadventures, such as being ostracized from other kids in the cul-de-sac, as well as avoiding the Kanker sisters, who live in a nearby trailer and whom the Eds and the cul-de-sac as a whole despise. Written by Sam
An animated series based on the popular European comics. Tintin, a young Belgian reporter, gets involved in various mysteries and adventures with his dog Snowy, his friends Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus, and the bumbling detectives, Thomson and Thompson. Tintin and his cohorts investigate jewel thefts, track kidnappers, solve murders, and find sunken treasure in journeys ranging from around the world to their own backyard. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher [email protected]
Based on the popular British skit comedy Mr. Bean, this animated cartoon follows the adventures of everyone's favourite bumbler. The title character, voiced by Rowan Atkinson, lives in his flat with the lovable Teddy, where he makes moronic decisions yet brilliantly solves them. However, he also needs to outwit his evil landlady Mrs. Wicket and her horrible one-eyed cat Scrapper. Written by Bloggers!
A teenage Tony Stark battles evil with his revolutionary power armor technology.
When artist draws a magic line, it takes on a life of its own, becoming a silhouette of a living hot-tempered person. This Mr. Line wants more things drawn so he can enjoy himself, but the artist loves having fun on Mr. Line's account.
Set as a prequel to the two Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies, the series focuses on the adventures of Flint Lockwood and Sam Sparks as best friends in high school. While Flint wants to be a successful inventor, Sam longs for fame as a reporter.
Codename: Kids Next Door follows the escapades of five eager, yet bumbling, ten-year-olds as they join forces against adulthood to fight for the right to enjoy all the fun things in life. These principled kids tackle the really important issues facing their peers, like the right to stay up late or to eat whatever they want. But when taking a stand is just not enough, this crew embarks on top secret missions on behalf of children everywhere, utilizing fantastic homemade technology like flying machines and catapults, to accomplish their goals. Like any good team, the agents in Codename: Kids Next Door each have their own distinct identities, skills and personalities. Numbuh One is Nigel Uno, the British-accented leader of the group. Hoagie P. Gilliam, a mechanical genius and expert pilot, is known as Numbuh Two. Diversionary tactics are the specialty of Kiki Sanban, also known as Numbuh Three. Brash and impulsive Numbuh Four (Wallabee Beatles) is a master of hand to hand combat. And ... Written by Cartoon Network (press release)
A spectacular CG action-comedy, THE ADVENTURES OF PUSS IN BOOTS stars one of DreamWorks Animation's most celebrated characters. The world's greatest fighter, lover (and milk connoisseur) springs to action with mystical, comical tales that take him to exotic locations filled with unforgettable characters.
Code Lyoko tells the story of a group of students who uncover a parallel universe called Lyoko inside a super-computer that is threatened by a renegade program named XANA that could destroy the world. It's up to four boarding-school students named Jeremy, Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd to help a humanoid being inside Lyoko named Aelita to stop the rogue program XANA and his plans to attack their world. Jeremy, who is in love with Aelita, struggles through season 1 to find a way to materialize Aelita, so she can become human by exiting the scanners that connect Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi to Lyoko. If Jeremy accomplishes this, he will be able to shut down Lyoko and defeat XANA. We witness Jeremy finally materializes Aelita, and accomplish his dream. The group deactivate Lyoko, but XANA apparently infected Aelita with a virus before she was materialized so that if XANA goes, she does too! In the beginning of season 2, we witness the dawn of new technology. Jeremy programs vehicles into Lyoko for ... Written by Christapheo
In the early 17th century, Japan adopted strict isolation policies and severed almost all ties with foreign countries. In 1853, the US fleet commanded by Admiral Perry forced the doors open, leading to a modernization of the nation's sociopolitical systems and the eventual fall of the Shogunate. The samurai regime ended its life with the imperial restoration in 1868. That's what history tells, but in Gintama, that's not what happens. Instead of the US fleet, the country is stormed by spaceships coming from four corners of the universe and soon we see it occupied by extraterrestrials. The Shogunate has become a puppet of alien occupation armies. All samurais have been disarmed and reduced to temp workers with no skills who just try to make ends meet. Gintama is a story of a handyman named Gintoki, a samurai with no respect for rules set by the invaders, who's ready to take any job to survive. He and his gang, however, are also among the very few who have not forgotten the morale of a ... Written by Crunchyroll.com


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Membership/Membership Career Resources/2012 Annual Meeting Highlights from the Membership Advisory Task Force Committee
The 2012 Annual Meeting included a number of events specially designed to address the needs of Associate Members and other junior scientists who may seek membership in the future. On Monday night in the poster session, there was a poster titled "Membership Advisory Task Force: Feedback, Challenges, and Solutions in 2012". This poster, created and presented by members of the our task force, highlighted 2012 survey data revealing what aspects of the college are valued by Associate Members – and also what they dislike. To help enhance transparency and diminish mystery about the membership application process, the poster also showed statistics describing the age, gender, and H-index of applicants who were accepted into the college as full members and associate members in the past 3 years.
There was great traffic at the poster, and many stopped to ask questions and react to the information. Some expressed concern about changes for the future that had been approved by Council, such as the capping the "years since training" eligibility criterion for Travel Award Applications. This change, which will be rolled out in increments over three years, is intended to create more opportunities for individuals who are earlier in their career development trajectories to win ACNP travel awards, and to diminish the assignment of those award monies to more accomplished scientists who already have grant funding and are more likely to have other resources for supporting their travel expenses. Others who visited the poster expressed worry about the new requirement that no more than 10 years lapse from completion of training to the point of application for ACNP Associate Membership (previously it was 15 years). Committee members explained that this change came in response to concerns that there were not enough associate membership slots for relatively junior scientists to enter the college. With this new requirement in place, applicants who are beyond 10 years from their last year of training will now submit application materials for consideration of acceptance into regular Member slots, rather than take spaces in the Associate Member pool. Committee members at the poster also included news that the membership accepted an amendment of ANCP bylaws to increase the number of Associate Members accepted into the college each year to 25, instead of 15 (the current limit). All of these steps are intended to attract and retain more junior scientists interested in ACNP, and to make it possible for the best junior candidates to make it to the meeting and to gain access to Associate Member slots.
For the second year in a row, the Membership Task Force sponsored a career development panel discussion at the annual meeting: "Special Session for Associate Members: Ask the Experts: Peer Review." This year's panelists included Drs. William Carlezon, Marlene Freeman, Robert Friedman, John Krystal, Lisa Monteggia, and Nora Volkow. The central topic was peer review, and some of the issues addressed are summarized here: Reasons for junior investigators to perform peer review of manuscripts and grants: Panelists encouraged participation in peer review because it is part of being a good citizen in our academic community; it can help one become a better writer; it facilitates networking and establishing connection others in your field (for example, during study section). Tips for writing a good review: Panelists spoke of common mistakes/pitfalls to avoid. A common thread in the discussion was being tactful and constructive in comments and avoiding a mean tone during peer review. How to determine the boundaries relevant to conflict of interest? A common response to this query was what this is very gray area, and that decisions will vary depending on the review venue (e.g., manuscript review vs. grant review; NIH vs. non-profit foundation). One suggestion was to always feel free to bring questions about conflict to the journal editor or the person coordinating the grant review. What a reviewer should do if he/she knows something about the study that isn't transparent in the proposal/article submitted for publication, especially when the omitted information negatively impacts the reviewer's assessment of the manuscript? Again, it was recommended that reviewers discuss this with the editor or scientific review administrator. How does one become a member of a journal editorial board or study section? It was strongly recommended that junior investigators do this whenever the opportunities arise.. For editorial boards, it was noted that investigators asked to join a board typically had written multiple reviews for that particular journal, were seen as fair reviewers, and submitted their reviews on time. For study section, it was suggested that directly contacting the scientific review administrators for study sections that match one's area of expertise is an excellent way to make known an interest and willingness to review grant proposals.
Overall, the panel discussion was very well attended and highly valued (based on post-meeting survey results). One criticism submitted was that many meeting attendees assumed that this special panel session was only open to an audience of ACNP Associate Members. Actually, it was intended for anyone who felt they might benefit from the discussion and from mentorship pearls from a panel of "experts" on the topic of peer review. Next year, the Membership Task Force will have a different title for the career development sessions at the meeting, and will take steps when advertising the session which hopefully make clearer that all are welcome to attend.
Hats off to NPP for their Impact Factor increase!!!
ACNP is now accepting Honorific Award nominations. Deadline is June 28th to submit. https://t.co/xQlJP2Id6c #ACNP2020
Discovery of LSD1 inhibitor with improved safety https://t.co/woJ2dDT4we #nppjournal #mentalhealth


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M/V Mermaid II Liveaboard Trip
M/V Mermaid II is a 32 metre, double engine steel motor yacht. One of the most comfortable diver boats in Thailand , she easily accommodates 16 guests in 8 deluxe cabins and 2 guests in a budget cabin below deck. All deluxe cabins are on the main deck with large panoramic sea view windows. Each cabin has a double bed and single bed (max pax 2 per cabin), air conditioning, ensuite bathrooms. The budget cabin is below deck with twin bunks, air conditioning and share bathroom with 1 other cabin.
There is a wide stern dive platform with two exit ladders and fresh water showers. The dive deck is huge with plenty of room to gear up, individual boxes for your dive gear, camera table and loads of rinse tanks. The dining room is located on the main deck where delicious buffet style Thai and western meals are served. The saloon is large and spacious with lounge suites and big windows, bar fridge, tea and coffee facilities, TV/DVD, music center, library and a full selection of marine life books. There are two outside decks ? the shade covered party deck has a combination of lounge chairs and cushioned sun chairs, The sundeck, located in front of the wheelhouse has full sun and cushioned sun chairs. EANX NITROX is available on every cruise.
Similan Islands/Richelieu Rock
4 days/4 nights
Hin Daeng/Muang & Phi Phi
2 days/3 nights
Guests transfer to Patong between 17:00-18:00 checking in at Sea World Dive Team. Transfer to MV Mermaid II by 19:00 for boat and safety briefing, settle into your cabin then set up equipment. Prior to getting underway, the crew set off firecrackers to bring good luck for the cruise , dinner is served and we sail usually calm seas for 6 hours to the Similan Islands.
Tuesday – 4 dives
Wake up call at 7am in paradise ! After a continental breakfast, 1st dive around 8am at the spectacular East of Eden on Island no. 7 followed by a full western breakfast. Dive #2 at Elephant Head Rock between islands #7 & 8 to enjoy coral encrusted swim throughs, sharks, giant trevally and mostly large fish action at this remarkable site. Macro enthusiasts should look out for specials like dragonets, whiskered pipefish, nudibrancs, peacock mantis shrimp and more ! Then we cruise north to Koh Bon to see if the Mantas are dancing off West Ridge.The night dive will feature crustaceans, sea stars, morays, lion fish plus more. Dinner is served then its time to relax with our new friends over a cold beer on the party deck.
Wednesday – 4 dives
Early morning the captain sails us quietly to Koh Tachai to dive the fabulous "Plateau" – leopard sharks sleep around 25 metres while over head masses of barracuda, big eye trevally and a wonderful school of resident batfish wait the keen diver – maybe even a chance for an angler fish hiding among the cabbage corals on the dome. Whale sharks frequent this dive site as are mantas !!! Next we cruise north for 2 hours to the world famous Richelieu Rock for a minimum of 2 dives – sea horse, frog fish, harlequin shrimp, ornate ghost pipefish plus more will delight the macro enthusiast with loads of fish action for everyone – rivers of fusiliers, big schools of jacks, chevron barracuda, yellow stripped snapper swim in the blue around "the Rock" with giant garoupa standing sentinel at the many coral heads just off the Rock – dripping with yellow, purple and pink soft corals. A sunset dive at Richelieu Rock is a treat if conditions allow otherwise its off to Koh Tachai for a good night dive where we shelter in a quiet bay for the night.
Thursday – 4 dives
Early morning, another chance for the pelagic action of Koh Tachai and then its back to Koh Bon for more shark and manta action off the West Ridge or a deep dive on the Pinnacle for advanced divers ! Relax over lunch as we cruise back to the Similans for an island adventure to enjoy the white sand beaches and awesome granite boulder formations. Then Dive #3 in the warm blue waters of Anita's Reef Island #5 – wow – are your camera's fully charged ? Night diving at Honeymoon Bay or the Hideaway will give you the chance to see loads of big and small crabs, lobster, shells and more – maybe a twin spot lion fish, a Spanish dancer ?
Friday – 2 dives
Today 2 morning dives around the southern Similan Islands – Boulder City and Shark Reef often feature on the itinerary developed each trip to suit all divers on board. These sites are washed by light to moderate currents bringing swarms of bait fish attracting pelagic and reef fishes galore. Loads of gorgonian fans dot the sea floor providing homes for creatures big and small and plenty of photo opportunities. Look around the many huge granite boulders for leopard sharks, napoleon wrasse, oriental, sweet lips, jaw fish and more.
Your Similans/Richelieu adventure comes to an end as we cruise back to Patong Phuket arriving around 16:00 hours – all part of the service on board MV Mermaid II – relax over a yummy lunch while the crew wash your equipment and ready the boat for arrival. On shore you are met by Mermaid shore crew who assist your every need transferring you to your hotel or next destination. Here we say good bye till next time to those leaving the boat. Those continuing on their Andaman Safari adventure have a chance to stretch their legs on shore, do a little shopping, have a massage or simply stay on board and relax for a couple of hours while we restock. All aboard by 19:00 hours !
Friday Con't
Guests are transferred to Sea World Dive Team in Patong for 18:00 to check in and transfer to MV Mermaid for 19:00 – more fireworks and we get underway for Hin Daeng/ Hin Muang in the south cruising about 6 hours over night.
Saturday – 4 dives
Good morning call for 7am and a continental breakfast. Dive 1, 2 and 3 give you plenty of opportunity to enjoy the wonders of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Famous for stunning purple soft corals and one of the best places for the chance to spot whale sharks. Mantas spend hours on the cleaning stations here as do divers ! Couple this with a "fish soup" of rainbow runners, yellow tail and chevron barracuda, fusiliers and millions of reef fish and you have one awesome dive location ! We head north to Koh Haa – a cluster of 5 scenic islands for a wonderful night dive alive with colour, decorator crabs, shrimps, spiny lobster, red whip corals plus more.
Sunday – 4 dives
Special treats today ! Dive 1 at Koh Haa I for sea horse, great chimneys and swimthroughs. Dive 2 – "Twin Cathedrals" of Koh Haa – a safe but awesome open cavern dive with limestone stalactites . Outside this spot is nudibranc city – you can't fail to spot rare and interesting macro delights here. Then it's off to dive Bida Nok and Bida Nai at Phi Phi for 2 dives featuring leopard sharks, bamboo sharks, ornate ghost pipe fish, turtles …. After diving, there is the chance to go on shore at Phi Phi to shop for souvenirs, have a few beers at one of the many trendy bars or simply enjoy a romantic stroll along the moonlit beach. All aboard by 11pm to cruise back to Patong Phuket.
A hearty breakfast for all while the boat crew transfer your luggage ashore. Then we bid farewell to our guests transferring ashore by 9:00 hours. Those staying on to continue their Andaman Safari to the Similans have the day to relax on the beach, enjoy a massage, go for an elephant trek, or relax by our pool at Phawadee Resort and Spa till boarding time at 19:00 hours.
TOTAL DIVES for HIN DAENG/ PHI PHI – 8


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Zach Britton gave up six runs, 10 hits and two walks in six innings Monday night against the Seattle Mariners. And that's not good.
Yet this is one of those starts where the box score didn't show everything. Several of those hits were grounders that found holes. One catchable, broken-bat soft liner dropped in front of left fielder Nolan Reimold and helped ignite a three-run rally.
After the game, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked if Britton will get another start and he was noncommittal. But he also defended Britton's outing, saying it wasn't as if the Mariners were squaring up every pitch.
My guess is Britton will start again Saturday on the road against the...


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